How Tarot & The Zodiac Can Help Tap Into the Subconscious
Photo from: The Garden Journey
Tarot. Once the preserve of crystal shops and velvet-draped fortune tellers, now the accessory du jour for busy minds and boardroom spirits. We live in an age of productivity apps and mindfulness hacks, yet it’s often the oldest rituals that reach the deepest. And here’s the strange but wonderful thing: these ornate little cards can soothe a crowded mind and even help you smash through goals. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be sitting here, candle lit, music on, shuffling a gorgeously oversized deck, I’d have fallen off my chair with laughter! Yet here I am, quietly obsessed, discovering that even the so-called Death card can be fabulous, while The Tower is less doom and more promise of renewal.
You see, there’s a particular hush that falls when you shuffle a tarot deck. It feels ceremonial, almost decadent. As mentioned, I like to make a moment of it: a candle (naturally), sometimes a little music. These small rituals create the space for that rarest of luxuries, a pause. And in that space, questions arise, even half-formed ones. Through symbol, we reach the subconscious: a part of the mind that resists words but responds beautifully to imagery.
If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, stay with me. We’re diving into tarot (and occasionally an oracle deck). And it’s not just me, there’s a full-blown mystical resurgence of these rather pretty packs of cards.
Tarot & the Mystery Schools: Myth, Memory, and the Subconscious
Step into a reading today and you may hear whispers that tarot descends from the Mystery Schools of Ancient Egypt, fragments of a “Book of Thoth” preserved in cardboard and ink. It’s an intoxicating story, scented with promise and incense, and I’ll admit, I’m here for it. But what do history and science actually tell us?
The Historical Record
Tarot, as far as we can trace, was born in 15th-century Italy. The earliest decks were sumptuous playing cards painted for noble families. Only centuries later did occultists reinterpret them as tools of divination and self-reflection.
There is no archaeological proof that tarot existed in Ancient Egypt, nor that it featured in Mystery School initiations. Those temples taught through myth, ritual, and allegory, their texts carved in stone or written on papyrus. That said, the Egyptians did consider the written word itself a form of magic.
The Esoteric Myth
By the 18th century, mystics such as Antoine Court de Gébelin insisted tarot was far older: a surviving fragment of Egyptian wisdom, the “Book of Thoth.” In this retelling, the 22 Major Arcana became symbolic chapters of the soul’s journey.
Historians dismiss this as myth. Yet the idea persists because tarot’s archetypes - Death, Justice, The Sun, The Star - are universal. They feel ancient because they are. Humanity has always explained itself through such symbols.
The Psychology of Symbol
This is where tarot earns its modern relevance. Carl Jung described archetypes as patterns lodged in the collective unconscious. Symbols, whether etched on a temple wall or printed on a card, bypass logic and stir something deeper.
Modern neuroscience agrees: images activate the limbic system, the brain’s emotional core, more directly than words. Draw The Tower or The Lovers and the card won’t dictate your future but it will draw out subconscious stories you didn’t realise you were carrying.
In psychological terms, tarot works much like a projective test (think Rorschach inkblots). Its meaning is what you project onto the image, making it a mirror rather than a prophecy.
Tarot in Therapy and Wellness
The Maker - Tarot Deck
This isn’t just mystical indulgence. Some therapists are now using tarot and oracle decks as reflective prompts, touching on themes like relationships, boundaries, and guilt. The cards help ease anxiety and encourage reflection.
For others, tarot serves as a gentle mental-health practice. Whether it’s the burning tower or the bound figure on the Eight of Swords, the imagery acts as a prompt for exploring feelings in a safe, symbolic way.
Used for meditation or self-reflection, tarot can help us understand behaviours without confrontation and invite a little self-compassion along the way. And you don’t need a psychology degree (or even deep familiarity with the cards) to benefit.
If you’re curious, begin simply. Choose a deck with imagery that resonates. Pull one card a day, use it as a journaling prompt, a mirror for self-inquiry, or simply a moment to pause. Over time, you’ll find the cards can:
Name emotions that are hard to articulate.
Reveal patterns in relationships or decision-making.
Externalise inner conflict, making it easier to discuss.
Tarot here is not fortune-telling but reframing — offering perspective, calm, and a moment of mindfulness.
And in wellness circles? Tarot is increasingly woven into daily ritual: one card in the morning, not as instruction but as a question. What does this symbol awaken in me today?
A Personal Note
For me, tarot has become a balm when life feels gnarly and tangled. It stitches together everything I love: ritual, beauty, history, mindfulness, and just enough mystery to keep it delicious.
So, do you feel compelled to try it out?