Using Tarot for Personal Growth
If you’ve picked up a deck of tarot cards or seen someone do a reading, you can probably relate to the mystical intuitive energy that emanates from these beautiful spiritual tools. Over the years, tarot has become a passion of mine along with many other mediums and perspectives on personal growth. In my experiences tarot readings, especially with others can bring intense intimacy, insight, and a touch of magic that can open your mind and heart in ways you never thought possible. But tarot also comes with its challenges. If you’ve ever owned a deck yourself, you might be able to relate to the desire for a simple solution to your problems, or the anxiety that comes when we believe our worst fears are being confirmed in a reading. In this article I’m here to discuss my journey using tarot for personal transformation, some of the pitfalls I’ve encountered, along with insights, tips, and techniques that will help you develop a healthy relationship with this mystical art form.
What I’ve realized through my own experience is that the practice of picking up a deck of tarot cards is more about tapping into a specific mental space or state of mind, rather than finding a specific answer. When I first started using tarot, I might have done readings with the intention of finding an answer to a situation that felt out of my control. My intention was that the cards were their own entity that was completely separate from me, and if only I could interpret what they were saying, I could find the answer that had, up until that point, eluded me. What I’ve come to realize is that even though I believe in a power beyond myself that tarot creates a connection to, I don’t ever believe I’m totally separate from the messages being presented to me in a reading.
In fact, what I’ve come to realize about life in general is that I’m fundamentally connected to, and in relationship with everything around me and therefore I’m not completely separate from anything that happens around me. I have some kind of influence over it, even it’s just in the way I choose to conceptualize that situation. I believe this phenomenon plays a big role in tarot as well.
What I’ve noticed is that when we are reading tarot for ourselves, or even if someone else is reading for us, there can be a feeling of losing control over the situation or question we are asking about. This is why a lot of people don’t like tarot, or feel in certain way scared or creeped out by it, because it makes them experience the fear that they have no control. I’ve felt this way too many times when doing readings for myself. There’s a sense of anxiety and free fall when pulling cards that makes it feel like there’s a lot of pressure. I may have thoughts like, “am I picking the right card??” or “gosh, I hope I’m picking a good card, should I pick this one or that one.” In this state, everything feels really intense. A lot of times we’re coming into the reading hoping for a certain outcome and fearing others. And then, inevitably, we end up pulling cards and interpreting them through a lens of fear without even realizing it. This happens because we are so afraid of a certain outcome that our mind can’t help but scan for it, to make sure it’s not there. Then because we’re looking for signs that it may be true, we end up finding something that may or may not actually be saying what we fear, but we end up interpreting it that way anyways because it feels safer to be hyper vigilant than give the benefit of the doubt. If you have experience using tarot, I’m sure you can empathize with how stressful and painful this can be. In many cases it’s been enough for me to stop using tarot all together for long periods of time.
But luckily, I’ve discovered there is a way out of this negative cycle — a healthy way to use tarot that feels good and leaves you feeling more confident and in-control rather than less. The key here has to do with what I was saying earlier about that fact that you’re not separate from the messages you get from tarot. It’s important to realize that there’s no inherent meaning to cards on their own. They play off the mind and spirit of the person reading. A reading is the a co-creation between a higher power and the personal will of the reader. All this to say, when you do a reading — you have a choice in how you create meaning from the cards.
What I have come to realize is that tarot is an emanation of our intuition. And intuition doesn’t come from the fixed, rational part of our brain. It comes from the part that is fluid, ever-changing, expanding and growing. It’s the part of our brain that can accept multiple things to be true at the same time. This is part that has the ability to see beyond the mind and into the heart, which holds a deeper layer of truth. This means that when we do a reading, there isn’t just one way to interpret the cards — there are infinite ways. And we have let go of the mindset that there’s just one answer to our question.
When we understand and shift our perspective into one of openness and fluidity, we can let go of our fears about not having control, and recognize how much power and control we have over the situation just by means of how we choose to conceptualize it. We may begin to realize that what we viewed previously as a problem, may not actually be a problem at all.
If we can learn to pay attention to the way we show up to the reading and frame the situation in our mind, we can develop more curiosity and openness to see our circumstances from a wider more compassionate perspective.
Now when I do tarot, I notice that it’s less about the cards themselves and more about entering a mental state that is more balanced and opened. As this happens, I can become more receptive to my own intuition. This not only brings me clarity around the situation at hand, it also helps me develop more confidence in myself to trust my inner knowing so I don’t have to resort to anxiety.
Now you might be wondering what changes can you make to your tarot practice in order to cultivate a more connected, intuitive, stress-free mindset?
One of the biggest changes that can be helpful to your practice is gaining more awareness about what frame of mind you’re in when you show up to the cards and what sort of questions you are asking.
The first thing I can suggest, is if you have a problem or sticking point you’re looking to gain clarity on, first take a pause before your reading and ask yourself how you’re viewing the situation. For instance, are you framing the situation as a problem? If so why? What is your biggest fear about the situation? Is there any self-blame hiding in your perspective? What emotions do you feel when you think about this situation?
If you’re stressed out and anxious, slowing down and asking these questions from a calm and neutral standpoint, can already do wonders to bringing you more into a space of insight and clarity before you’ve even touched the cards. Then if you want to take things a step farther, you can ask what you fear most from this reading, and what you hope most to see?
I’ve noticed that nine times out of ten, if it’s something that’s causing me a lot of stress in my life, it may be something I just need to let go of all together especially if it’s consistently pulling me into space where I’m feeling anxiety, self-doubt, and the need to control.
Okay, so now it’s finally time to actually do your reading. Take a deep breathe, and set an inner intention to be open and receptive to whatever messages might come through. After you pull your cards, take stock of your initial reaction and then ask if there’s any other ways the reading could be interpreted that you might have missed. If something about the cards is stressing you out especially, you can ask if there was a kinder more empowering way to read the cards, what would it be? Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is that you have the power, not the cards or some external force. Remember, you can always ask what a particular card means if it’s confusing you, and pull another card.
Keep in mind that tarot can play different roles at different times. Sometimes we go into a reading looking for clarity and a massive breakthrough. When this does happen it can be amazing. But, it doesn’t always happen and that’s okay. It’s not always meant to happen. I find that many times doing a reading doesn’t provide concrete answers but it starts an inner conversation, an inner questioning of something of something. And at its best it sparks curiosity.
No matter what you get it’s always nice to pull out a journal or piece of paper and do some journalling on the answer. Journalling helps ground your thoughts and move through your emotions. You can’t just spin in circles on something like you might normally in your head because it’s on the page, and once you write it once, it sparks other thoughts that move you forwards.
No matter what you get from a reading, just remember that energy is fluid, and life is always in motion. That means nothing is fixed and it’s all influenced by our perception. So take what resonates and inspires you, and leave the rest. Over time, tarot can become a friend that’s always there to talk you through whatever’s going on through pictures, symbols and intuitive nudges.
Happy reading!