Inspiration and Reflection Through Tarot
The Moon and The Hermit Tarot Cards
This post was originally published April 18, 2024.
Future-oriented thinking is essential. I need to be able to plan for tomorrow, to know what food to pick up at the grocery store and when it’s time for my next dentist appointment. It’s been incredibly helpful in managing my budget as I’ve prioritized my writing and it allows me to dream big as I think about what my life goals are. But thinking about the future is also dangerous for me because nothing about it has happened yet. It’s like Schrodinger’s cat; tomorrow doesn’t exist until the clock strikes 12 and it becomes today. It can be anything until I actually experience it, and sometimes, I fear that the cat might be dead and the future is bleak.
That’s when I force myself to return to the present moment, which is easier said than done. A few years ago, I decided to try a new method for doing so: tarot. I’m not sure how much I believe in the cosmos deciding my personality and fate, but that doesn’t change the fact that I like reading horoscopes, and wow, the description of being a Taurus really matches my personal experience. I figured pulling a tarot card every now and again could be fun, if nothing else.
What I realized when I bought my tarot cards is that it didn’t matter if the universe was sending me messages through pieces of cardstock. The process forced me to slow down, take a breath, and reflect on my current situation. Typically, I’ll shuffle my deck and spread it out in front of me face down. I’ll voice a question out loud and pull whichever card feels right to me. That’s when I flip it over and see what I have drawn.
I use two books to help interpret the card’s meaning: Tarot For Beginners and Tarot Reversals For Beginners. Cards can have multiple meanings depending on if you pull them upright or upside down. The other day, I flipped over my card to reveal the Eight of Swords upside down. I was happy to see it upside down as it normally means that the reader is stuck and holding themself back, but with it reversed, it still acknowledged my feelings of stagnation while presenting the opportunity for the release of self-limiting beliefs.
I’ve been thinking about my career a lot lately and, as a Taurus, money is always on my mind. I pulled three cards that day for a past, present, and future reading. Each card in order pulled represents the past, present, and future. I pulled the reversed Eight of Swords for my present, while my past and future held the Ace of Pentacles and Queen of Pentacles respectively. Pentacles, specifically refer to money, so I took my present reading as reassurance of my path and a reminder to let go of the anxiety I hold for my financial future.
There are hundreds of different ways to read tarot, but the one and three card pulls have worked best for me. I’m also familiar with birthdays being represented by different cards as well, similar to people having specific horoscopes based on their birth. I discovered that mine are The Hermit and The Moon, which make sense. The Hermit represents introspection and self-growth, while The Moon represents big dreams and what-ifs (enter the future-oriented thinking I mentioned at the start of this post). The come with their own strengths—such as being trustworthy, calm, and capable of dealing with difficulty—but they also come with areas for growth—a need to take time to relax, develop meaningful connections, and pay attention to hidden beauty. I’ve stumbled across all these themes organically in my life and have even written about them here in my blog.
Tarot has helped me remember these themes and inspired me to be more mindful of them in my life. Besides, it’s nice to hold the cards that life has dealt me and try to understand them a little better.
Speaking of tarot and birthdays, next Thursday is my birthday so I will be taking a break from my posting schedule and return with a new post Thursday May 2nd!