Internationally acclaimed Tarot card reader Dr Roopa Patels says, “The symbols of tarot help in activating the subconscious mind. Through meditation on a specific tarot card you can create an impression and influence your subconscious mind with the image of the card. The subconscious mind creates the feeling and the image of the card in your life, in manifestation.”

Tarot as a healing tool
Using Tarot as a method of healing for her clients she believes that it is very important to touch upon our subconscious mind as that’s where all the answers lie, and Tarot helps in doing precisely just that. “We as humans tend to use our conscious mind which is the sum total of our experiences and emotions. However, it is the subconscious mind which has complete knowledge of the past, present and future.”

She further goes on to say, “The universe conspires in giving us what we want but it is us who create blocks with our thoughts. Tarot images that are pictorial help create the right image on the subconscious mind. This helps liven our subconscious mind which in return helps us heal.”

Professional Tarot card reader Priya Laxman believes that Tarot is not only a tool for divination but also a tool for healing someone spiritually, mentally and physically. “Tarot acts as a guiding force, keeping in mind the person’s energy, fears, thoughts and dreams. In fact in today’s times when there are so many people suffering from stress and anxiety related diseases, Tarot helps in guiding them to mental peace. Even when it comes to diseases like diabetes or cancer, while the medicines do their job on a physical level, Tarot helps them face the situation mentally and spiritually.”

There are Tarot rituals which use Tarot cards, appropriate crystals, candles, colours, aromas in a particular pattern to bring about the healing. Sometimes depending on the problem Tarot readers tackle the healing in a different manner by using different systems like reiki and crystals in a combination with Tarot.

Dr Roopa Patel believes, “Collective energy works better. Hence a group of people doing a ritual together makes the healing more effective. One of my clients father was hospitalized and we did a health ritual for him. After the ritual she found his health improve faster. However one should not use Tarot as an alternative to medicine as it is a prayer to support and augment the healing the process.”

The Tarot Process
Different Tarot card readers have different ways of interpreting and conducting the Tarot session. However, what remains constant are the cards used. There are two main sections in Tarot cards – the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.

• Major Arcana: The Major Arcana are 22 pictorial cards without suits. These cards are The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, and The World. These cards signify the major events and transformations taken place in ones life. They depict the human journey from ignorance to enlightenment with the encounters they have had in between, i.e. from The Fool to The World.
  
• Minor Arcana: These are 56 cards which are divided into four suits of 14 cards each; ten numbered cards and four court cards - the King, Queen, Knight and Page/Jack, in each of the four tarot suits - swords, wands, coins and cups. Each of these suits depict a persons zodiac sign or their characteristics. The coins denote the earth signs and talk about the financial status of the person. The cups are based on water signs and denote ones emotional aspirations. The wands are the career suit which depict the water signs while the air signs are depicted by the swords which talk about a persons intellect.

Talking about how the session is taken forward with these cards, Priya Laxman explains, “Since it is a guiding process with the persons current state of mind, I first ask the client to shuffle both the Major and Minor Arcana cards together. While they are shuffling their cards I ask them to pray along with going over their questions in their mind. After that I layout the cards in a position known as the Celtic Cross. Depending on the way the cards are placed I answer their questions.”

In case the client asks for more details which are specific to a particular problem then she rearranges the cards into a career spread, relationship spread, life spread etc. “When the client has a particular problem, we first go through the history of the problem and then with the help of the spread and sometimes with prayers and crystals we try and find a way out.”

On the other hand Dr Roopa Patel only uses the Major Arcana cards. “I take my client through a journey of creative visualization which is used in Gestalt and psychoanalysis. Based on the persons Tarot profile and my understanding I select a Tarot card for meditation. Till now I have prescribed all the cards for meditation except for The Devil and the Tower as they have negative connotations.”

Belief of the client
No matter what the method is but, when undergoing Tarot healing it is extremely important to believe in the process. Most Tarot card readers say that if not belief one should at least keep an open mind and not come with a negative approach.  One should be healed when they are mentally prepared for it and hence a clients permission and belief plays an important role.

Picture Credit: Ruxandra Moldoveanu