Regardless of whether you consciously hunt for symbols in Tarot cards, or just get an intuitive flash of inspiration for a card’s meaning, the process is the same: your mind notices a symbol on the card and gives your subconscious a poke in the right direction.

Symbols are the basis of Tarot, and in the book “Myth, Religion and Mother Right”, the author J.J. Bachofen describes the power of symbolism in the following way…

Human language is too feeble to convey all the thoughts aroused by the alternation of life and death and the sublime hopes of the initiate. Only the symbol awakens intimations; speech can only explain.

The symbol plucks all the strings of the human spirit at once; speech is compelled to take up a single thought at a time. The symbol strikes its roots in the most secret depths of the soul; language skims over the surface of the understanding like a soft breeze.

The symbol aims inward; language outward. Only the symbol can combine the most disparate elements into a unitary impression. Language deals in successive particulars; it expresses bit by bit what must be brought home to the soul at a single glance if it is to affect us profoundly. Words make the infinite finite, symbols carry the spirit beyond the finite world of becoming into the realm of infinite being.

Isn’t that a beautiful and eloquent description of how the mind of a Tarot reader makes use of symbols! When we gaze upon our Tarot cards, these images evoke obscure, yet intense feelings within the depths of our being. Our role is to interpret these sensations into words, so we can deliver information to the outer world. It’s an important role and a huge responsibility to bring those spiritual messages to the surface of consciousness with accuracy, so take your time and speak your truth from the heart.