Send us Fan Mail Tarot for beginners starts with a surprising truth: the history of tarot begins with a card game, played by noble families in 15th-century Italy, not in a secret temple. In this episode of Aligned & Abundant, I walk you through where tarot really came from, how tarot cards became a tool for self-reflection, and the grounded ways tarot can help you trust your intuition. We travel from the late 1300s, when playing cards first arrived in Europe through trade with the Islamic world, to the 1440s in northern Italy, when artists added the illustrated "triumph" cards that became the game of tarocchi. I share the hand-painted Visconti-Sforza decks of Milan, full of gold leaf and rich color, and I'll be posting some of these gorgeous cards over on Instagram so you can see them for yourself. From there, we follow tarot's shift from game to spiritual tool. You'll hear how Antoine Court de Gébelin's 1781 belief in tarot's Egyptian roots sparked a whole new way of seeing the cards, how Etteilla created one of the first decks made for reading, and how Éliphas Lévi and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn connected tarot to mystical traditions and spiritual growth. Then we land in 1909 with the deck so many of us learned on, and I pause on the artist Pamela Colman Smith, who illustrated all 78 cards with full scenes. Her quiet gift is the reason beginners can feel a card before they ever memorize it, and there's such a beautiful lesson in her story about honoring your intuitive gifts, whether or not anyone sees them yet. In the second half, we explore the benefits of tarot. Tarot gives your intuition a language, creates a pause that helps your nervous system settle, and works as a mirror rather than a master. It brings clarity to decisions and, over time, deepens your self-trust as you notice how often your first instinct was right. I also share the things I wish someone had told me as a beginner, including why there's no such thing as a bad card, even The Tower. Your invitation this week is simple. Pull one card each morning, sit with it for one full minute before looking up its meaning, and write one sentence about what you sense. You might be surprised how often your intuition was already there. If tarot is calling to you, my brand-new course, Tarot for Beginners: From Curious to Confident, begins November 3rd. It's four live classes, and as part of my founding cohort, you'll join at the special price of $177. Enrollment is open through November 2nd: [course link]. This is the first of two courses, with an intermediate course to follow. You're also warmly invited to Gathered: A Cozy Fall Retreat for women, which Casey Taton and I are hosting November 5th through 7th in Toms River, New Jersey: aligned-and-abundant.kit.com/retreat. And if you'd love ongoing support as you grow your intuition, come join us inside the Soul Shine Collective. Stay tuned for this week's Frequency Friday, with the energy for the weekend ahead and into the week. 💜 Support the show ✨ Loved this episode? Here's how to go deeper: 📩 Weekly Newsletter: Spiritual tools, soulful inspiration, and behind-the-scenes podcast insights — plus a freebie just for joining. 👉 Sign up here 💫 The Soul Shine Collective on Skool: This is where the real magic happens. Live channeled calls each month, energy + manifestation guidance, and a community of women who get it. 👉 Join us here ✨ TikTok: Channeled messages from spirit all in Divine timing. 🌿 Aligned & Abundant: Coaching, Reiki, workshops, retreats, and current offerings, all in one place. 👉 linktr.ee/alignedandabundant 🖊 Substack: The deeper dives and reflections that go beyond the mic. 👉 substack.com/@christinemarcario 📲 Instagram: Daily inspiration, real talk, and soul-led content. 👉@the.christine.marcario 🎵 Music by Purple Planet Aligned & Abundant is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Please seek a qualified professional for health, financial, legal, o...
