This year I decided I wanted to get more in touch with myself and the universe. I had read that at one point in her life, Patti Smith always carried a tarot deck in her pocket so she could do her own readings at any moment. This sparked my curiosity and I decided I would get a deck of my own. I didn’t know what I was expecting to discover through tarot, but it certainly wasn’t an internal psychic ability. Rather, I was looking for something to help me center myself and get a better handle on what I was going through in life. As someone who rarely makes enough time to cultivate my creativity, it seemed like a good place to start.
To begin my tarot journey, I did a little research into which decks were the most popular, which were the most aesthetically pleasing, and which deck came with a handbook (a must for a novice like me). I ordered a deck online in January and began to get to work.
In my beginning tarot experience, I read that the best way to improve your skills is to practice doing a daily one-card reading for yourself. Pose a simple question such as “What do I need to focus on today?” and then shuffle the cards to get your answer. When I began I wasn’t sure what I was hoping to find through the cards. However, I discovered that doing my own reading often gave me time to practice some much-needed meditation and introspection. On my set of tarot cards it reads: “You’ll find no wrongs or rights inside this box, only mirrors for reflection.”
Recently, my sister came to visit. After hearing me talk about my tarot experience for the last few months, she asked me to read her cards. I don’t have too much experience reading for other people, but I indulged her request anyway. I wasn’t sure how her reading was going to go and I tried to impress upon her that these cards are not supposed to tell her future, but work as a force to push her towards self-reflection.
I put on some relaxing music to prepare us both for the moment. To begin, I gave her the cards to shuffle, an essential starting step when reading for someone else. Her reading revealed the Son of Wands, which surprised me. I had never drawn this card for myself. The Son of Wands may represent a scenario or an actual person. Charming as the Son of Wands may be, my guidebook reads “Perfection is an illusion.” In other words, the Son of Wands is not always what he seems. Though I can’t know exactly the significance her reading held for her, she did seem to ponder the implication of the card and told me she felt it resonated with her. The next day, she asked if I would read her cards once more before she left.
I don’t know what effect these two simple readings will have on her life – if any at all – but I know what effect they have had on mine. Despite popular belief that tarot readings are hoaxes or some sort of new-age witchcraft, reading tarot cards has not stirred up any sort of ancient magic in me, nor has it implored me to visit a psychic anytime soon. Rather, reading my cards has made me more perceptive to my own wants and needs. It is so easy to get caught up in life that I rarely take time to reflect on my current feelings or the moment I am. I’m happy to reveal that reading my tarot cards has pushed me into a positive routine of meditation and self-reflection, even if it only lasts for five or so minutes each day.