Learning Tarot through the Senses

Learning tarot can seem daunting. 78 cards all with different and nuanced meanings. Major arcana vs minor arcana. Which elements are represented in each card? Astrological signs? Imagery? REVERSALS? Whew. It’s a lot.

My first piece of advice is to remind yourself that you’re not going to learn it all quickly, and that’s ok! Get comfy with the idea that tarot takes a long time to learn. Hell, I’ve been reading tarot for 8+ years and I still learn new things about cards all the time. Once you get past the pressure to learn it all right away, things will get easier.

My second piece of advice, and the catalyst for this blog, is to get to know your brain. How do you learn? Do visual aids help? Diving into books and taking notes your thing? Would taking a class be helpful? For many of us it’s a combination of many things.

As a neuro-spicy tarot reader, I’ve had to find different ways for my brain to connect with and absorb the meanings of each card. Through trial and error, I found that personification really does it for me. I think of each card as person. What are they like? What would they wear? What do they smell like??

This lead me to exploring tarot through my senses. What does each card look, sound, feel, taste and you guessed it, smell like?

Thus my line of tarot inspired home and body scents was born.

Hand blending a scent that represents each card is such a fun experience for me. Not only does the process of coming up with the scent itself deepen my connection to each card, but even the small details like choosing which scent to release each month, which color vessel or label suits the card, etc. help me to learn more. I look at things like astrological signs, elements, seasons, etc to get the details right.

Things like creating mood boards, playlists and making silly (yet oddly informational) and easy to digest tiktoks for each card are other unique ways my brain processes information. And I love that not only do I get to learn more, but I’m able to help other people learn a little bit more about tarot as well.

And that’s my hope with my product line. That by lighting up one of my candles, or spritzing on some body spray, you’ll form just a little bit deeper of a connection to each card. And if not, hopefully you at least love the scents as much as I do ;-)

Keep an eye out on the blog for my recommended resources for beginners (and anyone else) on their journey with tarot.

xoxo,

~YCB