Long title, sorry about that.
I felt inspired to blog a little bit about the tarot today, how I read the cards, and why I read them and when you might benefit from a reading with me. Before we get started, let me just point out what makes me qualified to write this. I have been privately studying tarot for about 7 years now. I’ve read tons of books, articles, and follow and handful of trusted blogs. This has been a passionate study for me and I have been reading for myself for almost as long. I have been reading for clients for a little over a year and have absolutely fallen in love with this work. By no means do I count myself as an expert. I know this tool well enough now to KNOW, there is no such thing as an expert on it, but I also know that’s one of the things that makes it so amazing. I do believe I have good intuition into this tool. I know when I read for my clients, I touch their soul because one after another, they tell me so.
Firstly, there is a lot of misinformation and myth out there about tarot. I know it certainly comes with a lot of stigma. People think of tarot and they think gypsies and witches of old, casting spells and cursing families to a life of bad luck. What I will say is that things that are seen as mysterious are often misunderstood to be bad. This is nothing new for our collective and only goes back to how close-minded we are as a species. If your mind is open, I encourage you to read on.
For me, I have always had a fascination with occult studies, symbols, and tools. I thrive on the idea of magic on a practical and real level. I believe in the mystical and mysterious because I have seen it before my eyes. I know there is more to life than meets the eye, but these are stories for another time. Most importantly, I have a deep relationship with God. I believe it is God who opens my heart and my mind to true knowledge through these tools. Do I go to church? No. Religion has never colored my understanding of God and I am more than ok with it. I am fascinated by religion, however, and I do study it in a way that is detached, I guess you could say. I want to discover the common threads among religions and how others have understood God, but more than that, I want my own experience. My passion is spirituality, and I guess you could say that I see religion and spirituality as very separate things. My experiences with God have been real and my own and left me a believer in a way that is strong and pure for me. I do pray and ask God to speak to me and lead me to the things that will assist me in my life so that I can assist in helping others. My heart’s desire for my life on this planet is to be of service to others, that's just what makes me happy. I wish to put people in touch with spirit because of how spirit has touched me. I wish to be a light and a guide for others during times they cannot be a light for themselves. I do this through my art and creativity, I do this through my spiritual coaching and energy work, I do this through my tarot readings and other occult studies. Everything I do, I do with the intention of being of service. When I read the cards, I first set the intention that the reading be in the highest and best interest of the querent (you) or collective (depending on the reading.) I meditate and listen for God to speak before I interpret. I know the messages I convey are divinely inspired.
When people sit for a reading they want answers. Many want to be told what to do. They want proof and fireworks. Many just want you to tell them what they want to hear. I do not do this and I’d say run away from anyone that believes they are predicting your future and/or telling you what to do. This is NOT how this tool works. I suppose in that way, people may leave my readings feeling disappointment and that is ok by me. They do not understand the true tarot and the messages I convey for them which are much bigger than ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ The message I convey asks them to do the deep healing soul work that is required of them to get those clear answers for themselves and to get them where they really wish to go. That is my understanding of this tool and I like people to know that about me when I read for them. Many are not ready for this. Many see it as a game or parlor trick, but that is where they are in their journey, perhaps afraid of seeing themselves in their light, and I accept that our paths have crossed for maybe nothing more than to plant a seed. This is how the healer works, I've come to understand.
As I understand it, the tarot is a guide book to life, one of many life guidebooks that I can acknowledge, but I’m not going into those here. The tarot is a journey full of symbols and signs, archetypes, and meanings within meaning. Every single one of us goes through certain stages of life. There are ends for all of us and new beginnings and all the steps along the way. Certain themes will inevitably play out in our lives. Death, for example, will rear its head in each of our worlds at some point, both realistically and symbolically to teach us letting go. The Tower will inevitably bring destruction to the part of our life that is built upon shaky foundations. Lovers, our soul mates, will cross our paths in due time bringing both unparalleled love, pain, and either the heaviest or most brilliant consequence. The Star, hope, will come shining in during the darkest of times to light our way. There are steps and phases and cycles that each and every one of us has in common. That’s all this tool is. A tarot reading is a snapshot of your energy, right now, where you are in this moment, and lays it before you. It does not read your future, but it does give insight into the energies and potential outcomes for your situation in question.
This is where the reader comes in. Me. What any good and trusted reader knows is that the future is fluid and infinite in potentialities. It changes by the second and at your own hands. No matter what I say or the cards show, you are in control of your life. I like to provide this light and reiterate to my clients that we have free will as human beings. We are never doomed to fate. These cards do not tell the future, only the potential energy outcome based upon the energy we carry now. We make choices in life and we can change outcomes, by understanding the consequences of our choices. That is all. We learn a lesson or we don't, and then we watch it come around again for us with a new coat of paint on it. My part in this is to look at the cards and interpret the story being told. I study the themes and patterns, to understand the phase you are in. I look to the deeper meanings and see the energies that are helping you and the energies that are hurting you. I interpret how the cards interact. Oh, that’s the other thing. Each card is read individually and then it is read in relationship with the other cards. They interact and change meaning based upon their placement in a spread and what other cards lie around them. Infinite possibilities, with each story being completely unique, yet with common themes that we can each relate to.
This is where good intuition comes in. I use a number of tools to help me read for my clients. Firstly, I am an empath and energy worker, which means I can feel things from people. I feel the energy you bring. I am extremely intuitive and moderately psychic. I get visions and insights as I speak with you and look around at the symbols before me. I also use my intermediate understanding of numerology and astrology to help me know what other energies may be playing out for you. Astrology and tarot work hand in hand, especially well. Astrological symbols show up in the cards over and over because it, too, is a study of cycles, symbols, and archetypes. It is a very misunderstood study, too, I might add. It is a subject I am studying passionately, as well, and the deeper I go, the more impossible it is for me not to incorporate it in my readings in some way.
Why get a reading? I would encourage anyone to get a reading that needs a little reassurance and clarity about their life path. Although, there is a caveat with seeking clarity. Sometimes in life we are just in a holding pattern; we are at the The Hanged Man and there is no insight or action to take at the moment. Sometimes we are asked to wait and trust the mystery of the Moon. There are certain cards that will reveal themselves when clarity cannot be found. In this case, the answer is to trust, to meditate, and let go. I believe we all intuitively know where we are, why we are here, and where we are headed. But it’s nice to have that feedback from someone else. I like to think that aligning people to their highest soul purpose is one of my gifts. As a healer and lightworker it is part of my energy to see you in your highest self and hold you there. That’s how my work is done. I hold you in the highest light until you accept no less for yourself. I believe in you because I see only the true you.
That’s really all I’ve got on this subject today. I’d love to do a personal reading for you sometime. I do offer individual readings as well as a tarot/reiki combo, which I highly recommend as the energy work releases the energetic blocks to a very clear reading. I can be available via Skype or phone, if that suits your needs. I’m also happy to book parties where I can read for a group. You can book me under the “Book Me” section of my website. If you are curious about the way that I read and would like to check me out first, I encourage you to follow my Daily Tarot blog on my website or follow me on Instagram at @stephaniegweiss or on Facebook at Art by Stephanie Weiss. Please reach out to me with any questions.
Namaste 💜🙏💜