Tarot for mindfulness

This is a bit of a detour from my usual tech related post, but one which I'd like to share given the mental health benefits I enjoy from performing a daily Tarot reading.
Tarot Book Health
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Tarot for mindfulness

I started reading Tarot for myself earlier this year when I bought the Magical Living humble bundle.

The UK was recovering from the Covid pandemic, and I guess spiritually I was looking for some guidance outside of the financially motivated world of technology.

It was the Astrology books in the bundle that caught my eye; When I was much younger, I would read horoscopes in the daily newspaper, and tune in to Russell Grant on the TV show “This Morning”, so the curiosity was there.

Strange then, that after I uploaded the books to my reader, I picked a Tarot book to read first - Tarot: No questions asked.

Tarot: No questions asked

I learned so much about Tarot from that book, like the importance of keeping a journal, and how to perform a one card reading - something I now do every day. It was not long before I was scouring the stores for my first Tarot deck, which was no simple task given there were so many to choose from!

I settled on the Radiant Wise Spirit deck after watching numerous reviews on YouTube and sending a few back to Amazon that I didn’t really connect with.

So how does Tarot help with mindfulness?

Let me start by describing my daily routine.

I carve out 15 minutes each morning to focus on a question I would like an answer to, pull a single card, and write into my journal what I think the card means. If I can’t think of a specific question, I’ll ask something vague, such as “What should I focus on today?”

I try to use my intuition, my gut feel, from the imagery alone, before reaching for one of my Tarot books (see below) and compare notes. I often miss the obvious message or symbolism on the card but frequently align with the underlying meaning, if that makes sense.

I use Writemonkey for my journal, as it has a clean, minimal interface. I create a new document for each card that I pull, and date each entry so that I can visually see how often it appears (stats for my analytical mind in the future).

Reading a card before your day starts forces you to look ahead and mentally prepare for any challenges or projects you are working on.

I believe part of the attraction is ritualistic - setting aside time for myself each morning, even if it’s just 15 minutes. It’s rare that a card does not relate to what is happening in my life. Of course, that could be because there are 78 unique cards in a pack, but that’s open to your interpretation…

So that’s my routine, a simple way to approach your day from a unique perspective and hopefully clear your mind at the same time.

If you want to dig deeper into the history of Tarot, as I know I do. Here are a few of the books I have read this year, along with some links to a few items I have discovered along the way.

Tarot Accessories

  • Crystal Haven - Amazing silk lined bags for your deck (see image above)
  • Sage and Wise - The best reading cloths, if you want to protect your cards from dirty surfaces
  • Medusa Crystals - Crystals can help protect and cleanse your cards

I recently subscribed to the podcast Tarot is f*cking Cool. There’s no holding back in that podcast! They say what is on their minds completely unfiltered. It’s refreshing and makes for good listening on a morning run.

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