Tarot as Self-Care

The term “self-care” is used with abundance; we see it seemingly everywhere, even applied these days to shopping sprees or any action taken that merely makes oneself feel better. It should describe efforts that nurture and heal, or at least support our best health. It can often mean getting enough exercise as well as down-time, eating a nourishing diet or ensuring adequate sleep. My intention using the term here is simply to illuminate tarot as self-care, how drawing cards in meditation can actually serve our emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs, and can continue to yield benefits for the long run.

Sit, focus, listen

When we sit down to focus on what is going on inside ourselves we are already taking that time to be with ourselves, to listen to ourselves. We are offering an opening and a voice to what might otherwise be overlooked or neglected. The entire process of reading tarot cards can become a ritual of sorts. From choosing a deck of cards, to preparing a place to sit in quiet, to shuffling and cutting, and to laying each card out in a pattern. All of these actions can still and focus our minds, and in doing so open up a welcome mat to our inner awareness.

Despite the fact that tarot is still often depicted in pop culture as a means of fortune-telling, for many of us (if not most of us) it is essentially a tool for self-reflection already. It is, in a way, made for self-care! So let’s dig in a little…

Reflection, meditation, and ritual

Here are a few things about me that seem relevant to this exploration: I’m an introvert, so I tend to be extremely introspective already, and I have a tendency to experience anxiety at various times in my life. I also meditate and value the true meaning of self-care, but at the same time still probably don’t do enough to take care of myself. Oh, and of course, I also love and am continually intrigued by tarot! I’m approaching tarot as self-care from this perspective.

Meditation is self-care

Meditation is self-care. To sit with ourselves, to still any internal chatter, to calm any negative self-talk, does us good. I’d give one caveat – if you’re experiencing serious anxiety, panic, or depression, I would highly recommend consulting with a professional before jumping right into a meditation practice. For some, turning within too quickly or too intently can exacerbate mental health challenges.

I began meditating in high school when I was having just seriously stressful days. My practice has changed over the years, over the decades. The meditation I do most today is a form of mindfulness that I learned through an MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) course, which followed guidance from the book The Mindful Way Through Depression, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Whether or not you wish to engage in an actual meditation practice, simple meditative techniques can help enrich tarot reading.

Ritual for spiritual and emotional health

Ritual can also be self-care. In ritual we follow a series of steps, interact with symbols, and focus energy on intent, positive thought, or prayer. Ritual is one aspect of paganism, witch traditions, and alternative spiritual paths that I enjoy, and it is also one of the aspects I love about Catholicism, my childhood religion. I find that the act of performing ritual, no matter what background it is from, helps my spiritual health, and thus my emotional health as well.

Tarot as self-care

The tarot itself is simply full of meaningful symbolism – I mean, of course! This symbolism can trigger an internal response from us. It tends to not be merely a literal response, but is often a very intuitive one.

Those elements can clearly come together to form a very healing, helpful practice. We can make them as simple or elaborate as we like. We can put more focus on the meditative aspect, or if we prefer, more focus on the ritual. In any case, we are centering our health and our wellbeing at least for a few moments. This can have a remarkably grounding and gently empowering effect.

In practice

My main tips would be: first choose a tarot deck that you feel really comfortable with. If the one that really speaks to you at the moment is based on cartoon characters or baseball, so be it! Don’t judge yourself – maybe you just need a lighter or more humorous influence. The same would go for where you perform your reading, as long as you can find a place that is quiet and feels private enough to you. If you wish to incorporate a sense of ritual, it could be as simple as laying out a tarot cloth (which can be a much-loved scarf or piece of fabric if you don’t have a dedicated tarot cloth), or it could be as elaborate as gathering herbs, stones, or icons, lighting a candle, or saying a prayer. Whatever will help you relax the busyness of the mind, and bring your attention within.

These steps alone usually put me in a place of stillness and focus, as well as ease or grounding, and from there we can shuffle and lay out the cards.

Usually, when approached this way – with some stillness and focus – the cards’ meanings come through quite clearly. We are aware of what each one means to us. We have quieted the mind and thus, can perceive a clear message rather effectively.

Tarot as self-care? Tarot is self-care!

At the end of such a practice, we should have something we can take away from it that is meaningful or enriching to us. Perhaps it is a new awareness – it could be as significant as an “aha!” moment, but it could just as importantly be a simple recognition of something that had already been in the backs of our minds. We might receive a very supportive, uplifting message – something that simply gives us the feeling that everything will be okay, or we might see something in the cards that causes several days’ of pondering, that eventually holds a lot of meaning to us.

Whatever the experience, taking the time to sit with ourselves and look within is an act of honoring ourselves and respecting our individual needs. Tarot can help us to focus and can expand our experience.

Thanks for reading! As always, please feel free to get in touch with any questions or comments, or leave a comment below.

If you are interested in the tarot deck shown in the feature image, it is the Celtic Tarot by Helena Paterson and Courtney Davis. I’ve been using this deck for many, many years now. I think its serene beauty is suitable for tarot practice focused on self-care! It is out of print, but you might find a copy at one of the used book outlets online. The candle is by Nest.

~ Nellie