The art of spirituality and where to start
By Mikaela Delos Santos, Contributor
It is a redundant sentiment at this point, but it has been a weird year. With the overwhelming stress brought on by the pandemic, online schooling, exams and the general feeling of uncertainty, it is easy to get lost in the difficulty of it all. At times like this, it is important to remember the significance and peace-of-mind that meditation can bring.
Meditation, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as “the act of giving your attention to only one thing, either as a religious activity or as a way of becoming calm and relaxed.” It is different for many people. Some find zen in yoga and some find pleasure and peace in cooking.
Personally, I relate my peace through my spirituality. Spirituality in itself is a broad term and just like meditation, it can mean different things for different people. For me, spirituality equates to tarot and astrology. Tarot and astrology have a biased and negative connotation for many — but it isn’t what many people assume it to be. To be able to see the gifts and wisdom it provides, one must be open to it.
If you are, here are some ways to embark upon your spiritual journey.
Tarot
The history of tarot is unknown, and many readers and divinators still debate on when it was invented — but the fact remains true that the art form is still alive and well today. Out of all the types of spiritual practices, to those that aren’t familiar, tarot is seen as evil and condemned by many religions. It is also seen as scary by many people due to some of the card’s themes such as the death card, or the devil card. I like to remind people that these themes do not always connotate literal meanings as tarot is actually an art form that relies heavily on wisdom, symbolism and poetry.
I don’t know why my YouTube algorithm decided to suggest a tarot reading, but when I first saw it four years ago, I felt drawn to watching it so I dove deeper into the world of YouTube tarot readings and readers.
Since then, I started to understand each card’s basic meaning through the readings I’ve watched. To start, I would recommend watching YouTube tarot readers. It’s important to remember that not all readers will resonate with you, which means it is important to find a reader or two that you can relate to and feel safe with.
Which video should you start with, you might ask? You can start with readings that cater specifically to your astrology sign, or you can look for pick-a-card readings that revolve around a specific question you have in mind. I personally like pick-a-cards because they give me options and the free will to choose my readings.
Astrology
In my opinion, I believe astrology also has a bad reputation, but it is more acceptable to most than tarot — people see astrology as entertaining. However, astrology isn’t just about a weekly horoscope that you read in the magazines. When you dive deeper, you’ll find how much more profound this medium of divination is.
In fact, your sign based on your date of birth isn’t your only sign. There are also other signs in your astrological makeup that also comprehend other components in your life.
I actually don’t know exactly when I started reading my horoscopes, although I do know I always found interest in it as a child. But ever since I started learning tarot, I’ve also found myself gaining more interest in astrology.
Despite the fact that I still have more to look into with astrology, looking up my birth chart and researching the explanations of what they could mean for me has been significant. A great website to look into and one that will calculate yours for free is cafeastrology.com.
It will also tell you the meanings of your signs that make up your birth chart. On another note, the app The Pattern is also a great resource to look into. Books such as Astro Poets: Your Guides to the Zodiac by Alex Dimitrov and Dorothea Lasky and The Astrology of You and Me by Gary Goldschneider are just some that I am currently reading.
Just as I previously stated, meditation and spirituality are different for everyone. Personally, I look into tarot and astrology for my own form of grounding. Ever since coming into my spiritual journey, I continuously learn more and more about myself — an important determinant to practice when the world around you feels like it is slowly falling apart.
Just always remember that with tarot and astrology, it is whatever you make it out to be. And to feel it, you must truly believe in it.
