| Its all in the cards |
| By Ritu Goyal Harish |
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| Tarot consultant Ritu Kantawala has changed the course of many lives through her work. She talks about the art of reading signs. Encouraged by the response she received, Ritu decided to go professional five years ago."By the grace of God, my guidance began giving positive results." |
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Tarot is a very confidential practice. The person who comes to you is unmasked from his core; he opens every facet of his life and this trust cannot be broken," acclaimed tarot reader Ritu Kantawala says as she politely declines to reveal the identities of her celebrity clients.
For this Mumbai-based spiritualist, faith is the essence of tarot. "You must have faith in the tarot reader and belief in the |
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| practice to benefit." Kantawala, who began reading tarot nine years ago, recalls that as a child she was known to have a black tongue. "It was a bit scary and I had to be careful of what I wished for. I would have insights, visions, intuitions and dreams. |
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| A few years ago I decided to channelise and interpret them for a greater good." Kantawala sought to be mentored by renowned tarot expert, the late Ruby Kanan. Encouraged by the response she received in the early years, Kantawala decided to go professional about five years ago. "By the grace of God, my guidance began giving positive results," she tells us. |
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| For the past three and a half years, she has been writing regular columns in magazines and also won the 'Best Stall Award' at the Psychic Fair conducted in Mumbai, for five consecutive years. Kantawala's clients include teachers, lawyers, bankers, businesspersons, actors, and even students who want guidance for careers. "Health and medical issues, surrogacy versus adoption, and relationships (divorces, custody) are major concerns. |
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| Lately, I have also been bombarded by matchmaking requests," she avers. "The purpose of tarot is to offer guidance. People often associate tarot with prediction, foreseeing the future. But it goes beyond that. It acts as a searchlight in your mind that can highlight aspects unknown to you. Tarot acts as guidance in our day-to-day life and helps us take the right decisions, prepares and warns us for forthcoming events," she iterates. |
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| Tarot reading involves the picking of cards by the seeker from a deck. Two sets of cards are picked – Major and Minor Arcanas. Explains Kantawala, "The Major Arcana tells you why something is happening in your life. Is it karmic? Beyond karmic? Is it laziness? Lack of focus? Minor tells you about the current state of your mind and the past. The combination of both gives you the answer (guidance for the future)." |
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| The answers you get from your cards through the tarot reader depend upon the query. "A tarot reader receives messages, like they come through a satellite on a mobile phone. We are the channels. So if your questions are vague, the answers will also be vague. The query should be specific and precise." |
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| Often, the answers to people's queries are heartbreaking, such as revealing to a couple that they may never have biological children. "I see emotional upheavals and heartbreaks. It is distressing but we are compelled to give the right answer since we are just mediums," she says. She also has many heartwarming stories to share. "I once had to tell a lady that her ailing father would survive a dangerous surgery but it would only buy him some time. She took the guidance, and he survived for six months after the surgery. Although death was inevitable, she felt she had given it her best shot." |
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| While the true purpose of tarot is to give guidance, the commercialisation of the practice is unavoidable. Kantawala discloses, "The Oracle says that we must charge something for the guidance since it involves an exchange of energy between the reader and seeker. It could be a nominal amount but it has to be taken." |
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| She also teaches tarot and emphasises, "One needs to have a spiritual bent of mind and belief. Questioning the Oracle or being overtly analytical doesn't help because some things are beyond explanations. One need not be religious or ritualistic. But connection with the higher power is essential before the cards are pulled, laid out and interpreted. That energy is supreme. One also needs to be a good listener." |
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| Most importantly, she says, you have to have the calling. "I am not specially gifted. I just happened to find a channel and I've managed to sharpen my inner voice, which helps me give right counsel," she says. Tarot works as good karma for her: "I get a deep sense of fulfilment and satisfaction when I put a troubled mind to rest." |