Tarot Cards. Do you love them or hate them? These divination tools tend to invoke strong feelings amongst us. Some people think they are creations of the devil. Others take every opportunity to listen to the messages contained within the deck. For years I also distrusted these cards, opting instead for the gentler oracle cards that were popular in the nineties.

A few years ago I decided to give tarot a go. My fear was based in the misunderstanding that reading these cards was too difficult. That like chess the nuances of the tarot would allude me. I mistakenly thought that these cards weren’t positive. Movies and books portrayed tarot as dark, evil, harbingers of bad news.

I found a tarot deck that I felt okay about picking up. Not intensely drawn to, but not scared by either. I read the instructions. The little booklet included with the pack didn’t provide a lot of guidance. I felt I wasn’t equipped to give anyone a reading yet. I read all the other information I could find on each card. I completed all the exercises about getting to know each card within the deck. I spent time with each card, to figure out what each character was saying to me.

There are a few layouts for reading tarot. The position of the cards in each layout means something significant. Each card can have a different meaning depending on where it is placed and what other cards are nearby. It felt so much like study, so much like overthinking it. I persisted.

Each time I read the cards for myself they spoke volumes. Accurately describing my current situation and suggesting options for next steps. Eventually I began to offer readings to other people. A free one card reading to start with. Then paid readings. In ninety five percent of cases the people I read tarot for are amazed how accurately the cards represent their current circumstances. My clients consistently comment that the cards affirm their thoughts on next steps to resolve any challenges they are facing.

Is it that the cards are magic? Have they been imbued with some kind of ancient witchcraft? Is my intuition able to tap into each client and provide the answers they are seeking? How does this actually work? I finally decided that it was enough to know that clients were happy with the readings. I don’t read traditionally. The layouts I use depend on the client and the way it feels at the time. The cards rarely relay any kind of doom and gloom. Sometimes they do suggest caution or alternate action.

For me Tarot is just one of many tools in my life’s witchy tool kit.