The depths a person dives into with burnout would make James Cameron jealous. But since the average working mom, including me, can’t invest in a deep dive suit for a thrilling underwater adventure, a big part of my burnout recovery has been finding budget-friendly activities that bring me joy. It was this search that established my reasons to love tarot.
After acknowledging my burnout, I began a journey to instill a sense of wonder in my life, including having new experiences and learning new things, which reintroduced me to tarot.
Searching for cheap classes led me to a leisure and special interest class at a community college (which gives a fantastic deal on tarot classes, by the way). So if you’re looking to learn a new skill and have fun, check out the community education department at your local community college. They can have classes from soap making to how to write a romance novel. (The college near me did these classes this year!)
My interest in tarot led me to a six-week class hosted by Mels Magic, where I learned about tarot cards, their history, and listening to my intuition. I had dabbled in tarot previously, but this class confirmed it would become a regular practice in my self-care routine. It also solidified the seven reasons to love tarot. If you can take a class with Mel, I highly recommend her. She’s simply amazing!
Before diving in further
Before diving further into this topic, cards with negative associations don’t always mean doom and gloom for those prone to fortune-telling, such as assuming/predicting a worst-case scenario. Instead, they may reflect inner work to be done or something that needs inspecting. Tarot cards are also not a replacement for mental health care.
Although tarot is becoming more mainstream, some still see forms of divination as a no-no. However, I see tarot as an effective way of keeping my hands busy and satiating my need to tell a story. So, if you need an activity for busy hands and a busier mind, keep reading the reasons to love tarot below.
7 Reasons to Love Tarot
1. Promotes Creativity through Storytelling
As a person prone to fits of creative writing, this component of tarot was highly alluring. Even in my darkest days, I can still pick up some cards and attempt a story line. As a creative, this element is essential for me. A beneficial aspect of storytelling is it draws out what you are hiding. I was pleasantly surprised at how many tarot spreads I drew related to current issues in my life. My future therapist brain loved that part!
2. Fosters Enchantment, Magic & Hope
No one needs to get on a bike with training wheels to recreate childlike enchantment. But, especially with the holiday season in full swing, it’s helpful to partake in activities that bring us magic, light, and hope.
While we are a far cry from the childlike wonder that flies in with Santa’s sleigh, tarot can whip up much-needed magic so we can pass it around during the holidays and the rest of the year.
Not magic in the literal sense, but more like you’re ten years old again and waiting for that Hogwarts letter by owl. I am still waiting on mine…
3. Enhances Intuition and Mental Clarity
I’ve written about mindfulness recently, and practicing tarot is a form that allows me to see situations from the outside. In short, it gives perspective.
By facilitating mindfulness, mental clarity and intuition come with the package. Such is the case with tarot.
Tarot is the kind of activity that I could lose myself in for hours but also be fully present. The only other hobby that has a similar effect on me is writing, which is also a form of storytelling.
4. Taps into Nostalgia & Tradition
As I’ve mentioned earlier, tarot is rich in history. Tarot dates back to the 1400s and was used for games. By the 1800s, tarot had evolved into more of the fortune-telling it is today.
With history being one of my undergraduate degrees, there is a deep connection I get from engaging in practices that are so old. It also calls back to slower living and a time before external chatter invaded so much of our headspace.
While I’ve practiced tarot here and there for quite some time, it also feeds my need for nostalgia. When I draw cards in a secluded space, it transports me to past times. Even though I recently took a tarot class at a community college, the course was so fantastic that I know it’s an environment I’ll think about whenever I pull cards.
5. Improves Relationships
Think a certain someone is the love of your life? Next thing you know, boom! You pull the three of swords, so maybe not so much. Or considering a business partnership with an old friend and wondering how it’ll work out? Well, look at that shiny ten of pentacles. That’s the green light!
Ok, so while these are wild generalizations, I have never relied on tarot cards alone to make decisions. But they do help pull hidden feelings to the surface. The storytelling in tarot can help draw things out with reflective periods and to see things from a different perspective you may not have previously considered.
That may even look like coming to terms with unrealistic expectations placed on the people in your life.
A bonus for me was taking this class with my best friend and sister. I looked forward to these classes every week and am a bit bummed they’re over now.
6. Opens Up to Community
Taking my first tarot class in person with seven other people was an enriching experience. While foundationally, I loved learning about the cards, the homework assignments others shared gave me a sense of community. Some classmates had never taken a tarot class before, while others had many decks they used at home. But everyone showed up with the same purpose: to learn.
With the group purpose in alignment, I experienced a synergy I haven’t in other learning environments that tend to be competitive or sometimes just flat-out dull.
Isolation can also be very detrimental to mental health. We are social creatures, after all. So, if given a chance, expand your horizons to take a class in person to connect with others.
7. Witchy Vibes
The mystical element of tarot makes me want to flee the village and stir my cauldron in a cabin at the forest’s edge.
Luckily, my tarot class was in the fall, around prime spook time! I even got to do a powerful tarot reading on Halloween night, thanks to the prompts from our teacher.
While there are different interpretations of what constitutes a “witch,” I see this as an individual in tune with themselves and the environment while also allowing space for something bigger than themselves.
Some tarot practitioners may be highly spiritual, while others are not even remotely so.
That’s the beauty of the cards. They function as you wish them to. There is no requirement of who can use the cards and when. All that is needed is an open mind and the desire to tell a story.
That concludes my list!
If you’ve been curious about exploring tarot, there’s a lot of great information online and in various publications. Even better, if you have an interested friend, gifting them a tarot deck or signing up to take a class together would be a wonderful holiday gift.
Are there any additional reasons you love tarot? Or any decks you would recommend? If so, drop a comment below! Thanks for Circling the Sandbox with me. Until next time, may you be at ease and swiftly get your gift shopping done. 😀
