If you're here, you've probably met me either in person or through my online readings via Tangled In Tarot. You guys know I love a good self-reflection. Tarot has been such a pivotal part of my spiritual journey and so many find it to be unreachable. It's not. You just gotta tap in! So I'm going to provide a little info and hopefully spark a little curiosity!
Tarot evolved from a 15th-century European card game into one of the world’s most popular tools for self-reflection, intuition building, and mindfulness. There was an organization that decided to gate keep it for the longest. That's a discussion for another time. I digress. Whether you are completely new to the practice or looking to deepen your understanding, tarot offers perspectives galore.
Here is a breakdown of what tarot is, how it works, and how you can start incorporating it into your routine.
What is Tarot?
A tarot deck is a pack of 78 cards, each featuring symbolic artwork. Unlike standard playing cards (which were also used as a divination tool in some instances), a tarot deck is divided into two sections:
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The Major Arcana (22 cards): These represent major life themes, spiritual lessons, and karmic influences. This is where you may have heard of the "Fool's Journey". That's basically a metaphorical path through human experience from innocence (The Fool) to completion (The World). When these cards appear in a reading, they often point to significant life shifts or overarching themes.
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The Minor Arcana (56 cards): Divided into four suits—Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands—these cards reflect the day-to-day trials, emotions, and practical experiences of daily life. Each suit corresponds to an element (Water, Earth, Air, and Fire) and experiences ranging from relationships and emotions to career and intellect.
How Does Tarot Work?
There is no magic spell required to read tarot. This is where a lot of people get caught up. Tarot relies heavily on psychology, storytelling, and intuition. Emphasis on that last one.
When you pull a card, you are presented with a visual metaphor. The images act as a mirror for your subconscious mind, helping you tap into thoughts, feelings, and worries that you may not have even processed yet. Tarot, in my humble opinion😏(take that for what it's worth), doesn't predict your future. It's more of a glimpse of the future if you continue the same trajectory. All the outcomes tarot provides are fluid and never fixed. Change the situation, change the outcome. Simple as that.
Common Uses for Tarot
People turn to tarot for a wide variety of reasons, some of them not so healthy. . .but most (hopefully) of which center around personal growth:
Mindfulness and Journaling: Pulling a single card in the morning can give you a theme or question to concentrate on throughout your day.
Decision Making: When you feel stuck between choices, laying out a few cards can help you see blind spots, pros, cons, and emotional roadblocks.
Creative Inspiration: Writers, artists, and creators use tarot archetypes (I really suggest looking into the archetypes. We don't do that here, but it's a good read.) to break through creative blocks, develop characters or brainstorm narrative twists.
Spiritual Connection: The ritual of shuffling, drawing and reflecting can provide some grounding and a meditative break from a fast moving life. Put your phone down for a minute. It's good for ya.
How to Get Started
I ALWAYS suggest starting with a Rider-Waite Smith deck. The symbology is just too important to the art of reading tarot to leave out when you're first starting. Don't stress yourself out trying to memorize the meanings of 78 cards. Just take time to look at a card a day. Pay attention to the background, the colors, what the figure is doing, ect. Start a tarot journal if you want. Write down what the card feels like TO YOU. This is the best way to learn how to read intuitively. I'll say that during my readings, there are times where I get a completely different energy off of a card than what its original meaning is. And wouldn't you know it. . . It's rarely off base.
I'm working on a tarot class that covers all the things. Is it done? Absolutely fucking not. I'm busy, man. But just know it's in the works. Until then, I'll be creating a tarot journal page that you can use to create your journal. Just gimme a little while.