jaylectricity: he way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

exactly.

jaylectricity: The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

So why bother with the book? Why all the superstition?

Of course I knew this was coming....




/not chinleee...

jaylectricity: The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

So why bother with the book? Why all the superstition?

Why not? What harm does looking at things a different way cause?
If nothing else it can be entertaining.

What a Chinese fortune cookie might look like.

I haven't broken out my decks in a long time, but jaylectricity hits the nail on the head.

There's no magic, it just provides a flow of concepts for you to structure your thoughts around.



...That said, I have a Rider Waite deck that likes to scream at you about what is going on. It is very good at producing very direct and themed readings.

So? People will still go to them and believe them as truth. Look at all the people that still watch Fox for their news source after they admitted they're not reporting news; they're "entertaining."

LadySusan: Whenever I drive by a psychic I always think, "Come out on the porch...come out on the porch." I'll stop for a consultation if I ever see anyone standing there waving at me.

I am SO Stealing this....
/There is one down the street from my house with a HUGE sign, Sister Fayes Psychic Advisor....totally a scam I know....

jaylectricity: Although I still need to check the book for the meanings of each card, I can read tarot cards. When I do it I tell the people I'm reading for that the cards aren't magic. I tell them that whatever cards come up are mere coincidence.

The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

Kind of like the I-Ching

HailRobonia: jaylectricity: The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

So why bother with the book? Why all the superstition?

Because people won't go into a shadowy building to get a new perspective on things they already know unless it involves getting a beer.

There are those that claim that there is magic and mystery, typically those who try to make a living off of it. Those who do it for entertainment value tend to be of the opposite camp.

ChipNASA: Of course I knew this was coming....

/not chinleee...

I see I was beaten to the punch

theorellior: HailRobonia: jaylectricity: The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

So why bother with the book? Why all the superstition?

Not many people like to look inside themselves and fewer still can deal with what they see. If Tarot (and I Ching, and chiromancy, and astrology) is basically a Jungian process of self-analysis, then sometimes people need the woo-woo as a little bit of sugar to help the results go down.

If you want self-analysis, I find disassociatives do the job excellently.

Tarot cards AREN'T future tellers. I can read tarot and still do it on occasion for fun.

theorellior

Not many people like to look inside themselves and fewer still can deal with what they see. If Tarot (and I Ching, and chiromancy, and astrology) is basically a Jungian process of self-analysis, then sometimes people need the woo-woo as a little bit of sugar to help the results go down.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Even when I tell some people what it is, they sometimes still consider it mystical because their little brains can't handle actual self-evalutaion.

I'll just stick to reading entrails.

"Jungian" is only barely more credible than "psychic".

theorellior: ChipNASA: Of course I knew this was coming....

Who knew the future had a 6-bit binary encoding?

Oracle.

I guess I wouldn't believe in anything anymore if it weren't for my lucky astrology mood watch.

Tarot is all about externalizing your issues and getting a fresh perspective on them. The cards themselves rely on visual symbolism, broad archetypes, and very old cultural trappings to function. The bulk of the meaning, however, is contextual and open to interpretation. A good reader assembles seemingly random symbolism into a coherent narrative.

If you prefer your insight couched in mystic symbolism, then by all means go at it with ritual purpose and the trappings of whatever tradition you prefer. I don't mind it but I don't think it really matters, honestly, nor does it require you to believe fully in the tradition or accept the reading at face value. (Though being hostile to your Tarot reader's beliefs will throw *them* off their game and that's unlikely to produce good results.) Good readers, whether they attribute their success to being psychic or gifted, or whether they are just good at reading people (nonverbal cues, body language, etc. such as poker players rely on), are going to be sensitive to you.

But even devoid of the mumbo-jumbo stuff, they can be useful in forcing yourself to consider things from a fresh angle; they're a tool, no more and no less, in allowing you to get your head around issues. The narrative you assemble from interpreting the cards may shed some light on something you're having trouble with.

Or not. Take it with a grain of salt, but don't deny yourself a chance to gain a fresh perspective.

Heard on the local fire department scanner channel a couple of months ago....



"The Fortune Teller's house is on fire.....you reckon she saw that comin'?"

The tarotists hate our freedom.

jaylectricity: ... The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

You, and everyone else here, have given me a fresh perspective on this. Thanks.

I used to read tea leaves for a hobby. The people I'd do it for seemed to think I had some sort of Native American mystic talent.

I'd think: man, you'll fall for anything, won't you?

But there is this magic thing call "Karma" which magically tracks things we do and figures out if they're wrong or not and punishes you every so often if you do something bad. People are pretty comfortable mentioning this magical unscientific Karma which works sporadically at best, but Tarot, Astrology? Fake.

Coyote Doyenne: I'd think: man, you'll fall for anything, won't you?

So you are admitting you are a fraud.

ohdoublereally

But there is this magic thing call "Karma" which magically tracks things we do and figures out if they're wrong or not and punishes you every so often if you do something bad. People are pretty comfortable mentioning this magical unscientific Karma which works sporadically at best, but Tarot, Astrology? Fake.

Nothing "magic" about karma. At least, not the way I see it. If you are a jerk, at some point in your life chances are people will realize it and pull away from you. If you nice, lots of people will be your friend. If you happen to be very charitable, people will be more likely to help you in your time of need. If you are selfish, people won't be as likely. Etc, etc, etc.

Lollipop165: ohdoublereally

But there is this magic thing call "Karma" which magically tracks things we do and figures out if they're wrong or not and punishes you every so often if you do something bad. People are pretty comfortable mentioning this magical unscientific Karma which works sporadically at best, but Tarot, Astrology? Fake.

Nothing "magic" about karma. At least, not the way I see it. If you are a jerk, at some point in your life chances are people will realize it and pull away from you. If you nice, lots of people will be your friend. If you happen to be very charitable, people will be more likely to help you in your time of need. If you are selfish, people won't be as likely. Etc, etc, etc.

Sorry but that's just normal human behavior.

ohdoublereally

Sorry but that's just normal human behavior.

Exactly. Karma (at least the way I see it) isn't "magical" at all. But what you "put out" in the world does seem to come back to you.

Off topic, but what the hell is CNNGO? Is it like CNN mark II?

HailRobonia: jaylectricity: The way the cards work is they give you a way of thinking of your situation. Ways that you may not have even imagined before.

So why bother with the book? Why all the superstition?

I think the idea is summed up in this:

A little randomness can also be useful for brainstorming, I'd think.

Two_Noodles: The tarotists hate our freedom.

Winner winner chicken dinner!!!

I laughed out loud for real and my coworkers were staring at me...

Seriously though, seems like CNN Go or whatever this is, is just now catching up to Penn & Teller...

(gasp) the DEATH card?

"oh no, no... that's good" (next card) "AH! OH NOOOOO! (gasp) THE FLUFFY BUNNY!"

HailRobonia: So why bother with the book? Why all the superstition?

There HAS to be a book. If there's no book, then it just boils down to: "Got a problem? How about trying to think about it in a different way." And then anyone could just do it, with no training or books or anything. And who's going to make any money off that?

It's like business and their fascination with "Six Sigma." Oh sure, I could just tell you, "Here's what you do: Try not to make errors. And when you do, figure out why they happened, document it, and correct the process so it doesn't happen again." But what good is that? How am I going to make any money? Now, if instead I dress it up with an expensive course and books and training aids, and then add on prestigious degrees like "Six Sigma Blackbelt" handed out for buying my courses and books and training aids, now we're talkin'!

There HAS to be a book! There's always a book! It lends legitimacy to the whole thing, like putting placebo pills in real pill bottles with safety caps and labels.

Lollipop165: ohdoublereally

Sorry but that's just normal human behavior.

Exactly. Karma (at least the way I see it) isn't "magical" at all. But what you "put out" in the world does seem to come back to you.

That's like saying Karate is all about chopping boards in half with your hand.

From the whopping 4 comments on the article:

DSchneider
12 January, 2011

I am not a Christian. I am agnostic. I happen to play card games with tarot cards and I would like to see a more balanced view of them in the mainstream media instead of these articles which mislead people into believing they are only used in fortune telling. I expect better quality from CNN than pimping the paranormal when doing stories on tarot. The media should tell the whole truth about tarot cards and how they were really made for nothing more than games.

and

tarot4games
11 January, 2011

CNN and Richard Macauley should be ashamed for promoting the common occult stereotypes surrounding tarot cards by nominating a tarot reader as "queen of tarot" Tarot wasn't really made for card reading. The media should understand that tarot cards were really made for a type of card game still played in some countries and not for the occult or fortune telling.

How butt-hurt do you have to be on tarot cards to make a new screename and post again the next day lol?

its therapy with cards, nice

/better than con artistry with cards I think this lady is on to something

FunkOut: Because the Native American tribes were known for having tea parties complete with crumpets and marmalade.

Hey, we had to teach those Eurotrash barbarians some sort of civility.

HailRobonia:
So you are admitting you are a fraud.

Yes! Was I not clear?

/coyote totem
//it's my job

Oznog: (gasp) the DEATH card?

"oh no, no... that's good" (next card) "AH! OH NOOOOO! (gasp) THE FLUFFY BUNNY!"

I believe it was "Happy Squirrel", but good reference none the less.

oblig?

/i tried

ohdoublereally: Lollipop165: ohdoublereally

Sorry but that's just normal human behavior.

Exactly. Karma (at least the way I see it) isn't "magical" at all. But what you "put out" in the world does seem to come back to you.

That's like saying Karate is all about chopping boards in half with your hand.

*Quizzical dog* also
*the chart depicting your place in space represented by a dot and an arrow representing "the point" going far beyond it* uh yeah, you missed the point dude.

btw how's my precious Blacks? the only thing I miss about San Diego.