Tarot cards have always been a part of me, in a certain way. I was using Tarot cards ever since I remember myself. In our family, it was a tradition passing from generation to generation, so I could learn the basics from my mother and grandmother, and at the very early age I no longer needed any guidance, I “felt” the cards myself, and stopped using the big Tarot cards meanings books we have had at home. We had different books, which we’re referring to different definitions. Obviously, Rider-Waite and Aleister Crowley were my biggest influences and are the “meanings” I grew up with.
Tarot Cards & Astrology
We also had astrology related books which I never really felt connected to. I have a hard time believing that so many millions of individuals on this earth can be divided into only 12 planetary sections, and there are only 12 basic faiths for 6 billion people living on this planet – regardless of age, location, financial status, or even gender. While I strongly believe in the influence of stars (especially the moon), the astrology, the position of stars at birth, and many other “external factors” that shape and pre-define our “destiny” – I obviously do not buy into the modern term of astrology, that you can read in any popular magazine. If a Capricorn is going to find his soul mate today, that means roughly 1/12 of 6 billion people on Earth are going to find a match? Really?
Having said that, as you can see, I have a great deal of skepticism when it comes to modern astrology, therefore I do no use Tarot cards that point or somehow connect to astrology. For me, the whole magic of tarot cards is their versatility – you can derive a multitude of meanings depending on the person who is asking, the situation, and the position of cards.
Tarot Cards & Possibilities
The deck of Tarot cards contains 78 cards if we count both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. This gives us 78 different meanings, and reversed cards have their own meaning as well, so that brings us to 156 variations. Next comes the context, you can judge the cards and the situation by the sequence of cards, their meanings when they come up together, or their positions as we can see in a Celtic Cross spread.
For example, if you see several positive Pentacle cards in a row, you ca tell that the financial situation is not only going to get a lot better, but also see that this is the only thing that will dominate the person’s mind. The combinations, associations, and sequences are practically endless, and this is what makes a skilled Tarot cards master stand out. While an amateur will just pull out the cards and look up the meaning of each card, pretty robotically, the skilled master, like myself, is able to spread the cards and “read” the meaning right away, not only because I know all the meanings by heart, but because I can “feel” the message in the cards.
Tarot Cards & Psychic Abilities
You will be surprised, but this has nothing to do with being “clairvoyant” or “psychic” as you might assume. I don’t even claim to be. Yes, I have high intuition, and I a very developed sixth sense, but it really is a result of hard work. Daily meditation, spending time in nature, aligning my life with 7 Hermetic Principles and the Laws governing our universe, which are perfectly outlined in the Master Key system book (which I highly recommend). It’s wearing the rights crystals at the right time, it’s the regular cleaning rituals, it’s the purity of the soul and a gazillion of other factors, that allows me to “tune in”. While there is obviously a genetic lottery when it comes to intuition because I know some people are completely shut down to any senses other than their basic 5, which are typically not too sensitive either.
However, the genes are rarely enough to take your life to a whole new level, it requires a lot of work. I don’t personally see it as work, because it’s a part of me and I enjoy what I do, but I do realize that if I was to engage in alcohol or substance abuse, if I’d stop meditating and deriving my energy from The Source and will just wallow in bed with handover – I’d not be able to “feel” anything besides the pain in my body.
Tarot cards can be a great guide, but I do not always look at it as a supernatural Oracle power. I never say to my clients that “Gods speak through me” or other nonsense that I often see other wanna-be Tarot Cards readers do. For me, Tarot Cards, both minor and major Arcanum are a guide – a look into our subconscious mind (which, by the way, knows everything, if you only tap into it). Tarot Cards are one way of tapping into the vast power of our subconscious mind.
It doesn’t matter how you call it, The Akashic Records ( Hindu concept ), The Collective Unconscious (this term first appeared in Carl Jung’s 1916 essay, “The Structure of the Unconscious”) Your own subconscious mind or the Divine Mind that is All, as Charles Haanel puts it in his Master Key System book (sorry for bring this up twice, but it’s just really worth reading if you want to “see” how the world works and not blindly run around getting chaotic results from your chaotic actions, like a mouse in a labyrinth.
Regardless of how you call it, the essence remains clear – Tarot Cards are messengers of the high level of consciousness, which we can rarely tap to at will, but can open its’ doors using various rituals or Tarot Cards.
Do I always trust Tarot?
Well, I never ask questions that my life would depend on, nor jeopardize myself needlessly.
I use Tarot cards (and advice to do so to my clients), strictly as guidance. For example, if I am in a relationship where I am unhappy – I would ask the Tarot Cards:
- What would happen if I stay in this relationship for 5 more years?
- What would happen if I leave now at once?
- What would happen if I file for divorce?
- How the battle custody over our children will turn out for me?
- What would happen to my financial situation, if I leave the relationship?
- How my love life will turn out to be if I would end my current relationship?
These questions, when asked correctly, can help the person realize where he or she stands at, what his or her options are, and based on the guidance they receive from the Tarot Cards, they can make an intelligent decision. Knowing how to ask the right questions is the KEY to getting the right answers.
Choosing the right deck
Another thing that I find to be important is the choice of the Deck. If you happened to notice, there are hundreds of Tarot Cards deck available in stores, and on the internet, you can choose anything you want from Cat Tarot to Black Magic Tarot. While I very much like and feel an affinity for everything Aleister Crowley te about the Tarot Cards, the Deck he himself created/curated – The Toth Tarot of The Golden Dawn, does not appeal to me. I personally don’t like the drawing, nor the concept, nor the vision. I simply don’t “feel” these cards.
On the other hand, I absolutely love the classic Rider-Waite Tarot Cards and the modern deck of Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan, which I absolutely fell in love with the first time I saw it and use it almost daily. While it has nothing to do with witchcraft, Wicca nor black magic, the design is so intuitive, so clean, and conveys the message brilliantly. Not sure if you can find a deck of these cards in your local shops, they are quite rare, but you can order them online from a Chinese retailer Aliexpress. (They are smaller, like regular playing cards size, but still, are good quality and fulfill the purpose).
The bottom line is…
I have been using and consulting Tarot Cards for 2 decades now (yeah, started young). I tried a lot and experienced a lot and I can tell you know, that I am approaching my 40’s that this is real. Unless you fall into the hands of a charlatan, who never studied Tarot in their entire life and simply tells you what you want to hear for your $100. Unless this is your experience and the impression you got from this whole “Occult and Oracle stuff”, I am sure you will be delighted to discover that Tarot Cards can be of great help and become your life-long assistant and companion.
Start by looking up pictures of various tarot decks online (Google Images can be a great help) and see which pictures “speak” to you, appeal to you – trust your intuition this time around. 🙂
Based on that, you can pick a deck and start learning, but beware – this is not an exam study, it’s a lifelong process of exploration, research, and discovery. Both of the Self and the surroundings. Good luck!