I Got My First Tarot Card Reading, and It Was an Amazing Experience

Immediately upon crossing the threshold into Diana of Sophrosune Wellness’ apartment, I was enveloped in the smell of burning incense. While she fixed me a cup of tea and yoga music played from an unseen speaker, I examined the spiritual items crowded onto her moroccan-style trunk; crystals, oils in delicate decanters, a bronze Ganesh elephant statue, postcards and other objects of significance vied for my attention. Scattered across the floor, bathed in the afternoon light filtering through her curtains, were vases of flowers from her recent birthday, more large chunks of crystals and icons. This is a sanctuary if ever there was one.

Diana invited me to create a comfortable seat for myself on the floor using a yoga blanket, and to wander around and pick out a crystal that I liked. I chose a small clear one from a side table, which she told me is a good one for tapping into your intuition. That would prove to be significant.

Diana created a safe circle for me, scattering glitter around my space. I was enjoying this ritual and solemnity. It felt comforting and exciting at the same time. Then she sat down across from me on the floor, and asked me what questions I had. I asked her about my career. “Am I headed in the right direction, with the blog and freelance writing? Is this right for me?” Sometimes I have doubts and insecurities, especially when comparing myself to more successful blogs with more beautiful photography and rabid fans.

Diana chatted with me, and with the cards as she moved them around in her hands. “They can be temperamental,” she confided. She spoke to them reverently, asking them to speak with clarity to us in answering my questions. She gave them to me so I could handle them, so they could get to know me. After closing my eyes and shuffling them, spreading them beneath my fingers, I handed them back to her, and she shuffled them some more, requesting good favor from them and the spirits surrounding us.

She laid out three cards on the ground, representing my past, future and present, and then slowly and methodically walked me through their meaning. The Eight of Swords facing upright indicated that in the past, things worked out well for me, that I know what people want and how to provide it for them. Well, that sounds like a lovely indication of how my blog and writing career came to be.

The Ace of Swords in the present position indicated a cerebral strength, but that I will need to refocus on my goals, not let the ego get in my way, and trust my intuition more. “Those doubts you feel are just the monkey mind,” Diana told me. “Your intuition is never unkind, that’s how you know it’s your intuition.” She suggested I clear space for myself to step away and reevaluate what I’m doing with my career. And also, that I take stock of my accomplishments and celebrate them. “A triumph or success journal can be so valuable,” she said.

The Two of Wands indicated that I would progress in the future, that while I could accomplish what I needed to do on my own, help is on the way. Diana I continued to discuss the meanings of the cards, but I already felt refreshed and excited. Yes, there are challenges, but I felt like the cards were telling me that with a little bit of thought, self awareness and trust in my gut, I could continue to grow and improve.

I left Diana’s apartment an hour after I arrived with a hug, a small crystal in my pocket, and a new sense of buoyancy that I had needed so much. You may believe in Tarot or not, but in any case, the advice to seek clarity, meditate and trust my gut certainly can’t hurt.

If you want to get a tarot card reading, both Diana and Lindsay of Sophrosune Wellness can do one for you. And Lindsay can give you a reading using Native American elder cards and fairy cards as well. Just for good measure.

Have you ever gotten a tarot card or other type of mystical reading? How did it go?