Let’s start with the basics, what exactly is a tarot card reading?
According to Wikipedia, a tarot card reading is "a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards purportedly to gain insight into the past, present, or future.” This form of divination has been around since the early 1400s. It is believed to have originated in Italy where the obscenely wealthy families and members of the noble society commissioned artists to create unique sets to show off their social class. Each card is a piece of art with ornate designs painstakingly hand-painted by the artist. These were called “carte da trionfi” (“cards of triumph”) and were primarily used to play games reminiscent of the modern-day Bridge. Eventually, they added more cards with allegorical illustrations and started using them for divination purposes. Thus, it became less of a game and more of an intuitive tool that we know today.
How does it work?
Fast forward to modern-day tarot cards and we see a deck consisting of 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Each suit can represent events, people, or places. The deck symbolizes every aspect of our lives, be it karmic or spiritual (Major Arcana) or relatively mundane (Minor Arcana). The tarot card readers shuffle and spread the cards, you draw your cards, and the reader interprets them for you. One thing to note is that the reading we get from the Major Arcana may not even be about us. It can represent other people in our lives or a more general event. Every deck has its own nuances and every reader can have a different interpretation of it. It’s a complex language, one reserved for the truly gifted, rather than your besties during a bachelorette party or after-school spook session.
Okay, so how does a tarot card reading benefit me?
Tarot card readings have definitely become more mainstream in recent years, especially due to technological advances. You can now easily get a reading via chat, email, video or phone. The benefits go beyond just fortune-telling, with more and more people turning to it for solace, hope, comfort, and mental health support. Here are a few more reasons to sit down for a tarot card reading online:
• It allows you to have an objective look at situations even when everything feels out of control, confusing, or overwhelming.
• It can help prepare you for what’s coming in your life - both the ups and downs.
• It can offer a new and clearer perspective on life.
• It can help pinpoint areas in your life that can be further improved, and you won’t get offended because it’s not coming from someone you know. It’s what the cards say.
• When things get tough, it can give you hope or at least help you make sense of your situation.
• You get career counseling and relationship advice without paying $$$ hourly to expensive life and dating “coaches”.
• It can get rid of negative energy and help make you become more optimistic.
• Feeling indecisive? A tarot card reading can help nudge you into making the right decision.
• It can help tame that monkey mind and bring inner peace.
• It can help validate your intuition.