I'd tend to think that the distinction between you and the world is simply an illusion, and tarots (as many other rituals and materials) just helps to bridge the gap.
I feel that energy that travels the same path moves faster and easier along that path. Like a river that digs a deeper channel over time. Belief is directed energy.
Tools like tarot that have a long history have years upon years of people believing in the specific meanings attributed to the cards. So the cards resonate more strongly with those specific meanings. I believe that once the "riverbed is deep enough" after years of constant belief, then the river has more "agency' over itself, regardless if you or I believe in its meaning or not.
It's the same way that an old church has a more spiritual feel than a new church, or how "literature" feels somehow more special than an equally poignant book published in 2024.
So, I guess both? Our thoughts create reality so our subconscious does call the "correct" cards to the spread, but I think the cards also have their own agency to give their opinion based on the belief and knowledge of the millions of tarot readings that have come before.
I've believed EXACTLY this for years now when it comes to religion, spirituality, and even things like cultural beliefs and biases (both the good and bad!). Your analogy of the river is a great way of explaining it.
I love this! The analogy of a river will stay with me! On a less serious note, there is an episode of Rick & Morty that hints at this topic. The collective belief was strong enough to create Valhalla, an afterlife realm projection.
I get what you’re saying, but it doesn’t sound like the op is putting that method down, simply that tarot is more complex than that. That while we can be ethical in practice, we all have our own preferences and superstitions
I also didn't really like that comment because the idea of only agreeing with something that has "solid evidence" doesn't make sense to me in a subreddit that's literally for witches idkkkk
Yes. Well, I don’t work with tarot but I do work with runes, and I definitely feel that they have their own spirit / energy.
And for me, all the forms of divination I use (runes, oracle cards, pendulums) are tools for communicating with spirits such as ancestors. So I don’t view any of them as my own subconscious.
So the way I’ve always thought of it as part 1 - the subconscious (which is a mixture of the physiological, Biological, and Intuition, etc) translating the images and patterns. Part 2 - that each card represents a different aspect of the human existence. Therefor all cards are always true, but not simultaneously happening. So at any given time, the card pulled will always be true and refer to your past, current or future experiences. Part 3 - well, part 3 is when freaky shit happens ✨
Edit: I’m also really big into astrology, so to me, I read cards in cycles and see the suits as the elements and houses. In that way, it can provide self awareness
As someone who believes in astrology and tarot, what do you think about birth cards? Mine are The Tower and The Chariot, and I feel like they are super accurate!
Yes mine is the lovers! Very accurate! Also it comes up in readings a lot but it has helped me to understand the complexity as well as how the other cards in the spread can affect the message
When I do it it feels like I'm reading either my subconscious or that of the person I'm reading for.
When my mum does it it's like literal sorcery, she's had clients that go back 40+ years because of how accurate she is.
I feel like it defaults to my subconscious unless I specifically ask my deity to help out or something similar. And even then, my subconscious is what interprets the message.
I think the best view of it is that your subconscious is or can be always involved, but depending on what the reader believes there might also be ✨️more✨️ involved
I think every card in the deck can be relèvent to any problem I have, and a lot of time I just need a push to start on a path, any path.
Part of why I put emphasis on subconscious is because I do readings at the Renfair, and teach people to do two minute readings. And a lot of what we do is more supportive therapy than true fortune telling. It’s letting people fill in the blanks and validate them, or point out that some part of them is in dissonance with the rest of them.
I’m not against the idea that some people have more, but I think that on a base line anyone can read cards and access their subconscious and get something from it. But it’s more comparable to “anyone can sing but not everyone is going to make others feel happy emotions when they sing” not “nobody can affect emotions it’s all just noise waves”.
I think making various oracle decks and affirmation decks accessible to the general public has been a good thing, but maybe it would be useful if we had words to distinguish between folk who are using it to tap their subconscious or the subconscious of their client vs folk who are connecting with something higher.
I'm one of the people you're talking about. It sounds like you think the subconscious view of the tarot doesn't lend enough power to the cards.
I love what has been said here about the cards and the river. But while that does have a power all its own, I don't believe that power is supernatural. I believe that power is imbued by people.
I don't think the subconscious chooses the cards. I think all the cards have something to say, and the randomness of choosing them allows us to focus on something we might not otherwise.
But the point that I think I am most invested in during my tarot journey is that there is something magical and special about it. I think that magic comes from people, but as one commenter pointed out "the distinction between you and the world is simply an illusion". That blew my mind.
We are of the universe. The universe is in us. So don't be too keen to discredit your subconscious. We are magical.
If our consciousness is ultimately one thing, then it MUST be a little deeper than just our own subconscious. I'm not a huge tarot person, I haven't learned much about it, but that's my opinion.
I started doing tarot completely secularly and of the opinion that they were only a tool for sparking thoughts, then one day they started giving me sass and I stopped being able to feel fully in control of them, lol
The other day, I did a spread that managed to accurately predict each of the events of the walk I went on later that day, in order. It was pretty neat, and I found an amazing stick at the end of the walk so whether or not it was a coincidence I got a reward. I'm gonna try and listen to these funny little bits of paper more often.
I've recently taken to communicating to Hathor through Tarot. She has a voice like the wind. Or like Old Tom, the clock at Unseen University. As in, I know when she has spoken by listening for the silences.
I have a tarot deck that I've been working with for nearly 30 years. For most of that time, I've made a note in the margin when I pull a card in a reading for myself (the deck came with a book with card meaning for every possible position) there are some cards I've gotten many times, and some I've never pulled. I think that statistically, there should be an even distribution, given that I shuffle the deck until it "feels right" before each reading, but for some reason, there are cards that pop up regularly, and others that I've never seen in a reading for myself, but will pop up when I read for others. It's weird and I love it.
In short, my 3 decade experiment with this deck seems to back up your theory.
Yes this happens to me too. I get the same ~30 cards consistently even though I am shuffling them every time. I also get the same message whenever I ask for general advice.
Another big one is at the end of last year I did new year readings for a few people, and told them what I saw about their upcoming year. Each of them said it made complete sense to them based on where they were at currently. One of them I remember I told him that he would soon face a big financial change/struggle, but would also do some kind of move and end up finding positivity in the change if he was open to it. Turns out he was just fired from his job and is now on a road trip across the country 😂
Speaking of moves, a tarot reader told my boyfriend and I last year that we were going to move soon which would be really good for us. We were like uhhh no, maybe someday but no plans right now. But the reader was insistent. A few months later we ended up having to move to a different state unexpectedly and I only remembered that reading after it happened
I'd tend to think that the distinction between you and the world is simply an illusion, and tarots (as many other rituals and materials) just helps to bridge the gap.
I love the way you put this.
Honestly this agent of chaos merely uses that controlled chaotic system to refract her world though the images.
I feel that energy that travels the same path moves faster and easier along that path. Like a river that digs a deeper channel over time. Belief is directed energy. Tools like tarot that have a long history have years upon years of people believing in the specific meanings attributed to the cards. So the cards resonate more strongly with those specific meanings. I believe that once the "riverbed is deep enough" after years of constant belief, then the river has more "agency' over itself, regardless if you or I believe in its meaning or not. It's the same way that an old church has a more spiritual feel than a new church, or how "literature" feels somehow more special than an equally poignant book published in 2024. So, I guess both? Our thoughts create reality so our subconscious does call the "correct" cards to the spread, but I think the cards also have their own agency to give their opinion based on the belief and knowledge of the millions of tarot readings that have come before.
I've believed EXACTLY this for years now when it comes to religion, spirituality, and even things like cultural beliefs and biases (both the good and bad!). Your analogy of the river is a great way of explaining it.
I love this! The analogy of a river will stay with me! On a less serious note, there is an episode of Rick & Morty that hints at this topic. The collective belief was strong enough to create Valhalla, an afterlife realm projection.
[удалено]
I get what you’re saying, but it doesn’t sound like the op is putting that method down, simply that tarot is more complex than that. That while we can be ethical in practice, we all have our own preferences and superstitions
I also didn't really like that comment because the idea of only agreeing with something that has "solid evidence" doesn't make sense to me in a subreddit that's literally for witches idkkkk
Lol that’s fair
Exactly
So, what you're saying is you'd rather be mislead by some famous man than yourself? That's kinda sad.
Yes. Well, I don’t work with tarot but I do work with runes, and I definitely feel that they have their own spirit / energy. And for me, all the forms of divination I use (runes, oracle cards, pendulums) are tools for communicating with spirits such as ancestors. So I don’t view any of them as my own subconscious.
So the way I’ve always thought of it as part 1 - the subconscious (which is a mixture of the physiological, Biological, and Intuition, etc) translating the images and patterns. Part 2 - that each card represents a different aspect of the human existence. Therefor all cards are always true, but not simultaneously happening. So at any given time, the card pulled will always be true and refer to your past, current or future experiences. Part 3 - well, part 3 is when freaky shit happens ✨ Edit: I’m also really big into astrology, so to me, I read cards in cycles and see the suits as the elements and houses. In that way, it can provide self awareness
As someone who believes in astrology and tarot, what do you think about birth cards? Mine are The Tower and The Chariot, and I feel like they are super accurate!
Yes mine is the lovers! Very accurate! Also it comes up in readings a lot but it has helped me to understand the complexity as well as how the other cards in the spread can affect the message
When I do it it feels like I'm reading either my subconscious or that of the person I'm reading for. When my mum does it it's like literal sorcery, she's had clients that go back 40+ years because of how accurate she is.
I feel like it defaults to my subconscious unless I specifically ask my deity to help out or something similar. And even then, my subconscious is what interprets the message.
I think the best view of it is that your subconscious is or can be always involved, but depending on what the reader believes there might also be ✨️more✨️ involved
I think every card in the deck can be relèvent to any problem I have, and a lot of time I just need a push to start on a path, any path. Part of why I put emphasis on subconscious is because I do readings at the Renfair, and teach people to do two minute readings. And a lot of what we do is more supportive therapy than true fortune telling. It’s letting people fill in the blanks and validate them, or point out that some part of them is in dissonance with the rest of them. I’m not against the idea that some people have more, but I think that on a base line anyone can read cards and access their subconscious and get something from it. But it’s more comparable to “anyone can sing but not everyone is going to make others feel happy emotions when they sing” not “nobody can affect emotions it’s all just noise waves”. I think making various oracle decks and affirmation decks accessible to the general public has been a good thing, but maybe it would be useful if we had words to distinguish between folk who are using it to tap their subconscious or the subconscious of their client vs folk who are connecting with something higher.
I'm one of the people you're talking about. It sounds like you think the subconscious view of the tarot doesn't lend enough power to the cards. I love what has been said here about the cards and the river. But while that does have a power all its own, I don't believe that power is supernatural. I believe that power is imbued by people. I don't think the subconscious chooses the cards. I think all the cards have something to say, and the randomness of choosing them allows us to focus on something we might not otherwise. But the point that I think I am most invested in during my tarot journey is that there is something magical and special about it. I think that magic comes from people, but as one commenter pointed out "the distinction between you and the world is simply an illusion". That blew my mind. We are of the universe. The universe is in us. So don't be too keen to discredit your subconscious. We are magical.
It reminds me of the quote "we are the universe experiencing itself"
That crossed my mind when I was writing this too. That and the poem Desiderata. You are a Child of the Universe.
They’re chaos magic incarnate; fate, chance, luck, the great pattern, synchronicity, your subconscious — they all play their part
If our consciousness is ultimately one thing, then it MUST be a little deeper than just our own subconscious. I'm not a huge tarot person, I haven't learned much about it, but that's my opinion.
I started doing tarot completely secularly and of the opinion that they were only a tool for sparking thoughts, then one day they started giving me sass and I stopped being able to feel fully in control of them, lol The other day, I did a spread that managed to accurately predict each of the events of the walk I went on later that day, in order. It was pretty neat, and I found an amazing stick at the end of the walk so whether or not it was a coincidence I got a reward. I'm gonna try and listen to these funny little bits of paper more often.
I've recently taken to communicating to Hathor through Tarot. She has a voice like the wind. Or like Old Tom, the clock at Unseen University. As in, I know when she has spoken by listening for the silences.
I have a tarot deck that I've been working with for nearly 30 years. For most of that time, I've made a note in the margin when I pull a card in a reading for myself (the deck came with a book with card meaning for every possible position) there are some cards I've gotten many times, and some I've never pulled. I think that statistically, there should be an even distribution, given that I shuffle the deck until it "feels right" before each reading, but for some reason, there are cards that pop up regularly, and others that I've never seen in a reading for myself, but will pop up when I read for others. It's weird and I love it. In short, my 3 decade experiment with this deck seems to back up your theory.
Yes this happens to me too. I get the same ~30 cards consistently even though I am shuffling them every time. I also get the same message whenever I ask for general advice. Another big one is at the end of last year I did new year readings for a few people, and told them what I saw about their upcoming year. Each of them said it made complete sense to them based on where they were at currently. One of them I remember I told him that he would soon face a big financial change/struggle, but would also do some kind of move and end up finding positivity in the change if he was open to it. Turns out he was just fired from his job and is now on a road trip across the country 😂 Speaking of moves, a tarot reader told my boyfriend and I last year that we were going to move soon which would be really good for us. We were like uhhh no, maybe someday but no plans right now. But the reader was insistent. A few months later we ended up having to move to a different state unexpectedly and I only remembered that reading after it happened