My Journey with Tarot and Oracle Cards: Mysticism, Intuition, and Self-Inquiry
It was my 18th birthday trip to Canada, somewhere I had always wanted to go and that felt like home before I had even visited. I was reading the power of love by…, I had a strange sense of peace that I had never felt before, an openness to embrace all that Canada had to offer. This was the trip that further ignited my passion for tarot and oracle, and the first leap on my path to embracing magic in the everyday (think of the energy of The Fool here). The trip to Canada as a whole was a magical experience, but that’s a separate journal post for another day, it was there that I bought my first oracle decks instead of borrowing my mums – some I still use to this day and others are currently retired while I find them new homes, all of them are incredibly meaningful to me and they supported me throughout the years, especially during the challenges I faced throughout university. Before this I was acquainted with tarot through my mums deck, which was gifted to her by her wiccan friend who I knew as Auntie Lesley. I was fascinated by the cards from a young age, I still remember their purple backs, and the accompanying purple book, which at the time made little sense to me, yet I was in awe at the mysticism. I would get lost in the cards for hours, sitting on the floor with them spread out in a half-moon shape, hovering my hand over the deck before the energy fizzled and I knew that was the card which had a message for me. Without knowing it at the time, I would also find my way back to myself through tarot and oracle, and it has only deepened my connection to my authentic self throughout the years.
You’ll often hear me talk about the psychology of tarot, an example being projective processing, with the intention that it makes it more accessible to those who may simply see it as too spiritual or esoteric. While I believe the tarot has links to psychology and psychological benefits (we could get into archetypes as a representation of aspects of the self and how they mirror our shadow), it’s so much more than a psychological tool to me. Tarot is magic. It’s alive in ways that logic can’t define – I can connect with the different energies and personalities of my decks, my ancestors prefer to communicate with me through certain decks over others, each of my decks have different purposes and I have a different relationship with each of them. It’s rooted in symbolism, astrology, the Qabalah – there’s so much ancient wisdom to explore beyond the psychological. As someone who was in the spiritual closet for a long time and would often find myself supressing this part of me, I can understand those who may be sceptical or also reject this part of themselves. It’s good to be sceptical, to question things, to use your critical thinking – and it’s simultaneously possible to hold space for openness, curiosity, and embracing the magic we often innately felt as children.
I’ve had too many magical moments with my decks to reduce the cards down to a tool which is devoid of magic and mysticism. Often cards jump out, the same card may show up for days on end until I acknowledge its meaning in my life – if we want to get down to the balance of probability in a 78 card deck, it’s unusual for this to happen, and yet it’s so many individuals experience.
I don’t use tarot or oracle for fortune telling, instead I see it as a mirror of the energy I’m currently projecting – and with this I have the choice and ability to change my energy and the possible outcome which the card is displaying. I also don’t use it to inquire about any other individuals without their express permission (such as when reading for a client). I use tarot and oracle daily as part of my morning or evening, during ritual, to further develop the energy of my offerings, to journey with, as a mirror for my subconscious and shadow, as an embodiment of archetypal energy – it enhances my intuition, my discernment, and my understanding that we always have the gift of choice in any situation and the ability to transform our energy.
If you’re even a little curious, my advice would be to find a tarot or oracle deck where you connect with the artwork, and begin to explore, without expectations or judgement – simply allow the magic to unfold.
I want to share some people I admire within the tarot community:
Raecine Ardis (Owlmoon513 on YouTube) – she is one of my favourite people to learn from and it’s so clear she embodies what she talks about.
Sasha Graham – I love her book ‘The Magic of Tarot’, she also wrote the guidebook for one of my favourite tarot decks ‘The Dark Wood Tarot’.
Abigail Larson – I love her artwork, it makes me feel all the things, she did the artwork for ‘The Dark Wood Tarot’.
