Tarot

Ever since I can remember I've been enthralled with the occult and supernatural. As I child I would create my school projects about ghosts, area 51 and other such things which I decided my classmates had to be educated about. While I have grown out of my odd obsession with supernatural beings, the occult world has always stuck with me and a few years ago I delved into the path of Wicca, a religion which had its beginnings in Paleolithic times and which co-existed alongside other Pagan religions. Whilst I don't consider myself to be all that much of a practicing Wiccan, I do dabble here and there in many activities associated with it and have strong beliefs of many ideologies that have stemmed from Wicca. And that is how I became interested in Tarot.

I bought my first Tarot deck around two years ago and have loved my cards ever since. I remember the day well, spending what seemed like hours in Spellbox trying to choose a deck and being constantly drawn back to one which I really could not afford, the Paulina Tarot Deck by Paulina Cassidy. From the moment I laid eyes on the vibrant, detailed picture of a card depicted on the box I knew I had to have this deck and thus I was left scrounging around the bottom of my bag for any loose change to make up the last few dollars I needed. I walked out with my purse bare, but my heart filled and went on to begin my journey of Tarot reading.

I know many people are skeptical about these types of things and to be honest, I was too, but it is usually because people have the wrong idea about what Tarot is and what it does. For me, doing tarot readings are not meant to tell the future - though I must admit, my cards did predict my current relationship - they're there to use as guidance, something to set your mind on. They can be used as a form of meditation, self reflection, clarifying your thoughts and a whole lot of other things. Tarot readings won't always be right, there's some days when I shuffle my deck and set out a spread, start reading and just think "What the hell is this?! This isn't relevant to anything at all!" and other times I'll get a reading that's scarily accurate.

Seven of Wands

The treetop provides a strong defensive position for the courageous warrior and her companions.

The tiny, long-eared creature growls protectively. 

Meanings: successful advancement, determination, courage in the face of hardship, success obtained through effort.

Tarot is something that takes time and practice to learn - though if you are someone that it comes naturally to, you can pick it up quite quickly - but I feel it can be really beneficial to many people regardless of religion, culture or beliefs. The symbols of the Tarot are universal and represent qualities we all experience in our lives, whether you're using the whole deck of 78 cards or just the Major Arcana. How do you feel about Tarot? Would you ever give it a go or do you think it's a little wacky?