Talking About Tarot: An Introduction

The world that we face today is a chaotic and confusing one. Older values have collapsed and new ones are not enduring enough-we are groping in the dark, looking for something to give us respite and peace. What we need is some guidance, a solution, some help on a deeper level. It is here that Tarot touches. It is here that Tarot heals.

In the times that we live in, it is important that we heal the myriad scars that mark our psyche if we are to be happy and bring some sanity into this world. You are the world and the world is you. Unless we heal ourselves, we cannot do anything for anyone else, for we are impacting the world and the world is impacting us. All the trauma, violence, acts of terror and cruelty, and ills exist in the world because of accumulated pain that has not been addressed or healed. The pain knots into a hard ball and then explodes. It is vital that we do not allow our pain to harden and then distort and destroy us and the whole world.

What we need to learn from Tarot are techniques to help us understand the self, to know our strengths and weaknesses, who we are and what our path is. We need to learn ways of healing and ways of improving our lives. It is from this understanding that change can happen. An awareness is generated that will ease our pain-only we can turn our lives around, but we will need to take responsibility and work for this change. If we go that way, then Tarot and other esoteric sciences will alleviate the pain in human lives and help create a better world.

Section I

My Journey

Tarot just happened to me. Many years ago, knowing about my interest in unusual things, friends holidaying abroad brought me a deck of Tarot cards as a gift. In the early 1980s, Tarot was unheard of in India. Very few people knew what the cards even looked like. I had some vague, nebulous idea of what Tarot meant but nothing more, and yet I felt drawn towards the cards. I guess there was nothing really strange about that. The pictures, the symbols and the colours would fascinate anyone who saw the Tarot cards for the first time, and I was no exception. They came at a convenient time, when I had just completed my postgraduation and was thinking about my career path.

My desire to know more about the cards impelled me to write to my relatives in other parts of the world. They sent me a lot of material on Tarot, such as workbooks, interpretations, meditation exercises, philosophical meanings and esoteric resolutions of Tarot. What started as a curiosity became a passion as I read everything I could find on the subject.

What fascinated me was the idea that the cards could form a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious mind and convey messages that could guide and help one to live a better and more meaningful life. These were strange ideas and I knew I could not accept them without questioning their veracity and experiencing their truth myself. I come from a family where we had the intellectual freedom to think and believe what we wanted to, but we had to justify our thoughts and beliefs on the altar of reason. My father, a man of intellect and an admirer of J. Krishnamurti, the great spiritual teacher, constantly challenged our thoughts and encouraged us to question every aspect of the world around us. My mother is a woman of faith. Our dinner table conversations usually centred on the topic of bhakti marg versus gyan marg or faith versus reason. Therefore, I questioned the truth of Tarot, not once but many times, but I was not fully satisfied with the answers. There was something that I could not put my finger on, and that was my fascination with Tarot. The more I probed, the more questions I had and the fascination persisted. There was something about the cards that affected me deeply. I felt connected to them-I was intrigued.

My search led me to explore various alleys, many books and exercises, until finally I felt ready to experiment with the cards in the areas of divination and guidance. I did three to four spreads (a specific layout of cards in a pattern is called a spread) for myself, asking questions pertaining to different areas of my life. But whatever question is posed to the oracle, it was answered by the same card, the card of ill health. I was perplexed, irritated and finally convinced that the cards were not in any way connecting to my questions. I put them away, thinking that I had come to the end of the journey. I was in perfect health and there was absolutely no reason for that card to appear.

You can imagine my shock when within a month, I found myself in the intensive care Unit of the Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai! We lived in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and I had to be brought to Mumbai under medical supervision. I was almost unconscious and seriously ill. A low-grade fever, which had been completely undetected, had developed into a major illness called miliary tuberculosis.

For over a week, I lived in the twilight zone of delirium and high fever, but then, very slowly, I recovered. The first thought that came to me when my head cleared was-how did the cards know that I was going to fall ill? What were they trying to tell me? What would have been the result had I taken the warning of the cards seriously and had got myself medically examined? Would I have avoided this suffering and ill health? All these questions raged in my mind.

The experience affected me greatly and I started looking at Tarot with new eyes. Still, I had to understand the way it worked. I had to find my own vocabulary to express its essence. I had experienced something unusual but it was essential to know more about it. I did Tarot readings and noted down the cards that appeared. I also noted down the guidance each card offered and went back to it later to see how it had worked out. The Tarot cards came up with rare insights, startling perceptions and simple solutions to problems posed to them. I started doing Tarot readings for friends and people who came through friends and slowly, the word about my interpretations spread. Somehow, a newspaper got wind of it and their journalist Carol Andrade, did a story on me in the Afternoon. Soon, I was flooded with requests for Tarot readings.

The logbook that I kept helped a lot in my research. I entered each reading that I gave seekers and requested them to give me feedback and tell me how it worked. Almost seventy to seventy-five per cent of the feedback showed that Tarot had amazing results. For instance, a retired high court judge from Dehradun, who came to Mumbai for a hernia operation, had an amazing experience with Tarot. Then there was a beautician with a startling yet beautiful story. There are several such examples which showed how uncannily Tarot worked, stories which I have narrated in the third chapter of this book.

There are also some instances when Tarot did not work. When someone tried to hide the truth, the cards that appeared were disconnected. If someone tried to trip the oracle by asking false questions, the cards did not reveal anything. I recall a woman who actually wanted to ask about her extramarital affair, but pretended that her lover was her cousin, and another woman asking about her illegitimate child, but saying the child was her husband's. The cards that came up had no pattern, no sense and no story to tell. They were random cards with no meaning. It was only when these people confessed that the cards changed dramatically.

I have discovered that Tarot works best when you approach the cards objectively, with respect and an open mind, with neither belief nor disbelief. All you need to have is a sincere desire for knowledge.

Section II

How Tarot Works

Every human being is born with a predetermined outline of their life, a broad framework called destiny, which is fixed. But within this framework, a lot of modification and change is possible. Human beings have free will-we can choose our actions. Our actions beget reactions and a chain of action-reaction propels life in a particular direction. Tarot helps us make the right choices and do the right actions. When we are at a crossroads, the wisdom of Tarot shows the way and helps us to take the reins of our destiny into our hands. It is like a hand of cards dealt to you, which is fixed and cannot be changed, but winning and losing the game depends on how you play your cards. Tarot helps you choose and play the right card at the right time and win the game of life.

The human mind is made up of the conscious and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is the sum total of our experiences, emotions, the environment and our conditioning from the day we are born. The subconscious mind is the universal mind of the human race. It is connected to the cosmos and has complete knowledge of the past, present and future. When a human being is born, the subconscious mind is very powerful, but slowly, as a child grows up, the conscious mind with its conditioning forms a barrier, making it difficult to reach the subconscious mind. We start functioning without the power of the subconscious mind, mostly basing our actions on thought and reason, which are limited in their range. At times, we are able to make a connection with the subconscious mind and the result is creativity. All great works of art, literature, and scientific inventions and discoveries are made when the subconscious mind is activated. They have a universal appeal that is eternal because they are created from the eternal mind. All meditation and spiritual pursuits are attempts to connect with the subconscious mind. intuition is a faculty of the subconscious mind. Instant perception is the result, which is different from a deliberate conclusion, the offshoot of thought.

Tarot works through the subconscious mind. Symbols of Tarot are symbols of the universal mind and are connected to it, helping to activate the subconscious mind. The meanings of the symbols embedded in the pictures on the cards are not arbitrary but in accord with the universal language, which is beyond verbal expressions of the conscious mind. A Tarot reader interprets this pictorial language of the subconscious mind and transforms it into verbal expression, thus facilitating the connection between the subconscious mind and the conscious mind, and conveys the messages of the subconscious to the conscious.

The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana represent the journey that every soul takes and the important experiences of a person's life. The cards encode information that affects human behaviour-for example, The Fool embodies the archetype of the eternal child; Judgement: rebirth; Temperance: balance and healing; Strength: endurance. The Major Arcana cards deal with the spiritual aspect of life, healing, shifts in thinking, inner growth and finding solutions to problems. The fifty-six cards of the Minor Arcana look at everyday life. Most of the seventy-eight cards-twenty-two of the Major Arcana and fifty-six of the Minor Arcana-usually have an image of a living being, or some part of a human figure situated in different contexts. This figure represents not just the physical body but the mind, soul and spirit as well. The body experiences the physical world, which also impacts the psyche. Every experience leads to modification of the psyche that needs constant change and the adjustment of the consciousness to meet the challenges that we face. As this adjustment happens to every person, these experiences cross over the boundaries of an individual consciousness and expand to the level of universality. The journey through the cards' imagery is therapeutic as it adds to the self-knowledge and understanding that leads to spiritual awakening and the completion of the cycle.

Each suit of the Minor Arcana represents one of the four elements that make up the universe-water, fire, earth and air-and connects these elements through shuffling of the Tarot cards. It shows how the elements impact our lives, leading to new perspectives and understanding. The four suits of the Minor Arcana are: the suit of Wands representing the element of fire-it suggests enterprise and intuition; the suit of cups representing the element of water-it is suggestive of emotions and imagination; the suit of Swords represents the element of air and connects to thinking and intellect; and the suit of pentacles represents the element of earth, operating in the milieu of material reality and possessions. Each suit consists of fourteen cards: aces, the numbers two to ten and the four court cards of the page, Knight, Queen and King. Aces suggest new beginnings in the element of the suit that they lead- for example, water represents emotions so the ace of cups represents a new beginning in the area of relationship or feelings; twos represent integration, harmony and partnership; threes suggest completion and unity; fours indicate stability; fives relate to the senses and testing times; sixes indicate choice; sevens are victory and achievement; eights signify endurance and strength; nines indicate material success and knowledge; and tens mean the culmination and ending of a cycle. Pages represent youth, Knights young adults, Queens indicate different women and the Kings suggest mature men. The temperament of the court people is according to the element of their suit.

In this book, I have discussed only the Major Arcana cards in some detail as they are of primary importance and connect deeply with spiritual processes. The major shifts and changes in life and thinking are reflected through the Major Arcana cards. For healing, meditation and self development, it is these cards that are used, for they connect with the subconscious mind. A student of Tarot needs to be familiar with these cards. The Minor Arcana cards are like fillers-they complete the picture and are necessary, but in themselves are not as potent as the Major Arcana cards.

A Tarot spread is a map of your problem. The cards are shuffled, cut into three stacks and restacked from right to left and opened. They are placed according to specific positions of the spread that you have decided to use and interpreted by a Tarot reader. The most popular spread is the Celtic cross, which is a ten-card spread. This is popular because it is a complete spread, giving full information about the past, present and future. The spread deals with an issue from different perspectives. For example, there are cards that relate how the problem started, what forces were responsible for it, how the problem is viewed by others, what you fear about the situation, what your expectations are and what the likely solution is. It reveals-through the card placement and meaning of the cards-all that you need to understand and know about the problem from all perspectives so that you can arrive at the right conclusion to resolve the issue at hand.

The guidance of Tarot comes up from the subconscious mind and intuition helps to interpret the symbols. All answers are within you and Tarot helps bring these answers to the conscious level. For this purpose, Tarot uses numerology, Kabbalah, colour association and therapy, mythology, alchemy, religious theories, ancient spiritual knowledge, medieval tantra and other psychic tools to interpret and convey certain ideas. The symbols are drawn from all these different sources and represent the journey of a soul through life. In their different combinations and permutations, the cards depict every human experience, situation, attitude, and feeling that a person encounters in life. One could use Tarot to gain esoteric wisdom. in her essay on Tarot and Carl Jung's Archetypal Images, Inna Semetsky says that these symbols 'act as transformers capable of raising the unconscious contents to the level of the consciousness: the meanings become explicit by the virtue of "becoming conscious and by being perceived".'

Tarot can be used for meditation, self-improvement and healing and to find a direction in life. The images on the cards register in the subconscious mind and create external circumstances to match it. For specific healing, a specific card needs to be identified and used. An experienced Tarotologist can give advice about the right selection.

Tarot Card Readings

There is great curiosity and anxiety about what happens when you go to a Tarot card reader. What should a querent (questioner) expect? It is important to know that there are good as well as bad Tarot card readers, just as there are good doctors and bad doctors. It is necessary to check the credentials of the reader before you go to him or her so you are not disappointed or traumatized. The best way to know this is to speak to the reader directly and ask all the questions that you have. Make sure you are satisfied with the answers before you go ahead. You may also want to speak to someone who has been to the reader to clear your doubts. It is possible that despite all this care you might still choose the wrong reader, but that is a chance you should be willing to take.

If you do not know anything about a Tarot reading, you may feel discomfort, if not fear, about what you are getting into. Is it some kind of black magic? What will the reader do? Will the reader shatter whatever little peace you have by giving you dire forecasts? Will you be exploited? Will you be hurt?

To avoid these doubts, let me first put your fears at rest. A good Tarot card reading is a pleasurable experience, encouraging people to go for more readings as they feel a sense of relief. a reading can provide a deep insight into a problem and give a solution that can work. Most clients come with the feeling that their problems are insurmountable, but this despair is dispelled through the reading. a reading usually offers hope, it is not the end of the world and by some efforts a solution can be found. Many a time, the insight offered by a reading is accurate, sometimes even startling, and makes the querent sit up and take notice. I have often noticed that the person brightens up and the body posture changes as he or she becomes more attentive, feels more safe and comforted, and begins to see some truth in what is being said.

A good reader will first discuss the problem, understand what the issue is and then proceed through the spreads to unravel it. Since there are many kinds of Tarot spreads, the reader will use the one that will work the best. The spread will tell you the root of your problem, how it started, the negative influences that affected it, what has happened with the problem in the recent past, what your fears are, the environment or context of your problem and whether it is supporting you or not, what other people think about the problem, what you want and what the outcome is. It will also tell you what can be expected in the long term. according to the cards that come up in the spread the reader is able to cross-check with you to find out whether he or she is on the right course. You should be able to verify what the reader is telling you and it is only then that the reading will proceed. Based on all the cards in the spread, after sifting and connecting all the cards and assessing the influence of each card on the other cards, the reader comes to a conclusion that determines the best way to proceed in the matter. The conclusion is verified by a sequence of other spreads, a process that continues until all aspects are teased out and the querent gets answers to all doubts and questions. This reading becomes the beginning of a relationship and the querent keeps in touch with the reader until the issue is resolved.

I prefer to use the Celtic cross for most of my readings though I often use different spreads, depending on what comes up in my mind. Mostly, I prefer to work with the healing aspects of Tarot by working out a Tarot profile. This helps me to discover and address whatever is lacking, prescribing a card for meditation to heal the wound caused by that lack. This has worked wonders with my students and clients. I have worked with over 500 hundred students and most of them have come back with excellent results, which have been recorded.

A good Tarot reader will never tell you anything dire; rather, he or she will tell you how to find a solution to your problem. Responsible Tarot readers will never focus on any negative aspect, but will look at constructive ways of bringing positivity in your life.

Responsibility of Tarot Readers

The new age is open to receiving wisdom that the previous era was not-and this is a welcome trend. The only problem is that Tarot has become a party game. Anyone who can buy a deck and wants to gain a little popularity is out there reading cards. Tarot is a serious esoteric instrument for self-development, healing and meditation. It is a prayer to the universe and if we want it to be answered, we need to be sincere. All new age sciences are energies that have been created and discovered for the welfare of mankind. These energies will work for us only if we let them. it is the same with the environment-the trees, oceans, the earth-all the elements are there to help us and we need to have the right relationship with them. The relationship should not be tainted with exploitation. It has to be about love and empathy. The whole universe is out there to make our lives happy, but we are destroying the energies that want to help us. We have destroyed the trees and the oceans, polluted the air and the environment, corroded the natural resources and stripped the earth of all its gifts. The result can be seen in the alarming increase in the number of natural calamites and disasters. Misuse of any energy will cause a natural reaction, which can result in problems.

Divination is a calling. It is a life-long commitment. Divination will choose you, if you are required to do its work. If you are serious about Tarot it will happen, whether it takes years of work or occurs very quickly. You will be led and all you need to do is follow. Initially, it is wise to focus on healing yourself and taking care of your problems and your issues.

Once you have gained an understanding of Tarot and how it can help you, the next step would be to buy a deck of Tarot cards. Here are some suggestions to guide you towards a long, fruitful relationship with your cards.

Choosing a deck

In India, Tarot is still a recent phenomenon and only a few new age stores stock different kinds of Tarot cards. I usually recommend the Rider-Waite deck to all my students. If you want to look at other alternatives, the largest variety of Tarot card decks is available online at the website of tarotaeclectic of Australia maintained by the webmaster Solandia.

The best way to choose a deck is to let your intuition make the choice. go with the deck that you like. Feel the cards, go through them, and see how you feel. It is a good idea to ponder over them and then, after checking out a few decks, come away without buying any and go back again the next day. Note down the deck and images that stay with you and note any dreams or feelings that come to your mind. Go by that. There is no deck that is good or bad-you have to see which one works for you. So don't get confused. Just allow yourself to flow and you will make the right choice. It is rightly said that you don't choose the deck, rather the deck chooses you!

How to take care of your cards

When you buy a Tarot deck, you should get a wooden box to keep your cards in and a yellow or purple pure silk scarf or cloth to wrap them in. It is said that wood and silk keep away negative energy and help retain your energy in your cards, which is important because you need to build a relationship with your Tarot cards, which require your energy too. The silk cloth should have the edges neatly sewed. You could add trimmings, if you like, to make it beautiful. The box should be aesthetically pleasing and a shape and size that you like. Remember that you are going to put in something that is very precious to you-your own self and a part of your being.

Remove the packing and purify the cards by passing them over incense smoke one by one. The best way to do this is to light three to four incense sticks at one time and slowly move the cards from one hand to another over the smoke. Reverse the cards and repeat the process. Before wrapping them in silk cloth, shuffle the cards well and allow the trapped energy to dissipate.

Look at the cards and spend fifteen to twenty minutes each day with them. It does not matter that you don't understand them yet. Just keep familiarizing yourself with the cards. There will be some cards that you like, just as there will be some that you don't like. There will be some that frighten you and some that make you feel safe. Just be aware of these feelings.

At night, remove the cards from the box and keep them under your pillow, wrapped in silk. Do this for at least eight days and write down your dreams or feelings. You may wish to start a diary and write down these thoughts as they come to you. At that time they may not make sense, but some time later you may get some startling insight from these initial inner responses. After eight days, you are ready to work with the cards.

How to begin your work with Tarot

One of the best things that you can do is to start a Tarot diary and record your daily card readings. Use a seasoned deck that has been charged with your energies for this work.

How should you bring out your daily card? Keep ten minutes aside in the morning to do this. Find a quiet corner and light an incense stick or a diya. Breathe in deeply about three to four times to centre yourself. Shuffle the cards well, peacefully focusing on the day, and ask the guidance of the cards about how it will unfold. Cut the cards into three stacks from right to left and make three piles; restack with the first stack on the second pile and the two on the third one. Now pick up the top card. Look at it carefully and see what it means to you. See how it connects with what you expect from the day, then look at the meaning given in any Tarot book and pick the meaning that your intuition tells you is the relevant one. Write down the name of the card with the meaning that you have picked and the date in your Tarot diary. In the evening, you can check whether the card meaning you had selected matched your day or not. At first, you may get it all wrong but slowly, you will be able to pick up the right nuances and indications that may surprise you. If you wish to work with Tarot, make this ritual a habit-it is an effective way to get to know the cards and your own connection with them. This will help you in building your intuition, and your connection with the cards.

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