Tarotsmith

United States

Tarotsmith provides free tarot reading using tarot decks by current-day and historical esoteric artists and occultists.

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free tarot reading, divination, astrology, numerology, Tibetan Mo, I Ching, bibliomancy, online oracles, madam lenormand, runes

Tarotsmith

The site was built and has been maintained by tarot creators since 2009. Like our historical counterparts’ decks, our creations were designed to help readers become accustomed to their ‘spiritual’ vision by learning the language of symbolism, potentially reawakening dormant abilities (with enough practise). In this article, we look at some of the different tarot decks, along with other methods of divination and personality chart readings on Tarotsmith that can be used for self-analysis and consciousness expansion.

What is Tarot Reading?

Tarot reading is a form of divination that uses a tarot deck, which is similar to a deck of playing cards, but with an extra suit. In tarot reading, several cards are laid out in a predetermined pattern known as a spread. Each card is loaded with its own symbolism, which gets interpreted differently depending upon which position in the spread that the card shows up. The spread creates what resembles a type of storyboard, similar to a comic strip. A reader’s job is to tell the story created by the tarot spread, to simply fill in the words.

What is Divination?

Divination can be defined as a method of experiencing unification with the divine, as in having a divine vision. As everyone experiences this phenomenon in their own way, this word can seem to mean different things to different people. Divination involves a type of mental discipline: the ability to ‘blank out’, which is important in maintaining the integrity of one’s vision. In this way, divination must be a passive action, the opening of an unbiased channel immune to the effects of ego or will.

Tarotsmith-style Divination

Designed by one of our tarot artists, the site offers all the information that a beginner may need to become a polished reader, through both study and practise. Readings were designed to get right to the point, skipping the pomp, fluff, and up-selling associated with other free tarot reading sites. Using either the reading form or the image links, you can always get your reading immediately, literally no questions asked (except the one in your mind). Readings can be done with any of our artists’ cards or with the Crowley Thoth or Rider Waite decks. Or you can use Madam Lenormand or ordinary playing cards to do readings. Beyond that, Tarotsmith also offers divination using other oracles, astrology, numerology, and bible scripture readings.

How to Do a Reading

To do a reading, it is advisable to first familiarise yourself with the method you intend to use, including the spread and tarot deck or type of oracle. When ready, proceed with your reading. You can use the convenient form to select your cards and spread to do a tarot reading, or you can scroll down to find your deck of choice and click the image link when you have decided on a spread. Your reading will immediately be generated on a page that shows you the spread, explaining card positions at the top of the page. When you know your spread, you can scroll down to the spread that shows the cards face-up. Below that, each card meaning is explained. You can use the position of each card to interpret its unique meaning, possibly including the dignification of each card according to adjacency to its neighbours.

Tarot and Divination Myths

Many myths and superstitions have been associated with the art of divination. First, it is commonly conflated with fortune-telling. Tarotsmith does not endorse fortune-telling, as we prefer to avoid the middle man altogether, with our creations acting as bridges. Second, just about every other tarot site will say that free readings are alright, but that nothing beats a ‘real’ reading from a ‘psychic’. The reason for this myth is obvious. You can learn to read the cards for yourself just as accurately as anyone else can, as long as you can foster a little self-discipline. Other common myths go deeper into the realm of control and propaganda, a rabbit hole that is usually better to avoid.

How to Tune Yourself In

Simply practise using the cards and other oracles on the site. With a bit of experience, it becomes easier until it soon becomes second nature, like riding a bike. While you might usually be asking about things that you are extremely passionate about, you will know how to keep your readings accurate. Preventing yourself from accidentally manifesting and corrupting your readings with your own ego is the key. The more practise that a reader puts in, the more attuned a reader becomes with the spiritual language of symbolism. When you notice it, you’ll see that symbolism is always speaking to you in life, all the time. Knowing tarot symbolism can help you interpret dreams and all kinds of signs – those things that seem too weird to be taken as mere coincidence.

The most highly regarded tarot deck, from a symbolic standpoint, is unquestionably the Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley. With volumes of books on esoteric symbolism under his belt, Crowley’s Thoth deck represents the culmination of his life’s work as an author, artist, and occultist. To study this deck is no easy task, but Tarotsmith helps make this as easy as possible. With months of regular use, this deck’s rich symbolism can help a reader learn to train their mind’s eye to see important details that people ordinarily miss altogether. There are many times the writing is on the wall, but we just don’t know how to read it.

How to Begin

You can begin by jumping in and doing a single-card reading using the Rider Waite deck. This deck appears to have been designed specifically for beginners, but remains the most popular overall, perhaps due to its simplicity. And drawing a single card means there is no spread to interpret, so you can simply interpret the card. Before doing your reading, mentally form a question or concern that you would like addressed.

When you get to the reading page, take a look at your card, noting any symbols on the card that cause any sort of emotional reaction. Consider this emotion and its relevance to your question. Scan the card imagery for other signs, repeating the process. You can scroll down and read the meaning of the card in its accompanying text, noting any symbols that pop out in the writing. Finally, connect all the meanings as you have interpreted them, and look at everything as one unit of information. At this point, you will have the answer to your question, or at least a clarification of the question that can be broken down into more specific questions.

Summary

Anyone can learn to be an effective tarot reader, either for themselves or for others, with a fairly minimal amount of effort. All it takes is the time to learn and a little practise. Tarot cards are designed to help readers lay out simple storyboards, so they can fill in the missing parts with their own words as they interpret the cards. Though the cards are seen by many as magical, the magic lies in the way the deck is designed to work. As it is simply a matter of learning the esoteric language of your favourite deck(s), anyone can learn how to tune into their higher self, opening themselves up to a whole new world of possibilities.

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