The Marginalian · People & society

Tarot's True Purpose: Self-Knowledge, Not Fortune-Telling

Divination tools like tarot are not for predicting the future, but for revealing aspects of the self, according to Alejandro Jodorowsky and the author.

Life's unpredictability highlights the limitations of our predictions. While we yearn to know the future, it remains inherently unknowable, with reality always exceeding our imagination.

Humans have long used divination technologies to cope with this uncertainty. Though futile for foretelling the future, these tools serve a valuable purpose: self-reflection and understanding hidden aspects of our psyche.

Filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky views tarot not as a predictive mechanism but as a spiritual path, rejecting the idea of a predetermined destiny.

Jodorowsky argues against the notion that life is preordained, questioning the purpose of striving if all is set. He believes we have free will to choose among infinite possibilities.

The primary function of tarot, like prayer, is not to see the future but to provide a 'microscope' for self-examination, clarifying our inner world.

By confronting personal flaws and ingrained patterns, tarot can be a psychological tool for self-knowledge, helping individuals discover their innate essence rather than conforming to external expectations.

This approach to self-discovery is further explored in 'An Almanac of Birds: 100 Divinations for Uncertain Days'.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.