What
is
Tarot
?
Tarot is a deck of 78 cards filled with potent symbolism. It is traditionally considered a divination tool, divination being the practice of seeking knowledge of the unknown through supernatural means. I however would describe Tarot as an energy communication pathway. Divination tools such as Tarot allow you to translate the energy which is always surrounding us into concrete things that we can then analyze and more easily act on. This can help us to overcome stagnation, understand complex feelings, access your higher consciousness, receive messages from spiritual guides and just generally support us on our path to personal development.
All things in this world contain energy. Down to the smallest particles ~ it is the very fabric of our reality. This energy is constantly interacting both within and around us. Tarot taps into this ”secret” layer of reality. Translating the unconscious into the tangible. Bridging us to the unseen and unknown. The origin of Tarot is fairly mysterious but the practice of tarot card reading is long-standing.
More OF THE SPECIFICS about tarot
Tarot is made up of Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards. The 22 Major Arcana cards represent more complex archetypes while the 56 minor arcana correlate to smaller themes which are more temporary and experience on a daily basis. The 56 minor arcana are they broken into 4 suits (Cups, Wands, Pentacles and Swords) with each correlating to a different element (water, fire, earth and air). Each suit has 10 numbered cards and 4 court cards (King, Queen, Page and Knight). The numbered minor arcana cards are interpretations of how that suits correlating element physically manifests within the energy of that number. When it comes to the court cards, I interpret them as how the corresponding element physically manifest within masculine, feminine, unmatured masculine and unmatured feminine energies. We express varying degrees of each of these masculine/feminine energies within ourselves. So... the court cards can also be explained as being personality trends of that current moment. All that being said, let's get into some of the details of the general meaning of each suit.
Cups: The suit of cups correlates to the water element. As an elemental archetype water represents your emotions, intuition and creative expression. In tarot readings these cards often express emotional connection to self or to others.
Wands: The suit of wands represents the fire element. Fire is often associated with energy, passion, core beliefs, motivations and abstract thought. When they appear in readings, they often provide insight into matters such as your life purpose, spirituality and to represent new perspectives or ideas.
Pentacles: The suit of pentacle represents the earth element. Earth correlates to the most physical world in regards to material possession and our relationship to materials, finances and career. When pentacles appear in readings they often speak to our work and relationship to the physical world.
Swords: The suit of swords correlates to the air element. The air archetype represents our thoughts, words and actions so when this suit appears in readings it is often in regards to communication, decision making, new ideas and asserting your power.
When
to seek a
Tarot Reading
Tarot can be called upon at any time for any reason even if there isn't much you feel called to focus on. For example, you can perform annual check-ins to simply get another perspective into how life is going for you. That being said, these are some times when Tarot can be particularly helpful:
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When you have specific questions regarding your current life situation
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When you are feeling lost and looking to find clearer direction within your life.
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When you feel that you need to re-align with your soul's/life’s purpose.
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If you are struggling to overcome obstacles.
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When you are looking to receive messages from your unconscious, higher self or spirit guides.
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If would like to gain insight into the near future.
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To help you face and/or heal complex emotions or situations.
How
often
Should I Get Readings
?
Tarot Readings are not things which need to occur frequently in order to be helpful. During particularly chaotic times you may feel drawn to use Tarot quite frequently but as a general rule I wouldn't suggest seeking out a reading more often then ever few months.
What to expect from a session
During a tarot reading the energies around you, along with any guidance from your higher self, unconscious mind or spirit guides, are translated into concrete messages that allow you to better understand complex experiences. The cards may offer you hard truths, glimpses into your future or communicate which direction best suites your needs.
To get us started I will let you handle and look through my Tarot deck. This helps your energy to mingle with the cards and helps us to relax into the experience. I will then prompt you to ask a specific question, you can either state your question out loud or keep in private. It is important to note that the cards will always respond to the issue most pressing to your psyche so be genuine and honest regarding what you ask the cards. Once you are grounded into your question I will deal the cards into a Tarot spread. Spreads are a structured arrangement of cards which gives us a framework for gaining insight into your question. The card within each “position” of the spread gives you portion of the “answer” to your question.
After we have concluded the spread I will begin intuitively reading cards until we reach a sense of completion.
Readings last about 45-minutes and can be held in-person (if you are local to the Rochester, NY area) or via zoom. I do not generally set timers during readings as I prefer to intuitively flow through the experience.
