Is the Message in the Cards, or in your Head?
This is a valid question. As the world stage is flooded with new tarot decks, as many decks as there are coffee shops in Melbourne, I understand why you would ask this.
In more traditional decks, the cards are full of symbolism, astrological references, numerological references, the Kabbalah, all sorts of esoteric systems.
The modern approach is to read ‘intuitively’ like a sort of art appreciation course where truth is in the interpretation of the beholder, a form of narrative story telling that speaks directly to the subconscious of the person for whom you are reading.
This releases the constraints on intuition for sure, yet is can be a shallow experience if this is all the reader does.
The cards most definitely do contain the message. I have been astounded by their ability to accurately identify the situations, and then go on to provide insightful advice). However, they would lie dormant and silent if there was not an interpreter present.
That is where the ‘in my head’ part of the question comes in. I act as the interpreter, as I know the language they are speaking. I have learned it patiently over time, so it is ‘in my head’ in the sense of acquired knowledge. It is also ‘in my head’ in the sense that there is no one meaning for any one card and they will give their message by the connections, placement, whether reversed or upright; they have many ways to communicate and this is where intuition truly kicks in.
The connection I make to Spirit and to you is one that allows information that on a human level I could not possibly know, to come through to you and I know when this is happening because I receive confirmation in my physical body (often in the form of arm hairs standing on end) and in my Spirit, with a calm YES. It always resonates as truth with the person for whom I am reading which is a third confirmation that Truth is coming through.
So in summary: the answer is both 🙂