Introduction to Tarot Cards
I have been teaching an Introduction to Tarot Cards class for a couple of years now and I have decided that it is time to write down my approach to beginning to read tarot cards. I have always said that the best introduction to tarot cards is “You, Tarot cards. Tarot cards, you. Now why don’t you two go off and play?” In other words, you need to explore tarot on your own rather than take an 8-week class that teaches the meaning of each card.
What I am hoping to do here is teach you how to start learning tarot without memorizing the meanings of each card. If you open up to the idea that the cards can mean more than one meaning, that the cards are just a conduit to the Akashic record. You will begin your journey to being a great tarot card reader.
What are tarot cards?
Tarot cards are seventy-eight cards used as an oracle. An oracle is anything (and anyone) who gives you information via “mysterious” or unusual means. Not from a book, but directly from the Universe. Tarot cards (I believe) tap into the Akashic record, the record of everything that has come before. Jung talked about the Collective Unconscious, the unconscious mind that gives us Universal symbols (the Hero, the Mother, etc.). That is the Akashic record.
How do we tap into the Record?
Let us do a thought experiment. Sitting in your chair, imagine you are leaving your body and floating on the ceiling. Look down on to your body below and notice that you have a trail you leave behind you. Follow that trail backward to earlier in the day. There, you meet up with a friend and stop to chat. You then follow your friends trail back to their home and see them interact with someone else, a child or maybe their husband. They argue. Suddenly you know why your friend seemed upset or distant when you meet them. You got the information via the Akashic record—not through talking to them. I believe the Tarot Cards allow you to do this
What if we see a bad future when we read?
There are limitations we should be aware of. The Akashic record is the record of everything that has gone before. We can look forward, looking up the Akashic record to see what WILL happen, but to do so is a mistake. I am sure many people reading this blog will have heard of a friend who went to a Reader and was told of all the terrible things that might happen to them in the future. This is dreadfully frightening. And for me, it is frustrating. If you try to read the future in the Akashic record, you will see what could go wrong for the person you are reading for. The thing is, as they get closer to the future foreseen for them, the more likely they will make better decisions and avoid the bad possibilities completely. No one is stuck in a bad situation; you may just have to work to change it.
Can you speak to the dead?
Similarly, I cannot read dead people. That is, I cannot talk to them in heaven. Some readers can, and I am glad for them, but it does not work for me. If someone really wants to get information about a person who is dead, I can look back down the record to where they were still alive and get information about them there. But not where they are now.
Now that you have learned about the Akashic Record, you are ready to get started on your own tarot card adventure.
Coming up: Part 2—How are tarot cards structured?
Looking for a fun idea for your next party or event? Consider Psychic Entertainment by Barbara G Meyer. If you are looking for a new idea for a ladies’ night out? Consider a Tarot class for you and your friends. Either in person or on Zoom.