Tarot as Soul Communication
Photo by Los Muertos Crew via pexels
There are a thousand different ways to talk to the soul, and many doorways into those hallowed halls of inner knowing, but one of my favorites is the tarot.
On one hand used and understood as a divinatory system, a way of divining present or future events, tarot is on the other hand an archetypal wisdom tradition, similar too and often borrowing from astrology, numerology, and the Kabbalah. Within the deck, each minor card symbolically represents a shared human experience, and the Major Arcana cards clearly lay out the psychological journey of the uninitiated wisdom seeker to the fully enlightened master. Simply studying the system provides a wealth of insights and spiritual guidance, no card pulling even necessary.
Yet tarot often comes packaged in people’s minds with crystal balls and dark velvet tablecloths and scary revelations spoken in hushed tones. The uncomfortable fear response I sometimes encounter when tarot is mentioned isn’t far from the response I receive when also mentioning hypnosis, mediumship, psychic work, or energy healing. It is but one of many paths into the world of the subconscious and into the world of the unknown, all that exists beyond human rational thought, and in our present-day culture both of those realms are a scary thing indeed.
I began my own journey with tarot roughly 8 years ago, when I bought my first tarot deck for my 28th birthday, the beautifully illustrated Wild Unknown deck by Kim Krans. I’d never read tarot, had no idea what the cards meant, and no mentors in my life to teach me, but I remember feeling such a strong pull to those cards that I could not rationally explain at the time, especially as they graced the hipster aesthetic instagram posts of that era, and it became an energetic pull which finally pushed me to buy them.
I remember my first moments with the cards, awed by their beautiful imagery, a little nervous myself about using the cards, and feeling so lost as to their meanings. I began checking out every book my local library had on the tarot to try to memorize the card meanings, reading blogs and card descriptions by tarot readers online, and listening to tarot related podcasts ad nauseam, feeling both excited and overwhelmed by the task of familiarizing myself with 78 unique card meanings. Finally I bought my own traditionally illustrated Pamela Coleman Smith deck, the same deck I use for my readings today, and slowly but surely it began to all align and make sense, one card at a time.
today they speak freely with me, like an old friend here to give wisdom and guidance, and I’m forever grateful to be a student of this tradition.
I currently use the cards as a psychic tool, both personally and professionally, using them as means to communicate with the unseen world and receive their messages. Yet I know one of the beings that speaks loudest through the cards is the inner self, my own soul and that of the sitter, sharing with me what is really happening below the surface. The spread I use in most of my readings is one that came to me years ago, with each line moving from what energies are most conscious at the moment down into the subconscious and unconscious forces at work within.
You do not actually need to deeply research the cards to use them though. The artwork and guidebooks of most decks are sufficient in passing on needed messages from the unseen world to your conscious mind, and, for many, oracle decks can speak just as powerfully as the traditional tarot system for this type of interior personal work. Finding a deck that speaks to you and using it as a daily tool in meditation, journaling, or other energetic practices can be deeply gratifying and revealing.
And there are numerous other wisdom and divinatory systems from various cultures like the i-Ching, runes, bone throwing, coffee or tea readings, or palm reading, all which stand as their own doorways to the soul, their own pathways to the inner landscape. Follow whichever path calls to you, with discernment and humility, and it will get you to the same place the tarot is leading, back to yourself and back to truth.
Though sometimes I do feel that all wisdom traditions must come with a warning. If you are unwilling to explore your own depths, to understand your motivations, desires, or fears, your own human condition, then none of this work is for you. The mirror of spiritual practice will reveal to you what you refuse to see, so often it’s better for the human ego to close one’s eyes than feel the pain of your unrealized spiritual dimensions. Yet if you are willing to touch but a toe into those murky waters of the soul, to begin this conversation with your own subconscious self, I promise you that you will both survive the experience and be deeply transformed in the best of ways.
So let this be just a small encouragement to test the waters, either on your own or with help from a reader or guide, and see what your soul is wishing to communicate with you now. It’s a conversation worth having, time and time again.
As a fun, on-the-go spiritual message method, I created two tarot themed playlists, shared below. One uses songs across numerous genres, with titles and lyrics that align with the Major Arcana card meanings, and another with only lo-fi and instrumental tracks for those who’d prefer little to no lyrical interference. Just hit the shuffle button before you hit play, and let the Spotify algorithm be your oracle for the day, perfect for 1-3 “card” readings. Or listen from start to finish to musically experience the psychological and spiritual journey encoded in the Majors Arcana’s progression from The unaware Fool to the fully realized participant in this beautiful World.
And i do offer tarot readings via Zoom if you’d like to dive into the world of tarot together sometime.
xxx,
l.
