Daily Tarot Draws: A Busy Corporate Girl's Perspective
This is Part 5 (the final entry!) of a series I’m doing featuring folks who participated in the #PM31Days2021 challenge last January.
Most tarot readers start out doing readings for friends. I know I did.
When I first started getting into the cards, I’d meet up with my friends and ask them to be my tarot guinea pigs. In the beginning, the readings we would do were pretty clunky and I’d had to consult with my decks’ guidebooks every now and then. In the beginning of my tarot practice, I was collecting a lot of indie decks and every time something new would come in the post, I would ask friends if they’d like to sample them with me.
Patching and I in front of the YG HQ on our first trip to Seoul together *when you know you know*.
One of my most frequent “clients” was Patching, who I’ve been close to for a little over 10 years now! We started hanging out together a lot because we were both into K-Pop and K-Dramas back in 2009… Our lives have changed a lot since our fangirl trips to Seoul, but we’ve remained tight ever since.
Patching’s always been one of my most supportive friends when it comes to tarot—she’s attended my workshops, bought my decks, and participated in my Instagram challenges too. We used to like to meet up and just make plans for ourselves, talk about potential creative projects we could dive into and explore, and more traveling we could do together too.
As a single mom working a corporate job, I’m amazed at how Patching is able to make time to accommodate all the things she’s into—crafting, embroidery, tarot pulls, and even learning Korean.
I know that a lot of you have real life to deal with, so I thought it would be interesting to include Patching’s insights, as someone who’s into the cards but also has other “first life” stuff going on at the same time.
Name: Patching
IG Handle: @patchinggerzee — she’s private though!
What deck/s do you like to use for daily draws?: Pinoy PM Deck and Rider Waite Tarot Deck
PRACTICAL MAGIC: What surprising insights did you get from doing a daily pull in January?PATCHING: That now is the time to go for my dreams and make them happen because the Universe is conspiring for my bonggang bawi. (PM’s note: “Bonggang bawl” is a term Patching, our other K-pop friends, and I use to talk about how when we’re in a slump, it’s only a matter of time before things flip around and the Universe gives us something unexpectedly magical to counter all the bad luck.)
PM: Do you like routine / daily habits or was this a new thing for you?
P: I like routine / daily habits because it ensures that I'm working towards a goal every day. With the daily pulls, my goal was to get into the habit of pausing from everyday busy-ness and reflecting on where I am at that point in my life.
PM: Did you pull your card of the day at the same time everyday or did your routine vary?
P: I pulled my card at the same time everyday although come weekend, when the day is more relaxed, I'm able to pull at an earlier time.
PM: What question/s did you have difficulty with?
P: There weren’t really any specific questions; but prompts where the question and the card pulled were opposites were tough! For example, when a “positive” question (How can you be of better service to others?) is paired with a “negative” pull (10 of Swords).
Me and Patching during our last trip together, watching U2 in Singapore! Little did we know then that the world would succumb to a global pandemic just two months later…
PM: Did your personal definition of a particular card change because of this challenge?
P: I don't really have strong feelings yet for a particular card as I'm still getting to know the deck but this challenge did point me to the cards that I can potentially get attached to (e.g. The Hermit, The Sun, etc). (PM’s note: my attachment to the Hermit card is next level too!)
PM: Did you learn anything about the kind of questions you can explore using with tarot?
P: Yes—that they can really be just about anything and it would still make sense. Questions can also be bundled up into a theme.
PM: What did you learn about yourself?
For the January prompt -- I learned that I already knew a lot of the answers to "life's questions," I just needed to reflect on and acknowledge them.
PM: Were your cards an immediate reflection of how you were feeling or did they surprise you?
“They would surprise me sometimes but more often than not, they reflected answers that I already knew but were just waiting to be said/acknowledged.”
PM: What are your thoughts on confirmation bias when it comes to reading the cards for yourself?
P: Hmm..I think if you're really honest about your reflections, this shouldn't be an issue.
“You can only really reflect on thoughts or events that you know or are familiar with. It's not that you only say/think what you want to hear but I feel that the first idea that comes after careful reflection on the card is the message that you're really meant to hear.”
PM: Anything else you might want to share that you think would be helpful to others?
P: It's a fun challenge! You'll learn so much about yourself—not just based on the answers to prompts but also your attitude towards routine, your manner of reflecting on a card, etc.
“I think it's also good practice to get into the habit of pausing and reflecting on one's life as it helps to give direction on where you are and where you want to go to.”
Thanks to everyone who came along on this daily draw journey! I hope all these different perspectives on tarot inspire you to start pulling cards for yourself :)
You can catch up on more prompts too by heading to the PM Prompt offerings in the shop.