The Random Gift Shop Purchase That Changed My Life

Have you ever been so captivated by something — so completely mesmerized that you’re completely absorbed by the moment and feel a bit closer to the divine? (Hello, me; every time I’m with a newborn. 🥰 Gazing at those sweet babies heals my soul!)

A few years ago I had one of those moments during a weekend getaway with my husband. But it wasn’t a cute baby that caught my attention — it was a deck of cards on a gift shop shelf. (Random, I know. 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Before that day, my experience with tarot cards was… uh… nonexistent? Indifferent? Uncertain? I mean, outside of a movie scene with a crystal ball, who thought about this stuff?

Yet, despite not knowing or caring about tarot one iota, I stood in that gift shop transfixed by that little cardboard box with the pretty pictures dancing across the front.

Even though I felt clueless and judgmental, I bought that deck of cards. (And secretly hoped my husband wouldn’t tease me for the rest of our lives. 😅)

🫣 🤩 How I went from hesitant curiosity to certified tarot reader...

With that new deck in hand, it suddenly hit me – I was the rightful owner of these pretty pieces of laminated paper, sure – but what was I supposed to actually do with them?


A. Watch every movie version of Robin Hood ever made. Because at some point, a gypsy with a crystal ball and a tarot deck’s gotta make an appearance and shed some light on this situation, riiiight?

B. Buy a book about it, like the voracious lifelong learner I am.

C. Display the deck on a shelf in my office. Bonus: I’d be prepared to stabilize wobbly tables at a moment’s notice.

If you guessed B, you got it! 🤸🏽‍♀️✨

Reading that book about tarot took me on a journey where curiosity replaced judgment.

That eventually led to taking a year-long tarot certification course and adding tarot to my coaching toolkit.

The Power of Patterns in Tarot ⚡️

Tarot is like astrology, Jung archetypes, and the Enneagram—in that, it’s a way to look at life from a new perspective and ✨ access parts of your inner guidance system ✨ that are usually hidden deep under the layers of everyday life.

Think of it like knitting, but instead of scarves, you’re weaving insights into your life. Totally normal, right? 😅

First appearing in the 1400s as a deck of playing cards and then developed into a method for gaining insight into an obstacle, today, there are thousands of different designs of tarot decks. (See the P.S. for a few of my favorites. 🥰)

Whether you’re a tarot skeptic, a newbie, or an expert, if you, like me, are open to replacing judgment with curiosity, tarot could help you learn more about yourself and how you’re navigating life.

How the hey can a deck of cards do that? ✨ Pattern recognition. ✨

When you think about it, life’s full of patterns! Some you’re totally aware of, like the four seasons on the calendar and menstrual cycles. Others might surprise you, like the fractal patterns of seashells and tarot.

The beauty of patterns is once you see them, you can use them to your advantage!

Suppose your household goes full drama llama after 8pm. In that case, you might make a nightly announcement to your family at 7pm, “Last call to bring Mama your drama before another peaceful evening begins!” That one sentence could interrupt a pattern of late-night arguments and last-minute runs to the store for school project supplies. 🙄

Most patterns are unconscious, which is why conscious awareness of patterns is SO POWERFUL when you have goals like creating peace where there’s chaos and satisfaction where there’s struggle.

🧠 ✨ Ready to Get Technical About It?

Carl Jung, the father of analytical psychology, explained that your psyche is everything that goes on in your mind, both the stuff you’re aware of (conscious mind) and the stuff you’re not aware of yet (unconscious mind.)

Research shows the unconscious mind operates in the background as the true wheeler and dealer of 90% of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Ninety percent! 🤯

Tarot’s a fun way to explore that 90% by offering up new questions, ideas, and solutions, so you can gain fresh insights, get out of old patterns that aren’t serving you, take back the reigns with enlightened choices, and make life really good again.

A little awareness of your unconscious with Tarot can go a long way! And, it's so much fun! 🤩 Everything you need is already with you, Mama. Soulfull Medicine is here to show you where to look.

xo,


P.S. Funny how one moment of attraction — to an object, a place, an individual — can change your life, huh? Sometimes, you just gotta trust the magic of new beginnings (and random gift shops)! The Field Tarot initially lured me in! The iconic Smith-Waite deck was used during the year-long tarot certification course. And, because the artwork feels relevant and inclusive, Light Seer’s is my fave.

And if you’d rather have a totally wonderful loving guide to help you (*cough cough*), book a Soulfull Strategy Session, and I’m right there with you at the day and time you choose! 💛 💫