I Is Smart: Tarot Reading

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “tarot” mentioned?

Do you think of the mystical?
Is Magic the central element in the practice of the cards?
The fate that is delt will happen, whether you want it to or not?

To explain it, the art of tarot is to weave a story from the images that the cards carry and their hidden meanings and how those instances, events, or interactions emotionally relate to you and your surroundings.

I had no idea what to expect in taking a course like this. After my creative writing and screenwriting lessons, I sought to further my storytelling skills by pursuing this journey. It is a practice that has been around for centuries and used by many as a tool for spiritual guidance from the past and better yourself and your future. Within the “Health and Wellness category,” I wanted to find out how tarot reading could use this practice for your literal health and overall wellness throughout life. The cards don’t lay down the instructions of making your life better from the start but assure you that the paths you take in life could be for the better or worse if you’re not careful.

There are 78 cards in the deck, and every single one of them tells a story within itself. The connections to psychology; are that they strongly possess the representation of the archetypes of humankind. The universal traits of strength, ambition, passion, and destruction – the great divide that the mind and body have when navigating the obstacles of the unforeseen or unknown.

While on this journey, I came across movies and television shows that would use tarot as a tool for direct and definite answers for questions in life that would require self-reflection and taking steps to what the character needed to do in life to make better choices. It was unsettling that that is its view from an entertainment standpoint when it could build a better “you.” The most upsetting instances were when readers were using the wrong hand when reading the cards to the clients.

Once I began the lessons, the methods imposed were a little comical. You need various crystals that cleanse, absorb, and emit energies you’re targeting to amplify aspects of your life. Sage is burned to eliminate negative ambiances. Mediation is implored to decontaminate the cards you decide to use for reading the tarot. Why are there so many rules for something that is sold and used commercially as a game? I’m not going to succumb to this hippy-dippy, third-eye mumbo jumbo to be able to tell a story. But I soon caved in and took on this energy of not questioning the process that has been around for centuries, how its applications were used for some as a sign of hope for the future. Even if that future isn’t one you’d live to see.

So I have the crystals. I burn the sage. I mindfully connect to my cards to tell me what I need to know for the day. I stay grounded, listen to my surroundings, and do my best to keep an open mind. I have a card that I connect to, but I will not share what that card is because, as stated before, the cards visualize our universal traits. We all possess qualities, some more than others, and one day my card; my life may change.

Being that I have a professional diploma in reading Tarot cards, I can perform readings. The code of ethics is strict and shouldn’t be taken lightly. As a word of advice: never have your cards read when under the influence. You pretty much got your drunk ass stolen from while being told you were the shit and everything is going good for you in life when you know it’s not. I am open to doing readings, so feel free to contact me.

The link to Shaw Academy, for your consideration