For some, Tarot will always fall under this category and, if this is you, this may be where you stop reading. But, before you move on, consider the viewpoint of the author, Siolo Thomson: When people tell me they don’t “believe in Tarot,” I can’t help but laugh. How can you not believe in something that is, at its root, a cognitive tool much like meditation, or talk therapy? […] Perhaps they are a tool of self-examination.
If you’ve ever been curious about this practice, but the opportunity to have a reading or learn more about it hasn’t yet presented itself, I hope this fuels your interest.
For those who have already adopted a meaningful Tarot practice, perhaps this can be a conversation starter with others.
I had my first Tarot reading several years ago here in Manotick, and while I don’t remember the details, I remember a feeling of disbelief at how relevant each of the three cards was to the question I’d posed.
When I started the practice myself, all I had was an open mind. I had purchased an accessible guide book, and posed one of the suggested questions for a simple, three-card spread: Where am I now? What do I want? How do I get there?
Let’s put Tarot aside for a moment. How would it feel to have these questions as a prompt at the top a journalling page? Tarot gives us space to reflect on a meaningful question.
I have journaled throughout my life. When I am stuck and I ask my blank page a question, something always, always, pours onto the page. Fellow journalers may relate—pausing to reflect on paper often gives us some answers, even if we didn’t have the answer when we began. Even if we don’t come up with a full answer, journalling is considered time will spent.
Tarot provides this same opportunity. It offers a moment to check in and, regardless of what the deck may offer, there is something for the “Seeker” (the person asking a question) to think about.
Recently, I visited a family friend in declining health. I felt I wasn’t able to unplug completely while I was there because I had a work deadline looming, but the time with my friend was important. One of the questions for which I wanted clarity was, “How can I best find gratitude in this visit.”
I pulled a card, and there it was: “Take a break and mind your work-life balance.” The specific card I pulled was not the point. The insight is what mattered. Here were some of the other words that jumped off the page of Fortune’s Inkwell by Evvie Marin: “Clarity blossoms with distance and rest. Come back with fresh eyes…We all need to live enough outside of work to have anything to create about…Spend quality time with loved ones.”
There are 78 cards in a Tarot deck. Good advice always seems obvious in hindsight. But moments before, I did not have a clear idea of the answer, and the reading, as usual, was insightful and helpful. When my thoughts drifted to, “I should be writing…” it was meaningful to have this advice in the back of my mind to fully stay offline and trust the work would get done after the weekend, as it always does. Another card would have yielded different insights, and something different to reflect upon. But in that moment, that was the card that turned up.
Tarot can offer a powerful clarity tool. When we’re stuck, it’s amazing what can get moving when we can simply open our mind to the possibility of listening to what the energy around us has to say.
I hope this peek into Tarot as a mindfulness exercise inspires you to ask a question and see what happens.
For more information, email curiousabouttarot@gmail.com.
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