Let’s talk tarot
It always makes me giggle to hear what people think of tarot readings and tarot cards. Let me give you some examples:
“I would be too scared. What if I get the death card?!”
“It’s a complete load of rubbish.”
“Will it tell me if I am going to meet the love of my life?”
“It is the devil’s work!”
And so on…
The tarot has been used for centuries and given bad press, shunned by the Church and considered evil and doom-laden, plus it has been associated with the “dark arts of witchcraft”. However, in the last 30 or more years it has grown in popularity again and has become a major tool for self discovery and personal growth.
Having read the tarot cards for over 20 years, I can tell you that I have never found the cards anything but insightful, truthful and constantly changing as you move along your life path. Let me explain in simpler terms…
There are 78 cards in a tarot deck and they provide a mirror and interpretation of your life as it is at the time the cards are drawn. Any reading can look at past, present, and future events if you stay on the same path. However, if you make a choice/decision that puts you on another path then future events will change.
We have free will and make our own free independent choices at all times so our lives are constantly moving and shifting on our paths. We might start our journey at A and find there are many, many paths that lead us to B. It is up to us to decide which path to take. If we decide to change our path half way along then the events that follow will of course be different.
Everyone reads the tarot cards differently, everyone interprets them differently and most tarot readers will find an interpretation that suits them.
The Major and Minor Arcanas
There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana and 56 cards in the Minor Arcana.
The Major Arcana has the strongest influence in any reading. These cards relate to big changes going on in a person’s life that could take quite a few years to fully materialise. The Minor Arcana (which is made up of 4 suits - cups, pentacles, swords and wands) represent events, people, activities, and can be changed more easily with different choices.
The cards are just there to guide you, not to tell you what to do or to tell you your destiny. The cards are simply mirrors of our emotions, feelings, mind and being. They are like a reflection of you!
Let's look at some of the card’s meanings to dispel the bad associations with them.
Death
Firstly let's get this straight - it does not mean death and the end of life! It is a rebirth of some kind, endings and new beginnings. The end of one thing and the beginning of another. This could be in work, a relationship, a friendship, your health and so on. So it is actually quite a positive card, as the changes are often very beneficial.
The Lovers
This is another card that confuses people as they think they are going to get a lover or partner! Actually, the lovers is all about making a choice, choosing between 2 things. This could be two people, two jobs, two holidays, or even two homes. It could also mean choosing to make more of a commitment towards a person or a job. The cards around it should indicate what the choices are.
The Tower
This card looks pretty scary but it really means that you could experience a shock of some kind, a bolt out of the blue or an unexpected change. The thing to remember about this card is that the unexpected shock could be a nice shock like winning the lottery!
The Devil
This does not mean the literal sense of the devil or anything bad happening to you. My interpretation of this card is that you are still chained to something or someone that you are finding it hard to break free from. An addiction perhaps smoking or drugs, or even bad habits that you have been trying to break from your past. It represents a struggle of you trying to break away from something you have been bound to for quite a length of time. It could even mean a relationship.
I shan’t go into detail of the cards in the Minor Arcana but will briefly tell you my interpretation of the 4 suits.
Cups to me represent love. This could be new love, losing love, walking away from love, being bored of love… And would depend on which cup card was in the reading.
Pentacles represent money and security. Money loss, money gain, security and prosperity, working hard for money and security - those kinds of themes.
Swords - I have always seen swords as challenges of some kind. For example, the Ace of Swords is cutting through challenges and finding solutions because you are feeling empowered. Whereas the Five of Swords is the challenge of being in a No Win Situation, feeling hurt, not knowing what to do but having to walk away from the situation because there are no winners here.
Wands represents communication and new ideas to me. Often emails, phone calls and text messages come in the wands suit. New energy, new ideas, dealing with lots of communication, and getting a new job.
Lastly, the pages, knights, queens and kings of each suit usually represent people or yourself. Some examples of this are: the King of Wands would be a strong energy (I tend not to use gender) who is charismatic and good at communication. They are friendly, talkative and outgoing. Whereupon the Queen of Cups would be a gentler energy, someone who was loving, kind and good at helping/supporting people. She is often a healer or counsellor.
When I read the tarot cards, I always start with 6 cards that represent: you, the love in your life, your money, your homelife and work, your health and the near future. After discussing these cards, we do a much bigger reading of 22 cards that look at important events in your past, present and future (usually up to 2 years) and often the original 6 cards will weave into this reading. It can be so insightful. I then normally have time to answer any direct questions and have a lovely 10 card spread that looks at that question in detail to see if there is any concrete answer.
If you would like a tarot reading, either face to face or over zoom, please either email me or message/ring me on 07795817988. I also have Facebook and Instagram if you wish to message me directly.