Dancing with the Devil

Horoscopes. Tarot Cards. Crystals. Growing up in a Christian household, these things were tantamount to dancing with the devil and his evil demons, and if I were to have ever brought them up in conversation or, heaven forbid, brought them into the house, I would have been immediately doused in holy water and subjected to hours of lecture and (I’m sure) hours more prayers behind closed doors.

But on Sunday night, I squirmed away from the clinging tendrils of past mindsets and sat down to do my first ever tarot reading. I have been trying to expand my horizons on my spiritual journey, and while this was definitely out of my comfort zone, I was willing to open my heart to receive any message that might come through. Plus, I admit, I was curious.

Since I was new to the process, I was walked through the steps:

First, ask the universe a question. This is done preferably outside so that you can properly send out your query in the right energy.

Second, the other person leading the reading will prepare the cards for you. In my case, they spread them all out on the table one by one, so there was no overlap. (This, of course, was different from my ‘movie’ imagination, where a mystical individual dressed in rags shadily fans the entire deck in their hands and you are compelled to pluck three from the masses).

Third, you choose your cards. I was told to close my eyes and pass my hands over the cards and if something happened in the room or if I felt something, I was take the card my hand was over. For my first card, the TV turned off when I put my hand over it, so I was told that should be my choice. For my second and third card, I definitely felt a sort of warmth, like a little ball of energy, rest on my overturned palm as I passed over them, so I added those two to my pile.

Fourth, you take in each card, one at a time, using the tarot book to guide you on the meanings of each one. And this step, my friends, is the hill whereupon my disbelief went to die.

My first card had to do with relationships, and how I had strong connections with people and they were a good thing in my life. It discussed the four different pillars of relationships, and discussed the need to have balance.

My second card had to do with having faith in myself and taking action, being able to sacrifice things that were important to me to reach a higher goal. It pointed out how I was perfectly capable of this journey.

My third card was about how we can cling to different versions of ourselves, but we need to be willing to allow ourselves to evolve and grow through each new phase of our lives. It specifically touched on spirituality.

You guys…the question that I had asked was: “What is my life purpose and my life path?”.

Every single one of those cards hit on an aspect that I have been struggling with in regards to my future. I’ve had doubts off and on about my relationship–the cards put that to rest. I’ve been scared to really put my time and effort into my writing–the cards urged me to go all in. I’ve been struggling with how to follow my spiritual path–the cards showed that evolution and open-mindedness are key.

Every single large aspect that I have been mulling about my path: love life, writing goals, and spirituality. They were all there.

Incredible.

Now, I know that to some, tarot cards still bring forth images of either shifty characters scamming desperate people or terrifying figures tapping into some form of dark power.

But for me, the experience was peaceful, illuminating, and actually pretty cool.

This doesn’t mean that I’m ready to ‘read the cards’ before every decision in my life, but it does allow me to have another tool in my toolbelt with which to ask for direction from the universe, and another experience with which to broaden my mind.

Overall, I would recommend the experience, but only if you’re able to truly have an open mind about the adventure–after all, energy is a powerful thing, and your mind can slam a door closed before your soul even gets a chance to explore beyond the door frame.

Stay open, and always choose love.

-Hannah Elizabeth

PS-I’d be fascinated to hear your experiences with these sorts of things! Comment below!

PPS-If you found value in these, please pay it forward and give this a share on your social media. I appreciate my readers so much! *muah*