Celebrating Acceptance: Life of a Tarot Reader
As mentioned in the past, I have been reading Tarot for over a decade. I recall the fear behind asking for my first tarot deck. Growing up in a Christian family, I was hesitant to ask for such a controversial gift. I cannot express to you the excitement I felt when I received my first tarot deck. I remember my mom was in awe of my excitement, not understanding what tarot was or why it meant so much for me. Conversely, I remember posting a picture of my tarot deck on facebook and some of my family commenting negatively. This caused an internal struggle within me. While my parents supported me, I feared what others might think. If you know me personally, you would see how close my family is. For this reason, I hid my interest in tarot from the people in my life outside of my immediate family and close friends. I was afraid of losing that connection. I was afraid of judgement.
Taken over a decade ago, the christmas morning I received my first tarot deck.
Fast forward…
Recently, I celebrated my 28th birthday with my family. Prior to my birthday, I had multiple inquiries behind what I might need or want as a gift. I kept telling my family things like, “I know times are tough, you don’t need to get me anything” or “If you want to get me anything, then I trust your judgement,”. I honestly wasn’t expecting much other than to have a fun day with my family. Imagine my surprise when my mom, step-dad, sister, aunts, and uncles arrived telling me how they were so excited for me to open the gift they brought. When I opened these gifts, I was brought back to that christmas where I received my first tarot deck. It reminded me just how important acceptance is from those you truly care about.
How do gifts portray acceptance?
The gifts I opened spanned from shirts depicting my cat reading tarot cards to tarot deck boxes with pendulum board etchings to tarot and oracle decks. From every family member, I received something that connected my life as a tarot reader. Even the cards people chose for me were spiritual, celestial, or witchy in some way. After opening my gifts, I was expressing my shock and gratitude behind all the tarot goodies I received. My family responded nonchalantly with comments like, “Well why are you shocked? We know you love reading tarot and thought you would like this,” or “I don’t know the difference between tarot or oracle but I figured you would like it,”… It immediately brought me back to the teenager who was afraid to ask for a tarot deck because she thought that her family would think she is weird, talk about how it is fake, or talk about her going to hell.
Why do we judge ourselves so harshly?
I don’t know why we judge ourselves so harshly. I don’t know why we allow ourselves to feel weird for the things we enjoy. Since first asking for a tarot deck so many years ago, I have grown so much as a person. I know that people are more accepting and open-minded with regards towards the metaphysical. However, I respect that not everyone’s interests align with that of my own. Therefore, I didn’t expect to feel so accepted and seen as a tarot reader. What I did not anticipate was for my family, who knows barely anything about tarot, to find such amazing gifts that connect to such a large part of my life. With every gift I opened, I heard my family discuss how they found it “fun” to pick out gifts for me because they knew I would like and appreciate what they picked out. They were discussing how they were proud of the gifts that they got me because they thought their gift was cool. All of these descriptive discussions made me feel so loved and valued, so thank you to all who have supported me. I appreciate everything you have done.
Have a common story?
Did you have a hobby or interest that you feared would be shamed and shunned? Let me know if you have a similar experience by commenting on this post or contacting me through my instagram @thehopefultarot
