Tarot Friends

Tarot people – that is, tarot hobbyists, students, collectors, philosophers, writers, teachers and readers – are a diverse group of people.  As far as I can see, we hold nothing in common for sure except tarot.  Tarot crosses lines of race, gender, sexual identity, age, politics, religion and class.

But your tarot friends are your best friends.  Why?  It is, I think, because we share a common language.  To be able to say to someone, “Today was the Tower for me,” and have them inherently understand exactly what you mean, creates immediate emotional intimacy and compassion.

Tarot becomes a common ground for humor and creativity.  Whatever conclusions its study causes us to draw, it is a foundation of philosophy we share.

I have a young student who says, “Tarot brings me back to center.” 

Maybe we tarotists were always a little bit off-center as we were growing up.  Maybe finding tarot, and, in that, finding each other, gives us a new sense of identity.  Maybe, when we find each other, we realize we aren’t so strange after all.

The internet has created a lot of opportunity to build community around tarot.  Of course we have infighting, professional jealousy and differences in philosophy.  Not everyone likes each other.

I think, though, we all have appreciation for the community to which we all feel lucky to belong.

How do you find a place for yourself in this community?  It’s simple.  Get a tarot deck and study it.  Go to a class, a webinar, or a Meetup.   Join a tarot website or online group.  Remember that tarot isn’t just about divination, or learning rote meanings of cards; it is a way of making sense of the world.

The brand new tarotist is just as important, valid and vital to our community as is the respected tarot professional.  Each person that comes to tarot brings to it their wisdom, knowledge and life experience, and we are all better for it.