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Typically, psychics read the tarot to foretell the future. A seeker usually has a specific question or issue in mind when asking for a reading. The reader prepares herself through meditation or a similar relaxation technique. She has the seeker shuffle and cut the cards. At this point, the reader draws cards from the top of the deck and lays them out in a specific order and position, which are associated with certain aspects of the seeker's life, such as inner feelings, the past, the near future, and the environment. |
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Of the 78 cards, 22 are called Major Arcana and are symbolized by characters that suggest certain traits. For example, the Magician suggests self-control and taking charge. The Lovers suggest love, sex, and emotional success. The Sun suggests happiness, rebirth, and freedom. Where these cards are placed and how they relate to the others' placement is part of the interpretation. The remaining 56 cards are divided into four suitsWands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacleseach with their own associations. |
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Along with its unknown origins, the way tarot works remains a mystery. While skeptics argue that cards are chosen randomly by chance, tarot readers raise the question of what ''random" really means. They suggest that the seeker's intuition leads them to shuffle the cards in a certain way, which affects which card appears in what place during the reading. In addition, the seeker's intuitive guidance influences how the cards are read, just as the reader's intuition provides an appropriate interpretation of the cards. |
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Each individual has his (or her) own personal interpretation of what each card means, which usually comes from his intuitive sense. Because the cards are based on visual images, you can derive this personal interpretation without consulting books. Once you have a strong sense of what a card means for you, you can compare your impression to classic interpretations described in books. Interestingly, the two meaningsprivate and universaltend to come together, linking your personal sense to symbols of a universal scale. This supports Jung's idea that all people share experiences that are represented by archetypal images. |
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Yet another method of divination exists that shares such a path of wisdom: the I Ching. |
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