I just finished revising and publishing the new edition of my e-book, Just the Tarot, and, boy, THAT was a bitch. After weeks and weeks of writing and formatting, my immediate reaction is, “I’m so happy with how this turned out,” and also, “I’d rather chew on a cactus than do that again.”
There was also a little ambiguity about the content itself. I wrote the original edition during one of the most intense periods of my life. My life partner had just died, I was about an inch away from bankruptcy, and my entire world was crumbling around me.
In Tarot parlance: The Tower and Death.
During periods like that, we’re pulling in a LOT of spiritual assistance and living in heavy archetypes, so I was very pleased with the actual content. As I re-read it, I realized that I’d been channeling some pretty potent insights on the card definitions and really didn’t want to change much at all.
In addition to the longer, more expansive interpretations, I’ve added some quick reference charts for all 78 cards with one- or two-sentence definitions for upright and reversed meanings. I also threw in a couple more layouts, tweaked the writing here and there, and painted a spiffy new cover for the book.
So it remains pretty much what I set out to do when I wrote it eight years ago. It’s a basic, totally dependable, sturdy little book that continues to be a great reference for both new and more experienced readers. No metaphysics. No wild theories about what the Tarot really means. No decoding secret methods or unlocking hidden mystical maps.
Just a book that says:
“If you want to read Tarot cards, this is how you do it, and this is what the cards mean.”
You know… Just the Tarot.
Reflections on the Tarot
As I did the re-write, I inevitably pondered a bit on WHY we read Tarot cards. When we sit down and lay out a reading, what is it that we’re actually looking for?
When we’re young, of course, the two main topics are love and money.
Well… love, money, and sex.
When you’re reading the cards for anyone under 40, the questions usually sound something like:
• Does he/she find me attractive?
• Should we go out on another date?
• Should I go to bed with him/her?
• Should we move in together?
• Is he/she cheating on me?
And in the second category:
• I really hate my job. Should I look for another one?
• Am I going to get promoted?
• How can I make more money?
• Can I afford that new car?
• Should I go back to school?
In other words, the questions are mainly predictive. As in: What’s going to happen? Am I going to like it? And, by the way, am I going to get laid?
That’s where most of us start out in our Tarot adventure.
Synchronicity and Tarot
As the many years of reading Tarot have passed, though, I’ve come to realize that the most important part of a Tarot reading is synchronicity.
I once read a brilliant line in a Tarot forum that stuck with me:
“The Tarot is a synchronicity machine.”
Every time we sit down to do a reading, we engage the field of synchronicity.
I’m not going to get into a long rap here about synchronicity (though if you’re curious, check out my earlier post, Finding Meaning with Synchronicity). The main point I want to make is this:
WHEN WE TALK TO THE UNIVERSE, THE UNIVERSE TALKS BACK.
And that’s actually a big, fat deal.
We’re in a sort of post-religion, post-scientific-revolution phase of humanity. A lot of us have rejected the old, superstitious, patriarchal, hate-based formal religions. Those beliefs have been replaced by the scientific model, which basically says, “There are no gods or goddesses, no angels, no spirit guides, and certainly no magic.”
Which has left a great big hole in our hearts.
It’s left us feeling alone and isolated in what science tells us is essentially a dead universe.
But when we engage with the synchronistic field, the Universe starts giving us answers to our questions. We might ask, “What should I do about my job?” — and suddenly we’ve got clues dropping out of nowhere.
Maybe we get a surprise promotion.
Maybe the jobs section of the newspaper blows down the street and wraps around our ankles.
Maybe a friend opens a new business and hires us on the spot.
And underneath all of that is a HUGE shift away from the old idea of being all alone in a cold, impersonal cosmos. Suddenly we realize that not only is the Universe alive — it actually cares about us and is helping us. Personally.
The whole damn Universe cares about little old you and me.
What a trip!
If you scroll through the internet for a bit, you’ll find that there’s a massive industry dedicated to helping people reach that exact point — spiritually and psychologically. Books, videos, workshops, seminars — all trying to teach people how to establish a relationship with the Universe, their spirit guides, their angels.
But really?
All we need to do is pick up a deck of Tarot cards, ask a question, and lay out a reading.
It’s that simple.
You don’t have to be a psychic.
You don’t have to meditate for years.
You don’t need to channel, astral travel, or decode ancient texts.
Just pick up the cards, ask a question — and the Universe will talk back to you.
Yes, YOU.
Just the Tarot 