Tarot and Vedic Astrology. A comparative study.

Tarot from the West.

Vedic Astrology from the East.

Are they poles apart, incomparable to one another?

Or are there connections between the two.

Let’s have a look.

Origins

The first Tarot deck can be traced back to 14th century Italy. Vedic Astrology or Jyotish first received mention in Vedic texts over 5600 years ago.  Both were patronised by the nobility and gain popularity over the years.

Foundations

The Tarot is based on the present moment energy. Vedic Astrology is based on the position of planets during your time of birth and during the time of a reading. Both tools of divination can be used to understand and learn about the past, the present and the future potential of  an individual during a consultation.

Tools

In Tarot the reader reads from a deck of 78 cards which represent the journey of the soul from birth to death. And in Vedic Astrology, the astrologer interprets the chart from the position of the planets and their transits as represented in their chart, which is drawn after scientific calculation.

Prerequisites to Knowledge

In order to give answers the Vedic Astrologer is required to understand Astronomy as well as have the ability to calculate the positions of degrees and angles in the planets in relation to one another. In Tarot, a thorough understanding of the 78 cards is expected from a Tarot reader who then interprets the question using knowledge and the power of intuition to answer the question.

Levels of Accuracy

Neither a Tarot reading nor a Vedic Astrology reading is 100% accurate both are open to human interpretation and human error in judgement.

Prediction of Exact Dates

Many Vedic Astrologers say this science has the ability to predict dates, but Aacharya Adityaa  says “it can give you a probability of when the event takes place.” Upma Shrivastava says vedic astrology “goes beyond prediction helping to bring a change in your atitude towards life”

On the other hand Tarot can offer broad time frames when energy shifts and although there are suits to indicate Seasons and court cards to indicate Zodiac signs, exact dates are rarely given on the basis of the cards alone.

Role of Intuition

Intuition plays a role in both. Some call it the sixth sense, some call it clairvoyance, but it’s the little extra insight provided by both the Astrologer and the Tarot reader.

In Vedic Astrology too, as Upma Shrivastava, puts it ” the moment I open someone’s chart my intuition is activated as I see the planetary positions affecting a person’s current state”where as Aacharya Aditya concludes ” Prediction has a direct relationship with your intuition power”

In Tarot readings the reader uses his or her intuition to interpret the messages of the cards while tuning into the querent’s energies. However, the Tarot works more like a life guide and predictions are only part of a reading. The rest is an understanding of your situation, the choices you have ahead of you and how you can move forward.

Both the Tarot and Vedic Astrology work in tandem with one another. Both offer insights about what may be happening and what could happen and they complement one another in many ways. Neither is superior nor inferior, they are just two methods of helping you find clarity, peace and direction.

By Mita Bhan (with valuable collaborative inputs by Aacharya Aaditya and Upma Srivastava )