Trade the crystal ball for trust in your own voice, says intuitive tarot maven Liz Worth, and let your instincts create the future…
“What I thought tarot would be like: I can see the past, present, and future so clearly! What it’s actually like: Damn, I just got called the f*** out by a deck of cards”- Recent Tarot Meme
In my 20s, I decided to get serious about tarot and, like many people, I assumed that it either required, or would provide, “psychic” abilities. I had high expectations of feeling fireworks and becoming a divine, open channel who could see and sense things before they happened.
What I didn’t realize was that by listening to myself, I was already doing the work, and it was The High Priestess herself who “called me out” during a reading. She encouraged me to look inward and not outward, and to trust in the gold-mining process for what I call “intuitive hits.”
Intuition is our instinct, the seat of our emotions, and what exists beyond our rational minds. This instinctive realm is completely unique to each of us and moves in accordance to our own specific, natural law. Intuitive hits come in all shapes and sizes; they may take the form of ideas, images, words, phrases, or simply strong gut reactions that cannot be ignored.
If you’re ready to have a conversation with your highest self—that divine connection to your soul’s path, purpose, and power—then intuitive tarot is a great place to start. Here are five ways you can begin to let tarot speak to you and, most importantly, through you.
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1. You Don’t Have to Grasp For Your Intuition
Myth: You need to have “psychic” abilities—such as visions or premonitions—to use tarot.
Intuitive Hit: Keep a journal as you practice, and meditate on the following questions: What word or idea jumped out at me when I turned the card over? How is this card making me feel—tense, angry, hopeful, excited? What images or symbols in this card reflect how I’m feeling right now, or what I’m experiencing?
The answers to these questions are part of the card’s message!
Meditate On: The High Priestess, who can guide you back to your deepest inner knowledge.
2. First Thought, Best Thought
Myth: You have to memorize all 78 tarot cards.
Intuitive Hit: Worrying about getting it wrong is a sure-fire way to block your intuition. Next time you pull a card, write down the first thing that comes to mind, and let that thought act as your prompt for the rest of the reading.
Meditate on: The Hermit, who can help you learn from the times you doubted your intuition.
3. Re-create and Rebel
Myth: The meaning of each card should be strictly and statically interpreted.
Intuitive Hit: Let your life experiences, your upbringing, your ancestry, and your stories enrich the messages that your tarot deck holds. Journaling about your own associations and personal vocabulary when using the cards will help you begin to craft your own style of reading. Tarot is meant to evolve, just like us.
Meditate On: The Ace of Wands, who can keep you courageous, confidant, and creative as you start out on your tarot journey.
4. Decide What Tarot Means For You
Myth: Tarot has only one purpose.
Intuitive Hit: Whether you want to utilize tarot for personal empowerment, predictive purposes, to enhance creativity, or for something else entirely, remember that you call the shots. Get clear about what tarot means for you, and how you want to work with the cards. Write your own manifesto, mantra, or intention to remind you of your goals at this point on your tarot journey.
Meditate On: The Empress, who confidently creates her own reality.
5. Intuition Might Take Its Time
Myth: If the answers you’re seeking from the cards aren’t clear right away, you should probably give up.
Intuitive Hit: Patience and practice are often overlooked parts of the tarot reading process. Intuitive hits don’t always appear immediately. Sometimes, a card’s message might not make sense for hours, days, or even weeks later. Next time you’re stumped by a card, step away from it. Go for a walk, watch for omens, or ask a fellow tarot enthusiast for a second opinion.
Meditate on: The Page of Pentacles, who knows that patience is integral to growth.
**If you want to take your intuitive tarot journey even further, enter to WIN one of five signed copies of Liz’s new publication, Going Beyond the Little White Book: A Contemporary Guide to Tarot. To win, follow @The_Numinous and simply tag your next Instagram post #Numitarot—winners will be notified by direct Instagram message shortly after December 16 2016.
Liz Worth is a Toronto-based tarot reader, astrologer, author, and creative coach who helps seekers, artists, and entrepreneurs get behind the veil so they can get going.
