If you were to type in the word “Tarot” into your search bar; I imagine you would find a million websites devoted to them; how to read them, what they are; their history, and why one should steer clear of them. Needless to say, they have garnered a lot of interest on both sides of the spectrum. They certainly captured my interest from a young age; and one of my earliest forays into the world of the mysteries was an interest in Tarot.
While I predominately use astrology and numerology as my tool of choice in seeking insight; the Tarot is still fascinating to me. This is why when I met artist and Tarot card reader, Violet Caauwe, at Spookfest a few months ago; I felt that getting a reading would be pretty cool. What was also pretty cool is that she agreed to do the reading for me on Paranormal Muskegon! Violet is an artist and the owner of Cauldron Head Studios. Violet says her paintings are of a “Surrealist nature” and gets her inspiration from the Tarot as well as her occult studies and practices. She says her artwork tends to incorporate somewhat dark themes including death. In addition to wall art and original prints; she has a wide selection of originally-designed T-shirts, Tanks, and hoodies available.
While their origins are not certain, Tarot cards began to be widely circulated in Europe sometime around the 12th to 15th centuries by gypsies, Knights Templers as well as others. There is some evidence that cards began in Italy in the 14th century with the earliest known use dating to 1291. Tarot cards are not ordinary playing cards, but instead are believed to be an immensely powerful tool and have been used throughout the centuries as a means to help you know yourself and what you are facing. They can give insight into understanding our past; give advice on how to face or unravel current challenging situations; as well as give insight into what the future may bring.
Tarot cards have long been associated with gypsies who frequently earned their living by predicting the future using the Tarot. While they may have started out as mere playing cards; eventually their pictorials began having symbolic meaning; eventually becoming part of an occult philosophy in themselves.
Briefly, the cards are made up of 22 major arcana that correspond to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the hieroglyphs that ancient Jews used in divination; the pictures symbolizing the archetypal mysteries of life; and 56 minor arcana divided into four groups; deniers, swords, cups, and batons. It is believed that the cards represent the knowledge of all sciences; especially that of astrology and are capable of revealing the future and solving problems.
Violet says she began reading Tarot at a very young age and her home was always a place of openness to the mystical things of life. She remembers many times being given books with esoteric or mystical themes for Christmas. Violet began doing readings for friends, family and a few local events; which she continues to do. She says she feels very blessed that her path has allowed her to help others in this way; and loves helping others to traverse their subconscious mind through the cards. When she is not studying and practicing Tarot or the occult; she paints, does belly dancing or connects with nature.
Violet was very gracious and delightful host. Her home is decorated with an eclectic array of mystical and esoteric art and décor. It is colorful, vibrant, peaceful, and filled with positive energy. We chatted a bit about her art and the Tarot before she started her reading. After randomly choosing a deck that “spoke to me,” (Romance) she proceeded to read them. She said there was a strong, powerful female presence, although that pesky devil card showed up; but she
said she didn’t see anything negative about its placement. To get better clarification on a few of them (guess I’m kinda complicated), she had me choose another deck to combine with them. I feel she hit the mark on a lot of what she saw in the cards. I liked that she used more than one deck in her readings. I was impressed in her ability to incorporate the traditional symbolism of the individual cards. It is my understanding that the meaning depicted by the symbols, numbers, and pictures on the cards has come down to us through ancient wisdom and should be adhered to as well as going by intuition and empathic ability; otherwise they became useless as a source of insight.
Others may believe that Tarot is nonsense or negative but I personally found this to be a very positive and interesting experience. I had a very nice time chatting with Violet and grateful she was gracious enough to give me a reading; I found it very insightful and intuitive. She is very knowledgeable and definitely has a gift. To find out more about her Tarot readings or check out her artwork and attire she has available, find her on Facebook at @TheArtofVioletCaauwe and on Instagram: @ArtofVioletCaauwe.
