Tarot Is Not a Quick Fix

“You’ve got to be willing to do the work.”

We’ve all heard this kind of advice before.

It applies to pretty much anything in life, such as goal-setting: If you want something, you need to put the effort in to get it.

It also applies to personal growth. We say things like, “He’s done a lot of work on himself,” or, “I’m taking some time away to work on myself.”

What this “work” looks like is so varied and personal that it’s not always easy to know exactly what it is everyone is working on, or how they are doing it.

The work of your life may be very different than mine. We all have our own lessons, journeys, and gifts. We also have our own challenges to overcome.

Some people figure out what their “work” is sooner than others. And some of our work may be work that takes a lifetime to understand.

There is no way to rush through it, no arbitrary deadline you can reach where you suddenly become an idealized version of yourself.

But there is a way to get clearer about what it is you’re here to learn, do, or heal within yourself: Tarot.

Tarot gives us insight into the things we may not always be able to see from the outside.

Asking questions such as:

“How do I hold myself back?”

“What belief keeps me stuck?”

Or,

“What am I not seeing within myself?” can be questions you can take to the cards.

These are not always easy questions to explore. We need to be open to the answers, because we can’t become unaware of something once it’s brought to our attention.

You can put it off or try to ignore it, but you can’t undo your knowing about it.

If come to these questions with a ready heart, then the work can begin from there. But how?

One of the biggest misconceptions about tarot is that a reading is a quick fix. There are so many people out there who confuse the act of getting a tarot reading with action itself. What I mean is that a tarot reading is just one step – a precursor, even – to taking real, strategic action in your life.

Getting a reading passive. It is an act of listening: You’re taking in a message and reflecting on information.

It is meant to propel you into action – but it is not the action itself that you necessarily need to take.

A reading on its own doesn’t solve or change anything without you deciding to follow through.

Which is why tarot is not a quick fix: A reading can help you get going, but the work that comes after it may take days, months, or even years to bring to fruition.

And that’s okay. Because the work of your life is meant to be an unfolding. And it also meant to be something you maintain – not something that gets crossed off a to-do list and isn’t given a second thought.

The work of being who you are, tending to yourself, upholding your integrity, and caring for your spirit is ongoing. Once you take a step towards it is when you begin to sustain yourself in deeper ways.

Until next time,

Liz xo

p.s. If you are like me and believe that tarot is a bridge into a more authentic life, I invite you to join me in Tarot for Self-Recovery and Reclamation. This immersive online training is designed for people who want to use tarot to help and heal others. Learn more here.