Tarot Reading Road Map for a Better Future

When people think of tarot card reading most think of a woman flowing robes, leaning over a small table in a candlelit room, foretelling impending doom.

But that's not really what Tarot cards are about. In fact, they're not even really meant to tell your fortune or future. According to The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, "The most powerful sources of information come from within; the Tarot aids in coming in contact with one's Higher Self."

Tarot card readings revolves around the belief that the cards can be used to gain insight into the past, current and possible future situations of the subject (or querent), i.e. cartomancy. Some believe they are guided by a spiritual force, while others believe the cards help them tap into a collective unconscious or their own creative, brainstorming subconscious. The divinatory meanings of the cards commonly used today are derived mostly from cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette who was also known as Etteilla.

Tarot can be used to gain insight, clarity, and achieve greater control over issues involving relationships, life changes, work and career, health, spirituality, dreams, and family. Many people who read tarot cards for others find it better to have someone else do their own reading so that the reading is more objective.

To perform a Tarot card reading, the Tarot deck is typically shuffled by either the subject or a third-party reader, and is laid out in one of a variety of patterns, often called "spreads". They are then interpreted by the reader or a third-party performing the reading for the subject. These might include the subject's thoughts and desires (known or unknown) or past, present, and future events. Generally, each position in the spread is assigned a number, and the cards are turned over in that sequence, with each card being contemplated/interpreted before moving to the next. Each position is also associated with an interpretation, which indicates what aspect of the question the card in that position is referring to.

If you believe strongly in free will, that does not mean you cannot benefit from tarot's descriptive power. Rather than a prediction, think of a tarot reading as a road map which helps you choose where you want to go rather than steering you in a particular direction.