I like to switch between tarot and oracle cards when I’m doing my own personal readings. Oracle cards feel less ominous. It’s not that tarot is scary, but some messages come with the cards that my mental capacity can’t contain in this current season of my life (Hello!? Have you seen outside lately?)
I am also sorting through my fear of what’s labeled as “bad” cards in the tarot deck (Death, The Tower, The Devil, etc.), and I’m learning that it’s what my mind associates them with, and it’s old spiritual practices that I am unlearning. Just like how I used to think that leaning in my shadow meant that I was tapping into a dark source, those cards aren’t inherently dark, but there is a fear that I have that pulling one is an omen. And just like I did with shadow work, reading tarot cards is another thing that I have to sit with it and ask myself, “Why does this particular card make me feel uneasy?” Spiritual practices are a journey, and whenever we become uncomfortable with a particular practice, it’s important to ask ourselves why or to seek clarity from our ancestral guides. Maybe some things are not meant for us, or maybe there are specific indoctrinations that we still cling to. For me, it’s probably the latter.
I saw a post today that said something along the lines of not connecting with your ancestors through veneration is what causes psychosis. I fully believe that, and I think with all that’s going on in the world, it’s going to be even more important to call upon the ones that came before us and deconstruct beliefs that were forced upon us because I am already seeing it being weaponized in political spaces.