As many of you know, I am a professional intuitive card reader. I love to read and pull cards for others - I love to bring guidance, awareness and even sometimes warnings to those who need it... but there is another form of using the cards... the personal practice.
Some readers will tell you that it is hard to read cards for themselves... that it is hard to stay unbiased. And if one is unable or unwilling to take the ego out of the equation - this is very true. Especially when first learning how to read and interpret the cards! However, if you can separate yourself from the outcome and learn how to lean in and see what the cards are trying to tell you... using the cards as a tool for self reflection and awareness is second to none!
I have had some of the most profound self realizations through using this method of reading my shadow self through the cards! It does however take practice and discipline in order to get to the that space where I am able to separate myself from the cards and learn from the messages they are giving - instead of fighting and resisting or manipulating what the cards are trying to tell me into a message I WANT to hear versus what I NEED to hear.
In fact, I had one of these realizations this morning. Using only a deck of Oracle cards, I was able to pin point a piece of information that I needed to understand a certain pattern that I keep repeating in regards to my work. The cards gave me insight into something I have already been personally working on- but gave me just enough of a different perspective that I received an AHA moment! Armed with this vital piece of information, I am now able to focus attention on healing a particular wound that I didn't know existed to the level it did until today!
I will actually be filming a video on how I used the cards for this self realization and posting it to my Patreon in the next couple of days.
Truth is, we can use tarot and oracle cards for so much more than just "predicting the future" as we are often sold. I personally subscribe to the notion that tarot and/or oracle cards are a tool to connect to spirit, our intuition, the universe, ancestors etc. etc. in order to extract information that we need to continue to grow and better ourselves at this moment in time. When learned to use them as a method of self discovery and awareness, it is amazing what insight and realizations can come about to change and/or improve our lives. The cards can also be used a tool to begin to trust our intuition and intuitive messages... they are an external way of connecting inward.
As mentioned previous, the trick to reading the cards for oneself is to be able to take the ego self out of the equation. To be able to relinquish control of interpretation and just see the messages for what they are - instead of what we want them to be. THIS is the trick to the cards! Yes, learning card meanings and learning to how put them together to create a message takes time, but that is actually the easy part! The hard part is learning to trust what messages are coming up and integrating the lessons and information given without bias or judgment. If you can learn to separate ego from spirit then the guidance received by the cards knows no bounds!!!
What are some tips on learning to use tarot and oracle cards for self awareness?
Bond with your deck. This is a vital part of working with either a tarot and oracle deck. Make sure that you spend time with it. Shuffle it, look at all the imagery, cleanse it, read the guide book etc. etc. Spending quality time with your cards is the best way to connect with it.
Create a personal practice. Find different ways of working with your deck on a daily basis that help you understand its messages. Doing daily draws are an excellent way to begin a personal tarot practice. Choose one card in the morning (or evening) and really focus on what the card represents and means to you. Notice how the theme of the card showed up for you during the day and reflect - either in writing (journaling) or meditation.
Learn to take ego out of the equation. This simply means, take yourself out of your own self judgment and critic. Practice being an unbiased observer to your own life. As mentioned previous, this is the hardest part of using the cards... but it also the most important. This takes practice and discipline in order to push past the ego and resistance when it comes up in a reading to continue and glean the pearls of wisdom waiting for us on the other side of ego.
Those are my top 3 tips for connecting in and learning how to use your cards as a tool for self-realization. When used in this way, the insights gained during a deep conversation with the cards can create a deep understanding and connection to self. Using the cards in this way, to push past resistance and go deeper into the reading in order to learn more about myself is a vital part of my own personal practice. I hope that this blog post brings you some value and insight on how you can use cards in your own life if that is something that you wish to experience. As always, I wish you health, wealth and happiness...
Cheers,
R-