What does Tarot have to do with linguistics?
Well, nothing, you might say. And yet, if you contemplate Tarot and other divination systems, quite a lot. Reading Tarot has often been made akin to reading an everchanging book: every time its pages are opened, a new truth is shown. At the same time, Tarot must be learned like a language. At first, the cards seem strange and remote, but after a while, The Fool and 7 of Wands become close friends of yours, and the interpretation flows easily.
Tarot is an oral art
While many books have been published about Tarot and Lenormand, it is, at its core, an oral art. Just looking at three cards in a spread and acknowledging which cards are layed out does not a reading make. In order to give a reading the purpose it needs, it requires you to voice (or alternatively voice internally and write down) what you see and feel. While writing your interpretations down is a valid option, I like to speak my interpretations aloud. I use a sony voice recorder to record myself speaking about my spread. Only then do I write my findings down. Journalling in itself is very important, to jot down each new thought and new finding; however, Tarot speaks most loudly when it is given a voice.
Nowadays, reading for clients online and by email has become quite prevalent. But the root of Tarot reading is in person, orally, face to face. I believe that reading loudly for myself greatly enhances my Tarot experience.
A quote that remains in my head
A few years ago, I visited a lecture on comparative religion at University. I don't recall much of it, and even at the time I wasn't very invested in the subject. However, one single quote that appeared in the PPT remains in my head to this date.
"He who knows one, knows none." - by Max Müller
Photo source: wikipedia
The quote, initially introduced by Max Müller, a german linguist and researcher of Indology, was referring to languages. A person who speaks only one language cannot understand languages in general. The same, the professor said, also applied to religions. A person only familiar with one single religion could never understand the meaning and implications of religions in general.
Or, to make this a problem Aristotle would enjoy: a person who knows one dog doesn't know animals.
The prevalence of the Rider-Waite-Smith system
The RWS Tarot illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith remains the single most influential Tarot in the current Tarot community. Even people who do not use the actual RWS deck probably own a clone or close copy of that mother of most modern decks. The RWS deck seems pretty ancient with its over 100 years to speak of, but of course the Marseille type deck is the older, more historical ancestor of all modern Tarot decks.
It made sense for me to start learning Tarot by getting a RWS deck or one of its clones. The meanings are easy to remember because of the images that immediately evoke some kind of emotion. Also, most books in English are written not about all Tarot tradition, but about the RWS tradition in particular. However, getting too stuck on RWS tradition felt like it hindered me from exploring a more advanced knowledge of my cherished decks of cards. RWS is one way of divination. Marseille is its cousin. Astrology and Christian dogma have also formed the cards and our cultural understanding of their meanings.
So just seeing one deck would never be enough for me: dabbling in Lenormand and Kipper, Astrology and minerals, even religious history and the fine arts makes a lot of sense. Exploring the many different facets of Tarot helped me getting a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of my readings.
Then again, this might be just a subconscious way to justify why I need so many decks. What do you think?
Blessings and balance ~
Peachess
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