Getting Acquainted with the Tarot

By Jennifer Houle

Almost 10 years ago, I first watched my friend Elizabeth read someone’s cards. We often gathered at my house, a bunch of teenagers around the kitchen table, to have what we considered deep, philosophical conversations. Often enough, the playing cards would come out, and Liz would take center stage. Her aunt had taught her how to read fortunes.

I was a cynical 17. Card reading, clairvoyance? Yeah, right, and next, why don’t we crack out the Ouija board and tap the table? I rolled my eyes, but still, despite my disbelief, wanted her to read my cards as well. And she did, many times, telling me my cards were a jumble, and that my disbelief was causing my cards to fall in meaningless patterns.

I honestly don’t remember when I started believing. I’d seen her predictions come true on several occasions, but my skepticism ran deep. Having Mars in Leo, I always enjoyed drama - and one night, when I was nineteen, I decided to grab the attention of a roomful of guys at a party by telling them I could read cards. I admit I came to it with a great deal of disrespect: I wanted to play, to take center stage. But something happened. I found myself getting “impressions.” As I read one person’s cards, I kept getting this image of a kitchen window and an important conversation happening over a pitcher of water. I asked if that meant anything to him, and to my great surprise, he said that it did. He wasn’t kidding, and I felt funny. My body felt a little off-kilter. I was tired. Liz had always said that reading cards drained her, and never before had I understood what she’d meant. After that experience, I talked more seriously with Liz about what it was to read cards, and over time, I began to educate myself on the Tarot. I soon learned that when reading cards for others, it is very important to balance and protect your own energy field.

Unbelievably, it’s been almost a decade since I began to learn, and I’m still learning. Along the way I’ve worked with several different decks and read several books on the art of interpretation. As much as I wish I could recommend a course of study to help learn the Tarot, I can’t. In the end, the best that the books available on the subject can offer anyone is good, solid information about the meanings of the symbols on the cards.  While some degree of intuition may be every person’s birthright, I believe that intuition is strengthened by knowledge and understanding. Without this knowledge, the intuition can go awry. Without understanding, the Death card is interpreted as meaning literal Death every time ... and those who know the Tarot know this isn’t so. Nor does the Lovers card always mean a marvelous new love affair is going to bloom. But sometimes Death is Death and Lovers are Lovers. The key to figuring out when is intuition. And in that respect, the Tarot is just another divinatory tool, like Astrology or the I-Ching or Numerology.

Learning to work with the cards is a long, labyrinthine process. It takes time. After my first “party” success, my early attempts yielded me absolutely no results, and I stashed the cards in a drawer somewhere. I began to believe that my initial experiences were all in my imagination. But eventually I returned to the cards. I forget why, exactly ... must have been some burning question. And then, slowly but surely, they began to work for me.

One of the best ways to get acquainted with the cards is to draw one every morning. The card drawn can either be used as a meditative prompt, a “thought of the day” to ponder - or perhaps the card may offer a clue to the events of the day ahead. Or both. In my own readings I always draw three cards at a time, rarely just one, unless I am truly looking for a very precise answer. Usually, in life, there are no precise answers or absolutely pure situations. Usually, there are a variety of influences at play, and the Tarot cards can help identify them. I’ll never forget the time a friend of mine and I were hard at work on a project, working under a very tight deadline. Out of nowhere, she said “Hey, do you still have your Tarot cards? Let’s pull one, just for fun.” We pulled the Three of Disks, which in my deck is the card that symbolizes productivity and hard work. We laughed and got back to work. Sometimes the cards can be very literal.

Just for fun, I’m going to pull three cards for this article. So what I’m going to do is clear my mind, focus my energy - I like to visualize energy flowing from my hands into the deck. I shuffle the deck with my left hand and then cut the cards into three piles. Now, before I turn the cards over, I check my intuition. Are these the right cards? Should I pull the bottom or the top cards? Intuition will guide you. Sometimes you get a feeling that the card you are about to turn over is the most important one. This is especially true once you have developed what can only be termed an “energetic relationship” with your cards.

Okay, I’m in great suspense, here. Which cards are going to show up in regard to this article? Hmm. I’m just looking at them and I’m a little confused. Really going to have to tap my intuition. I’ve pulled:

~ 1 ~ ~ 2 ~ ~ 3 ~ The Three of Swords The 4 of Cups The Hermit

All right. Just so you know, a few minutes have passed. I’ve wandered around my apartment, made some tea and mulled these over, and they do make perfect sense. I’ll explain why in just a moment. First, I’d like to explain that there are many, many different Tarot decks available. There are many cards that don’t even utilize traditional Tarot symbols. Now, the purpose of my article is not to discuss the roots of the Tarot, or the symbolisms utilized by traditional Tarot cards. This is not to belittle the importance of gathering this type of information. If the idea of working with cards is of interest to you, I recommend experimenting with several decks, and learning the intricacies of each deck until you find one that is comfortable for you. Just a little caveat before I get into my interpretation of the cards I’ve chosen. In no way are the meanings I am about to ascribe to them the only meanings which they might have. I am applying them to this particular subject, and so their meanings are unique to this reading.

The Three of Swords: In my deck (and in many other decks) this is generally the card associated with sorrow, endings and loss. I believe I pulled it in order to remind me to discuss the dangers of abusing Tarot cards in times of crisis and tribulation. The cards, unfortunately, cannot tell us how or when our troubles will be resolved. The temptation is always there to run to the cards over and over again with the same problem. This simply doesn’t work. The best the cards can do is offer insight into all of the variables which have led up to the situation, and perhaps shed a bit of light on the opportunities for growth inherent in the situation. Pulling the cards 10 times until you get the results you want won’t work.  And believe me, there will come a time when anyone who works with the Tarot will fall into this trap. The reading will say something we don’t like, or can’t make sense of, and we will shuffle and cut again. This is especially likely to happen when it comes to questions about love. My advice is to try to refrain from this. If you can’t do that, at least be aware that the answers you get may very well be unreliable. Unless, that is, your deck is like mine, and refuses to pull any punches. Once, I insisted on asking the same question three times in a row, and three times in a row I pulled the exact same cards. But, I’m not sure if every deck of cards will be so relentless. My guess is that most decks will tire of the question and begin to offer nonsense answers.

The 4 of Cups: In my deck, this is the Luxury Card. And so, hmmm ... why does this apply to my article? Ah - oh yes. Because the cards are a luxury. Our intuition is our intuition. Usually, we do know the answers to the questions we are asking about our lives. Deep down, we always know. Turning to the cards is a luxury - a way of reassuring ourselves that our intuitions are correct. This card seems to be reminding us that it is not wise to become too dependant on the cards as a source of understanding, reminding us not to get spiritually lazy. Ideally, we should only turn to the cards for confirmation and guidance as we develop our intuitive powers. Eventually, we should even be able to do without the cards.

The Hermit: Yes, of course. This is the card that most often signifies solitude and introspection. It is very important to go deep within the self, to look past the literal meanings of the cards in order to access the deeper truths offered in any reading.

I realize that this article has been a bit haphazard, and has offered very little true method. However, as I’ve stated, the best way to begin working with Tarot cards is by feel, by allowing them to reveal as little or as much as you are ready to receive. Learn haphazardly, I urge you!  Learn by experimentation. Reading the cards is an art, not a science. Nor is it a parlor trick. It can be a very useful tool, a very powerful means of accessing our subconscious knowledge. Experimenting with various card spreads allows us to see how different influences work together and converge in our lives. This allows us to practice multi-dimensional thinking, which, let’s face it, is the wave of the future. We must learn to combine intuitive knowledge with intellectual discernment and empirical data. As far as tools for practicing this type of holistic understanding go, you can’t do much better than the Tarot.