The past, the present, and the future as well. According to niche belief, tarot cards boast the spiritual ability to peer within oneself– their past, present, and possibly future. Nothing the tarot says is set in stone, so it’s less intense than a gaudily-dressed self-proclaimed psychic insisting that each of her mysterious words begets visions of the future. But still, it’s interesting to think about. Cards somehow holding the secrets within you?
It sounds like silly nonsense to me. Or at least, it sounded like silly nonsense to me. For all of the spiritual interest I had in my pubescent years, I had never taken the steps of getting my tarot read– what better prompt than an assignment from The Shield? Instead of skiing over break, I resolved to experience a tarot reading in the least monetarily-draining ways possible. My adventure is recorded below. Interested?
#1) AWFUL FREE ONLINE TAROT
Delving back into the murky depths of the internet, I found a shoddy website that promised a (free!) Tarot Reading with online cards. Considering the fact that I’m dropping $15 on this project, I’d rather get other sources of mystical tarot readings– for cross referencing! I opted for a general reading– where three cards would represent the self, situation, and challenges. Like an idiot, I didn’t think to write down the cards themselves, but I got the meanings.
SELF: Five of ???
Apparently, conflict was coming my way. Said that I should grow a thicker skin, and avoid letting small things get under my skin. As for the actual name of the card– I really cannot remember. Five of Wands? Five of Cups? It was one of those two. “Five of Cups” is especially intriguing, as I pull this card again in the other two readings.
For context, there are approx. 72 cards in every tarot deck, and I pulled only 3 for each reading. The chance that I chose the same card twice in separate readings spooked me a little bit, but onto the next!
SITUATION: The Hermit
The cards predicted that I would have an uninterrupted period of peace and contemplation, which I didn’t believe at the time of drawing, but writing this over winter break, I’m convinced! I believe the card was “The Hermit.”
CHALLENGES: The Fool? Something Else???
I got an extremely general reading– that I will soon “be more challenged to use [my] intuition more skillfully than ever before. [I] am now testing the skills that I have been developing.” This one fits much less effectively than the other two, but then again, it was a website with graphics from 2011 and a virus that I’m sure is happily frolicking around my CPU. What are you gonna do?
#2) SPONTANEOUS TAROT READING @ A BIRTHDAY PARTY
This was a weird coincidence, I will admit. A couple days after I had taken the online tarot reading, I had poked around with my WHS friends, asking if anyone knew how to read tarots. On the 19th, I went to Gilroy to attend a birthday party, and one of my friends had just happened to bring along her new stack of tarot cards. She asked me directly if I wanted a reading, and at that moment I thought, “Well! This is weird.” But I’m not going to turn an offering like that down– and another general reading yielded 4 cards and a whole new meaning.
PAST: The Lovers
Apparently, in the past, I had a deep connection with someone. According to wikipedia, the Lovers Card represented the impact that a past relationship had on me, a connection that may not be as strong anymore. It represents a deep connection, maybe even a silly little crush! Interesting, I know.
This one was a little embarrassing to read at the party, especially since the subject of which happened to be standing and listening to the reading behind my chair.
CURRENT: Four Of Wands
I liked this card– it was heartwarming. This card represented stability and social harmony– specifically, it dealt with matters of found family. The card said that I had surrounded myself with people that I had a connection with that was similar to family. Thinking of my closest friends now, I think this card hit the nail on the head.
FUTURE: The Empress
The Empress card said that I will experience growth if I let go and express myself creatively without bounds; whatever that means. It warned me not to construct a glass ceiling for myself.
ADVICE: Five of Cups
This is where it gets interesting– 4 cards out of 72, and I pulled the Five of Cups yet again. With the same definition as the awful online tarot, the card preached letting go of the past and being easier on yourself. What are the chances? Low, I think.
#3) PAID READING
Why did I do this? That’s a good question.
Scrolling the internet until I found the cheapest service I could find, I somehow ended up on a service website called “Thumbtack.” At $15 for a 20 minute reading, a small business owner in New York named Rosa organized a Facetime reading with me on the 21st.
As I hopped onto the call, she was very taken aback at my appearance, chuckling nervously a little bit. I don’t blame her. It’s not everyday that a 16 year old independently reaches out through a professional service site for a tarot card reading– on a whim, no less.
After a very thorough shuffling, I’m instructed to say my name three times through the phone (which was embarrassing) and she proceeded to pull 3 cards for each of the following subjects: General, Career, Relationships, and Advice. 12 cards out of 72.
NOTE: I’m going to speedrun these until the interesting parts, for attention span reasons
GENERAL READING:
- Knight of Swords, Knight of Pentacles, Nine of Pentacles
- I feel that I’m always on the go, always having tunnel vision. I often act or speak without thinking. Right now, it might feel like I’m hitting a wall. I’m growing to be more confident and secure, though it’s a work in progress. You must command attention in order to be heard.
CAREER:
- Eight of Cups, King of wands, Four of Pentacles
- Overall reading signals a change or transition is the current career path that you have chosen right now. Underlining letting go in favor of creative careers that let you think outside of the box. Something that brings people together. In order to succeed, I need to step out of my comfort zone in order to reach my long-term goals. Apparently, it will be beneficial in the long term.
RELATIONSHIPS: (friendships family, significant others)
- Five of wands (again??), Ace of Wands, Wheel of Fortune
- There is conflict at the moment, but both Ace of Wands and Wheel Of Fortune both signify change. New experiences, new people, new “energy” as she phrased it
ADVICE:
- Eight of wands, the Devil, Five of Cups (again???)
- A card of action, a card of vices, and a card of gratitude. The way that she interpreted this is that I must take action to improve my vices– like addiction, obsession, etc. Despite all of this, I must look on the bright side of things, to move forward and avoid being stuck in the past. One thing that she repeated over and over again was not to beat yourself up.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This was an informative experience, for sure! Though I don’t believe that tarot cards have any significant “power” to predict the future, I believe that they are a good tool for self-reflection, and ultimately self-improvement. In the meantime, though, I feel enlightened and more or less pleased with this new experience. Whether or not these cards truly hold the past, present, and the future as well is yet to be seen.