Traditional Tarot
We do traditional Tarot with a modern twist. A few important rules apply and this is something we take seriously. Here are the basics for those wishing to learn the old ways ...
The Honourable Tarot
Rule 1. "Respect the ritual."
When you read cards for someone, you don't know what they're bringing with them to the table. They may have arrived excited, energised and looking for some light entertainment. They may be on a deeper, spiritual quest or be seeking honest answers to life's big mysteries. Or further still, they may be genuinely suffering. Vulnerability, pain, trauma, grief, depression, anxiety. The energy people carry can arrive with them. It can be heavy. It can be dark.
To honour the craft, you must honour the person, and hold space for whatever arises for them, without skimming over it, without trying to 'fix it' and without judgement.
The Circle
We always cast a circle of protection before shuffling the deck. This creates a safe space to work within. It acts like an invisible shield or fairy bubble and encompasses the reader and the person they're reading for. We invite them to visualise it too. We say it out loud. We know that we are safe and that no spirits or energies can come into the circle uninvited. We use protective crystals as well, we wear them, keep them on hand or set them on the table, especially if we are sensitive by nature, which we are. Obsidian and hematite are great for 'empath' Tarot readers who would otherwise feel drained from doing readings for others.
The Candle
We always have a light or small candle on the table to help open the circle and allow an anchor point from which you can begin and return to in the present moment. We put the light out after the reading is done to close the circle, often with a wish or a prayer.
Clearing the Deck
We always 'clear' the cards before starting the reading. To do this, we shuffle the deck with the intention of clearing the energy that may be left over from any past readings or from our own influences. We say it out loud. We blow it away. We visualise old energy leaving the room like a puff of smoke, out the door or window it goes.
New Energy into the Cards
We always allow the person to shuffle the deck as they silently ask a question in their mind, if they wish to. When we do remote readings, we shuffle on behalf of that person while they concentrate and think of their question. They don't need to share their thoughts, wishes or questions with us if they don't want to. They should visualise putting their energy into the cards.
Lay the Cards
Knock on the deck three times before laying the cards down. To be honest, I was taught to do this by my grandmother and to this day I'm still not sure why. It may be a tradition related to that of knocking on a tree to ask the guardians permission to enter the fairy realm. As you take the cards off the top of the deck, lay them face up not face down. If the cards remain face down for any length of time, it is thought to
After the Reading
Always put the cards away with care and respect when finished, gently wrapping the deck in cloth (traditionally black silk!) before putting them somewhere safe. You can even whisper a few words of gratitude or a soft prayer of thanks to 'the one power' when you put them away, depending on your own personal spiritual beliefs. Remember to extinguish the light or candle and close the circle before you put the cards away.
Attention to these details is a crucial part of the process for us and we encourage others to incorporate these practices into their readings. We do not offer mediumship services nor do we practice with the use of Ouija boards.
The Storytelling Method
Rule 2. "The cards are metaphorical and contain layer upon layer of potential meanings which can change from person to person."
Tarot is a tool best used for reflection, not necessarily prediction. This is why we don't generally recommend traditional tarot for under 18s. Although some layouts have space for 'messages from the future', for those seeking time-bound guidance, we must remember that the past and future can largely be interchangeable, depending on the choices we make with the wisdom we gain. Think spirals of knowledge or what happens when you walk through a labyrinth!
This is where quantum physics comes in, and if we want to scramble our brains and go down that rabbit hole (something I love to do on a regular basis), we can also remind ourselves that time itself is only linear to us because we are here on the earth, alive, in human form, and are limited by our human senses and experiences!
Mind-bending as that may be, if you have ever experienced psychic phenomena (clairvoyance, clairsentience, etc), or received an impossible message from a loved one who has passed away, this concept suddenly doesn't seem that far-fetched anymore. We do get little glimpses into the future but we don't always get to see all the pieces of the puzzle. So, long story short, we do believe in science here! We also believe that science probably hasn't quite caught up with what we know intuitively, and have known and felt for centuries, especially as women. The ancient wisdom of our ancestors has largely been forgotten or woven into myth in the modern world. Luckily we are witnessing a resurgence of of lost knowledge, as science continues to progress into quantum realms.
And so, ultimately, the reader must NEVER assume the true meaning of the cards for that particular person, even if they think they know. The unassuming 'storytelling' method of reading Tarot allows each client to see themselves in the story where they are able to, where it makes sense for them. Some cards will become more important than others in the reading.
After many years of practice, we've found this is the best possible way to achieve the most meaningful outcome.
The reader remains neutral. The story that needs to be told changes, depending on the cards AND the circumstances for each client. And of course, we must allow time and space for the client to share THEIR story. Listening becomes part of the process too.
The client's interpretation of the card meanings is what counts. That's why you can have a single card in which ten different people can see ten different things. That is the magic of the Tarot!
Spreading Love not Fear
Rule 3. "No one leaves our table with fear in their hearts because of something we've said. If they do, that is an absolute fail for us."
There is an important but often overlooked distinction between the work of 'healers' (or those who wish to help others heal themselves) and those who are only seeking to gain profit. Commonly knows as 'charlatans' or perhaps in the modern world, plain old 'capitalists', these types of mediums and tarot readers share one thing in common, they use fear to 'hook' clients into returning, again and again. This goes against all our values here at Seek The Mystique. If someone reads for you and leaves you with a feeling of fear, they are either a charlatan or a completely inexperienced novice. This is a distinction we feel we have a duty to educate people about. Having a tarot reading should not be a frightening experience. If there is already a fearful energy present, we have protection spells for that!
While each Tarot reader will have their own style, set of beliefs, traditions and understandings of the world, causing readings to vary (just as much as Tarot deck booklet descriptions do) we believe that readings focused on fear are not only unhelpful, but are, in fact, downright harmful. To be a good Tarot reader means being able to empower people in their dreams for the future and also through difficult circumstances. To inspire positive insight into their lives, to allow people space to connect to themselves, to laugh, to cry, to share, to face their own truths, to heal, to let go, and to trust the Universe.
Reading for people is a big responsibility and how the cards are interpreted can impact people's lives. We take it seriously, because it's an honour to hold space for people.
While we may see things in the Tarot that constitute aspects of destiny or fate (things that can't be changed) we will also see opportunities for change and empowerment.
As any Vedic practitioner or Star Wars fan will tell you, fear and hate belong to the dark side of the force. In fact, fear is actually the opposite of love. If we cultivate fear it has the power to take root, grow and spread. A basic principle of magic and witchcraft is the idea that our thoughts have energy, our thoughts can create. Words start as ideas in our heads, through the lips we give them power by speaking them (or singing them, or chanting even). Write it and it becomes even more powerful still. Hence the term casting a "spell" as we spell out ideas in words for the intentions we wish to set, we manifest.
If we allow fear to guide us, nothing good can come of the decisions we make. Readings that focus on love, acceptance, healing and letting go are where fear can be transformed into something much more powerful, a creative force that changes darkness into light. This is the basis for alchemy. Yes, there are things in life we can't control. No, we don't need to avoid them. Yes, we are all going to die someday.
No, the death card doesn't mean death itself. It just represents the end of something. A cycle, a chapter, perhaps a welcomed ending to a difficult situation.
In the Tarot, we don't believe that death is the end. The death card falls in the middle of the story of the major arcana. It is merely the ending of something and the beginning of something new. The tarot should be used without fear, only empathy for those reflecting on their own live and perspectives. This is the way.
