“Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.” – Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Tarot is far more effective when used with a relaxed mind. If your tarot work is at a time and in a place that is conducive to calm, you’re at a big advantage to getting the most out of it. Nonetheless, taking intentional steps to relax the mind is important because our normal state of mind is active, logical, and analyzing. This state of mind is not conducive to good intuitive tarot work. We have to make a simple but crucial adjustment: to priming our minds to receive the deep wisdom that exists within ourselves.
In other words, we aim to flip our mindset from a state of Doing to a state of Being.
DOING what we have to for survival
The Doing mindset is what most of us are all-too-familiar with. It is a state of constantly looking to find and fix the problems in our lives. What’s wrong right now? What could be better? What should I be doing right now? How could I be happier? What am I missing out on? This mindset has us judge and evaluate nearly everything we see, either consciously or subconsciously. By constantly looking for problems to fix, guess what? You’ll always find them, and never feel truly at peace with yourself or the world around you.
The mental state of Doing evolved for the sake of our survival. A very long time ago, mankind had to be on constant alert for very real threats: where to get their next meal from, what rival tribe or carnivorous animals threatened to attack, what member of their own tribe was competition for a mate or food. Being on high alert for threats was a prerequisite to stay alive. And it became a deeply wired way that we function to this day.
What about now? Although most of the threats are less life-threatening, adult life continues to be very stressful. Work and family responsibilities, rush hour traffic, bickering children, demands on our time: all these factors conspire to keep us in the Doing mindset. It can feel like there’s always some new fire to put out, even when things are going mostly okay.
We do not have to remain in the Doing mindset. There is another way of experiencing the world, and it brings sweet relief from stress and considerable other benefits.
BEING present, in the moment, where we are
The Being mindset is accepting of the way things are. It’s not looking to judge or to fix, only to observe. This doesn’t mean pretending that everything is perfect, it’s simply not looking to correct what it perceives as “wrong.” Therefore, we are in a place of acceptance and understanding. We just be.
When we can accomplish the switch from Doing to Being, everything inside of us changes. Our 
busy mind slows down, stress levels decrease, our vibration raises, we feel lighter and relaxed, and we feel more gratitude for the good things in our lives. And, very importantly, we clear a pathway to receive gifts of wisdom that exist deep inside ourselves.
There is an infinite reservoir of truth and wisdom inside all of us. But we are blocked from accessing it as long as we are in the Doing mindset. Make the switch to the Being mindset, however, and we open ourselves to receive these gifts into our consciousness. Removing the pressure to fix anything, we see ourselves and our lives as they really are. And we become far more effective in making any changes we wish to, from a place of less stress and great personal empowerment.
Tarot from the Being Mindset
To the best of your ability, you want to work with tarot from this empowered and relaxed Being mindset. There’s no pressure to reach some sort of perfectly Zen state. You just want to relax your mind a bit and allow the cards and your intuition to do the rest.
Relaxing your mind before picking up your cards can be as simple as taking a few calming breaths. Some may choose to say a prayer, others repeat a mantra, and others a few words of intention. A minute or two of quiet meditation works quite nicely. The idea is to shift your mind from Doing into Being.
Whichever method works best for you, make sure to do it every time you are about to pick up your tarot deck. Relaxing your mind will allow you to make the switch from Doing to Being. You’ll be centered and in your place of personal power. Your intuition will flow much more effectively, your interpretations of the cards will come more effortlessly, and you’ll enjoy your tarot time much more.
Remember that no matter how much stress and responsibilities in your life, you can always make some time each day to access the deep wisdom you possess inside yourself using tarot. All that other stuff can wait. Take a few deep breaths, set the intention to hear your inner voice, and relax into Being where you are.
