Questions for Tarot

[GDA]

Hi out there,

Just wondering if anyone has ever used the Tarot to inquire about unexplained phenomena. For example, a question like "Was the Phuladephia Experiment a Hoax?" or something like that. Just curious.

GDA

[Lavender]

No, I haven't. That's a good question. Have you tried it? I'd love to hear what results you got.

[tarotbear]

Dear Neophyte -

It is very easy to turn the tarot into the 'ALL-KNOWING, AN ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION EVERY SINGLE TIME' type of Oracle. On another Forum someone once asked if they should ask their tarot cards if Vampires really existed ot not.

Tarot Cards are a tool, not a playtoy. You will have a better response to your Philapelphia Experiment question by tossing a coin.

Tarot is best for answering questions of importance, not trivia; ask questions about how to make improvements in your life, not if you should dye you hair or get a tattoo. Ask questions about a situation you find yourself in, how to help someone, if there is something you should know about the future, things that make a difference to your life and those around you.

Asking about a scientific experiment that may or may not have existed (maybe the rumors are there to cover the fact there was NEVER such an experiment) is turning your cards into toy, not a tool.

[GDA]

just curious.

Not sure where your getting the "hair dyes and tattoos" from.

[tarotbear]

Oh, you'd be surprised the questions people ask their Tarot cards!

People tend to think that the tarot WILL answer every question put to it, and sometimes these questions are downright silly to very stupid. I've said to some: 'You are wasting the wisdom of the tarot on THAT?' Don't ask the cards "if I'm going to get a new car" - that implies a new car is going to magickally appear in the driveway. Ask "Will I be able to afford a new car this year?" Don't ask " Am I going to get a raise?"...did you do anything to deserve a raise? Is one supposed to fall out of the sky for you for no reason? Ask" Tell me the factors that will help me to get a raise."

When we move out of the realm of the doings of our lives, we move tarot into some kind of supernatural thing that it is not. People expect the tarot is going to tell them which iceberg is going to hit the Titanic...and this is strengthened by people like Miss Cleo who tell people these impossible details ("Yes, Missy, he has a nice set of Buns! the Page of Wands-- you know who I mean, don't you?") that, I'm sorry, tarot just does not tell us! ("Yes, Missy, and he had lipstick on his collar, too! - that's the Knight of Swords!").

Don't be offended: the tattoo comment is just that, a toss-away comment. If I was going to have bear paws tattooed on my butt, I'm going to do it because I want them, not because the Ten of Swords popped up and that indicates a lot of needles piercing my skin. People who overuse the tarot start to expect that it will do all their thinking for them and that they don't have to - not a good situation.

I simply feel that asking your cards about The Philadephia Experiment, The contents of Hanger 13, or trying to find out if the president having oral sex with his male interns is going beyond what Tarot is capable of.

[GDA]

That's why I asked the question- to get people's opinions on this. However I d on't think that asking questions regarding the supernatural is a waste of time. I always felt that Tarot was a tool that allowed us to see things that our rational side would never consider or believe- a way to communicate with our higher self which in turn has the ability to interact with other planes and- possibly- spirits. I personally do not spend my time investigating the paranormal, however I feel that there are some who would want to know the answers to some of those things-- I believe one could do a spread asking about the energies surrounding a mystery or person and possibly see if there is a fraud or suggestive fraud involved. It is not a great leap to suggest that our higher selves would be able to know the answer to a question like this and possibly communicate that to our conscious selves in some way.

[Phoenix Blue]

First things first: I believe the Tarot has no wisdom beyond that of the individual reading the cards. A hammer has no strength until I pick it up and use it--the same, I feel, holds true for any other tool. I also believe there's such a thing as taking the cards too seriously, as I believe Tarotbear implied with people who "let the cards think for them."

That said. . . what exactly does reading on a question like "Did the Philadelphia Experiment ever take place?" do to help you? If you do a reading with the question "Is the moon made of green cheese," and the cards somehow respond with "yes," does that make it so?

**Shrugs** I dunno. . . personally, I leave the nature of fact-finding within the realm of the physical. The cards can offer some excellent spiritual insight, and that's where in my opinion the energy is better-spent.

[tarotbear]

I believe that 'using' the tarot to plumb the depths of 'the supernatural' moves them into having a 'supernatural' capability that I don't think they have. The Cards are paper, ink, and a little plastic coating to help them stay clean. They have no power unto themselves. As Doreen Valiente has often been mis-paraphrased as saying : "If that which you seek you find not within you, you shall never find it without."

The answers I need are within me; the answers to the supernatural are not.

[GDA]

I don't think that any objects in themselves have supernatural power-- however I believe that things such as the tarot can be used as tools for those aspects of ourselves that are wiser than we realize. For example, to open up a different perspective on a problem that our conscious self will not consider. I often ask the tarot such questions as "what are the energies/influences surrounding my career life in the following months" and things along those lines. I believe that we all have an ability to see beyond our conscious lives- "psychic ability" if you will- and that like a talent it is something that some of us are born with a great ability in and some of us need to work hard at it. Whatever our situations are, I believe that the tarot can be used as a bridge from our psychic selves to our conscious selves. Along these lines one person can do a reading for another person asking the same type of question about energies and the atmosphere around a perosn at a particular point in time. Judging by what I have read on this board it appears that the person need not be physically present at the reading- I see a lot of requests for readings from people who do not even divulge what state/country they are in! If one accepts that an accurate reading can be done for a person that is not in the physical presence of the reader, then is it a great leap to say that a reading can be done for someone who is not present AND not requesting one? Perhaps someone who is not even alive in our world anymore? ...this seems to open up the possibility for one to look at a situation of speculation such as the Philadelphia Experiment and to pick a person who was alleged to be there and ask the Tarot for insight into the atmosphere of that time and place.
If the tarot cannot be used for this- at least in theory- then I have to question whether or not it is a tool that can tell us anything at all. My own experiences have shown me that the Tarot can be very effective in opening our eyes and increasing our intuition. For that reason I believe that the initial question I asked is one way to use the Tarot that is not inappropriate.

GDA

[tarotbear]

In response, I would ask you then to contact Marilyn Monroe and ask her what really happened that night she died since there are no hospital records ( they have been destroyed.) If she was brought to the hospital, alive, by ambulance ( documented), then how was she discovered dead in her apartment?

I don't think the tarot can answer that question. I don't believe such a contact is possible.

[Silver Venus]

Originally posted by GDA

If the tarot cannot be used for this- at least in theory- then I have to question whether or not it is a tool that can tell us anything at all. My own experiences have shown me that the Tarot can be very effective in opening our eyes and increasing our intuition. For that reason I believe that the initial question I asked is one way to use the Tarot that is not inappropriate.


Hi GDA,
I can understand your question and agree with what you are saying on a theory level, but on a personal one I think that the tarot is only really helpful for personal questions, for questions that you or the querrant are connected to.
For example ~ if you were connected with the Philadephia Experiment then I would say yes you will get feedback, or if you were connected with a spirit who you knew while they were living then I would again say yes the Tarot will be insightful.
I beleive that the Tarot is an excellent tool for finding out unsolved mysteries, but again ~ only personal ones, as if you think about it ~ when you are shuffling your personal energy is going into them and your personal guides are there to help and guide your intution ~ so then the cards can only answer what is personal to you :)

The fact that your asking these questions is really great as you are finding your own theory about the tarot and your own way of reading. And as I always say ~ Each to their own ~ so believe in whatever you believe in :)

[GDA]

Thanks for your response Silver Venus.
It's nice to hear another opinion whithout being called "miss cleo." :)

[Silver Venus]

Thats ok just throwing my thoughts in :)