A Tarot Reading in Iceland: The Night I Found My Way Back to the Cards

I did a tarot reading, the first one in a while, at a bar in Iceland.

I had bought a new deck, and an eager acquaintance that asked for the reading, not to mention the destination was nothing short of magical. It really didn’t take much else besides that to convince me. I was eager as I unwrapped my deck and shuffled the cards.

Up until recently, I read for friends and family (at least the ones that approved), and it had been a while since I had read for a stranger. I often brought a deck with me to parties and get togethers for the chance to break through to a stranger—it’s an incredible experience to connect so deeply with someone new.

And to my delight, after the reading ended the querent’s (fancy word for someone who is the subject of the reading) eyes lit up as she exclaimed about how this moment meant so much to her. And I felt that fluttering feeling of having reached past all the layers and facades built to keep strangers away and leaving that space more healed than it was before.

That’s what made me pick up a deck in the first place: healing. Back in 2013, I needed it bad. I was far away from my family, had no friends, with no mentors or communities to rely on. I had recently decided to break away from the faith that I grew up with and rebuild my beliefs from scratch.

One day, feeling low, I went to my happy place (and still my happy place)—the downtown bookstore. I wandered among all the books with no clear direction on why I was there. But, next to all the familiar books of astrology that I had poured over in my teenage years was a deck of cards that had held an aura of mystery that appealed to my curious nature. The pull was magnetic, and I picked up a Rider-Waite deck that very day.

Reading tarot cards is an enlightening experience that I cherish dearly. Some of the hardest truths have come by way of the cards. Sometimes the words my heart needed to hear, that no one knew I needed, came to me in a reading. That’s what the querent in Iceland told me, and I knew exactly what she meant from experience.

I understand from my personal experience the conflict so many people face when thinking about reading tarot cards, especially when their belief system discourages it. And if you’re reading this from a place where this is true, trust me when I say I don’t intend to force anyone to believe what I believe. But if you’re curious, or seeking answers, or just want to tick a checkmark on your bucket list, I am here.

That reading in Iceland confirmed one thing for me that I know to be true—that the world sometimes needs a bit of magic to set things right again. And I look forward to doing that for others that find me.

Happy Readings,

Nikki