Can Tarot and Oracle Cards Help You Overcome Depression?
Maria Gaian, Intuitive Tarot and Oracle Card Reader
Can Tarot and Oracle Cards Help You Overcome Depression?
This is the first of a series of posts about Tarot and Oracle cards and how and why I use them to help people who are struggling with the Black Dog of Depression.
Do you ever find yourself stuck in the mire of anxiety, indecision and overwhelm?
Depression has a nasty habit of stealing our ability to think clearly, replacing normal healthy thoughts with anxious and self critical ones that confuse and upset us.
We can get to the point of feeling so disconnected from who we are that we start doubting ourselves and our ability to make good decisions.
I wasted YEARS anxiously overthinking, wondering what choices to make so I could manifest the life I dreamed of.
It often felt like I was being gaslighted by my own mind.
I was still fighting the Black Dog of depression back in 2015 when I got my first set of oracle cards.
Things were a lot better than they’d been in a while, but the effects were still lingering.
I knew what kind of magickal life and business I wanted, but I was so anxious and indecisive on how to get there, I drove myself round the bend.
My thoughts went round and round in my head until I became paralysed by them.
As a Gemini with ADHD, I often find myself going round in bloody circles as it is! My mind is NEVER quiet.
And my Geminian ability of being able to see every situation from all sides can be both a blessing and a curse!
The last thing I needed was depression interfering in my thought processes!
I know I should have gotten out of my mind and actually taken some action, but depression meant I felt unable to.
Depression made me afraid in case I made the wrong choices and messed everything up.
Sadly, I’d made a horrible mess of my life whilst in the throes of a depressive episode, ending up losing my business, my home and life as I knew it.
At the time my thoughts were skewed and my decisions were dreadful!
Looking back on it now, I can see that my decisions weren’t normal and sometimes I feel so disappointed in myself. But at the time, I really believed I was doing the right things!
I’ve had to learn to forgive myself because I couldn’t help being where I was.
Stuck, unclear, indecisive, lonely and very depressed.
Tarot and Oracle cards helped me to change my life.
Before I go any further, I want to remind you that depression is a complex illness and needs a holistic approach when it comes to healing.
The use of Tarot and Oracle cards will NOT ‘heal’ or ‘cure’ depression. They are also not tools for ‘fortune telling.’ Please use them as tools for self reflection and self empowerment!
I know you know that, but for legal reasons, I have to say this.
Now I’ve got that off my chest, let’s explore how Tarot and Oracle cards CAN support us on our healing journeys and touch on a few things we need to be aware of.
Tarot and Oracle Cards Can Be Fabulous Mood Boosters
My very first deck was a set of Oracle cards. I can’t actually remember the reason why I decided I wanted cards, I just remember that something drew me towards the Nature’s Whispers Oracle Deck by Angela Hartfield and Josephine Wall.
The artwork is beautiful, so they really caught my eye.
I started to see things from a more positive perspective.
The Nature’s Whispers cards are full of uplifting messages that helped me think differently about myself and about life in general.
I’d just started a daily Spiritual practice and I decided to pull a card from this deck every morning as part of my ritual.
The effect it had on me was amazing!
I began to focus on feeling grateful for my life and the beautiful space in the mountains of Spain where I live.
Within a short period of time, my mood started to become more positive and I’d begin the day feeling bright and optimistic.
Even when I’m not struggling with depression, I still use uplifting Oracle cards every morning to start my day on a positive note.
Choose a deck that you feel connected to.
Tarot and Oracle decks all have their own unique energy and they will either attract or repel us. It’s all very personal to each of us. I have a fantasy deck with dark imagery and honestly, I don’t get on with it.
I have some decks with gorgeous artwork, and yet the deck that I am most connected to, the one that I do all my readings for others with is the SpiritSong Tarot by Paulina Cassidy.
Is it the brightest, most attractive deck? No. But for some reason this deck speaks to my heart and always gives me the wisdom I seek.
What speaks to me might not resonate with you, so my advice is to visit your local metaphysical store or look at decks online and see which ones you’re drawn to.
If you find Tarot cards daunting, start with an Oracle card deck.
These decks don’t follow the usual structure of Tarot cards. They contain messages channelled by the people who make them.
Nature’s Whispers was the perfect introduction to Tarot and Oracle cards for me. I love that deck so much, and it was definitely the portal to a whole new world of learning.
I can definitely recommend using a deck that has uplifting statements or quotes cos they can help you start the day off on a more positive note.
There are plenty of decks out there, but I personally love Wishcraft by Stacey DeMarco, and the Therapets deck by Kate Allan.
Tarot and Oracle cards can help us to tune into our intuition and help us delve into the murky mysteries of our subconscious mind.
The Tarot is a tool that can help us find clarity, tap into our intuition and give us a moment for self reflection. Knowledge is power and the more we know about ourselves, the more empowered we can become.
The subconscious mind is a crafty character. It tends to keep a lot of our thoughts and beliefs hidden.
Our subconscious mind is often to blame for a lot of the stuff in our life that we don’t actually want or need! This means that our conscious mind can’t understand why we feel or act the way we do, so it has no idea how to change anything!
The more ways we can find to unlock what’s going on in our subconscious mind and reveal how it’s holding us back, the better!
Look for symbols and messages in the artwork. What do the images mean to you?
Does anything jump out?
Gazing at the illustrations can help us pull thoughts and ideas out of our subconscious minds and help us to take action.
You don’t even need to know the meanings behind the cards to get a good reading out of them!
If you’re worried about having to know the full details of the meanings behind the Tarot cards, start simple. Most decks come with a booklet explaining the messages.
I’ve found that when I read the books, certain sentences will hit harder than others. When a certain word or phrase stands out to you, it’s usually a clue to what’s going on in your mind.
Potential Pitfalls & Things to Watch Out For.
I’ve shared a few benefits of using Tarot and Oracle cards to help support your mental health and wellness, but I also need you to be aware of a couple of pitfalls.
Be mindful that when you’re depressed and anxious, you’re vulnerable.
There can be a tendency to want someone else to give us all the answers and the Tarot can easily become something we rely on to make our decisions for us.
That’s not a healthy way to use them. We can’t allow ourselves to fall into a trap of using the tarot to make decisions, so that we can refuse to take responsibility if it all goes horribly wrong.
Don’t use them to make decisions, Instead use them to open up your intuition, so you take action in ways that feel right to you.
Don’t be tempted to keep pulling cards until you get ones you like!
I have to confess, sometimes I pull a card and wish I could put it back and get a different one!
Say for example, you’re depressed because a romantic relationship hasn’t worked out. The tarot may suggest that it’s time for you to move on, to focus on self love. If you’re yearning for this lost love to return, that message might disappoint you!
Pulling more cards until you get one that indicates the lost love returning is pointless! Plus when it doesn’t happen, you can end up feeling resentful and disappointed.
Certain Tarot cards can make some people anxious.
I need you to know that there’s no such thing as a ‘bad’ card in Tarot.
But if you’ve seen certain TV shows or movies, you might’ve been led to believe that the ‘Death’ card means someone is literally about to die. Or that the ‘Tower’ card means something terrible will happen.
This isn’t true. Both cards simply mean that something is about to change.
You might get a reading that makes you worry.
If you find that you become anxious about the cards, please don’t use them. I want you to find them helpful not harmful!
Final Thoughts
I love Tarot and Oracle cards. They’re something I use as part of my daily Spiritual practice and they help me start the day feeling positive and upbeat.
When I feel confused or lacking in clarity, I pull cards to help me tap into my intuition so I can make conscious decisions.
What I don’t do, is rely on them for everything. They aren’t meant to be a magickal fix for all our problems. I always do further research before making my final decisions. And so should you.
I hope you found this post useful. See below to find out how you can comment and chat about this post.
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I’m delighted to announce that after a little while away, I’m about to start putting videos back on YouTube again!
I’ve given my old channel a revamp and rebranded it. Keep an eye out for my therapeutic tarot and oracle card readings designed to help you survive depression.
I look forward to connecting with you over there!
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