Copyright © 2018 by Meg Hayertz

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To my readers who believe in
the magic of art, which is to
say, the magic of reality—and
to those who wish to believe.
CONTENTS

Introduction

PART 1
GETTING STARTED
1 Tarot Then & Now
2 Tarot Mechanics
3 Common Card Spreads & Sample Readings
4 Growing from the Tarot
PART 2
THE CARDS
5 The Major Arcana
0. The Fool
I. The Magician
II. The High Priestess
III. The Empress
IV. The Emperor
V. The Hierophant
VI. The Lovers
 VII. The Chariot
VIII. Strength
IX. The Hermit
X. Wheel of Fortune
XI. Justice
XII. The Hanged Man
XIII. Death
XIV. Temperance
XV. The Devil
XVI. The Tower
XVII. The Star
XVIII. The Moon
XIX. The Sun
XX. Judgement
XXI. The World

6 The Minor Arcana: Cups

7 The Minor Arcana: Pentacles
8 The Minor Arcana: Swords
9 The Minor Arcana: Wands

Conclusion
Appendix: Cards & Keywords Quick Reference
Resources
References
Acknowledgments
About the Author
INTRODUCTION

I RECEIVED MY FIRST TAROT READING at a psychic fair in Portland, Oregon.

I knew nothing about psychics or the tarot. I was home from college for
winter break, and my mom suggested we go to the fair. I was mostly there
for the fanciful novelty I assumed intuitive and psychic arts to be, so I
didn’t have any expectations.
The tarot reader, however, immediately shed light on my challenges
and joys. As she read my cards, she helped me name the pain I was
experiencing in a long-distance relationship at that time, and she did
something that nineteen-year-old me had never thought to do before:
She placed my feelings of anger and longing within the context of the
bigger timeline of my life. Feelings I had been drowning in now had finite
shapes. I was allowed the fresh air of perspective and hope.
Following that reading, my mind opened in curiosity and my heart
stopped silencing itself. Instead of continuing to waste much of my
energy hating my life and blaming others for my unhappiness, I became
more connected to the people in my life and more deeply fascinated by
the mystery of my experience—as well as by the tarot cards, the tool that
had helped me open to my own experience. I became more emotionally
present in my life and in my writing.
A few years later, I began studying the tarot. I was so captivated by
the cards that I found myself dedicating three months of intensive book
study to learning the tarot. Through readings for friends and family, I
soon discovered that I had been trained in intuition my entire life
through the craft of writing. My BA with Honors in Creative Writing
from Knox College and my MFA in Writing and Consciousness from
California Institute of Integral Studies honed my skills of connecting the
concrete details of an individual’s life to abstract themes to create a
powerful, poetic, and healing narrative.
 My conviction in the fundamental connection of the intuitive crafts
of writing and tarot reading was solidified during a workshop taught by
one of my writing mentors, Regina Louise, in which Regina asked a
couple of the writers in the group to offer a few details about important
moments from their lives. From these details, Regina divined incredible
personal mythologies for each person, weaving beauty from pain using a
perfect, dynamic balance of the concrete and abstract—the same
alchemical balancing act of reading tarot cards.
To get practice reading tarot cards, I offered free readings to
everyone I knew. Most people took me up on my offer, then asked for
another reading, and another. The depth we were able to achieve during
these readings put me profoundly at ease. I loved holding space for my
clients to sit with issues they did not otherwise know how to confront, as
the tarot reader in Portland had done for me. Six months after I picked
up my first book on the tarot, I had enough demand to start reading
professionally.
I found, however, that many of my clients did not like hanging out in
the abyss of the unknown as much as I did. Rather, they wanted me to
tell them what to “do.” But “doing” before reflecting, accepting, and just
being in our inner experience rarely works.
When I read tarot for writers and artists, they knew exactly what to
“do” with the themes and complexities we so tenderly uncovered during
our sessions. They would become energized. The slouch they walked in
with disappeared and the tiredness left their eyes. “I can’t wait to go
paint (or write, or sing) about this!” they’d call over their shoulder as
they dashed out the door of my apartment. Through their craft, these
artists had been trained to deal with the unknown, with the grandiose,
and with pain. They were ready to express what they were experiencing,
ready to let the resulting momentum and growth take over their life and
lead them to new experiences, creative projects, and levels of meaning
they’d never before imagined.

Tarot constantly supports me to access my intuition

and put it into play in my daily life. When I was first
building my business and could see no evidence of
my success in the outside world, the tarot helped me
recognize the inner and outer groundwork I was
laying.

Because of the energy and clear purpose that my tarot readings gave
my artist clients, I began reading cards exclusively for writers, artists,
performers, and academics—as well as for anyone who aspired to
unleash their creative voice, whether that is through art or any other
form of self-expression, including business, social justice, and
relationships.
I’ve come to believe that it is not enough to use the cards to merely
shine a light on our inner world. If we want to grow, we have to pair
insight with a skill set for integrating that insight into our conscious
actions. Striving for creative expression and integrity in our personal
lives and in our communities is how I suggest we use the 78 archetypes
of the tarot to empower ourselves to become more loving and free.
It can be hard to connect big themes and spiritual ideas to the
specific details of our daily lives, which often feel less than mythic. The
tarot is a wonderful tool for cultivating this awareness, but not all
beginner tarot books provide readers with techniques for actually
relating the abstract archetypes and symbols in the cards to the specifics
of their lives, nor for channeling the momentum of the resulting insights
into their daily actions. It takes practice to develop these skills, and
often people who are new to reading tarot don’t know where to start.
Even instructions such as “use your intuition” and “be creative” can be
more daunting than helpful.
To that end, this book provides you with exercises and a clear
method for practicing the skills of connecting your intuition and inner
awareness with your mind and actions—connecting the themes of your
life with your day-to-day experience—so that such a practice soon
becomes second nature, and you find your life to be more inspiring,
meaningful, and satisfying.
 Through the more than one thousand readings I’ve done, I’ve seen
the tarot help my clients find the clarity and courage to write and publish
novels; land dream jobs; resolve conflicts; accept and love themselves;
release the anxiety, shame, or resentment that had been holding them
back; leave unhealthy marriages; cultivate more social justice in their
communities; bring more love into broken relationships with their
parents or children; meet life partners; and live more meaningful lives.
Personally, the tarot constantly supports me to access my intuition
and put it into play in my daily life. When I was first building my
business and could see no evidence of my success in the outside world,
the tarot helped me recognize the inner and outer groundwork I was
laying. The cards helped me trust my intuition to keep going despite the
roadblocks. I was able to persevere, develop a practice that humbles and
satisfies me, connect with a beautiful clientele, and write this book for
you today.
The guidance I offer you in this book will help you connect with your
intuition, heighten your awareness of the larger themes in your life, and
grow into the satisfying, beautiful life you have been yearning for. Enjoy!