How are Tarot Cards linked to Psychology?

Question

Does this prove that they are good or bad? Why?

Answer 1

Hello

Tarot are a tool that work via the subconscious mind, which in turns leads to the higher mind.

Tarot are full of symbolic images that are understood by the mind, there fore they are linked to psychology. Each card also details life, which in turn again links to psychology.

It neither proves that they are good or bad. They are neutral as all things are.

Sadhara

Answer 2

I think the cards are considered to represent archetypes or patterns of human behavior. Jung, a famous psychologist, was one psychologist who worked with deep seated archetypes and the unconscious and collective conscious.

The idea is that our unconscious recognizes these archetypes, even if the intellect might not.

I don't think this link will be of much help in condemning or justifying their use, unless you are dogmatically against a study of the unconscious.

Answer 3

Carl Jung started the tarot psychology ball rolling by describing the trumps as archetypes. However, these card meanings, like those of the occultists, are recent inventions read into the cards rather than from them.

Historically, tarot cards were created in the mid 15th century for the Milanese court as part of the celebrations for the marriage of Bianca Visconti into the Sforza family. A set of picture cards were added to a regular pack of playing cards and took as their theme a traditional Christian triumph procession - hence they were called trionfi, meaning triumphs, and from which we get our word trump. It was the invention of tarot that marked the introduction of trumps into card games. Some card historians also think that they may specifically represent the triumph procession we know to have been held to celebrate the birth of Bianca in 1425. It took 350 years before anyone began to think of them as occult and another 100 years after that for the notion to spread beyond France.

Of course, people can use the cards to mean whatever they want, irrespective of any original intention. So, a psychologist sees architypes, an occultist sees magic and mystery, while the rest of us see some very good card games.

As the original use and the origin of the images have nothing to do with psychology or magic, their being good or bad really depends on your feelings toward card games and to a limited extent, toward Christianity. You might, however, call them good or bad within the context of their use in a psychological system depending on how you judged that system - good or bad.

Answer 4

...deep inside, everyone knows that  tarot cards are nothing more than pieces of printed paper, but when you are determined to find answers, you believe in anything