A deeper meaning of the tarot

Interest in knowing one’s future has always been part of human nature. But such fore knowledge has always been elusive. And therefore man has either discovered or devised means of somehow predicting what is to come. And those who are able to see the future have always been regarded with awe, if not with fear, by certain people.

One of the earliest and most mysterious of these devices for telling the future is a deck of tarot cards, whose real origin or history is almost completely unknown. The earliest mention of it is in the 14th century, but other commentators consider it to be of more ancient origin.

I agree with those who say that knowing how the Tarot card originated and who discovered or invented it is not so important as knowing how to use it. In the same way that it is not so important to know who discovered fire or invented the wheel as knowing how to use it.

Interest in the tarot card waxes and wanes with time, like the phases of the moon. In times of great economic hardships and uncertainties, interest in knowing the future becomes almost an obsession for many people. In times of great prosperity and economic growth, interest in it wanes.

Now, people’s interest in knowing what the future will bring seems to be on the rise. Fortune tellers, clairvoyants and tarot card readers are in great demand. And I’ve been receiving calls if I knew any good card reader from even the most highly educated and intelligent people.

This is not surprising, for even heads of states, from King Saul of ancient Israel to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France and Abraham Lincoln of the United States have been known to consult seers and fortune tellers during their reign.

Most popular device

The tarot deck composed of 56 minor arcana and 22 major arcana cards (total of 78) has become the most popular fortune-telling device in the West. There are at least 300 different tarot cards and the number of new designs grows every year. But they all follow the same basic pattern and divinatory meaning.

Unfortunately, interest in the tarot card has been confined mainly to its uncanny ability to tell the future. But the tarot is much more than that. It is also a device to unravel the deepest mysteries of the universe. One author referred to the tarot cards as “78 steps to spiritual development.”

My interest in the tarot was triggered by a Russian mathematician and mystic named P.D. Ouspensky who wrote a very intriguing and thought-provoking commentary on the tarot in his book “A New Model of the Universe” which I read way back in 1976. P.D. Ouspensky was a follower of Gurdjieff, a man of great wisdom and mystery who developed a good following among the intellectuals and wealthy people of Europe at the turn of the 20th century.

According to Ouspensky, “Outwardly the tarot is a pack of cards but in its inner meaning, it is something altogether different. It is a ‘book’ of philosophical and psychological content, which can be read in many different ways.”

Being the mathematician that he was, Ouspensky could not help observing the relationship between the tarot and mathematics. He continues: “The system of the tarot, in its deeper, wider and more varied sense, stands in the same relation to metaphysics and mysticism as a system of notation, decimal or other, stands in relation to mathematics.”

According to Ouspensky, “In order to become acquainted with the tarot it is necessary to be familiar with the idea of the Cabala, Alchemy, Magic and Astrology.” And to really appreciate it, I might add, one has to have some basic knowledge of philosophy, psychology and even numerology.

Significance of tarot

Whoever discovered or invented the tarot, according to Ouspensky must be more than just a genius. For mere intelligence cannot fathom its real depth and full significance of its symbolism.

Quoting the occultist, Eliphas Levi, Ouspensky pointed out, “An imprisoned person, with no other book than the tarot, if he knew how to use it, could in a few years acquire universal knowledge and would be able to speak out on all subjects with unequalled learning and inexhaustible eloquence.”

Therefore we can say that those who are using the tarot merely as a fortune-telling device do not really understand its deeper meaning and metaphysical significance.

As Jan Woudhuysen in his book “Tarot Mania, The Definitive Guide to the Tarot,” pointed out: “There is much more to the tarot. In ordinary fortune telling we use the cards to give us an answer about the future. The esoteric system allows us to use the cards to answer many other types of questions, and what is more, to suggest new ones.

“The ability to make use of the inherent powers of intuition is the reward given to those using system and the ability to generate new questions the unique attribute.

“The tarot can be used to help you come to terms with yourself, or to understand other people. If we can understand ourselves better, we have an opportunity to grow. If we understand other people better, we can build up better relationships.”

Note: The next Basic ESP and Intuition Development Seminar will be held March 15 and 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Cagayan de Oro City. For details, contact Jessica Tomacas at 0920-9235704.

E-mail jlicauco@etsamail.com.ph. Visit website at www.angelfire.com/journal/licauco

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