The lights have been dimmed, there is a cup of tea or coffee by your side, and you have a question in mind about your future. You pick up your Tarot cards and start to shuffle them. Your question is about the possibility of a relationship with that friend who has begun flirting with you. As you place the cards into the spread you notice that many of the cards are from the suit of Cups, and these images correspond to romance and love. Out of the 78 Tarot cards, how is it possible that you’ve randomly selected images directly relating to something you’ve been contemplating?
Simon Sinek is the author of two best-selling books about leadership and business. His area of expertise is leadership and creativity, but he said something recently that grabbed my attention because it related to how Tarot works.
The following is some paraphrasing of a video clip by Simon. If you want to see it for yourself, look online for “How to Unlock Your Creativity with Simon Sinek”. In this interview he explains that our conscious mind has access to the equivalent of 2 feet of information around us. This is information we access when we contemplate the answer to a problem. However, our subconscious mind has access to the equivalent of about 11 acres of information. It’s the data we’ve filed away from every conversation we’ve had, every book we’ve read, every documentary we’ve seen. It’s all filed away, but you can’t access it consciously. When we want to know the best way to approach a situation, you can think it through, but you are only working with a small part of your potential for gaining clear direction.
However, if you allow your subconscious mind an opportunity to express itself (and it does this best in symbolic form) it’ll make connections that you’re not aware of until the connections are made. That’s why you’ll have epiphanies in the shower, or on your drive to work, when your mind is wandering.
Simon’s words resonated with me because this is how I understand that Tarot reading works. When choosing Tarot cards you give your subconscious an opportunity to express itself. You switch off the conscious mind and in a ‘seemingly randomly’ manner you manage to choose some symbolic images that are appropriate for your question. When interpreting the cards you allow your subconscious mind to ‘play’ with the symbols on the cards and this gives you the answers you are seeking. Tarot’s symbols become a bridge between your conscious mind and universal consciousness.
Simon Sinek
By not seeing the images on the cards as they are chosen, you relinquish control of the conscious mind and give the (more powerful) unconscious mind an opportunity to reveal what you need to know.
Our education system is based on training the conscious mind, whereas Tarot encourages you to tap into your subconscious powers of perception. Tarot helps you develop your intuition, which is a skill or talent that improves your life on a daily basis.
How does Tarot reading work? It’s not easy to put into words, as it relies on an innate understanding of symbols and archetypes, which is beyond the normal workings of the conscious mind. Perhaps it’s a blend of synchronicity and symbolism, perhaps it’s an intuitive response to forces beyond your mundane perception, or perhaps it’s simply an inner knowing of the unknowable.
All I can say is that it has helped me for many years and in so many areas of my life. I don’t make major decisions without consulting the cards, because they have saved me from poor conscious judgement so many times.