tarot

this is a new one for me. I only got into tarot at the end of August, 2023. The inspiration is kinda fuckin weird.

so, I was eating a poke bowl in Atlanta with one of my Buddhist friends, just talking about stuff after a meeting. She's from the west coast but moved to Chattanooga somewhat recently and has been super active and great to talk to. She was telling me about how on the west coast it's way more common to practice things like tarot and paganism in addition to Buddhism than it is here on the east coast. I totally agreed that even amongst non-christian here, people tend to be more conservative. But, it got me thinking. A few weeks ago, I had watched a youtube video about helping a young woman who does tarot readings for a living get her finances straightened out and she made a lot of money. I also watched a different video from an animator I like that as an experiment went to a few different "psychics" who did readings for her to compare and contrast and decide if it was worth it in anyway. The thing I really took away from that was "damn! tarot readings are expensive!" Now, I don't really plan on making any money from tarot readings, but my friend mentioning her interest in it while also practicing Buddhism intrigued me.

The idea is that tarot can help you focus your energies and focus kind of like chanting does. It connects you to what we Buddhists call the Mystic Law, which connects all living beings. It's kind of like fate, in a way. Perhaps tarot could help me have perspective on things I'm experiencing and things I want to change, typically things I'd chant about. Plus, I think the art and history associated with it is very interesting.

I have a deck based on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which was developed in 1909 by A.E. Waite, an "occultist" American who lived in England, and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. I find the history of it being developed with removing the heavier Christian leanings of the tarot de Marseilles deck particularly interesting. I also think the illustrations are intriguing and full of symbolism to research, lol.

I think it's interesting to interpret the cards you pull. sometimes it's pretty right on the nose, sometimes you have to think about it. I don't think it's the end-all be-all. I categorize it as fun and sometimes a little astute, like horoscopes.