Building a Sustainable Self-Tarot Practice

A few weeks back, I blogged about when to seek out a professional reading. After all of that, I thought it would be a good idea to do a rundown of how to create a more sustainable self tarot practice.

Like any good habit, building a sustainable self-tarot practice means finding an easy way to incorporate it into your daily life and having an intention behind that incorporation. I am a big believer that the best tarot practices are those that pertain to your real life. In fact, I’ve built my entire tarot course around how to read for real life situations. Tarot is a wonderful way to connect with spirituality, but it’s also an extremely effective tool in processing emotions and getting clarity in personal situations.

A lot of beginners and seasoned tarot pros seem to struggle to find ways to incorporate these practices into daily life. They get busy; they have a respect for their tarot practice. They don’t want to rush through readings or they just aren’t sure how to turn it from occasional activity into habit.

These are a few of the practices that I recommend to help you make tarot a part of your regular life.

Meditating on one card every day

For those who love meditation and already have a regular meditation practice, this is a great option. You would draw a card every morning (or whenever you meditate) and ask the question “Which card would be most helpful for me to meditate on today?” Shuffle and draw one or two cards. Take a moment to look at them and make notes in a journal to help you keep a record of what you’re focusing on.

Then, practice your regular meditation and continue to focus on the energy or message of that card and how that card’s energy could help you. Maybe throughout the rest of your day you draw on that message and energy as you move about your day as a mindfulness exercise.

This is one that builds on itself. As you reflect back on a week of these, you often start to see some patterns. Maybe you notice which cards you work with very easily and which ones you struggle with. That alone is valuable info.

Giving yourself a reading for the week

I get it. Things get very hectic as the week goes on. That’s why I am a big proponent of doing a reading for the week. Most of us have at least one quiet time during the week. Maybe you have lazy Sunday evenings. Maybe things finally quiet down for you on Wednesday mornings. Whenever that time period is, take a moment to sit and do a spread for yourself for the week.

I try to stay away from questions about what I will experience as that can sometimes be a little traumatic. (Imagine starting a new job and pulling the Devil card for your first week on the job.) Instead I recommend asking questions like: What card’s energy do I need to embody to feel successful this week? What cards represent resources that I will need to cultivate this week? What card represents natural gifts that can help me overcome any challenges this week?

That way, you are giving yourself a reading that is empowering and gives you something to come back to whenever you’re feeling frustrated or overwhelmed throughout the week. These cards become touchstones and a support system to help you through challenges.

Again, I do recommend writing at least a few notes on the read in a journal just so you remember what came up. Sometimes we think we remember but, once the chaos of the week starts, we only remember bits and pieces.

Goal-oriented Card of the day towards that weekly or daily goal

This is one of my favorite options because I’m a very goal-oriented person. If you set goals for the week or a goal for each day, you can draw a card for the week or the day to tell you how you can achieve that goal.

So, for example, if I wanted to make sure that I wrote three blog posts one day and I drew the Four of Swords, I would note that taking lots of breaks in between each blog is what would help me get it all done. I don’t like to take breaks so this is not something I would normally think to do, but if I pulled that card in the morning, I would recognize that rest is an important part of the process because it will help me ultimately achieve my goal.

I like this approach because it is very direct and very actionalable. It can also be applied to the full week or to daily pulls.

Real Life Tarot Spreads

Mulling something over? Really frustrated with a relationship in your life? Looking for your ideal job but unsure where to look? READ ON IT!

This is why we learn. It doesn’t have to follow a prescribed tarot spread that you find online or that you’ve learned. Listen to your own intuition. What questions do you feel called to ask your deck? What would give you the deepest insight into what you need? What empowering questions can you ask?

This is something I cover in depth in my tarot course Practical Tarot for Everyday Intuitives. If you are interested in learning more about that course or taking a free training on Tarot for Real Life, where I talk all about the top mistake new tarot readers make, the neuroscience of how tarot can stop anxiety in it’s tracks, and the exact steps you need to start reading effectively and efficiently for yourself, you can sign up here for that free training.