The origin of tarot cards

The origin of tarot cards is mysterious. We can be sure that Tarot is a popular card game in Italy in the15th century. Rich people spend money to make beautiful cards, some of which still exist today. Visconti-Sforza, which appeared at 1450 or earlier, is one of the earliest tarot cards and is very complete.

Later, in the 18 and 19 centuries, some famous occult scholars (who studied astrology and alchemy) discovered tarot cards. These people are fascinated by tarot cards and find that the pictures on the cards have great power. This is not just a card game. They revealed (or imagined! The "real" history of tarot cards links tarot cards with secret religious ceremonies, mystical philosophy, magic, alchemy and other mysterious things in ancient Egypt. They can be traced back to the beginning of12nd century, when tarot cards were incorporated into the customs of several secret societies, including the Order of Golden Dawn (Note: See Simon kuster's Tarot Cards: History, Mystery and Legend-Simon &; Schuster, Tarot: History, Mystery and Knowledge, 1992).

Although tarot cards are based on ancient mysticism, people's interest in tarot cards has continued to develop in recent decades, including many different directions. Many new tarot cards have been created to reflect these new ideas. For example, American Native Tarot, Herbal Tarot, Dragon Tarot and Japanese Tarot.

Tarot cards are mainly regarded as a divination tool. In the traditional tarot divination, two people are needed to solve the cards at the same time: one is called "questioner"-a person who encounters personal problems and wants to seek answers, and the other is called "card solver"-a person who knows how to explain the meaning of the cards. After the questioner shuffles and cuts the cards, the decoder arranges the selected cards according to a certain pattern (so-called card array). Each position in this deck has a specific meaning, and each card also has its own specific meaning. The interpreter combines these two meanings to reveal the questioner's question.

This process is very simple, but it is rarely shown in a simple way. In movies, we often see tarot divination in the shabby living room or back room. An old woman sat in the shadow and untied the cards for a nervous young girl. The shriveled old woman raised her finger and shook it, and ordered a "death". The girl fell backwards and was frightened by the signs of bad luck.

Until now, dark light still surrounds tarot cards. Some religions shun it, while the scientific community claims that it is an absurd symbol and a remnant of a culture with backward taste. Now, let's get rid of these illusory things and just consider itself-this is a set of cards with pictures. The question is: What can we do with it?

The answer involves the subconscious mind-it exists in each of us' memories and consciousness, and only manifests itself in our daily experience. Although most of the time we ignore the subconscious activity, it has a far-reaching impact on our behavior. Sigmund freud pays attention to the irrationality and primitiveness of the subconscious in his works. He believes that the subconscious mind is the source of our most reluctant desires and demands. Carl jung, his contemporaries, emphasized the initiative and creativity of the subconscious. He tried to explain that the subconscious is a collection of beautiful qualities in human nature.

Maybe we can never understand all the connotations and abilities of the subconscious, but there are ways to reveal its face. To this end, people have developed many methods-psychology, dream interpretation, imagination and meditation. Tarot cards are also one of these tools.

Take a moment to think about a typical tarot card: "Sword Five". This card shows a man holding three swords and looking at two other people in the distance. There are two swords on the ground. When I read this card, I began to create stories around this picture. I am satisfied to see a man win in the battle. He is complacent and happy to win all the swords. The other two were defeated and depressed.

(Hehe, add the fifth sword, please refer to it.

In fact, there are many pictures in the original, and I don't know why the translator didn't do it.)

What I do is to observe a meaningful painting and write a story for it. Personally, my opinion is the most obvious-this is the only possible explanation for this picture. But in fact, others may imagine a completely different story. Maybe this man is picking up a sword. He asked others to help him, but they refused. Or, the other two were fighting and he wanted to force them to stop.

The point is that there are many possible stories, and I chose one of them. Why? Because people instinctively map the subconscious to things. We always look at the facts through the inner lens. Therapists have long noticed this feature and invented tools for auxiliary treatment. The famous Rorschach Ink Test (see Hermann Rorschach's Rorschach Test, published by Hans Huber 1927) is based on psychological drawing.

Psychological atlas is one of the reasons why tarot cards are valuable. These confusing pictures and symbols are very effective in releasing the subconscious. This is the personality of tarot cards, but there are also commonalities. As human beings, we all have some common needs and experiences. Tarot pictures capture these * * * things and describe them. People can easily react to tarot cards because they represent some mental models. For many centuries, tarot cards have developed into the most basic collection of human thoughts and emotions.

Take the Queen as an example. She represents the principle of mother-life is on fertile land. Notice how her photos evoke a feeling of abundance. She sat on a soft and luxurious headrest, with her robe hanging down and folded over her. In the queen, we feel the generosity and richness of nature.

The strength of tarot cards comes from the combination of individuality and generality. You can look at each card in your own way, but at the same time, you can also feel the feelings of others. Tarot cards are a mirror that reflects the hidden side of your personal consciousness.

In divination, we shuffle cards, cut cards, choose some cards and spread them out. Although this process seems random, we still think that we have come up with a specific card. After all, this is the key to tarot divination-choosing the cards we want. Well, it is generally believed that the cards drawn at random can't represent any special meaning, or vice versa.

To answer this question, let's first study "randomness". Generally speaking, when an event is the result of mechanical action, we say it is random. Choose one from a set of possibilities-all possibilities have the same probability of ending, but there are no special factors. The definition of this random event contains two key assumptions: it is the result of mechanical action and has no special significance.

First of all, Tarot divination is not an isolated product of mechanical action. It is the result of a series of long-term conscious activities. We decided to learn tarot cards. We bought cards and began to study how to use them. We shuffle and cut cards in a certain way in a certain place. Finally, we use our intuition and understanding to explain the meaning of the card.

Every step of the way, we are actively involved. So why do we say that divination is a "random result of mechanical action"? Because we can't explain how psychological consciousness is invested. We know that there is no deliberate choice when drawing cards, so it is random. In fact, is there a deep power in this process, a power involving the subconscious? Does our inner state affect external things in a way that we have not yet understood? I insist on this possibility.

Another feature of random events is that they have no intrinsic meaning. I rolled the dice and got six points, but it was of no special use. I can also shake out the same meaning-or not? Do we really know that these two results are equal? Maybe everything has its meaning and purpose, and its possibility is big or small, but we never realize it.

Many years ago, at a party, I suddenly wanted to sit on the ground and play dice. I'm sure I can shake out every number one by one. When I started playing, the laughter and noise gradually disappeared. Every time I shake out a different number, I get more excited. When I finally succeeded, I woke up and went back to my seat, which surprised me.

On the one hand, rolling the dice six times is irrelevant and random. But on the other hand, they are very meaningful. My inner experience tells me so, although other observers may disagree. What's the point? That time, it was a lesson about the strange connection between consciousness and things. Today, I know it has another purpose-about 25 years later, when I teach tarot cards, I will use it as an example!

"Meaning" is a truly mysterious feature, which comes from the boundary between internal and external reality. Everything contains information-trees, songs, even trash cans ... but only when we open our hearts to experience it can we feel it. The pictures of tarot cards are rich in connotation and interrelated, so they contain a lot of information. More importantly, Tarot divination connects all kinds of meanings, because we are committed to our wishes and loyal to our hearts to discover the deeper truth in our lives. In this way of seeking meaning, we admit the truth we yearn for and have the opportunity to reveal its essence.

If there is some meaning in divination, where does it come from? I believe it comes from a part of ourselves, from the magical source of consciousness. This is an aspect of the subconscious mind, but it is more than that. It is like a wise man who knows us deeply. It understands our needs and guides us in the direction we want. Some people call it soul, superconsciousness, or superego. I call it a "psychic guide" because this is its role in tarot divination.

Each of us has a spiritual guide, which is the source of meaning. Your spiritual guide is always with you because it is a part of you. You can't break this connection, but it can really be ignored. When faced with tarot cards, you send a signal to the mind guide to receive its wisdom. This simple and sincere behavior makes you aware of your inner existence.

We are born to rely on the wisdom of spiritual guides, but we often forget this. We trust the mind, but forget to observe the mind. Our brain is smart, but unfortunately, it doesn't have enough consciousness to make the right choices every day.

When we use our brains, we often feel that all kinds of things appear randomly, which brings us pressure. There is no goal in life, and we always endure it, because we really don't know who we are and where we are going. When we know how to use the spiritual guide, our experience of life is completely different. After listing our conscious wishes and our inner goals, we gained confidence and peace. Our journey is more interesting, and we can see more clearly how to gather scattered elements together to enrich our destiny.

I use tarot cards, because it is the best tool I have found, which can make the whisper of the soul guide enter consciousness. When the card is opened, the thoughts, images and feelings that emerge are the signals of the spiritual director. How do I know this is a signal, not my imagination? Honestly, I don't know. I can only trust my own experience and observe what happened.

You don't need tarot cards to contact your soul guide. Tarot cards have the same function as "Dambo Magic Feather". In the Disney movie Dumbo, Walter Disney Production Company (194 1), Dumbo really can fly, but he doesn't believe it. He tied a feather to his body and put all his trust on it. He thought that feathers could give him the ability to fly, but when he found that feathers floated away, he was forced to turn to his own ability.

Tarot cards can help you fly until you can use your own mind guide. Now, don't worry about what will happen. Just use tarot cards, continue the course and do some exercises to see if you will experience some surprises.