Coming Out as a Card Reader

This is the story of how I found myself reading cards in the first place, and the humourous style was my way of dealing with the discomfort of "coming out" to my very wide circle of Facebook friends, who range from Pagans to Christians to athiests and scientists.

I have been sharing occasional Notes on my Facebook page "Go Deeper" over the past few months, and thought some of my PaganSpace friends might enjoy reading them here as blog posts. This is the first one I wrote -

What's this "Go Deeper"?

A couple of my friends have confessed to being confused. Imagine that! There's no such thing as a silly question, so this note is intended to tell the story of Kris Hughes and Go Deeper!

Once upon a time there was a Celtic Cowgirl called Kris who was going through a lot of changes. She knew that change was good, she'd even invited it into her life, but by heck it was scary. So she rode her horse. Poor Kris found herself feeling lost and overwhelmed, angry at life, stuck, filled with joy and wonder....well, there wasn't much she didn't experience, but how to sort it all out and move forward in a meaningful way??? She kept trying to figure out a way to "cobble something together" that would look like a life (whatever that is) but it kept falling apart again. At least that's what it looked like to her - so she rode her horse some more....

One day, as she was going through a gate, her favourite horse ran over her and broke her arm. OUCH!! Well, if she thought she was scared and angry before, she was about to find a whole new level of that!! So she curled up in a ball and said "sod this!" (or something like that). When she occasionally uncurled herself, she noticed a few things -

• she was really angry at herself
• she had spent years defining herself by her activities
• she was looking for answers
• she wanted to connect with others and help them
• she had always known that she was a spiritual being

Now that last one seemed like a good place to begin, so she started reading some of her favourite spiritual books, and actually trying to apply their principles. She started meditating (again) and exploring absolutely anything "spiritual" that appealed to her. Even riding her horse. Things got better - maybe only a millimetre at a time, but they did get better.

Among the spiritual "stuff" Kris had was an old deck of moon cards she had once bought. These got an airing, and seemed like they might be useful in some way - but they were kind of frustrating. "Gee," thought Kris, "I could use something like this, if only it was totally different! Too bad I can't make something." So she went out and rode her horse. (But this really bugged her.)

Finally one day, while cleaning the sh-- (well, you know) off her boots, a massive thought fell on her head and nearly knocked her over. SLIPS OF PAPER!!! (how cosmic). Yep, all she needed to do was write the name  of each card on a slip of paper, because she already knew their metaphorical meanings in her heart. This wasn't Tarot, or even moon cards, it was inner symbolism. Inner knowing. Well zippidy doo dah - she got busy and figured the whole thing out (okay, the beginning of the whole thing) and started doing a few readings for herself. She didn't see any burning bushes, but that's just as well, it's pretty dry around those parts. Things got noticeably better, though. Even her horse noticed. So she went out for a ride.

She Cowgirled Up and made herself some new internet friends who were serious cartomancers - that's Tarot readers to you. They shared their wisdom and let her experiment on them with her - um - slips of paper thingy, which was generally agreed to be a success. In fact, for awhile there it seemed like the readings she did for them made more sense than the ones she did for herself. So - yep, you guessed it - giddyup!

Then it snowed. A lot. There wasn't much giddyup to be got, so she did some more meditating and stuff (I mean, like, real Celtic Cowgirl stuff that she is keeping under her rather large hat) and low and behold, uncovered new and wonderful layers to the whole slip of paper thing - and it worked!!  She noticed a few more things -

• why she was so angry, and the beginnings of how it could heal - she got some help with that from the Yarrow card (Actually a slip of paper, but who cares! Inner knowing is inner knowing.)
• the Wild Cat reminded her that she needed to get out there and make contact with other people again, if she wants to prosper
• every time she did a card reading for someone, she understood a little bit more, too
• she didn't really want to define herself by this activity, or any other
• she still likes to ride her horse

Oh, yeah, she asked me to pass this on to you:

I would never have imagined that I'd be offering to "read the cards" for people a year ago, but it feels like an important path to follow now. The readings I offer are all about helping people understand themselves and how they relate to life, or specific things in their life - work, health, relationships, situations or challenges. There are no predictions about dark strangers, foreign trips (sorry) or nasty mishaps! Just an opportunity to look more deeply at whats going on, from a totally new angle. Just a moments peace to look at the inner life and the bigger picture. "Just" that.

 

Is this "voodoo" or something? No. I don't know why it works, but I'm not in league with anything nasty, for sure. Some people say cartomancy can be explained by Jungian psychology, or the ink blot theory or that it's kind of like a Zen koan. I think that there is a more spiritual, less random aspect to it than that, but I don't have all the answers. 

 

Am I claiming to be psychic?  That's a tough one. I've always had a high intuition quotient, but I don't know that this makes me more psychic than you.

 

Just a business venture? I do need an income, and this may allow me to generate a small one. I charge by "Pay What You Can"  I'm also motivated by a genuine desire to explore this method and especially to help people and connect with them.

 

The end