I like to use the Tarot to shed light on the background of a situation and to explore optimal perspectives and options of action. As a very old cultural treasure and wealth of knowledge, it contains a great abundance of images, archetypes and symbols that reflect the universal symbolic language of the soul ("Man and his Symbols", C.G. Jung). According to Jung, these archetypes are anchored in the individual soul as well as in the collective unconscious of every culture.
The phenomenon of synchronicity described by Jung refers to the simultaneous occurrence of events that are not causally linked to one another, but which seem to correlate in their perceived meaning. In Tarot readings I draw on this phenomenon, (here: intrapsychical processes being mirrored by the symbolism of cards) for understanding, what time quality a client might be currently experiencing.
Since working with the Tarot opens up intuition, it can be used to illuminate the inner psychological stage of a person as well as the forces at work in the outer life situation. What was previously in the dark (unconscious) can now be seen. Different parts of one's own personality with their motives, fears and desires can be identified, as well as their roles in the stage play of our life. Some aspects of our personality as well as our unconscious parts can promote our growth and happiness in life, others are more likely to be problematic or even self-sabotaging.
Tarot cards are so complex in their potential that they can have very different meanings depending on the question and the context in which they appear (card sequence). I point these out and offer several levels of understanding. Ultimately, it is always one's own resonance, the feeling of coherence that arises in the questioner, that is determining the meaning received.
For clients whose primary interest is a Tarot consultation, I assume a corresponding positive attitude towards the inclusion of a higher level of spiritual consciousness (guidance). That is to say I interpret the cards on the basis of the shared understanding that the Tarot can be a valuable medium of communication between the Higher Self or Spirit Guides and the everyday consciousness of a person. It is always about gaining a deeper understanding of the current situation and challenge of the person seeking advice. If the person has the impression that his or her problem is not sufficiently meaningful in the context of the current incarnation alone, the Tarot sometimes gives clues as to whether the topic has already occurred in previous lives and is now appearing in a kind of follow-up in order to find a conscious solution.
For clients who want to include the Tarot as a supplement to a mainly psychological consultation (see described methods), I use it as a projective method. For some people, the idea is more familiar, that unconscious knowledge about the background, possibilities and solutions to a problem can be made accessible to their waking consciousness through the process of projection, a well-known term from psychoanalysis. The procedure here would then be more descriptive: to create a synopsis of the currently effective intrapsychic and external factors and to find out with the client which options for action or inner processes of change he feels the highest resonance to.
In my perception, the transition between the unconscious and the Higher Self, a more spiritual concept, is gradual.
For all Tarot consultations, no predictions regarding future events are made, nor are any statements limiting the client's freedom of choice.
The inclusion of the Tarot as "impulse cards" is also suitable to break through the problem trance of clients, which is often caused by brooding and focusing only on the negative aspects of a situation. It opens the door to more imaginative, creative and solution-oriented thinking processes and makes every session even more lively.
I myself use the Tarot daily to connect with my inner guidance, that is, Spirit. It opens my intuition for the current time quality of the present moment. Through this I see more clearly which old and no longer helpful thought, relationship and reaction patterns I can now consciously release from my system. At the same time, I can see which unlived potential, growth possibilities and more freedom are available in me to be consciously integrated and lived now. Joy and gratitude for this mystical-magical gift from Spirit bring me into my heart. In this space, which is free from the limitations of the linear, dualistic mind, immediate recognition and quantum leaps in consciousness are possible.