How I See Tarot

The way I feel about and think about Tarot is a fluid, constantly evolving affair, so the following may change over time, it's never fixed.

That's the beautiful thing about Tarot, you can spend a whole lifetime studying and developing your practice, or you can never read a single book about it and read the cards however you like and either way is fine and will bring a richness to experience like nothing else.

Right now, this is how I see it.

I've always been a believer in synchronicity, where coincidences have some kind of meaning that’s relevant to me, that is meant to be, and comes at just the right time.

I've mostly lived my life by following my intuition, seeing and listening to the subtle signs that lead me along my path.

So as far as Tarot is concerned, the cards are shuffled, dealt out, and the pictures that come out randomly will be the only ones that were meant to come out at that time, and whatever comes to mind when I look at them will be useful to me in some way.

The same applies when I read for someone else, whether that's divinatory, general or answering specific questions, seeking helpful advice about deeper (or mundane) things concerning the present time or used as a way to uncover things about ourselves, things under the surface or things we may be overlooking.

To me it's an intimate experience, they always make me feel better about life in some way, even when they point out things I've been trying to ignore.

I must have read most books on Tarot going, from the history to the way the cards correspond to different branches of esoterica and systems of belief, to readings and spreads and meaning (of which there are so many and so many contradictory ones).

I think this is an important part of our tarot journey and even though I have a memory like a sieve, I'm sure all that info is embedded in my subconscious somewhere.

Having said that, to me, nothing beats reading the cards, learning from them, feeling what they are saying when you are with them in the present moment. Whatever thoughts and feeling and tangents one's mind goes off on when seeing the cards in a spread, comes straight from our intuition and is far more valuable and truer than anything someone else says is true, just because it's written in a book.

It's like religion and other spiritual practices, there's so much beauty and knowledge that you can glean once you get past all the dogma, it's very useful if treated in the right way, but you'll come across a lot of people who think their way is the only way, they somehow know the truth, their book is the absolute truth. Not for me, I take what I want and find useful and leave the rest.

That's not so say I think my way is the right way, I think everyone should do what they please and if it's helpful to them and anyone they read for then that's great.

I love, still, reading books on tarot, I never get bored of it, I love taking notes, I love finding the odd gem here and there which makes me feel warm inside.

The cards’ traditional meanings will come into my readings, along with elemental and numerical essences, but for me, I'm a very visual person, whatever the image sparks off in my intuition at that moment, trumps everything else.

I love spending time with the cards, they have helped me cope in rough times, like my art, they give me a sense of purpose and make life more interesting and bring me joy.

If you would like a reading from me, see my readings page here.