Tarot For Modern Life
Bronwyn Mahon
Writer, tarot reader and pop culture enthusiast
Gemini Sun, Libra Moon & Sagittarius Rising
Copenhagen / San Francisco
Tarot is one of those things, isn’t it?
We all try to go through life without prejudice, keeping an open mind and generally not letting our preconceived notions dictate our lives or decisions.
But tarot…
Just admit it, this is a safe space and we won’t judge you. Even if, especially if, you have some pretty entrenched ideas about tarot and the people who might offer to “read your cards.” Maybe you see them covered in more scarves than Steven Tyler dishing out ominous fortunes and esoteric warnings at an old timey fair. Maybe your thoughts are more inline with Jeanane Garofalo’s iconic and generationally defining portrayal of Wiladene, the tarot reader, witch and all around slightly scary town outcast from Now & Then (For a full break down of the importance of this character head over to Tarot Outlaw Bulletin). Or maybe you just think of that slightly spacy girl from your yoga class you try not to engage in conversation, ‘cause boy, can she talk.
On a scale of 1-10 how similar is this to the girl in your yoga class?
And bangs, for the love of God don’t forget the bangs! But you actually don’t need to be a witch, town outcast, have bangs or wear scarves to get something out of tarot.
(Full disclosure, and this is not something I share with just anyone, but I didn’t start reading tarot until I got bangs. I chopped my hair, really leaned into my California hippy upbringing and Joshua Tree style, and decided you know what would really tie it all together? Tarot. But my story is not your story.)
Tarot can have a very regular and normal place in your everyday, modern, busy, scarf free life. We are all painfully aware that life has become too digital, too “turned on”, too many screens, not enough time, or breaks, or moments away. At the very least tarot can provide a moment of analog enjoyment.
Shuffle. Think. Find something to take away. It can take 5 minutes, you can do it while your coffee brews. Put your phone down and think about the physical thing in your hands. You can go deeper, buy books, study; dig down into meanings and philosophy. But you don’t have to. Tarot could just be a way to step away for a moment.
“Draw a card and decide what you think about it. No! Don’t look up the meaning on your phone, this might be the analog experience of your day.”
I have a deck where The Emperor is a man with ram horns staring imperiously at you from the card. Sure, I know that the Emperor is associated with Aries and that this is a pretty standard portrayal, but also damn, he’s a sexy man with ram horns. So maybe that’s your take away, standing there waiting for your coffee, looking at a sexy ram man with horns and determination. That’s all it has to be, and how is that not an improvement on how you made your coffee yesterday? What did you do, look at Twitter?
I realize that this is a very specific example, and maybe you need something broader. If you get into tarot you will either be reading your own cards, or getting your cards read, and both can fit into your life, no matter what you think about bangs.
It’s not just me, right? Want this sexy ram man? He’s right here
Reading Your Own Cards
Tarot can provide another way to look at your life. A different perspective. It could help you to look at situations from a perspective you hadn’t considered. It could force you to think about those things you’ve been pushing down and trying not to think about.
If mediation seems like something you should do, but feels impossible; tarot may be a middle ground. A time, however brief or long you want it to be, to set things aside and drift into something else. Shuffle. Card. Think. That’s all it needs to be. You can add journaling, or gratitude if you want. Or it can just be a way into a moment that is all yours.
“You don’t need 50 houseplants and a smoothie. Just some cards.”
You can even start with a literal deck of cards. It’s a bit harder, and you will probably need your phone, but it is possible.
Think of it as a mini escape, something to do with your mind and body that takes a little bit of thought. And if you find a sexy ram man, all the better.
Getting Your Cards Read
Maybe you would rather someone else do the heavy lifting and the hard shuffling. No worries, getting your cards read by a professional is always an option. For a lot of people it might be the only way they ever experience tarot, and that’s awesome. Most tarot readers have put a lot of time and study into their craft, and they turn that all around so you can share the benefits of it.
Having someone else read your cards can give you clarity on a specific issue, or a general snapshot of some of the influences in your life at the moment. The cards have a wealth of meaning, symbolism and situations that can be interpreted, and a good reader will be able to bring all that together with help from their experience and intuition to make sense of it for you.
It is always worthwhile seeking outside of yourself, and a tarot reading can give you insights that you may be missing, or too distracted to see.
If it’s the mysticism that’s putting you off, don’t fret. A lot of modern tarot readers take a very magic free approach to the craft.
“It’s not about telling the future, but about gaining a deeper understanding of the now and maybe some possible directions to take. With many readers offering online or digital reading, you don’t even need to worry about your hair smelling like incense when you're done.”
Think of tarot as another tool you can use to help survive modern life. It can be as practical or as mystical as you want. Like bath bombs, wine nights, massages, and yoga, and setting up direct deposits for your bills, it’s tool for helping yourself. You can do it regularly and treat it seriously as part of a spiritual practice, or you can have a little tarot, as a treat. However you decide to do it, there is a way to fit it into your very modern and maybe not magical daily life, I promise.
If Jane Seymour doesn’t need bangs to read tarot, neither do you!
If you’re thinking of dipping your toe in and don’t know where to start, boy howdy! You’ve come to the right spot.
Want a reading but don’t know what suits? Check out these situations where a reading might be helpful, and suggestions for what reading would be most helpful.
Think you want your own deck? Maria’s got a ton of beautiful suggestions all of which pass the test of a professional tarot reader.