Daily Dose #4: Tarot as Medicine: A Room of One's Own
It's hard for me to even articulate how my tarot life has evolved over the last year. It has gone from something private & insular to a deeply rewarding social experience. I know that, in many ways, this is because of finally having a tarot "home" of my own to devote to readings & meetings with clients. And, I know I have the Oddporium to thank for that. One Sunday a month, I have a chance to sit down with strangers to talk about their lives, their hopes & fears, their stories, their goals, & their emotions. I share what the imagery & mythology of their chosen cards says about their personal experiences. I tell them stories about what themes & advice the cards show. When they sit down at the table across from me, my only thought is that I hope they connect to the tarot in a meaningful way & that the answers they are seeking surface in front of them. A tarot reading with me is about communication & connection. I aim to strip out the fear & myths around the cards & to help facilitate healing & confirmation.
This act of reading tarot for people has become one of my favorite ways to spend my time with others right now. It allows me, a sensitive introvert who loves meaningful conversations, to get beyond the small-talk I am often awkward with right to the heart of genuine human interaction. I woke this past Sunday & had two cups of tea while I shuffled three decks of cards, deciding which ones would be used at the reading. I ended up with two decks, as always...my Rider Waite standbys & a new Mermaid Tarot by Dame Darcy. The tarot spread I created was intended to bring light to a situation or to important points to consider in the new season. Readings for Spring Equinox...and then snow started to fall.
The people who arrived were full of their own light, though. Warm-hearted. Generous. I am thankful for every single one of them. I am thankful for every person who has ever sat across the table from me or booked me for an event. Though I have been reading cards more than half of my life, this deepening public tarot journey has come as a surprise to me--but, it is a welcome one. I am writing the tarot, living the tarot, reading the tarot, wearing the tarot under my skin, seeing the elements & messages of the tarot out in the world beyond the cards. A mystery. A gift.