Commonly categorized with Ouija boards, the devil, and even witchcraft, the use of tarot cards is sometimes seen as a cliche. Many people say they don’t want any connection to “evil spirits” and are not open minded to learning about tarot and what it really is. 

Tarot is essentially a form of divination, which means working with the divine or higher self. This divine work is a similar connection to yourself and higher powers like yoga and meditation. Tarot readings can help to answer a question or give guidance and advice. Since tarot is commonly thought of “devil work”, I thought it would be very interesting to highlight the benefits of tarot reading, along with my personal journey of learning to read tarot and developing my intuition. 

I have always felt a strange connection with the supernatural, and have been watching videos and reading books about psychics, mediums, and tarot readings. I finally decided to buy a deck of tarot cards and started to learn to read them. I was immediately attracted to the beautiful artwork on the cards. Each is so unique and mesmerizing. There are 78 cards within the deck containing 4 suits of Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords, and 22 Major Arcana cards which don’t have a specific suit. Each card has a divinatory meaning, along with a reversed meaning. If the card is placed facing the medium it is the divinatory meaning, and if the card is placed upside down in the viewpoint of the medium then it has the reversed meaning. When I first started giving readings, I was very intimidated by having to learn a whooping 156 meanings to the cards. Eventually with practice I have seen that it isn’t too hard to memorize. Along with the actual meaning of the card, the medium also has to add in their own interpretation of the card. Everybody reads tarot differently, and uses their own system and placement. I start by asking the person if they have a question or if they just want a general reading, which lets the cards choose what they want to talk about for the specific person. If they have a question, I always ask them to keep it in their head to really show the accuracy of my readings. For the actual choosing of the cards, I use a five card layout. This means I have the person choose 5 cards that I will talk about and interpret. The order and placement of each card relates to a certain part of the question. First is the general situation regarding the reading, then what you can control, what you can not control, the lesson you will learn or take out of the situation, and then the final outcome.

I wanted to show and explain what a tarot reading looks like, and some common themes within these readings. This first reading was for my friend Grace. She did not tell me what her question was in the beginning, but in the end Grace told me her question was, “What am I not seeing in my life?” She drew Nine of Swords, Four of Wands, Ace of Swords Reversed, The Tower Reversed, and Page of Swords. Nine of Swords has to do with disappointment, despair, delay, and deception. The fact that all of these words started with the letter “D” stood out to me. We talked about how she can control harmony and peace with other people from the Four of Wands, and she can not control conquest and triumphs of others along. We also touched on the importance of balancing emotions, and how it can sometimes be hard. The Tower Reversed showed me she was going to learn from a failure, and leave a bad situation. The final outcome card of her reading meant corrupt authority, spies, and hidden enemies. I interpreted this as being aware of people who might stab you in the back and don’t have good intentions for you. 

The next reading was with my friend Drew. He wanted a general reading. The cards he drew were Nine of Swords Reversed, The Chariot Reversed, Knight of Pentacles, Ace of Wands, and The Magician. The Nine of Swords Reversed meant a type of imprisonment and shame. I saw this as being scared to do something and being held back by someone or something in his life. I talked about how he can control fighting and debating with others from The Chariot Reversed, and he can not control family, new beginnings, and new inventions in his life from the Ace of Wands. The final outcome had to do with gaining confidence and having the will to push on. 

My last reading was for Isabella. She kept her question in her head like Grace. She wanted to see what in her life she was ignoring, with a focus on her relationship. The cards she drew were Four of Swords Reversed, Justice Reversed, The World Reversed, The Hermit, and King of Wands. The general overview of her situation had to do with an isolation or precaution in her life. I talked to her about how she can control her biases of other people and situations, and understanding that what is right with the universe will take its course from the Justice card. She can not control The World Reversed, which essentially means other people, and their own journey through life. The lesson to be learned from the reading was gaining an independence on herself, and trusting her own intuition and initial thoughts. The final outcome card focused on a dark complexion man and a happy marriage and relationship.

I really enjoy being able to use what I think is a gift of intuition to help give guidance to others. Tarot readings are a very interesting concept, and benefit me and my spirituality immensely.