TAROT FOR BEGINNERS BY BARBARA MOORE

4: Adding Someting Extra

As we discussed in chapter 1, ritual plays an important role in a tarot reading. The ritual (or rituals) need not be elaborate or dramatic to be useful. It simply needs to be repeated each time a reading is performed and to be an action that brings you to a place of peaceful focus. Simplicity can be a beautiful thing, creating a calm, Zen-like atmosphere. And many modern tarotists do prefer to avoid the Gypsy fortuneteller stereotype at all costs. However, we should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There is something to be said in favor of an over-the-top sensual mystical experience.

When I was in college, I did a reading for an acquaintance who stopped by. Another friend and fellow medieval history student, Rob, observed the reading (with the querent's permission). At the time, my readings were very simple and eschewed anything mystical or Gypsy-like. After the querent left, Rob said, "You should add a little sense of ritual and drama to your readings. You know how important a sense of experience is in helping people accept wisdom. Even if it is just psychological, you're helping them receive the message. Isn't that what you are supposed to do?"

Rob had a point, but it is a sticky wicket for modern tarotists. We don't want to be viewed as charlatans, cold readers, scam artists, or crazy. Most readers want to be viewed as professionals and so are careful to present themselves as such. How much drama and mystery to add to a reading is something each reader must decide. And there is not just the idea of adding drama for drama's sake; we should take into account our beliefs as well.

Now we will consider a few techniques and practices that are fairly common.

Sacred Space

Pagans will be familiar with the idea of sacred space and the ritual of casting a circle. A tarot reading doesn't require a magical circle (although if you are so inclined, it doesn't hurt); however, many readers like to create the sense of being in a special place. A cloth or scarf is a portable and quick way to create an instant space. It defines the space to lay out the cards and becomes a focal point, causing everything else to recede into the background. This can be very helpful if you are reading in a public place with other potentially distracting activity going on around you. The cloth can be of any material, although traditionally silk was favored, especially if used to wrap the cards in afterwards, because it is said to energetically protect the cards from undesirable vibrations. More important than the material, however, is the color and pattern. The cards should always be the focus and the cloth nothing more than background, so select a color and pattern that enhance but do not clash with your cards. A cloth of velvet or cotton helps the cards stay in place; cards may slide around or be difficult to pick up on a silky fabric or satin cloth.

Many readers like to include items that represent the tarot's elemental energies. A stone, crystal, pentacle, bowl of salt, or a little soil can represent pentacles/earth. A glass of water or a seashell can indicate cups/water. A candle is the most common symbol for wands/fire, although an actual wand or twig can be used as well. Swords/air is present in the form of incense or a feather, or a small knife, or athame, for a more literal representation. Depending on your belief system, you can get as detailed as you like with your symbols. You can pick a crystal based on its healing or divinatory properties, such as tiger's-eye; an incense that promotes psychic abilities, such as frankincense; and candle colors for specific ideals, such as white to represent purity or purple to represent spirituality and higher wisdom.

People who have a knack for creating great experiences know that all the senses should be involved. Sight is easy: there are the cards themselves plus whatever else is included in your reading space. Scented candles or incense engage the sense of smell. Some readers rub essential oil into their hands and then hold their tarot deck, rubbing the oil into the edges of cards so they pick up the scent. Playing soft music in the background, ringing a small bell at the beginning of the reading, or regulating your voice bring in pleasing sounds. As for the sense of touch, there is a product called fanning powder used by stage magicians to keep their cards from sticking. Fanning powder is applied to the cards and makes them feel wonderful. It takes some time to apply, because you have to cover and then wipe off each card individually, but it is worth the effort and really enhances the feel of any deck in your hands and whoever else touches or shuffles your deck. Finally, there is the sense of taste, which can be pleased by sharing with your querent a simple beverage, cookie, chocolate, or piece of fruit. Keep it simple and small—and clean; no one wants food smudges all over their cards.

Finales

Many memorable events end with a grand finale, kind of like dessert. While it is hard to imagine exactly what a full-blown tarot finale might be, we can still end our readings with something special. The following practices have several benefits. First, they provide something concrete that can be taken away from the reading. Second, if you are reading for a querent, they help signal to the querent that the reading is drawing to a close. As you are ready to close the reading, you can:

Ask one final question and draw one card as the answer. Draw one card for one piece (or one more piece) of advice regarding the situation. Draw one card and use it to create an affirmation. Draw one card for a special message from the Divine.

For this final card, you can use the same deck you used for the reading or you can use a different deck entirely. You can use another deck but only draw from the Major Arcana. You can use an oracle deck; oracle decks are similar to tarot decks in that they are used for divination or inspiration. However, they do not follow the structure of a tarot deck. Many readers prefer a tarot deck for most questions but do like the variety of using an oracle deck as part of the reading. With the wide variety of decks available, it would be easy to find one that either appeals to you or complements your tarot deck (in art style or theme), or both.

Even after the actual reading is over, there still may be some loose ends to tie up. Just as we signaled our minds that a reading was about to begin, we should also bring a sense of closure when the reading is over. Just one or a series of small rituals can be used. Here are some examples of simple actions that can be used as closing rituals:

Blowing out a candle. Ringing a bell. Gathering the cards into a pile and tapping the pile three times with your index finger. Putting the cards away in a box or bag or wrapping them in a cloth. Closing your eyes and taking three deep breaths. Centering and grounding. Saying a prayer or blessing. Eating something grounding, such as a piece of chocolate or bread.

Cleansing and Storing Your Cards

Some readers, particularly those who are very sensitive to the energy around them, ritually cleanse their cards before or after every use. A very simple way to do this is to go through all the cards and make sure they are upright, and then put them in order (for example, in the same order as they are presented in this book, or the same order but putting the court cards with their suits). Nothing fancy—it is merely a way to signal to your mind that you are done reading the cards and that everything is in order until the next time. Another easy technique is to hold all the cards in your hand, fanned out, and just wave them through the air, imagining any residual energy falling off the cards. One of my favorite ideas is from Rachel Pollack, who suggests that after reading, which creates a certain kind of order, we "return our cards to their original state of chaos by shuffling after a reading."

Although still fairly simple, more elaborate techniques include burning sage or an incense with cleansing properties and passing the cards, as a deck or each card individually, through the smoke. A benefit of storing your cards in a bag or container with extra room is that you can include a crystal or stone. Rose quartz, obsidian, or tiger's-eye are popular choices, but use any stone that has properties that you like or want to incorporate into your readings. Other items can be stored with your cards, too, such as a sprig of sage or lavender, a rune stone, or any other talisman.

At the very least, after you are done using your cards, you'll want to gather them up and store them in something so that none of the cards get lost and so that they all stay clean and dry.

Keeping your cards safe and being able to wrap up a reading are practical benefits of rituals. Other benefits are less tangible but still very powerful. As with spirituality, ritual can be very personal. As with deciding what kind of questions you will ask, you will need to decide for yourself what, if any, ritual practices you want to incorporate.

While you are mulling over your options, we can shift our attention back to reading the cards with some hands-on activities and methods for adding nuance and precision to your readings.

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