How I Use Tarot for Introspection & Guidance
Tarot was a practice I embraced initially at seventeen. Kept as a witchy secret with myself. It became my own private ritual, a form of spiritual hygiene just as essential as brushing my teeth. I sought wisdom in vintage books from local thrift stores, collecting tales and techniques on how to read the cards. I would take myself on dates to local metaphysical stores, engaging in endless conversations with the owners. Often, what they shared resonated deeply, mirroring the reflections I had during quiet nights spent with my deck and an open journal. I always found a profound connection with items and people that spoke a language beyond English—a language rooted in synchronicities.
When I was gifted my first deck, the dots began to connect. This practice, beyond the modern rise of occult trends, was deeply woven into the tapestry of my European ancestors. My mom often shared memories of her childhood in Poland, recalling how my Baba would sit at their table in their tiny home, with a straw roof and a dirt floor in Szebzeczyn, using a standard deck of playing cards as Tarot. With limited resources during those times, those cards offered connection and food for thought—a way to ask questions that felt too daunting to voice aloud. They moved energy that would otherwise remain stagnant, providing gentle nudges towards clarity. Though we all walk our individual paths, we inherently all have access to this realm.
When Baba moved her family to Canada, the phone would ring constantly with people asking her to consult the cards. I fondly remember as a child the times spent at her home, where she would utter the same phrases over the phone to her friends while shuffling and laying out the cards in a repetitive sacred order:
Co było - what was
Co będzie - what will be
Co być musi - what needs to be
Co na sercu leży - what exists in your heart
W Domu - in your home
Witnessing her pause her daily life to embrace divination left a mark on my soul. A true link to the ethereal. She possessed a gift and strong intuition—something I was too young to fully comprehend at the time, yet now as an adult I feel these memories pulling at the strings of my subconscious every time I shuffle my own deck. I feel the warmth of her presence.
About four years after I began reading my own cards and feeling confident in my translations without my vintage books in hand, I kept my cards in my tote bag, allowing them to travel with me and absorb the energy of my days. They journeyed through various locations, from the beach to the bar.
I vividly recall a night out with two friends on a back patio when a group from high school approached us simply to say hi. My deck, resting between our drinks, became a quick conversation starter, making me feel vulnerable as my witchy side was suddenly visible. Standing at the crossroads of vulnerability and authenticity. Divine intervention. Curious to witness what we were up to, asked if I could do a reading for them in the future. I saw no more perfect moment than the present, inviting them to sit and pull a card if they had a moment. The cards served as a beautiful key, allowing us a sacred exchange, stripping us of past ties. Sharing what the cards symbolized for them in their spead brought tears, and in that moment, I realized I wouldn’t have had the confidence to share this practice had I not taken the time alone with it first.
Allowing the cards to exist in my moments alone, and with those who crossed my path, created memories that now act as fuel to have the ability to connect with anyone. The cards eliminate judgment, helping unlock a language I had otherwise been afraid to speak aloud. A reminder that the chaos of this world often makes us forget our interconnectedness. A magical shared humanity we all exist in.
I will forever carry the art of Tarot in every bag that hangs on my shoulder. I even hide a mini deck in my truck for “emergencies”. To pick up the phone when it rings. I thank all who have practiced before me. The lens it presents to look through. I witness on a loop the idea that each of us has our own way of seeing and experiencing the world.
“Art has an ability to connect us beyond the limitations of language. Through this, we get to face our inner world outward, remove the boundaries of seperation, and participate in the great remembering of what we came into this life knowing: There is no seperation. We Are One”- Rick Rubin (The Creative Act: A Way of Being)
Books I Love
