There are many variations on the traditional Tarot deck available -- including Tarot cards for dog lovers. Should Tarot cards always be sniffed at?
Tarot cards have many uses for atheists and agnostics. Some just
like to point at the Tarot and laugh, which can be very therapeutic. Some also
appreciate Tarot decks for the artwork and nothing more. But some do use Tarot
cards or any other type of prognostication tool as means to help make decisions.
Tarot cards should not be taken too seriously. Although some
people believe the Tarot could be a tool to communicate with spirits, the only
thing you really communicate with is your subconscious. However, one's own
subconscious can be just as mysterious to communicate with as it is with the
supernatural. You do not need to pay anyone to lay out Tarot cards for you. The
atheist can use them all by himself or herself.
Sideways Thinking
In his book about the evolution of human intelligence, "The
Dragons of Eden" (1977) the late Dr. Carl Sagan mentioned a process called
"sideways thinking." This is when you try to find an answer to one
problem by doing something else. It seems the act of dwelling on one problem
can blind the thinker to all possibilities. By turning attentions to another
problem, sometimes answers for the previous problem pop up.
Human brains tend to seek out familiar patterns, shapes and
stories in order to help make sense of the world. If we see a particular
pattern developing, the subconscious thinks, "Ah! I know how this story
will turn out." But it may take quite a while for the conscious to
register this pattern because of other distractions like bad health, job stress
or whatever. All Tarot cards do is help a person remind their consciousness of
the patterns developing in their own lives.
Seeing Shapes in the Clouds
Although Tarot decks usually come with books on what each card
means, no one has to use them. The card can mean whatever the card reminds you
of. It's a bit like two people watching shapes in the clouds. The two people
will look at the same cloud and see two different images that the cloud
suggests to them.
A person may think of a problem, shuffle the cards and randomly
pull a card out. The image on that card helps trigger associations in a
person's mind. Perhaps the card is predominately red - what does the color red
signify to you? Lust? Danger? Pain? There may be an image on the card of a
certain character, like a Fool or Magician. What qualities do those characters have?
Are those the qualities you need now?
Sometimes just shuffling the deck, picture side up, is a way to
calm down after a stressful event. It may also show you calming images at a
time when your conscious needs it. The Tarot isn't for all atheists, but it
does have its uses.
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