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Destiny and Tarot
by John Gibb
Although people are familiar with the fact
that nobody can escape from being responsible for his or her actions,
hundreds of beliefs, philosophies, theories and speculation have over the
centuries attempted to answer the question "Is our life's course
predetermined or are we responsible for our destiny?" No matter
which view you support, it is important to realize that the two extremes,
idealism versus materialism, and all the theories in-between them, deal
with our greatest fear: our future self.
Since there is no right or wrong answer to
this question, what one realizes, after studying some of the debated
theories, is that all theories explain some parts and aspects of the
world, but never all of it. Thus, more elusive theories dealing with the
ability of the individual to interfere with what others consider as a
static, fixed destiny line, has led people to philosophical debates,
which led to some very interesting ideas. But regardless of how
fatalistic you consider your future to be, the difference between the
boundary lines of your past, present and future is subject only to your
own perspective.
Some thinkers introduced the notion that
the present is actually a thin line between the past and the future,
which actually cannot be seen or realized by the human mind. That is
simply explained if you consider that at the point you realize that
something is happening -in your present state- it actually already
belongs to the past. On the other hand, if something is still in progress
its conclusion belongs to the future. But for most of us, the past seems
to be static, fixed and immovable, while the future evolves constantly,
remaining unknown, undetermined and subtle. The present is the greater
mystery of all, moving at the highest speed imaginable that becomes more
complex and mysterious the more one tries to explain and understands it.
Under this notion, it is clear that the
Tarot motifs refer directly to fundamental human psychological and
spiritual experiences. The more one studies them and practices their use,
the deeper one's understanding becomes, and the more they resonate to the
inner life, as well as to events in the outer life.
Primarily created to be used for
enlightenment and the discovery of the authentic self, the Tarot cards
can only give us hints on our present acts and the forces that influence
our decision making process. Though we will probably never know our final
course, this should not prevent us from using the Tarot cards to exercise
our understanding of ourselves and the world around us and increase our
wisdom. For the Tarot cards do indeed tell a powerful story: the story of
the development of human life. Thus, no matter to which school of though
you believe you belong, you do have to go through the journey of life
well-prepared and fight the obstacles that might undermine your goals. In
this universal story of self-actualization, each of us undertakes his or
her way, following whatever symbolism speaks to us at the moment a
situation is occurring. It is the same amazing flexibility to alter the
meaning and the course of action that has allowed the Tarot cards and its
marvelous symbols to survive through the centuries and be transferred to
our contemporary times in order to assist our personal quest.
About the Author
John Gibb is the owner of tarot-reading
resources For more information on Tarot Reading check out http://www.tarot-reading-guidance.info
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