CosmicWise

...lighting the candle of personal awareness & becoming ...

Oracles

Questions: I have never much believed in any oracle systems, how can tarot cards or astrology help one in the ways that are often described? And can anyone get the ability to read them through practicing?

Response: A tool is as effective and powerful as the one using it. As far as tools go, I have worked and practiced with tarot and astrology for many years to get to where I am now. Certainly, anyone can pick them up and learn about them, however, some people seem to be more adept with them than others. Perhaps one's "genuis" for a given tool is no different than any other. For instance, I enjoy dancing or singing and have some inclination for these things yet I am not naturally draw to either of these things in the same way that I am drawn to reading tarot cards. Therefore, unless you REALLY want to work with tools of divination because they naturally speak to you, you probably won't develop the same kind of efficiency as you will doing something that you really love.

Question: Could you please tell me how I can learn to read tarot cards?

Response: Learning to read Tarot cards is similar to learning a new language. The symbols used are very colourful and detailed so that one card alone can say much about a situation while the use of a few of them together can really tell a story. The best way to learn this language is through the study of each card's significance, practicing laying out the cards, and by journaling the results (so you can look back and see what happened in comparison to what came up in your cards).

There are so many books out there, just as there are many types of cards, to choose from. There isn't any one set or book that I would recommend because the process of picking is unique to each person. The type of card deck you choose to work with is more of a process whereby the cards really should "pick" YOU. In other words, the cards must attract you on a deep level. The reason for this is because the tarot is a system of symbols and each of us has our very own personal symbolism that arises from the deeper levels of our consciousness. The fact is that we all don't resonate and connect to the same kinds of symbols and that's why there are so many available out there.

Once the cards are chosen, you will find that they usually come with a manual of their own--this is a good start, so begin by studying that one. Afterwards, you can go about choosing the other books (and there are thousands of them to choose from) in the same intuitive fashion as you did in picking the cards.

Having said that, I used to work with the Mythic Tarot (and it's accompanying book) for many years because that was the only one at the time that "spoke" to me. More recently I've been using the Robin Wood deck. If you look into these two different decks you will notice they are very different from each other. The Mythic tarot for instance doesn't work with card reversals, and for a long time that was fine for me. The Robin Wood deck seems more "open" to reversals and at this time I too am open to working with the negative reversed meanings of each card.

Remember, learning to read the tarot cards can take many long years to become a professional, however, you can learn to read your own cards pretty well within a relatively short time--you just have to be able to trust your intuition. The initial layouts don't have to be anything too complicated in order to get results. Actually, in the beginning as you are learning what each card means and represents, just draw one card for the day--that will be enough. And, don't forget, every detail you find in the card, including specific colors and numbers, they ALL mean something.

Demitra M.N.