tarot deck
Psychic Reading With Ordinary Playing Cards
I do psychic readings using a normal deck of playing cards. Yes, the kind you buy at your grocery store. It is is actually the original form of oracle card reading.
Cartomancy as we know it today originated back in the 14th century, when playing cards were first introduced to the world. Some historians believe it might even date back to Ancient Egypt. Using an ordinary deck of cards was actually the most popular form of cartomancy for centuries, especially in Europe from the 18th to the 20th century.
Today divination using a standard deck of playing cards has sadly become the ‘little brother’ of the Tarot. These days people find it unusual if a psychic uses a regular deck of playing cards to do readings.
To give the most accurate readings, I use a specific approach when I use the cards. First of all, I tune in with my client’s energy and I make sure that I am connected with my spirit guides.
Also, if a client has had a bad day or if they are upset, it helps a lot if they clear their mind as much as possible before we start the reading. If a client is not feeling well, I usually recommend they hold off on the reading, because their energy is too low. Reading for someone in this state usually does not yield very good results.
Before you make a phone call for your next psychic reading, take three deep breaths and let them out very slowly. If you are having a bad day, take seven deep breaths and slowly let them out. You will be very surprised how much this will relieve your tension or your stress, before you make this phone call. You will also find that your reading experience is much more enjoyable and meaningful.
Can Anyone Read The Tarot?
During this past week alone, several people from different walks of life have asked me this very question. Yes, anyone can learn, but as some of my Tarot students have shown, it’s the passion you have for Tarot that makes the difference, and that can turn someone into a reader with a difference.
Tarot readings can be used for one’s personal growth only, or for doing readings for self and others. Often individuals learn the Tarot of their own volition, paying particular attention to its imagery and symbolism, as they develop their skill with practice, practice, and more practice.
Once they feel they can trust their higher self and their spirit guides, and feel they are being directed to the symbols and imagery in Tarot, which will kick start the required information to be revealed, they will be confident to do Tarot readings.
A good teacher or mentor will always encourage a student to be guided by the way the Tarot talks to them, and not just by learning ‘parrot fashion’ the many meanings each card may have.
It is the language of symbols which helps us more easily tune into the unconscious mind, especially when there is not always time available to spend many hours doing psychic development, and going within and meditating before a reading.
Many Tarot readers work with various spreads, or layouts, to help them answer specific questions and to define events, timing, important influences and important people in the questioner’s life. Tarot helps us find clarity as to the direction in which we are headed and even helps identify blocks which may lie ahead.
I have in my collection at least fifteen Tarot decks, but one or two would suffice for most people. I just love the way talented people have been able to bring Tarot to life in their own Tarot deck design, using their own imagery, shapes and color.
Signs, Messages And Synchronicities From Spirit
There has always been skepticism when it comes to psychic phenomena, mediumship and spiritual experiences. However, one instance where I have often seen this kind of skepticism dissolve is at wakes, funerals, or when people gather for the celebration of someone’s life after a passing.
I have attended several such gatherings with skeptical relatives, friends and strangers, listening to the stories of their loved ones and the signs and messages they have received from the dearly departed. I have also noticed that once someone in the group had the courage to tell their story, others feel more comfortable to start sharing theirs.
I have heard many, many stories over the years of angels feathers, symbolic numbers, butterflies, visitation dreams, mysterious phone calls, electrical disturbances, smells, sounds, and apparitions. And when people talk about the signs, messages and synchronicities, I have observed a softening in their voice, face and body. Our body language changes when we discuss these experiences.
Death and bereavement tends to change people’s outlook, even if it is only temporary with the more cynical among us. A loved one’s passing connects us all and affects us all. And like our ancestors before us, we will all go through that door someday. People experience an opening of the heart and mind at these times and are more willing to share their personal experiences.
Most of us have our own unique stories of spirit communication and paranormal visitations. I believe it is vital that these stories be shared, so others may feel more comfortable in sorting through the signs, messages and synchronicities they have received. Instead, those who grieve are often made to feel these things are superstitious or unnatural, and encouraged to disregard their experiences.
Yoga And The Tarot Archetypes
When I’m not doing psychic readings, I enjoy engaging in activities that support a healthy lifestyle, such as Yoga and Herbalism. Although I spent many years training with Yoga masters from around the world and I am a certified Yoga instructor, I continue to learn more each time I get onto the mat.
While practicing the other day, I found myself thinking about the Tarot cards while in a particular yoga posture. It was the asana known as the Hero’s pose, or Virasana. The pose involves kneeling or sitting in between your bent legs.
As I was sitting in this stretch, I was wondering how the posture got its name, which comes from the Sanskrit word vira meaning ‘hero.’ It occurred to me that a hero was someone who had to think of someone else or others in that moment more than themselves. When we are pushed to our edge, in that moment of vulnerability, it makes us stronger. The same humility can be found in certain Yoga postures.
Then the Emperor card from the Tarot deck came to mind. The Emperor in a reading can show a ruler or leader who is strong, confident, and who guides others. Might there be an ancient connection with Yoga and the Tarot?
I then began to think of other Yoga postures and how they might correlate with the other Major Arcana cards in the Tarot.
The first that came up for me was The Hanged Man. This iconic card features a figure hanging upside down from a tree. Hanging from a tree in this way would certainly make one see the world from a different perspective. Interestingly, the headstand pose in Yoga, Sirsanasa, aims to create mental balance and physical poise. Continue reading
Connecting With Your Team Of Spirit Guardians
You have a ‘squad’ of spirit friends you can count on and talk to when you need support. Our spirit helpers, be they guardian angels, guides, animal spirits, ancestors, or departed family members, are there to look out for us. They want to make our lives better.
So, how can you get to know them better? Because these beings are of the spirit realms, it’s not quite as simple as calling a human friend or sending a text, but the channels of communication are definitely open.
The first thing you need to do is get to know their names. If they are the spirits of loved ones or pets, of course, they already have a name you know them by. Use your intuition to receive the names of your guides and angels. All you need to do is ask. They will reveal their name to you when you are ready to receive it.
It is also important to understand that our spirit guardians communicate through various unspoken messages and signs, such as patterns of recurring numbers, lyrics of a favorite song, or seeing the same patterns in nature, such as cloud formations or a particular animal. Pay attention to these special signs. In our world, it’s easy to become distracted and overstimulated, but our guardians are always sending these subtle messages if we pay attention.
Engaging in your daily spiritual practices is necessary to connect with your spirit guides. When getting to know angels, for example, an angel card oracle deck is a useful tool, or a Tarot deck to link archetypes to individual guardians.
For animal spirits there are also lovely card decks, which can be very useful in identifying your totem of guardian animals. You can also keep your departed pet’s favorite items after they’re gone.
Think Of Your Life As Creating A Painting
When I do a psychic reading, I often use words to paint a picture of the situation. I like to talk in images, because the human mind is designed to be drawn to the visual. Archetypal imagery is also the foundation of the Tarot.
I prefer for this reason to start most of my readings with the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, and the Celtic Cross spread, to get an overall picture of the situation and the key players.
The Celtic Cross for me creates a visual psychic map with several different ‘streets’ leaving from a roundabout, with time standing still for that moment.
It features four directions. North for our thoughts; South for the facts of the situation that we can rely on; West for the past and our previous experiences; and East for the next step, or path forward.
To accurately interpret this map, I also intuitively read the feelings, thoughts and intentions of the people involved in the situation.
Every reading outcome also offers a ‘quick fix’ that is usually only a temporary solution, as well as a long-term, more advisable solution. I give my clients the possible outcome of each way to achieve their goal or fulfill their wish. The client must then make the final choice once the reading is over.
Building your future is like building a house. It would make no sense to ask if the roof will be leaking one day, if you haven’t even bought the land to build the house on. No land, no foundation. No foundation, no house. No house, no roof. The same holds true for any relationship, as well as friendships, careers, hobbies. No work, no imagination, no pain… no gain.
Empower Yourself With A Tarot Meditation
The Tarot is so much more than just a method of fortunetelling. Tarot can be used as a tool for meditation just as much as it is an aid for divination.
For example, you can meditate on one of the cards in the Major Arcana, to connect with that specific card’s archetypal energy. Connecting with the card’s energy can not only help you find the answers you need, but more profoundly it can also invite that energy into our life.
Every archetype can awaken within us certain a type of personal power. The Magician can inspire us to become more quick on our feet, as he is mercurial in nature. The High Priestess connects us more deeply with our intuition and higher self. The Tower can bring an immediate closure to a negative situation we cannot stand anymore, and so on.
Let’s focus on The Empress card with a more detailed analysis, to demonstrate how we can utilize her in meditation.
Symbolism Of The Empress
The Empress is the number 3 card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She is the archetypal queen and symbolizes all the riches of femininity. She is related to the planet Venus and the zodiac sign of Taurus, representing affectivity in all its fullness.
As an earthly partner of the Emperor, her archetype represents the earthly plane achievements and pleasures of the physical body, including motherhood. There is also a connection between the Divine Feminine or Divine Mother archetype, represented by this card, and the Earth as Gaia, our nurturing mother.