How did we get here?

For many, discovering tarot is an extremely personal and spiritual experience. If you believe what you read, a handful of tarot commentators will suggest that your first deck should be gifted to you and the cards must not be explored until such a time. Many of us could literally wait until the day we die for this to happen. Without a fortune-telling granny or friends with an interest, eleven years on, I would probably still be sitting here waiting.

My introduction to the tarot cards was anything but miraculous. I discovered my first pack during my weekly shop in a supermarket in North London. Sold as a beginners set, it sat alongside other 'How to ..' gift-packs on a shelf. I examined the box for a few minutes, before casually tossing it into the trolly with the frozen chicken, tinned peas and bottles of wine.

That evening, my boyfriend and I had a couple round for dinner. After the meal, I pulled the unopened pack out and showed it to my friend's wife. She said that she had a French pack at home, but didn't know how to use them. After a refill of our glasses, we sat on the floor, spread the cards out and consulted the accompanying book for their meanings. It was all very entertaining.

Some months passed and I continued to use my supermarket deck. As much as I found it interesting, something didn't feel entirely right. Until I spoke with a friend's housemate, I had no idea that there might be a selection of other sets on offer, so on a hot summer day, she and I made our way to a small shop in London's Covent Garden, called 'Mysteries'. The shop owner had an album of samples to look through, showing a selection from around sixty different packs. Leafing through them, I continued to return to one page, showing a deck called The Rohrig. The eyes of The Devil card in one of the samples continued to lure me back to it, and I eventually bought the cards. My real tarot journey began on that summer's day with The Rohrig Tarot.

Even though I have learnt a lot about the tarot over the years since, I still look back at those early years with the Rohrig fondly. When my boyfriend and I would have social gatherings in our North London flat, halfway through the evening, I would slip into our bedroom with a friend and my wooden box of cards. We would sit together on top of my red double-bed, light the incense and lay out the tarot. With little knowledge, the images were intense and mysterious, and we would work together in interpreting the messages within them, often surprised by their accuracy.

For the last nine years, tarot has become a part of daily life. I use a pack as part of my morning routine, and in recent years, have begun to read professionally - having regular clients and working at organised parties. The idea of making the move from hobby to career was not an easy one, for that very reason. As a designer for the high street, I never considered that I might make money or a living from reading tarot. I simply saw it as an interest. It was only when I showed both my graphic design portfolio and a page of tarot-inspired scribbles to a business advisor a few months ago that she surprisingly said 'I would be quite happy to back you as a professional tarot reader'. She went on to say 'Most successful businesses are built on something we are passionate about'.

I want my business to have a distinct feel. While researching this idea, I came across many kinds of sites and readers. I see myself as someone who uses the cards to provide guidance and I believe that the 78 tarot cards are a map of all possibilities in life. Some people will have experienced a handful of these lessons already, but there are many buttons waiting to be pressed. When I lay out the cards, the tarot highlights these areas for my clients, and gives them the opportunity to make changes in their life, based on the conversation we will have. I don't channel dead relatives, I couldn't tell you what you had for breakfast this morning, and I don't use spirit guides or angels, but if you are willing, I can simply, and effectively, help you to see the bigger picture through a selection of connected images. Being aware of what and who is coming into our lives allows us to manipulate the future to our benefit.