Clues to the future in the cards

FOR ages, humans tend to seek insight beyond the ordinary boundaries of their minds through various methods of divination. Even with the certainty of religion, some still turn to the old ways to equip themselves with the wisdom to face daily situations better.

Among some of the well-known methods of divination are tarot reading, rune casting, I Ching divination and geomancy or feng shui.

For Singaporean Rowan Ong, it is not a matter of telling fortunes to those who seek his unique service as a tarot reader but a matter of providing them clues to their future paths based on present conditions.

“When people consult me, I am not reading the future; I am guessing at the future based on the omens of the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve it. What comes later will also be better.

“The tarot has certain fixed meanings but there is no absolute right or wrong. Tarot images have different meanings to different people and it is for me to interpret them to my customers,” he told thesundaypost in an exclusive interview.

Also known as Tarot Master Shimure, the accomplished tarot reader in his 30’s recalled receiving his first deck of tarot cards from his aunt when he was 17.

“My aunt gave me my first deck, which was the Golden Dawn Tarot by Israel Regardie and Robert Wang. She thought I was of an age to understand something special and wanted to share with me the gift of tarot.

“It was also to help me better understand myself. In addition to the deck, she gave me a book to study, Crowley’s Book of Thoth. The book and the images of the tarot appealed to me like a mystery opening up. I was intrigued by the designs of the cards and the symbols attached,” he said.

His parents were then much against him studying the tarot and he had only the support of his forward-thinking aunt and an uncle who became a Tibetan monk.

They disapproved despite the fact that his grandfather and a great-uncle were “kampong mystics” who used Taoist talismans — I Ching and Bazi — to help others.

“Despite my relatives’ background, my family is quite an ordinary one. It is not a natural progression for me to have a career in divination.

“However, tarot helps me much in understanding others and I could reflect on the current scenarios to make good decisions at the workplace,” observed Ong, who is a full-time trade and commodity analyst with a bank.

He usually gets 10 customers or so in a week and he even does reading for himself.

“I normally do tarot readings for myself concerning what would happen during the day. Tarot gives insight to what is happening around me and my family so it is a good guide.

“People should view tarot as a study of symbols. It is a language that can be incorporated into daily life as well as a language to help others understand their situations better and also to provide inspiration,” he mused.

Ong owned over 200 tarot card decks — his favourite being the Fenestra Tarot.

“It is a good deck to work with as its images are considered softer and have a feminine feel.

“I usually buy decks based on design and artwork of the decks. For instance, I am a fan of Ciro Marchetti’s art and own every single tarot deck he drew. I also collected the Sola Busca Tarot, which is a 17th-century tarot. I have various historical decks to improve my understanding of the arts.

“For those keen to learn tarot reading, the Rider Waite Tarot is a good deck to start with, as it is easy to understand,” he advised.

A tarot deck consists of 78 cards, which forms the arcana – symbolic representations of ancient wisdom. Twenty two of the cards are the Major Arcana, while 56 Minor Arcana cards are split into the four elemental suits of Earth, Water, Fire and Air.

To Ong, the most compelling card and his favourite is the Major Arcana card known as the Wheel of Fortune, which represents transformation or turning point.

“I met my wife while I was reading tarot at a roadside flea market. She was selling clothes at a stall beside mine. She came to me as a customer and asked me who would her future husband be.

“The card Wheel of Fortune came out. It symbolised that her luck had changed and that she would meet a person who would be good to her. I told her that. That is why the card is a very special one to me,” he said with a smile.

He is part of a close-knit tarot community in Singapore, whose members usually meet up to exchange ideas and improve their reading skills. They come from various backgrounds ranging from taxi drivers and contractors to finance analysts and company CEOs, mostly in their 20s and 30s.

Ong recently released a beginner’s book on tarot — Tarot In An Hour which features his favourite deck, the Fenestra Tarot, as illustrations throughout the book.

“It took me about four years in teaching others about tarot and collecting data to finally start with the book. I was introduced to a good publisher and there were a lot of editing in the language and typesetting.

“The main challenge is to market the book as well as to get social acceptance from people around me as many Christians still regard tarot as something of black magic.

“The purpose of the book is for readers to master the beginner level of tarot reading. I would like to write more books but the market has a lot of books on tarot. If I am going to write more, it will have an Asian perspective to it as most tarot books are written by westerners.

“The Fenestra Tarot was drawn by Thai artist Chatriya Hemharnvibul, a good friend of mine. I chose it for my book’s illustration as I had wanted a deck with some Asian influences.

“Chatriya drew the Fenestra Tarot as she wanted others to know how tarot had helped her in her times of need. It is also a personal expression to give back to the society. This is a spirit I feel in her images and it is what I want to promote when I do tarot reading,” he explained

Tarot In An Hour is sold at Kinokuniya and Popular bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia.