A small wall altar with two archetype Tarot cards–a Warrior and a High Priestess. Photo copyright by Lorna Tedder.
Tarot cards have regular place in my life–as miniature vision boards to focus my attention on when manifesting something I desire, as artwork in my home, as tools to be used in magic spells, as reminders of a particular theme I’m using in a book I’m writing or creative project I’m working on, and as divination guides to give me insights.
These cards are not for pagans only! Many, many Tarot readers are Christian and understand that they are a key to intuition and the inner psyche–not the handiwork of the devil. That said, a reader of any religion can certainly give a reading that is skewed to the positive or negative, depending on his or her own personal outlook and filters. A reader who looks for the bad will certainly find it whereas a positive reader who looks for the good in things, even in major upsets, can find something positive to say that will not leave the recipient of the reading feeling devastated but rather empowerered. My personal belief is that you should never leave a reading feeling like the world is crashing around you–instead, you should feel armed to take on whatever battles must be fought and turn them around in your favor–or find a temporary safer position to retreat to!
When used for personal growth or insight, the symbology of Tarot cards can
trigger a deep and meaningful revelations in one’s self. The answers are usually already there, just covered, buried, or hidden and a deck of Tarot cards can give insight into the “obvious” answer. From a Law of Attractionstandpoint, there are many possible futures and realities out there but aligning to the images of a particular few cards can help the self-reader see the best possible solution of many.
When used as for divination (referred to somewhat disparagingly as fortune-telling, the reader (usually someone else) can study the images on the cards and tap into his or her own intuition to 
align with the energetic snapshot of what is and the most likely course of what is to come based on the influences in play at the time of the reading. A Tarot card reader who is truly gifted with intuition may see the card as a trigger to some flash of insight (specifically seeing a vision of something or having a knowing. Less than gifted Tarot card readers–including many who populate pay-per-minute psychic hotlines–can give an entertaining but not necessarily intuitive reading based on knowledge of the 78 (usually) Tarot cards and the symbolism of the numbers and images of the major and minor arcana. For example, 5’s are generally about choices, and cups are generally representative of emotions. The 5 of cups card is often read as a card of regret about a love relationship, or difficult emotional choices. A very intuitive Tarot Card reader might see this card, based on where it is the layout, as a pining over unrequited love in the past that is affecting the present and holding the reading’s recipient back from moving forward and claiming a new love relationship, complete with the physical description, approximate height, and given name of the old flame. (Been there!)
Probably the most dreaded of the Tarot cards is the Tower Card, more dreaded than the Death Card, which usually represents change or endings and new beginnings. The Tower Card usually symbolizes a major catastrophe that shakes the reading recipient to the core. It’s not all bad, though, because the person can rebuild on a new, stronger foundation…though it’s usually really upsetting at the time it occurs. The best example of this card’s meaning and how it can be overcome is found in the short novel, Celebrating the Tower Card by Lauren Hartford.
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