It's been a refuge for the confused and the curious for over 500 years, and over the past few years - thanks largely to the combined growth of the internet and interest in new age philosophy, Tarot is still in demand. | "There are many many readers who have no belief in God or in any spiritual contact - which is quite amazing really." | | Mark Woolmer |
Mark Woolmer is from the old school of Tarot readers and fondly recalls the time when the emphasis was on the reader and client spending time together - face to face - to follow the turning of the cards. "People are less likely to come to your home now whereas until three or four years ago everybody came to my home", said Mark. "Now they want the reading on the telephone - they don't want to leave their armchair. I don't feel in my heart that it's a positive thing. "So many Tarot lines have sprung up and because they will employ anybody I think it's given the Tarot a bad name rather than enhanced it", said Mark. Whether in person or through the telephone the popularity of Tarot continues. But why do people feel the need to visit a Tarot reader - for guidance, for answers, or simply to sound off to a sympathetic ear? "I never see myself as a therapist or a counsellor," said Mark. "But I think you do have to be open and try not to judge. Often your client will tell you things they wouldn't even tell their partner or their mum or their dad - and sometimes it's quite shocking!" "I think there is a little bit of misunderstanding with the Tarot, because people often think that if you are a tarot reader you're also a psychic and a medium - but I don't talk to the dead - unfortunately." Mark was initially drawn to Tarot by the imagery of the cards. "I've always been really attracted to art and like many people I see different things in a painting. When I first saw the Tarot it was like I was reading a story in my mind.
 | | Cards on the table |
"When you actually place the cards together they begin to tell you a story", said Mark. Basically what you are doing is telling a story." "You may have three cards for one client and the next client may have the same three cards but you'll give a totally different interpretation - why that is, I'm not sure - but you go on your instinct and say what's right for your client." Tarot is not considered a religion but it is part of a wider collection of practices that have become associated since the resurgence of new age philosophies. But is it instinct or spirituality that informs the Tarot reader? "It depends on the reader", said Mark. "If you are naturally a spiritual person you would bring that into your reading. But there are many, many readers who have no belief in God or in any spiritual contact - which is quite amazing really. So it depends on the reader rather than the cards. "One of things that people say is 'I'm lost' - and you try and help them with that. I don't know whether that is spiritual advice or not - but I think that it could be classed as spiritual advice because you are helping them to find their path again", added Mark. | 
