Dreams interpretation and Tarot

Have you ever thought that dreams and Tarot speak the same language?

OniroTarology is a discipline that combines dreams and Tarot.

Specifically, the objective of OniroTarology is to interpret dreams with the Tarot. OniroTarology is a practical technique that uses the symbolism of the Tarot to interpret dreams.

In other words, the Tarot is used to encode the messages that our unconscious sends to us while we sleep. OniroTarology’s approach is based on the teachings of Carl Gustav Jung.

In this site you will find:

• A blog updated with articles on the theme of interpretation of dreams.
• Practical examples of interpreted dreams.
• Insights on the dream symbolism of the Tarot.

“An uninterpreted dream is like an unread letter,” says an ancient aphorism. How much attention do you dedicate to your dreams? The Tarot can be a formidable ally to reveal their secrets.

Why interpreting dreams is so difficult?

Why is the meaning of dreams so obscure?

Our unconscious is not expressed in words, but with symbols, metaphors and archetypal images. Modern man has forgotten how to “read” the symbols: the word predominates over the image and symbolic language.

Carl Gustav Jung had understood the extraordinary ability of the Tarot in describing the universe of symbols and archetypes present in our unconscious.

OniroTarology is the fruit of a subsequent practical intuition: if dreams speak through symbols, and if the Tarot is a complete and universal collection of symbols, then it is possible to grasp the meaning of dreams by using the Tarot as a coding tool!

The methodology for interpreting dreams with the Tarot

Interpreting dreams is an invaluable activity. Through dream activity, the unconscious indicates the ways to resolve inner conflicts and fully develop one’s personality.

But how few can correctly interpret their dreams and understand the meaning of the dream?

The symbolism of dreams and Tarot

The art of OniroTarology is to retrieve the symbolic and archetypal elements expressed by our unconscious within the structure of the dream.

Dream images are thus translated into Tarot sequences.

This methodology therefore allows us to visualize the dream as a sequence of Tarots, getting into communication with our unconscious and speaking its own language!

Examples of dreams interpretation with Tarot

To give some examples of interpreting dreams with the Tarot, I first use a youth dream by Carl Gustav Jung.

It is a famous dream mentioned in the essay “Man and his symbols”. Many Tarot dream interpretation exercises can be done by drawing on dreams of famous people.

For example, here you can read an OniroTarology exercise inspired by the ancient dream of Gilgamesh.

Jung’s dream of the “Brocken Spectre”

“It was night in some unknown place, and I was making slow and painful headway against a mighty wind.

Dense fog was flying along everywhere. I had my hands cupped around a tiny light which threatened to go out at any moment…

Suddenly I had the feeling that something was coming up behind me. I looked back, and saw a gigantic black figure following me…

When I awoke I realized at once that the figure was a “specter of the Brocken,” my own shadow on the swirling mists, brought into being by the little light I was carrying.” (Carl Gustav Jung)

Dreams and Tarot: the dream of Jung

Main features of the dream

The initial scene of the dream recalls exactly the Arcanum of the Hermit and its symbolism. Even the detail of the lamp, which the Hermit attempts to protect with the mantle, corresponds to the description of Jung’s dream.

This dream continues with the perception of a “diabolical” presence. We are in the presence of the Shadow and in fact Jung comments: “When I woke up I immediately understood that I had seen the ‘Brocken spectrum’. It is my own shadow in the whirl of the fog, projected by the small light I carried”.

The association of this Shadow with the “specter of the Brocken” (quoted in the Faust), leads us to put close to the Hermit the Arcanum XV: the Devil. “Brocken” is the top of a German mountain. In tradition it is connected to demon ghosts and apparitions. Actually these are atmospheric phenomena, but this does not diminish the importance of the dream meaning.

The terror of Jung’s Shadow

We perceive the emotional tension of Jung, terrified by the Shadow behind him and at the same time intent on preserving the tenuous flame, is perfectly visible in the “onirotarological dynamics” of the “Eremita – Diavolo” sequence.

The Hermit proceeds slowly in the dark. He keeps the lantern lit, his back to the Devil.

The lantern symbolizes the light of reason. “Le Diable” is actually the Shadow of Jung. The sequence seems to suggest that the energies of the Devil / Shadow are actually the fuel of the hermit’s lantern.

This dream was prophetic: Jung will dedicate his whole life to illuminate the shadows of the unconscious with his genius.

Meaning of the dream of Jung

We could summarize the interpretation of the dream with a comment: we spend our lives searching for the truth with the sole light of consciousness (Hermit), but we do not realize the importance of our Shadow, from which it is impossible to separate (The Devil … and the chains that bind us inextricably to him!).

Deepening the “onirotarological dynamics”, we note that we pass from the solitary individual depicted in the Tarot of the Hermit to the two figures chained to the Devil.

In psychic terms the dream describes the process of individuation: the totality of the person (the Self) can be obtained by forcing (see the Devil’s chains) the rationality and the consciousness (the light of the Hermit) to confront his own Shadow, without excluding it.

We thus discover that the seemingly negative unconscious side has the same dignity as consciousness.

After such a famous dream, I present other examples of interpretation of dreams with the Tarot, starting with Valentina’s “Dream of Horses”.

Example of dreams and Tarot: the dream of the horses

Here is another OniroTarology exercise, drawing on my personal collection of examples of interpretation of the dream with the Tarot.

This time we talk about a girl’s dream, Valentina.

“A few months before the end of the year, I dreamed that I was walking along a country road, unpaved, made of earth and some small stones, and limited on my right side by a green-covered rise, perhaps with flowers (but I didn’t see them); it was a summer day, there was a beautiful sun. At about 100 meters there was a curve and suddenly, right from behind that curve and in front of me, I saw a white horse very energetically galloping, ridden by a boy. I could not see his face; at the same time, another galloping white horse was coming from behind me, always ridden by a boy who, leaning even in a very risky way, picked a flower from the grass on the right. “

Feelings in relation to the dream

The dreamer expresses these feelings combined with the dream.

The dream was very intense, because I felt “between two fires”. It was is as if everything had stopped. Neither I tried to move off from the road nor did I get upset, it was a bit like I knew the horses were there for me but I didn’t feel in danger; the flower looked like it was for me. The dream was interrupted with the two horses just a few meters from me both in front and behind. This dream left me with a strange feeling … “(Valentina)

In the dream sequence, the dreamer embarks on a journey into her own psyche. Perhaps she is lingering (as the Fool associated with the Stars implies) holding onto a joyous, tranquilizing scenario. It can represent what is familiar to us, which we consider beautiful in our personality and therefore does not require changes.

But nothing in life is static, we would risk being trapped in this apparent “earthly paradise” without progressing in the Mission of our life.

Here in fact the primordial forces of our unconscious (represented in the dream by the two horses) come to help to animate this bucolic scenario. Not to destroy it, but to allow us to proceed in the pursuit of our goals, if we are able to harness these “horses” in our personality.

Tarot numerical sequence combined with the dream

Note how the 7 recurs in the sequence “XVII – VII”. The 7 represents dynamism, movement, pursuing your goals, moving and acting in the world.

The “correct” numerical sequence of the Tarot should be “VII – XVII” which, verbally rendered, suggests: “you have to act in the real world (The Chariot) if you want to achieve your goals, if you want to find your corner of earthly paradise to cultivate and in which to finally rest (The Star)”.

Symbolic meaning of the dream

Here is the fundamental key to interpretation. The dreamer’s psyche signals an inversion of this correct sequence, as if to say: “I have already arrived, I already find serenity and tranquility in what I have”.

But the Self (in the Jungian sense) of the dreamer knows that it is not so. Beyond that hedge, there are flowers far more precious to collect. This is why she must get going again, harnessing the primordial instincts. They are instincts allied to the dreamer, not surprisingly she is not afraid of those horses that could actually overwhelm her.

These are useful forces to resume the journey, achieve other triumphs in the world and collect those flowers.

Practical meaning of the dream

On a more practical level of interpretation, Valentina seems to clearly know her goals in life. The flowers symbolize what she wants to achieve, what her goals are.

However, she will have to try to integrate her instincts into her personality and her actions; she discovers she has strong inner resources but probably she is not yet able to fully exploit them.

Finally, we note that the nude woman of The Star is followed by the armored knight of the Chariot. The dreamer will do better “armor” herself before leaving to conquer the world.

The journey will be exciting and rewarding, but out there it is full of dangers!

These are just two examples of interpreting the dream with the Tarot.

To read more about dreams with animals, click here.

If you wish to read other examples of interpretation of the dream with the Tarot, visit the numerous articles in the blog!

What OniroTarology is not

The combination of the Tarot cards with the world of dreams is not new in itself.

However, the currently existing practices are often a variant of “cartomancy”. That is trying to interpret the dream through the Tarot with the aim of making divinations and predicting the future.

For example, finding lucky numbers in the dream to play the lottery.

Dreams and Tarot and differences between Onirotarology and cartomancy

OniroTarology method is none of this.

The Onirotarologist is not a psychic! The goal of Onarology is not to predict the future: future does not exist, only the present exists and we must live it to the fullest.

What will happen tomorrow will be positive if today we create the conditions for it to be positive!

The purpose of OniroTarlogy is to support the full development of our consciousness. Offering the tools to heal our soul, resolve our inner conflicts, heal emotional problems and live better in the present!

Difference with other Tarot reading methods

Traditional methods for reading the Tarot require the consultant (or the fortuneteller) to randomly extract the Arcana.

Certainly the Tarot, thanks to the phenomenon of synchronicity, are able to provide precious answers using any type of apparently “random” extraction.

But let’s imagine how much more powerful and truthful the consultation would be if the Tarot sequence was directly linked to the images of the dream, and not as a result of an extraction!

This is exactly what happens with OniroTarology: by interpreting dreams through the Tarot, it is possible to read the unconscious of the consultant, in an absolutely “intimate” and personalized way, offering suggestions on how to improve one’s own emotional life and overall well-being.

The OniroTarology can be applied to interpret a dream, or in combination with a specific consultation request. In this case, the consultant is asked to formulate the question and to combine the description of a dream that the consultant feels close to the problem under consideration.

Reading the Tarot cards for themselves

Another important difference is that traditional methods advise against reading Tarot for themselves.

With OniroTarology instead, not only is it possible to read the Tarot cards for themselves, but rather it becomes a very useful practice to understand one’s own subconscious and understand how to fulfill oneself in every sphere. Expressing all your potential by understanding the meaning of dreams!

OniroTarology Course online

Would you like to learn the OniroTarology approach from the comfort of home?

The OniroTarology – “Tarot and Dreams” Course is available on Udemy, the largest online learning community.

Click here to learn more about the OniroTarology Course online!