Greetings from a newbie

[OrionNebula]

Hello all,

 

I am quite new to tarot and similar cards. As a pre-teen, I was super interested in things that I guess one could label as "new age." My middle school library had a metaphysics section, and I often spent my library time reading about astral projection and other topics. However, as I got older, I began to think of these things as silly at best and the work of Satan at worst (mainly due to the influence of Christian friends). 

 

Slowly through my 20s, I abandoned my Christian faith and now find myself in somewhat of a spiritual wasteland. I have been trying to redevelop my spiritual side and I see tarot as a potential way to connect to the greater universe. To be honest, I have never personally used tarot cards before (although I've just ordered a deck). However, several years ago I bought a set of Russian fortune telling cards that a friend introduced me to. I didn't really use them much back then, but recently as I've been trying to better understand my life and my place in the universe, I've been using them, both to do readings for myself and for others.

 

They work a bit differently than tarot cards, but they are easy to use and quite lovely. Each card has four half images, and you lay out all of the cards and match the pictures. My readings for others have been amazingly spot-on. Readings for myself have occasionally been confusing, but have been accurate and helpful for self-reflection. However, my most recent reading really made me believe in the power of the cards. 

 

My grandparents died several years ago, and I was pretty close with my grandma. I don't recall why, but for my mom, cardinals are a sign that the spirits of her parents are nearby. It brings her great joy and comfort to see them. She also received a Peace Lily at my grandma's funeral which lived for quite a while, and it would always bloom during the winter holidays when my mom missed her the most. She would say it was her mother watching over her.

 

When I did this card reading, I simply asked if there was something my grandma would like me to know. The pictures that matched were first an angel, then lilies, and finally cardinals. The meaning of the cards (per the guidebook) didn't make a lot of sense, but the images taken literally were quite powerful for me. For a while now, I've been troubled by the thought that the soul doesn't really exist and when you die, there is nothing. But this gave me so much hope that there really is some greater spiritual plane, whatever it may be, and that our departed loved ones do look after us, at least for a while.

 

So I am here to learn more about tarot and related concepts, and hopefully to grow a bit more spiritually. Thanks for reading. 

[Endy]

Hello and welcome to the forums @OrionNebula! Thank you for your lovely introduction. It sounds like you are already tapping into your intuition quite a bit with the Russian fortune telling cards. I hope your journey with tarot is fruitful and brings you joy!

[stephanelli]

Welcome to the forum!  It's a wonderful story that has brought you to tarot.

[Grace]

Fellow newbie! Not sure if you happen to be Russian yourself, but if so the Slavic tribes have a rich spiritual history to tap into. It is nice to meet you. 😊

[Lady Butterfly]

Hi there @OrionNebula, and welcome to the TT&M family!

[53rdspirit]

 @OrionNebula

[joy]

Hello @OrionNebula welcome to the TT&M Family 🙂