My Tarot Card Reading: Affirming My Path

The full spread of my tarot card reading.

I've always wanted a formal tarot card reading done. For those not familiar, it’s a way of gaining insight into your past, present and future. It can help you understand yourself and life and be a tool for personal discovery. While my internal "compass" serves as my ultimate guide for navigating life, I’m open to other intuitive “tools” that can provoke further introspection. So when I learned that Jenn Cook, one of my favorite yoga instructors, also read tarot cards (among her many talents), I promptly scheduled a reading for August 15, timing it right before my actual birthday.

I pulled three cards that represent the main themes for my year ahead.

THE HEALER: This archetype card represents the central theme for this year. It speaks to a desire to feel more "whole" while relinquishing the programming that used to fuel and protect me. While this has been my spiritual focus for the last 20+ years, becoming a parent has unearthed some old patterns and conditioning I didn't realize were so hard-wired. This has prompted a more intentional effort, including parent coaching, inner child healing, a commitment to a daily meditation practice, and a dedicated listening tour of parenting podcasts (yes, Dr. Becky is the best!). So this card REALLY resonated and encouraged me to continue down this path so I can work on being a person who may even be able to "heal" those around me (my kids being top of mind).

RACCOON - Over the past few years, I’ve felt a nagging around rediscovering my own creative or artistic talents. I do believe that part of the joy of being human is our ability to create…and the medium and approach are different for each of us…and doesn’t always need to achieve some standard or live up to some definition of what qualifies as art for one to reap the benefits of spending time tapping into your creative space. I actually don’t even think the end result is what really matters (unless you rely on that as your form of income) …but rather the process…the act of pouring out emotion, perspective, and expression. I find the exercise itself is a kind of healing. On that note…I’ve been searching for my creative outlet. I went back to my natural leanings as a child…before I was directed away from my creative instincts… I remembered how much I enjoyed writing – poems, short stories, journaling, etc. So, I’m leaning in that direction...using this blog as a starting point. Even still, I've had to tap down that inner self-doubt talk that creeps up - questioning my ability or talent. I keep reminding myself that it doesn’t matter if anyone enjoys this…much less reads it…this is, for me…my own outlet for expression.

THE GEM: This card speaks to our inner treasure…our talent or gift. As I read the description, it really resonated with my desire to discover or rediscover my "gem" or talent. It's interesting that doing this requires a level of digging. This discovery could come as a part of all the self-healing I am doing. It also complements the raccoon card, my interest in exploring writing as my creative outlet.

One other card that was pulled that really spoke to me was The 10 of Wands. It shows a woman who is so overloaded by all these cumbersome wands she trying to carry that they block her ability to see her intended destination (the buildings in the background). What that says to me is that while this journey towards becoming more "whole" is all well and good, I won't make much progress if I don't clear my plate of all the "tasks" and "busy work" that weigh me down and steal my time and energy. Put down the wands. (Easier said than done, I know.)

Overall, my takeaway was about how I prioritize my time. Like so many of us, I tend to equate the value of my day to how many tasks I was able to knock off my list. I know my productivity level does not define my worth…or even the value of a day. I know that the most valuable days are better defined by the number of quality interactions I had with others and the degree to which I was truly present, taking in every aspect of the moment…and allowing myself to feel gratitude for the simple joys that each moment can bring if you are aware enough to notice them. Some days, even partial moments within a day, I get this right…and in those moments, I feel truly alive…a kind of "waking up" to my own life…my purpose, my own knowing…and I feel content and grateful. And then I hear one of my kids whining, "I'm hungry," and I'm pulled back into reality - but with a slightly better foundation for patience and understanding. I'm nowhere near as "aware" as I'd like to be… every day is a constant struggle to prioritize what's really important. It's a lifelong practice, but these cards helped reaffirm the path I’m on.