Tarot, Entities and Spirit Guides - a "how to" blog.
“Does Tarot open me up to spiritual attack from entities?”
I’m aware that entities don’t fall into everyone’s world view, and I totally respect that. My work as a shaman often involves removing them from clients, so I definitely do believe in them.
My answer to this question is “yes, and no”.
Tarot does not open you up to spiritual attack, a deck of Tarot cards is a tool- it is how you use them that could (in very, very rare circumstances) cause a problem. I see it as all coming down to focus and intent. If you are reading tarot, meditating, or doing virtually anything in way that opens you spiritually without grounding, focus, or intent – then it could (again very rare, but it happens) leave you vulnerable to entities.
After trauma, the single biggest cause of the entities I remove from clients is drug use, often combined with “I watched a weird meditation on You Tube and just don’t feel right now”.
How to protect against this (I don’t want to create alarm- so I’ll say it again, very rare) problem?
Simple- read with focused intent. That would mean having a small moment before a reading where you have a clarity thought (perhaps “I am reading for my highest good” or “I ask my guides to step close”). You might like to make sure both your feet are flat on the ground, and take a deep grounding breath. This does not have to (though it could if you fancy) include ritual items, incense and the like. I honestly believe the threat, and the solution, comes from through readers intention- so a moment of clarity and focus is a powerful start.
If reading can open you up to negative spiritual influences, then it can also open you up to positive spiritual influences. I know I have one blog on this subject, but after teaching this topic on Zoom I feel drawn to write a second (after all I love working with spirit guides!).
Using Tarot to connect with your spirit guides
I’m sure somewhere there is a blog explaining how to spell out your spirit guides name with Tarot (!) but that definitely isn’t how I work. I use Tarot to create a dialogue between me (or my client) and the guides.
The simplest way is to ask “What do my guides want me to know?” Shuffle, and draw three cards. These are not prediction, they are a narrative- read the cards together to understand the message.
(I feel drawn to note- if you pull The Devil, The Tower, or other classic “dark” cards it is unlikely that they are reflecting “evil” or that you are cursed in someway. EVERY card in the deck has a positive meaning, sometimes we have to find that- especially in a reading from our guides.)
It can be interesting to ask “What do I need to know about …” and then do a series of three card readings where you are seeking information from different sources with intent.
We may have different words for these sources but I would name them:
Spirit guides (non physical, not me)
Higher guidance (part of me, the wiser part)
Divine universe (God, collective consciousness…so many terms)
Gut instinct (that deep knowing that feels different to higher guidance)
The knowing field (Akashic records/collective unconscious)
The Tarot (I find it has a “mind” of its own somehow!)
And I’m sure there are many more that I haven’t covered.
My honest advice is to pick three "sources", leave each row out (creating a grid of 9 cards), and take your time reading it. You are looking for the differences, and the core message that resonates from the whole reading, you can find my reading at the bottom of this blog.
If you are finding this a struggle you could add some tools into the mix to deepen your experience:
Start with a meditation exercise (you may have tools you already use in this way- yoga, reiki, breathing exercises etc)
Using automatic writing to help you connect – looking at the cards, and just writing whatever comes to you without filtering it through your left brain.
It can help to keep a separate journal for this work, to keep it slightly separate from your usual Tarot readings. Personally I always read with the same deck, the one I know the best, but I understand that for some people having a separate deck might also help.
You can ask for reflections on specific areas of your life, you can ask “what do I need to know” and leave it open, you could also ask;
What do I need to know about my guides.
What is my relationship with my guides.
Who is my main guide right now (I believe we have core guides, and others that come in at different times for different reasons).
Sometimes, but not often, I do a relationship spread between me and a guide. Instead of a 3 card prediction I do three cards for “what my guide is saying to me”. (You can find a link to my relationship spread here, or may have your own that works for you).
I know Spirit guides aren’t for everyone, and much of my Tarot work is very practical – but I really wanted to blend my shamanic & Tarot work, and after teaching this topic by Zoom it really created a buzz in me, a desire to dig deeper and share a little more.
My reading for myself...
I asked "What do I need to know about my shamanic path?"
Row 1- my spirit guides. I am very blessed, I have an amazing relationship with my guides, and do genuinely feel loved and protected by them. I get a sense they want me to know I am safe (Sun) and to shine more (Sun). They also want me to focus a little more on learning, and a little less on client work and doing (page of pentacles) which feels a little scary as this is my job, but also feels right.
Row 2- my higher guidance. My higher guidance is telling me to raise my visibility, allow myself to be seen by my peers (6 wands- similar in a way to the Sun in the previous row). To work on my weaknesses/shadow side (3 of pentacles) and create and to carry on learning more about shamanic work and the runes (8 of pentacles). So my guides and my higher guidance seem to be in alignment, which is good to know.
Row 3 - my "gut" instinct, my unconscious if you like. This is sharing a slightly different narrative - highlighting my exhaustion (9 of wands) and desire to spend time with my family (10 of cups). However the page of wands links with the 8 of pentacles & page of pentacles- love of study, getting lost in learning new things about shamanism.
It's interesting that I have just started dedicating 30 minutes each morning to reading a book connected with business/work. Clearly this is a small step in the right direction, with a pull to investing more in my personal learning. I often ask a client "How does that feel?" after a reading- and this makes me feel excited.
I know this style of reading doesn't suit everyone, one of the things I love most about Tarot is the diversity. But give it a go if it calls to you.
