SYMBOLIC IMAGERY
Like most art forms, a tarot deck's images may reflect every conceivable
subject matter. Often, however, tarot decks draw from a variety of
belief systems to provide a framework of meaning that becomes embedded
within their cards' imagery. These include the mainstays of metaphysics
like astrology, alchemy, numerology, and the Qabalah, but the tarot's
concepts may also be discussed in psychological or mythological terms,
with archetypal motifs, or via purely artistic symbolism. Some tarot
decks use only one of these systems as their main, organizational
framework, but other decks invoke a combination of these subjects to
symbolize the concepts of their cards.
THE SEARCH FOR MEANING
The question of which themes are associated with each card, or what any
given card "means," as one might guess, is a very subjective
matter. Expecting concrete equations from the tarot, such as Card X = Y
seems, at least to me, like looking for relationship advise within
Schroedinger's uncertainty equation. Like quantum physics, the tarot
does not describe a deterministic universe. There are different tools
in humanity's tool kit that help us perform different tasks, and while
many sciences are well suited to providing definitive answers, I believe
the tarot is better suited to help us explore our ever-shifting, inner
realms of thought, feeling and meaning. Expecting a definite answer
from the tarot about one's future requires a leap of faith, which is
natural and meaningful for some. But approaching the tarot by asking
how the imagery and themes of a card relate to one's life removes any
questions about whether or not the reading is "right " or
"wrong." The reading becomes an exploration of one's self in
relation to the larger, universal themes embodied within the tarot. All
that being said, that is just one way to think of how the tarot can
communicate meaning to a reader. Some believe that spirit guides, or a
universal consciousness communicates through the reader of the cards;
others believe that quantum physics explains how a reader can tell the
future using tarot cards. It is not my intention here to support or
refute any of these ideas, merely to outline some of the different ways
people think about how and what tarot cards communicate, including those
that lie beyond the realm of the spiritual and occult, which are so
often assumed to be inseparable from the tarot.
ORIGINS
The tarot's history has been the subject of many books and cannot be
detailed here, but Paul Huson, in his book, The Mystical Origins of the
Tarot, makes an interesting case that the deck's origins (at least those
of the minor arcana) may stem from a thirteenth century, Egyptian deck
used in a game of chance, which may have been inspired by a Chinese
deck. Sometime around the late fourteenth century, the deck was brought
to Europe, where it was infused with Western and Christian themes. In
the late eighteenth century, Etteilla and Court de Gebelin popularized
tarot reading for divination and built up its mystique as a repository
of ancient Egyptian magical wisdom. In the mid-nineteenth century,
Eliphas Levi incorporated the Qabalah into the tarot.
THE STRUCTURE OF A DECK
A tarot deck's 78 cards are divided into two groups: the major arcana
and the minor arcana. The word "arcana" means mysterious, secret
or specialized knowledge passed down to an initiate. The major arcana
are the cards numbered zero through twenty-two and is generally seen as
a progression. Like a story, it has a beginning, middle and end. The
minor arcana is similar to common playing cards in that it has four
suits, each suit comprised of court cards: a king, queen, knight, and
page, as well as an ace and cards numbered from two to ten.
This overview of the tarot is, obviously, not exhaustive and others would
have much to add. As I said at the beginning, the ripples of the tarot
are regarded in different ways and for different reasons by different
people. I hope you discover the means to engage this art form in the
way that appeals to you.
I thank you for your attention and invite you to contact me with any
comments you may have about this overview of the tarot.
The tarot is like a pool of water, approachable from different vantage
points and reflecting an endless variety of images. While many approach
the tarot with a desire to foretell the future, this is not the only way
to appreciate this ancient art form. Others scry its depths for
impressions from their subconscious minds, or to connect to what they
conceive as a universal consciousness. Some combine a spiritual belief
with their use of the tarot, but for those not so inclined, reading the
cards may be an associative activity in which the subject asks
themselves, "How do the concepts embodied in this card relate to me?"
While the significance of any given card will differ from person to
person, evolve over time, and convey nuances in regard to different
aspects of one's life, the cards of the tarot, especially those of the
major arcana, carry with them layer upon layer of associations added
through out their long history. Because each age has reinterpreted the
tarot in its own terms, adding its own meanings that were similar to
those they inherited, the cards have accumulated a body of related, yet
variant meanings. This is why tarot practitioners can agree, in a
general way, about interpretations of a card. The modern tarot
maintains qualities of its embryonic state and each era reinterprets it
into the language of its age.
