Many of us are familiar with the subject of a Past, Present and Future Tarot reading but did you know that the Tarot is a fantastic tool for self-discovery, self-positivity and mindfulness?
There is nothing new about mindfulness – to be more self-aware and in the ‘here and now’ reduces stress and relieves anxiety. Tarot is not only a divination tool, it helps to increase self-knowledge through the use of common, yet very powerful symbols.
Just like all animal species on earth, nature has blessed mankind with an inner guide – our intuition. Sadly, we have forgotten how to access it, and instead use our conscious thoughts to make decisions and move us forward in life. We trust our conscious minds and forget to look deeper. Our conscious minds are clever, but unfortunately, they just don’t have the full awareness we need to make appropriate choices day by day. They have been programmed over many years with untruths and limiting beliefs to understand that events in our lives happen just ‘by chance’. Without direct connection to our true nature life can feel purposeless – we don’t really understand who we are and what we want.
Tarot as a self-knowledge tool
So, how do we use the Tarot as an empowering tool? How can we search deep into ourselves to identify and understand why certain patterns keep turning up? How can we transform these patterns and live more authentic lives? How can we embrace the Tarot energies to reach our true potential by changing stagnant patterns into positive outcomes?
Only by listening to and trusting our Inner Guide can we become more intuitive and develop the confidence to understand the positive guidance of even the scariest Tarot cards; Death, The Tower, The Devil, the 3, 9 or 10 of Swords. Self-knowledge means we understand our own nature, our own character, experiences, our attitudes, beliefs, and desires.
Each of us has an integral, constant Inner Guide that serves as a fountain of meaning. We can’t destroy this connection, but we can ignore it. When we reach for our Tarot deck, we signal to our Inner Guide that we are open to its wisdom.
This simple act of faith allows us to become aware of the inherent guidance we possess. When we know how to access our Inner Guide, we experience life a bit differently. We gain the certainty and peace that comes from aligning our conscious mind with our inner purpose. Our path becomes more joyous, and we see more clearly how we bring together our strengths, weaknesses, and the scattered elements of our lives to fulfil our destiny.
How to read the Tarot for yourself
Reading the Tarot for yourself is highly introspective and will enable you to envision more positive outcomes to situations, develop positive self-thinking and identify your thought and action processes. The emerging ideas, images and feelings that come from a reading are a message from our Inner Guide.
How do we know there is a message, and it’s not just our imagination? We don’t, really. We can only trust our experience and see what happens. At first, we may have to accept this on faith, but after a while we will receive the ‘proof’ we need in the results we experience in our lives. If we can learn to approach the cards with trust, our Tarot readings will elevate.
Through the Tarot we can feel more connected to ourselves, our motivations, our reactions and our decisions because we are more mindful in life, listening and acknowledging our Inner Guide. We can feel we are much more open to alternative possibilities and opportunities because the Tarot makes us think. We can understand more complex situations and challenges with the help of the Tarot too.
By drawing just one card a day, sitting quietly for just 5 minutes, we can connect with the energy of that chosen card and meditate on the card to find a solution. We can begin to build a clearer sense of purpose, and better understand the nuances of our mind.
By keeping a diary or journal of our daily Tarot card, we will begin to see positive patterns emerging. What emotions are connected to the card? What message do we receive immediately? What is our Inner Guide saying to us and how did we utilise the energy of the card throughout the day? Finish with your own thoughts and start to build a picture of your Inner Guide to lead you to a better future.
This daily practice allows you to feel the benefits of looking deeper – there is so much information one card can tell us. When we see deeper than we ever thought possible, Tarot gives us the freedom to grow and succeed and make life happen for us rather than have life happen to us.
Article by Victoria Lowery
Vizions Tarot
