Why I Love Teaching Tarot
I love tarot because it’s at once accessible and mysterious. After all these years of reading tarot, I’m still amazed when the perfect card comes up to clarify the situation I’m reading for, or the querent has clearly received the message that he or she needed to hear. That’s not thanks to me or my wisdom (other than my learned skill at reading the cards). I believe that when I sit down with a client to read their cards, it’s like I’m opening a ‘group chat’ with the client, her higher power, my higher power, and me. What comes through was in the psyche of the client, but with our busy, everyday lives and habits of thought and action, we sometimes get blocked from seeing things from a higher perspective and can’t easily access it. That’s where tarot comes in and allows us to hear the messages from our higher selves more clearly.
Another thing I love about tarot is that anyone who has an interest can learn to read to read tarot. People ask me if they must be psychic to read the cards. My answer to that comes in two parts. First, you don’t have to be ‘psychic’ in the sense that we tend to think of it in today’s world, where famously psychic people on TV appear to see things about you that no one could have possibly known, or to connect you with Granny. That level of psychic ability is a gift, and although we do develop our intuitive abilities by working with the cards, most of us will not be featured in TV shows soon. The second part of my answer to that question is that I believe everyone has some intuitive ability. It’s part of how we survive in life. Our current culture pretty much dismisses the sixth sensory way of life, but for people who work with tools like tarot, life does get better!
So back to my original point: why do I love teaching tarot? Well for one, I love helping people connect with this amazing tool. I may present similar workshops through the years, but no two ‘Introduction to Tarot’ classes are alike because the participants bring their own vibe to the table. Every class is an adventure. We usually do our readings together in a group so that anyone can chime in with what they see, and when new people who’ve only just picked up the cards have the experience of reading a card in way that’s useful to the questioner, it’s such a special moment for everyone! I’m also going to say that I learn something new about tarot every single time I teach a class. The value of seeing the cards through the fresh eyes of new tarot readers is that their readings are constantly expanding my concept of card meanings.
When you first start working with tarot, it can be a little overwhelming. Do I have the memorize 78 meanings? What do all those mysterious symbols mean? How do you connect the cards in a spread? Can you read tarot if the person you’re reading for doesn’t have a question?
It takes time to answer all these questions and dozens more, but I can tell you from personal experience that although I spent a few years reading books and trying to memorize meanings, it wasn’t until I got together with a group of people in classes like the workshops that I now teach that the cards came alive for me. Real life context going on in our lives provided the missing ingredient for learning how to read the cards. Most people can execute a basic one-card reading in just one night. Then gradually, over time, we add more layers of knowledge and information.
If you’ve been thinking about working the tarot, it’s easier than you think. It does take time to master the skill of reading, but you can get meaningful information the very first time you shuffle and experience that magical moment of turning the cards over to see what the Universe has to say to you today. If you have questions or comments, as always I’m available at MyCardsandStars@gmail.com.
