How does Tarot work?

Tarot is not magic or superstition, and its power does not come from some occult or mysterious force. Rather, the power of Tarot comes from your own consciousness, from the thoughts and feelings that influence you and are important to you. The images of Tarot are Archetypal images that reflect the universal experience of humanity throughout the ages. In order to understand how Tarot works (that is, why it seems so accurate in describing our situation and predicting the way we will respond to that situation in the future) you must adopt a new understanding of the world and of your own mind. The underlying philosophy of Tarot is that everything in the universe is intimately connected. Because of this intimate connection among all things, an action in one place can have an effect, however subtle, upon everything else in the universe. The unconscious mind is a powerful force that creates our reality and influences everything with which we come into contact. The cards reflect our consciousness because of this interconnectedness of all things and because in each card we can see something of ourselves, regardless of what is happening in our lives.

In CyberTarot, you can use reversed or 'upside down' cards. However, each card in itself contains positive and negative aspects, just as our consciousness contains elements of light, and elements of darkness, and therefore separate interpretations for reversed meanings are not provided. In understanding the Tarot images that are revealed, it is important to remember that no interpretation is fixed and inflexible. The explanations of the cards in CyberTarot will attempt to guide you toward finding your own understanding of the significance of the cards. What you bring to the images is far more important than what someone else might tell you is there. You must learn to think abstractly, in symbols, to glean the most value from the Images of the Tarot. Look carefully at the images, study the relationships of the cards in a spread, look beyond the explanations given. Try to see more than that which is obvious, ask yourself questions about the images and let your imagination freely wander. There are no right or wrong ways to interpret the images, and what works for you may not work for someone else. The readings are a personal exploration of yourself, and the images are only keys to help you unlock the mysteries of your spirit. The Tarot should be used to help you develop your intuition, and it is only with a well-developed sense of intuition and self-knowledge that the Archetypes depicted in the images will begin to bring light and understanding to your life.

To begin using CyberTarot,
select a layout from the options available in the Select Layout box on the Setup Window.

For information on the Card Layout you've chosen, click the Layout Details button. This will provide specific information on the Card Layouts available. CyberTarot offers six different layouts or spreads that you can use for a reading.

The "Use Reversed Cards" checkbox is enabled by default. You may disable the use of reversed cards by clicking the checkbox.

Once your setup options are complete, click the Shuffle Deck button. The cards will be spread out on the screen and a miniature layout will appear, along with a "pit" into which you will drag-and-drop the cards. Shuffle the cards by pressing the CTRL key and clicking the Shuffle button at the same time.

Video Requirements:
CyberTarot was designed and optimized to work in 640x480 resolution and a minimum of 256 colors. Higher resolutions will produce a better quality display, but will shrink the size of the display on your screen. If your display does not support a minimum of 256 colors the Tarot images will not be of satisfactory quality. In addition, a Windows optimized graphics display or accelerator card is highly recommended. If the images paint very slowly or in "pieces" on the screen it may be an indication that your video card and/or drivers may not support optimal graphics performance in the Windows environment.

CyberTarot requires the dynamic-link library VBRUN300.DLL to be installed in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. The custom-control file THREED.VBX should be installed in this directory as well. If either of these files are missing, the program cannot be executed.

CPU and Memory Requirements:
It will be possible to run CyberTarot with a minimum 386 or compatible CPU. However, performance will be significantly improved by using a computer with a 486 chip, and we highly recommend a 486 or later chip for satisfactory performance. Your system should have at least 2MB RAM.

Windows version requirement:
CyberTarot must be run in Windows version 3.1 or later.