Reading Tarot for Anxious People

I started reading Tarot years ago, when I was going through a divorce. 

Honestly, I was looking for something a little rebellious to do... 

and like a lot of people going through a major life disruption, I wanted to feel reassured that everything would work out okay. 

I was a little disappointed to find out that Tarot wasn't as straightforward as I thought it would be. I actually found that it made me more anxious about the future than hopeful. 

But I didn't give up on the cards.

In fact, when I began reflecting on how I've survived as a neurodivergent person in a world where I often feel like I don't fit in, disappoint people, and can't keep up, my approach to reading Tarot was the #1 thing on my list of things that helped. 

What I've learned is that the questions that you ask the cards are extremely important. How you feel after you finish reading Tarot for yourself is directly informed by the questions that you ask. 

I spent a lot of years asking the cards, "What will happen..." 

What will happen if I take this job? 

What will happen if I date this person? 

What will happen if move to this place? 

Those "what if" questions always make me feel more anxious, even if the cards are seemingly positive. 

Because, you know, my brain has a tendency to catastrophize. 

Over the last several years I've learned a different approach to reading Tarot. One that has allowed me to understand and honor my needs, navigate conflict, and listen to my intuition without anxiety. 

Recently, when I started moving into a phase of burnout, it was actually through my Tarot practice that I identified the problem and changed course far before my body let me know I was heading in that direction. 

On last week's episode of the Brave Rebirth Podcast, I shared what I've learned about reading Tarot to manage my anxiety rather than create more of it—and it hit.