Guest Essay: “A Journey Through the Tarot” by Hannah Troyer
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: I was recently approached about contributing to the promotion of a forthcoming tarot book by Hannah Troyer (currently digital, to be released in a printed edition on September 12, 2024). It was proposed that I might publish a guest article by Hannah so she can tell her own story, and I agreed. Here is her essay.
Like any good piece of art, the tarot can be perceived and interpreted in an innumerable amount of ways. Each individual perspective adds just a bit of nuance to its identity. Here I offer you my personal perspective of the tarot, in hopes that it may inspire you to see it in a fresh new light-
I see the tarot as a beautiful, epic story — a story that encompasses the fullness of the human experience. One card leads into the next. From The Fool to The World, I see a full story. From the Ace to the King in each suit, another full story. Pulling cards out in a spread, is like pulling scenes from a “choose your own adventure” book. One aspect of story blending together with others to create a unique translation of the human experience.
When I was a kid (until probably way too late into my teen years) I was fascinated by the story of, “Alice in Wonderland.” I would watch the movie, over and over, enthralled with its depth and whimsy. I saw something under the surface of the story, that I didn’t know how to describe. Each time I watched it, I tried to figure it out. And each time, I’d think, “curioser and curioser…” A famous quote from Alice.
It wasn’t until February of this year that I finally understood what I was seeing under the surface.
I have been reading and studying tarot for almost 5 years. My first deck was gifted to me, of course, an Alice In Wonderland themed deck. I started like many others do, pulling for myself and realizing how it works. Then, I began to see how perfect of a tool it really was, and I wanted to use it to help others. I started studying the “meanings” of each card in hopes that I’d feel comfortable enough to read for others. Eventually, I did.
After a few years of reading cards, I began to see the tarot in a new light. I saw the energies of each card, and I started to leave my books full of meanings in the dust. I knew what the cards meant for me, and I was confident I could do good readings with this knowledge.
Then, that February evening I laid out the Major Arcana cards on my desk, all in order.
It clicked.
This was a story. This wasn’t a deck of 78 cards with isolated meanings that needed to be memorized and studied into oblivion. This was an epic story that described the human experience.
So, I started writing. The end product was a surprise, “A Journey Through The Tarot.” I didn’t plan on writing a book. I just wanted to write what I saw and felt, in hopes that it would help empower someone else to see and feel as well.
We are all on a journey, with a unique and beautiful perspective. We are all writing a unique story, and I’m grateful to the tarot for guiding us deeply and whimsically down the rabbit hole of life.
You can buy, “A Journey Through the Tarot” as an ebook right now, and you can also purchase an audiobook version of the Major Arcana section. The physical book will be available for purchase on September 12, 2024. You can find everything you need at this link: https://plushandregal.press/#hannah
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on September 1, 2024.
