Tarot as a Mirror
And how my relationship with tarot came to be
Last week when I ‘introduced myself’, I alluded to more on Tarot was yet to come - in fact, much more! I don’t have a cool origin story as to when tarot and I first met, but I can tell you it’s a relationship that continues to grow. I wasn’t gifted my first deck (a tarot myth that decks should be gifted, especially your first) and I wish I had recorded when I purchased my first deck. I believe it was around 2015 and I completed my first certification to learn the cards in 2017. It has had staying power in my life compared to other things I have picked up and I attribute that to many aspects, such as its spiritual, mysterious, mindful, and personal growth aspects.
Like many people, at one time I thought Tarot was only a tool for fortune tellers and other forms of divination. As part of my personal self-exploration, somehow Tarot found me. I remember in the early years, keeping this part of myself hidden from others. Myths and misinformation surrounded the practice of Tarot and still do, so I was afraid people might misinterpret my connection to tarot. (Like it matters, am I right?!) I lived in a pretty conservative city and was a practising physician at the time, with clearly outdated notions about caring what people may think. At some point, I credit Tarot coming out of the shadows and becoming more mainstream when the popular The Wild Unknown Tarot deck was sold in Anthropologie stores. What’s interesting about this is that it doesn’t resemble the foundational Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck at all. However, from my perspective, this seemed like an entry point for others seeing Tarot in a new light.
As I delved further into my spiritual journey and ways to improve my emotional wellbeing, I found my way deeper into Tarot. It was time to own this part of myself and share the knowledge that I knew it could help others. I even created a related offering through a physician wellness website my husband and I had as an offshoot of my wellness blog. It was ways to use Tarot for burnout and stress. What continues to become even more apparent to me is that the cards have the potential to be great mirrors into our daily lives and are accessible for everyone.
When I gaze upon a card, I look for the message(s) that reflect back to me. Over the course of my time here on Substack, we will talk much more about the cards, but overall, they encompass a lot of what it means to be a human. At one time, I discovered my card that correlates with the Myers-Briggs personality test with a local group I belonged to. Mary Greer (a well-known, respected Tarot expert) talks about this in her book Understanding the Tarot Court. It can even be found described in mainstream media as well, such as in Cosmopolitan. I haven’t retaken it recently but at the time was INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging), corresponding to the Queen of Cups. This still rings true - if you know you know ;)
(The image on the wall is from Chris-Anne’s The Light Seers Tarot - my husband had it blown up for me; the card I am holding is from Rue & Vervain’s Wisdom of Pooh Tarot)
Every morning I pull a Tarot card to see what energy and messages for the day are being reflected back to me. This morning was The Hermit from my beloved Wisdom of Pooh deck. Through journaling, I found myself writing, “You have the light you need dear one to find your way in the dark.” The impact of the cards continues to amaze me.
Benebell Wen sums this up perfectly in her book the Holistic Tarot:
“Tarot helps us look within ourselves to understand our emotions, the reasoning behind our words and conduct, and the source of our conflicts. Tarot cards help us think of our problem from a different perspective, and like other diagnostic tools for decision-making, help us chart a road map for solutions.”
Until next time.