Walk into most stores nowadays and you'll find divination tools easily at your disposal. Crystal balls, tarot cards, astrology books and the like are now becoming popular sources for guidance, entertainment, and self reflection.
My journey into tarot and oracle cards began a handful of years ago when I started delving into spiritual practices that strayed from organized religion. At the time, it was just something I experimented with occasionally on websites and apps, and this continued to grow within the last couple of years. I wanted to share what I've learned throughout my journey for other people that want to dive into this specific divination tool.
What is tarot?
Originating from the late 14th or early 15th century, tarot cards were traditionally used to play a game called tarrochi, similar to bridge. This game later spread to other European countries beyond northern Italy, where it was eventually named tarot in southern France.1
In the 18th century, tarot cards became used for more mystical and occult purposes after a book was written by Antoine Court de Gebelin, who linked the cards to ancient Egypt. He believed that the tarot symbols encompassed wisdom and knowledge from the god Thot. Another person named Jean-Baptiste Alliette published content around the same time on how to use tarot for divination and fortune telling purposes.1
Tarot's popularity grew in America in the 1900's by groups like the Theosophical Society and the Rosicrusians. Today it's grown into a go-to tool for both experienced psychics and the budding intuitive, helping to gain clarity on any aspect of life and the self.1
Tarot decks have four suits (wands, cups, swords, and pentacles) as well as major arcana cards, highlighting certain themes and archetypes that can enhance your understanding of an issue or area of your life. For instance, the Fool card can show up when you're embarking on a new journey, or the Tower card can show up when there has been major upheaval, change, and transformation.
Oracle decks have a less static set of rules and interpretations, and can encompass a wide range of themes. Examples include fairy themed decks, angel themed decks, and animal totem decks. Messages and interpretations are usually written either on the cards or in the accompanying guidebook. Meanings can be highly individualistic depending on the viewers relationship with the images and symbols presented on the cards. I personally love how creative you can get with both creating and reading oracle cards.
How to use tarot and oracle cards:
As with many spiritual tools, clearing the energy of your decks is really important, as well as becoming centered before doing a reading. I personally like to use a combination of prayer, visualization, and focused intention, although there are a variety of other methods you can use.
When it comes to shuffling the deck, there is no right way to do so, and thus you can use whichever method suits you best. Some people shuffle casino style and then choose cards starting from the top of the deck. Others do a consistent shuffle where you hold the deck in your palm, grab some cards from one side, and drop it to the other side, allowing whichever cards to fly out that want to be a part of the reading. Another method that I like to use is to shuffle your deck and then fan out the cards, allowing your inner vision or gut feelings to choose whichever cards feel right (this can be a good way to practice using your natural intuitive gifts).
Don't worry about choosing the "wrong" cards for your reading. Tarot and oracle decks work with the current vibrational and emotional energies that are surrounding you at the present time, so you can trust that there will always be a message that you need to hear. However, sometimes it takes a bit of reflection for you to understand what that message may be.
Some examples of specific situations to use tarot and oracle cards for:
- Daily pick a card to set intentions or tune into the energies of the day
- Current life themes/lessons
- Relationship readings: current dynamics and blockages, personal expectations and beliefs surrounding love, etc.
- Career readings: how you deal with the monetary aspects of life, things to know about the current direction you're taking in your career, what natural talents and abilities you have, etc.
Ways tarot can be misused:
Something to keep in mind is that as with most things, tarot and oracle cards can have a detrimental effect on your spiritual path depending on how you use them. This is something that I personally have discovered as a part of my journey, and thus, I wanted to share this as a word of caution.
With everything going on collectively in the world, our desire for certainty has increased dramatically. This is partly, in my opinion, what has bred the popularity of many divination and fortune telling tools such as tarot. When used consciously, these tools can help you develop a greater understanding of yourself and the patterns that are holding you back from reaching your highest potential. However, underlying psychological motives can pave the way for tarot to be misused, abused, and used in an addictive way. These motives can involve a lack of trust in oneself, feelings of powerlessness, control issues, and general anxiety over life.
Signs you may be misusing tarot:
- You use tarot to make big life decisions, or can't seem to make any little decision without looking for external guidance from the cards
- You consult the cards too often, and usually with the same question or situation
- You use tarot to avoid having tough conversations in relationships (this will especially lead you to fall victim to readings that tell you what another person thinks about you or what the future is of the relationship)
- Instead of clarity, your readings breed more confusion over any area of your life
- Your readings are inconsistent (another sign you may be consulting the cards too often)
- You let the cards tell you what you should do or how you should feel instead of allowing the messages to fuel self reflection and empower you to make your own decisions
- You use tarot readings to live in denial- this can especially be true if you get a reading that confirms what you already know, yet you consult the cards again in hopes of a different answer
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From what I've learned, tarot and oracle cards are best used for self reflection and awareness of energies, patterns, and blockages. The future is not yet set in stone, and fortune telling tools only give you a glimpse of how the current energies may progress if you are to stay on the same path and make the same decisions. Even then, there are many other external factors that can potentially shape the future.
When doing readings on yourself, it's important to remember that you are the one that is infusing messages in the cards, thus, tarot essentially is a reflection of what you already know and possess within. You may find that as you start developing trust in your other intuitive nudges (gut feelings, inner knowing, clairvoyant messages, etc.) the desire to use external tools may cease. However, tarot can be a good way to prompt you if you are feeling stuck or are having troubles tuning into your inner guidance.
As always, if you're new to the tarot world and want some accurate guidance on any area of your life, seeing an experienced tarot reader may be the best way to go. They can help pinpoint any blind spots that you may have and lead you in a helpful direction.
Tarot and oracle cards can be a wonderful way to access your inner guidance and develop a closer relationship with your intuition. Knowing what to look out for when pursuing tarot can empower you to use this tool in a conscious way that benefits your spiritual path and life.
Source:
1 Koerner, Brendan I. “Where Do Tarot Cards Come From?” Slate Magazine, Slate, 10 Oct. 2002, slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/10/where-do-tarot-cards-come-from.html.
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