So, I decided to really get my head around tarot card symbolism and folklore a while back. It wasn't some grand spiritual quest, not at first anyway. I'd seen decks around, you know, looking all mysterious, and just got plain curious about what all those pictures actually meant beyond the little booklet that comes with them.
My First Steps Down the Rabbit Hole
First thing I did was grab myself a classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Everyone says it’s the one to start with, and who am I to argue? I opened it up, shuffled through the cards, and honestly, felt a bit overwhelmed. The little white book that came with it? Barely scratched the surface, and half of it felt like fortune cookie sayings.
So, I figured, I gotta do this my own way. I started just looking at the cards. Really looking. I’d pick one, say The Fool, and just stare at it for ages. What’s with the dog? Why the cliff? The little bundle on a stick? I started making notes, just my own gut feelings and observations before I even cracked a proper "tarot guide".
Digging into the "Why" – The Folklore Bit
After a while of just looking, I started getting an itch to know why these symbols were there. That's where the folklore part came in. I thought, okay, these images must come from somewhere, right? They didn't just pop out of Arthur Waite's head fully formed.
- I started reading up on medieval art.
- I looked into common allegories and symbols from history.
- I tried to find connections to myths and legends.
And boy, was that a journey. You find one symbol, like the pomegranate on the High Priestess, and it sends you down a path of Greek myths, religious iconography, and all sorts. It was like being a detective, piecing things together. Sometimes it was super clear, other times, not so much. Lots of "scholars disagree" kind of stuff, which, to be honest, was a bit frustrating. You want clear answers, but history and symbolism are messy.
Sorting Through the Noise
One thing I learned pretty quickly is that there's a lot of, let's say, modern interpretation layered on top of older stuff. Some "ancient wisdom" being peddled felt like it was cooked up in the 1970s, not the 1470s. That was a bit of an eye-opener. You have to get good at sifting through what feels authentic and what feels like someone's personal theory they're pushing as gospel.
I spent a lot of time comparing different books, different viewpoints. Some authors would say one thing about, say, the swords suit, and another would have a completely different take. At first, I was trying to find the "right" answer. Then I realized, maybe there isn't just one right answer. The cards have been around for centuries, evolving, picking up new meanings. The folklore itself changes with the tellers.
What I Got Out of It
So, where did all this digging leave me? Well, I don't use tarot to predict lottery numbers, that's for sure. For me, understanding the symbolism and the folklore behind it made the cards richer. They became less about "fortune telling" and more like a visual language, a set of archetypes that can spark reflection or creativity.
Ultimately, my practice became about personal connection. I found that knowing the potential historical roots of a symbol, or the different stories associated with an image, gives me more to work with when I'm looking at a card. It’s like having a bigger vocabulary for a conversation with myself, or with the images.
I still pull cards, mostly for journaling prompts or when I'm feeling stuck on something. And yeah, I still find new little details, new connections. It’s not a static thing, this symbolism. It’s alive, which is pretty cool when you think about it. It's less about fixed meanings and more about the stories we can weave with them, and that’s a practice I’ve really come to value.
