when to use the tarot

[yogiman]

I just read the entertaining story by Runningwild in the other thread, and she touched on something that has me made to ponder for some time.

I started with tarot some 20 years ago, and have been laying spreads about one hundred times, before giving it a long intermezzo. I've never been journaling, and to me it was just a kind of divination game, and never checked the outcome as I am not sure whether reading and laying the cards for yourself is the right procedure. Now, Runningwild told something very interesting. She was looking to a movie, and had some difficulty with the plot, so she laid the cards about it. To her surprise the cards told her exactly what the movie was about.

This seems to me the perfect way to learn to read the tarot. However, I've been a lot into the works of Carl Jung, and his advice with regard to the I Ching was only to consult it when there is some very good reason for it. He believed that synchronistic events occur mostly during a time of personal crisis.

Do you people think he had a point?

 

[lalalibra]

This is how I see it based on my own life experiences and the understanding that I've come to at this point in time:

I genuinely believe that "synchronicity" is happening all the time. Everything is synchronous. It's just that when we *notice* it -- when we are met with events that are especially striking or where it's obvious to us -- it is then that we apply/recognize this is happening by naming whatever events as having the characteristic of synchronicity... But everything has meaning and everything is connected, it's only sometimes that we notice the meaning.

It's sort of like when someone theoretically takes a hallucinogen, and as a result of having their consciousness [their senses and the level of their perceptions] expanded, they can recognize a depth of meaning in subjects or places where they had previously overlooked...

Tarot can also serve to expand our consciousness in this way. I've actually always hypothetically considered Tarot as a lovely tool for "synchronicity junkies." It can be thrilling to notice synchronicity because it's exciting to find meaning and to potentially grow from the experience of having done so.

And so in that case, I think that's just one aspect of how Tarot works -- through synchronicity. Every card you lay out at whatever given moment is absolutely relevant to you or your life/everyday experience somehow, someway. You may not be able to make the conscious connection and recognize the meaning (such as in the case where a reader may have confusion, or make an erroneous or incomplete interpretation), but the meaning absolutely still there; it's just a matter of discovery.

This seems to me the perfect way to learn to read the tarot. However, I've been a lot into the works of Carl Jung, and his advice with regard to the I Ching was only to consult it when there is some very good reason for it. He believed that synchronistic events occur mostly during a time of personal crisis.

Do you people think he had a point?

I think that our perceptions are heightened during times of stress or during pivotal life changes, and so in that sense we say that synchronicity happens more during such times. As I said before, I think that we just notice it more (and our senses literally become heightened during flight/fight response)... On the other hand, sometimes people say their stress is actually getting in the way of their ability to focus on or receive messages.

Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with practicing Tarot interpretation in the way that you've described...

I think a possible reason that someone would potentially say to not read for "mundane things" is out of some idea/standard they've set of needing to keep their associations with the Tarot as "pure" if they indeed view it as a way to communicate with the Universe (as it can be a way to receive help/guidance; something they may view as being very sacred, and therefore "separate" from the daily grind of life), and so they may wish to keep Tarot more ritualistic... I think that's a valid viewpoint, but I still think it's a personal decision to make. It's all dependent on your own belief system and the associations that you make with what Tarot is; how and for what you use it for... All a matter of personal choice and defining/following your individuality.

 

[GryffinSong]

A lot of excellent points above.

I will add this, and I think this is key. As with most (all?) things of great importance, we all must find our own path. You will find opinions all over the map about when and how to do tarot. You must find what works for you.

 

[ravenest]

I think Jung had a point about the I Ching and one ( IMO also) should not consult it unless one has a good reason to - the danger here is, instead of seeking advice or decision from your own facilities and rely instead upon the I Ching it may become habitual ... if that happens tour own abilities may become atrophied. A normal person is constantly making small decisions and judgements ... to replace this process means you have to do more and more I Ching throws on more and more subjects, or more throws about the same subjects. The result is neurosis. (Sorry if I am getting too psychological here ... but you did cite Jung. )

Jung may have believed that synchronistic events occur mostly during a time of personal crisis. But how does that relate to him saying not to use I Ching unless one has a reason?

[Perhaps during a time of personal crisis one may feel one's decision and judgement facility is insufficient, or one may loose faith in it, then one might want to do more throws. During a crisis, because one is seeking help outside the self, one notices more synchronicity . If one is confident and capable in ones own internal ability - it doesn't feel as much like a crisis. ]

I suppose one could transpose I Ching with Tarot ... but they are not the same thing. However, looking at some of the threads around here, some 'suffer from' Tarot 'over-usage' and IMO use tarot without having a good reason, so Jung's comments may well be relevant.

 

[Chimera Dust]

I would say it depends on your view about the Tarot. Everyone seems to have their own beliefs about what it is and their own preferences about what to do with it, so I don't think there's a right or wrong answer -- it comes down to the individual and the most each of us can do is offer our own perspectives so you can read about different opinions and make up your own mind.

For me, personally, I don't think you should necessarily consult it when you have a good reason to do so.

First, there's the matter of what constitutes a good reason. Is finding a misplaced earring a good reason? What about a marriage or work promotion? Or gaining more knowledge about yourself? Is fun a good reason, too? Different people would give different answers to those things, for some a good reason would be something gigantic and life-changing and for others it would simply be something they need a fresh look at, even if it's small.

Secondly, how do you tell what a good reason is? When something is happening and you're directly involved in it, it can be hard to see things clearly. I'm sure we can all think of things we've done that seemed small and unimportant as they unfolded but which turned out to have an impact later on, and things that seemed like a very big deal that ended up being less so than we assumed.

Third, there are some problems that would arise from doing this with the Tarot. Of course, you're free to do it and it's great if you find a way around these issues anyway.

One of those problems is practice. Reading about important things can be good if you allow some room for mistakes that happen very often you're new to reading. On the other hand, how many huge events do you really get to read about on a daily basis? When I was starting out, I did really simple readings about simple things for practice. Even now, I still do "fun" readings to keep myself reading, otherwise I'd read 2-3 times a year at most.

The other problem is that many people advise against reading for yourself, especially when you're just starting out, because it's so easy to be biased even when you don't intend to be. If you're reading about big events in your life you'll be more likely to run into this issue and to have more pressure on yourself to get things right, as opposed to doing fun readings that are ok to interpret wrongly.

I suspect that a similar reason is why the mindset that you should use it only for important things exist. There have been several threads where the poster or someone the poster read for were starting to rely on the Tarot as a crutch and even get multiple readings on the same issue on a very regular basis. The Tarot is awesome and it's fine to use it for guidance if that floats your boat, even get more than one reading if you need to see an issue from different perspectives. What's not fine is to start using it as a crutch to the point where you'll read about everything because you feel like you need to, not because it's fun to try to read about the plot of a movie.

These are my two cents. I believe that at the end of the day it's a personal choice how you choose to think about the Tarot and what you do with it. If you feel more comfortable reading about rather mundane stuff for practice, I'd say that's fine. If you only want to read about important things, that's ok too. Both have their downsides as I explained above, the key here is finding out what works best for you.

 

[Mysticalmom]

Everyone has some great points. For me, as of now since I am just starting, it is for clarification. I have been intuitive and listen for guidance, but have been recently drawn to Tarot. I have found that I have seen things clearer and more understanding. I see it as a better way for my angels to communicate with me. I have asked questions and found answers that were things I would not have thought of just sitting and thinking about it. It seems, for me, to open doors of thought that I may not have opened on my own.

But again, its all personal.

 

[RunningWild]

I just read the entertaining story by Runningwild in the other thread, and she touched on something that has me made to ponder for some time.

I started with tarot some 20 years ago, and have been laying spreads about one hundred times, before giving it a long intermezzo. I've never been journaling, and to me it was just a kind of divination game, and never checked the outcome as I am not sure whether reading and laying the cards for yourself is the right procedure. Now, Runningwild told something very interesting. She was looking to a movie, and had some difficulty with the plot, so she laid the cards about it. To her surprise the cards told her exactly what the movie was about.

This seems to me the perfect way to learn to read the tarot. However, I've been a lot into the works of Carl Jung, and his advice with regard to the I Ching was only to consult it when there is some very good reason for it. He believed that synchronistic events occur mostly during a time of personal crisis.

Do you people think he had a point?

Hi.

Let's differentiate here between learning the cards and the psychology of using the cards.
My illustration was about learning the cards. I have never met, or seen, or spoken to, anyone who uses them, except online.

Anyone learning something new, trying to understand how it works, will do it again and again and again until they're satisfied they have a grasp of it. It doesn't matter if it's auto mechanics or knitting and it's the same with learning tarot. I don't ascribe some metaphysical or spiritual belief to the cards even if I don't doubt the answers given. I was (and still am) in learning mode.

Compare that to the psychology of using the cards. Why do people ask for readings? A crisis, or perceived crisis, of some sort. And if that threat still exists for them, even if there is no real evidence? They'll seek more readings. How much faith they put into the results of those readings varies.

Do synchronistic events happen only during crises? No, however, I believe we're more apt to noticing them in a hyper-vigilant state.

In the example I gave in my thread, I used the movie as a chance to learn the cards. I already knew the movie. I was more interested in seeing how the cards fit the movie, if indeed they did at all.

 

[ravenest]

Now, Runningwild told something very interesting. She was looking to a movie, and had some difficulty with the plot, so she laid the cards about it. To her surprise the cards told her exactly what the movie was about.

In the example I gave in my thread, I used the movie as a chance to learn the cards. I already knew the movie. I was more interested in seeing how the cards fit the movie, if indeed they did at all.

When I read the first comment I thought, ‘How silly, what a mundane use for tarot.’ But your clarification puts it in a totally different light; a sort of reverse process – read after the outcome – to examine cards and outcome – interesting and innovative

Thanks for clearing that up, I am often totally not seeing what yogiman seems to see in other’s posts when he ‘quotes’ them .

 

[SunChariot]

I just read the entertaining story by Runningwild in the other thread, and she touched on something that has me made to ponder for some time.

I started with tarot some 20 years ago, and have been laying spreads about one hundred times, before giving it a long intermezzo. I've never been journaling, and to me it was just a kind of divination game, and never checked the outcome as I am not sure whether reading and laying the cards for yourself is the right procedure. Now, Runningwild told something very interesting. She was looking to a movie, and had some difficulty with the plot, so she laid the cards about it. To her surprise the cards told her exactly what the movie was about.

This seems to me the perfect way to learn to read the tarot. However, I've been a lot into the works of Carl Jung, and his advice with regard to the I Ching was only to consult it when there is some very good reason for it. He believed that synchronistic events occur mostly during a time of personal crisis.

Do you people think he had a point?

I'd agree with consulting the cards only when you have a good reason. But that what constitutes a good reason. The cards are a tool that CAN answer anything at all that you ask them. They are your tool. If there is something you want to know and are curious about, then that is a good reason.

My belief is that the cards want to help you if you ask. Unless you ask the same question over and over...But you have a deck of cards that wants to help you and you have something you want to know. there is no conflict at all there. Some questions may be against your moral values to ask, but aside from that if you want to know and the cards want to tell you, what's wrong with that?

I don't believe the cards work on synchronicities, but that is just my opinion. I believe that here is an intelligence that is answering us through the cards...

Babs

 

[yogiman]

It's a difficult matter to decide for me. According to Carl Jung synchronicity is an event which happens sporadically. Another view from Crowley is that tarot divination is related to card XVIII the Moon, which means that evil influences might interfere. Sunchariot's perspective on the tarot intelligence is most appealing to me, and least confusing. I will stick to that until experience will tell me otherwise.