Life with Tarot

Citrin

In my daily life I feel that tarot has become a very meditative practice, that makes me stop and be present in the moment, and also find focus for each day. I pull a daily draw (one oracle, or two tarot cards, usually) to keep in mind, asking for the message I need to know that day. I love that little morning ritual, it helps me ground.

Every new moon and every full moon I also do a bigger reading, to help me connect with the moon phases and plan my life.

Every Sunday I do a Week Ahead Reading, same as above in that I intend to get help with planning and understand what the week ahead is bringing and how to make the most of it. :)

I work a lot with tarot and oracles I'd say. I used to do maybe a weekly spread, but these days the cards have a much bigger space in my life. It's all to connect both with my own soul, and with Source. It brings depth, to me. :)
 

violetdaisy

I like the idea of having a routine, even monthly, but my life doesn't seem to work that way. I do write, almost every day, and most definitely weekly but it's not always Tarot. Interestingly, usually when I have essentially nothing else to do and I have the time for an in-depth spread I don't feel the desire to work with my decks. (Taking a nap or doing a ritual cleansing typically are what I think of first)

I think perhaps the way Tarot is incorporated most in my life is that even though I don't pull cards as frequently as some I still read on it, think on it, and link my experiences with it daily. So it's a part of me instead of just around me.
 

nisaba

I'm really interested in hearing about and getting ideas from how others incorporate Tarot into their life. What does a day or week or month with Tarot in your life look like?

<grin> Perfectly normal.

It's life *without* Tarot that looks pretty weird to me, these days. I'm just back from a three-day roadtrip with a family member, and although I had a deck with me all the time I never once touched it. It was a very odd three days. :)

When will you do a reading or pull a card?

When I'm at work as a reader. When I'm waiting for my coffee in a café. Whenever. For me, it's as normal as a fashion-plate-person checking their makeup, or window-shopping for clothes (both of which I can't imagine doing).

What spreads if any do you tend to use?

My own. I'm really good and devising spreads that both look good on the table and provide the kinds of analysis you might need for different situations. I still occasionally develop a new spread (I did a few months ago), but I have a grab-bag of specialist spreads of my own that I mostly developed between 15 and 25 years ago, and I'm happy with them.

How do you act on / incorporate the guidance of the cards?

Well, every time I disregard the cards because logical intellectual analysis of my situation tells me that my options are better elsewhere, I end up bitterly regretting it. This has been going on for decades. I only very rarely read for myself, but when I do, I sit up and take notice. It's just too painful if I don't.

Examples of real situations would be fabulous.

Nah ... I wouldn't know where to start. I don't have time to write a book here. :)
 

Alexandra-tt

The first and best ritual I have is to draw my seven daily cards before the begining of the week (on sunday). It tooks me a long time to grant me the permission to do my daily draws all at once. It still sounds very weird :D but it works pretty well.
I put my 7 cards on a shelf during the whole week, so I can pass by, drink my tea and incorporate the story of my whole week, without noticing I am working on it. I choose an 'art deck' for that, so it can become a part of my home decoration.
I also have a tiny daily journal where I can write at most two sentences (far enough).
The combination 'daily all at once', 'shelf', 'tiny daily journal' works very well with my busy days. I call that my Empress routine.

I have another side to my practice, the Hierophant routine : reading (tarot companion books or books related to tarot vision), notes and deep journaling/writing* on my big binder or phone app. I do that on the subway and at home at night.
In that I impose myself to make one step every day, even a minor little tiny step!

I keep one deck in my bag for questions that comes in my mind and discovered that one or two cards of the motherpeace goes rather unnoticed on my table :) *(it's important for me to keep that 'place' totally secret at work).

That year I would like to create special journals about subjects I use to work a lot (work, Spiritual growth, Relation, ...) and incorporate specials spreads I will use regulary. But routines take time to settle naturally and I want to honore that, searching the best way out of my Empress and Hierophant routines.

From my extented daily spread, I am adviced to recognize! and enjoy the gift (6 of cups) of my hot and 'lazy' day :) (sun), not pushing myself outside but being grounded, organized and open (father of pentacles) to welcome tomorrow.
 

Barleywine

I find that pegging my longer-range readings to natural cycles (seasonal, solar, lunar, etc.) keeps me tuned in so I don't forget to do them. To be honest, though, I still do. Dailies are easier to keep up with.
 

EmpyreanKnight

I only read the cards when I have a pressing issue at hand, which is about three times a month at most. I also perform general readings on special occasion (birthdays, New Years, Summer Solstice, etc. I also read upon request from family and friends, tho this is not too often. I plan to regularly perform weekly readings with a card for each of the 7 days of the coming week.

I also read on my current favorite deck during my leisure time, which fluctuates depending on my current work load.
 

barefootlife

I've always got at least one deck with me. Sometimes I take them out to just shuffle, like a fidget tool, and then look at the top and bottom card to see what they have to say. How often I pull cards for myself is all about my feelings at the time. Sometimes it's a lot, sometimes it's barely at all. I keep a notebook of spreads I like and pick one out of there that satisfies my needs, or just draw some cards (usually 3-5) and apply them however makes sense at the time. Basically, my practice is variable, bordering on haphazard. :laugh: The cards are always there when we need them.