How To Do A Fearless Tarot Reading

Each psychic reader has their favorite tools, and what suits one reader does not necessarily work well for another. In all my years as a professional psychic, angel oracle cards have always been my primary divination tool of choice. Nevertheless, I am also well-versed in reading the Tarot. Surprisingly, I have had a few clients over the years who have asked me not to use the Tarot for their readings, often because they feel uncomfortable with, and even fearful of some the occult symbols and imagery found in traditional Tarot decks.

In fact, just recently I had a very worried lady contact me about a Tarot reading she tried to do for herself. She attempted a four-card spread, and three of the cards she pulled now had her very worried: The Devil, Death and The Hanged Man. She was very anxious what this might mean and begged me to help her make sense of it all.

She confessed that she had considered reshuffling the cards and starting over, but I advised her against this. It is not at all wise to try and make a reading ‘fit’ simply because you don’t like the cards you drew. Instead, one needs to look at what the original cards are conveying.

I also explained to her that it is essential to consider the order in which the cards fall in a spread, as it often reveals a narrative or pattern of events. Furthermore, Tarot cards are directive, not simply predictive. The cards point us in the right direction or reveal the best path to take to arrive at a desired destination, and achieve the best possible outcome.

I then helped her to interpret her four-card reading as follows:

The Tarot represents the spectrum of the human condition, the good, the evil, the light, and the dark. Do not fear the darker aspects of the human condition. Understand them. The Tarot is a storybook about life, about the greatness of human accomplishment, and also the ugliness we are each capable of ~ Benebell Wen

The Devil

The Devil card primarily represents negativity in one’s life, including the sense of feeling trapped, tempted by material things, poor relationships, materialism, and domination. Reflecting upon this card, spirit confirmed that in this case it indicated that she had been in a dysfunctional relationship with a very dominating partner.

Death

The Death card does not predict death of the physical body for anyone. What it does symbolize is the ending or conclusion of something. The Death card also symbolizes spiritual growth, a new chapter in life, a positive transition, or a fresh start. It therefore further became clear that she was in the process of coming out of, or at least planning to leave the bad relationship. Once again spirit confirmed this for me.

The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man card in her spread further suggested that she may currently be somewhat stuck, or her progress blocked. Spirit then revealed to me that she was still emotionally struggling with putting her difficult, unfulfilling marriage behind her.

She then confirmed that she had recently finally broke free from her controlling husband and in the process of ending their toxic marriage of over 20 years. She also admitted that she had been finding it difficult to let go and move on emotionally.

The guidance she then received from spirit was to step back, take some time out, and by doing so, she would be able to view her situation from a different perspective and find the best way forward. This resonated with her.

The World

Fortunately, the future was hopeful and bright, since the fourth card she had pulled was The World. I happily informed her that this was a very encouraging card to come up in her spread. The World card represents resilience, achievements, fulfilment, or completion.

She had liberated herself from toxic negativity (The Devil) when she left behind her controlling husband. Now she can embrace a new beginning and fresh start. Nevertheless, The Hanged Man reminded her that while the worst was probably behind her, she still did not feel like she was fulfilled in her current circumstances. By taking note of this, and making some time for herself to do the work needed for her to find healing, she will ultimately achieve new joy and fulfilment and experience a positive transition into a new and better chapter of her life, as revealed by The World card.

Books are like Tarot decks. They provide answers and guidance but more importantly, they are doorways and portals to the otherworld and the imagination. They leave their imprint and keep whispering to us long after we close the pages or shuffle the deck ~ Sasha Graham

This reading reminded me of one I did for myself many years ago, when I first started studying the Tarot. The first card I drew was The Death card, followed by The World and the Two of Cups. Financially it was a particularly challenging and frugal time in my life. As a young, single woman, I had limited means to support myself and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.

Looking back, The Death card showed me that this period of lack and scarcity was coming to an end. Furthermore, The World card conveyed that after ending of this challenging period in my life, all the efforts I had put into creating a new and better career for myself would start to pay off – as it ultimately did.  Also, The Two of Cups Card indicated a new relationship, and in time I did marry a man I met at my new work!

The Tower Card, The Three of Swords, The Nine of Words and The Ten of Swords are also sometimes ‘feared cards.’  But they also need not be!

The Tower alerts us to be aware of change, rather than fear it. Doing so can help to prevent challenges and thus make the way ahead smoother.

Three of Swords teaches that knowledge, healing, strength and wisdom come from challenge.

Nine of Swords remind us that we should not let our fears and anxieties make us believe that things are worse than what they really are.

Ten of Swords shows us that dead-end situations or extreme circumstances cannot get any worse – they can only get better. However, when in a difficult place, it is wise not to play the victim, or adopt a victim’s mindset.  After all, doing so would not help us out of such a situation!

It is rare to have several ‘negative’ cards in a Tarot spread. However, when they do show up in a spread in this way, looking more closely at them, with guidance and confirmation from spirit, will point us in the right direction or reveal the best course of action to bring about a better set of circumstances and the best possible future outcomes.