What do you believe the tarot actually does?

People come from all walks of life with all sorts of perspectives.
I would like to know what people here think the tarot actually does.

I know the explainations will range from mystical, religious or even scientific.
This isn't a debate thread, I want people to share freely without feeling
that they are wrong just because their belief is the opposite from the one before.

My own belief is that the cards mirrors the soul and the archetypes it manifests.
It gives us an opportunity to look at a part of us that is mostly hidden.

What do you believe?

It helps me view things in a broader, deeper and interconnected context.

It acts like a mirror, showing me parts of myself and others that I could not otherwise see.

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It serves as a conduit between me and the Goddess.

It is a means through which I see the future.

It is a means through which I better understand the past.

A thematic apperception test to hone one's inborn intuition.

Tarot/card reading helps me to help my client develop and use their own intuition, to help them see their situations from different perspectives, to see new possibilities, to give possible solutions. I do not read for myself, or use tarot cards for self development, I have only used card/tarot reading to assist others. Tarot itself does nothing, it is a tool. It is the interaction with Tarot that brings out your own insights/intuition. As I was taught as a child, the magic is not in the cards or any medium you use, the magic is within you. Tarot is a wonderful medium, covering all aspects of human psychology, making us see all aspects of ourselves, and the journeys we must endure. We live, we die, we are reborn, again and again. This is my basic belief and why I use tarot.

Pamuya beat me to it. Tarot is a tool to bring out the magic in ourselves, if it is really magic. I can't say for sure how it works, but it just does and that's good enough for me.

I do fortune telling with the cards and it always fascinates me when I get feedback further down the line on what happened that came out in the readings. It keeps me in awe of Tarot.

It can tap into another persons subconscious mind that allows you to understand how they might be feeling or thinking? The cards can also indicate certain truths or lies if you are unsure about someone's motives, and can help you with guidance on what options to choose from if your unable to decide.

Arch said:

People come from all walks of life with all sorts of perspectives.
I would like to know what people here think the tarot actually does.

I know the explainations will range from mystical, religious or even scientific.

My own belief is that the cards mirrors the soul and the archetypes it manifests.
It gives us an opportunity to look at a part of us that is mostly hidden.

What do you believe?

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I believe that the pictures of Tarot lie on bits of card which lie in boxes.

Any of the doing is mine, not theirs.