I’ve always been the type to flip to the horoscope part of the newspaper or a magazine ever since I can remember. I thought it was cool when my reading would mirror what was happening in real life. But I never made it the all-encompassing guide of my life. Sure, I would obsessively check Astrology Zone for my monthly horoscope (and now I’ve moved on to Madame Clairevoyant‘s weekly reminders on The Cut) and have followed astrology Twitter accounts, but as I’ve grown older, I realize that astrology has a lot to do with our personal intuition.
Chinggay of Practical Magic giving me a birthday reading in November of last year.
A couple of years ago, my friend Chinggay started offering tarot readings for us as “practice.” Now, she runs Practical Magic, which marries the magical with the practical—tarot readings that help make sense of what’s happening in your life or help nudge you in the right direction. Every reading I’ve had with her has always been enlightening. I leave with a sense of peace and clarity and it helps me sort out my own thoughts and feelings.
Oracle Card from my birthday reading and an Angel Card my friend Em pulled for me
I’ve never really paid much attention to my intuition until recently. You know how some people almost always know when something major is about to happen or when there’s that voice in your head that feels like a warning? Malakas ang kutob, in Filipino. I think I’m one of those people. A palmist told me over a decade ago that should I want my third eye opened, I would be able to harness my untapped energies. Apparently, she could see I had the potential. At that time I got scared because I equate anything occult to, well, ghosts. But I realize now that it has more to do with intuition and foresight.
Naturally, when Chinggay released her Practical Magic Starter Deck, I knew I had to get myself one. At first, it was more as a show of support to a friend, who was one of the people I turned to for advice and was basically there for me when I was not in such a great place. Then, when I started to pull cards for myself, it became apparent just how life-affirming reading for myself would be. I also started to read for friends and it’s amazing to see how the same cards can mean different things to different people, depending what their situation is.
I’m still learning but there are so many resources to help me understand or go beyond what’s already written in the super helpful zine that came with my deck. I also now have a Tarot Support Group with Chinggay and Ines, so that’s been fun, too! We share our pulls and try to figure out what the cards mean when we don’t understand them right away.
Another practice I’ve recently started is to set intentions during the full moon and since I’ve gotten the PM deck, I’ve started to pull cards to help me figure out what I need to let go of and make space for. While it’s important to manifest what you want to happen, I think it’s equally important to be open to what you actually need. We get disappointed when we ask for things and they’re not given to us but we fail to see the things we actually have and should actually be grateful for.
I know some people still think things like tarot readings and horoscopes are strange but so far, it has done nothing but good things in my life. I’m more mindful of the way I live and the way I make my choices. I’m even more self-aware now and recognize that every failure makes way for a chance at success. Though these cards will never really predict the future (that’s what I think, anyway), I know that when I feel lost or if there’s something that isn’t making sense to me right now, I can look at them to help put the puzzle pieces together. And in the end, I know that ultimately, it’s my actions that will lead to what’s written in the cards.
My pulls for the last full moon. I wonder what cards will appear tonight.
BTW, Chinggay just restocked the Practical Magic Deck. You can order through !
