Why the Tarot?

There are lots of sites that will help you learn how to read tarot cards. What I want to do with this one is expose some of the misinformation about the Tarot and encourage you to think about what benefits you can get from using the Tarot to help with your personal life.

First, let me tell you a story. I had dabbled with the Tarot off and on for many years, from abut the age of 16. I was interested in various methods of divination, such as palmistry and automatic writing, and was searching for the method that seemed to be most valid. I was not looking at these things from the perspective of someone wanting quick fix advice, but more along the lines of earnest inquiry. I have always believed that there is more to heaven and earth than we currently know, and I was fascinated by the metaphysical.

As you can imagine, this was something that made my family and friends think I was deluded, crazy, dangerous, or all three. People fear or dismiss what they don't understand. Well, I wanted to understand it.

The experiences I had with the Tarot were so compelling that I could not let it alone. On the one hand, there were times when I didn't seem to get much out of a reading. At other times, it was sometimes so accurate that it frightened me.

One day, when I was struggling with a very difficult personal issue, as a young married woman, I got out my Tarot deck and did a Celtic Cross reading for myself. The ten cards laid out in the spread indicated that there was a serious decision that had to be made. Well, quite frankly, I didn't want to have to make that decision. Deep down, I knew it was the crux of the matter, and the cards just reinforced that fact. Perhaps I was looking for a way out, or another option.

Not satisfied with the cards telling me what I already knew, I repeated the reading. After a new shuffle and cut, holding the same question in my mind, 7 of the original 10 cards turned up again in almost the same positions in the spread.

That might be enough to freak someone out, and it almost did for me. But I'm stubborn, and I rationalized it away as a coincidence. Maybe I hadn't shuffled the cards that well, although I really knew I had.

So I shuffled again -- really shuffled them and mixed them up good -- and cut for the third time.

This time the spread included 8 of the original 10 cards and in positions that indicated the same thing.

Now I WAS frightened! The same cards three times in a row?? That was way beyond coincidence.

That day, the true power of the Tarot was revealed to me. I knew what I should do about this situation, I was just resistant to taking the action. Very clearly, the part of my mind that knew what needed to be done was speaking to me through the cards. My unconscious thoughts were directing the movements of my hands as I shuffled, cut, and laid out the cards.

This is what the Tarot can do for you as well. It cannot tell your future. Nor can it solve your problems for you. All it does is give you information, through symbols and interpretation. It allows you to marshal your thoughts and feelings, and gain some clarity on your current and possibly future situations. It can even help you understand the past.

Since that day, I have had other incredible experiences with the Tarot. I will share some of them with you as we go along. But please remember, even though the Tarot has been labeled occult and mysterious, it is no less a concrete and valid method of revealing your inner thoughts as psychiatry or hypnosis, just without the hefty price tag.

As you learn how to read tarot cards for yourself, you will see the power and potential it has in your own life for providing insight and enlightenment on those situations and issues that are of concern to you. I look forward to sharing that journey with you.