Tarot for Transformation: Unlock Your Hidden Power and Embrace Epic Change

The first time I picked up a tarot deck, I was bewildered by the imagery and symbols. At first, I would shuffle the cards and try to understand their language. However, tarot quickly became a tool to help me on my self-development journey. This would begin the journey of tarot for transformation.

In this guide, let us explore tarot for transformation in various ways. We will get into the basics, numerous techniques using tarot, and different esoteric and spiritual practices that enhance and contribute to the meaning of tarot.

Tarot is not about memorizing the cards but learning to get a feel of your deck and how it can assist you on your journey of personal transformation.

Why tarot for transformation?

Before I begin this post, I want to address the different schools of thought attached to tarot as a tool. In tarot circles, it is very common to have groups using tarot for different purposes, some of them are:

Tarot was a card game, and any occult or spiritual relevance is therefore invalid. In this school of thought, there is a preference for the Tarot de Marseille deck because it strips any esoteric meanings from the cards.

Tarot has deep esoteric meaning and can divine energies in the present and future. Those adhering to this school of thought might enjoy decks like RWS and Thoth because of their symbolism. They would already be familiar with some form of spiritual practice.

Tarot can access subconscious energies that can be used as a psychological tool to explore your mind and overcome blocks. Those adhering to this school of thought often use psychology and a more holistic perspective on tarot. They would associate the cards with a psychological perspective and focus on their inner landscape using tarot.

So which of those ways would be the right one? The answer is none since all of those schools of thought align with their subjective views on tarot. It is up to you to decide which way to use your tarot deck and the school of thought you align more with. Also, do not be afraid to mix different schools of thought together.

Remember, tarot is a tool that is simply a pack of cards. It is the reader, their preference, and the intent behind using a deck of tarot that gives it meaning or a lack thereof.

The journey to tarot for transformation

My preference for tarot for transformation is simply a reflection of my journey with tarot. I started using my first deck a decade ago to help me with my self-development and to gain insights into how I can grow. I only recently started to use tarot as a form of divination. My mindset was set on the idea that we are the creators of our realities. The thought of tarot for divination did not resonate with me until recently.

Now that you understand the different schools of thought around tarot and what the blog will be about, we will dive into the basics.

What are the basics of tarot?

So you just got a new tarot deck and wondering where to begin. I remember shuffling my first deck and laying the cards intuitively. I would gaze at the artwork in awe but not understanding its meaning.

Tarot consists of 78 cards—22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana. Arcana translates to secret. It is very fitting since each card contains a layer waiting to reveal itself. When you lay the cards in a spread, each position signifies an intent or question that helps you to create a specific story.

I realized back then that placing the Major Arcana in an aligned sequence provided me with a story about the Fool’s journey. It also helped me understand how the Minor Arcana supported this journey of the Major Arcana.

By understanding the basics of tarot, you build a strong foundation for your practice. Let us begin with one of the most significant aspects of tarot: the Major Arcana.

What is the Major Arcana, and why is it important in tarot readings?

The Major Arcana in Tarot consists of 22 cards. Each card represents a major theme we all experience at some point throughout life.

You can find these themes in the imagery of the Major Arcana: the Empress card, which represents the mother figure, or the Death card, which represents an inevitable ending and a rebirth.

When a major arcana appears in your reading, this is significant as it can signal a major turning point or shift in your life. Beyond its external interpretation, the Major Arcana also touches on deeper themes of inner growth. It is often called The Fool’s Journey—where each card invites us to learn and grow.

Now that you have an overview of the Major Arcana let us explore the Minor Arcana.

What is the Minor Arcana, and how does it affect daily life?

The minor arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits: pentacles, cups, wands, and swords. They represent the mundane energies and four elements.

It also portrays everyday energies and can help with decisions, insights, and relationships.

Each suit represents an aspect of life:

1. Pentacles deal with finances, work, and the physical/tangible world.
2. Cups represent emotions, intuition, and relationship.
3. Wands reflect action, passion, and creativity.
4. Swords focus on communication, intellect, and conflict.

Exploring the minor arcana can help you understand and navigate your daily life with more insight.

What are Court Cards, and how do they represent people and archetypes?

In tarot, each suit in the minor arcana contains four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King.

There are two ways court cards can represent people in your life. The first way is by personally ascribing a card to a person or by noticing a pattern when asking questions about a specific person.

Court cards can also represent archetypes:

1. Page represents an initiative energy as well as new beginnings.
2. A knight represents someone pursuing a particular path using focus and determination.
3. The queen represents maturity in each of the suits. For example, the queen of cups represents emotional intelligence.
4. King represents mastery and authority. They have command over the element suit. As an archetype, they represent mature individuals.

Those archetypes can represent you or people in your life and add depth to your readings.

Now that you understand the major and minor arcana, let us explore how to arrange them meaningfully through tarot spreads.

What are tarot spreads, and how do they guide your readings?

Tarot spreads are specific patterns or layouts in which you place the cards. Each position of the layout corresponds to an aspect or situation related to the main question.

Spreads are a great way to organize and interpret the card’s energies. Those can range from simple spreads such as past, present, and future or be more complex like the Celtic cross.

How do I choose the right tarot deck for me?

The most important part of choosing a deck for yourself is to tap into your intuition. You can view different decks and notice how you feel about them.

The deck should intuitively and aesthetically appeal to you. You can also consider the symbolism on the cards and how they resonate with you subjectively and for your self-development.

Can I create my tarot deck? How do I start?

You can create your tarot deck. Creating your tarot deck can also help you to explore the symbols in a personal way.

You can begin with research and understanding the symbols. It will help you to understand how you would like to reinterpret them.

Decide on the overall theme for your deck. Visually interpret the deck in your unique style.

In this section, we have covered the basics of tarot. But maybe you are wondering if you can go deeper into the basics and have more questions you need answered. You can discover more basics of tarot in depth in this blog —Tarot Basics: Master the Art of Tarot for Deep Personal Growth.

Tarot techniques

Now that you have gained a basic understanding of tarot, we will look into the different techniques you can use tarot for. Those techniques should give a good overview of how you can use tarot for your transformation.

How can tarot be used in personal growth?

Tarot is a good tool for personal growth. It can help you have greater self-awareness, discover hidden parts of yourself, and uncover your life journey. Those insights can provide a powerful tool for self-growth. My first spread was unconsciously about my chakras. Back then, I needed answers that tarot spreads helped me to discover my strengths and limitations.

What is shadow work, and how can tarot help with it?

Shadow work is a practice of uncovering repressed emotions and fears that we do not usually acknowledge. It also includes behaviors that we consider negative or undesirable.

You can use dedicated spreads to uncover parts of yourself kept in the shadows. Other techniques involve looking at the reverse of the cards as part of the shadow.

In essence, tarot can help you uncover the origins of your shadow, understand how it affects you, and how you can integrate the shadow into your conscious awareness.

How can I use tarot for journaling and self-reflection?

You can use tarot for journaling and self-reflection by shuffling a card and writing your impressions down.

You can also ask yourself questions such as, What do I need to know right now? or by setting your intent on a specific situation or thought.

Journaling will allow a stream of thought and emotions to flow without any filter.

How can tarot cards help set and achieve personal goals?

Tarot can help you to set and achieve personal goals in several ways, for example:

1. The cards can help you clarify your desires by identifying what you truly want instead of what you think you should want.
2. You can create your tarot spreads to break down larger goals into manageable steps. The reading will help you to identify obstacles and capitalize on your strengths.
3. Tarot can also help identify alternative approaches you might not have previously considered. Those alternative approaches can aid in revealing blind spots.

What is the purpose of tarot in divination?

The purpose of tarot in divination is to access the subconscious and unconscious awareness. It can help discover recurring patterns in your life that affect you. Moreover, it also provides a symbolic framework to understand complex situations.

Tarot provides potential outcomes on current energy. It will show the consequences (good or bad) of your current choices. However, this is not meant to discourage but rather inform you so that you can change the direction if the outcome does not suit you.

When you get a tarot reading, the reading can also illuminate different angles in your current situation. This information can act as a hidden factor that might influence your decision.

Finally, tarot can help you to connect your personal experience to a universal pattern using archetypal energy. Tarot readings will provide you with a symbolic language to understand lifepath.

How can I discover my Birth Cards, and what do they reveal about my life path?

You can discover your birth card/s by combining numerology with the Major Arcana. For example, if your birthday is on the 8th of October 1987, you want to add all the numbers 8+10+1987 = 2007. You would then reduce the final numbers 2+7 = 9. Your birth card is then The Hermit card.

Your birth card and life path are intertwined as it can help you discover how that energy helps you on your life path. The birth cards can also have a more complex system using personality cards and shadow cards.

What is the difference between tarot and cartomancy?

Tarot is a form of cartomancy. However, due to the influence of the Golden Dawn on its symbolism, it has gained more depth and esoteric meaning.

On the other hand, cartomancy has fewer cards than the tarot with a more straightforward symbolism. Divination with cartomancy focuses more on the immediate outcome, day-to-day situations, and specific tangible predictions.

Tarot in spiritual practices

Tarot does not take away from your spiritual practices. It comes under divination that complements your current practices. Your tarot spreads can help to deepen your understanding or gain even greater clarity on your journey. Ready to discover more? Let us explore tarot in combination with spiritual practices.

How can tarot be integrated into spiritual practices?

You can integrate tarot into your spiritual practices by tapping into your intuition. Moreover, you can design specific spreads to address blocks you encounter or to read the current energies affecting your journey and how they might help or hinder you.

You can integrate tarot in various ways in your spiritual practices. In this section, let us dive into ways you can use tarot combined with other spiritual practices.

Can I use tarot for meditation?

Yes, you can use tarot cards for meditation. In yogic philosophy, one of the limbs called tratak is the practice of candle gazing. Tratak can also apply to mandalas or images.

This practice helps you to enter the card and gain deeper insights into the meaning. You can also use one of the symbolism on the cards to focus on. For example, take the Hermit card and focus on the lantern. Notice any insights you might have as you gaze for several minutes on the lantern. Alternatively, you can ask yourself a question and then gaze at the lantern as the hermit would to find this answer. By focusing on one point, you quiet the mind and its chatter.

Go ahead and try it now. Shuffle your deck, pick any card, and then choose a section of the card to focus on for 1 to 2 minutes.

How can tarot be used in chakra work and energy healing?

One of my ways to use tarot for chakra is to find something I need to heal or want to manifest.

For example, my first work combining both was healing the inner child. I would create a spread targeted at discovering my inner child and how it was influencing me at the moment based on each chakra, then get guidance on how I could release this energy that was not serving me.

For energy healing, you can do dedicated spreads to read your current energy, what is blocking you, and what supports you to help deepen your energy work.

How can I incorporate tarot into rituals and spells?

There are various ways you can incorporate tarot into rituals and spells:

1. Choose a card that represents your desired outcome. You can then meditate on the card or journal about how this card can guide you towards your goals.
2. Use tarot cards as a symbol of protection. For example, pick the High Priestess card and place it on your altar. If you are well versed in invocation then invoke the archetype for protection.
3. A tarot can also act as an amplifier for spells and other rituals. For example, if you are casting a love spell then use the 2 of cups as the ideal emotional connection you would like to have with the person.

In this section, we have covered how tarot can help complement your spiritual path. Let us look into how tarot relates to occult practices.

Tarot in occult practices

The word occult often gets a bad rap and is thought to be a path of darkness. However, occultism is the path to understanding hidden and esoteric knowledge. Seekers of the occult try to understand the universe and their sense of self through symbolic and mystical methods.

How does tarot connect with occult practices?

Tarot connects with Occult practices through its association with astrology and numerology. Both practices add a new dimension to readings: astrology connects planets and zodiacs to the cards. For example, the Chariot card relates to the sign of Cancer. The numeric patterns of the cards can show you different energies behind different numbers. For example, the number 10 signifies cycles ending.

What is the relationship between tarot and astrology?

Tarot and Astrology share similar archetypes due to the symbolism inherited from the Golden Dawn and the RWS deck. Some ways to connect astrology with tarot are:

1. Archetypal energies of the zodiac and the imagery of the major arcana.
2. Elemental associated with the minor arcana, such as the Pentacles suit representing the earth element. The pentacles suits would connect to the zodiacs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.
3. Some tarot spreads emulate a birth chart and its houses. A card is pulled for each house to understand how past, current, or future energies might affect different areas of your life.

What is the significance of numerology in tarot?

Imagine pulling the 4 of wands. The meaning of the 4 of wands is already harmony and stability. The number 4 adds the extra dimension of solidity to its meaning.

When you draw a card in tarot, the symbolism in the imagery and the numbers will tend to guide you. If you are a practitioner of numerology then this will give you extra confirmation for your numbers.

How can tarot be used as a tool for personal transformation and spiritual alchemy?

Tarot can be used as a tool for personal transformation and spiritual alchemy by acting as a guide. Tarot would offer you symbolic insights and its archetypal energy will help you transform yourself.

In the practice of alchemy, there are three key stages: Nigredo, Albedo, and Rubedo. Tarot can help you gain guidance for each of those stages. You could use various major arcana for those three stages:

1. Nigredo – Death, Tower, and The Devil. Those are great cards to face your shadows and fears.
2. Albedo – The Star, Temperance, and The Moon. Those cards can help with guidance for purification.
3. Rubedo – The Sun, Judgment, and The World. In this phase, through those cards, you can experience enlightened states where dualities dissolve.

What is Pathworking, and how do I use tarot for it?

Pathworking is a mystical and meditative practice. It can be thought of as a guided meditation but with your symbol to affect the subconscious.

You can combine pathworking with tarot in various ways. For example, you can imagine being the main character of the tarot card and embarking on a journey in its landscape.

Another way is to write your own guided meditation based on your choice of tarot card and use the symbolism present in the cards in crafting your guided meditation.

Tarot in Esoteric Practices

Several Esoteric practices have contributed to the depth and meaning of tarot. Not all of those practices have a direct association. It is through the Golden Dawn that tarot has inherited a rich culture of esoteric symbolism.

What Are the Esoteric Traditions Behind Tarot?

Some Esoteric traditions behind the Tarot are Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and sacred geometry. All those practices have contributed to the modern RWS meaning and its imagery.

The Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and Sacred Geometry are some of the esoteric traditions that influenced the symbolism of the tarot. They provide depth to the cards and complement those esoteric practices.

What is the Kabbalah’s role in tarot?

If you take the RWS deck chances are you will notice a lot of Kabbalistic symbolism. For example, in the High Priestess card, she holds a scroll, and you can see the word Tora written on it.

The Kabbalah is a Jewish mystical tradition that centers around the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life consists of ten interconnected nodes that are called Sephiroth. The different Sephiroth represents divine aspects/emanations and human experience.

The role of the Kabbalah is to provide depth in the meaning and symbolism of the major arcana. Moreover, each major arcana can also be placed on the paths of the Tree of Life.

What is Hermeticism, and how does it relate to tarot?

Hermeticism is a philosophical and spiritual tradition based on Hermes Trismegistus. It is a syncretic blend of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. Hermetics principles played a significant role in shaping Western Esotericism.

Arthur Edward Waite and Aleister Crowley were members of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (The Golden Dawn). They both integrated the teachings of the Golden Dawn into their interpretations of their tarot decks.

How does sacred geometry appear in tarot symbolism?

There are several uses of Sacred Geometry in Tarot Symbolism, for example:

The circle: The Wheel of Fortune card features a circle that reflects the cyclical nature of time and patterns, and it alludes to universal cycles.

The pentagram: The suit of pentacles and the Star card features the pentagram, which is the symbolism for the five elements. This symbol conveys both divine protection and balance.

The golden ratio: The Lovers is a card that contains the golden ratio. It is found between the two lovers and the angel. Other cards in the Rider Waite also use the golden ratio in buildings, nature, or the layout of the artwork.