How To Read Tarot When Your Life is a Mess

Truth #1: The best tarot reading comes from a grounded, present reader.

Truth #2: If your personal life is a chaotic shit show, it may bleed through in your work (warning: this truth may also apply to any profession, not just tarot readers). This can lead to a lack of focus, projection, or a tainted slant on other people’s issues (get a reading from a bitter man-hater and you’ll know exactly what I mean).

Truth #3: Even the most levelheaded reader will have some drama in their life (nobody is perfect nor immune from crisis).

If you are going to be reading tarot, or giving anyone any advice for that matter, having a calm life will allow you to show up better for your client. Therefore, you want to work to keep your life as peaceful as possible.

My life is pretty stable. In fact, I would like to say that it’s almost boring. I’ve engineered it to be that way. I like a quiet, fuss free existence. (Even my clothing is all about comfort.)

Drama rarely happens here. But on occasion, it does (I cannot control everything although I’d like to think I do!).

And guess what? Even when life gets messy, I still have to work. I’ve got bills to pay and clients who need my counsel – I don’t get a day off for “drama” (that being said, I do take time off when I am so sick I can’t think straight because that is not a good head space to be in for tarot).

So how do I manage when trouble shows up at my door, demanding my attention?

Simple: ground and center through the breath. That’s it. You won’t have a clue that anything is wrong in my world because I’ve just put all my energy into YOUR world.

Let me tell you my method by example:

Recently, I was sitting upstairs with my husband, watching a little Judge Judy between appointments (I like that salty lady!). Suddenly, I heard footsteps up the stairs. Thinking it was my son, I shouted out “who the eff is here now?” (This is a running joke around here – I always do that when the kids drop by.)

There was silence for a moment and then I heard the feet shuffling back down the stairs. I looked at my husband and wondered allowed what that was all about. Why did he leave? My husband thought it might be our tenant coming home but I knew she was not due for a few hours.

Perplexed, I went downstairs a little later and discovered that our basement window was violently kicked in (so hard, the glass went into the other room!). Obviously, the thief was not expecting anyone to be home and my gruff greeting scared him off. He got nothing but an ancient, broken laptop. (Thanks for taking that piece of crap off my hands, dummy.)

After I called the cops, I had to – you guessed it – go to work. I had an appointment that was booked weeks in advance so there was no changing things or backing out now. I had to show up and be a pro.

I sat down at the tarot table and started deep breathing. Once the client called, I tuned in to her breath as I shuffled the cards. I do this very subtly – it’s my way of getting in sync and forming a connection with my client. As soon as I get into that breathing rhythm, my brain gets present and all that drama melts away. I have tapped into the moment, the now.

And that is the key. You have to get out of your head and get present. Deep, yogic breathing is the method I use to get in that space. Try that the next time you are in the midst of a some janky drama and see how it works for you.

I do want to add this: there are times where all the deep breathing in the world may not do diddly squat. If you are in a situation that is wreaking havoc to such a degree that you can no longer concentrate, it may be wise (and compassionate) to take a time out and put your energy into healing yourself.

After all, the focus must always be on the people we serve and if we are not in shape to be completely present, then we need to step back until we can be.

“How you can sit there, calmly eating muffins when we are in this horrible trouble, I can’t make out. You seem to me to be perfectly heartless.”

“Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them.”

― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Blessings!

Theresa

image from stock photography

What is your method for getting yourself in the right head space for reading tarot when your life is spiraling out of control?