I love classic TV. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite things to watch. Even if I’m not actively watching it (like right now as I’m writing this article), it’s at least playing in the background for background noise. I find it comforting.
Two shows, decades apart, made me write this article. There was an episode of “I Love Lucy” in which Ethel learns to read playing cards (which is a version of reading tarot). In this episode, Ethel does a parlor trick reading for Lucy and the cards reveal that Lucy is going to die and that Ricky was going to be the one trying to kill her. Naturally, the hilarity ensues.
In another instance, th
ere was also an episode of the late 90’s sitcom “Smart Guy,” starring Tahj Mowry in which a character Mo finds his birth mother, only for her to be a tarot reader. She doesn’t desire a relationship with Mo, but does offer to read his future with the tarot as he leaves her trailer disappointed. She is portrayed as sort of aloof character who is mysterious and detached.
This all made me think: the tarot reader has his or her work cut out for her. Often, we are portrayed as someone that can perform and awesome party trick or some county fortune teller in tent, complete with crystal ball, turban, and incense, dripping in costume jewelry.
I can attest that I’m NOTHING like those images you’ve seen. And neither are the thousands of tarot readers around the world.
Honestly, most of us are regular people. In anything in life, you are going to have those extremists, so naturally, there are those in the tarot community who are just like Ethel and Mo’s birth mother. In the case of Mo’s birth mother, it somehow adds to the mystique of having a gift that not everyone has when the truth is ANYONE can learn to read tarot and there’s nothing weird or mysterious about it.
Because we are wired to want and desire hard and fast rules about things, we often want a tried and true method of reading tarot. Truth is, you only need your intuition to read tarot. The tarot isn’t magical or mystical; it’s ink printed on paper! What is magical about the tarot is you and your intuition. There are no rules when it comes to reading tarot!
The tarot is a tool for everyone, not just psychics. You never know—your boss at work could have a deck at home that he uses to read for himself and family. Your doctor could have a deck. Your car mechanic may have one. People from all walks of life use the tarot and we are certainly not all carnies.
I know you may have preconceived notions of what a tarot reader looks like or the amount of time it must have taken them to memorize the cards. Friend, there is nothing to memorize if you let your intuition lead you. Look at the images closely on the cards and really feel what’s there. And notice—you’re not in a tent with a turban on your head.
Tarot readers area normal, every day people who just so happen to use a tool.
Get used to it. We are everywhere! And you could be one of us!
