magickalconnections

If you´re fascinated or curious about Tarot or consider getting a reading, there are a few basics that you should know and consider. If you understand what Tarot is and what it is not, you will be able to enter a reading with the right mindset and well-formulated question so that you can receive clear messages.

What is Tarot?

I´m not going to dive deep into the history of Tarot here. For the purpose of this blog, it suffices to say that Tarot has been around since ancient times and has been evolving constantly. First mention of Tarot dates back to 1392 in Europe. This doesn´t mean, however, that Tarot started around that time. Rather it means that it was the first time people wrote about it or mentioned it.

However, it’s important to note that the cards, especially the Major Arcana, are associated with ancient Gods and Goddesses and as such tell a story and set a major energy or scene for a reading or particular part of a reading. 

For example, the Magician card is associated with the God Hermes. This is significant because the story of Mercurio or Hermes, the Gods´messenger, is one of great skill to get out of any situation but also trickery.

Did you know that the God Hermes earned his gifts as messenger of the Gods as well as the gift of divination and guiding the souls to the underworld?

The story goes that young Hermes stole cattle from the sun God Apollo. When he was caught he not only escaped punishment from the furious Apollo but managed with great skill and eloquent manipulation to gain the admiration of the powerful sun God who decided to give him above mentioned powers.

Isn’t it interesting how the association of this story with the Magician card already conveys a lot of the cards´ possible meanings in a reading?

The cards are also associated with Astrology – planets and zodiac signs and even herbs.

These associations help readers to interpret the card within a given context created by surrounding cards. 

I could write an entire blog about associations but for now it’s important that you understand that each card has a rich history and colorful landscape of meaning which is why a generally good card can turn out to be a warning depending on the surrounding cards and a potentiaññy bad card can mean something good. The best example for this is the Death card which tends to spook people when it turns up. However, it can actually talk about a positive transformation of something.

The magick of Tarot

So you decided you would like to get a Tarot card reading or you are extremely curious about the hype of this often misunderstood tool of divination.

Here is what you absolutely need to know to understand what to expect and how to approach the Tarot with the right mindset.

Without a doubt, Tarot is mystical and can  even feel other-wordly. Whenever I read the cards to someone who I don´t know, I get the same reaction. They cannot believe how accurate it is and I was even called a witch. But in reality, it has nothing to do with witchcraft. I always tell my clients that all I’m doing is channeling the messages the cards give. This means that I don´t use my own ´witchy´ skills to get into someone’s head or read his future. I usually have no idea what I’m talking about as I speak out loud the story the cards tell and the things I ´hear´ in my head, or simply the thoughts and feelings that I have during the reading. Because I intentionally open myself up to receive messages for this person, I can trust that my thoughts and feelings combined with the cards and their meanings are the precise message the universe has for that.person. Whether I understand it or not is completely irrelevant. The most important thing is that the person receiving the reading understands. And oh boy, do they!

So how is this possible? If you deny the notion that everything has a vibration and therefore has an impact on the energy field around us, then Tarot is not for you because its interpretation and messages are based on exactly this principle.

Tarot cards reveal energies. The general energy someone is in as well as the energies surrounding them. Our circumstances, thought processes and the energy fields of other people, mostly those we interact with on a regular basis, influence us in a direct manner and can have a huge impact on our own energy even if we don’t realize it.

This energy field, by default, is fluid and in constant motion. Everything that happens, how we perceive what happened, how we react and even the way our surroundings handle life enter our energy field and interact with our vibration constantly. On top of this, strangers, animals, plants, the planets – the entire universe – has a constant and ever-changing energetic impact on our own energy.

The cards pick up on the present energy someone brings to a reading and then goes deeper to reveal past energies, sometimes to help understand the present energy, sometimes to heed a warning. Based on this, future outcomes can be revealed in a reading as well.

Now that you understand that the Tarot works on the principle of revealing and interpreting energies, let’s look into how this rather abstract concept is channeled into a clear and practical message for those who seek the advice of the cards.

Each card has a general meaning and, as mentioned before, a connection and association with Gods, planets, herbs, etc. There is such a rich and ample well of associations that usually no one reader knows them all in depth, rather each one has their specialty on which they depend  during a reading. 

For example, if your reader is also an astrologer, he or she will see a lot of connections and symbolism connected to the planets, stars, and the zodiac signs which will help him/her understand what the card wants to say. 

If your reader is also well-versed in the history and stories of the ancient Greek Gods, he or she will most likely have a mystical storyline in their head which they will knit and weave into the reading in one form or another. 

Interestingly, none of this will ever contradict even if the interpretation might put the focus on different aspects of the situation. This is why you might get a slightly different answer from different readers but if you look deeper, you will always see that there is no contradiction, just different ways to see or deal with a situation. This in turn is a reflection of the fluidity and adaptability of energies or the flow of life. You could also interpret it as the universe guiding you to a specific reader for you to hear a specific message in a specific light.

General interpretations of the Tarot´s storyline, grounded in strong historical and almost scientific foundations, is only one part of how Tarot works..

There is also another, deeply spiritual side to reading Tarot. The part of interpretation that cannot be explained by a simple ´This card means such and such and is associated with such and such…´.

I´m talking about each individual reader´ s spiritual gifts and talents. If you are seeking out a Tarot reader, you need to be very open to accept that your message will not be based on pure logic, rather it’s a message the universe has for you. Your reader thus will be able to channel these messages using their specific gift. Some readers are psychic, some are clairaudient, meaning they can hear things including spirits, some have clairvision, they can see things from the other world, and some are beyond empathetic and can feel energies that are not their own.

The interpretation of your Tarot reading will have the cards and their meanings as a basic guidance. These meanings will then be filtered through the reader’s mind and enriched by their spiritual gifts and practices.

What comes out on the other side is the unfolding of your energetic story that will evolve into the precise message that you need to hear at that moment in time.

There is so much more to Tarot, so I decided to write a second blog that will deal with how to ask the right questions and how to use Tarot for guidance.

So don’t miss out, stay tuned and subscribe to this blog. This way future blogs will land in your inbox and you will never miss any of my magickal tips on how to live a meaningful life full of miracles and magic!

If you resonate with this and would like to get a reading, send me an email to magickalconnections@gmail.com