I am sure you must be wondering – how does it work? Was Dewika born a psychic or is it a skill she learnt? Can she really predict my future, or a lack of it?
Read through this section to know how I work with Tarot.
The art of Tarot is in the question-answer based communication. When specific questions are asked, the cards and the order in which they are drawn and spread shape the answer that is needed. Many readers also read reversed cards, flipping the meaning of the cards 180 degrees too. But I find that the Tarot doesn’t shy away from telling you brutal truths. Hence, I do not reverse readings
Let’s say you went to three different readers, got three different sets of cards, yet the answer to your question turned out to be eerily similar. How did that happen?
Intention
The first thing I always tell my customers is that I do not do predictions. Will I get that job? Will I be married by the end of the year? Will my kid turn out to be a serial killer?
While essentially Tarot cards can be read to answer these questions, I firmly believe that in the vast expanse of the universe, I am limited in my potential and I cannot predict what will or won’t happen in the future. However, I like to call my readings “advice readings” and I choose to help people by giving them advice and helping them prepare to tackle potential problems. Along with the knowledge of the cards and the techniques, I also use my intuition to guide me and share additional messages. These are “strong feelings” I get during the readings.
Picking a deck
I pick a deck based on what I intuitively feel would give me the most accurate readings. It is very important to study the decks and the meanings that the creators associate with every card. While the principles of tarot remain the same, the images and what they represent could change the answer to a question.
For example, let us look at these three cards:
This card Temperance, card no. 14 of the Major Arcana, represents peace, balance and combination. The left most card is closest to the traditional Raider Waite Tarot depiction and to me, the water flowing from one cup to the other represents peace and soothing energies simply changing hands. The surroundings with water represent a calm environment.
The second card is however much more obvious in showing the yin-yang and balance aspect of this card. The cups are feeding the two creatures. each other’s energies. This is not a calm picture, but a vivid, active one. Therefore, one has to work actively to achieve balance.
The third card, you would agree, is by comparison very different. A girl standing still balancing the water pot on her head has to balance her stance carefully, so as to not topple over the pot. In this case the card is emphasizing balance yourself and take a little break if you need to.
Asking the right questions
Tarot is so beautifully vast in the knowledge that it can give you, that I find it a loss using the cards to simply ask direct yes-or-no questions. The best way to really let Tarot advice you, is by asking questions that will result in a deep answer. So instead of asking, “Will I get that job?” I always suggest that customers ask “How can I make myself more attractive to employers?” Then I let my intuition or “strong” feelings guide me and choose an appropriate spread. Then based on the cards, I let people know what I see.
Questioning the answers
What I also really like to do is ask questions to my customers about their lives during a reading. I do not know my customers, therefore, one card could be talking about many aspects of the life, because just like people, the cards themselves are also multi-layered with hidden depths and meanings. My job as a reader is to try and tell you why this card seems to appear for you and what you can take away from it. I go through individual cards first and then tell you the big picture of what I see.
While specific cards have specific meanings, in combination with other cards certain meanings or interpretations become more significant than the others, giving the complete picture at the end of the reading. Thus, if you had cards that come out in similar constellations, think about why the universe is telling you what it is!
Bonus Cards
Sometimes, if a card drops when I shuffle the cards, I include it in the reading. Or I may ask other cards to ‘help’ me understand the current set of cards. I also pull an extra card if the future ends on a negative note, because even though it doesn’t make the neagtive go away, it is good to remind ourselves that life is a cycle. Once the bad goes away, good will come back.
I once had a reader who was so unhappy and negative about the future that I decided to pull a card for her, because I felt like she was just not in a place where she had any kind of hope. So I assisted her on that front and reminded her, that she needs to get through what will come to enjoy the fruits of her hard labour.
A sample reading
Let’s take a quick look at a sample reading I did. I asked the question: how could I further improve my tarot reading techniques? To answer this question, I decided to use the three card spread. From left to right, the cards indicate the past, the present and the future, approximately a few months on either side of the day of my readings. This is how I explained my answer.
The card representing my past is the Knight of Pentacles. This card (in this case) stands for a person on the way to full maturity, exploring the practical world and setting up their ideas. This makes perfect sense, as I decided to hone my skills and them in the real world, by deciding to set up a vlog and (hopefully) receiving appreciation in the form of a little income.
The Devil represents my present. This Devil appears when you seem to be your own enemy, caught up in your fears or addictions. I am being my own Devil, because I’m afraid to put myself and my vlog out there. What if people don’t like it? What if I end up becoming a laughing stock? I need to put my fears aside and take one step at a time. I must also admit that it is impossible for everyone to like me and therefore I should continue to do what I believe in, even it is just a handful of people who appreciate me. I may also be using it as to escape a stressful phase at work.
My future card is the Ace of Cups, which represents new creative or emotional beginnings. This represents a joyous and hopeful start. I “strongly feel” like this means that I will be starting on a journey I am not yet able to see. A positive start to a venture that will be a part of my creative and emotional self for years to come.
So the conclusion: I am on a good path and the seeds I’ve sown will result in the beginning of a long-term journey that will boost my creativity, intuition and emotional well-being. But the biggest hindrance for me right now is me. So I must not listen to the Devil whispering in my ear, but trust in my own skills and beliefs. I will be successful!