Tarot: Are You Ready to Read Your Destiny?

When I first encountered tarot, the images and mystery were OVERWHELMING.

Everything about tarot seemed shrouded in magic...the images, the settings seen in film, even the readers seemed to possess a secret power! 

As a Reiki Healer, I didn't understand...

...but after a decade of research and work, I understand that there is no wizardry here...

....everyone possesses the tools needed to read the messages.

The interpretation of tarot uses no arcane magic and only your intuition and your intellect.

By reading tarot cards for yourself, you can improve both your intellect and intuition simultaneously.

Tarot images bring up subconscious and personal associations and give you a broader view and deeper understanding of a situation.

As you practice your intuitive skills, your trust will strengthen. With a solid trust in your intuition, you will understand what the cards are saying to you, and begin the practice of building a vocabulary for each card.

"I have intuition?"

Every one of us has a personal intuitive guidance system.

Have you ever felt "stuck" in life?

When you face a situation that makes you nervous, you can either listen to your fear or trust your intuition.

When you feel that inner urge to 'go for it'...

....to apply for a promotion...

....to ask someone out...

...do you reject the feeling, telling yourself "I can't do that!"

When you don't listen to your intuition, one bad idea turns into a bad situation, and it can leave you feeling stuck where you are.

In the aftermath, people often turn to the tarot to find out where they went wrong.

If you are open, the tarot will tell you EXACTLY where you went wrong. 

However, it's good to be aware of several things: some people take tarot insight and build on it while others argue and debate the meaning of the message. Some put a spin on it to make themselves feel good while others reject the reading completely.

When reading your tarot, remember that if you feel you've drawn the "wrong" cards, you aren’t ready for the message. That's okay. Like any oracle, the tarot merely delivers the message. What you do with the message is up to you.

It's just like your life purpose...ultimately, your tarot reading is up to your interpretation and intention.

It's just like sending Universal Energy to someone...it is up to the other person whether they decide to receive or reject the healing light.

If you want to access a deeper understanding beyond this article, find out by clicking here. 

"How Can I Use Tarot?"

The type of information most people want from the tarot usually falls under three categories:

• Insight into coming events/future
• Insight into your relationships
• Insight into yourself

If the information you are seeking from tarot falls into the first two categories, you are best off finding a good practitioner/reader.  

But if you are ready to get honest, authentic insight into your personal growth areas, you are ready to start talking with your guidance team via the tarot.

"Where do I begin?"

First, have a deck you love.

I was fortunate because the first deck I held was the one for me. I have tried dozens of different decks since, but still, no others have “talked” to me the way my first one does.

You can find dozens of decks in any New Age store...

But how do you know which deck is for you?

How it looks

The biggest part of the tarot’s communication comes through the images. Look for a deck with images that make you smile and pique your interest.

Some have complex and colorful imagery, inviting the reader into the story and expanding meanings far beyond traditional tarot correspondence. Others have a minimalist approach, allowing the reader’s intuition to expand and express the message.

Some decks have keywords printed on the face of the card. While this may assist in the early stages of learning to read, in the long run, the words will distract from your intuitive guidance and may unnecessarily influence anyone you read for.

How it feels

Everything is made of energy and energy has vibrational frequency. A good resonance between your energy and that of your deck creates a better physical connection which makes all the difference in which cards are drawn to you. Be sure the deck you choose feels very good to hold.

Note: To test this theory, choose a deck you like and have someone choose another. Close your eyes and have the person put one deck in each hand. Tune in and see if you can feel the difference in energy between the two. Ultimately the deck will choose you.

How you feel

More important than physical resonance is the emotional connection you feel with a deck. This can change over time. As you develop your skill, you may find your favorite deck changes as well.

My deck and I have a great trust in one another, and I don’t often cheat on her, but I know that people will sometimes come to me with multiple decks to read from. How can one decide which deck to use? I base the decision on how I feel in the moment.

Give yourself a gift and choose one that makes you feel happy, powerful, humble, or wise. Your readings will be clearer and more precise if you do so.

Remember...this is your first deck...not your last...so don’t be afraid to just go for it!

Caring for your deck

First let's debunk yet one more myth about tarot decks. You can't do it wrong.

What do I mean by that? As you study tarot you will find as many suggestions as there are blogs on the proper way to care for your deck (i.e., wrap it in silk, don't use a Vegas/riffle shuffle, store it in a wooden box, etc.) You and your deck are about to enter a very personal relationship. How you and your deck work it out is up to you.

However, here are few suggestions that will get you started:

Shuffle them in any way you like.

When you first open the cards, they will be stiff and slippery. Do what feels right; you can't make a mistake. You won't hurt them unless you give them rough treatment. They resonate to respect.

Use your cards on a clean surface.

Remember that your cards resonate to respect. Even though there is no way to do it wrong, you don't want your cards to get physically dirty. Clearing the energy of the surface and cards literally allows for cleaner tarot readings and insight. If you're using a "wash" method of shuffling (swirling the cards around on a flat surface to mix them) you don't want any debris on the table to drag the cards and interfere with your reading.

Clearing Your Deck

If your deck is consistently giving the same types of readings or if they don't feel right, it's time to clear your deck. Here are some good practices for clearing your deck:

Putting them in order

Periodically return your deck to the original order. Put all the Major Arcana cards in sequential order, from The Fool to The World. Then arrange each suit from Ace-10, and the court cards from Page to King. Stack them in this order: Trump, Wands, Cups, Swords, Coins.

Note: you will find variations in terminology between decks. One may refer to "the Princess" as "the Page", or refer to "the Knight" as "the King". Wands are often called ods, staves, or clubs. Coins are called Discs and Pentacles as well. Work with the terms your deck uses for now.

Clearing with light

The energy of sunlight carries the entire color spectrum. Infusing your deck with the colors found in daylight will activate the color resonances in your deck more strongly. Color carries much healing energy, so this practice is good when your deck has been through a trauma, such as a strongly negative person handling them.

Clearing with crystals

The resonant frequencies of stones and crystals have been used for energy healing for millennia. I find crystal choice to be as personal as choosing a card deck, so allow your intuition to guide your decision. Including the crystals in the clearing can be used to add positive or subtract negative energies.

Clear your deck with crystals by placing them on or around your deck. My favorites are: sodalite for clarity, quartz for expansion, and celestite for vibration.

For removing negative energy, obsidian is always a good choice. Clear quartz is an all purpose crystal and can substitute for any stone. Just infuse it with intention between your palms before using.

For general clearing, I place my deck on a windowsill with a quartz crystal, usually on the New Moon. If you use your deck with or for others, make sure to shuffle their energy out before using your cards for another reading. Energy can linger long after the person has left and will affect the deck's performance.

Now You Can Start Reading!

Once you have your new favorite deck, it's time to start building a vocabulary.

Every new deck comes with a Little White Book (LWB) or some sort of written guidance for using the deck. In the booklet, the deck's designer lists broad descriptions and keywords pertaining to that card. Whatever comes with your deck is fine to start.

Begin with the "Card of the Day" technique

Draw ONE card in the beginning of your day. DO NOT LOOK AT THE BOOK YET.

Look at the card closely and describe what you see. Notice the colors and how they make you feel. What is your general impression of the card? Jot these notes in your journal if you like.

Go about your day, noticing when something catches your eye as being resonant (e.g. your card has a swan on it and you see a big swan on a billboard).

At the end of your day, sit with the card and the book. As you read the card's description you may notice certain phrases stand out, relate to your day, or just give you that "aha!" feeling.

These impressions are the beginning of your dialogue. Record them in your journal.

Over time, the conversations you have with your deck may become very different from those of others, even those using the same deck! Don't let that throw you. You're not "wrong" and they're not "right." The whole experience of the tarot works to bridge personal intuition and collective intellect. Your interpretation is as valid as anyone's.

Now that you're talking, what do you talk about?

With an understanding of your cards, the general meanings and the personal spin of your own conversations, you are ready to begin putting them all together in a layout.

Layout is the term for the design or pattern in which you lay the cards for a reading. Each position in the layout is designated for a particular message.

The following two examples show the use of a traditional layout and how to use the cards for specific situations.

Three Card Spread

The easiest layout to start with is a three-card spread for looking at the past, present, and future.

The energy of the card is combined with a defined placement to give a more in-depth message than the card alone could give.

For instance, if you wanted to look into a romantic relationship, and drew the Princess of Wands for the first card, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that there is another woman in the picture.

This assumption would color the entire reading! Recognizing she is in the past position, you can see that she is most likely an ex and not part of the current experience.

The second card stands for the circumstances surrounding the present moment.

This position can show hidden motives, or it can clear up misunderstandings. If you pulled the King of Cups for this position, you might see that your man is gone because he is working for the family, not because he's sneaking around or goofing off.

The future position is only a suggestion. Life circumstances and personal free will can shift one possible outcome to a different future in an instant.

While not foretelling a certainty, this position can give true guidance into how you prepare for what might be.

For example, the Tower can indicate loss of job or home and forewarned is forearmed. You might decide to add another job or cut expenses in preparation for that possibility.

The tarot's guidance gives you the opportunity to act in advance and in your own best interest.

Creating a Personal Layout for You

There are many traditional layouts to address a myriad of life circumstances, but sometimes you may want a personal layout, designed specifically to meet a need.

Get creative and lay the cards out with specific intent in mind. Your intuition will guide both your layout and the response.

For example, let's say you are worried about your team on a project at work. You are asking how to see the project done well without offending your coworkers. This might be a place to devise your own layout, as your intuition guides you.

To do that, I would draw a card to represent the project as a whole in its current state, a card for each of my coworkers, a card for what can I do to help, and also one for how I can avoid harm.

Because of free will, you cannot influence others by using tarot or any other method of divination. The tarot is not going to tell your coworkers to pay closer attention, to stop drinking every night, to shower before work, or whatever you might wish they would change.

What the tarot will tell you is how to effectively cope with the situation. The only person you can control is yourself.

Let's lay out a draw for our workplace situation.

So in this draw I get The Hierophant as the card to describe the project as it is now. This tells me that the problem lies in the team leader, who is coming from a place of pride rather than of wisdom.

For the individual cards, Leader is represented by The Fool, Team member 1 is the 3 of Swords, Team member 2 is the Ace of Coins, Team member 3 is 6 of Cups.

These cards show that the leader is (literally) a fool and must be handled wisely. Encourage him, but don't let the group take any action that hasn’t been thoroughly tested.

Team member 1s card shows deep sorrow. You suddenly remember she just found out her husband died overseas. There's a reason she's unfocused. Try to pull her out of herself gently, and don't give her too much responsibility right now.

Team member 2 has a golden touch and should be in charge of fundraising.

Team member 3 wants fun, so put her in charge of public events.

But how? You're not in charge, that's the problem!

So let's look at the card for "what you can do to help". Ah, you drew the Empress. As you look at the card you remember your mother using reverse psychology to get you to think what she wanted you to do was your idea.

Now look at the card for how can you do no harm. The card here is the 5 of cups. You think "don't cry over spilt milk" and intuitively understand that you are to focus on what's going right rather that what appears not to be.

Through tarot, YOU NOW UNDERSTAND how to guide your boss to lead the team, how to work best with each coworker, where your strength lies, and how to keep the team focused on positive forward momentum.

Pretty good advice for a few cards! This example shows how tarot can give you effective, personal guidance for all types of situations.

But what about reading for others?

"What? You want me to read for you?!"

Unless you keep your tarot studies shrouded in secrecy, inevitably someone will ask you to read for them. When I began, this request was an easy “yes” for me. I was happy to read for anyone who asked.

It was several years into my relationship with tarot when I had my first request from someone I didn't know. I was beyond the LWB by then, and felt comfortable with my knowledge. However, I didn't know what I hadn't yet learned and fumbled around in the dark a bit. Here are few guidelines I adhere to now.

Trust the message. Sometimes the message makes no sense to you, and that is fine. Put it out there anyway.

Take the responsibility seriously. People give readers a lot of power by their trust. Be mindful of the possibility your words create and stay clear in your intuitive space.

Know when you're out of your depth. I feel very comfortable referring people to other practitioners. If you are sensing anything that makes you uneasy, step away.

Beware of creating dependency. Some people will want guidance for every little step in life. This creates an unhealthy dependence on the reader, and diminishes the person's personal power. When reading for others, I like to keep a break of 90 days or more in between readings.

As you grow in your relationship with the tarot, you will gain much insight to help yourself and others. However, if there are medical, psychological, or legal concerns, always seek professional advice.

Whether you read for yourself or for others, personally or professionally, your relationship with the tarot can bring great guidance and healing.

Enjoy the adventure!

Tarot cards can help you build your intuition, but what about what has already been laid out for you?

To access a deeper understanding beyond this article, you can get a Free Personalized Numerology Report Here.

---