"Did you really think that pieces of cardboard can predict the future?"

"No, that's not what they are for! The value of the tarot is that it makes people think, to weigh the pros and cons of the situation."

For centuries people have been predicting the future by using cards.

Personally I don't believe in predicting the future and in that sense the cards have no value for me.

However, I have learned that when I draw a random card from a stock, the meaning of that card triggers me to think. The beauty of it is that that card almost always relates to something that is going on in my life at that moment in some way, consciously or unconsciously. As a result, I gain more insight into the situation. Insight can change my thinking or give acceptance. That is a choice I have and up to me what I do with it.

For me the cards are a 'mirror' that is held up to me. And if I dare to look in that 'mirror' and be honest with myself, then I can learn about myself.

An old Chinese proverb says "a picture is worth a thousand words".

The tarot is a collection of 78 archetypal pictures. It is actually a 'loose-leaf book', whose 'sheets' (cards), represent the walk through life; they can be seen as a symbolism of man's life path.

The archetypes and symbols on the cards are embedded in our subconscious and send short messages to the unconscious and conscious mind. We recognize archetypes and symbols, for example: in the collective unconscious everyone knows what a "mother" is, but in our personal unconscious this recognition does not always evoke the same "feelings"; this depends on how we have experienced "the mother".

Because of their archetypal and universal themes, the tarot cards have inspired many to create their own version of the 78 cards. A great example are the cards painted by Salvatore Dali (recently available again).
Arthur Edward Waite's tarot cards, known as Rider-Waite, are the most widely used because of their clear illustrations. They date from the year 1909.
In addition to Rider-Waite's cards, Aleister Crowley's cards, the Thoth tarot, are certainly as popular.
Of a less "spiritual" level are the fortune telling cards of Mlle. Lenormand.

The choice of cards always remains a personal matter. Fortunately, there is an abundance of tarot cards for sale.

The Tarot is divided into the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.

The cards of the Major Arcana concern meaningful moments associated with major life questions in the person's life. They indicate the big picture. In a laying they have more weight than the regular cards. They are the turning points, the crux of the matter.

The cards of the Minor Arcana fill in the details, the daily events and the people.

The 22 Great Arcana cards numbered 0 through 21 represent all in all a human life, with everything you may encounter along the way: worries and sorrows, joyful moments, carefree times and periods of fear, weakness, hope and victory. Literally a life experience. Each mood can be found in these 22 cards. The Fool (0) holds a special place in the Tarot. He is the only one of all 22 trump cards who has also managed to function in our current deck, namely as a joker.
He perhaps represents the 'hero', who goes through the archetypal stages of the other 21 cards.

The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards, divided into four series of 14 cards each. Each series consists of 10 numbered cards, Ace through 10, and four cards of the Court: King, Queen, Knight, Squire (or Page). The cards of the Minor Arcana show the aspects of daily life, as experienced by humans, and the smaller life lessons that are important at a particular time. The four series are Wands, Cups (or Goblets), Swords and Pentacles (or Coins):

Wands represent the element of fire. Astrologically, these cards are associated with the fire signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

The cards of Wands have to do with daily affairs and with the energy and enthusiasm with which things are done.
Wands are associated with all kinds of communication, travel, and daily pursuits. The fire element means energy and enterprise, creativity and the urge to get things going. Business problems, creative ventures and all kinds of negotiations also belong to Wands.

Cups are also called Chalices or Goblets and are related to the element water and the signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

They are therefore associated with feelings and emotions, for example in love and relationships, or in the family or household. Chalices also relate to friendship, companionship and pleasant colleagues, and to comfortable living and working conditions. The series can also indicate artistic and creative development and show how the questioner feels in a particular situation. The main focus of Cancer is the emotional reaction to a particular event.

Swords are related to a number of different things. Astrologically, they are related to the element air and the signs Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

They govern the area of the mind in the form of ideas and concerns and also relate to serious decisions, delays, disappointments, limitations and losses. Swords are also associated with travel, literally or figuratively. This sequence is probably easiest to interpret when associated with mental activities.

Pentacles are also called Pentagrams or Coins and they are related to the element earth and the signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

They relate to the material world, to concrete things. The cards of Pentacles are associated with resources, and they also have a lot to do with our finances, with work that makes money, with earnings, spending and saving. Pentacles relate to security, growth and progress, profit and loss. Pentacles also include status and weightiness and the value of people and goods.