I have been telling fortunes for more than half of my life. I picked the cards up at a very early age, at least four years after I had started using talking boards and automatic writing or drawing. It was a natural process for me; I felt the call somehow and didn’t know how to answer back but I staid the course. I learned through observation and the sense of feeling. Nobody taught me what I know. It took 11 years before I found my mentor and worked towards my certification. Now I stand over almost 19 years of divination and fortune-telling and I am astounded at how quickly time has passed, and at how much experience I've amassed.
The way you interact with the cards changes as you gain more experience. I used to have a set meaning system I’d refer to and recite depending on the context of the reading. I used to avoid reversals because I felt it would mess with the balance of all the archetypes.
Now I attribute meaning based off what is surrounding the card and what the symbols in the tableau point out to me. I read reversed meanings if the cards around the one I am looking at indicate it should be. I can see peoples’ life patterns and gloss them down into situational reasons for concern. Then I reverse it by offering advice or laying the options they have out on the table. It’s an electric process, certainly one I enjoy thoroughly.
The life of a soothsayer comes with many challenges. People who are your “friend” encourage you to read for free and drain you. You’ll often pick up on more than you want to when you are introduced to new people. People become case studies rather than friends you want to make. You have this quiet understanding about who they are because your intuition tells you so, but you can’t quite put into words how it is you know so much about them. You just know and you accept, much like the High Priestess does.
There are many joys that come along with the practice of divination. You connect with people more easily, and revel in the moments you feel in tune with them. A strong connection can light your spirit with inspiration and with motivation for your future. You feel good about the notion you can help someone sort through their options to forge a better path to their own future.
At the end of the day, the gift is heavy from the responsibility you shoulder. Vulnerable people will believe what you tell them, and you need to be fully concentrated to really take in their life. Helping others becomes a challenge if you have to compartmentalize your mind with your own problems you are trying to solve and their own. One does not relate to the other, so often times you will find that as a reader you need to tune out of your mundane life so you can be a present, open channel for your querent. Therein lies the sacrifice.
The life of a spiritual worker is one of self-sacrifice and devotion to others. It teaches us to walk a silent path where we carry and protect secrets; ours and those of others. Now I understand why the Hierophant jealously guards those two keys. There are entire vaults of secret information not privy to the eyes of those who don’t understand. You need to earn you right to see and understand those secrets.
Wherever you are at in your journey, I hope you found your own experiences identified in this journal post. May your intuition lead you to gain new insights with which to fuel your fire.
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