If you’re into tarot, then you know how reassuring tarot readings can be. Tarot cards can confirm something you suspected or share vague outcomes of your decisions. Even if your cards tell you things that aren’t necessarily in your favor, they at least give you a clue about what to expect in a situation or if you’re on the right path. And that can be comforting.
And if you’re someone with anxiety who loves tarot readings, it might be helpful to know which tarot cards offer reassurance or hope. While you can’t choose which cards you pull in a tarot spread or tarot reading, tarot expert Theresa Reed shares the best tarot cards people with anxiety should look out for. And at least one, in particular, might surprise you.
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7 Best Tarot Cards for People With Anxiety, According to a Tarot Reader
Reed, who has been reading tarot and astrological charts for over 40 years, tells Parade that there are “a lot of cards that could actually be really reassuring” if you get them in a reading.
1. The Star
“I think The Star is incredibly reassuring,” she says. “The Star’s a card of hope… a card of wishes being fulfilled, but also it’s a card of healing.”
Generally a positive card, The Star is also one about renewal of faith and rejuvenation. Whether you suffer from an anxiety disorder or are generally just an anxious person, The Star can really be a great comfort.
“So when we see The Star, it’s like, ‘Okay, this is a good sign,’” Reed shares. “Hope is floating, so to speak, so that is one of my all-time favorite cards when people are going through things.”
2. Temperance
Another tarot card that could be reassuring for anxious people is Temperence, which is a calm, tranquil card.
“It’s a really good card because Temperance is a card that says, ‘Hey, be patient. Things are coming along as they need to,’” Reed explains.
As with all tarot cards, Temperance has an illustration on it that reflects the general meaning behind it. This one typically has an angel who is mixing something between two cups.
“I mean, when you look at the card, you see the angel, which is always a comforting sign,” Reed says. “But then you see the crown rising in the background, and that is also symbolic of, ‘There are better days ahead.’”
If you’re still in a bad situation or in a dark mindset, she emphasizes that this card points to future harmony, which is always a great thing to look forward to.
“You don’t see them right now because, of course, the angel’s not looking that direction, but there are better days ahead,” she says.
3. The World
“Another card I like is The World,” Reed shares.
The World is a very positive card that many believe doesn’t have “negative” meanings. The figure at the center symbolizes balance, success and evolution, with the four elements in the four corners symbolizing harmony.
“I like to interpret that as you have your angels in your corner because you can see all the figures there in the corner,” she continues. “And I think that can also be incredibly reassuring for people when they are going through something.”
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4. Ten of Cups
So far, we’ve had cards that had very positive meanings or meanings that could be interpreted as very hopeful. Reed also mentions that cards that show the support you have in your life can also be reassuring for people in an anxious state.
“Now, of course… you could look at other cards that could be suggesting that you have support around you, like the Ten of Cups,” Reed says. “That’s letting you know, ‘Hey, there are people that have your back. You’ve got people who are there to help you.’ So that can be a really reassuring thing to see…”
Ten of Cups can show stability, security and harmony at home. In addition to the 10 cups in the illustration, this card typically has a couple embracing and children playing or dancing in the background. It evokes a sense of family and happiness.
5. Ten of Pentacles
Another card that Reed shares in this vein is the Ten of Pentacles.
“Even the Ten of Pentacles,” she says. “Anything where you see cards where people are supporting somebody, I think that can be very helpful. It can also be a suggestion to really reach out to your support system.”
The Ten of Pentacles usually has an elderly man figure seated next to family, dogs and a lovely home. Legacy roots, family, inheritance and more are meanings you can find within this card. And wealth or “inheritance” doesn’t necessarily have to do with money; as Reed says, it could point to the fact that you have a rich support system behind you. Even though anxious situations or episodes can be isolating, this card is showing you that you can and should reach out for help.
6. Three of Cups
“Three of Cups is another one,” Reed shares. “It’s a circle of people supporting you. So any of those cards are really good to see.”
The Three of Cups shows three women with cups in the air—three, of course—celebrating. They have wreaths, which symbolize victory. This card represents friendship, community and a well-deserved happiness.
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7. The Tower
Don’t close out the browser just yet! Hear Reed out, because The Tower isn’t always doom and gloom, per se.
“Now, this is going to sound kind of controversial,” the tarot reading veteran shares. “But sometimes, The Tower is a good card to see when you’re anxious.”
No matter the tarot deck, The Tower is scary-looking; it shows a tall tower with lightning and fire everywhere. People are jumping out of the windows of the tower to escape; they’re desperate. So it makes sense that the general meaning of the card has to do with disaster, trauma, upheaval and destruction. However, for someone anxious, Reed says that The Tower could give clarity.
“I mean, hear me out. The reason why a lot of times we’re anxious is because we know something’s about to go down,” she explains. “And [The Tower is] a confirmation that, you know what, you’re right. Something is about to pop off, and it’s coming very soon. And for people who are really anxious—which, by the way, I’m an anxious person—I like to know something’s coming. Instead of getting the rug pulled out from underneath me.”
Because of this, Reed says that she sometimes looks at The Tower card as a “confirmation” of her fears or what she’s feeling. It then leads her to act accordingly.
“I’m going to batten down the hatches and I’m going to prepare for this,” she says.
3 Times You Shouldn’t Pull Tarot Cards When You’re Anxious
Knowing which tarot cards are the most reassuring to get in a reading is a great way to help make sense of something that is giving you anxiety. It makes total sense to pull tarot cards when you’re feeling anxious or uneasy about a situation. Reed shares that “a lot of people do come to tarot when they’re going through things”—including Reed.
“When do I pull out my tarot cards? When I’m flipping out about something and I’m looking for… reassurance that everything’s gonna be okay, which is reassuring,” she says. “Or am I getting the reassurance that, ‘Hey, this stuff is about to hit the fan and you need to get ready like a Girl Scout’? That’s reassuring too, because at least now I know I could do something to prepare, and I find that that really helps a lot with anxiety.”
However, you also should know when to quit.
Yes, as Reed pointed out, it can be reassuring to get some answers to situations that are giving you a lot of stress or anxiety, however, you shouldn’t do a tarot reading if you’re too anxious. Here are Reed’s big no-no’s when it comes to doing tarot when you’re anxious.
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1. You are way too anxious and can’t be objective
This might be obvious when you’re not clouded by anxiety, but you can’t always be fully objective if you’re too stressed about something. And that’s when you shouldn’t do a tarot reading for yourself.
“When you are really anxious to the point where you cannot think straight about it, and you have so much emotional investment in the outcome,” Reed says. “That’s not the time to be pulling cards. That’s the time to leave well enough alone.”
Basically, you can’t be objective when you’re “too emotionally invested,” she points out. That’s when you should have someone else look at your cards. Because if you’re too close to a scenario, you might see answers you want to see. This can reassure you and quell your anxiety, but it won’t be truthful. And who doesn’t that ultimately help? No one.
“If you’re somebody who only wants to see the good things, you’re going to pull a ton of swords and you’re going to find something good in there that may not be accurate,” Reed explains. “If you’re a person who’s more like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, you could have the King of Cups and you’re going to find something awful in that.”
2. You’re asking the same questions over and over
This point is in the same realm as the previous one. Kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy, if you are too close to a situation, you might want to ask the cards the same question over, and over, and over again until you get what you’re looking for.
“You don’t want to do is keep hammering the question again and again… And sometimes when you’re anxious, you’re going to do that,” Reed tells Parade. “…Maybe you’re doing that because you want to see the same answers consistently or because you don’t trust the answers you’re getting. And I think that that is really unhealthy.”
She advises that even professional readers shouldn’t indulge in a client’s wishes to ask the same questions repeatedly, even if it’s from “different angles.”
“That’s not helping them. That is fueling obsession,” she says. “That is not grounded, and you’re not going to get good answers. You’re probably going to end up getting answers that are going to confuse you.”
3. You find yourself pulling more than one clarifying card
Reed’s third rule for not reading tarot when you’re anxious is to not ask for more than one “clarifying card.” These are cards that someone will pull during a reading so that they can get more explanation on another card you already pulled.
“Sometimes, when we’re emotionally invested and anxious, we’ll pull a clarifying card. No problem,” Reed shares. “But then we do another and another. No. One clarifying card, that’s it.”
Reed’s major advice for someone who’s really anxious is to either get a tarot reading done from another person “who can be objective” or do a reading and just write down your spread in a tarot journal.
“I think that is so smart. Write it down and leave it alone,” she says. “One reading. Revisit it a week or two later, and just see how things are going. And then maybe you can see how your interpretation worked or didn’t work.”
She also says that if you have a follow-up (or clarifying) question at the moment, you can potentially ask on this second look. But it’s “incredibly good for you” to just write down your cards and interpret them later, once your emotions are more balanced.
“You’re gonna have a better reading experience, more accuracy and you also have to trust that the answer you get is the answer you need at that time,” Reed advises. “That’s not easy to do when you’re anxious, but that’s what you gotta do.”
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Source
- Theresa Reed (she/her)—also known as The Tarot Lady—is a tarot expert and author who has been reading tarot and astrology charts for over 40 years. She’s written several books about tarot, including one about luck, manifesting and tarot: Twist Your Fate: Manifest Success with Astrology and Tarot. Her newest book is called The Cards You’re Dealt: How to Deal When Life Gets Real – A Tarot Guidebook.
