What makes tarot cards work?

[VanillaRayne]

I went to a psychic today and got a tarot card reading that was startlingly accurate. I really didn't know much about them before, but I'm curious as to how they work? Is it synchronicity or something else? I'm seriously in shock. I was sort of expecting some vague generalizations to be honest, but I got some really specific answers, even down to, "Teaching is the field for your life path." And that's exactly the field I'm going to school for.

For me, when I used them, I didn't use the cards by the rules. I went with a gut filling of what the cards were telling me, sort of like reading the pictures on the cards and being perceptive of everything in the image. There are so many ways to use them. ( they were accurate readings too, which surprised me on my first time using them ) Apparently the cards and I communicated.

[VanillaRayne]

Originally Posted by MRDazzle

For me, when I used them, I didn't use the cards by the rules. I went with a gut filling of what the cards were telling me, sort of like reading the pictures on the cards and being perceptive of everything in the image. There are so many ways to use them. ( they were accurate readings too, which surprised me on my first time using them ) Apparently the cards and I communicated.

That seems to make sense. Very interesting.

Do you want the scientific/psychological explanation or a mystical/metaphysical one? I can cater to either, and I find the first is important to bear in mind even if you indulge in the second.

For the first, look up things like "cold reading" and "heuristics" or "cognitive biases" (in the context of psychology). The information comes from nothing more than human intuition and intelligence, which is really quite remarkable in of itself.

For the second, it depends on your metaphysical tradition. Some say divination taps into the power of the gods, others to some collective unconscious, others still to the spirit of the cards, spirit guides, angels, whatever.

[norseman]

I agree with Quintessence almost 100% except I would not put "scientific" and "psychological" in the same sentence !

I think Quintessence is on the right line, but I also think it has something to do with your feelings as you asking the questions at the time you are holding the pack.
More so if she/he asked you to shuffle them 1st or put out 1 or more cards out of the pack and/or then she/he put them down.

Deep down inside you, you may know that there's something there but you do not know what it is. So by reading tarot cards it helps you to know what it is or at less you know more about it. Tarot cards brings things to the surface/light and give you the answers.

I hope this is a help to understand about them a bit more
Best Regards & Blessings!

Originally Posted by Quintessence

Do you want the scientific/psychological explanation or a mystical/metaphysical one? I can cater to either, and I find the first is important to bear in mind even if you indulge in the second.

For the first, look up things like "cold reading" and "heuristics" or "cognitive biases" (in the context of psychology). The information comes from nothing more than human intuition and intelligence, which is really quite remarkable in of itself.

For the second, it depends on your metaphysical tradition. Some say divination taps into the power of the gods, others to some collective unconscious, others still to the spirit of the cards, spirit guides, angels, whatever.

love your answer, couldn't say it better myself.

G

[VanillaRayne]

So then is it more so the cards themselves that give the answers, the reader's interpretation of the cards and feelings associated with them, or a combination of both? I mean apart from my name I gave this woman no information about myself and didn't ask any questions at all until after the reading, yet she seemed to know exactly what issues I had questions with. She even told me there's a guy who you think loves you sometimes then acts like he doesn't other times. And that was one of the main reasons I went there. To me that was VERY specific.

Originally Posted by VanillaRayne

So then is it more so the cards themselves that give the answers, the reader's interpretation of the cards and feelings associated with them, or a combination of both? I mean apart from my name I gave this woman no information about myself and didn't ask any questions at all until after the reading, yet she seemed to know exactly what issues I had questions with. She even told me there's a guy who you think loves you sometimes then acts like he doesn't other times. And that was one of the main reasons I went there. To me that was VERY specific.

Well, some people do choose to believe there is something "supernatural" going on that is conveying the information. It's up to your personal belief system. Alternatively, things like cold reading and cognitive biases may be creating the illusion that the reader's information was more remarkable than it really is.

In basic, cold reading is a technique whereby you (the reader) gather information about someone by starting with fairly general statements and carefully watching their responses. The querent really gives the reader all the information, but most people are unaware of how their body language and voice cues give them away. Readers do this consciously or unconsciously, so it's hard to say if it was being used. Cold reading has an unsavory reputation as being a way of hoodwinking people, but used responsibly it can be a great counseling tool. In addition, cognitive biases prompt us (the querent) to pick out patterns. The reader mentioned teaching as a life path. It seems remarkable to the querent because they made a personal connection to that word and applied it do something in your life. The reader didn't do that, the querent did. The range of human life-experiences is surprisingly limited when you think about it. There are dominating themes that are true of pretty much everybody and we inherently take general patterns and apply it to our specific situation.

When I think of diviners giving specific information, I think specific specific. "There's a guy in your life that you think loves you" is not specific. "There's a guy in your life named Joe Schmoe in your life that you think loves you" is specific. The non-specific statement can apply to virtually anybody. Raise your hand, friends, if there are males in your life. Keep your hand up if at least one of those males might love you. I'd hazard to say nearly all of our hands are still up, yes? (that and anybody who has been doing reading for any length of time knows love questions are among the most common)

Those who don't understand or are skeptical of divination sometimes see the above as a reason to disregard it all as nonsense. I can see why some come to that conclusion, but to me, understanding this doesn't diminish the magic of the divinatory process. It's a way of gathering information in a more intuitive fashion instead of going into a library and doing book research. It has some things in common with how counseling works or asking advice from a close friend. Sometimes we know the solutions to our own problems, we just need to talk it out a bit to realize we do. Divination can do that, regardless of what we believe about how it works.

[VanillaRayne]

So is she more so reading me as opposed to the cards? Then are the cards there just for show?