Deck Addiction

One thing I keep coming across on Facebook and other social networks is this craving and wanting and needing of new Tarot decks. Initially I joined in the madness professing that I wish I had this deck and that deck. Until I realized one thing, what ever decks I already have, have so much to offer me still! Every time I look at a card, I see a different symbol here and there and am able to come up with a new meaning. Each card is like a work of art, a painting in a museum. Everyone cannot ever own all the paintings but by just seeing copies of them can learn a lot. There have been books and books written about the Mona Lisa and yet she is a mystery. This is the same with tarot.

These 78 cards possess hidden mysteries and each card is so deep and special that new meanings come out of even the old decks which you have. In my opinion it's okay to splurge once in a while just for fun, but ask yourself.. Won't it be fun to revisit an old deck in my drawer which I probably haven't seen in a while, maybe in six months or maybe longer? Is there a particular Osho Zen card I can't get out of my head and feel like looking at and admiring it for hours and contemplate on it's spiritual message? Most decks are Rider Waite clones so essentially they water down the original meaning of the deck. I know this may be a controversial thing to say. But this is exactly what is happening with the Lenormand decks. People are lesser and lesser concentrating on the meanings of the deck and are getting carried away by the materialistic and commercial side of the decks. I don't think that Pamela Coleman Smith meant to make pots of money with her works. I get the feeling that many tarot deck creators are out to make a quick buck taking advantage of the new breed of Tarot readers, the Tarotholics. They will grab any deck which is new and well publicized. 

I'm not saying that buying new decks is evil. But there are some people who go crazy and waste their life's savings only to sell all their decks a year later in a distress sale. This hurts me, and I feel bad for them. I would never sell my cards, they're a part of me. 

Just like shopaholics who can't stop shopping for clothes, jewelery or makeup, aren't Tarotholics the same thing? Shopping and buying excessively just means that you are trying to fill a void within yourself and is a form of addiction. And being tarot readers, aren't we supposed to be atleast a bit more aware of this than other, say non tarot muggles? 

Some people buy clothes to stay in fashion and to be seen wearing then, to make others envious of them. Some buy them to keep warm, clothed and safe. Which of these two people are you? Are you buying your deck to enhance your inner self and feel warm and spiritually enlightened or to stand out among the tarot crowd and be the first one to get the limited edition signed copy? The choice is yours.. 

My Tarot dream

Dreams are what we are made of. Dreams are our true desires. Dreams are what we live for. Dreams help us dream more and more... I always had a dream, of growing spiritually. As a child, I always felt different from those around me. I was not interested in what other kids my age were doing. I was introduced to Linda Goodman at a tender age of 12. I was instantly attracted to astrology and the other sciences which she spoke about. I would sit for hours making lexigrams and doing numerology for my friends and myself. At the age of 15, I bought my first tarot deck. I was so fascinated by it, specially when predictions came true. I felt like the High priestess and felt my true self had come to the forefront. This is who I am. This was my dream. I did a number of things for my career. I did a course in creative writing, travel and tourism, masters in Literature, but I never stopped pursuing tarot. When I was 21, I was introduced to Angels and Angeltherapy. I did a few courses in Angel meditations and Angel therapy. Another dream I developed then was meeting Doreen Virtue and doing her course and also seeing an angel in real life! I hope I do one day!! I was also guided and attracted to crystals which I wore and read about all through my college life. I also did Reiki and was attuned to my healing side. I feel that the best is yet to come. I have also tried my hand at runes, Iching and the Lenormand oracle but the Tarot and the Angels have both called out to me time and again. It has been 15 years now since I have been doing Tarot readings. My dream is to do more and more, help more people and spread my love to the rest of the world. 

Life Lessons from the Hanged Man

The Hanged man can be a very frustrating card to come up in a reading. It shows a man hanging upside down and it reminds you of a death sentence. It looks like the man is helpless and stuck and has no help whatsoever. We all look for answers and solutions during a reading and when the hanged man appears, we do not get our required answers. 

But the Hanged man is one of the enlightened souls of the deck like the High Priestess and the Hermit. The Priestess gains answers from within, from her intuition and feminine gut instinct and the Hermit from his wisdom and experience so where does the Hanged man get his answers from? Patience..

Very often you will get a tarot client who wants a 'now now now' reading and many a time you can explain that such readings done in a hurried fashion can be misleading or will tell you the same thing which I am telling you: Hold on your horses and be patient. That is when the Hanged man appears, mocking the situation. You can't force or hurry answers to come to you, they will come when they are supposed to. The major life lesson of this card is Patience. 

When you're upside down you have a different angle of the situation. You begin to look at things in a different light. When there is a lot happening in our lives, we stop thinking, wondering, pondering. We only start doing. When we stop and stare, we can realize our mistakes and know what is going wrong.   

Meditation or contemplation are the two ways of getting out of any stagnant situation. Make the most of a situation by meditating or musing over things. Contemplation gives you more ideas and solutions. 

The Hanged man is a very positive card, and though on the outside it may seem that nothing is happening, a lot is happening within. Pay attention to this card whenever it comes up in a reading. Look at it as a sign to meditate, relax and make the most of a stagnant situation. 

Lessons from the Fool

The Fool is a very important card in the Tarot. It is the first card of the deck and though it seems like an inexperienced guy is just going backpacking, it teaches us a lot.

Traveling changes a person.. When you go on a trip all by yourself, the experiences and adventures you come across could never replace any bookish knowledge sitting in a classroom. Even the misadventures like the loss of a bag or stealing of your money just makes you more responsible and confident. After a trip around the world, once a person returns he is no longer the same. He has moved a few notches higher in his ladder of experiences. This is the journey of the Fool. 

So, this Fool teaches us many lessons and we can learn a lot from him. 

1. Be bold. Don't be afraid to travel alone. As long as you have your senses and gut instincts you'll be fine. 

2. Ignorance is bliss. He is carefree and couldn't care less. He doesn't care about what the world thinks like the Hierophant or if he is in balance like the Temperance or if his wishes will be fulfilled like the Star. He just knows.......that he needs to go on this journey and SOMETHING will happen which wouldn't happen if he was sitting at home twiddling his thumbs. Just go. Take a risk. Move ahead. And the Universe will take care of you. 

3. Be childlike. Be innocent and be foolish. The closer you are to being a child, the closer you are to god. Make mistakes as that's the only way to grow. 

Today remove a Fool card from a deck of your choice and just look at him: carefree, a wanderer just waiting for something to happen. He's the Hero of the story waiting to happen. 

Tarot for Newbies

Many people have asked me this question. Can anyone learn tarot or do I need to have some special 'gifts' of intuition? There are many myths surrounding these cards, many of them created to create an illusion, to make the reader seem very god gifted and psychic and sometimes scary, with jewelery and dark eye make up. Some of these tarot readers on TV and portrayed in film seem really spooky like gypsies who predict death and who throw curses on you if you make them angry. Naturally the people watching this are skeptical and some afraid of tarot and even don't want to get a reading done, forget learning it. There are myths about it in our Indian culture as well which I don't think exist in other cultures as well. It is said that a tarot reader can never get married or live a happy marriage. I have never heard this about a doctor or a teacher. A tarot reader is a profession like any other and it puzzles me as to where these rumours or myths originate from. Another myth is that you need to be chosen or gifted to qualify as a tarot reader. Each and every one of us is intuitive. We are all born with intuitive powers and have it in us to know the real truth. This comes in the form of gut feelings or hunches. Many of us act upon those feelings and many ignore them. The decisions made on the spur of the moment without logical thinking are usually the right decisions, which we realize much later in life. In today's world, so much importance is given to logic, that our natural intuitive way of thinking is blocked. The more we ignore our intuitive side, the more it eludes us. 

To be a tarot reader what you need is a will to help people genuinely, a willingness to access the intuitive side of yourself, a will to learn something new and you could do with a love for reading as there is so much material and great books being written these days so it is a delight for avid readers. And yes, you need to buy a deck of your choice, not necessarily have it gifted to you, ANOTHER myth! 

I hope I have busted some myths and broadened your view about tarot reading. So pick up a deck which you feel intuitively drawn to and access the world of Tarot- It's a completely different world where you will meet many like minded souls like you, on a path to self discovery. 

A Long break-- I'm back!

I'm back on blogging mode after a long hiatus.. I delivered a baby and was really busy with her.. 😄 I have been posting Card of the day posts on my Twitter account @KareenaTarot and my Facebook page Kareena Narwani Tarot Reader. I will be using my blog to blog once a week about articles related to tarot or spirituality, some musings which have been coming to mind off late. I'm glad to be back!