Tarot Cards and More

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I know a lot of you don't believe in any prediction coming from the reading of Tarot cards. Some of you have maybe experienced some reality after a reading, some don't. The fact is that a lot of people, who don't have a clue about the Tarot cards, pretend to be able to tell you what is going to happen to you. In most of the cases, the decorate a room, put on a maximum of esoteric symbols, statues, posters and so on to make believe they know something about it, but they don't.

For those who don't know what the Tarot cards are: they are supposed to tell the future or at least give you an idea of the general direction your life will be taking. Of a hundred people pretending to read the cards there are maybe four or five who really can. Believe me that those four or five don't appear on television, don't put add in newspapers and don't make publicity about it. They don't even earn money with it. Those who have the gift of reading the cards and being able to relate it to a person's life are very discreet about it. They will normally seen get the cards out only if there is a real urge or even emergency. They will always admit they can't predict the future. The only thing they do is giving a general image and combining it with astrological planet's positions that indicate certain possible circumstances. The other thing is that cards are totally timeless. Certain cards can indicate if something is going to happen soon and others will tell you that you will have to wait, but it is impossible to put exact dates on events.

When reading the cards there are nonetheless some combinations of cards that indicate more precise events. Even though the Tarot cards rarely indicate negative things, it can happen that they show warnings. I experienced it more than once. You will probably already have guessed I am a Tarot reader. My name is Gerald. I am fifty and live on my own on one of those islands where the sun shines all the time. It is a volcanic island and that gives the place a special energy. When I am concentrated enough, I can use that energy, which enhances my intuition and my gift, believe it or not.

When I was about thirty, I had a rough break-up with my boyfriend. He was younger than me and had no idea what commitment was all about. He wanted to live his life to the fullest, as he said. For him that meant to be able to go to bed with whomever he came across, wherever it was and at any time of day or night. After we separated, he threw himself in a very promiscuous life. For him it was the absolute top of happiness and his days were only satisfactory if he had had at least various men having sex with him. Yes, he had his looks that helped him a lot. Yes, his libido was always awake and yes, he could get various orgasms a day and still produce quite some juice. On top of that, his "gaydar" worked like no other. I never understood how he did it, but he could spot a gay man at impressive distances. If he found the man attractive enough, he would show his dazzling smile and have a very inviting look in his eyes. It almost never failed. Although in those days AIDS was very well known and its risks enormous, he never in his life used condoms. It was surprising how long he lasted before he was diagnosed with the disease. Of course he blamed the whole world about what was happening to him! I was tested as soon as I heard he was diagnosed and fortunately came out clean of any disease. But he was angry, enraged and furious and he was asking himself "Why ME?" The answer was obvious but he didn't want to see it.

But I am running ahead in the story. When he left me to live his life, I was devastated. I loved him, but he didn't leave me a choice. I entered a kind of depression where I didn't even want to come out of my house. I lost quite some weight because I didn't want to eat. A good friend of mine, Trevor, tried desperately to get me out of my house with very little success. From time to time I accepted to go out with him because if I didn't I was afraid I would lose him. Once out of the house, every excuse was good for me to go back. He tried to drag me into bars and clubs, but that was already far too much for me. During one of those days where he succeeded to get me out, he took me to see his aunt. I didn't know the woman but he said he had to go and see her and pulled me along with him. After that visit he told we would go shopping, maybe have a meal and a drink afterwards.

When we entered his aunt's place I immediately sensed there was something special about the place. In a matter of seconds I felt relaxed. Maybe it was the fragrance that hung around her place that did it. There were quite some fragrance sticks burning all over the place. I couldn't place the fragrance but it was pleasant although quite strong. Trevor kissed her on the cheek. After that I stretched out my hand to be polite. She took my hand in hers with both hands and held on to mine a lot longer than what was necessary for politeness purposes. Her look was intense. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. It was as if our stares were locked. She was sitting in a large sofa and I couldn't help myself to sit next to her, without breaking the stare that connected us. We didn't say a word at first and I didn't have the slightest idea what was happening. Trevor had never told me she was a Tarot reader and a medium on top of that. A medium is a person who can talk to the spirits but also has a very high and extended intuition. Those people, and there are even less than real Tarot readers, can see straight into you if they want. Trevor's aunt, Tiffany, kept stroking my hand and look in my eyes.

• I can feel your pain, she said, but it is better to suffer now than to suffer physically in the future.

I had no idea what she exactly meant and I supposed Trevor had talked about me, telling her what I had been going through. It was only after we left her house that Trevor swore in front of God and all the angels in heaven that he had never mentioned me before to his aunt.

• You are better off without the man you think you love. You miss him, that is for sure but it is not missing his love you do. You miss him physically. If you think about it, he never brought you anything except sex.

I wanted to protest but the look in her eyes made me shut up. She then sent Trevor away, telling him to come back two hours later. Trevor didn't say a word and disappeared. Tiffany then took my hand and led me to the table, telling me gently, but firmly, to sit down. Out of a drawer she took out a packet of cards with weird drawings (I had never seen the Tarot cards before) and lit a single purple candle. She closed her eyes and shuffled the cards. She put the packet on the table, drawings down and hidden and in one swift movement, spread them out. She told me to indicate five of them, without touching them. I did as I was told. She turned them around and started to speak. In less than ten minutes she described the essence of my past life. She didn't ask anything, she just affirmed. I was flabbergasted because she was telling me things I was the only one to know. Those were things I had never in my life told anybody. She confirmed I was better off without my ex and even told me he would certainly not reach an old age.

• I can't put exact times on things, she said, but I use the cards to guide my intuition and to help me express what I feel about you. It is your sub-consciousness that made you chose the cards you indicated. You don't see which card you are choosing, because they are facedown, but you sub-consciousness knows! Believe me. Now, quite some people will feel obliged to come and tell you things about the man who left you. Don't give it too much importance! He is out of your life and will never enter it again, not even for a short time. Even though he lives in this city, you will never cross paths with him again.

How on earth could she know that? At that moment I still believed Trevor had talked, but he hadn't. She collected the cards again, shuffled them and spread them out with the same swift movement. She asked me again to indicate five of them. When she turned them around she gasped and then smiled.

• My dear! You are gifted and your power is even stronger than mine. Whenever you feel ready for it, come and see me and I will show you exactly how it works. I even doubt you will need the cards, as your intuition is enormous, but you don't use it or you don't know it when it is your intuition that tells you something. You are wasting a gift you received... Let me rephrase that, as I think you don't even know you have that gift. If you don't use it, it will be a serious waste of time and will be lost energy. I tell you, your power is stronger than mine in this sense that you will be able to see things from a distance. I don't mean you will see things from here till the front door! No! I am talking about distances that are not measured with earthly possibilities. You will sense things happening even at the other side of the globe. If you are lucky, and I think you are, you'll even be able to forget our humane time frame. You'll have to be very careful about that, as your intuition will be timeless.

What on earth was she talking about??? She just sensed I had not the first clue about what was going on. She said she would explain, but had to verify a few things first. She collected the cards once more and shuffled. Once they were spread on the table she asked for seven cards and turned them around. She smiled.

• What I see here is a pure soul. It is not a miracle that you have been gifted. You are a good man and you have really positive values in your life. You won't take advantage of what I am telling you. I know you will be back soon. Don't bother to call. I will be here when you need me. You don't know it yet, but we are connected. It is not just like THAT (and she snapped her fingers) that you came into my house today. I would almost say it was predestined. We had to meet at one point or another. The Universe has brought you to me.

She collected the cards and invited me to sit with her on the sofa. With her very soft voice she explained what had happened at the table. For her there was not the slightest shadow of a doubt that I would receive messages from the Universe, or Destiny if you prefer, in the form of flashes or intuitions. I would instinctively know what was going on and even find the solution sometimes. She insisted to be discreet about it because otherwise I wouldn't have a minute to myself. Once people would know I was gifted, they would be at my door at any time of day or night, with a hundred of questions, being it important ones or not.

At my next visit she would explain the meaning of the cards and more importantly, how to shut off the flashes I would receive, if too many arrived at the same time. She ended with "My house is your house and you are more than welcome whenever you want!" Just at that time Trevor came in again. I looked at my watch and saw that indeed two hours had passed although it seemed only fifteen minutes.

That visit to Tiffany's house was a turning point in my life. Even though I was skeptical about everything she had told me, I had to admit that the things she said about my past were all correct. Why would the other things not be? It took me less than a week to be at Tiffany's door again. She welcomed me as if she was expecting me. In the following months I was at her place once a week. She was very patient in explaining me all about flashes and intuitions, card reading and card combinations. She taught me to recognize warning combinations that announced specific events in a person's life. She also warned me that I had to be very careful if I ever wanted to read the cards for myself. It was extremely rare to see things clearly for oneself in the cards. One day she announced the lessons were over. She was convinced I knew what I had to know. She didn't give me a fantastic certificate, no, but she gave me a set of cards. She said a set of cards had always to be a present and never bought for oneself.

Even once Tiffany told me I knew what I had to know, I kept going over, as we had become friends more than teacher and pupil. She had been right from the very start when she said we were connected. She had an extraordinary personality and a heart as big as a temple. We went out together for meals or drinks and I hadn't realized till she mentioned it that my depression had disappeared and that I had stopped thinking about my ex. When she did the first reading with me, the day Trevor introduced me to her, she had seen that there was a new love coming my way. She didn't know when or where, but was affirmative about the event. She said "It will come your way, that you want it or not. Don't look for it. Once it is there you will just know"

With time, I learned indeed to recognize flashes and intuitions. It was extraordinary to becoming aware of what would happen in other people's lives. Sometimes she invited me over to assist to a reading with people who came to see her. Those were experiences on their own. Not always, but often, I sensed the person and his or her problem before they even opened their mouths. When they chose the cards, the same way I had done the first time I visited Tiffany, I could tell which cards it would be. It even happened once or twice that Tiffany had a mental block and looked at me. Her pleading eyes asked me for help (if you could call it that). I just had to indicate one card, or maybe two, to make her understand what I meant. It helped! Often she would laugh and say we would have to start to do the readings together all the time, like a team.

About five years after my first lesson, Tiffany asked for my help wit a specific reading. She was not a hundred percent sure about the outcome of that reading and wanted to have my opinion. Better than talk if over the phone, I went over to see her immediately. I am self-employed, being a professional writer and I use my time as I wish. The last display she had spread out was still on her table, something that was strange for her to do. She always told me that after receiving an answer I had to let the cards rest by closing the display. I looked it over and had a bad feeling. Right in the middle of the display there was a combination of cards that not one Tarot reader likes.

It was the combination of death.

Now, you have to know that that combination can mean a natural death or the death (=end) of a situation, depending on the cards that are in the immediate vicinity. I had of course brought my own set. I took it out and concentrated on her display. I took out three cards and had the same combination as was in the middle of her display. We weren't surprised about that. So, there was an obvious end to a life or a situation. I tried to force the cards to tell me more and the more I covered cards with others, the more I got the identical display of Tiffany's.

We looked at each other in awe. That was probably the strangest thing that we had lived together. I had an intuition, but didn't mention it yet. I asked her to tell me a little more about the person asking for advice. She just said it was a man of about thirty-five, dressed in suit and tie and probably of Mediterranean origin. She hadn't seen any wedding ring on his fingers and in the cards she hadn't seen anyone close to him on an emotional basis.

• Do you know what that man does for a living? I asked.

She smiled, pretending she knew I was going to ask it.

• He is a police officer, she said, and from time to time he comes for my advice, as I have made not one mistake in the past. This time he is confronted with a case where a man has disappeared. When spreading the cards I thought the disappeared one was death. But look at the other cards. If my interpretation of them is correct, we have here the end of a situation, not a human death.

I looked at the display very carefully and let my intuition speak rather than the strict interpretation of the cards.

• The man he is looking for in not death but dying. I even suspect he is in a hospital but under another name than what the police officer has.

• Short but precise, Tiffany said. I guess this policeman will want to see you in the near future, because with that information he can limit his search to hospitals!

• Tiffany, it is more my intuition than anything else! I am not a hundred percent sure about this.

• Don't be silly Gerald. You know what you are saying. I had thought as well that he wasn't dead but dying, but as the police officer told me that they checked the hospitals already, I hadn't gone into it any further. You see, that is the problem when you have too much information before spreading the cards. That's also the main reason why you can't spread cards for yourself. By the way, you know I will have to give your name to that officer, because I have to call him to give this supplementary information and he will ask where I got it.

• I'd rather not Tiffany, but if you can't avoid it, I trust in you.

Once I was back home, I couldn't put this event out of my head. First of all I had been so amazed when I spread out my cards and reached exactly the same display Tiffany had. The bad feeling I felt when I saw the display the first time was like increasing. Secondly, that combination announcing death was bothering me. I wanted to know if the cards were willing to give me more information. You have to know that the cards can be whimsical. They give you information or answers on questions, but if you ask the same thing over and over again, they stop answering. How do they do it? It's easy... the cards on display suddenly stop to have any meaning at all. However you read them, it has suddenly no relation at all to what you are asking or looking for. The cards are obedient, but ask for a lot of respect. If you have a question, ask it once and look at what they say. Don't insist.

I didn't have any specific question to ask. For hours in a row I tried to understand a little more about the display. Fortunately for me, I have a good photographic memory and I spread out the cards as they were on Tiffany's table. I studied them close. I checked in the few books I had about the Tarot and tried to make connections but without success. I had not met that police officer and had not had the chance to touch his hands, which is an important element to connect with someone. I had a few sleepless nights after that. I was sure there was something that I had to understand and that escaped me. I was convinced the answer was in front of my eyes, but I was blind to it. You know? It is like something that is too obvious that you look over it. It's like the nose in the middle of the face. Ask yourself if you remember the shape of the nose of people who are close to you. Except if they have a very impressive or extraordinary one, you'll notice you can't describe it.

A few days later Tiffany called me again asking me if I could be at her place that afternoon at three. She had been able to hide my identity to the police officer, but he still wanted to see me. I accepted her request. I owed it to her, not only for everything she taught me, but also as a friend. Although I had a strange feeling about this meeting, I was at her house at two thirty. She immediately sensed my nervousness and went to her kitchen to prepare one of her infusions she had the secrets of. I had tried some of them in the past and even though some of them were just horrible by taste, I knew they were efficient. And indeed, about fifteen minutes later I felt a lot more relaxed. When officer Alex Buster came in, I almost didn't look at him when outstretching my hand out of politeness. Before our hands even touched, there was an electric sparkle that sprung from one hand to the other. It was then that I looked up at him. We tried to shake hands a second time, but with the same result. It was only on the third try that our hands finally touched. Officer Buster had a firm handshake, not to the point of crushing your bones, but you sure felt his grip. Our handshake was a little longer than what was expected. I didn't think of withdrawing my hand for two reasons. First I felt his energy or his vibes like it is common to call it these days. Secondly, I was looking in the most amazing eyes I had ever seen. It was not so much the color of them, as they were just plain brown, but the intensity of his look was uncommon. Did he look straight into my soul? I didn't know, but what I knew was that those eyes were almost intimidating, dominant and self-assured. That man had a certain position despite his young age, and knew he was in charge almost all the time. I suddenly felt so small next to him although we had the same height. Alex Buster, after studying him a few seconds more, was the personification of maleness: broad shoulders, wide chest and narrow waist. His head was covered by thick and unmanageable black hair. His skin had an olive tone to it and that was probably why Tiffany had described him as "Mediterranean origin". It was maybe early for a five-o'clock shadow, but there it was. When he smiled he showed a set of perfect white teeth. They were that perfect that I wondered if they were his or the masterpiece of a dentist. His body was covered by a navy-blue nicely tailored suit (strange for a policeman) and a white button down shirt without a tie. From the open buttons on his shirt, a few black hairs appeared. I guessed he was hairy. The trousers were tight fitting and covered some fine Italian loafers. I didn't dare to checkout his basket, as I didn't want to appear too obvious.

His voice was deep but soft nonetheless. The tone of his voice was gentle but determined. When he talked to someone he always looked at the person in the eyes. His choice of words indicated that he had a larger than average vocabulary and when you listened carefully you knew he had received a good education and had probably studied far more than what was necessary to become a police officer. He also pronounced each word clearly. It was impossible to say you had misunderstood him. Maybe some people didn't understand each word, but the general sense of what he was saying was always crystal clear. I couldn't read body language, but my intuition told me that this man was trustworthy, respectful and correct.

• Tiffany told me what you said. That indication reduced the search and we found our man, unfortunately too late, as he had died a few hours previous to our arrival. He was indeed registered under a different name, as he had three wallets in his personal belongings. He was not particularly known as a pickpocket, but it didn't surprise us. The nurses had found a wallet and just assumed it was his. It was only later that they found the two other wallets and didn't know which one was the good one, so they didn't change anything in the records at first. I want to thank you for your precious help and that's why I asked Tiffany to arrange this meeting.

I was under his spell. His voice was almost hypnotizing me. I was looking at him and felt his eyes going just through me. I felt he was reading me as if I was an open book. I didn't mind. I had nothing to hide anyway, but it was really a strange sensation. I had the feeling he had read my book in a few seconds and that he knew exactly who I was. I could easily understand he was already an officer, as I was sure that nobody could resist him or telling him lies.

Another intuition I had was that Alex Buster had thousands of questions for me. I didn't have the slightest clue why I was thinking that. Maybe it was just wishful thinking and a secret hope that maybe he would be interested in me apart from the official side of his job. I had felt his hand and I guessed I would feel it again when he would leave. That alone gave me the possibility to look in the cards and maybe find some answers.

I didn't ask Officer Buster why they were looking for that man. It was none of my business anyway, but something told me that he would come back to me for more information. I knew it was not about the man who had died, but it was related to him in one or the other way. We had some more small talk, mostly about his job and the problems he faced. He casually mentioned it was a good thing he was not married, as he spent far too much hours at his office or on the filed. I wondered why he volunteered that information. Nobody asked about his marital status, but it confirmed in a certain way Tiffany's intuition and what she had seen in her cards.

The conversation was pleasant and time flew by, but he had more work to do he said and he kissed Tiffany on the cheek and then came over to me to shake my hand. This time you could actually see that little blue light going over and hear that little "TIC", typical for an electric sparkle. It was once again at the third try that we managed to shake hands and again it took a bit longer than for politeness purposes. He was out of the house before I even realized it. Tiffany came back to the living room where I was still seated at the table. She had a broad smile on her face.

• Now you know Alex! Tiffany said.

• Yes indeed, I said smiling. And I admit he is a special man. He has an intense look I have never seen before. Did you notice the sparkles of electricity that jumped over?

• Yes, I saw it and you can't blame it on static electricity or on synthetic carpets, as the oriental rugs are genuine. I wouldn't be surprised you will see that man again, soon and often.

Tiffany had her enigmatic smile on her face that said she knew more than what she was telling me. Now, I am not an idiot and I understood what she was implying. Even though I respected and believed what she was saying, I brushed that comment away as if it was a kind of wishful thinking on her part. But she had actually involuntarily (or was not!) planted a seed in my head.

During the following days of meeting Officer Buster, I caught myself thinking about him... actually quite a lot I must say. His intense look seemed to by burned in my eyes. His deep voice seemed to reverberate in my ears. I had the sensation I could still feel his hand in mine. I tried to concentrate on the novel I was writing, but I couldn't concentrate. My mind was constantly wandering away and meeting up with Officer Buster. No, it was not an obsession (yet!) but it was there. I wondered what was hidden in the nice dark blue suit and white shirt. Yes, my imagination was running wild. I admitted it: I wouldn't mind having an affair with him and even more if possible. He had mentioned he was not married, hadn't he?

I was suddenly woken from my reverie by the ringing of my cell phone. I looked at the screen to see the caller's ID but it mentioned "Private Number". I just hoped it was not again one of the telephone companies asking me to switch my account over to them. I first thought of not answering, as with private numbers I almost always did, but something in me told me to pick-up. I heard a deep voice.

• Hello Gerald, I don't know if you remember me. I am Officer Alex Buster from the police.

Did I remember him??? Of course I did, but I didn't want to seem to eager to let him know. Our first meeting had been purely professional.

• Yes Officer, I do remember we met at Tiffany's house a few weeks ago. How are you doing?

• Please Gerald, call me Alex. My title is just used by people at the police station and in official gatherings.

• Do you mean by that that this is a private call?

• Yes, it is.

He kept silent for a few moments, as if he didn't know what to say. I could sense he was thinking he made a fool of himself. He wanted to talk to me, but didn't know why. Or maybe he did know but couldn't say it in a straightforward way. The background noise was that of heavy traffic. Did that mean that he was alone and not wanting his colleagues to hear what he was saying? Or was it that he just had some time to kill and called the first available number? But wait! How did he get my number? Tiffany told me she had been able to hide my identity!

• Without being it a reproach Alex, how did you get my number?

• You said you remembered I am working as a police officer, right? I have my ways to find information and even though sometimes it is really rough to get it, it is seldom I don't find it.

• I can understand that, but you only have my first name. That is not really a lot to work with.

• Indeed it is not a lot, but if you add an age that I would guess is about mine and a physical description about eye color, hair color, height and weight it starts to be easier. Gerald is not the most common first name in the country. You left Tiffany's house and took public transport and that told me you were probably living not too far away. When you put all this information together, I got only two names and the second one is in jail.

• Wow! It all sounds so easy for you!

• Not for me, but for the central computer it is a question of seconds.

• And why is it that you bothered to consult the central computer?

There was once again an awkward silent that lasted more than I could stand, but I wanted to know. If I had to give him time to answer that question I would give him time! But the silence kept on and on.

• Are you still here Alex? I asked.

• Euh ... Yes I am ...

But he still didn't answer my question. For me there were only two possibilities: the first one would be that he was embarrassed to say why he looked in the computer and the second was that he didn't know himself why he had done that search, but I was convinced it was the first option.

• Oh my... he said, I am sorry but I have another call coming in from the office. I will have to call you later. Sorry to have bothered you.

And the line went dead. I looked at my silent phone. I found it all quite funny I must say. Here you had a police officer with quite some responsibilities, used to giving orders and make important decisions, who was too shy or too embarrassed to say why he called. I had seen him as a self-confident man and almost intimidating and dominant, but at the moment to answer a simple question was at a total loss of words. I was sure there was no incoming call from his office. It was not really a lie (I hate lies) but a subtle way to have some more time to find an appropriate answer to my question.

I could always call Tiffany to have his number and to return the call, but I wouldn't. If he wanted to investigate me, I had no problem with that, but I was no detective and wasn't going to ask around to have information. If he was willing to provide it, it was ok. But if he wasn't, I was going to respect his privacy. But a funny idea crossed my mind. I called Tiffany after all to ask his number, as I wanted to send him a SMS. When Tiffany heard what had happened and what I wanted to do, even reluctantly, she gave me his number.

The SMS I sent was simple.

"I heard policeman like a cold beer from time to time. I you want one: drop by. I don't have to give you my address, do I?"

I wondered how long it would take him to accept the invitation.

To be continued it you guys tell me you like the story so far. All comments welcome at amahy1957@gmail.com