The True Nature of Tarot E-Book

Diane Wing

• Herausgeber: Loving Healing Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Serie: Modern Spirituality
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 518

Beschreibung

Learn the Tarot to Bring Divine Guidance to Your Daily Life
Tarot empowers those who connect with its wisdom. As a tool of enlightenment, it guides, reveals hidden insights, and reflects the hopes, fears, and energies of the practitioner and seeker. Based in Universal Law, the cards form a book of metaphysics. Their interpretations change with your level of understanding to help you navigate your life path and generate alternatives. It is a boundless tool that allows you to tap into ancient wisdom that promotes deep transformation of the self and the way in which you experience interactions with the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental realms.
"The True Nature of Tarotis expertly crafted to demystify common misconceptions and empower the reader to discover and explore the truth of tarot traditions for themselves. This book is a profound tool not only for increasing one's knowledge of this discipline, but for ushering the reader confidently and curiously along on their path of personal expansion and even enlightenment."
-- Kai' Henderson, host of Our Daily Magic podcast
"The True Nature of Tarot is the book to read for anyone interested in tarot as a hobby or as a professional. You will be inspired to be best in these pages and become an A+ tarot reader by following Diane Wing's guidance. Diane infuses kindness and spirituality into her work and shows the reader how easy it is to be helpful even when turning up a card that could have negative interpretations."
-- Kac Young PhD, ND, DCH, author of Essential Oils for Beginners
"For the beginner or advanced student, Diane's book is a wealth of information, direction, and application of the Tarot. She teaches through extensive principles for understanding while still inviting the reader to play with their intuitive abilities and unique disposition. Starting with grounding to begin, through to contemplation ideas after each card, Diane sets the foundation for true tarot interpretation."
-- Lyn & Erika Hicks, The Magical Healing Arts podcast (YouTube)
From Marvelous Spirit Press

Leseprobe

The True Nature of Tarot: Your Path To Personal Empowerment – 10th Anniversary Edition

Copyright © 2010, 2021 by Diane Wing. All Rights Reserved.

From the Modern Spirituality Series

Interior images from The Illustrated Key to The Tarot: The Veil of Divination (1918) by L.W. de Laurence (an acknowledged public domain source). Considerable digital restoration work was undertaken to restore the integrity of the art.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wing, Diane, 1959-

The true nature of tarot : your path to personal empowerment / by Diane Wing. -- [Rev. and expanded version].

     p. cm. -- (Modern spirituality series)

Revision of: The nature of tarot.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61599-584-4 (trade paper : alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-61599-585-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)

1. Tarot. I. Wing, Diane. 1959- Nature of tarot. II. Title.

BF1879.T2W49 2010

133.3’2424--dc22

2009049888

Distributed by Ingram Book Group, Bertram Books, New Leaf Distributing

Published by Marvelous Spirit Press, an imprint of

Loving Healing Press

5145 Pontiac Trail

Ann Arbor, MI 48105

www.MarvelousSpirit.com

[email protected]

Toll free (USA/CAN) 888-761-6268

Fax [phone]

This book is dedicated to my students.

You bring much to my life

and continue to amaze me!

Books by Diane Wing

Self-Help

The True Nature of Energy: Transforming Anxiety into Tranquility

The True Nature of Tarot: Your Path to Personal Empowerment

The Happiness Perspective: Seeing Your Life Differently

Fiction

Trips to the Edge: Tales of the Unexpected

Thorne Manor… and other Bizarre Tales

Coven: The Scrolls of the Four Winds

Chrissy the Shih Tzu Cozy Mysteries

Attorney-at-Paw

The Dog-Eared Diary

Trick-or-Doggy Treat

Contents

Table of Figures

Introduction

Chapter 1 – The Truth About Tarot

Psychic Sensations

Chapter 2 – Grounding

Grounding Techniques

Chapter 3 – How to Read the Tarot

Choosing A Tarot Deck

Before the Reading Begins

Setting up the Reading

Chapter 4 – Seeing Patterns in the Cards

Chapter 5 – Ethical Considerations for Psychics

Chapter 6 – Choosing a Practitioner (for clients)

Chapter 7 – The Psychology of Tarot

Chapter 8 – Interpreting the Cards

Deck Overview

Chapter 9 – The Major Arcana

0 - The Fool

I – The Magician

II – The High Priestess

III – The Empress

IV – The Emperor

V – The Hierophant

VI – The Lovers

VII – The Chariot

VIII – Strength

IX – The Hermit

X – The Wheel of Fortune

XI – Justice

XII – The Hanged Man

XIII - Death

XIV – Temperance

XV – The Devil

XVI – The Tower

XVII – The Star

XVIII – The Moon

XIX – The Sun

XX – Judgement

XXI – The World

Chapter 10 – The Minor Arcana

Cups

Wands

Swords

Pentacles

Chapter 11 – Tarot Combinations

The Fool

The Magician

The High Priestess

The Empress

The Emporer

The Hierophant

The Lovers

The Chariot

Strength

The Hermit

Wheel of Fortune

The Hanged Man

Death

Temperance

The Devil

The Tower

The Star

The Moon

The Sun

Judgement

The World

Epilogue

Appendix: A Sample Reading

Glossary

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Bibliography

Index

Table of Figures

Example 1: Free-Form Spread

Example 2: Vertical Half-Section Spread

Example 3: Quick Answer Spread

Example 4: Main Issue Spread

Example 5: The Journey Spread

Associated Attributes & Elemental Correspondences of Suits

Personality and Physical Attributes by Suit

Sample Reading

Introduction

Since The Nature of Tarot was written and released in 2003, and subsequently The True Nature of Tarot: Your Path to Personal Empowerment expanded on the original in 2011, thousands of tarot students and practitioners have benefited from the techniques and philosophy contained in that book. The True Nature of Tarot 10th Anniversary Edition is a revised and greatly expanded version of the last edition that includes insights from my learning and experience gained over the last decade. As we grow and change, so does our understanding of tarot and its hidden wisdom. It is a dynamic tool that reflects where we are on the path.

This edition contains revised text, updated card descriptions including how to use the energies of the major arcana cards in daily life, and tarot combinations to enhance your perspective.

Along with advanced techniques, card interpretations, and progressive insights into tarot as a tool of growth and enlightenment, it moves the beginning student to create a personal way of reading tarot and encourages advanced practitioners to expand on their interpretations to reflect their personal and spiritual evolution.

Tarot readers, beginner through advanced, and seekers (those looking to experience a reading given by another or to perform a reading for themselves) will benefit from the information in this book. It is a boundless tool that allows the reader and the seeker to tap into ancient wisdom that promotes deep transformation of the self and the way in which we experience interactions with the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental worlds. Its mechanism is tied to the tarot reader’s and seeker’s ability to open to the messages and to relate to the energies the cards represent.

Throughout this book, as in the last, the same philosophy holds true: tarot is not a predictive tool, but rather a gateway to open us to the potential of who we are; shows us the way to apply occult philosophy to manifest our desires; and to tap into Universal Energy/Spirit. With a strong connection to the Universe/Spirit, the individual is capable of creating an ideal present and future and can heal the past.

Because free will prevails, no one can predict another’s future. It is possible to convey the energies and circumstances that exist in the now in order to make changes that move a person closer to desired goals; awareness of these energies does much to change how a person approaches life. It is a person’s decisions that lead toward one future or another, not the predictions of a psychic/intuitive/tarot reader.

The reader’s role is to sense the situation and the energy of the individual objectively, allowing the seeker to gain a deeper understanding of vibrations that are not readily accessible to the average person. The noise of emotionality, stress, fear, and worry do much to cut off access to this information. The reader acts as a clear channel to allow the seeker an unobstructed view of self and circumstances.

Over the years, I have discovered and developed my own way of getting information from the cards. I will discuss my techniques throughout this text. While you are welcome to try my methods, I encourage you to discover your own unique way of reading and the meanings you attach to the cards. What works for one may not work for another. And the Universe has no standard when it comes to metaphysical matters.

If you have consulted a psychic or if you have done readings for others, you may have had encounters with the tarot that vary from mine. Results and abilities manifest differently from one person to another. Through practice, it is possible to discover what your personal results and abilities are and the best ways to enhance them. I discuss the experiences of the reader, and that of the seeker, throughout this text.

Thirty-five years of professional experience with the cards has shown me that the true nature of tarot speaks to the secrets held within its images and within those who consult its wisdom. A tarot deck provides a pictorial and symbolic journey of the self to foster connections with the Universal Energy and the Higher Self. It is a book of metaphysics that teaches us how to strengthen our relationship with the Universe/Spirit and, in so doing, helps us develop acceptance and self-trust. It is a lifelong path to self-awareness, and the study of tarot and the nature of Spirit enhances the journey, with new discoveries waiting to be revealed at each level of development. The intention of this book is to open you to greater understanding and self-empowerment through making energetic connections that lead to wisdom about oneself and one’s relationship with the Universal Energy/Spirit.

*One last note: most italicized words appear in the Glossary (beginning on p. 335). If you hit upon a term you’re unfamiliar with, check that section for clarification.

1

The Truth About Tarot

Hollywood movies, fear of the occult, and the actions of unethical practitioners have created a negative connotation connected to the tarot. Some critics are under the false impression that all tarot readers worship or represent the devil. Admittedly, it may be the case that some readers are practitioners of the black arts. For the most part, however, the opposite is generally the case.

Psychic awareness is close to impossible without a belief in Universal Energy. The term “Universal Energy” is used as a generic title to refer to God, All That Is, Source, Spirit, Universe, and any other name that you are comfortable with to represent this all-pervasive life force. Feel free to mentally substitute whichever name you are most comfortable with. It is not the information itself that is evil, for it comes from a higher spiritual power; rather it is the intent of the practitioner that stains the knowledge.

A tarot deck is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways, just as any tool, knowledge set, or talent can be used for good or evil. For example, an incredibly brilliant computer programmer can create useful applications that benefit the world or a computer virus that causes destruction and hardship for millions of people. Is computer programming evil? Hardly! It is the intention of the person applying the skill and knowledge that has the ability to bring about a positive or negative outcome.

In the same way, we can use tarot for the betterment of an individual, or to increase their stress and worry, all at the sole discretion of the reader and the seeker. The information itself is neutral, but subject to interpretation by the participants. The reader’s delivery of information is critical in this regard; it can bring a message forth shrouded in darkness and dire warning, or the reader can frame it in the bright light of hope and positive change.

Take care and use diplomacy when imparting sensitive information. The seeker’s reaction to the message is determined by the way in which the reader delivers the information and the emotional attachment to the subject matter.

If you have avoided getting a reading for fear of what it may reveal, remember that how the information is perceived is up to you. Many messages can have dual meanings, containing both positive and negative aspects. Information that contains elements perceived as unfavorable can also hold valuable lessons. You can also take messages containing detrimental components as a warning, helping you avoid or prevent a problem. There is an opportunity for growth within every circumstance.

Keep in mind that a tarot practitioner must connect to your energy field in order to read you. Open yourself to sense whether the reader is of the light or practicing in shadows. If the energy does not feel right, find another reader.

A tarot reading cuts through the drama of a situation and enables you to tune in to what’s important. Issues will surface regarding personal and spiritual development. Much of what comes through reveals the seeker’s fears, hopes, and ambitions. It can be startling to reveal underlying causes for what is being manifested in your life.

The information gained through a tarot reading is best used as a guide rather than a decision-maker. The tarot is a tool of enlightenment and understanding. You should base life decisions on what is appropriate to your growth, not on the prediction of a psychic/intuitive.

Let’s talk about how that information comes through...

Psychic Sensations

What It Means to Be Psychic

A psychic/intuitive/tarot practitioner is a person who has trained to tap into the Universal Energy and to open to the available information that lies within the energy field (also known as the aura or auricfield)that surrounds all people and things. By perceiving this energy, the psychic picks up information about the seeker, as well as people and situations that have an impact on the person.

There are seven major energy points on the body, known as chakras, through which we can perceive information. When I read, the information flows in through the crown chakra at the top of the head, which is the center of Divine connection allowing me to maximize the flow of energy received from the Universal Energy. Some readers pull energy into their solar plexus chakra. It is important to be aware of where the energy enters and where it is released. When doing a reading, the energy is released through the mouth. During a Reiki session, the energy comes in through the crown chakra and is released through the palm chakras.

The ability to channel the energy during a reading is essential to its effect and accuracy. It is also a factor of endurance (how many consecutive hours you are able to read before experiencing fatigue). To allow the information to flow in through the crown chakra takes much less effort than pulling information from the solar plexus. However, creating a connection with the client through the solar plexus maximizes the connection between the two, which serves to heighten the experience for both1.

Opening to The Energy

All people are born with psychic ability; yet, it is a skill that needs development. Some may refer to the potential to display psychic ability as intuition, instinct, or a gut feeling. Most people have experienced knowing what someone will say next or that the phone will ring in a moment. It is up to the individual to open to the power available to all of us. Accessing this energy is possible when barriers and obstacles are removed, such as fear, jealousy, worry, and self-doubt. These characteristics limit the ability to tap into The Universal Energy. Learning to move energy requires the person to be open without feeling vulnerable, trusting in the Divine. Most people have too much fear harbored within them to allow such an opening.

Getting a gut feeling and trusting it enough to act on it or express it is the goal. Differentiating between an intuitive message and a regular thought takes practice. It actually feels different. It’s important to track the intuitive impressions you get. Generally, when that “little voice” comes through to provide guidance and you don’t follow it, things don’t go particularly well. I’m sure you’ve had this happen. On the other hand, if you follow the guidance, even if it’s against all logic, things tend to work out for the best.

Jot down the times when you get a psychic impression and the outcome—whether it’s for guidance or a premonition. In that way, you’ll begin to feel the difference between a regular thought and your intuition. An intuitive message feels like knowing; it already feels true. A thought may feel more “filmy” and not so certain. Pay attention to those thoughts that “take you by surprise,” so you can use the information right away and begin to trust the accuracy of the message.

Many people experience sudden glimmers of psychic awareness but cannot bring it forth at will. Using a tool such as tarot increases consistency in pulling accurate information and provides a way to readily tap into your abilities. With practice using a tool, over time you’ll be able to pull information at will, many times without using the tool itself.

How Information Comes Through

Psychic impressions come through in a variety of ways. Sometimes imagery occurs that is difficult to translate for the client. For example, I was reading a person who was asking about her potential for a serious romantic involvement. I saw a dog around the situation, but it didn’t feel like a flesh-and-blood type of dog. I wasn’t sure if the beau was a man who owned a pet shop, a veterinarian, had a dog, or just liked dogs, or what it could mean. A few weeks later, she met the man she ultimately married, while wearing her Scooby Doo™ T-shirt. It had been a cartoon dog I was picking up on. I could not wrap my mind around the exact nature of the dog and so was unsure of what it had to do with the subject’s question.

Many times, an image came through that was difficult to describe. This is what can happen when the psychic attempts to apply context to the impression. It has tainted some accurate readings in that the image was misinterpreted and incorrectly imparted to the client. Suspend personal framework and communicate the images you see without attempting to make sense of them. Many times, the client will know exactly what it is.

Personal feelings can really get in the way of providing an accurate, objective reading. An example of this occurred early in my practice when a client asked me if his son’s basketball team would win that evening. The five of cups came up, showing three spilled goblets of liquid and two goblets standing upright behind the person in the picture. I was not sure how to interpret this, and the subject was putting pressure on me to prove my abilities. I felt that the son’s team would lose and felt bad having to tell him that. I was also concerned that I would put negative energy around the situation by voicing that prediction, thereby reducing the team’s chances of winning. I was doubtful the team would win, yet optimistic that there could be a slight chance of winning in my response to the client. He took this as being unable to read the outcome. It turned out that the team lost by three points, hence the three spilled goblets. As a seasoned reader, I am more likely to trust the Divine messaging and state it diplomatically and clearly.

Many times, what you are not feeling or not seeing in the cards is just as valid as other types of impressions that may come to you. To clarify what is coming through, be aware of what is missing around the client. A void or an absence of a person or energy within the reading can be very informative. For example, it might indicate that a particular person will no longer be a part of the seeker’s life, or that their influence is not as important as the seeker thinks. Also, share any emotions that may surface as you are reading. It may clarify how the seeker perceives a situation or the influence of the feelings of another person.

I have noticed that no matter what the subject’s question is, the message will be similar with each hand pulled from the deck. It seems to come down to a central topic that the subject is overlooking or ignoring. When the same cards are pulled repeatedly during a reading, that is, the same cards appear in different hands, the message is trying to come through in a most insistent way. With 78 cards in the deck, the odds are against the repeated appearance of one or more cards. When a message comes through repeatedly, take special heed of that information.

For this reason, the overview in the beginning of the session (we’ll talk more about that in the section about the reading itself), foregoing any specific question gives the Universe the opportunity to provide the message and then demonstrate it throughout the rest of the session in the context of the various questions posed by the seeker.

Know the meanings of the cards in the deck, but look beyond the standardized interpretations and notice the details in the pictures on each card. There may be clues that will allow intuitive messages to surface. Say what comes to your mind even if there is no card that directly represents the message, or it doesn’t seem to make sense to you. If it is accurate, the client will know what it means.

Because what you see as the reader is not meant for you personally, but rather, for the client, you will most likely forget what you said. There have been many times when former clients have asked me, “Do you remember when you told me...? Well, it came true.” The fact is, I didn’t remember, nor should I. Client confidentiality includes not mulling over information meant for someone else. As a tarot reader or intuitive practitioner, you are a channel only. You are there as a conduit to channel the information and impart it to the client.

Types of Information

The type of accessible information correlates with the reader’s knowledge base. The information that comes through reflects the reader’s scope of knowledge and level of understanding. The psychic picks up on already familiar information. As growth and learning take place and the depth of understanding expands, there is a greater potential for profound insights when using the cards. As a result, it is essential to be self-aware and to expand your knowledge at every opportunity.

Generally, my readings focus on psychological and emotional issues that create blocks to progress. I can pick up factors that may prevent the subject from moving forward or beyond a situation or set of beliefs. This coincides with my training in clinical psychology. As a result of my energy work, I can sense the energetic states of the client on both physical and spiritual levels and identify energy blockages. As I evolve, so does the information I can impart.

Additionally, the type of clients you attract reflect your experiences and the kinds of challenges you’ve faced. The messages you access coincide with those experiences as you understand and are aligned with the vibrationalfrequencies of those situations, feelings, and difficulties.

Many clients want to know what the future holds. The information that comes through is based on the person’s current path. The ultimate outcome is transient, given the nature of free will. The client’s destiny could be changed by one decision made after leaving our session. The reader does not have the power to determine a person’s fate. That is within the realm of the Divine rather than the human.

Blocking

If you find yourself unable to get information for a person, consider that out of fear or distrust, the client put up a wall and does not let you see past it. It feels like there is no fluidity between you and the person, just stagnant energy.

In one case, I was doing a private reading party at someone’s home. One guest came into the room where I was set up. She sat down, handed me some money, and we began. With each statement I made, she emphatically denied the validity of what I was saying. We pulled another hand. We tried a different deck. The same information came through and her reaction was the same. Sitting with her arms folded across her chest, she informed me that I was totally wrong about everything. I could feel extreme resistance around her and knew that it would be a waste of energy to continue.

I handed back the money and told her that I couldn’t take it, as the reading did not help her or provide her with a valuable experience. I thanked her for the opportunity to read her and asked her to send up the next guest. Her jaw dropped. She reluctantly took back the money and quietly left the room.

After the other guests had their readings, she came back, handed me the money, and asked if we could try again. She wanted me to keep the money, no matter what came through in the reading. This time, she seemed more open and more able to accept the message being imparted to her (it was the same message as the first time). She thanked me and left.

After the guests had gone home, the hostess told me that the woman shared what I had said with the group, and that I had correctly hit everything about the woman, but that the information was not what she wanted to hear. Her friends had experienced similar interactions with her over the years. I thanked her for sharing that with me. This was early in my work as a practitioner, and it helps to have confirmation of the accuracy of the message you receive. That way, you can feel the difference between a thought and an actual Divine download.

If the client is not open to receiving the messages that come through, do not force the reading or try to argue about the value of the message. All you can do is to ask the Universal Energy for information that is in the highest good of the client and those around her, create a relaxed atmosphere, and establish good rapport. After that, it is up to the client.

Validity

Validity has always been important to me as a reader. The client must feel that the reading is valid and the insights useful, but also, I want to be accurate. I want to determine when the information is accurate and when it is not. When I’m on target, it feels different in the way it comes through. When messages come in an effortless flow, I can see the situation and the energy surrounding the person, I trust the accuracy of what I’m getting.

When impressions are muddy or feel slow in coming, it is possible there is an inadequate connection to the seeker, and the quality of the message may be diminished. It can also indicate the client’s flow of thoughts and emotions. I let the client know how the information feels as it comes through, and many times the person will tell me that lately she has been feeling sluggish or foggy. This illustrates that often the message is the sensation or mood you experience as the reader rather than a narrative. Pay attention to when a mood or emotion occurs that has nothing to do with how you are feeling personally.

To keep the reading objective, I ask the seeker not to tell me any personal or situational information until after I deliver the message. This is one way I attempt to differentiate between what I know, what I surmise, and what I am psychically pulling in. Frequently I don’t even ask what aspect of their lives they are questioning, especially during the initial hand, which serves as an overview and allows the Universe to have its say without being directed by a question or context.

Sometimes, no matter the question, the Universe decides the context. For example, the seeker may have asked about a relationship, but Spirit says, “I’m not finished talking about your work yet.” Go with the flow of whatever you are being guided to say rather than questioning it. You are a conduit. Stay open and allow whatever message the Divine dictates to come through. Trust that it’s the right one.

Over the years, it has become apparent to me that when there is a message for a person, the cards portray the same answer, no matter what the question is. When I started out, I would ask the client not to provide information or context during the reading, but to just confirm or deny what I tell them. In this way, I avoided filling in the blanks with my own frame of reference. Today, I have much more confidence in what comes through and trust that the Divine is guiding me as I work with clients. There is a deeper understanding of how the Universe handles these things.

When the reading is accurate, I lose a sense of time. I speak more quickly and lose track of how long I’ve been reading the individual. I can see nothing else except the impressions coming through for the seeker. It feels as though there is a pipeline of energy flowing between me and the Universe, which then connects me with the client. I can see interactions and feel the emotions of the client.

Psychic Peaks

A psychic peak is when you feel the most energized. It is a time during which the frequency of psychically obtained information is at its highest. Try to be aware of when your intuitive cycles escalate.

At the beginning of my psychic development, mine occurred mostly in October. As I was born in early December, October is a time in my incubation when I was preparing to emerge. Each year, the scenario replayed, with my awareness increasing throughout the month of October. For me, autumn was a time of cosmic intensity.

Reiki training and grounding techniques enhanced my natural intuitive skills. In addition, using tarot as a tool evened out the peaks and allowed my psychic abilities to flow more consistently. The cards helped move energy to pull information regardless of the season.

Adequate sleep, stress reduction, nutritious diet, and environment all contribute to the intensity and duration of a psychic peak. Through self-awareness and trust in the Divine, I’ve learned to connect fully to the Universal Energy 24/7. Now, messages come through with or without the cards, or even a client for that matter. I get intuitive hits that guide me throughout the day. With training, personal development, and practice, this is possible for anyone to achieve.

Influencing Factors

Many factors can affect the energetic intensity and outcome of a reading. To maximize its power, it is important to test the variables that contribute to spiritual experiences and psychic ability. Many of these factors relate to the reader and the subject. These include the deck being used, the person being read, the belief system of the seeker, the openness and level of fear with which the seeker approaches the reading, the mood of the psychic, and the psychic’s energy level at the time of the reading. Establishing trust and rapport between the reader and the client promotes a much more accurate reading.

Psychics can funnel energy in a certain way in order to pull information or to give energy to another. A clean auric field maximizes the amount of energy moving through the psychic. Healthy diet, attitude, and lifestyle contribute to keeping your auric field free of negativity. Drugs, alcohol (although I know some readers who say that a couple glasses of wine enhance their abilities), and a poor diet contribute to a diminished capacity to pull information. As a reader, be careful of what you put into your body. Be especially cautious of animal flesh, as this thickens energy, reducing the flow of chi (energy) throughout your aura. This thickening diminishes the amount of information you can channel.

External factors can affect the ability to read. Any place that affords a quiet, energy-rich location is ideal for readings. It can be natural, as in an outdoor area, surrounded by trees, mountains, or water.

At the start of your tarot practice, you can create an optimal environment and personal presence for reading using incense, candles, crystals, positive images, and light-colored, natural fabrics. When performing a private reading or Reiki session, it is important to optimize the ability to open. For these types of sessions, wearing natural fabrics in soothing shades ranging from white to green may increase the amount of energy you can channel. Over time, these may no longer be necessary, but at the beginning, they could assist to put you in the mood and afford a conducive atmosphere for you to open and increase your intuitive perception.

Conversely, crowds, noise, clutter, and dirt diminish the ability to pull information from the subject at hand. These compete with your focus and may disrupt your connection with the Universal Energy. See if certain environmental elements have a negative impact on your psychic openness, such as extreme heat, direct sunlight, concrete environments, and synthetic fabrics.

Experiment with various environments and factors to see which ones affectively increase or decrease your connection to the Universe and open or limit the channel to receive messages. You may find you prefer noisy, crowded spaces over quiet areas with few people.

Large numbers of people concentrated in one area can create psychic distractions. The energy of another person in the room may be stronger than that of the person you seek to read. This energy can conflict with the reading of your subject. An example of this comes from an experience I had doing readings at a corporate picnic.

The area they put me in was at a picnic table, somewhat away from the DJ and his speakers and the commotion inherent in an event of that type. I was in direct sunlight, which for me is not optimal (I prefer the shade, but it may be different for others). The line to see me wrapped around one of the pavilions. A seeker came and sat at the table and asked if her sister could sit and listen to the reading. I told her it was up to her as, many times, information of a highly personal nature comes through, and I would not want to compromise the confidentiality or integrity of the reading by holding back information so as not to allow another to hear. She assured me that it was all right, so I began the reading.

She kept insisting that nothing I was saying was correct. I told her I was communicating the information that was coming through. Her sister jumped in and exclaimed that everything I was saying was describing her own situation! The sister’s energy was much stronger than the original seeker’s, and so her information came through. At that point, I asked if I could be alone with the original subject and attempt to read her directly. Smiling, the sister allowed a private reading, vowing to be the next subject so that I could finish telling her what was happening in her life.

When reading at major events, it is best to limit exposure to the blasts of energy that accompany large gatherings. Wearing black minimizes how much energy is coming through and helps to focus your energies and attention on the person at hand. It filters out unwanted psychic impressions that only confuse the message for the seeker. Black also serves to protect its wearer from negativity.

You may have a piece of jewelry made of turquoise, smokey quartz, black tourmaline, or hematite that could provide the same protection.

The best protection, however, is learning how to shield energetically. I go into great detail about shielding in my book, The True Nature of Energy: Transforming Anxiety into Tranquility. For our purposes here, the white light method described in the chapter on grounding techniques under the Three-step Method section provides Divine protection during a reading. Use this when conducting a reading for someone or even when you get a reading yourself to protect from stray negativity and unwanted energies.

I have found that the longer I read in consecutive hours, the more awake I become. As the energy moves into my crown chakra and out of my mouth in the form of information, it has an energizing effect. I feel wide-awake, warm, and tingling, especially if my clients are open to receiving the information. The exception occurs when the subjects are closed to hearing the intended message. Fatigue results, as this type of client has a draining effect on my energy. The opening that occurs during a psychic exchange leaves the reader vulnerable to the negative energy that emanates from some people, places, and objects. To minimize the effects of negative energy, I recommend grounding and protection.

_____________________

1 Reiki training is valuable to learn how to allow the flow of energy and to direct and transmit energy to and from various chakras.

2

Grounding

Grounding is a means of attaching your energy to the Universe and to the Earth. By creating a connection both above and below, a conduit forms to allow a steady stream of energy to flow through you. In this way, positive energy flows in from the heavens and negativity flows into the ground. To attach to both is to know an intimate relationship with the Universal Energy, while experiencing an extraordinary relationship with the planet. It is not always necessary to ground in both directions. High-intensity situations require you to ground mainly to the earth; to do so stabilizes emotions and evens out extreme bursts of energy.

Grounding techniques are essential to an intuitive practitioner in order to maintain a high energy level during readings and to avoid illness after the event. Before I learned to ground, I was reading at a large party. They booked me for the cocktail hour. The line was so long that every hour for five hours they asked if I could continue. The crowd was demanding and needy. By the end of the event, I was energetically depleted. I felt the effects of that psychic draining for several weeks afterward. I was wearing black at that event, yet that alone was not enough to protect me, and I did not know how to ground and center back then.

During a reading, there is the potential for the intuitive to feel physical symptoms associated with the subject. For example, if the person suffers from back pain, the reader may also experience similar pain in the same spot. Grounding enables the reader to avoid this type of pain transference.

In one case, I was reading someone and suddenly experienced a sharp pain in my head. The client turned out to be prone to migraine headaches, with the pain being most intense in the spot where I felt it. This has also occurred with back pain, sore throats, and panic attacks. One client had a severe anxiety disorder that I was unaware of. During the reading, I had difficulty breathing and felt extremely nervous. When I described the symptoms, she confirmed that this was what she regularly went through. Had I grounded prior to the session, this probably would not have affected me. It took 45 minutes after she left for me to recover fully.

Grounding Techniques

Instant Method

One method that allows instant grounding to the earth is simply to feel your feet on the floor. When you become upset, the energy rushes upward, leaving the lower half of the body. It’s as though you have no awareness of anything below your waist. In order to redistribute the energy, it’s necessary to first realize that most of it has pushed itself upward, and then to become aware of the ground beneath your feet. Breathe deeply and feel yourself beginning to calm down as the energy evens out and fills the lower half of your body.

This method is also effective when feeling anxious or threatened during personal interactions, business meetings, or when your mind has a flurry of negative thoughts. It allows the body’s energy to root itself firmly in the ground and provides a stabilizing effect.

Personal Method

Being amongst trees is my favorite way for me to ground. In the forest, I ask permission from the trees. This step honors the trees and respects all they do for us. They absorb toxins from the earth and the air, give us oxygen, add beauty to our lives, and calm, cool, and heal us. I then send out energy from my auric field to the trees on either side of the path. That connection allows me to pull in fresh energy while dumping negative or stale energy into the earth through my feet.

You can do this standing still or while walking. With each step, energy blocks break apart, replaced with the vital green energy of the trees. The woods encourage my chakras to open wider to accept the life force of the trees. The volume of positive energy flowing into me pushes away negativity and allows the light to flourish within me.

Not everyone feels my strong attachment to the forest. It is important that you find the environment that resonates with your vibratory pattern; for some, it may be the ocean; for others, the mountains may provide the ultimate sanctuary. You will know that you have found it when you experience a strong sense of comfort, connection, and openness.

Three-Step Advanced Method

More elaborate grounding methods require at least 10 to 15 minutes to perform.

Dump

Go outside and stand on a patch of ground (not concrete). If you can’t go outside, do this in the shower over the drain, not through the floor of your home.

Close your eyes and allow all the stress of the day, your worry, doubt, and fear to drain from your body, starting at the head and moving all the way down your arms, your torso, your legs, and out the bottoms of your feet. Let the negative energy flow into the ground (Mother Earth will cleanse it) until there is nothing left and you feel empty.

Look around you. If you successfully cleared, your surroundings will look brighter and/or crisper.

Follow the dumping with grounding to avoid being filled with random energies.

Ground

Next, move about ten feet from where you dumped the negativity and stand on a fresh patch of ground. Close your eyes.

Imagine lines of energy or roots emanating from your feet and moving downward through the floor, the ground, the layers of the earth, and into its core of molten light. Pull the orange light up through the layers of the earth, the ground, the floor, if you’re doing this indoors, and into the bottoms of your feet. Continue to pull the light up through your legs, into your torso, and up into your head. Feel the bright orange light filling your body and the strength it brings.

As an option, you can add bright green light (heart chakra—Divine love) when the orange energy reaches your chest. Swirl it with the orange and allow it to fill your arms and head.

Take as much as you need. You are tapped into an unlimited resource when your energy string is plugged into the earth’s center. When you feel full, stop pulling the orange light, but do not disconnect from the earth. This helps you maintain a firmly planted feeling as you move throughout the day. You are now grounded from below.

Protect

The final step is to protect from above. Let the energy from the earth shoot out of the top of your head (crown chakra-connection to the Divine) and hit the sky to trigger a giant column of bright white Divine light. Visualize the column gliding down from the heavens, pouring down around you, surrounding you with this beautiful white light front, back, sides, and all the way to the ground. Imagine being coated in this light from your head to your feet. Make the light solid around your body. Make sure it covers all parts of you.

Feel this light’s protection. Fill the column with silver sparkles that flow through the light and through your body. Beam the light as far as you can into your surroundings, letting it touch every wall in the room if you are inside or, if outside, let it reach out to the trees, your home, or other targets in the area. The larger the column, the more protected you are. Focus on making it brighter and wider. Encase the white light with a thin, solid border of lavender and one of bright blue to keep it around you all day.

Now your grounding and protection are complete.

With practice, you can perform the three-step method faster and more effectively. Try beaming the white light out farther each time until you can touch objects several feet or farther on either side. If done correctly, you will feel energized, calm, and stable.

Now that you’re a clear channel, grounded, and protected to receive messages safely, let’s discuss some ways to pull the information from the cards.

3

How to Read the Tarot

Every tarot reader has a personal style and method for reading. Individual technique develops over time. The longer you practice, the more shifting occurs with how you approach and interpret the cards. How I read today differs greatly from when I started out 35 years ago.

You can begin by using the recommendations found in this book. I encourage you to watch a variety of readers on YouTube and to read widely about alternative methods of card layouts and the means of handling the cards. Sense which methods speak to you. What feels right? Which methods don’t resonate with you? Why? How would you do it differently?

Interpretations of the cards include both traditional and personal meanings that develop with experience and reflect your spiritual growth. The card interpretations written in this book combine my understanding of traditional meanings and symbolism, sensing the energies of the cards, and intuitive and channeled material. They describe the meaning I attribute to each of the 78 tarot cards, along with the combinations of each major arcana card with every other card in the deck.

This volume does not include all the minor arcana (suit) cards with each other. That may come in a future edition. In the meantime, this is a great opportunity to create your unique understanding by reading the individual meanings of the minor arcana and combining them for yourself as the need arises.

I highly recommend consulting various other texts to gain a broad scope of card interpretations. The book or pamphlet that comes with your tarot deck is a reliable source of information.

From an intuitive perspective, tarot can assist the reader in opening to additional information unique to your way of seeing. The knowledge may come from the Higher Self, Universal Energy, the seeker’s auric field, or a combination of all three.

For example, when I was first learning to read tarot, we paired off with another student from the class and read each other. As I looked at the cards trying to apply the meaning taught to me by the teacher, a flash of insight guided me to tell my partner she needed to hide her diary. I barely knew the woman and didn’t know if she even kept a diary. There is no formal diary card in the deck, although some decks may have a book depicted in the card image. In this case, no book appeared in the hand in front of me. I cringed, wondering why I said that and where it came from. I told her as much. She said she knows exactly why I said that. Her boyfriend would likely hurt her if he saw what she wrote in her diary.

Bottom line: trust what you’re getting. Don’t analyze it or worry that it makes little sense. The artist usually designs the card images to trigger your intuitive flow. Say it. Your client will know what it means.

The more you know about tarot keys, symbolism, numerology, astrology, psychology, relationships, energy, and a vast array of general knowledge topics, the more apt you’ll be to make intuitive associations and energetic connections during a reading. This allows awareness of information that comes through with no association to the customary meanings of the cards. This is the nature of intuitive tarot reading: creating an opening to a more expansive way of pulling information.

Throughout this section, I present various free-form spreads to assist you in making high-level connections not possible with some more traditional spreads that assign specific meanings to each position in the spread, such as the Celtic Cross. While this type of spread may be useful for some readers, I find it restricts the flow of energy within the spread and limits the derived meanings, and so prefer a more expansive approach. You may align with a more structured approach. There is no right or wrong way of reading; there is only your way.

Try various methods, including those you invent, and choose the ones that help you tell the story the cards show you. Whichever technique allows the information to flow is the right one.

Choosing A Tarot Deck

Tarot decks come in a wide variety of themes. Artists and authors have created a vast number of unique tarot decks over the years. The body of knowledge that affects the development and use of various decks incorporates psychological, philosophical, metaphysical, artistic, mythical, archetypal, and religious points of view.

To truly understand the scope of what is available, take a look at the four-volume set Encyclopedia of Tarot, an outstanding resource for those who wish to explore the subject in depth. Stuart Kaplan’s work details the major theories of occultists and scholars. The text includes reproductions of cards from over 1,100 different tarot decks. Publishers release many more decks each year.

With such a variety of decks available, it becomes your task to find a tarot deck that calls to you. Think about what draws in everyday living. Do you gravitate toward mythical creatures? Try out The Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson. Are you drawn to a particular culture? The Chinese Tarot by Jui Guoliang may be for you. Do you prefer a deck rich in occult symbolism? Check out the Rider Waite, The Thoth Tarot, or Universal Waite decks. Are you more comfortable with traditional tarot images that are colorful and simplified? The Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti and Barbara Moore may be a good choice for you.

Look for a deck that vibrates with your belief system. Feel the density of the energy around the deck and scan it for vibratory impressions that align to or oppose your nature. The more synchronized your energy is with the energy of the deck, the greater the amount of information you can pull from the cards.

The vibration of the deck itself can influence the type of information you can pull from it. For example, I use the Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber for relationship readings, The Mythic Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene for health readings, the Voyager Tarot by James Wanless, Ph.D. for blocks to progress and life path readings, and the Universal Waite by Pamela Colman Smith and Mary Hanson-Roberts for general information. The type of information available from a deck can also vary by individual practitioner. You may get a whole different set of information than I do from the tarot decks noted above.

My tarot collection is extensive, so I use whichever deck calls me that day. I also allow my clients to choose from several decks to ensure that they resonate with its energy.

Please know that when you acquire a new deck of tarot cards, there is no need to sleep with them under your pillow, get them as a gift from a friend, or wrap them in silk, or store them in any special way unless that is what you’re called to do. There are no hard rules around this. Again, it’s a matter of what feels right to you. I store my decks in their own drawstring bag. I choose the bag (material, color) depending on the energy of the deck. There, they sit happily stored in their assigned bag until I select them to work with me.

In addition, the deck you start out with may not always work for you. Change the deck to accommodate any energy shifts that occur within you. One sign that you have had a shift is when the deck no longer works for you. It appears that the energy around the deck has died. You can no longer pull information from it. This is because your vibrational pattern has changed and is no longer in rhythm with the vibrations of the deck. Expect this to happen periodically during your psychic development. Expect your psychic development to last your entire lifetime.

Before the Reading Begins

Knowing that the energy associated with the deck can vary, there is no limit to the number of decks you can use. I usually have between two and six decks with me when I do professional readings and offer clients their choice of the deck they feel most drawn to. It increases the potential to create an optimum reading situation. Having input from both the reader and the client promotes a higher likelihood for accurate information.

Some psychics prefer to use only one deck and do not allow their clients to handle it. By restricting the energies that interact with the cards, they ensure that the vibrations on the cards are theirs alone. For some, this allows for the optimum reading they can provide. I, however, am of the belief that the investment of the client’s energy adds a necessary dimension to the reading. In this way, we establish a partnership, an energetic link between reader and seeker.

Trust is also a critical component of an enhanced reading experience; the reader trusting the messages coming through and the seeker trusting the reader. Giving a stranger access to your energy field is to open your deepest thoughts and feelings for examination. This can arouse a sense of vulnerability that may inhibit the flow of information during the session. Establish trust between the reader and the subject; an understanding that what occurs in a private session remains confidential. The reading should not take place if there is no trust.

I recommend saying a prayer of blessing before doing a reading, asking that you receive information for the highest good of your client and from the highest vibrational source. Ask to be a clear, objective channel of useful information, and express gratitude for the opportunity to help someone on their journey.

Setting up the Reading

Shuffle

To begin the reading, the seeker selects a deck and shuffles while thinking about the desired information. This infuses the cards with the seeker’s energy and allows focus on what is important.

I recommend having the seeker touch the cards as much as possible as opposed to cutting them into two piles, one in each hand, and fanning them together. The more they touch the cards, the more energy they transfer onto them. This, of course, is if you allow the client to touch your cards.

The client puts the shuffled cards in one pile face down. I wave my right hand over the cards to see if I can feel heat. If so, this indicates that the subject has put an adequate amount of personal energy onto the cards and the reading may begin. If not, I request another shuffle. The intensity of the heat implies the extent to which the seeker is open to the reading, as well as the person’s overall energy level. The more energy on the cards, the warmer they will feel, and the more personal information will be available.

Not everyone feels heat from the cards. You may use alternate ways of determining a sufficient level of energy on the cards, such as closing your eyes and getting a nod from the Universe. Use whatever technique feels right.

Choose

If you decide to be the sole user of your cards, you can fan them out and choose the cards, take them from the top or bottom, or cut them into multiple piles and turn over the top cards. Whatever feels right to you.

If you allow others to touch your cards, fan out the cards across the table face down in front of the seeker. The number of cards selected depends on the focus of the reading.

When the client seeks personal information, ask for the selection of one card for each letter in the first and middle names and to put them in one pile face down. Let’s say the subject’s name is Barbara Ann. Having the subject choose cards in relation to the name on her birth certificate intensifies the focus on her particular vibration. Avoid using the last name, as the surname carries with it the vibrations of the seeker’s ancestors.

If the desired information has to do with someone else, pull cards that represent the name of the other person. Many times, clients are interested in finding out about their parents’ health, their children’s state of being, or their significant other’s mindset about a particular issue. You can also ask for the person’s first name to connect to their energy without spelling out the name with the cards.

When the question pertains to work, the seeker can increase the career vibration by making her selections with her right hand. The right hand connects to the left hemisphere of the brain, where logic and structure reside. If the question is regarding more personal, creative, or romantic aspects of a situation, then it is best to choose cards with the left hand. It connects to the brain’s right hemisphere where creative thinking and emotional response are predominant.

You can also select seven cards to do an overview of what is happening in the seeker’s life and what type of energies are present before asking questions. Have the seeker select three to five cards if asking a specific question. It’s up to you to sense how many you need to get the answer. Sometimes, I let the client decide how many cards they need to get the answer.

If the reading is by phone, then fan the cards and wave your hand over the deck. The seeker tells you when to stop and select the card beneath your palm or your finger. Do this until you have the number of cards needed. If by video, they can see where your hand is and tell you when to stop until selecting the desired number of cards.

Layout

Picking up the chosen cards, turn them face up one at a time, placing them from left to right across the table. Begin a new row when it intuitively feels right to do so. Place the cards with their corners touching to establish connections and relationships between the aspects of the cards.

A sample hand may look like this as shown on the following page:

Example 1: Free-Form Spread

This is one method of laying out the cards, ideal for a general reading or the initial overview. There are many spreads to choose from, each with its own method and purpose, as detailed in the next section.

Beginning the reading

Read all the cards upright. Some readers prefer to impart a reversed or negative meaning to a card that is upside down when turned over. When using a structured spread such as the Celtic Cross, the reversed card meaning may be useful.

This is unnecessary when using the free-form method, because it takes into consideration the interrelationship of the cards. If there is a card with a traditionally negative connotation attached to another card, then that determines its meaning, rather than the direction it is facing. The surrounding cards provide context.

After dealing the hand, visually scan the cards to see if one draws your attention or seems brighter than the others. When a card stands out from the rest, it may look more intense or prominent. This card may provide a starting point for the reading or show a primary issue facing the client. If the card feels especially insistent, it can show an issue that is occurring in the present and having a powerful effect on the seeker. Looking at the cards connected to it can put the issue into the context of other circumstances taking place for the seeker.

To clarify what you see in the cards, notice the patterns and direction of energy flowing through the cards. What connections arise among the cards placed diagonally to each other? Does one grouping of cards seem to have a separate energy pattern from another grouping? Check to see if the energy is flowing horizontally from right to left, or vertically up or down. This hints at which direction the cards should be read. Dismiss the way you read a book from left to right. Follow the patterns unique to each hand—right, left, up, down, or diagonally.

As various images and bits of information come to you, look at the card where they are originating, and then look at the surrounding cards. Tell a story, making connections and putting together the bits of insight into a cohesive picture of what is happening around the seeker.