Newbies with card insanity

High Priestess - odessasawyer deviantart

Thinking back many years ago, I was a 13 year old kid gifted my first Tarot deck. I was so excited to look at the images, to learn their meanings and to give readings for myself and my friends. I spent all my free time studying the cards and practicing with them. Sometimes too much. I would read myself into circles and ask the same questions over and over, but re-worded differently thinking that I wasn't "really" asking them the same thing and that it would some how be okay.

Now that I have been reading for years and have experience with the cards, I have come to learn things that you can do with Tarot, and things that you can't.

I haven't really thought about these things in a very long time. They are just part of me, and who I am now and no thought was necessary.

But recently I have encountered a very frustrated friend who is quite new to reading Tarot, and she has found herself even more anxious to learn another type of cards, Lenormand.

She is a wonderful person, and very smart. But I have also come to see myself in her.

I see that young girl I once was, who is using her cards for every single aspect of her life, and giving the cards all the control. This can be very dangerous territory.

Not to make light of her dilemma, I thought I would write a little bit about her situation since

it is something that all newbies go through. I am hoping to clear up a few things about the cards in general and maybe help those who struggle with the same issue, to see how you should really be viewing your cards. :)

Tarot is like a compass. It helps guide you on your way, but you can still pick the direction you are going. So stop looking at the cards as if they ARE your future. They are a useful tool for you to use to get to your future.

Also it is important to remember that Tarot and other cards are just images on paper. Yes, they are pretty, and you do develop a close relationship with them, but the cards are only going to have the power that you give to them! Without YOU, the cards are still just pieces of paper.

Everyone is born with an inner "knowing." Some of us are more sensitive to this knowing, and others need more practice to trust in it.

The cards are tools to help you use this knowing in your life. I guess you might say they are windows for you to look through. When you look out your window at the sun, you feel it's warmth even thought you are still inside right? Well if you look at the symbols and pictures on your cards, you can feel them too. They are showing you things that you already know exist, just as you know the sun exists. They are making you aware. If you had not looked out the window, you would not have been thinking about the sun at all. They bring to the surface things that you may not be looking at for some reason. Make sense?

If you want to use the cards usefully, I suggest putting aside your ambitions to "predict the future" and instead use the cards to learn more about yourself. Try not to see any of the cards as good or bad, but as advice for you.

Listen to the advice that you first hear the cards say instead of doubting your ability to read correctly. As I mentioned, it is inside of you already! It is your intuition.

Most importantly, if you feel that you can't do anything without consulting your cards first, you NEED to take a break from them. It's okay to do this. Put them away for a while, and just live your life for the moment. Come back to them when you feel you are no longer in "need" of them. Trust me, we have all been there before.

Deep breaths. Your future is in your own hands. You decide your path. The cards are just your compass. I hope this makes sense and helps alleviate some of your anxieties about the cards themselves.

Blessed Be