Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards that can be used for divination, self-reflection, and meditation. These cards feature images that experts can interpret to gain insight into your life situations. This is originally a 15th-century game from Italy.
A deck of Tarot cards consists of 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The major arcana cards represent significant life lessons, karmic influences, and major archetypal themes. The 56 minor arcana cards represent daily trials, emotions, and actions, divided into four suits: wands, cups, pentacles, and swords. There are also court cards within the minor arcana, such as Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings, which represent personalities or specific energies.
How do Tarot Cards Work?
The structure of Tarot cards was mentioned above. Each tarot card has a symbolic or psychological meaning. These cards function as a tool for introspection and reflection, and help gain insight into a person’s present, past, and future. The card reader draws cards in a specific layout (spread) and interprets them based on their imagery, positions, and connections to the querent’s life, helping to reveal subconscious thoughts or hidden patterns.
A card reading session begins with a query. The reader or querent shuffles the deck and lays out cards, often in a spread. The position of each card represents the past, present, or future of the querent. After the reader draws a card from the deck, they interpret how the images, in their upright or reversed positions, relate to the user’s situation. Rather than only predicting a fixed future, many modern approaches use tarot cards to unlock a person’s subconscious, acting as a mirror for a person’s thoughts and emotions. It helps clients see situations from new perspectives and understand their choices, so that they can still change their destiny.
Synchronicity in Modern Tarot Interpretation
Synchronicity is a key concept in modern tarot reading. It is a concept borrowed from the psychologist Carl Jung. This concept is used by practitioners to explain how, despite the randomness of shuffling, the cards drawn accurately reflect a person’s current situation. There is a meaningful coincidence between the querent’s position and the card that is selected. Tarot readers believe that it is not a mere chance, but a synchronistic bridge between the conscious mind, the subconscious, and the external world. Tarot acts as a tool or “machine” for generating this synchronicity, bringing archetypal imagery to the surface that resonates with the user’s life. It is not the physical cause of the synchronicity that is taken into account, but its larger meaning. The cards are viewed as “sacred mirrors” that reflect deeper truths the user already subconsciously knows.
While some view it as a divine message, psychologists attribute this to confirmation bias or the human brain’s natural tendency to seek patterns. However, for those who interpret it through a Jungian lens, the value lies in the personal, transformative impact of the experience rather than a physical explanation.
The Bottom Line
Tarot reading is a long-standing practice popular in many parts of the world. It is not just for entertainment, nor does it just have a predictive value. It is symbolic and has a psychological coincidence with the physical and mental state of the person. Many debate about its scientific nature or authenticity, but it is widely used for self-help, meditation, or to get a better understanding of oneself. On a spiritual note, tarot card reading is also a way to connect with your intuition and source energy.
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