Although people are familiar with the fact that nobody can escape from being responsible for his or her actions, hundreds of beliefs, philosophies, theories and speculation have over the centuries attempted to answer the question “Is our life’s course predetermined or are we responsible for our destiny?” No matter which view you support, it is important to realize that the two extremes, idealism versus materialism, and all the theories in-between them, deal with our greatest fear: our future self.
Since there is no right or wrong answer to this question, what one realizes, after studying some of the debated theories, is that all theories explain some parts and aspects of the world, but never all of it. Thus, more elusive theories dealing with the ability of the individual to interfere with what others consider as a static, fixed destiny line, has led people to philosophical debates, which led to some very interesting ideas. But regardless of how fatalistic you consider your future to be, the difference between the boundary lines of your past, present and future is subject only to your own perspective.
Some thinkers introduced the notion that the present is actually a thin line between the past and the future, which actually cannot be seen or realized by the human mind. That is simply explained if you consider that at the point you realize that something is happening –in your present state– it actually already belongs to the past. On the other hand, if something is still in progress its conclusion belongs to the future. But for most of us, the past seems to be static, fixed and immovable, while the future evolves constantly, remaining unknown, undetermined and subtle. The present is the greater mystery of all, moving at the highest speed imaginable that becomes more complex and mysterious the more one tries to explain and understands it.
Under this notion, it is clear that the Tarot motifs refer directly to fundamental human psychological and spiritual experiences. The more one studies them and practices their use, the deeper one's understanding becomes, and the more they resonate to the inner life, as well as to events in the outer life.
Primarily created to be used for enlightenment and the discovery of the authentic self, the Tarot cards can only give us hints on our present acts and the forces that influence our decision making process. Though we will probably never know our final course, this should not prevent us from using the Tarot cards to exercise our understanding of ourselves and the world around us and increase our wisdom. For the Tarot cards do indeed tell a powerful story: the story of the development of human life. Thus, no matter to which school of though you believe you belong, you do have to go through the journey of life well-prepared and fight the obstacles that might undermine your goals. In this universal story of self-actualization, each of us undertakes his or her way, following whatever symbolism speaks to us at the moment a situation is occurring. It is the same amazing flexibility to alter the meaning and the course of action that has allowed the Tarot cards and its marvelous symbols to survive through the centuries and be transferred to our contemporary times in order to assist our personal quest.
