Thirty Revelations I Learned Throughout My Tarot Journey
During my Tarot journey, Iâve learned a significant amount about myself and gained a lot of experience and wisdom along the way. Although this journey has been far from easy, it has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. I wanted to share with you all the thirty revelations I learned throughout my Tarot journey so far.
It is okay to be the type of reader that you want to be. There will be those who will try to say that your way of doing things is wrong or unethical but the only rules and moral compass that you need to follow is your own. Your ethics and reading style do not have to mirror anyone elseâs. Â There is no grand Tarot counsel or set rules that you must abide by. Whether a Tarot practice is legit or valid is all matter of personal opinion.
Not all clients are looking for advice. Some clients just need someone to talk to, and someone who will intently listen. Iâve had my fair share of clients who felt better after a reading by just shuffling the cards and talking to me without actually laying any cards down.
You can use multiple decks and systems within a reading if that is your thing. When I first started out reading Tarot, I stuck with only one deck in a reading. Now I use a combination of multiple decks and even add oracle decks in the mix to give a layered reading to a client.
You do not need a Tarot journal. I always felt guilty for never having a Tarot journal because so many people recommended it as a must have when starting out. I never could keep up with it. I found that taking photos of my cards daily helped me learn Tarot better than any journal ever could.
Tarot decks can be used for prayer and manifestation workings. I remember purchasing Tarot and Magic by Donald Michael Kraig in the early 2000s and becoming fascinated by how I could use Tarot to aid me in my manifestation work. Recently I purchased The Modern Spellcasters Tarot and it too provides a wonderful guide on how to use Tarot in spiritual practices.
Your deck will sometimes call you out on your short comings and problematic behavior. I never thought this was true until it happened to me. I have a deck that I specifically call Mariah Carey because she is a bit of a Drama queen but also calls me out and drags me for filth. *I do understand not everyone has dealt with this situation or has had a deck that has called them out. I am only speaking from personal experience. Your experiences may and will differ from my own.Â
It is okay to pull a clarifier card. I used to feel like I was a bad reader for wanting more information on a subject by pulling an additional card. What I donât do however is try to pull cards hoping for a different answer.
Never assume anyoneâs gender, gender expression, gender identity, pronouns, sexual orientation, relationship status or lack there of.
Tarot readings do not need to be a formal experience. I used to think that in order for a Tarot reading to be truly authentic or meaningful, I needed an elaborate set up of crystals, incense, and candles. Since letting go of that mindset, I allowed myself the freedom to read Tarot as elaborate or minimalistic as I want to.
You can read Tarot without believing in or using intuition. For so long I struggled with accepting the concept of intuition that forcing myself to try and use it hindered me. I think it is perfectly valid to read Tarot analytically, scientifically, subjectively, mathematically, through rote memorization, or any other way you feel is best.
Sometimes you will go through times in your Tarot journey where you doubt your practices and question your abilities. It took me a while to gain confidence in myself and my practice. Each day is a constant reminder of how far I have come.
Everyone does not want or need to be a Tarot resource. Just because someone is a Tarot reader or runs a Tarot blog doesnât mean they want to teach you something. I think itâs important to know that your Tarot journey is yours alone. If you do not want to be a resource for others that is okay.
There is an unlimited amount of ways to learn to read Tarot. None are better than the other. We all have different ways of learning. Your strengths as a reader may be someone elseâs difficulty and vice versa. Learn Tarot in whatever way works for you.
The advice or information provided in a reading and the nature in which the client decides to use such advice in their life is completely up to them. I have learned to accept that the client has the choice to relate and apply their reading and any relevant information to their life appropriately. You cannot force a client to find value in a reading or to take any advice provided.
The length of a Tarot reading does not determine the quality. Sometimes during a reading, all that needs to be said to answer a question are a few sentences, other times it can take a few paragraph of words. *This does not mean providing someone with a three sentence reading and calling it good if you advertised a reading that is approx 1100 words. etc.Â
The energy it takes to do one reading varies reader to reader. One Tarot reader can do a whole marathon of readings and be fine, while another can do just one and be severely low on energy.
Tarot can be a purely aesthetic experience. Sometimes I just like admiring the cards, its stock quality and the artwork and that is perfectly valid.
Tarot and my relationship with God does not have to be a separate experience. I often use my Tarot deck to communicate with God. I wrote about that here in my Tarot Confessions post.
Other people should not get to determine what is a ârealâ Tarot deck for you. I had some experiences where I was belittled for using a fandom deck in my practice. You are free to use whatever deck you are comfortable using. No matter how many people or how authoritative the source of the recommendation, only you can determine the deck that will check all the right boxes for you in regards to your learning style, reading style, art preference, size, readability and the way it makes you feel when using it.
You can incorporate music into your readings. @yuna-the-autumn-witch actually taught me that music could be such a wonderful addition and layer to a Tarot Reading. I have also found that using soft ambient music when doing typed readings helps to calm me down and put me in a reading mindset. I have several Tarot reading playlists that I use.
You can read only for yourself and still be a valid reader. Sometimes people do not like to read for others or arenât comfortable reading for another person. No matter the situation, even if you only read for just yourself, your skills and way of reading are still valid. Â I wrote a post about making money with Tarot without selling Tarot readings. Check it out here.
Your first deck and the deck that helps you to fully grasp and understand Tarot do not have to be the same deck. I started out trying to learn many different systems of Tarot in the beginning but the deck that helped me finally understand Tarot was my Rosetta Tarot that was published back in 2011.
There are many different types of readers and reading styles out there. Find the style that works for you. Not everyone needs to do the same type of reading or be a similar type of reader to help other people. Find what makes you uniquely you and embrace it.
Tarot spreads are wonderful to use but not everyone uses them and they arenât for everyone that is okay. I use spreads for clients on occasion but rarely ever force it. I like my readings to be created organically at the moment and it works for me.
I learned from Jean-Louis De Biasi the concept of card spirits and divinities within the seventy-eight of the Tarot. Although I am not a witch or magical practitioner, I found this concept extremely interesting in my study of Tarot.
Your interpretation of the cards can differ from the interpretation given by the artist. I struggled a lot using independently published decks because I felt I had to use the meanings provided by the creator because the deck was created personally by them. I later learned that it was okay to implement my own meanings and symbolism as I read, regardless if it differed from the artist or authors own meaning.
Iâve learned a lot of cartomancy tricks, especially from my Mother, Aunts and Lenormand mentors that I applied to Tarot. One such trick to heal old wounds from childhood trauma is to find The Sun card in the Tarot deck. The card before the Sun is how the trauma manifests itself in your life and the card after it is the first step to consider when embarking on your healing journey.
I learned to read Tarot with just the Tarot backs and blank cards. When I was younger, I would frequent magic shops that had trick decks with blank cards and I would tell fortunes with them to my friends. When I started reading Tarot I wanted to see if I could do the same with Blank Tarot cards and it worked out surprisingly well.
Reading Tarot can be as simple as looking at the card and saying what you see.
Embrace your growth as a Tarot student and reader and do frequent check ins with yourself. It is okay to take a break when needed. It is okay to stop altogether if you feel drawn to do so.
Post Notes:
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Title: Thirty Revelations I Learned Throughout My Tarot Journey
Copyright:  © Ivan Ambrose 2017
Disclaimer: The premise of this post is to showcase the things Iâve learned throughout my Tarot journey. This is not to say that I havenât learned more or that I have stopped learning since this post. This post is just a small compilation of some of the things I felt were important to learn in my Tarot journey. This may be different from your own journey and that is okay. This post in no way, shape, or form is intended to tell you how you must go about learning some of these topics in your Tarot journey. The intention of this post is to share my experiences and my growth as a Tarot reader. Â I encourage and open up this conversation to respectful debate and added commentary to supplement this post of any kind.
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