My family background as well as my graduate studies naturally predestined me to be in business. My Armenian cultural & ancestral traditions predestined me to follow the path of commerce & trade, which I did; although it was interesting & rewarding, it did not truly fulfil me. My passion was elsewhere...

From a younger age, I've been curious about the mystical world &/or unexplained phenomena. My first encounter with the subject of esoteric knowledge happened at 16, when I discovered books by Krishnamurti & Yogananda; they opened up a treasure trove of wisdom & knowledge that nurtured my inquiring mind.

Although I don't think I grasped the depth of their messages at that time, I was nevertheless fascinated by their insights. A door to the hidden mysteries had opened & all I needed to do was to cross the portal! Later, my journey into the world of consciousness began in the eighties when I read "Seth" by Jane Roberts. A series of esoteric books followed, by Alice Bailey & other authors of the same ilk.

Later, I came across a Numerology course in Montreal, taught by Kris Hadar, based on the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot of Marseilles. His method used 22 numbers to analyze someone's birth date, & was different from the Pythagorean system of numerology based on 9 numbers.

I naturally had to explore the Tarot to understand it in depth. While studying it, something about it kept annoying me. Although I was fascinated by its potential to tell the future, initially I disliked the Tarot's exclusive predictive use. Having consulted many tarot readers myself, my feeling at each of those sessions was a sense of apprehension; did I really want to know what was going to be said, even if the news were positive?

I observed that the interpretation of the cards was a function of the reader's knowledge. If they had an open mind or if on the contrary had limited views about a subject, then aspects of the divination seemed to be hued accordingly. I became weary of a Tarot reader's analysis of a spread.

I questioned the following: could a session be biased by the tarot reader's mindset, intuition or knowledge? Did the reader really understand the true meaning of the cards or interpreted them according to their fears? Was I being programmed about an outcome with no alternate options? Did I have a choice in the outcome? What about the concept of free will?

As I never liked to be told what I should or should not do, think or believe, some ways of reading the Tarot made me feel stuck in a system I could not escape from. It felt like my future was rigidly predestined, & that I was losing my power of self-determination. This 'rebellion' made me research the Tarot of Marseilles, to find its hidden intention.

What were the symbolic, esoteric & factual meanings of the cards’ impressive images? Were they used as a playing deck for a reason? Was the Tarot to inform those who had "eyes to see" about the notion of free will? Were concepts hidden from religious dogmatic teachings? Was its main objective to secretly pass on the Seven Laws of the Hermetic tradition?

To this day, we ignore when the Tarot of Marseilles was conceived & by whom. Different opinions suggest its origin to be Egyptian, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Medieval or Italian.

Philip Camoin, a descendent of the House of Nicolas Conver's famous 1760 Tarot Of, Marseille, restored it after years of collaborative historical research with Alejandro Jodorowsky & said: "The historical and geographical origins of the Tarot are complex. Historians generally agree that it surfaced in 14th century Italy. But Alejandro Jodorowsky & I discovered that the Tarot of Marseille emerged in the first century and not in the 13th or 14th century". As for Alexandro Jodorowsky, he describes it as thus: "The Tarot is anonymous because it’s a sacred art, and all sacred arts are anonymous".

The Tarot of Marseilles is the story of one's evolution when faced with different challenges in life to reach the process of individuation, a concept dear to Carl Jung. It is a tool of self-knowledge & depicts archetypes. It informs about a person's inner state at a fixed point in time. Through its images, it shows our thoughts & emotions.

The Tarot of Marseilles indeed reads the future, but it also deciphers a person's psyche whose cards are being read. Its first & foremost task is to awaken the conscious observer within, in order to journey on a path in full awareness, & to become a conscious & active player in one's own reality. It is a journey into self-discovery & wisdom, a tool of self-awareness & empowerment par excellence.

In my opinion, the Tarot resonates with the current theories of Quantum Mechanics. The latter tells us about the importance & implication of the observer in the movement of particles. The Tarot itself is a pictorial tool that helps us observe our inner state, & to alter our reality consciously.

Numerology helped me make peace with the Tarot. The reason why I initially preferred it to the Tarot, was because it helped me understand one's psyche. Today I use the Tarot alongside my Numerology readings as an added tool, to find more details to a specific issue at a specific point in time. My preferred Tarot deck is the Camoin & Jodorowsky deck.

From Hadar's basic teachings, I developed my own numerological chart which explains someone's personality facets, linked with the five elements of Air, Water, Fire, Earth & Ether. My aim is not only to explain one's talents or traumas, but also, to give keys to reach one's fullest potential.

The time has come to give the Tarot of Marseilles the recognition it rightfully deserves, as a coherent, wise, & compassionate guide. I hope you will find through Sofaïa, the intuitive answers you seek for your questions.

Wishing you a wonderful journey of self-discovery! With much love & gratitude,

Tamik Minassian P.S.: For Numerology Consultations, please contact me by email at: info@sofaiakey.com