Manju Mohinani got drawn to tarot cards just by accident. This early 30 -year old owner of an export house describes herself as intuitive and people-friendly. She has been reading the cards for almost 10 years now.

What is tarot card reading?
Tarot is most commonly viewed as a tool for divination. A traditional tarot reading involves a seeker - someone who is looking for answers to personal questions - and a reader - someone who knows how to interpret the cards. After the seeker has shuffled and cut the deck, the reader lays out the chosen cards in a pattern called a spread. Each position in the spread has a meaning, and each card has a meaning as well. The reader combines these two meanings to shed light on the seeker's question.

What made you interested in tarot cards?
I was always drawn towards meditation, Reiki and energy candles which are used for specific purposes like concentration, peace, love, joy, hope, etc. In the way I got interested in tarot cards. I picked up a deck and started learning it.

Then I did a three-month course with Rohini Gupta who teaches tarot reading. I found the course extremely beneficial.

Is professional training important for a tarot reader?
I don't quite think so. There are quite a few examples of tarot readers who haven't done a professional course in tarot reading. All you need is an intuitive ability and the patience to hear people out.

Then how does one begin?
Well, you can start with buying a deck from any bookstall. It will cost anywhere between Rs 800-1500. You can then read up on tarot and start interpreting the cards. Begin with your friends and relatives. Gradually you can begin reading for outsiders. In this field you have to practice a lot.

Tell us something about how a typical reading goes?
The standard tarot deck consists of 78 cards divided into two sections, the major and minor arcana's. The word arcana comes from the word Arcanum which means 'profound secret.' The tarot cards are therefore a collection of the 'secrets' that underlie and explain our universe.

The 22 cards of the major arcana are the heart of the deck. Each of these cards symbolises some universal aspect of human experience. Every card in the major arcana has a name and number. Some names convey a card's meaning directly, such as Strength, Justice and Temperance.

Other cards are individuals who personify a particular approach to life, such as the Magician or the Hermit. There are also cards with astronomical names, such as the Star, Sun and Moon. They represent the elusive forces associated with these heavenly bodies.

The major arcana cards draw out deep and complex reactions. It is always given extra weight in a reading. When one of these cards appear, you know the issues at stake are not mundane or temporary. They represent your most basic concerns - your major feelings and motivations.

What does it take to be a good tarot reader?
First and foremost you got to be intuitive. You have to be able to hear the unspoken. A lot of patience is called for when you are dealing with clients. You can't rush them into things.

Another important thing is to say it as it is. You have to be one hundred per cent truthful. As for me I am very blunt. If you come to me you will get nothing but the truth. How you take it is up to you. All I can do is break the news gently. Cards tell me the story. I am only the narrator. Also, people who mediate can interpret the cards better.

What kind of clients do you deal with?
I have more men than woman visiting me. Surprising isn't it? That's not all. All men what to know about is their career, problems with their bosses, etc. Generally they want to know how the year will treat them and what lies ahead for them.

On the other hand, women most often ask questions about their husbands, parents, and children. It is only when all their anxieties about these people are answered that they ask about themselves.

Do you any time refuse to answer questions?
Definitely. I don't answer questions about gambling and the stock market. I find it too banal to answer these questions. Also, I refuse to entertain question about the sex of unborn babies. I feel these things are best left to nature. I also don't like talking about death and past lives.

And there are times when the cards just refuse to say anything. Even if the client picked the cards twice or thrice it wouldn't show him an answer. I just tell them, "It's not your time to know."

How accurate are the predictions? And what happens when the same client comes after say a week? Will the predictions be any different?
Not at all. If the person comes within a week to six months of the last reading, the cards he will pick will be exactly the same. You can try it. That's the magic of tarots cards.

Do you have to maintain detailed records of all your clients?
Personally I don't do that. I am a very absent minded person by nature. So as soon as the client walks out of the door I shut myself off. I don't remember anything. That way it saves me a lot of trouble. But when the person comes to me within six months to one year of the last reading I get all the details of the person as soon as he starts to shuffle the cards. Just like a flashback. I can even pin point what the cards told her the last time.

- Nivedita Jayaram Pawar