As I’ve just booked the dates for my next Tarot weekend workshop, it got me thinking about why I love it  so much as a powerful tool for spiritual growth.

Although its origins are a bit of a mystery and there are many theories, my personal understanding is this. Ancient knowledge about the true nature of our spirit and human experience has been passed down through the ages from Lemuria through to Egypt, from the Druids to the Essenes and beyond – orally at first and then in written form.

When it became dangerous to be caught sharing this wisdom, particularly when Roman Christianity came to power, it was encoded into a series of images that could appear harmless and meaningless to the casual observer. At some point the most practical and safe method of carrying these images around became as a deck of cards, which had the added camouflaging benefit of making them look like nothing more than a parlour game. The perfection of that really tickles my mischievous sense of humour. After all, what is this life but an amazing, adventurous game to be played with an infinitely curious and intrepid heart?! The Tarot is, to me, the most complete mystery school in a very small box and here are just some of its many gifts I’m grateful for.

Truth
The Tarot never lies; it always, always tells the truth. Sometimes you may not want to hear what it has to say, its messages may challenge you and cause discomfort as often as it validates and reassures, but it will invariably tell you exactly what you need to know in the moment of asking. It’s like your best friend on truth serum!

Possibilities
Many people associate the Tarot with fortune telling and although it undoubtedly can indicate what may happen in the future, as I’ve successfully done many times for clients, there is something much more profound it can offer. The Tarot reminds you you’re here to exercise the gift of free will, and that you create your own future through the choices you make in any given moment. In that sense, any future shown in the cards is the most likely one at the time of the reading, but in reality it’s just one of many potentials open to you. At its best, the Tarot opens your eyes to possibilities beyond anything you could imagine for yourself with your logical mind. It shows you how to play bigger.

Insight
A reading can bring to light the underlying patterns and belief programs you have running which you may not be aware of consciously. So it will be able to tell you why you’re consistently attracted to unhealthy relationships, or what’s stopping you from pursuing your dreams. It opens a door to the subconscious, and in a non-threatening way, that you may be otherwise too fearful to access. With this insight, you’re then able to make effective and well-informed decisions that create the very best possible reality for yourself.

Empowerment
As there are no limitations of language involved, the Tarot puts the power and understanding firmly back into your hands. If you read intuitively (which is how I teach) it’s your response to, and relationship with, the images on your cards that formulate a unique and personal interpretation of their meaning. You’re enabled to access the wisdom you have within you through your Higher Self, rather than hand over your responsibility to an external dictator or authority. There’s no right or wrong to hem you in, just your own experience to inform you. If a client is stuck on understanding a particular message, I often turn the card to face them and ask them to describe what they see and how they feel about it. As they begin to speak, you can literally watch the lightbulb illuminate!

Balance
The suits of the Tarot point out where you might favour particular elements over others or lack them all together in your day to day life. As the building blocks of your physical being and of manifestation, you can see where you need to restore balance for your health, wellbeing, and creative capacity in the world.

Magic
The powerful and symbolic archetypes depicted on them make the Tarot cards a fabulous and easy access portal to all the frequencies and energies that you need to overcome any challenge or fulfill any goal. You can meditate on, sleep or work with a card to banish negativity, call on inner wisdom, attune to abundance, or inspire personal change. In the 78 cards of the Tarot you’ll find help for every aspect of life at your fingertips.

We’re so blessed with many beautiful decks now, themed to a vast array of different passions and interests, so it’s just a matter of finding the one that inspires you to reach out and touch those depths and heights of inner wisdom. If you feel yourself opening in delight and curiosity to the images and find yourself peering closer to see more detail, that’s a pretty good sign that deck will work for you.

If you’d like to learn how to access your inner wisdom through the Tarot, why not come on my 2 day Intuitive Tarot Reading course? Or you can learn in the comfort of your own home with my email course.

Semele Xerri

Credit: semelexerri.co.uk