Typically, we call an event
'random' when it appears to be the result of chance interaction of mathematical forces. From a predefined set of all the possible outcomes - all equally likely in relation to the next - one occurs, and with no particular reason. What's interesting about this definition is that because we
assume each event is solely the product of mechanical forces without any meaning, these events may not actually be as
random as we first thought.
Take your typical six-sided die from your Monopoly game - mathematics tells me that when I roll, each side has an equal chance of being the result. The die has no memory, and I can roll it several times in a row and my odds will be the same each time. No face is more relevant than any other.
However, there is a great deal more at work here than the mechanics of probablity. I assume, first of all, that the die was made was made by something like an assembly machine that made each die perfectly identical to the die sitting next to it, each side was designed perfectly, and the weight of the die has been correctly distributed such that no side is any more likely than any other. I also make a conscious decision to roll the die, I chose to pick it up - I may not roll it correctly, it may just be bouncing around in my hand in such a way that none of the sides are turning from when I picked it up, I may drop it 'flat' by mistake so that it doesn't roll at all when it hits the gameboard. The result of that roll is part of a long series of conscious actions that have led up to that point. It's not going to happen on its own, and I was actively involved with the result.
The other feature of a random event is that it has no inherent meaning. I roll a six, and there is no purpose to this result. I have just as equal odds to rolling a one, and the meaning would be the same. But is that true? Were those two events equally possible, and how could I really know? Fundamental philosophy would also suggest that every event, both big and small, serves some sort of purpose, even if we don't immediately recognize it. At the end of the day, you're still able to find meaning in events you initially dismissed as random, as coincidence.
Perhaps this is why material-assissted divination is popular. You have a deck of tarot cards that's been shuffled, and cards are drawn. At one end of the spectrum you have people that believe that by doing this, you're allowing the unconscious mind to tap into the mystical powers of the universe so that you may answer a question surrounding your present life and the days that lie ahead. At the other end, are the people that just see a bunch of cards as a series of random events without any meaning or purpose.
The truth lies somewhere in between. Each tarot card holds some sort of purpose, as far as reading tarot cards are considered. Furthermore, the order in which they were drawn, and where they end up also serves in discussing their meaning. From what I understand these are interpretive guidelines, but ultimately it is up to both parties to decide what they mean to
them. The reader projects her understanding of reading tarot cards onto the spread they see before them, and tries to apply it to the person who has asked them to do this. The person seeking answers has to consider what the meaning of these cards has to do with their life, and how it can guide them. You see the cards just on their own don't mean squat, but as people, we decide how they apply to us. This is how a seemingly random drawing of cards can 'tell the future'.
So the next time you feel like something is random, keep in mind there are two very different worlds: there's a theoretical mathematical world, which can act as a guideline, neat and simple; and then there's the world that you find yourself in right now, full of a beautiful complexity and meaning, even if you don't immediately understand it. Which one you'd rather pay more attention to is entirely up to you.
