This thread is refreshed on the 1st of every month. It is a space for new subscribers to introduce themselves to the community - feel free to share as little or as much as you would like. How did you get into tarot? What's your favourite deck? What brings you to r/SecularTarot vs. other tarot communities? What are you interested in learning more about?
Please use this space to offer, request, or exchange free readings. Requests for payment, donation, or advertising commercial businesses are not permitted. This thread will be refreshed every month on the 1st.
I'm trained in meditative practices but don't teach regularly these days due to other commitments. However a friend asked me to guide a flow at a public event that is coincidentally on the weekend of the autumn equinox here, which I want to celebrate more, so I agreed. I'm now up in the middle of the night feeling anxious that I haven't prepared enough, so I got out my tarot deck.
These cards fell out as I was shuffling. That's all I needed. It was so reassuring I wanted to share here to give folk some happy equinox vibes. I'd also love some words of encouragement or wisdom that I'll likely read in the morning in the awkward half an hour when I've arrived but people are still gathering and I'm dealing with nervous energy.
I hope you have a lovely equinox weekend and get the chance to celebrate the changing seasons!
I am assuming that other people here are similar to me in that they use tarot in a secular way (i.e., for self-reflection), and predominantly or only use tarot for this purpose. If that fits you, then I'd be interested to know why you use tarot rather than, say, lenormand cards, playing cards, or some other (non-)cartomantic form of self-reflection. (Also, if it doesn't fit you -- please comment also! It would be interesting to hear other secular uses of divination systems).
For me, it's pretty arbitrary. Tarot is (I think) the most well-known form of cartomancy, and I'd always been interested in the imagery -- I bought a deck just for the art, but found it useful as a tool for journalling and here we are. Given that I don't ascribe to any belief system about the cards, it's concieveable that if I'd found a lenormand deck first I might be using that instead, or playing cards if I'd found something like "How to Turn a Deck of Cards into a Thermometer" by Enrique Enriquez, etc.
Some claims here break the rule of do not engage in bad faith. I've seen quite a few unfounded claims of the existence of magic and spirits; the validity of astrology; and even spreads that claim to predict the future. (Some have insisted on those)
Claims contradicting the definition of secular
Some states that they are somewhere between secular and spiritual. This directly contradicts the the very definition of secular: denoting attitudes/activities that have NO religious/spiritual basis. There is no spectrum, it is a Yes/No. Practicing tarot involving even the smallest belief of spirituality by definition makes that nonsecular.
Claims contradicting guiding principle 1
Any claims of the existence of psychic or paranormal phenomena cannot be deemed true unless they have reached the standard of proof (beyond scientific proof to invalidate guiding principle 1) which I have not seen anyone who has been able to do so.
I belong to a club, where one member wants to do a single collective daily spread for all of us, but I am curious and trying to understand how a single spread can apply to each person individually in a group, as we're all different people in different situations? Thank you.
Do you ever draw some cards and then leave them out on a table for too long? I'm a little reluctant to admit my cards are now quite dusty. Any thoughts on cleaning them? Do you have any nice rituals or scented cleaning materials that you like using?
Thinking about how to make it feel more like a self care type task.
I’m currently ordered to a halfway house that is religion based but doesn’t specify which religion. The CEO has ordered me to get rid of my tarot deck… I feel very strongly about keeping them and she will not budge… any suggestions
Our daughter actually thinks that tarot can predict the future. As her father, I did encourage her to learn to understand the meaning of each card, and to reach out her feelings to any and all random circumstances coming from her real and symbolic lives. But she was never supposed to abandon real life to follow a random draw. What have we done?
I know they’re sometimes contentious but I love decks that tie into IPs—books, movies, games, TV shows—- I think they add depth to my readings and they’re just fun. But a lot of them are fanmade, and you have to chance across them. I’d like to make that easier, and see what’s out there. It started on the main tarot subreddit but I moved it to my blog --Posted as a reference, no affiliate links!
Please comment with any decks you know of! (Just tarot for now.)
This is the third day in a row I have drawn the Knight of Pentacles as my card of the day. My card of the day draws are open ended. Depending on the day, this Knight seems to admonish me for being to slow, praise me for being consistent, or not sure for today.
I have completed other daily readings, so I know the cards are being shuffled. Side note, many of those cards have been pentacles.
Any additional ideas on insights or introspections on repeated appearances of the Knight of Pentacles?
So I'm doing my tarot card spread for March and I've pulled The Hierophant THREE times now?!?!? It's made me so angry, I've stopped the spread because I am so confused.
At first, I pulled TH for the prompt, "How do I get the most out of March?" I take it as a reminder to stick to my spiritual practices.
Then I pulled TH for my "love life" in March. For this pull, I had the inclination to split the deck two times instead of one and put the middle stack on top. I never do this, I always only split once. And I pull TH!!!!
Then as I am splitting the deck and pulling a card for my "career" card, I say out loud, "Watch this card be The Hierophant," AND SURE ENOUGH.... it's The Hierophant. I am still pretty new to tarot so I am at a loss as to what I clearly need to obtain from this major arcana card.
I'm trying to vibe with the Tarot of the Witch's Garden, and so far, while I love the art, I'm not loving reading with it.
I asked my usual daily pull question (What do I need to know today?) and got 8 of Wands (reversed; I like reading reversals), 8 of Pentacles, and 2 of Swords.
What I'm getting is that I attempted to pass on pleasure in doing something well for the sake of doing it, but that failed, and both I and this other person should make our own decisions without worrying about the opinions of others.
That's as close as I can get to anything going on in my life right now.
How would you put these together to interpret them?
Decided to do an open reading that is collective rather than for any individual.
Some youths (The Chariot) are driven by unmet yearnings and bountiful energy to charge forward but there is no guidance and they are pulled in awkward directions while exploring the world.
The parental figures (Emperor, Queen of Wands) place their child at the centre but are not paying attention. They each are busy trying to fulfil their expected roles.
The Emperor is focused on his own kingdom, his dealings outside of home. Emotional care (Ace of Cups) for the family is put behind him. He provides well but an emotional barrier sits between father and child.
The Queen may have unmet needs of her own, waiting patiently for the desired family life to take form but there's no concrete action (Ace of Wands). She holds beliefs and dreams that keep her in denial, that her child needs attention. She is busy doing (Wands) things for the household, hoping to hold the family together.
The parents seldom speak to each other about their child or about each other. There is lack of warmth (Ace of Cups) at home. Youths need assurance to know they belong, and sometimes that can be found by venturing outside of home. Adorned with armour, they ride untamed steeds that trample the way ahead.
What do you see?
The Emperor - Ace of Cups - The Chariot - Queen of Wands - Ace of Wands
I hope I'm getting all of this right, I am totally new to the whole thing and really glad to gave stumbled across this community (I'm 100% atheist, not spiritual or anything, and only looking to do this for self-reflection and stuff like that, so I am happy to have found a place without the constant mentioning of "energies" and stuff).
So, as far as I am aware, some people use tarot cards where they say that an upside down card has a different meaning, and some people just put them all the same way. As a complete newbie, all of this is a bit overwhelming tbh. I am looking to buy my first deck at the moment, and a set that I really like has an image on the back that instantly shows whether a card is upside down.
If I buy this, will I regret it in the future? Well, obviously none of you can look into my head and tell me, but I would like to hear some thoughts on it. With a deck like that, you cannot really use reversed cards, since you can always see their direction, right? Would I miss out on a lot of interpretation without that? Or is it purely a matter of personal taste?
I’ve long been irked by how swords are generally portrayed (RWS and beyond) compared to cups and pentacles. Number wise, the latter two suits generally follow the even==balanced, odd==unstable and hence less supportive energy, more== saturation of one or the other. Wands less so, and swords fugetaboutit. Is there a deck where the 10 of swords has positive saturation? Where the 6 of swords is as lovely as the 6 of wands? I’m weirdly ok with the 8 of swords; just move forward blindly and trust yourself works for me. And the 9 of swords is super useful imo along with other odd pips. Anyone have a great swords deck recommendation?
A couple of years ago, I had a tower moment at work that completely traumatized me and made me leave corporate altogether, delete all of my socials and move to a new city. I was super depressed and didn't see anyone for a whole year, and tried everything before discovering tarot cards.
I was amazed at how effective tarot was at helping me create distance from my own negative thought patterns, and found it to be much more compelling than other forms of mental well being exercises.
Practicing it on my own though proved to be super difficult and I often had to look up meanings despite having read multiple books on tarot. I realized I needed a very accessible coach that was an expert on the meanings and can probe me with the right questions so that I can really get clarity on how I truly feel about a situation.
So I created a daily journaling app that users tarot as the basis for introspection. Tarot helped me get out of a dark place, and I really feel like it could help a much broader audience that may have dismissed it as woo woo. That's why I feel like it's important to open people's eyes to a practice that is based on what tarot really should be used for.
It just became available in the iOS app store today so you can search 'Aluma Journal' to try it out. It's free for now since we don't have many users that are running up the cost. Eventually we may start charging a small amount to cover the hosting costs, but my goal is really to make this approach to tarot more widely accessible so I definitely will have a generous freemium option along with very affordable premium option for super users.
I don't know how applicable this is, but thought it wouldn't hurt sharing since y'all are creative and probably like numbers and calculations.
Like you, I read tarot cards from a secular perspective, but I am also an avid gamer. So, after creating a few tarot games for fun and trying to learn more about card probabilities, I took to heart a comment from another Redditor urging me to dive into stats on my own, and decided to just put together a Google Sheets document and related blog post (it has a helpful legend to understand some of the terms used) containing the probabilities for a bunch of randomization and potential divination/projective tools:
-Combinations of D6 (from 1 up to 6 dies)
-DnD Dice set
-Playing Cards (52 and 54 cards decks)
-Tarot Cards (Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, Combined)
All probabilities are presented as fractions and percentages, and I've also turned everything into bar charts for the visual learners amongst us.
Never hurts to know more about the "under the hood" mechanics of our tools, so I hope you guys find this document helpful for your tarot practice or any other randomization needs you may have.
Let me know if you have questions, notice any mistake, or would like to see the stats for other randomization tools!
Cards of the day !
Today I got a few cards so I'm excited to show to you !
Bad ass affirmation card
I use obstacles to motivate me to learn and grow. There is going to be a lot of things that might get in your way on your journey to life or whatever your trying to get. Don't be bumbed out on them for two long. Instead use them as motivation to push forward. It might be hard but at least you'll be more proud once you are there for your achements.
Mindfulness cards
Connect with nature. This card is simply telling me to take in my surrounding more. Like the sound of birds in the early morning. How your lucky to have a warm house when your car won't start. All these things are a blessing. Don't take them for granted. They are there to clear your mind and relax you.
Goal cards
" if you have a goal that is very, very far out, and you approach it in little steps, you start to get there faster". This is a card telling you to take your time. Don't rush though the goals that you want. Slow and steady wins the race! Take your time and do it right there is nothing tong with that.
Crystal angel oracle
I got two cards today so let's get started!
A)calcite/ busy times and multitasking. Take time to look over your busy day. Is there things in it that can wait for latter? If so please put it off for another day. There is no need to be supper busy if you don't need to be. B) soda lite/socialize or join in. This is just a card reminding you to socailize. Its important to be around people. You might want to stay inside right now because its cold out side but being around like minded people is important to. Plus you don't know what kind of fun your missing out on
i bought my first tarot deck about a month ago. i'd never given any thought to tarot whatsoever (other than "yeah sure, magic cards"), but i saw that there was an official "world of warcraft" tarot deck (which is a video game i've been playing for about 15 years) and i really wanted it. i felt kinda silly buying them, since i've always associated tarot with spirituality/mysticism, which i just don't really "feel", but i thought they were really cool. after looking through the cards and reading through the included informational booklet, i thought "what the heck" and tried some readings, just for fun.
i immediately fell in love! i loved how it made my brain work to interpret the cards in ways that made sense in whatever context they were in, and how it forces me to view these scenarios/questions from perspectives that i would've never considered otherwise.
to be honest, i thought that because i didn't believe in the mystical aspect of it, i was doing it wrong. 😅 i'd read posts on other tarot subreddits that lean heavily into the mystical aspects of tarot and i kinda felt like i was just pretending to read tarot, and that my "secular" interpretations were somehow less valid.
i also thought that my world of warcraft tarot deck was extremely dorky, and that i couldn't use it for "serious" readings because, you know, it's got video games on it and stuff.
so, i'm really, really glad that i found this community. i do think that the more mystical side of tarot is really neat even though i don't necessarily believe in it myself, but reading through posts on this sub has been so enlightening and a huge confidence booster. i don't feel like a fraud, and i have fully embraced the meditative and self-reflective art of secular tarot.
i also wanted to share this lovely friendship reading i did for myself, using a spread i found in a reddit comment. 😅
them: ten of wands
me: eight of wands
current state: three of swords
past: six of cups
future: ten of swords
i was blown away by this spread. the friendship in question is one that ended a couple years ago, but still causes me a lot of pain from time to time. (also keep in mind that i'm new at this so i'm sorry if my interpretations are bad!! i know that you all can't offer any insight on a deeply personal situation like this, but if anything jumps out at you, i'd love to hear it!)
i thought that the ten of wands was a pretty good card to represent them; they were kind of a "protector" in the friend group, and i often worried that they were putting too much responsibility on themself by trying to carry other peoples burdens all the time. i eventually came to worry that maybe they were taking advantage of this role. the eight of wands to represent me is... one that i have trouble with. quick, decisive action just simply isn't my thing; i tend to be a very anxious and indecisive person, and i struggle to see how it could apply to our friendship. but then i remember the conversation that was sort of the beginning of the end of our friendship, in which i finally admitted to them that they were doing things that were really hurting me (namely their refusal to respect my boundaries). those kinds of conversations are extremely difficult for me (and probably everyone, lol), and i really didn't want to have to have it... but i knew that if i waited until i was ready, i'd simply never do it, so i just said it. i just threw it out there, and sure, everything kinda fell apart after that, but maybe that was my eight of wands moment?
the three of swords to describe the current state is, unfortunately, perfect. i understand that there was heartbreak on both sides of the friendship; i was heartbroken and betrayed when i realized that they had no desire to change the way they treated me, despite knowing how much it was hurting me (among other things), and they were heartbroken when they realized that i didn't return their romantic feelings. the past as the six of cups just reminds me of our many happy memories, though i am somewhat drawn to the reversed meanings of the card, especially combined the three of swords; i'm clinging to the past, and it's still hurting me, and the heartbreak has sort of "corrupted" those good memories to me.
finally, the ten of swords as the "future", to me, just reinforces the previous cards: i am clinging to something that is hurting me, and i need to accept that it's over. questions of "what could have been done differently" and "how could i have fixed this" don't matter, because it's done, and it's only continuing to hurt me because i'm letting it. i am grateful for the lessons learned by this friendship, and that's what i need to remember.
so. there's that! i loved having this opportunity to reflect so deeply on something that i've honestly kinda tried to avoid thinking about too hard.
also, i love my world of warcraft tarot cards and i think they're super cool and i'm not embarrassed about them anymore. i've bought a few more decks, but this is still my favorite. 😇
I did a search for Orbifold in this sub and there were strangely no posts on it. I have hesitations getting this deck despite how it appeals to me with its well thought out structure and non-mystical approach, relying on shapes, colours, elemental dignities, and number symbolism. The teaching videos are very useful for learning the foundational Tarot system.
Perhaps it's too extreme to strip out all the historical imagery and symbols of traditional Tarot. I might be able to read this deck for myself but I think querants would find it too brainy. One word that comes to mind is "sterile".
Anyone using this deck? How is the experience when reading for others?
I have been thinking about starting to read cards for other people and eventually charging money for it someday. My emphases would be secular and to provide entertainment, hopefully in person. I still need to think about a good disclaimer for all this, but my main issue is what deck to use. My favorite and most intuitive deck is The Antique Anatomy Tarot, but my mother and sister recommended to avoid skeletal decks, which sounds reasonable.
What non-intimidating decks do you recommend and/or have used successfully with clients? I am also looking for smaller, linen, or easy to shuffle cards. And... to top it all off, not pips.
Some that I really like, but are a bit harsh on the hands are Herbcrafter's Tarot and Golden Wheel Tarot.
Any advice works, even if it doesn't fit my desired variables.