Intentional Tarot Readings are Not Random

Tarot is a deck of laminated cards with illustrations. The deck is not magic -- YOU are. Tarot is a tool for self-discovery, revealing what is unseen, and yes -- even good old-fashioned fortunetelling.

Research has shown that Tarot card draws done with intention are not random. Dr. Jane English, a PhD physicist, did a three-year study on whether Tarot card drawings were random or not. When she applied statistical analysis to Tarot cards drawn over a three-year period by Tarot readers, she found that there was a 99.97% chance the Tarot cards drawn were NOT random.

Using control groups, Dr. English found that the key to a meaningful Tarot card reading is INTENTION. In order to achieve a meaningful reading, the cards must be shuffled and drawn after a period of centering and quieting the mind, while focusing on a specific situation or question.

Dr. English’s study has been duplicated by others with similar results. Anyone who has worked with the Tarot for an extended time will readily confirm that cards come up in ways that are eerily accurate and clearly not by chance.

But it's not the cards. It is the reader. Think of it like a needle on a meter. The meter is doing the work; the needle is just the indicator. The same is true with any method of divination. YOU are the receiver. The cards are the indicator. Forget all the superstitions associated with Tarot. Do what feels right to YOU, because YOU are the magic in the equation -- not the cards.

Any good meter-reader needs to know how to decipher the output, though. Whether casting bones or reading Tarot cards, we must LEARN the system we are using for divination.

Tarot works with symbols and images, which are a universal human language. But there is more to the Tarot than just images and symbols – there are the arcanas, the suits, the courts and the numbers. All of these contain meaning and work together to deliver a relevant message. Intuition is vital to reading Tarot, but learning the system is what makes the message actually mean something. Learning the system keeps us honest – a Tarot reading can’t mean absolutely ANYTHING. The structure is what creates a foundation for meaning.

So, yes, Tarot reading WORKS. How does it work? There are loads of theories, of course, but what it comes down to is that no one really knows. The Universe is full of inexplicable mysteries, and the non-random nature of intentional Tarot readings is one of those mysteries.

(Here is the Dr. Jane English article)