The Many Layers of Tarot
Most of those who come to the crossroads of Daimonikos have had a reading of or at least have heard of the tarot; one of the most popular forms of divination for hundreds of years, and arguably just as if not more a popular today as it was back then. Known first as the trionfi and tarocchi, these wonderfully illustrated cards were made for playing games much like a standard 52 deck. They found a way into many countries and cultures from Italy to France, Germany, Romania and more, and thus turned into the form of divination we know today because of the ingenuity of the great and brave magick users of the time. But how did a parlor game turn into one of the most well known staples of divination in the world of the arcane?
Well, much like any form of divination, however simple or complex, the basis of learning how to read tarot and the patterns of the Divine comes through understanding yourself (employing the Greek principle of ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΕΑΥΤΟΝ), and the great depth of symbolism which exists in art as the plane of physical existence of all Divinity. You can do this with all things and not just the tarot. Regardless of the beliefs or lack thereof of whomever may be reading this blog, I will be bold and declare that even existential nihilistic agnostics can learn something from the tarot! The various symbols in the tarot can be thought of in the same means to an end as to what can be achieved by the Rorschach test. By using these mediums to randomly stimulate your senses and then studying the first things that come to mind, they can be used to greater understand yourself and others, as well as greater understand the many facets of art; how it can affect us consciously and subconsciously, as individuals and in groups. In addition to seeing the Tarot as a magickal medium in which we can directly communicate with Divinity, we can also see it as an exercise of the brain by using the classical liberal arts, psychology, and sociology. Those who know me, know that this is the point in the conversation where I would say "I see them both as synonymous, for why is one the absence of the other?"
Understanding arcane symbolism is knowing the many layers of the symbolic aspects of number, shape, mathematics, music, colour, cosmology, nature, culture, etc.; for this is present all at once in each card. The tarot can teach believers and non-believers alike. I have seen it so many times. This is why the tarot is so crucial in understanding the universe as a magick user. If what I say interests you, I invite you to book a tarot reading or two with one of our many readers; perhaps take some of our classes on tarot, arcane symbolism, and magick theory and correspondence with I, Aondreiel, Airamidt or Dikastiria. You can also listen to our talks on tarot in our podcast Spellcast. The tarot is usually a gateway into the world of magick to many practitioners of all traditions and this could in fact be your first calling. So pick a direction at the crossroads of Daimonikos and see where the journey takes you. I can promise you will learn something that you did not know before.
Written by: Aondreiel
