If I Could Talk To The Animals

If you are in my life for any extended period, sooner or later you’ll discover a little secret: my routines are not dictated by me. In fact, my life often marches to the beat of a furry pulse. Or like I prefer to say: “it is ruled by two cats with iron paws”. They are both quite expressive and efficient at letting me know what they want or need at any given moment. I’ve learned to tune in and follow their lead.

Many other pet owners can attest to the same connection. Our four legged friends link to our hearts and find ways to communicate with us as effortlessly as we do with fellow humans. (And in some cases, better!)

The tarot can be an effective tool for ferreting out more information about our animal companions and often my clients will come in specifically to ask about them. Questions can range from “will we get a dog” to health concerns or messages from deceased pets. I find that using the tarot in this manner can help the pet owner to make better decisions or to find peace in any situation.

Let me demonstrate a few different examples so that you can see how your tarot reading could shed light on any animal related question.

Sometimes a family may be considering getting a pet for the household. For a simple yes or no, I look for cards that may suggest a “green light” such as the Ace of Cups. This would be a good sign that the time is right for welcoming a pet into the family. If they are needing more details about what kind of pet, I’ll look for the animals present in the cards – such as the dog at the heels of the Fool or the black cat sitting by the Queen of Wands. This may give a clue as to what kind would be best for the family. Court cards can also give an idea of personalities (Page of Swords for example could be a highly intelligent puppy) so the prospective pet owner can be aware of what type of temperament they may encounter. Knowing what you are getting into could prevent issues due to personality conflicts. These creative examples are a great way to help the querent make informed decisions for the best results.

If a client wants to know about a pet’s needs, I read for the pet in the same way I would read for a human. I feel that animals have feelings and needs just like us so I see little difference when I read the cards. Here’s a sample so you can see how this works. I asked tarot “what does my cat, TaoZen, need the most right now?”

The card I pulled was the King of Pentacles. This serious card reflects TaoZen’s stoic and noble personality quite well. I have often considered him to be rather mature and dignified in his mannerisms. TaoZen also likes to be in command of his fiefdom, much like a king. This card suggests to me that he wants to feel “in control” and needs to be treated with a lot of respect. The King of Pentacles is quite well dressed and seems to be living lavishly – an indicator that TaoZen likes the good life so perhaps I need to keep those treats coming and continue to give him praise, comfort and high quality items. Apparently, my cat is a yuppie. Hmmmm……

This same rule of reading tarot as if you are reading for a human can be applied to deceased pets. I believe that spirits can communicate with us. So why not the spirit of a beloved pet? Why should this be limited to humans?

To show you how well this can work, I pulled a card to ask tarot if my dear Sparkle had any messages for me from the other side. The card I picked was the 2 of Cups. This is a beautiful image of two people bringing their cups together as if in a toast. The caduceus symbol sits between them with a winged lion figure above. This card speaks of love and healing. To me, this is a sure sign that Sparkle is sending his love and letting me know that we are still connected in spirit. I always like to say that if there was ever a true soul mate in my life, it was that cat. He understood me like no other and was my fiercest protector. He didn’t like to share me with anyone and we had a bond unlike any I have ever had with any other pet. He’s been gone for 2 years and I still think of him all the time. This was the perfect card to symbolize our relationship.

I hope these creative examples can give you an idea of how you can also use tarot to find out more about your four legged or winged pals. Look beyond the package that we come in and you may see that these animal companions are no different than us. We share the same ability to love, to feel and to understand.

‘It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being.’ ~Henry David Thoreau

Blessings!
Theresa

I’d love to hear your insights about using tarot to read for animals. Please post your stories in the comments section below!

PS If you’d like to see an example of a reading I did about a horse’s health, please check out this link for more.