What is a tarot reading?
The Tarot is often referred to as a “divinatory” art in the sense that it is a tool guided by a higher power. In my practice this is demistified in a sense that for me, it is seen as a tool simply to hone our innate intuitive faculties. In a Tarot reading we will be building out the story/query and coming up with a resolution that is a combination of both of our intuitive faculties.
I believe as humans we all have this gift but that it has been blunted as we have become more reliant on external technologies to guide us through life. This is a way for us to sharpen these deadened senses and since I have devoted my life to these more subtle arts, I can help you access more of your gifts as well. My hope is that you will find a deck that calls to you and use it in your daily rituals.
I use the Smith deck, which most people know as the “Rider-Smith-Waite” deck. The reason I use only the Smith designation is to pay reverence to the Afro Caribbean femme artist who created the imagery. She was paramount in the construction of the cards, died in relative obscurity in Jamaica and was of mixed Afro-diasporic ancestry. For those interested I will be writing a blog post on her further down the line.
There are many types of Tarot “spreads” which is how we lay out the cards when we ask a question of them. I use a Celtic Cross for more substantial reads and sometimes a single or 3 card spread depending on what the question requires. In addition, I am working on my own specific spread that I will delineate at a later date.
The reading starts off with a question that you would ask of the cards. After that I would “dealer shuffle” the cards keeping the intention of the question in my mind. You would then split the deck into three piles representing three different attributes which I have determined such as You, Me, US or Above, Earth, and Below etc. I would then reunite the cards and shuffle them again in an overhand fashion, allowing the answer cards to come out of the deck as they see fit. After the cards are out and aligned in a spread, we would go through the answer to the question based on the interpretation of the cards.
Sometimes I will also bring in other Tarot or Oracle decks or pull more cards for further clarification throughout the reading as the question becomes more illuminated.
The Tarot is not good at answering "yes and no” questions. That is because it is a mirror of the complexity of life. It is a “both and” kind of tool and used to get an understanding of our state of mind or the nuances of a particular situation.
Examples of questions to ask could be: Instead of “Will I get this job” asking “What do I need to know about this job” or “What type of job would make me feel fulfilled and is this in alignment?”. Or instead of “Does X love me” asking “What makes me question whether or not X loves me?”.
I hope this helps and looking forward to reading for and with you soon!
