The Art of Tarot

Divination is the art of observing the present and the past through the superconscious to predict what the future will hold. The superconscious is the higher self, the part of a person that is connected to the collective unconscious of all that exists and has ever existed. Through a meditative state or the dream state, we may commune directly with our superconscious. Otherwise, the superconscious communicates with us through the subconscious, usually in the form of intuition.

            Calling this communication between the different states of consciousness at will is the key component behind the art of Tarot reading. This is generally achieved by utilizing the medium of symbology, archetypes, or both. These mediums stand as the link between your superconscious and subconscious, acting as a language between the two that is developed by both personal recognition the metaphorical or symbolical meaning that an object or character represents, and the study of traditional occult (which means hidden, or secret) meanings of a representation. An example of this could be seen in the symbology behind water. A personal recognition would be whatever a person's personal experience with water has led them to associate it with. However, from an occult point of view, water represents emotion, spirituality, and the collective unconsciousness.

            This is all used together brilliantly and beautifully to create decks that hold a storehouse of occult knowledge that allows us to commune with our different levels of consciousness, as the subconscious talks to the normal, waking consciousness through gut feelings, recognized as intuition. It is through that intuition that we may get a glimpse of the knowledge and wisdom of our superconsciousness. That glimpse of what it holds can, if we let it, show us where we stand in an unbiased light, as well as show us where we are going if we continue to walk this same path.

Extra Source: Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft