Dreaming up a Tarot Reading

I have a cat named Willow who I adore. She is uncharacteristically sweet for a cat, but she is unquestionably the reigning monarch of our home. Every day at about 6:00am she wakes me up, looking for her breakfast. She has many tools in her arsenal that cannot be ignored, from literally walking all over me, to banging the closet door open and closed, to a gentle prick of her nails on my head, to knocking precious things off shelves.

So, I get up, I feed her and keep her company for a while, and then I either start my day, or I go back to bed to try to sleep for another hour or so if I need it.

That hour of sleep is very strange for me. Sometimes I hesitate to go there. This is when I have extremely vivid dreams. They are so real, that I have trouble pulling myself back into this world and concentrating on my work for the day. They are fascinating, but not restful.

Also, this is often when passed loved ones or more distant ancestors come to see me. When I’m in this liminal place, I’m not awake but not deeply asleep, I’m relaxed but still alert on some level. Truth be told, my guard is also relaxed, and my logical brain is quieter than usual. I am convinced that this is not a dream at all, or the dream is merely convenient vehicle or tool of communication, and even in that state I pay close attention to any messages that are being offered. Sometimes, it just feels like a strange visit with a loved one, comforting at times, disconcerting or sad at times.

This state is much like reading Tarot. We are focussed and looking for messages and patterns in the images that are presented to us, and yet we are partially in another world.

Approach the cards as if they are a dream, a story waiting to be interpreted and understood.

We can approach the cards as if they are a dream, a story waiting to be interpreted and understood. The cards may seem strange at first, or disjointed, or beguiling, just like a dream, but if you dive in and let them dance and play as they like, much will be revealed.

Conversely, we can use the cards to help us to understand our dreams and to make sense of the messages that are being sent to us from our own subconscious, and from helpful visitors.

Here are some practices that have brought me meaningful insights, when it comes to the world of Tarot and dreams.

• When you wake up after a vivid dream, write down what you want to remember quickly. Where were you? How did you feel? Was anything said to you? Who was there with you? You don’t need to transcribe the whole dream, but make note of what really stood out to you. Do this before those details fade away.
• Next, ask your Tarot cards about that dream. I pull cards asking about the main purpose or message of that dream. I also pull a card or two asking what the dream needs of me, if there is any action that I need to take to gain further information or to manifest the energy of the dream (if that is what I want to do). If someone came to visit me in that dream, I pull some cards asking to clarify the message they have for me, and also ask what they might need from me at this time.

Dreams can also give you further information about your Tarot readings.

• After doing a Tarot reading for yourself, or having had your cards read by someone else, give yourself some time to get familiar with the cards that came up, try to fix them in your mind, try to remember the symbols or images that most called to you or confounded you. As you head into sleep, as for a dream that will help you to understand your reading more deeply, and reveal further insights.
• If there is a card that you want to embody, or call upon for support, ask for a dream that takes place in the environment of that card. Ask the figure on the card to appear in a dream, and to tell you what you would like to know or what would be beneficial to hear.

Tarot cards give us the means to invite and receive messages from our own hearts and minds, our higher selves, and the divine. I believe that dreams do this, too. Combine the two, and see what magic ensues.

Wishing you restful sleep and sweet dreams.