Regardless of its history, the Tarot is, without a doubt, one of the most useful spiritual tools at our disposal. That's because it not only bridges the gap between the mundane and spiritual worlds, but also delivers clear and accurate advice that we can use to our benefit. That's good news.
The best news, though, is that people can use it to empower their lives and increase their productivity. It doesn't take special card-reading skills or psychic ability. A high IQ isn't necessary, and neither is a red phone to the spirit world. All it takes is a firm desire, a little imagination, and the ability to follow a storyline. It's as simple as that.
Working with the Tarot comes easily because it speaks to us in images-a subliminal language that the brain not only understands, but uses to process every single thought we think. Here's how it works.
When we look at a picture, the mundane self (the conscious mind) immediately strikes up a conversation with the inner child (the subconscious mind). And as they talk, the subconscious mind searches the memory banks for every image that relates to that picture. The pictures form in the mind's eye and when that happens, both sectors of the spiritual self (the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious) come alive. The personal unconscious processes every bit of personal knowledge that we've ever accumulated in connection with that image. The collective unconscious gets busy, too-it searches out every related instinctual and intuitive reaction, draws its own conclusions, and matches those up with the data collected by the personal unconscious. Once they have all the information together, they tie it up into one nice, neat little package and deliver it to the conscious and subconscious minds. The brain's work is done and-voila!-we suddenly understand what the image is saying.
Even so, many people have difficulty using the Tarot. Why? Simply put, they just try too hard. They think that they're supposed to get some sort of mysterious set of messages. That being the case, they send their brains into overload with the search.
And when it comes back empty-handed, they pack up the deck and put it aside, never to be used again.
The truth of the matter is that the Tarot is nothing more than a set of pictures designed to tell a story. In fact, it's much like reading a comic strip without the benefit of words. Once we determine what the characters are doing and how they're interacting, the message comes through loud and clear. There's nothing to ponder, nothing with which to tax our brains. We see it and understand it. End of story.
That's all well and fine. But other than the fact that the card images speak to all parts of the brain, what makes it a spiritual tool? Isn't it just another fortunetelling device? Contrary to popular belief, the Tarot does not in any way forecast the future. Instead, it gives us choices and allows pause for thought. It taps into what we either cannot see or refuse to see on a mundane level, and puts it right in front of us. That, in itself, is quite a feat. But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to show us what is likely to happen if we continue upon the current path. We can then decide whether it's in our best interest to change the route or move forward as planned. And that's something a mere fortunetelling device can't do ... read more ...
