Reading signs: semiotics and depth psychology

This article brings together C. S. Peirce's semiotics, Jung's analytical psychology, and the ancient system of Tarot. When interpreted, Tarot images create a narrative that represents a process of individuation based on the integration of the unconscious into consciousness. The interpretation is based on a semiotic code constituting the “language of signs” structured in accord with Peirce's genuine triad. The therapeutic function of Tarot readings consists in the transformation of habits and discovering meanings in experience. The article presents Tarot typology in general, and specifically focuses on a documented case study for “Marina,” who consented to having her case discussed and published. The reading and interpretation of signs at the deep level of Marina's psyche brings many unconscious feelings to the level of conscious awareness. The new level of self-awareness empowers Marina with the ability to choose a novel course of action and achieve emotional security. Such a transformative effect would have been impossible in the absence of Tarot that provides an unorthodox epistemic access to the semiotic reality, thereby confirming Peirce's insight that all cognition is sign-mediated.