Uses of Tarot Cards
Tarot Cards are most closely associated with Fortune Telling -
such as at Psychic Events, over the telephone, or more traditionally
by Gypsies or other readers from Ancient Traditions working in
caravans, perhaps at seaside or other holiday resorts.
There is much more to the Tarot than just these stereotypical images.
For example:
Tarot for
Personal Development
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Use of the Tarot for Personal
Development can take two forms.
The first is use of information
made clear by Tarot Readings in order to gain insight into
personal situations. This may be accessed either as a sitter
(seeker) using the services of a skilled Tarot Reader, or
the individual purchasing his/her own Tarot Deck and using
it to
read for him/herself. In each case, the advice and information
accessed may prompt the person to pay further attention or
do additional research concerning specific aspects of his/her
situation - perhaps considerations that he/she might not
otherwise have thought important, or even been aware of.
The second respect in which the Tarot may be used for personal
development, is for personal spiritual development. (As with
all aspects of spirituality, the Tarot is controversial and
there are many people who consider it to be sinister, "dark"
and to be avoided: This section is not intended for
those individuals, who we hope will enjoy other parts of the
IvyRose Holistic Website.)
There are many different ways to develop ones's sensitivity to
spirit. These include meditation, visualisation, psychic "circles"
(group exercises - but choose the group you attend very carefully),
learning any form of divination - such as dowsing using a pendulum
or rods, reading Tarot Cards, reading Tea-Leaves, reading Runes,
scrying (perception by gazing into a crystal ball, bowl of
water, or small pool), and other methods.
All of these and other
methods require the abilities to open one's mind and to interpret
information intuitatively - and some would add that creative
(right-brain) tendencies are also most helpful. Different methods
appeal to different people according to their own personalities
and
interests. The Tarot may appeal most to people who like to work
with physical images, who appreciate symbolism, and perhaps also
those who are interested in the mathematic probability of outcomes
and perhaps even in quantifying the "results" of readings. |
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Tarot for Divination
("Fortune Telling")
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The term "Fortune Telling" is traditional,
yet also rather old-fashioned. It conveys and inaccurate impression
of many forms of divination - including reading the Tarot.
This is becausethe Tarot is best used to observe traits, introduce
possibly new perspectives, and as such provide insight into
a situation (or situations). Obviously this may influence the
outcome - in the same way as a conversation with a trusted
friend may result in a person then investigating options he/she
had not previously considered.
However, the Tarot is not about accessing or defining
fixed outcomes.
It is not even about discrete questions - but rather about
increasing one's perspective on a situation. That is, the Tarot
is a tool that works best with open (e.g. "Please
help me to decide how best to progress at work."), not closed (e.g. "Which
girl should I marry, Anne or Brenda ?")
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Tarot Games
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Just as there are many games played with Standard Playing
Cards, there are also card games for use with the Tarot Deck.
Some such games are described and explained in good books
about Tarot, such as:
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot (by Rachel Pollack)
which describes "Tarot Charades", "Tarot
Rummy" and "Tarot Go Fish".
However: Some
users of the Tarot would never use a Tarot Deck to play games because
they feel that to do so would trivialise and therefore disrespect the Tarot.
This is a personal decision and "Tarot Games" are mentioned here to provide a
balanced overview because
they
are included in some texts and presumably enjoyed by some people.
(This is covered in this section for completeness, not because we endorse this
practice.)
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