Why We Start with Meditation (And Why Your Tarot Practice Depends On It)

The First Lesson Isn't About Cards: Why Meditation is the Foundation of True Esoteric Practice

The most common request I receive as a Tarot reader, Witch, and teacher is for help learning the cards or starting a magical practice. 

I nearly always point them toward meditation and mindfulness practices as their first step. On my long-standing website, Messages in the Moonlight (MIM), I’ve always included a page dedicated to meditation. In 2014, I rewrote the page to tie the science, religious, and spiritual aspects together. As I mention there:

“In Witchcraft, these forms of meditation provide the foundation that lead into other forms for seeking answers…”

Even if you’re only looking to explore Tarot and deepen your intuitive gifts, a strong meditation practice is vital to setting ego aside and tapping into your inner wisdom. Meditation is the foundational practice in metaphysical and spiritual study, such as psychic skill development, astral traveling, visualization, creative thinking, accessing Akashic Records, and so forth.

The "Quieting vs. Listening" Paradox

Most people think meditation is about emptying the mind. In reality, it's actually about turning down the internal noise (the relentless string of doubts, to-do lists, and overprotective ego) to finally hear the subtle signals—intuition, symbolic insights, and inner wisdom.

As much as I would love to just put a card deck in your hand and say, “Have at it!”, that’d be like throwing a toddler into the deep end of a pool and expecting them to just “figure out” a backstroke.

You can't interpret a Tarot card's message if your own mental chatter is drowning it out. When I teach someone how to read the Tarot–or any divination method–I’m naturally inclined to do so with the same storytelling method Mary K. Greer uses in her Tarot reading courses. If you can’t quiet or set aside the noisiness of your brain long enough to just do the exploratory learning things, you’re not going to get far!

Building a Stable Container for Tarot & More

With your mind settled and gently open to the intuitive information coming your way, you can finally look at the cards laid out before you and find meaning. Hooray!

But if you only ever develop skills long enough to do a quick interpretation of a card, you may still be woefully underprepared for what a heightened intuition can invite in.

Esoteric work–especially of a psychic nature–can bring up powerful emotions and thoughts. As you deepen your skills, you often have to come face-to-face with your own “junk” simultaneously while picking up everything around you. While cleansing and protective practices help with this, those, too, require the prerequisite skills that meditation develops.

A regular meditation practice is like strengthening a muscle—it helps you hold these experiences with stability and discernment, preventing overwhelm or burnout. Not only do you need to quiet your mind long enough to “hear” what the Tarot cards are saying, but you also need to be able to take in and “digest” whatever comes up.

How do you prepare for it? Meditation, of course!

It's Not You, It's the Instructions

Every time that I’ve had the privilege to lead a group through a guided meditation, someone (usually multiple someones!) approaches me after with so many questions.

• Where did I find that meditation? (Spoiler: I wrote it.)

• How did I learn to write meditation prompts?

• What was the reason for a particular instruction or chosen phrase?

• Their mind decided to “rebel” and did their own thing. Was that wrong?

• How do you change your voice like that?

They want to learn how to make every meditation “like that”. Or for guidance on how to overcome a meditation practice hurdle. But, no matter the questions meditation-challenged guests ask, it’s what they tell me that reveals all I need to know:

“I just can’t find the time or attention to meditate.”

“It’s just too difficult to focus.”

“My mind wanders to all my to-dos and then I’m more worried about them!”

“My mind constantly races.”

“I’m just so distracted by every little thing!”

Contrary to the usual guidance of the vast majority of meditation instruction, not all of us have the run-of-the-mill “Monkey Brain”. For the chronically distracted, our busy brains need a different set of rules. And the permission to break those, too!

Put Your Brain (and Sanity) First

Signing up for a meditation course and developing a strong, regular meditation practice isn't about adding one more “should” to your list. It's about equipping you with the foundational skills that will make your current Tarot practice deeper, your rituals more impactful, and your intuitive hits more trustworthy. It's the skill that turns knowledge into embodied wisdom.

Think of meditation less as “doing” and more as “being”. During your practice, you simply “are”. Meditation workshops, courses, and immersions are opportunities to deepen this skillset so that you can free up more time and energy to just “be” in daily life.

That said, building any new skill is more sustainable—and more joyful—when you're not doing it alone. Having a space to ask questions, share wins, and learn from others on the same path transforms a solitary practice into a supported journey.

That’s why "Meditation for the Chronically Distracted" includes lifetime access to The Seekers' Sanctuary. It's not just a course; it's your entry into a community for integrating these foundational skills. We start here, together, so everything that follows—from Tarot deep-dives to ritual crafting—stands on a solid, shared foundation.

If you've ever felt distracted, scattered, or like your spiritual practice isn't quite connecting, I invite you to join us. 

Be among the first to build this essential skill within a supportive community.

In Light & Love, Evylyn