Posted by Corrine Kenner
What exactly is the tarot? The tarot is a deck of 78 cards that date back to renaissance Italy and France. Tarot cards were first used to play games, but today most people use them for divination, meditation, and creative inspiration.
How is “tarot” pronounced? Some people say “tarot” with a long “a,” so it rhymes with “arrow.” Others use a short “a,” rhyming it with “Ross Perot.” Both are correct. In either case, the final “t” is silent.
How does the tarot work? Tarot cards often seem mysterious — even magical. Every tarot reader seems to have his or her own theory about why tarot cards work. Here are some possible explanations:
- Intuition and psychic ability. Tarot cards help us channel our psychic impressions, by making it easy to zero in on images and symbols that apply to specific situations.
- Unconscious observation. Tarot cards also help us access the information that our unconscious minds have stored in reserve — like snippets of overheard conversation, fleeting facial expressions, body language, and physical reactions to comments and images.
- The collective unconscious. Tarot cards also help us tap into the “collective unconscious” – the underlying bond of energy, emotion, and experience that unites us all. The collective unconscious also serves as a well of shared myth, history, and legendary associations that help us understand the human condition.
- Synchronicity. The groundbreaking psychologist Carl Jung coined the term synchronicity to describe the meaningful coincidences that take place during a tarot reading. Synchronicity is at work, for example, when we’re thinking about an upcoming court case and the Justice card falls on the table. Jung believed synchronicity is a sign of a higher power at work.
- Quantum physics. We live in a world of Newtonian physics, where time is linear, and every occurrence — even those we can’t explain — somehow conforms to the laws of nature. Give us an effect, and we’ll find the cause. A newer branch of physics, however, suggests that time doesn’t unfold just as we perceive it. In quantum physics, time seems to flow in every direction, and events in the future seem to travel back to influence the present. As those events bounce back and forth through the time stream, they even seem to communicate with each other — which could explain how tarot cards are able to depict events that haven’t yet occurred.
How do you know what the cards mean? Some tarot readers use the cards as a tool to channel psychic impressions. Others rely on formal study to offer a more structured reading. I combine the two approaches: I use intuition to pinpoint the most relevant symbols on each card, and then I discuss them in light of my education, training, and experience.
Which deck do you use? For my American Idol predictions, I use the Wizards Tarot — a new deck that I designed and artist John Blumen illustrated. You’ll be able to buy the deck from Llewellyn Publications next year. You can also preorder a copy from The Tarot Garden.
Where are you located? I live in Minneapolis, and I have an office near the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Do you offer private readings? Yes. I offer 30-minute readings by phone for $45, and one-hour readings in my office for $95. For more information or to schedule a reading for yourself, click here.
