How does Tarot WORK?
One question I often ask myself (and am often asked by others) is ‘How does Tarot actually WORK’?
In fact, I’m so curious about this that it’s actually the subject of my current Masters research dissertation. I’m interviewing a wide range of Tarot professionals, asking them what they believe is happening when they use Tarot with clients as a tool for psychological and spiritual growth.
My research is still in the early stages, and obviously no-one knows exactly how Tarot works, any more than anyone actually knows how consciousness works.
BUT, there are two clear paths emerging for how people believe Tarot might work, and how they experience it as transformational:
Psychological processing, and/or conduit to a higher power?
1/ It’s a tool for introspection and psychological processing. By getting to understand the structure of a Tarot deck, and working with the images on the 78 cards, we get to know ourselves better. Through our response to the cards, we can meet parts of ourselves that are familiar and comfortable….and parts of ourselves that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Tarot strengthens your intuition, which gives you clarity and direction and ultimately supports you to make choices that are right for YOU.
2/ It’s a conduit to a shared consciousness. Whether you think of that as a higher power, the Universe, or some other more-than-human idea, Tarot cards seem to help us access universal human experiences in a way that doesn’t make sense, cognitively. Cards will pop out that are exactly fitting for the situation you are facing, and very often give you a message that helps you come into alignment with your unique life path. Yep, sounds slightly psychedelic…but it IS!
In Coaching with Tarot, my six week online group programme that will leave you inspired and confident to work with Tarot in your own way, we focus primarily on the first path - Tarot as a tool for self-knowledge. All belief systems are welcome, from ‘none’ through to ‘fully-formed’!
However, I personally have a strong belief (grounded in experience) that Tarot is a spiritual practice, and I have no doubt many of you will experience this too. Even if we can’t articulate it in words 🙂
I would LOVE to hear from you - do you want to learn Tarot as a tool for self-connection, a spiritual practice, or a bit of both???