the following is part of a series walking through each of the tarot’s 23 cards major arcana cards and the advice they can give for tarot reading itself.
as you read, i encourage you to notice where else these lessons can apply in your life. note what comes to mind first. note if the answer is nothing. note if you’ve already got this advice down pat. note all the things.
this series is a toolbox of advice, not a step by step list. pull some cards and start with the advice that jumps out first. happy reading!
when i first started writing this series, my biggest worry was being too mundane, or obvious. i wanted to reach both beginners and experienced readers alike, but i worried i would lose some readers if i went too elementary. i worried i would induce eye rolls where i had hoped for enthusiastic nods and amens. the fool is foolish — ta-da! i worried my thoughts would not be enough.
for those just getting into tarot, it’s easy to fall into this same worry. tarot lore and tradition can be overwhelming. i remember often wondering if my humble observations were enough. remarking that the fool is foolish can feel quite measly when another reader says, “the fool is ruled by uranus, the awakener, which actually just stationed direct in aquarius today, so that’s most likely why you’ve been feeling chaotic.”
the fool card’s encouragement for those just starting out is to hold on to simplicity. there is wisdom in naïveté. amass your own storehouse of meanings, even if you’re the only one who gets them! talk about how the fool is foolish all the live long day. there is no observation too silly, or too small. i envy you. you have no sense of “should” yet. i say, stave that off for as long as possible.
for more seasoned tarot readers, the worry can come from not feeling you haven’t given your querent enough. i know what it’s like to be wracking your brain for the right thing to say so that they can have the revelation they seek. sometimes those divine messages don’t come.
in the kapwa tarot by jl umipig, the fool is replaced by tao. in the philippines, it’s customary before being welcomed into someone’s home to say, “tao po.” this literally translates to “a human has arrived.” i find it a beautiful reminder that sometimes the simplest, most human interpretations are what hit home. while there is a place for the planets and the divine, tarot at its heart is an exchange between people. it is a space for humans to witness and welcome their humanity. if this person and these ancient cards seem to know what you are going through, perhaps you are not as alone as you thought.
tao is also a reminder to me that my worries of profundity are silly. i’m just another tarot nerd like you, geeking out about the magic of it all. of that, i am unashamed.
from me and my cards,
aaron
(decks used in photo, from left to right: the kapwa tarot by jl umipig, the prisma visions tarot by james r. eads, the cold coffee tarot by benja newnam, and the architect’s tarot by yousef bushehri.)
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