spirituality & tarot

Today I've been assessing what religious belief system I possibly subscribe to.
Although agnostic has been the easiest word used to define my belief system, perhaps Paganism or Neo-Paganism would be even more correct.
Tarot has been the focal point for delving into practicing spirituality for quite some time. Without any religious upbringing, the idea of religion and its' dogmatic reasoning only succeeded in nurturing my disgust towards organized religion. Tarot is not merely a spiritual tool, but is also used in psychology. Some of the decks, like the Shakespearean Oracle, appeal to us lit nuts. Some artists collect particular decks for aesthetic reasons primarily. Basically, the tarot appealed to me on many levels.
Over time, tarot fostered a sense of the spiritual that exists within and around us on all levels. The Earth or Goddess provides such a tool as the tarot which enables me to tap into the spiritual power residing in everything. At first, the idea of ritual accompanying tarot would have seemed a little off. Now, I meditate and create spells with specific cards.
As I've developed, my ideologies have changed as well. As a vegetarian for over 15 years, who eats mostly organic and uses natural medicines over new traditional ones, I realize that I foster strong ties to the Earth (Goddess). Tarot has slowly led me to a place where I've found it easier to practice my growing belief system via ritual, everyday awareness, and in writing.

Surfacing Consciousness

The use of tarot in creating self and "other" awareness is similar to using psychedelic drugs.
For example, my family and I had recently just returned from a strenuous move. Not only did we drive across the country, but we had to find homes for all of our furniture (no easy feat), ship and pack the necessaries, wrap up our jobs and lives, do quite a bit of travelling beyond the cross-country trip, and travel with a shy cat.
After this trip, I had became selfish and pretty moody. We were in a new town, unpacking and my attitude was completely negative, unbeknownst to myself.
Wanting to find some clarity in general, I did a celtic cross reading for myself. Within 10 minutes my "bad behavoir" was revealed, much to my own embarrassment. It also clarified all of the wonderful things going on in my life, showed our accomplishments, while communicating that the reasons why I felt such disapproval with everything around me.
In this respect, psychedelic drugs (used responsibly) can also speak volumes about information lying beneath our consciousness. There have been cases in the past, when I've eaten mushrooms, that a voice spoke quite clearly to me. LSD had a similar effect. It bespoke truths that should have been quite clear to me before, yet had somehow eluded my understanding.
Using Tarot cards to generate awareness about the present moment is particularly helpful when contemplating the future or a decision to make. Sometimes we focus too much on the effect, instead of how what is going on right now is the source and spring for insight into the future. We look too far ahead, yet the answers are at our fingertips in the immediate present.