Woo Woo Wednesday: Tarot Cards
I bought my first deck of tarot cards in middle school, at a Barnes & Noble by the checkout counter, where they have all the little gift box impulse buys. When I got home I wrapped them up in a scarf and hid them in my room from my Mom, who didn’t want us to have anything she considered ‘Occult’ because of an experience she had with a Ouija Board as a child. I’d pull them out for every life decision, insight on guys I was crushing on, read for my friends at slumber parties, and eventually post-bar hopping entertainment. Not only did I read for myself and other people, I started going to other intuitives, psychics, and fortune-tellers to have them read my tarot cards, even bringing my Mom along occasionally! I eventually upgraded my deck (Twice now! You know about my new deck if you follow me on Instagram @goodvibeshive) and started investing more time and effort into developing my gift into more than a casual party trick. When I mention now that I read tarot cards I get a TON of questions, so I thought it would be a perfect topic for Woo Woo Wednesday!
Lets start with the basics:
Tarot cards have been around since the 14th century and were originally used for playing games. It wasn’t until the 18th century that they started being used for divination (the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means )
The Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, each with its own imagery, symbolism and story. The 22 Major Arcana cards (Death, Lovers, The Sun, The Moon) represent life’s karmic and spiritual lessons, and the 56 Minor Arcana cards (Queen of Wands, 5 of Cups, Prince of Pentacles, Ace of Swords) reflect the trials and tribulations that we experience on a daily basis.
They don’t really tell the future. It’s a common misconception that during a tarot reading you’re going to hear something along the lines of “You’re going to meet a tall, dark man, named Andy, and fall madly in love”. But really they’re just a tool of guidance to connect to your own inner wisdom. I like to say a tarot reading shines light on the outcome of the path the person receiving the reading is on. Past influences, and current mindset both affect the reading, and in most card layouts the final card is the eventual outcome should you stay on your current path, but you always have the power to shift all of these factors and alter the outcome.
Now onto the questions I hear most often when tarot cards come up:
What if I hear something bad? The short answer is, you won’t. No one is going to tell you you’re going to die tomorrow or get fired (if they do, find a more responsible reader). As I mentioned before, you are in total control of the final outcome, if it comes up in the reading that you’re struggling in your romantic relationship and are headed towards a breakup, you have the power to change that.
What if the “Death” card comes up? Lucky you, that’s my favorite card! It represents new beginnings, significant transformations and letting go of unhealthy attachments! It never means you’re dying!
How do you lay the cards out?/Do you have a favorite spread? The way you place tarot cards during a reading is known as a “spread” and they take many forms. You can pull one card to see how your day is going to go, spreads specifically for new and full moon readings, a three card spread where each card represents the past, present and future, traditional spreads like the 10 card Celtic Cross, and there’s even a 21 card spread known as The Romany. Since each spread serves a different purpose I don’t have a steady favorite, but when I read for other people I gravitate towards a 7 card spread known as the Arc En Ciel (french for rainbow!).
Can you have your cards read too much? Not really, you could pull a card every day just to see what message you need to hear for that 24 hours. Like I said before, tarot has everything to do with your mindset and energy during the reading, so the outcome can always differ slightly or completely.
Does the mood of the reader/recipient effect the reading? Yes. I won’t do a reading if my energy is negative because I always believe in coming from a place of good intentions and I don’t want my bad energy in the cards. The person receiving the reading’s energy is important too, if you go into a reading with a closed mind it’s just not going to work for you.
I want to get into tarot cards, where should I start and is there a special way to care for them? You don’t have to be psychic to read tarot cards, just like you don’t have to be an artist to interpret a painting. All the information is in the cards, and most decks come with books. There are so many beautiful decks now, find one that speaks to you and start practicing on yourself and friends and family! I always take a moment before a reading to raise my vibes, whether that means having quiet time, or dancing to my favorite playlist. Then I call upon my Spirit Guides (or God/Goddess, The Universe, whatever you prefer) to help me interpret the cards. I always smudge my cards before and after a reading.
Do you have to be in the same room as the person to get your tarot cards read? No, since its all about energy flow, you don’t need to be in the same place physically.
There’s no wrong way to perform or receive a tarot reading as long as the parties involved are open minded and have good intentions. It is spiritual guidance but it’s also meant to be fun, entertaining and empowering. A reader should never make you feel scared and they should especially NEVER take advantage of you for more money by saying things like “I’ll give you more information for more money” or “The reason your relationships fail is because you have a curse on you, I’ll remove it for $200”. Some tarot readers are also psychics and can give you more information than someone who simply intuitively interprets the cards, but be weary of someone who seems like they’re fishing for information instead of listening to Spirit Guides and your connections with the cards.
If you’re interested in learning more about receiving your own personalized reading from me, click here!