In a small town in southern Arizona where I lived, I was lucky enough to cross paths with a beautiful man who introduced me to the culture of psychism. He told me about his own gifts of reaching past the veil, and receiving messages from beyond that he would pass on to querants who sat across the table from him during his tarot readings. Needless to say, I was so eager to set my own appointment up with him. I had never even seen Tarot cards before. The days leading up to my reading truly felt like preparation for a big event. It was as if a new part of my life were getting ready to introduce itself to me.

As I sat across from him, I watched and studied every move he made. It was as if every breath he took, filled my lungs just the same. All of the intention that he had sent out in to the ethereal space that surrounded us was palpable; and just like that, I was home.

The reading was incredible. He used the images to tell the story of my own current situation. My life, laid out in front of me on the table separating this perfect stranger from myself. I did not find it peculiar that this man was telling me things that only I could know. I only had a building knowing in my chest that just as these cards were made for him, they were also made for me. I left that reading with poise and purpose, and had a deck of my very own shortly after.

I spent a lot less time reading with my new deck, than I did reading books about them. The more I read, the more in love I became. That is until I attended a Tarot class that was taught by the very same man who introduced me to my new life. He taught that there is no amount of reading you can do to learn experience. You can only learn this art through practice. Each card speaks differently each time you see it. It is not up to a book to interpret the cards for us, that would require too much thought and even leave a lot of room for grey area. By the end of the class, the instructor had pushed each student in to the deep end as he stood and watched with grace and patience as we all doggie paddled our way to shore. It was terrifying; the notion of being wrong in front of another person. But it didn’t matter. We learned how to jump, and then fly. At least that’s what I learned.

I want to add here, that I will never claim that I am right all of the time. I have been wrong. But I am learning to trust myself. The times that I am wrong, are the times I am not trusting myself from fear of judgment, and scrutiny. I learned to not fear being wrong; and in doing so I have also learned that my own intuition or “psychism” is usually right. Tarot has done that for me, and I will always be grateful to the cards, and the man who showed me their magic.

Today, I use my cards as a tool for my more specialized readings. I don’t use them in every reading I do. In my experience, the cards offer us a visual representation of our own intuition through the voice of a third party.

Through a reading you may find validation that your own intuition is not leading you astray. You may even use Tarot as a tool to learn your own intuitive voice. I believe these are two major benefits of Tarot. You may even consider buying a pack of your own cards and learning how to do simple (or complex) readings for yourself.

If you are a wanderer who is ready to tap into the other side of the veil, be it your first time or you have been a part of this rodeo before I am here to relay messages to you from your higher self. Maybe we’ll even get a glimpse into the future in the form of the ancient art of tarot.