The Tarot is a special set of playing cards which have come to be used primarily for divinatory purposes. The origins of Tarot are shrouded in mystery, the oldest surviving cards deriving from the Milanese aristocracy in the mid 15th century and no documented examples of Tarot being used for divination exist prior to the 18th century. The origins of the symbolism of the cards is also obscure but the astonishing power of Tarot as a divinatory tool meant that it was at first associated entirely with magic and mysticism and only later recognised as a benific of metalingual insight and of psychology and intuition.

The psychologist Carl Jung described the Tarot in terms of a 'psychological developmental language'. The symbols on the cards are archetypes: fundamental types of person or situation embedded in the subconscious of all human beings. It has been claimed that the Tarot is a blue print for evolution in general and that the latter half of the major arcana represent the future evolution of the human race. The minor arcana cards have astrological attributions that can be used as general indicators of timing in the year, based on the Octavian calendar, and the court cards may signify different people in a Tarot reading, with each suit's "nature" providing hints about that person's physical and emotional characteristics.

Each Tarot card has a variety of symbolic meanings that are evolving with our civilisation and are immediately relevant to modern needs. The Tarot will give you insights into the present reality and possible futures of a particular situation or person. As a pure ‘language of the subconscious’ the Tarot is an extremely powerful occult instrument that will clarify your ideas by helping you visualize your situation or relationship. To perform your Tarot reading, the Tarot deck is shuffled by your reader, laid out in one of a variety of patterns, often called "spreads" and interpreted for you. You can expect expansion and illumination of thoughts and desires (known or unknown) or insights into past, present, and future events.