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How Tarot Decks Help In The Study of Literature & Psychology

According to psychology, the conscious mind is a visible island, and the unconscious mind is the submerged part of that piece of block.  Of all forms of divination, the tarot card is considered as one of the best mediums for helping the unconscious knowledge rise up to the surface, and reflect any underlying desires or fears that are often times ignored by the rational mind.  The tarot can can also help the rational mind to sit back and let its non-verbal, instinctive knowledge gain a better understanding of reality.  This makes the tarot a valuable tool in the study of psychology and literature.  

Carl Jung And His Views on The Tarot

One of Sigmund Freud's most notable pupils, Carl Jung, stressed that his patient's psychic state had a symbolic affinity with the outside world.  Jung's principle of “Synchronicity” defined synchronicity is  as the observation of various events that, although are unrelated, occur together in a meaningful way.  Carl also studied the practice of tarot card reading, and he noted that the tarot deck, which takes a picture of a person's moment, may allow the person to have a clear understanding of the situation that  he or she is currently living.  Carl also noted that the tarot deck was also guided by the need to express an unconscious urge that had to be manifested in the exterior world in a precise moment. He also  noted  that tarot card had images were generally derived from universal model.

How A Tarot  Deck Can Help Human Behavior Patterns

A tarot card can also aid the individual in analyzing patterns of human behavior.  It can offer us answers and solutions which we may unconsciously already know, yet we hesitate to elevate to a conscious level.  The process in which the tarot does this can be compared to  the methods used in the  Rorschach Test, which has techniques for projecting the inner workings of the mind.  The tarot can also be utilized to clarify a decision-making activity,  analyze problems and issues, and  allow the person to better relate to the world, and gain enhanced self-understanding.

Tarot Decks And Their Contributions To Modern Literature
The tarot deck has also been found to help in the study of literature.  One of the most influential figures of the modern psychedelic movement, filmmaker and author Alejandro Jodorowski, was greatly influenced in his work by tarot cards and their symbolic images.  His  most controversial work is “Psychomagic”, a technique to help practice spiritual healing.  The technique offers a unique mix of psycho-analysis, shaman rituals, art, and tarot cards.  The technique's main goal is to heal, as well as y reconcile any somatic and psychological conflicts.  Alejandro's principle is that the unconscious mind takes a symbolic act as fact, thus a symbolic act can create non-rational conflicts. He also created  a manual on how to teach reading tarot cards, which he called a “book” in the form of cards.  The popular filmmaker also believed that the cards were one of the “most important” documents in Occidental culture.

For artists, filmmakers, poets and psychologists, the tarot decks can be helpful tools, as these can help pave the way for a meaningful spiritual and psychological development and enhancement for the user.

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