My View On Tarot

I was raised as a catholic, and the religious views on tarot is not always favorable. I couldn't still call myself a practicing catholic, but my faith in god is as strong as ever. I saw a phrase somewhere that describes this very well.

Religion is following the messenger while spirituality is following the message.

I do not believe that tarot is evil, how could it be; it is only a tool. That would be like thinking a hammer is evil. It is not, but if it's used with malefic intent or used carelessly then yes, it could cause harm.

Let me share with you my views on the tarot and the ritual I follow when using them.

It is part of my belief that we have angels and guides around us. They keep us safe and help us stay on track. They communicate with us, but since most of us can not hear them, the message sometimes get lost in translation. The tarot is a tool we can use to better receive these messages. So, it is important to make sure they are the one providing us the message.

Before I start a tarot session I will set up the stage so to speak. I will declutter my desk, remove paper work, computer if I can, dust if needed.

I burn sage (could be sweetgrass) to cleanse the cards, the area (electronic devises if close by), myself and the person getting the reading (if they are present). Nothing too crazy here. The catholic church does the same procedure during their mass. Now, if for some reason I cannot burn the sage (for example if I'm in a hotel room) I also have some blessing spray. At worst, I may have to bypass this step.

Once I was preparing to do a late night tarot reading (my desk is set up in my bedroom) and I burned some sage and cleansed a deck I had not used in quite a while. I didn't think to much of it until it woke my husband. He slept on the couch that night. We now have an agreement that I will not burn sage when he is sleeping in the room. Oops.

I like to have some crystal in my reading space. I always have Selenite, Amethyst, and Tiger Eye with me. Selenite is good for accessing angelic consciousness and higher guidance. It is also a good protective stone to block outside influence, it is often use for making protective grid around the house.

Amethyst is an extremely powerful and protective stone with a high spiritual vibration. It is one of the most spiritual stones, promoting love of the divine, giving insight into its true nature, and encouraging selflessness and spiritual wisdom.

The Tiger Eye is also a protective stone. It is also good for keeping you grounded and for enhancing psychic abilities.

You can select which ever crystal that appeals to you. I often refer to my book The Crystal Bible to read up on the different crystals.

I also have some candles burning and a scented wax diffuser. I select them by the smells I like. I normally pick something with an earthy smell or maybe what I would describe as a zen smell.

Careful with the open flame, I once set tissue paper on fire. Luckily the sink was not far.

Now it's time to pull out the card. With every new deck I get, I go through a clearing and intention setting ritual. I would also do this with my decks if they have been handled by someone else or if they have been used a lot for many different readings.

I will then hold it in my left hand (non-dominant hand) and place my right hand over and pray that my cards be clear of all negative energies or anything that is not of Divine love. Most guidebook that comes with a deck as a sample prayer for this purpose. See what works for you.

I will flip through each cards making sure I have touched each one. Hold the deck in both my hands and flaring them out. I will hold it over my heart and pray again with my intention for this deck. I normally pray that my cards be used for delivering positive messages for me and for those I read for. Again your guidebook will have some sample prayers.

In between readings I will hold my cards in my left hand (non-dominant for me) and know on them with my right hand to clear the energy from the last reading (some people, like my son, can feel the energy leave the deck). I forgot this step once and it was the only reading I ever had that did not resonate with the querent. Part way through I realized my mistake and when looking at the cards in perspective of the last person I had read for, they made a lot more sense.

It's up to you how you shuffle them. I normally shuffle them as I would any playing cards. If they are reversible card I will first do the "spread them all over the table" shuffle. I shuffle until I sense I want to stop. You can not get this part wrong. Whenever you stop shuffling was when you were meant to stop. For some they will hear of visualize the word STOP.

While I am shuffling, I do a prayer asking for my angels and guides to be in communication with my querent's angels and guides. I ask that they provide a clear and acurate reading and I also call upon Archangel Michael and ask him to surround me in white light so that only divine messages can come through. When I do this last part with my eyes close I can actually see the white light drape down over my vision. During this time I will also read of think of the question that was formulated by the querent.

That is it. That is my ritual. If you have your own reading, please be sure to properly protect it.