Ancestral Tarot Basics | Your First Card Pull

tarot or oracle

All of the posts in June are free in honor of the solstice and my ancestors, as is access to the Community Chat.

Want to get a message from an ancestor? You don’t need anything fancy to start. A deck of cards, five minutes, and a name. That’s it.

I’ve worked with tarot and the ancestors for decades, and here’s the part nobody tells you at the beginning. It’s simpler than you think. People picture ancestral work as incense and incantation. It can be, someday, if you want it to be. But for most of us it started at a kitchen table, with a worn deck and somebody we missed.

What an ancestral card pull actually is

Here’s the idea in plain terms. A tarot deck is a tool for asking a question and getting back an answer. An ancestral pull is that same tool, pointed at one person who passed over. You’re not summoning anyone. You’re not opening a door you can’t close behind you. Think of it less like a Ouija board and more like writing a letter to someone, then reading their handwriting back to you.

Does the card carry their voice? What I mean by that is does that card hand me something I needed to hear from a person I can no longer call on the phone.

I think it’s all in your intent. You bring the love and the longing. The cards just give it a shape to pour into.

What you’ll need

● A deck of cards. A tarot deck if you have one. In a pinch, a regular pack of playing cards works fine or an oracle deck.

● One person in mind, someone who passed over.

● A few minutes where nobody needs you.

● A pen and paper, or the notes app on your phone.

That’s it. No special cloth, no certificate, no permission from anybody.

The pull, step by step

Pick your person. Choose one. A grandmother, a father, a great-aunt you only know from a single photograph. It helps to start with someone you have real feeling for, warm or complicated, it doesn’t matter which.

Hold them in mind. Say their name out loud if you can. Picture their face, their kitchen, the sound of their laugh. This is the whole of the spellwork, and it’s easier than you think.

Ask one clear question. Keep it simple and open. “What do you want me to know?” is my favorite for a first pull. Steer away from yes-or-no questions for now. You want a card that can talk, not a Magic 8 Ball that grunts “reply hazy, try again.”

Shuffle until it feels right. There’s no correct number of shuffles. Stop when your hands tell you to stop.

Pull one card. Just one. Lay it face up in front of you.

Read it as a message from them. Look at the picture before you reach for any book. What’s the first feeling that lands? A card showing a cup might be them offering you comfort. A card showing coins might be them nudging you about home, security, the practical worries you carry around all day. Trust that first read. Then, if you like, look up the traditional meaning and see how it measures against what your gut tells you.

Write down what you got. One or two sentences. The card, the question, and what it stirred in you. This becomes the start of an ongoing conversation, and you’ll be glad later that you kept the thread.

If nothing dramatic happens, you did it right. This isn’t a séance with the lights flickering. It’s softer and steadier than that. Most of the time the message arrives later, while you’re in the shower or halfway through the dishes, when you suddenly understand what that card was getting at.

And most of all - remember it doesn’t need to be complex. I asked one of my grandmothers what I most need to know today and she answered with this:

Sawyer’s Path Tarot

It was a clear message that the issue that’s been on my mind is in the process of becoming much, much better. As you can see, in this rendition of the 6 of Swords, that boat and its passenger are heading towards home. The hearth fires are lit and the welcome mat is out. I also love that in the top right corner of the card, a bright sun is shining - the boat is leaving the clouds and heading to such beauty.

So that’s your first one done. Tell me in the comments: who did you pull for, and what card showed up? I read every single reply, and I’ll help you puzzle out anything that left you scratching your head.

Nancy

P.S. Next week - What Your Wallet is Trying to Tell You

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