soul: inner wisdom through tarot with richard abbot
Richard Abbot is a groundbreaking author, speaker and teacher. He has spent a lifetime studying spiritual and mystic arts from Tarot to Numerology, Palmistry to Healing and everything in-between. He has clients all across the world that he helps to guide and reconnect with themselves, showing them the path that is laid out for them if they choose to walk it. He’s honest, real and will tell you the things you don’t alway want to hear but you know you need to. He’s also extremely sensitive and open and his knowledge and insight in to the world we live in, not only now but in the future is like no other.
Picture: Jack Goodman
I first met Richard at a Spiritual Fair in Northamptonshire over 10 years ago when I had jumped two feet in to learning about what came after The Secret & The Law of Attraction. Diving down the rabbit hole, not only did a Tarot & Numerology reading with him change the course of my life forever, he has become a trusted mentor, guide and someone to call me on my shit when I really need it.
Tarot can seem a bit out there, especially when you’re learning about it for the first time but I hope that this interview helps you to understand it for what it really is and maybe even help to guide you in the future.
For anyone who is reading about this for the first time, what exactly is Tarot?
Tarot is a deck of (usually) 78 cards that contain illustrations of ancient secrets and timeless wisdom. There are thousands of different decks available, yet most are similar in their structure and form - they are all telling the same story in different ways. The cards can be used for prediction, self-reflection, problem-solving and deep meditation.
How did you first get into it?
I bought by first deck aged 16 in 1988 and they instantly proved accurate and reliable. I had a reading from the man who would ultimately become my teacher in Autumn 1989 in which he went on to predict, using the cards, everything that would happen to me in the following months. I didn’t believe him, but he was proved right and I became his pupil shortly afterwards, before he died in 2010.
What is it that you do?
I spend most of my mornings in deep meditation and writing, then most of my afternoons, evenings and weekends with clients and pupils, using Tarot, Numerology, Palmistry, Healing and wide array of other spiritual arts. I am what might be described as a Professional Mystic.
““The Universe supports all those who genuinely wish to learn, so there is nothing to fear.””
If you are learning about Tarot for the first time, what are the key things that you need to know about?
It is so important to get a deck that YOU vibe with, where you like the pictures and feel comfortable playing with the cards. Then you have to be open and patient, open to what the cards are trying to tell you and patient with yourself while you learn what to do with the cards. Fortunately, there are many more resources available now than in my day, but nonetheless the advice is if you are interested to stick with it. I have worked with the cards almost every single day for 31 years and I am still learning
Picture: Jack Goodman
How can it help with your career and life day to day?
Tarot is a method where we can get out of our own head. A few minutes formulating the right question and a good shuffle of the pack will often deliver an insight or a comment from the cards that comes from outside of your own thinking. As such it is a powerful self-check and reality-check tool. It can also help with prioritising your day, give you a better understanding of the people around you and serve as an early warning system for problems and opportunities. It should also not be forgotten that there is a whole next level of deep spiritual benefits for those who wish to develop their practice further.
What should you not expect from Tarot & what are some of the common misconceptions?
Some people say that what will be will be, but the truth is that it’s what you don’t know that always gets you. The tarot can warn of obstacles and challenges and advise on how to handle them. Through the Tarot you can prepare to change the future by knowing the future.
Some say that you can only learn the tarot by reading endless books about the cards meanings. Others say that you should never read books and just read the cards and see what insight floats in. But the wise person will do a bit of both, they will read a few books about the Tarot to see what others who went before them had to say, and they will gently test their own skills by saying what they see in the cards.
Some people are scared of the Tarot. This is a result of centuries of misinformation for even the cards with strong images, like Death or the Tower actually hold deep and positive meanings, and only signify difficulties for those who aren’t prepared to learn, change or grow.
For anyone that would like to learn more what are the next steps?
So much of life is taken up by guesswork and fear that any tool which can improve our understanding of ourselves and give us the power and confidence to move forward has got to be a good thing. Tarot is that tool, simultaneously ancient and modern, and accessible for all. The journey begins by buying a pack and jumping right in. It’s perfectly safe, in fact the Universe supports all those who genuinely wish to learn, so there is nothing to fear.
connect with richard and find out more…
visit his website: http://thehermitage.org.uk
buy his books: https://amzn.to/2W2HsSr
get a reading: https://www.thehermitage.org.uk/readings
to learn more: For a solid grounding in mystical & spiritual exploration, including Tarot, Numerology, Healing, Meditation and Visualisation The Works of Arthur Norris Volume One: https://www.thehermitage.org.uk/What_We_Do/The_Works_of_Arthur_H_Norris
