How Tarot Works
What is Tarot? We’ve all seen the fortune tellers advertising readings at a local festival. The truth is that Tarot isn’t really about fortune telling — yes, it can be predictive, but that’s not going to be as helpful as using it the right way. When anyone goes to a fortune teller or gets their cards read, they want some form of validation that the reader can actually tap into something meaningful. That is important. But unless a prediction comes extremely fast, most sitters will dismiss everything the teller says. I know this as both a sitter and a teller.
What most people won’t tell you is that this isn’t as “woo” as one would think. Everything is energy and energy is everything. With that notion, our thoughts are energy, our feelings are energy, and Tarot cards carry energy too. When someone is receiving a reading, they’re usually focused on an area of their life that feels out of sorts, and that has its own energy. It generally centers around love, money, health, and happiness — and it’s not too difficult to pick up on where someone is struggling. As an intuitive, I honestly couldn’t always tell you the difference between reading cards and reading body language.
How Tarot works is this: the reader picks up on the energy of both the cards and the sitter, because the sitter’s energy comes through in the cards. Now, sometimes the reader misinterprets them, because no one is a hundred percent all of the time. It’s funny — psychics and mystics always get called out when something is wrong, but how many people, in any profession, never make mistakes? You don’t have to be psychic to know that anyone who claims they’ve never made a mistake is not being honest.
How Did Tarot Come Into Existence?
Most people are surprised to learn that Tarot cards didn’t start out as a spiritual tool. They began in the 1400s in Italy as a card game — yes, just a game for entertainment.
Over time, people started noticing something deeper. The pictures, symbols, and meanings on the cards seemed to spark intuition and reflection. By the 1700s and 1800s, Tarot began evolving into a tool for guidance, personal growth, and spiritual insight. Then in the early 1900s, the Rider-Waite deck helped shape the way many people use Tarot today, with artwork and symbolism that made it easier to connect with the messages in the cards.
Today, people use Tarot in many different ways — for spiritual guidance, self-reflection, or simply to slow down, tune in, and gain clarity when life feels confusing. For me, Tarot is less about predicting the future and more about helping us pause, reflect, and tap into our own inner wisdom. Sometimes the answers we’re looking for are already inside us. Tarot simply helps bring them to the surface.
Understanding the Cards
A standard Tarot deck has 78 cards divided into two main sections: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards that represent life’s bigger themes and turning points — cards like The Tower, The Star, and yes, The Devil. These tend to carry heavier energy and speak to deeper patterns in our lives. The Minor Arcana contains 56 cards divided into four suits — Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles — and these tend to reflect the more day-to-day experiences, emotions, and challenges we move through.
You may have also heard the term Oracle cards, which are different from Tarot. While Tarot follows a traditional structure with that set 78-card system, Oracle decks can have any number of cards and any theme the creator chooses. There are no fixed rules — they’re more free-flowing and often more accessible for beginners. I work with both, and honestly, the best deck is simply the one that resonates with you.
How I Use Tarot
The first time I was introduced to Tarot was through my mother when I was around 12 years old. Unfortunately, I was deep into a religion that told me Tarot was flirting with the devil. (The full story is in my memoir: Manifesting Me.) Even though I was curious — having always believed in the unseen side of life — I let the fear of the church’s words and all those scary movies from my youth hold me back.
I started reading cards more frequently when I got older and began rethinking my religious views. It was amazing, or rather startling, how accurately the cards reflected what I was going through. At 17 in 1986, I was experimenting with a lot of things, including speed and alcohol — it was what everyone at my school did, so it didn’t feel out of the ordinary. Every time I partied too hard, I would pull the Devil card. The church’s words still echoed in the back of my mind, but the Devil in Tarot actually represents addiction, feelings of being trapped by your own choices, indulgence, and lust. It wasn’t calling in evil — it was reading my energy accurately.
One night when I was at a low point and ended up at a drug house, a girl there had a deck of cards. I didn’t trust her — her energy felt dark and negative, and a vial of blood she wore around her neck only added to that feeling. She gave me a reading and pulled the Page of Cups. I had her pull again just to see if it would come up a second time. That card appeared three times in a row, and when I got home, I pulled it again on my own. I believe my intuition was trying to get my attention — and eventually, I listened.
Noticing Patterns
Something else happened during that time that stuck with me. I felt deeply uncomfortable around this girl and silently wished she wouldn’t be there when I visited. She stopped coming around for a while, and when she finally did show up again and was asked where she’d been, she said she’d had the feeling she wasn’t wanted. That’s when I knew for certain — you really can communicate without words. Thoughts and emotions carry a wavelength, and anyone can catch it.
When I read cards for people now, it’s usually to uncover what hidden talents they have or what’s blocking them from reaching their goals. Nine times out of ten, people have blocks rooted in their past or in belief systems that hold them back. Basically, people get in their own way — and I can say that because I was one of them too.
Using Tarot for Personal and Business
Once I truly understood how energy works — whether through Tarot and Oracle cards, the Law of Attraction, or quantum physics — I started reading cards for others. I had been reading for myself most of my life, but not on any consistent basis. After my mom passed away at the end of December 2009, I came across Louise Hay’s Ignite Tour, which was coming to San Jose, California, and featuring Wayne Dyer and Anita Moorjani. I had been listening to Wayne Dyer for quite some time, and it was he who brought Anita into the spotlight. I was thrilled to see them.
Who I wasn’t expecting was Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine. I didn’t have much experience with angel cards at the time, but the two of them had combined Angel and Tarot into what became the Angel Tarot deck. The artwork spoke to me immediately and I had to have it. I’ve been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, Doreen has since moved away from her angel card work and into a direction I personally moved away from long ago. Radleigh, however, is still going strong and has been both an inspiration and a wonderful teacher — and yes, I took their course.
After completing the class and getting a few readings under my belt, I began doing it professionally. The best part of reading cards, in my experience, is the comfort they offer. As I mentioned earlier, people seek readings when they’re facing a big change or going through some kind of crisis. The cards helped me personally during a very difficult time involving a family member’s scam. They offered reassurance that things would work out, while also making clear that the work still had to be done to make that happen. I could tell when readings were turning in a difficult direction, and when they were shifting toward a positive outcome — though not a quick one.
Everyone Calls for Answers to Desperate Situations
My kids still call me when something major happens. Like when my daughter’s client accidentally followed fraudulent escrow payment instructions and wired over $225,000. My heart sank hearing it — wired money is usually gone within minutes. But when I read the cards, I saw her getting her money back. In most cases, that isn’t a likely outcome. Thankfully, the money was returned and all was well.
Was it the power of suggestion — her energy, my daughter’s energy, and mine all combined — that helped bring about that result? Quantum physics tells us there are many possible outcomes to any given situation, and the observer can influence which one manifests. Honestly, I don’t think it matters how it works, as long as you get the result you need. The cards offered possible solutions and hope, and it’s remarkable what those two things can accomplish together.
Once You Understand This Principle
Once you understand these principles, you can begin to take control of your life and the direction you want it to go. Your job, your relationships, your health, your happiness — it all comes from within you. Most people resist this idea because it puts the responsibility squarely on themselves, and it’s far easier to blame others for what isn’t working. But it’s essential to look honestly at yourself and recognize where you are the common denominator. Once you see that, you can change.
That old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is a complete fallacy — and we know this because of neuroplasticity. Our brains are far more powerful than most of us realize. At some point in our lives, we were taught to believe in certain limitations: that some things are only for certain kinds of people, that our circumstances define our ceiling. Limiting beliefs are powerful, but so are unlimited ones. What you think is impossible most likely isn’t.
It took me a long time to understand how my beliefs were either helping or holding me back. When I was 20 and found out I was pregnant, people told me I was ruining my life — that I’d end up on welfare and struggle forever. I was judged from every direction. But something in me has always accepted a challenge when one is put in front of me.
I don’t know if that’s innate or something I learned growing up — you can decide for yourself if you read my memoir. What I can tell you is that I went from being a 21-year-old with a one-year-old, living in a rough neighborhood, to owning my own business as a hairstylist a year later, to owning my first condo at 25. Not bad for someone who supposedly ruined her life at 20.
My Beliefs
My beliefs have brought me both unnecessary drama and great success — sometimes in the very same areas I once struggled with most. And while I said earlier I can’t always tell the difference between intuition and body language, I have had moments during readings where I connected to someone’s energy so deeply that information came through which I can only describe as contact with a loved one who had passed.
Everything is energy, and energy doesn’t die — it transforms. Our physical bodies pass, but what about the subatomic particles? Water becomes ice, liquid, and mist. I’ve received information specific enough to include names, blood types, and even locations of lost items. If I can connect to that wavelength because I’m open to it, so can you.
This isn’t only about connecting with those who have crossed over. It’s about recognizing that once you tune into a certain wavelength or energy, you draw it toward you. If you believe that communicating with passed loved ones is dangerous or forbidden, you likely won’t connect. Now apply that same logic to your finances or your career. If you carry the belief that all wealthy people are corrupt or greedy, chances are you feel like there’s never enough. It always comes back to resonating with the energy of what you want.
The Tarot Takeaway
The next time — or even the first time — you’re curious about getting a reading or trying to read for yourself, let the cards show you what’s already living in your subconscious mind. Be open and honest about what comes up. And don’t be intimidated — nothing in life is ever completely certain. There is always more than one possible outcome to any given situation. The observer influences the outcome, and that observer is you.
If you’re ready to explore what the cards have to say about your own life, I’d love to read for you. Whether you’re navigating a big decision, feeling stuck, or simply curious, a reading can offer the clarity and comfort that might be exactly what you need. You can find out more and book a session at Wellness Garden Tool Shed.
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
Gratitude
As always I never want to take you all for granted. Thank you for reading this blog. My intention is to help those that are wanting more out of life but may be a little stuck. It starts with you. If you’re curious about the type of readings I’ve done in the past or learn about energy, you can check out my Wellness Garden Tool Shed YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/RDLqFQh0A2w?si=PhpQF5y375BgpNHH I know my energy is bringing the right people into my circle. Are you? ~ Cheers
