How Does Tarot Work? I Don't Know, But Here Are 5 Theories!
Maybe you've been reading the cards awhile or perhaps you just started - whatever the case, you’ve probably thought to yourself at some point, “how exactly do these things work? or “why do they work?”
The truth is, no one can tell you for certain, but, it’s fun to play with theories. Below I’ve shared 5 ideas that may explain how or why tarot works. In terms of my own belief system, I don’t think one idea is more true than any other and I tend to think they all play a role and factor in.
These theories may ring true for you or you may have your own ideas which are just as valid (I’d also love to hear them, so please leave a comment if you’re up to sharing).
As for my totally inconclusive list of reasons why tarot works, here it is!
1. Help From "Above” or “Within” or “Beyond”
Whether it's "god", our higher self, our ancestors, spirit guides or another voice beyond the veil, many believe that working with tarot is a way of inviting in a connection “beyond” our everyday reality. This may mean that this source has the ability to manipulate the cards we receive and it may also mean it has a way of delivering messages regarding what those cards mean in the moment of reading them. When I read, I always invite something greater. What that is, I cannot say for sure, though I see it as a guiding force in my life whether I’m reading tarot or writing or meditating or anything else in-between.
2. Subconscious Memories
What we perceive in any given moment is only a fraction of what is happening around us; both in our observable and unobservable environment. Our brains have a way of filtering out the noise (or what it deems unnecessary) and focusing in on what it thinks requires our attention. For this reason, we take in, but aren't consciously aware of a hell of a lot of data. Part of the magic of tarot may lie in its ability to bring back to the surface the stuff you've...stuffed away. Let me provide an example. Let's say you work in a busy environment and there is always lots of chatter going on around you. At any given time, you can probably only effectively focus on one conversation at at time. But, what happens to all that background noise? While you may not be zeroed in on it at the time, are the words stored somewhere? Let's assume they are. Now, you go home and you do a reading for yourself about career. In that reading, you uncover that there may be a new lucrative opportunity available to you very soon. You have no idea what it could be, but the cards are clearly indicating that something may be happening. This could be a message straight from the divine or perhaps a nugget of information that your subconscious picked up on and tucked away. Because your awareness wasn't focused on it, you assume this tarot reading is revealing new information when in fact, it simply triggered a knowing that your subconscious had previously recorded.
3. The Collective Unconscious
The Collective Unconscious, a term coined by Carl Jung, is the idea that we, as a collective, are unconsciously led by archetypes, symbolism and past influences (that of our ancestors) which connect and bind us as a species. This means that our past is inextricably linked with our present as it is with our future. And, if that is the case, then seeing the future may be a natural extension of remembering the past and experiencing the present.
Tarot can help us tap into this by utilizing symbols and archetypes that are meaningful to us, even if we don’t consciously know why they are meaningful to us. They can activate deeper places within ourselves that may have more collective, rather than personal roots. Think of it in terms of inter-connectivity if that makes it easier. If we can accept that we are all connected then we must be able to access information that is above and beyond what we have personally experienced. This may also explain why we can read for others and not just for ourselves.
4. Quantum Mechanics
Could the answer actually lie in an area of science that we're (while still exploring) already familiar with? While I don't believe that intuition can be properly explained or tested by science at the moment, there may be some connection between what was uncovered during the popular double slit experiment and what cards are revealed when conducting a tarot reading. Similar to Schrödinger's Cat, the double slit experiment suggests that until observed, a thing may occupy any number of states (perhaps multiple at the same "time") and it is not until that thing is observed, by consciousness, that it settles on what it will be. This has suggested to many that consciousness actually creates reality, and this idea has a name, it’s called “the observer effect”.
Listen, I don’t know anything about science so this may be way off. But, to help illustrate what we’re talking about, perhaps the process would look like this:
-We set the intention that we would like an answer or insight
-That conscious intention then interacts with the cards in the moment of shuffling, thus impacting the results and what is revealed
This may remove the issue of “randomness” if the whole act of working with the cards is really a quantum dance between the observer (us) and the observed (the deck). And as the observer, who has asked a pointed question and created strong intent, might that be enough to manifest the desired result (being an answer to our question)? Like all the theories above this one, I have no proof either way - but it's an interesting thought!
5. A Magickal Attitude
I’ve had this thought recently that it isn’t the cards necessarily that do much of anything, but rather, what they call forth from us, which is something I refer to as a magickal attitude. At the same time, the cards are likely intentionally designed to inspire this attitude, and so working with them, for many of us, makes it easier to step into that space.
In other words, when we approach the cards with wonder, awe, excitement, reverence, fascination, presence, curiosity and maybe most importantly, an openness to receive, we’re adopting a magickal attitude. It’s not the same energy you bring to a business meeting, but, if you were to bring that same energy to a business meeting, I also bet you’d have a whole different experience of that meeting.
In other words, the cards have a way of putting us into a really powerful state that then allows us to tap their messages, receive further insights, see into the imagery and even beyond it. If we were to approach other things the way we approach tarot, they could “give us” some pretty interesting answers and insight too, I imagine!
So, how do you think tarot works? If you've got your own theory, I'd love to hear it in the comments! There are no right or wrong answers - simply what we believe. And if we believe it, and it works for us, then that is all that matters in the end.
Julia