The visible or emotional impact of personal issues often create a panic situation which drives our business, yet how often do we persist in uncovering the root of the problem? A root cause may exist for years or even decades, buried deep in the subconscious until something happens to unleash it into the conscious mind.

Just as western medicine treats physical symptoms, it rarely treats the cause or provides a cure. For example, a patient may visit the physician for high blood pressure and receive a prescription to chemically lower blood pressure but the lack of exercise and poor diet which led to spiraling high blood pressure is often not addressed.

I feel that the same idea applies to the tarot reader who divines the answers to often troubling questions. As a spiritual counselor I naturally attempt to combined my practice of reading the tarot to determine the root cause based on the primal human needs. You may meet your querent along their path from survival mode up through the higher levels of being which include the self actualized who are always curious and interested in their development and life's lessons.

As readers we often possess the qualities of self-actualization in order to accurately read the tarot. Maslow, a psychiatrist from the nineteen forties, wrote about self-actualizing people who perceive reality more effectively than others. They have an accurate perception of what exists rather than a distortion of perception by one's needs and possess an ability to be objective about their own strengths, possibilities and limitations. They judge experiences, people and things correctly and efficiently, and have an unusual ability to detect the spurious, the fake, and the dishonest. They are not afraid of the unknown and can tolerate the doubt, uncertainty, and tentativeness accompanying the perception of the new and unfamiliar. Since these traits are rare, we as readers, can assist those who are evolving more accurately.

When you determine your querent’s place in the “hierarchy of needs” you will be able to spot the underlying problem to guide your querent along the path to self-discovery. The cards can assist you in pin-pointing those areas which will strengthen and heal the situation.

For example, if your querent believes that he or she is unworthy of a promotion, chances are that the underlying belief has to be changed no matter what the excuses and situations that exist in the work place. The cards will reveal steps that can be taken to raise the level of self esteem. Searching for steps to be taken rather than focussing on the outer symptoms begins the healing process.

Your querent will then begin the healing process which may take some time, like peeling an onion. Each step may also involve further healings and discoveries as the mind allows.

I find it amazing how the subconscious hides pain, both physical and mental, until it knows just how much to release.