Daily Tarot Draws: A Shadow Worker's Perspective
This is Part 4 of a series I’m doing featuring folks who participated in the #PM31Days2021 challenge last January.
As a tarot reader who leans more optimistic than pessimistic, more positive than gloom-and-doom, I don’t talk about shadow work a lot.
Find out more about Tarot Reversals in my blog post!
I understand that shadow work, or digging into the darker / more obscure aspects of the cards is an essential part of tarot reading. After all, the cards are reflections of our whole selves. Readings can help us understand and deal with the parts of ourselves and our world view that we’re not so enthusiastic about.
People can get into shadow work more purposefully by reading tarot reversals—something I really don’t do. I tend to just see if the cards make me feel uncomfortable, and when that happens, I lean into it; rather than going into a reading, really thinking about how it can help me with my shadows.
Daily tarot draws can be an intentional way to slowly dip your toes into shadow work.
Seeing how you feel about your daily pulls—what makes you feel iffy, what cards make you go ick / ugh / or any other variation of yuck (lol)—can indicate the areas of your life that you feel uncomfortable with and may need to confront. Whether you choose to dive into each shadowy issue right away or set them aside to tackle in a bigger reading later on is totally up to you.
Last January, one of the daily posters I got to know was Hazel. I kind of “met” Hazel already because she’s bought a couple of my decks (yay TYSM!), but seeing her daily insights allowed me a little peek into her perspectives and even in how she explores her shadows.
I learn so much from people’s posts and from their daily draws because they show me completely different ways of interpreting cards—especially cards that I myself have a little bit of iffiness with.
If you’re ever interested in exploring what shadows are and what they could potentially mean for you, read through Hazel’s insights below! You might pick up a thing or two :)
Name: Hazel / AZE
IG handle: @nanaypromdimetro
PRACTICAL MAGIC: What got you into tarot?
HAZEL: A number of people I look up to on IG would post tarot/oracle draws so I searched where I could find them. Out of the blue, I ordered a deck from PM and booked a reading. Was surprised at the kind of reading PM gave, and the form of art was indeed so inviting!
PM: What deck/s do you like to use for daily draws?
H: At the start I used the PM Starter Deck, and then later on got the Lightseer's Deck. I used these two alternately. I also have the Pinoy PM Deck, Rider-Waite-Smith, and Tarot of the Divine.
PM: What surprising insights did you get from doing a daily pull in January?:
H: The daily pulls led me to a month of mindfulness and intentions.
“And, the meanings of the card changed when I got them more than once, sometimes even on consecutive days!”
For instance, I was so afraid of the Knight of Swords when I first got it for Kasinungalingan. But then I got it again the next day for Umani and the negative feeling was not there. I thought, “Was my shadow trying to give me a nudge?”
PM: Do you like routine / daily habits or was this a new thing for you?
H: Actually I want routine, it makes me efficient. So having a daily pull stacked with other routine activities worked for me. But when I missed one day it also made me anxious, haha!
PM: Did you pull your card of the day at the same time everyday or did your routine vary?H: Most of the time I did this in the morning. When I don't get to do this in the morning, then before bedtime. :) It helped that I was doing Unravel Your Year at the same time so I always did find time. I was more consistent then vs this February! I wonder why...
PM: What question/s did you have difficulty with?:
H: Tunay. I really did not know what it meant when I got the Tower card on the first day! (PM’s note: As someone who just kept pulling The Tower when the year started, I feel this!)
Kasinungalingan. The image of the Knight of Swords really sent shivers to my bones. I couldn’t confront this image at that time. (PM’s note: This is why I find it helpful to set the card aside and go back to it the next day, sometimes. We’re sometimes not very clear when we’re confronted with something big right away, IMHO.)
Panlilinlang…
“When I got The World for ultimate betrayal, it was difficult for me to picture completion as betrayal, until I understood its shadow.”
PM: Did your personal definition of a particular card change because of this challenge?
H: Since I'm new to this, I am still building my personal definitions so I don't think anything has changed, so far.
On this note, though, when I first got The Devil card for Pagsuko, the idea of temptation was redefined for me. I didn’t find my personal meaning for the Devil in the context of material or earthly things, but in being tempted to quit kindness, compassion, and generosity. This was the part when I even found a connection between faith and the tarot.
PM: Did you learn anything about the kind of questions you can explore using with tarot?
H: Definitely!
“I have had a taste of the open-ended type of questions I could ask, that eventually helps me articulate my state of mind and even my values.”
For instance, instead of asking "Is ____ betraying me?," we asked "What for me is the ultimate betrayal?" That helped me understand where I could be coming from. It's like a quick self-check.
PM: What did you learn about yourself?
H: I learned that I am very intuitive. The tip on lingering first on the images of the card always helped me process its meaning—even before I turned to guidebooks and field notes. I also learned to be at peace with my shadows when they do turn up.
PM: Were your cards an immediate reflection of how you were feeling or did they surprise you?
H: Most of the pulls were a reflection of how I felt, especially when the Cups and Pentacles show up. The Swords almost always surprised me. (PM’s note: Same! I have a love-hate relationship with this suit!)
PM: What do you think about confirmation bias when reading tarot for yourself?
H: I think it can't be helped.
“Our experiences, knowledge, beliefs are really the foundation of our own understanding of the tarot, which is also a product of collective consciousness.”
So we can expect that what we see in the cards are things we relate to what we’ve experienced / learned / believed in. That’s why I love decks that present (or even force) shadow meanings, or tarot tutorials that show high and low polarities. It gives me a chance to uncover aspects I possibly have not explored in myself.
PM: Anything else you might want to share that you think would be helpful to others
H: Just have fun with tarot! I have learned to embrace the comfort of having this counsel in my pocket, but I also want to be that joyful friend to the cards--kind of like the one who serves the mojito in a council meeting. So even if sometimes my interpretation tells me it's okay to splurge I respect that (LOL confirmation bias kicking in?). And if you're getting stuck, it's perfectly okay to try out other decks that may speak to you more.
Thanks for letting us in on your process, Hazel! Looking forward to seeing more of your posts online :)
~
And if you ever want to start a daily tarot practice for yourself, check out PM Prompts! We tackle a new theme every month and each one is based on one of the oracle decks in my collection.