As autumn shadows grow longer and we embrace the mystery of spooky season, there’s no better time to explore a misunderstood tool for self-reflection…

The Fool’s Journey

Let me set the scene: I was the kid who begged for a crystal ball for Christmas, who carried fortune-telling fish in my wallet, donned a mood ring, and who consulted my Magic 8-Ball on everything from what to wear to whether my crush liked me back. I’ve always been drawn to mystical objects that promised glimpses into the unknown—the more mysterious, the better.

So when my mom picked up that crisp new Smith-Rider Waite deck from our favorite local shop, you’d think I would have been ready for it. After all, this was just another divination tool, right?

Wrong.

Picture teenage me, sitting cross-legged on my bedroom floor with those 78 cards spread before me, feeling completely overwhelmed. Unlike my trusty Magic 8-Ball with simple yes/no/maybe responses, or the fortune-telling fish with straightforward mood readings, tarot was an entire system. There were suits and numbers, major and minor arcana, upright and reversed meanings, spreads and positions—it was like being handed a textbook written in symbols and archetypes.

Even for someone with a lifelong fascination for mystical tools, tarot felt incredibly complex. Every time I tried to do a reading, my perfectionist brain would spiral: What if I’m doing this wrong? What if I don’t understand what the cards mean? What if I pull something terrible?

Sound familiar?

For years, I wrestled with tarot the way I wrestled with anything new—desperately wanting to master it immediately while simultaneously terrifying myself with “what ifs.” I’d shuffle the deck, pull a card, see The Devil grinning back at me, and promptly shove the whole thing back in its box.

It took me years (and some wise teachers) to realize I was approaching tarot all wrong. I wasn’t supposed to study these cards—I needed to experience them.

Beginning our journey with tarot—or learning anything new—embodies the energy of The Fool. We leap into the unknown, unsure of our footing or the ground beneath us. We work with the energy of the 8 of Pentacles to master our craft through hard work, dedication, and focus. The deeper we grow in relationship with the cards, the easier it becomes to notice when we’re living the experience of each one.

Behind the Veil

As October mist rolls in and we find ourselves drawn to all things mysterious, it’s the perfect time to address the elephant in the room: those supposedly “scary” cards that make people gasp during readings.

You know the ones. Death. The Devil. The Tower. Cards that seem designed to send shivers down your spine and make you wonder if you should have just stuck with asking Magic 8-Ball instead.

But here’s the thing—and this is where my whole relationship with tarot shifted—these cards aren’t the harbingers of doom we’ve been taught to fear. They’re actually some of the most profound teachers in the deck. As one of my teachers says, “each card in the tarot offers its own medicine, that doesn’t mean we’ll like the taste”.

The Death Card isn’t whispering about literal death. It’s talking about transformation, the natural ending of cycles, the beautiful (if sometimes painful) process of letting go so something new can emerge. Think of autumn itself—trees don’t mourn their falling leaves; they trust the process of seasonal change. We gather what’s grown in our gardens all summer to compost & create nutrients for the following year. It is the most natural cycle in the living world.

The Devil isn’t summoning demonic forces. It’s holding up a mirror to our own self-imposed limitations, our unhealthy attachments, the things that tempt us, the ways we keep ourselves trapped in patterns that no longer serve us. It’s asking: Where are you giving away your power?

The Tower isn’t predicting disaster. It’s signaling that something built on shaky foundations needs to come down so you can build something stronger. Sometimes the most liberating thing that can happen to us is the collapse of what was never meant to last.

From Renaissance Game to Reflection

The origins of tarot might surprise you: tarot didn’t begin as a mystical practice at all. These elaborate decks began their life as playing cards in 15th century Italy, used for games like tarocchi among noble families during the Renaissance. The rich symbolism and archetypal imagery were originally just beautiful artwork—it wasn’t until centuries later that people began using them for divination and self-reflection.

This history actually makes tarot feel less intimidating to me. These aren’t ancient mystical artifacts demanding reverence and fear. They’re beautifully illustrated tools that evolved into something more meaningful over time—kind of like how a simple journal can become a sacred space for processing our thoughts and dreams.

Over time, our understanding, relationship, & interpretation of the cards has evolved. There are infinite decks out there, each with its own illustrations, depictions, representations of the energies & archetypes.

Tarot vs. Oracle: Understanding the Difference

One thing that can add to the confusion when you’re starting out is understanding the difference between tarot decks and oracle decks—especially since they’re often displayed side-by-side in shops and used for similar purposes.

Tarot decks have a specific structure: 78 cards divided into the Major Arcana (22 cards representing major life themes and lessons) and Minor Arcana (56 cards organized into four suits, similar to playing cards). This consistent structure means that whether you’re using the classic Smith-Rider Waite deck or another artistic interpretation, the foundational framework remains the same.

Oracle decks, on the other hand, are completely freeform. They can have any number of cards (usually ranging from 30-50), with whatever themes or messages the creator chooses. You might find oracle decks focused on goddesses, animals, crystals, affirmations, or literally any topic you can imagine. There’s no standardized structure—each deck is its own unique system.

Think of it this way: tarot is like learning a specific language with consistent grammar and vocabulary, while oracle decks are more like inspirational quote collections—each one speaks in its own voice and style. Both can be powerful tools for reflection, but tarot’s structured system is what makes it both more complex to learn initially but ultimately more nuanced in its insights.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

This is where I had to completely reframe my understanding of what tarot actually does, with a big assist from Lindsay Mack’s course, Tarot for What Is. This framework reminds us that tarot doesn’t predict the future—it brings our awareness to what is already present in front of us.

Tarot isn’t fortune-telling in the way most people imagine it. It’s not some mystical machine that spits out your inevitable future. Instead, think of it like a mirror—one that reflects what’s already present in your life, shining the light of your mind and heart onto your circumstances.

And yes, I still believe in the magic of crystal balls and other mystical tools (remember, I’m the girl who asked for one for Christmas). But their power—like tarot’s power—comes from what we bring to them, not from some external force dictating our fate. As the spooky season classic, Practical Magic, reminds us: “it has power because you believe it does”.

When I draw cards now, I’m not receiving messages from some mysterious external force. I’m creating sacred space to examine my current situation from new angles. The symbols and archetypes in tarot provide a framework for understanding my experiences, emotions, and patterns of thought.

It’s like having a conversation with the wisest part of yourself—the part that already knows what you need to hear, but maybe hasn’t had the right language or framework to express it.

Tarot as a Tool (And How to Wield it This Spooky Season)

There’s something beautifully fitting about exploring tarot as the veil between seasons grows thin and we naturally turn inward. Just as October invites us to sit with mystery and embrace the unknown, tarot creates space for the insights we already possess to emerge into clearer view.

When used thoughtfully, tarot can:

• Illuminate what’s hiding in the shadows of our lives—those aspects we’ve been overlooking or avoiding
• Provide fresh perspectives on challenging situations we’ve been circling around
• Help organize our swirling thoughts and feelings into something more manageable
• Spark meaningful dialogue with ourselves (and sometimes others) about what matters most
• Create a ritual pause in our busy lives for deeper reflection

The real magic isn’t supernatural prediction—it’s tarot’s ability to help us slow down, tune in, and see our lives through a different lens. In a world that constantly demands quick answers and immediate solutions, tarot asks us to sit with questions, to explore nuance, to embrace the complexity of being human.

Learning the Language of Tarot

One of the biggest shifts in my tarot practice came when I stopped trying to memorize card meanings and started noticing where the cards showed up in my life.

Instead of cramming definitions from guidebooks, I worked through the deck in order, drawing one card each day & paying attention to moments when I was living a card’s energy.

When I see The Hermit now, I don’t immediately think “isolation” or “loneliness.” Instead, I connect it to an embodied knowing: Oh, I remember what this feels like in my body. I remember when summer turns to autumn & I feel drawn to turn inward, the way clarity emerges when I create space for solitude.

This experiential approach transforms every reading from a potentially scary prediction into an invitation to recognize the familiar wisdom already moving through our lives. Rather than memorizing abstract meanings, we develop a deeper, more intuitive understanding through our own lived experiences with each archetype.

Starting Your Own Tarot Practice

Whether you’re completely new to tarot or looking to deepen your relationship with the cards, remember that these are tools for awareness and self-reflection—not predictive devices. Their value comes from the questions they prompt us to ask and the insights they help us uncover within ourselves.

A few gentle suggestions as you begin:

• Start with the classic Smith-Rider Waite imagery if you’re learning—the symbolism is rich and well-documented
• Choose a deck whose artwork speaks to you—you’ll be spending time with these images, so make sure they resonate
• Explore tarot’s connections to other systems – associations with astrology or numerology can help us tap into & remember the energy of each card
• Approach each reading as an exploration, not a prediction
• Keep a tarot journal to track your insights and notice patterns over time
• Trust your intuition over any guidebook—you are your own best teacher

Embracing the Mystery

As we settle into the contemplative energy of autumn and embrace the mystery that comes with longer nights and changing seasons, tarot offers us a beautiful way to honor both the known and unknown aspects of our lives.

The next time you work with these cards, try approaching them as an invitation to explore what’s already present rather than what might happen in the future. You might be surprised by the wisdom that emerges when you let go of expectations about prediction and embrace tarot as a tool for deeper self-understanding.

After all, the most profound magic isn’t about seeing the future—it’s about truly seeing ourselves.

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Resources That Changed My Practice

• “WTF is Tarot? & How do I do it?” by Bakara Wintner—honest, approachable, and refreshingly down-to-earth
• Tarot for the Wild Soul podcast & courses with Lindsay Mack—beautiful blend of tarot wisdom and intuitive guidance