How to use the Tarot as a self help tool
Have you ever wondered how the ancient Tarot could support you with your life today?
For me, the Tarot has always held a fascination. From the variety of different decks and their images and symbols, to the characters and their archetypes, to the endless ways in which the images and combination of images can be interpreted. Crucially I don’t consider the Tarot as a way of predicting the future which is possibly an assumption that is still made today. I don’t believe there is any way of telling the future. What I do believe is that the Tarot can support us in identifying patterns, spotting recurrent themes and guide us in tapping into our subconscious minds to help us gain more clarity about what is going on for us and how to make better decisions moving forward. In this sense the Tarot can be thought of as a mirror, reflecting back to us what is going on inside us, but that we may not be able to access easily because of layers that we have built around ourselves. So, we can choose to use the Tarot as a self help tool to enable us to tap into the deeper parts of ourselves which may be buried or hidden but which none the less, will be an influencing our lives whether we know it or not. Having a tool which supports us in gaining more awareness and clarity is a powerful thing. Having something which mirrors back to us parts of our subconscious can be truly enlightening.
My deck of choice is the Light Seers Tarot. A beautiful set of images with free spirited characters, sharing their wisdom in a positive way as well as supporting us in identifying the shadow aspects of ourselves which we can easily keep hidden.
You need to find a deck that you are drawn to. A deck whose images speak to you on some level and that you want to look at in more detail. You could even say the deck chooses you, not the other way round!
How to begin to use the Tarot:
flick through the deck, noticing the energy you feel as you move through the different cards
begin to notice the different images and the ones you are more drawn to
as you acquaint yourself more with the images consider your immediate reaction to them, the first impression is often the most significant
pull one card a day and start to build feelings and interpretations around the card, make notes if you like
prop a card up somewhere so you catch a glimpse of it throughout the day and consider how you feel when you see it
try simple spreads such as a 2 or 3 card spread and begin to look at the images and how they may connect to one another, like weaving a story together
keep a notebook or journal recording your thoughts, feelings and findings as you become more familiar with your deck
Things to remember when using the Tarot as a self help tool:
there is no right or wrong way to read the cards - each of us will interpret the cards according to our own unique life experiences
the Tarot is not for predicting the future - the future doesn’t really exist. The only real thing is the present moment and that’s what matters
there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ or ‘scary’ card - all the cards carry different meanings for you and any that make you uncomfortable are probably reflecting things which you would rather not deal with. Ignoring these messages and feelings will mean they will probably keep coming back (hence why patterns occur in life)
the Tarot is like a mirror, reflecting back to you yourself, highlighting areas of your life you may not be able to see easily
the Tarot is a personalised tool. If you think of each card depicting a part of you then you have the potential to learn more about yourself each time you study a card
the Tarot is an opportunity to evolve and learn. In this sense, it can support you in making positive decisions which will impact your future, rather than actually predicting it.