Life with Tarot

I'm really interested in hearing about and getting ideas from how others incorporate Tarot into their life. What does a day or week or month with Tarot in your life look like? When will you do a reading or pull a card? What spreads if any do you tend to use? How do you act on / incorporate the guidance of the cards? Examples of real situations would be fabulous.

I'm lucky if I have time to pull a daily card before work. Once at work I don't really think of pulling cards unless something comes up that throws me off. Of course, then it's difficult to be objective about what the cards are telling me and I might move to the I Ching.

For me it varies a lot; sometimes I won't draw a card for a week, other times I'll draw most days. Usually I'll just draw a single card; my thought might be 'how do I tackle this?' or 'what should I focus on?' .... I don't do major readings often, as they take time and energy that I don't often have spare.

I try to choose an appropriate deck. I use the Housewives' a great deal - it's got a delightfully wry sense of humour that stops me from taking myself too seriously, but at the same time, it's a surprisingly deep deck. But it casts such an ironic eye on domestic life.

On a practical level I find it helps me adjust my attitude. I recently drew the Knight of Swords with regard to a work issues, which told me to stop dithering and attack the problem with confidence.

I'm dealing with paperwork (again!) today and the two of cups told me to stop whining and be grateful for what I've got. Yes, the paperwork is a pain, but it could be worse, it's manageable, and getting it under control will give me more freedom to move forward. And at least I'm in a position to actually deal with it.

I try to do weekly readings that show my strengths and weaknesses. I'll keep that reading in mind during the week to adjust my behavior accordingly.

For example, this week I got the Ace of Wands as my actions, the Nine of Wands as reaction from my surroundings and the Hermit as my potential. I concluded that this week I would face resistance had I pushed my own projects and that I should go more subtle and slowly.

Well, I immediately faced resistance in my weekly meeting with my boss. I habe a few projects that I need to bring forward, and my boss is sometimes... slow about new things. He really blocked every single of my ideas because it was too fast for him.

I remembered the reading, kept things slow and gentle for the week and everything got better.

I recently started doing a daily draw again, using a special small spread I created that blends my main horoscope features (Ascendant, Sun and Moon) with the daily cards. I do it to look at the "tone" of the upcoming day and how it relates to my personality constants, not for specifics.

I do a lunar month look-ahead on every New Moon, using another spread I created that follows astrologer Dane Rudhyar's 8-phase lunation cycle approach.

I do an annual Wheel of the Year spread on the Winter Solstice, and then pull a "trigger" card at the beginning of each monthly period to see how the energy for that month will be released.

If something important is coming up, I will do a reading with a spread that focuses on the specific topic area (I have quite a few self-created spreads to chose from).

I spend quite a bit of time doing test readings to validate the spreads I create.

I'm retired, so if I don't have a deck in my hands each day, I have beadwork in my hands but I 'm still thinking of the cards and ruminating over them. Tarot has been my obsession for the past 19 years.

I realize that those who still have jobs, children and spouses can't devote themselves to Tarot as much as I do, though. When I first started learning Tarot, I was still raising grandchildren, so that didn't leave as much time for Tarot. Once the girls were grown and out on their own, then I could devote more time to it.

My style of reading is self-introspect. I learned to tarot to better my self, Like a bit of therapy. Soul growth.

When I first started learning tarot, I did daily draws with journaling and meditating. In the beginning it seemed to me to be about developing my own connection and intuition with the cards and moving away from the books.
Once I reached the point of being able to read the celtic cross spread without using little white book, I would use that spread few times a week. It still is my go-to spread.

After 7 years of tarot-ing, I only read for myself when I feel drawn to. I have had large gaps of not reading and then feel pulled back to my cards. I'm actually currently coming out of my tarot hiatus. 2016 was bizzare. I can not focus on my spiritual growth when my everyday life is demanding attention so loudly. Now that things are settling down I am looking forward to working with the cards again. I really like a few of the ways BarleyWine had mentioned, especially combining it with astrology. Think I will give that a try!

I always have a deck on my desk and one in my work bag. Choosing them, changing them and using them is a pleasure. Keeping my collection in good condition is important to me - even when I don't read with them, I try to handle my decks as much as possible, putting them into order and shuffling them again - I always say it keeps them fresh and warm.

I often pull out cards from different decks to compare and ponder them, and journal what I have understood about them. As my life is happily settled, I rarely read for myself, but when I do, I always journal the reading and try to get back to it later to see how it played out.

I do readings for a living which keeps my tarot muscles nice and fit - better than the rest of them I guess ;-)

I made a little wheel of astrological and kabbalistic correspondences that's always next to me; I stuck it on an unused desk calendar, and on its back, I made a simple arrangement to display cards that are important to me. (Oh how I wait for the Tabula Mundi decan cards to display them as tarot calendar!)

There's always a tarot book open on my Kindle and I try to keep up with my tarot Kaizen exercises, my shadow work (very exhausting, it takes weeks until I have processed the stuff I find and can continue)... actually, tarot is quite an important part of my life. There's always a tarot bag in my crochet work basket, I wear tarot jewelry that I made myself, there are tarot images all over the house, do I sound a bit obsessive?

I don't have a real routine because I associate routines with duties and tarot is strictly pleasure for me.

...I have a Tarot Altar on the wall of my bedroom - so the cards are there for me to look at DAILY. Decks that go on the wall - are in my "difficult to read with" collection,
and I'll usually just lightly muse over the imagery - or do a pathworking with one of the displayed cards.



Maybe 2-4 times a WEEK I'll pull a card during, or at-the-end-of my day.
I read up about the card (Tarot App - I'm particularly enjoying the rich LWB of The Tarot of The Holy Light) and see how it may relate to my day.
I never do draws in the morning because I then find I'm "hanging on every nuance of the card" all-my-day-through - slightly obssessive. Lol.

Also weekly - I look at my cards and either - ask my guides for guidance (usually quite hilarious input ) - or do self-therapy with the cards along the lines of "how do I feel", "how would I like to feel" - and "what is the affirmation or thing to do to get through the day gracefully triumphant"...
I have a Tarot diary - where I write down my thoughts, making up small spreads that
help me untangle my emotional landscape.



MONTHLY - I like to join in a reading circle here on AT or offer readings.
I am in process of doing the Tarot Study group for The Modern SpellCaster's Tarot...
I will go to a Tarot meetup group in my area as well...
Maybe I'll read someone elses Tarot blogpost or online readings too.

Every few months - I may have a professional reading to do online, or a reading for friends/aquaintances.
Tarot features in my ritual practice (I'm Wiccan) - and I enjoy devising Tarot spells.
Just recently I've been luxuriating in reading Sasha Graham's 365 Tarot Spells book. I have a collection of decks that are dedicated to ritual.
If an interesting Tarot themed workshop comes up at my favourite esoteric bookshop - I may go. There's one coming up this May on looking at Tarot archetypes - given by a professional reader and fellow Wiccan that I highly respect.

I will sometimes put Tarot cards relevant to a pagan festival up on my wall Tarot Altar.



I go to the London Tarot Conference every YEAR.



I will block sections of time out in my diary to read Tarot books and write in my own LWB.
Or just sit and enjoy looking through selected decks.

With some of my clients (I am a therapist) - I may get them to pull a Tarot card for their day (or an Oracle card - I have a selection) and then we discuss how the meaning may be relevant for them. They love that.


I've been LOOKing for a Tarot colouring book that has imagery with Mandala-like or repetitive patterns...
Just found one. Debating on whether to buy it.

I have some Tarot jewellery that I occasionally wear out.
I have considered getting Death from the Thoth Tarot - tattood on my upper arm...
(This - right next to considering getting a Kung Fu related tattoo, because I study Kung Fu...
But nahh - I'd probably die from the length of time I'd have to tolerate the pain. Lol. I'll stay with the smaller self-designed tattoos I already have).
I have a Tarot tea mug displaying the bottom section of Temperance - from the Thoth Tarot.


I am currently making my own photographic Tarot deck (very personal imagery as it's people, places and objects in my life). I began last Autumn, and estimate I may have completed the photo's by Summer 2018 if I'm lucky.


Hmmm - looks like my life reeks of Tarot.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

Your responses have been very insightful and inspiring!

One common thread I see in all of the responses is flexibility. I also see that there are other ways to stay involved with Tarot throughout the day without actively pulling cards. I've gotten some great ideas and many things to think about as I read and re-read your responses.

I've finally started doing daily draws after years of being eh about it. I always ask "What do I need to keep in mind today?" and then try to apply the card's message in my day. For example, today's card was Temperance so I made sure to not let one thing be the focus of my whole day.

Since you're busy at work, it might be a good idea to do daily draws at night for the following day. If you're too busy for that, a weekly reading on your day off while enjoying a cup is what I used to do. My method was a three card focus / avoid / theme spread for the coming week.

ETA I realized I kind of misread the question, that's what I get for reading the fourms when my brain is mush.

I do non-daily readings whenever problems come up that I need guidance on, which usually happens every couple of weeks. Sometimes I just wanna test out a new deck or spread, but using tarot as a guidance counselor has been what most of my readings amount to, especially since I got into tarot after leaving an abusive household.

As for monthly and yearly readings, I do yet another three card spread every new moon (though I forgot to this time!) along with an oracle card with a message to keep in mind for the lunar cycle, which stays on my desk until the full moon. On the beginning of the month I might pull a card, might not. If I do I compare it to the big yearly reading I do at Samhain (17 cards big!) which I always go back to when a month ends to see how it ended up.

All of this is pretty lax, even my yearly reading for this year was late because I lost the reading I actually did in October. I feel like Tarot should be a thing you're allowed to put down for awhile and come back to whenever you need it, but some of us (for instance, a Virgo rising like me!) just crave routine.