The Language Behind the Cards

Why My Approach to Tarot Is Different

I don't know how you found your way here, but I believe everything happens for a reason. It may not be the reason we first expected, but I believe there is a reason our paths have crossed.

You probably don't know much about me—the person behind The Tarot Academy—so let me tell you a little about myself.

I was born in Sweden and moved to Spain the day before my 60th birthday. Back in Sweden, I spent many years working with Tarot and spirituality. During the 1990s I appeared in newspapers, magazines, and on television. In 1994, together with two friends, I founded The Swedish Tarot Association. My Swedish website is still called Tarotakademin, and today The Tarot Academy is its English sister.

In 1993, I published my very first Tarot book, Tarot Step by Step. It was the first Tarot book ever written in Swedish. Since then, I've written sixteen books about Tarot and several more on other spiritual subjects.

So, what makes my way of teaching different? To me, Tarot isn't simply a deck of cards. Tarot is a language. Or perhaps even more than that!

I often compare it to the Akashic Records—a symbolic book containing the stories, experiences, and possibilities of life itself. The cards are simply the pages we learn to read.

Every card is a symbol, and every symbol can tell many different stories. Just like a picture of a tree could represent an oak, a pine, a birch, or an apple tree, a Tarot card can have many different meanings depending on the question, the situation, and the person sitting in front of it.

I probably read Tarot much like many other readers do. The difference isn't in the cards. The difference is in what I've discovered behind them.

Over the years I've found a pattern—a system that connects Tarot with many other spiritual traditions. Once I understood that system, everything suddenly made sense.

Today I naturally connect Tarot with runes, astrology, numerology, colors, crystals, spirit animals, trees, herbs, flowers, and much more. Not because they're separate subjects, but because they all speak the same energetic language. That's the part I love sharing. Because once you begin to understand the foundation beneath the symbols, Tarot becomes so much easier to read.

Maybe you look at a card and try to feel what it's saying.

Maybe you've memorized the traditional meanings.

Or maybe, every now and then, you simply feel confused.

We've all been there.

My vision is to help you understand the system behind the cards—not only so you understand every Tarot card, but so you begin to understand yourself, your patterns, and the opportunities that are already waiting for you.

I love metaphors. They have a way of explaining something complicated in a very simple way. Here's one of my favorites:

Imagine I were a meteorologist and told you that this July we're expecting a blizzard and temperatures around -24°F. That probably isn't what anyone expects in the middle of summer. Now, does that mean the forecast has to come true exactly as I described it? Not necessarily. Weather forecasts can change. But if I knew there was a strong possibility of extreme weather, wouldn't you rather know about it than be surprised by it? Knowing the forecast doesn't take away your free will.

It simply gives you choices. You might decide to stay indoors. You might pack warmer clothes. Or perhaps you'll decide to travel somewhere else.

The forecast isn't there to control you. It's there to help you make better decisions. That's how I see Tarot. Tarot isn't about predicting a fixed future. It's about understanding the energy surrounding you right now and seeing where it may lead if nothing changes.

When you understand the energy, you also discover your choices. And that's where free will begins. To me, Tarot should become your best friend. Or perhaps an even better way of saying it:

It becomes a conversation with your Higher Self, spoken in a language you can learn to understand.

A Tarot deck is, after all, nothing more than pieces of printed cardboard. The magic isn't in the cards themselves. The magic is in the symbols. Those symbols awaken something within you. They help you notice patterns, connections, and possibilities you may not have seen before.

Sometimes people ask me, "Can anyone learn Tarot?" My answer is always the same. Yes. Absolutely. But like any language, how you learn it makes all the difference. Think about learning English, Spanish, or any other language. You don't become fluent by memorizing an entire dictionary. You begin with a few words. Then you learn short sentences. One day you suddenly realize you're having a conversation without translating every word in your head.

That's how I see Tarot.

It's a language between you and your Higher Self.

And my vision is to inspire you to become so familiar with that language that, one day, reading Tarot feels as natural as having a conversation with an old friend.

My vision is to help you become fluent. Let me give you another example. Imagine you've just tasted a wonderful homemade cake. It's soft, light, and absolutely delicious. Now you'd like to bake one yourself.

You find the recipe.

Two eggs.

Sugar.

Flour.

Baking powder.

You carefully follow every step. You whisk the eggs and sugar until they're light and fluffy, mix in the remaining ingredients, bake it at the right temperature for the right amount of time, and before long you're enjoying your own cake.

The next time you bake it, you'll probably remember the eggs and sugar without looking at the recipe. A few cakes later, you hardly need the recipe at all. And then something interesting happens. You become curious. "What if I add a little chocolate?" Or cinnamon. Or fresh berries. The recipe hasn't changed. You've simply grown confident enough to make it your own.

To me, learning Tarot works exactly the same way. In the beginning, you place the cards on the table, open the guidebook, and carefully read what each card says. The next reading isn't very different. But after a while, you begin recognizing certain cards without opening the book. You start remembering. You begin trusting yourself.

Then one day, you lay out the cards without thinking about the instructions at all. Instead of searching for the meaning, you begin seeing it. And that's when Tarot truly starts becoming a language. Not because you've memorized every card. But because you've learned to understand what the symbols are trying to tell you.

Like almost everything else in life, learning Tarot comes down to two things.

Repetition and courage.

The courage to make mistakes.

The courage to keep going.

Think about learning any language. Does it really matter if you pronounce a word incorrectly once in a while? Not really. Most people will still understand what you're trying to say. And every mistake teaches you something new. But if you're too afraid to make mistakes, you'll never become fluent.

Tarot is no different. Every reading teaches you something. Every card shows you another piece of the language. And little by little, without even realizing it, you stop translating the cards...

You simply understand them. Because once you understand the language, you no longer have to memorize hundreds of meanings. You simply understand the system behind them. If you've made it this far, I hope you're beginning to understand that I don't really teach Tarot as a collection of card meanings.

I teach the language behind the cards.

Inside the Classroom, you'll find the Tarot Basic Course. If you're just beginning your Tarot journey, that's the perfect place to start. And if you've been reading Tarot for years, I hope you'll still discover something new. Not because I'll ask you to forget everything you've already learned. Quite the opposite.

My hope is that you'll begin connecting the pieces you've already collected over the years. Perhaps you'll suddenly see why a rune belongs with a particular Tarot card. Why a color strengthens its message. Why an astrological influence makes perfect sense. Why a crystal reflects the same energy. Not because they're separate subjects. Because they're all speaking the same language.

That's the system I've spent many years discovering, testing, questioning, and refining. And today it's the system I love sharing with others.

Will my way of teaching be different from what you've seen before? Probably. At least that's what many of my students tell me. Not because my way is better.

Simply because it's different. And perhaps... Just perhaps... That's the reason you found your way here today. Maybe this is your opportunity to finally lay the cards on the table.

I often smile when I say those words, because they have two meanings. One is obvious. The other is something we'll talk about another day. It's also the title of one of my favorite books.

Until then...

I'm truly glad you're here.

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The Language Behind the Cards