The history of Tarot cards reading is as mystic as the concept of Tarot reading itself! Although there is no exact origin of Tarot history, there has been evidence that it was primitively known as a card game having a French title "Le Tarots" and was predominantly of Italian origin. However, it may well be noted that this game is still played in some European countries but bears no resemblance to the divinity personified concept of Tarot reading. The Tarot cards can well be considered as a tool for effective divination solutions that have been consistently used since times immemorial.
It is believed that the cards are used for gaining the insight of present as well as future situations of the querent or subject. Some people believe that they are guided by a spiritual force like Gaia while few of them believe that the cards help them to tap into their own creative or a collective unconscious, brainstorming subconscious. The importance of tarot symbolism was attached by the first psychologist, Carl Jung. He may have regarded the tarot cards by representing archetypes: situations embedded in the subconscious of all human being or fundamental types of person. The archetypes theory is used in several psychological treatments.
Symbolic study or some schools of occult thought like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn consider tarot as a mnemonic device or textbook for their teachings. This might be the cause for the world arcana, which is used to convey the meaning of two sections of the tarot deck. It is the plural form of the Latin word Arcanum that means secret or closed.
Although, it was formerly believed in the Roman culture that the old grandmother would pass off her legacy of divination secrets to her eldest granddaughter before she dies and was hence a well-guarded secret, nevertheless now times having changed this myth has surely changed and everyone can gain access to the power of Tarot reading for having a clear idea of ones' most probable future.
Several people are puzzled to understand how a deck of cards can predict the future, but the truth is far beyond that. The cards go much beyond their pictorial representation. The cards enable us to get a clear insight into ourselves as well as the world around us. They are representative of the journeys we need to make as well as decisions we have to make while our journey on earth.
In most of the cases, the tarot is viewed as a strong tool for divination. With a normal reading, we have someone who seeks information and answers, usually personal or professional questions; and then a tarot reader who knows how to interpret the cards accurately.
A typical Tarot reading begins as the person seeking answers shuffles the deck of cards, lays them down on the table-cloth, and picks out cards randomly with them facing down. While in the process as these cards are chosen, the querent hands them to the reader who places them face up on the table in a certain way which is called the spread.
The spread can be any one of a selective number of patterns each of which has a relevant name and is used for various types of readings. But to ensure you receive the best results your reader will select the most relevant spread for the specific query you will be addressing. For example, they will change their layout of the cards for relationship readings, love readings, money readings, etc.
Some people may be very concerned when certain cards arise especially the Death card. But as with so many cards including the Death card, the meanings are not what you may think or that which is pictorially represented. And in the case of the Death card, this can mean simply the end of a certain traumatic part of our lives and rarely has anything to do with actually dying or anything remotely close to physical death.
As the Tarot reader lays down the cards they also receive impressions and intuitive ideas in their subconscious mind that helps them answer your questions accurately. They are not simply looking at the pictures and giving you the answers. It is through special combinations that they are able to give you the information you seek.
