Tarot cards make me think of crystals, candles, incense, and all sorts of new age things. As someone who doesn't believe in a conscious higher power, I've always found it...interesting that people feel a connection with the spirits beyond or think they can predict the future. Do I think these people are total crazies? Not necessarily, but I feel they have large imaginations.

Recently a good friend of mine felt she was being contacted by spiritual beings and was encouraged to reach out to the medium of reading tarot and oracle cards. I find the cards intriguing but certainly never factual or worth betting promises. She told me about this newfound revelation and what fulfillment she was finding from this new...hobby? She was finding positive enlightenment so I couldn't consider it was a negative thing but I was initially concerned that she was letting her imagination run a tad wild.

One evening she asked me what I thought of it, not believing in the spirits and all. I told her I think it's mainly intuition and finite skill in psychology. She asked if I would mind her giving me a reading. She wanted to see what the spirits told her but she didn't want me to feel pushed or uncomfortable. I chuckled. Sure, why not?

Amongst candles she picked a few decks, let me pick a deck or two that intrigued me, and inquired what question I wanted answered. I was feeling rather stuck at the time applying for 10+ jobs a day and not knowing what I was going to do next so she suggested we ask what steps I should take on this next chapter of my career. She shuffled the decks separately so every few shuffles a card or two would flip or fall, she'd look at it, and lay it down. Sometimes she would feel compelled to pull a second one, a "clarifier," if the first didn't seem quite right.

Her coffee table was completely covered in various cards in an organized formation. Next to her were instruction books that came with the decks, helping explain the symbols and meanings on the cards for newer readers. She took a moment and looked over it all. Her jaw fell and her eyebrows raised. Beaming, she said "This is really good...and really cool."

The cards that I remember most clearly were the pairing of "Stuck in the Mud" and "Ride the Wave" along with "The Mountain." Basically the first card said I felt stuck and regardless of how hard I push nothing will happen. Inspiring, right? My friend explained to me that the card had fallen out as a pair with the "Ride the Wave" card. Scanning her book, she said it seemed like the pairing was suggesting that I'm going to be stuck for a while and forced to observe my surroundings but once the time is right, I'm going to "ride the wave" of abundance and all my effort will come to fruition in its own unexpected way.

Seeing "The Mountain" card, I assumed that meant I was working up this mountain of my career. However the book stated that this card means I have been choosing to climb and chip away at a tall mountain to get to the other side when in reality, I should look over the side and find the stream that will so easily take me there instead. It encouraged some out-of-the-box thinking to work smarter rather than harder.

I wasn't too thrilled about inquiring in the love department but my friend insisted we pull one card from the romance deck and see what the spirits say. Quite frustrated at the time, I wondered if there was something wrong with me or if all guys my age are simply incapable of communicating honest feelings. The card that was revealed made my jaw drop. Spirits or not, it was the card I needed to see. It was the "Love Yourself First" card. My eyes actually watered, it blindsided me so deeply. It wasn't that there was something wrong with me but it also didn't mean my frustrations were any one person's fault. That card made me realize that that was the goal I needed to focus on, not finding the right person.

Similar to horoscopes, there were some really dead-on cards and some that were too generic for my convincing. While I still didn't believe there were souls projecting their energy into the decks and "choosing" which cards would fall, I do see value in practices like tarot card readings. My friend took whichever (I think completely coincidental) cards were dealt and formulated a spiritual response to relate to my life as it was in that moment. It suggested that I would be stuck for a while and that good things would come with a change of pace and some creative thinking. Focusing on loving and appreciating myself regardless of "victories" (whether in career or romance) was my lesson to learn at the present. Whether the spirits said so or not, that was a message that was so healthy for me to hear.

Now almost any time we see each other, she'll give me a tarot card reading. I've grown to love them. Each time it offers me an interesting perspective of where my life is right now. Do we project the cards onto my specific life? Sure. Is it pointless because I don't believe there's a conscious mind controlling it? Absolutely not. I choose to learn from it. Even if it is just a combination of psychology and inspiration, I'll take it any day.

Now you try it!