Tarot is probably the most well-known divination tool around the world, but it often still conjures images of a fortune teller in candle-lit dark room sitting behind a small round table.
It usually doesn’t bring to mind a PhD wielding, teddy bear of a (ripped) man who provides clarity and guidance with a side of compassion, healing, and love. But that is exactly who I had the pleasure of getting a remote Tarot reading with recently – Zachary D. Weaver, PhD, better known as Dr. Z, the Tarot Teddy Bear.
What is Tarot?
Today, Tarot is a divination tool, or tool used in the ancient practice of gaining guidance, knowledge, messages, or inspiration from the Divine, spirits, or higher consciousness.
The first Tarot cards were used for parlor games, with the earliest known decks tracing back to France and Italy as far back as the late fourteenth century. Though some believe that Tarot has its root in Africa and ancient Kemet/Egypt. Tarot playing cards were often painted for wealthy families. It wasn’t until the printing press that the decks could be mass produced for the average game player.
Tarot started to become a popular divination tool in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. The cards have grown in quantity and complexity since then.
Today’s Tarot consists of 78 cards, each with their own imager, symbols, and themes. The deck is divided by 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards. Dr. Z. refers to the 22 Major Arcana cards as “the journey of the living soul, also known as the Fool’s journey.” This represents life’s karmic and spiritual lessons. While the 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the trials and tribulations that we experience every day.
Misconceptions about Tarot
Dr. Z shared that the biggest misconception he hears about the Tarot is that it is evil, ungodly, and a tool of the devil. But that’s not true. As with anything in life, including science, media, education, and the like, it all lies in the intention of the guide.
“It comes down to your intentions. My healing is rooted in love. God, Source Energy, is love. All things come from God, for if God is ‘all’, then there is indeed nothing that ‘it’ is not, what it all boils down to is human ( God-realized beings) intention. The real question is, ‘Do our creative efforts serve the highest expressions of God, or do they bend towards a different polarity?’ I turn toward and yield in all things to the Light. I believe that serving in a capacity that brings clarity, illumination, and positive transformation is a reflection of the compassionate light of Source Creator. We are all tools, instruments at the hands of the Masters. Our skill, spiritual gifts, even our smiles, hugs, touch, songs, encouraging words are all viewed as tools for the healing of humanity. Tarot is just one of a plethora of healing art tools. “
Dr. Z shared, and I experienced, that he operates from a spirit of compassion rooted in love.
My Tarot Reading
I bought a remote session with Dr. Z via his website a few weeks back. I found him in a mutual Facebook group and instantly fell in love with everything he was about.
Dr. Z is not like any Tarot reader I’ve met before. I’ve hard my cards read by the High Priestess in Salem, Mass, by a talented reader in Seattle, WA and by a psychic in Renton, WA. All females who loved their jobs but took the work very seriously. From the moment I answered the phone for our session, I felt like I was wrapped in a hug, surrounded by love, and I knew no matter what the cards brought forth that it would be ok. Being on the phone with Dr. Z, just in his energy, was a healing experience in and of itself.
Dr. Z prepared me. “Be open. If something doesn’t make sense, just put it to the side and it might make sense later.
Dr. Z pulled cards for me, not asking me anything but letting the cards reveal to him what I needed to hear.
I was in shock.
Things that I haven’t wanted to face that have been simmering in the background were brought to light. “Temperance. Knight of Clubs. You’re looking for more harmony. I see the Devil coming through. You’re in a toxic situation. The energy of loss and fear is here. And then expansion. The 10 of Cups. It carries the energy of walking away and happy endings. You are very strategic and prudent. Balance and control keep coming in. Protection and self-preservation.”
I’m writing down notes because I can’t see the cards and I don’t want to miss anything. But with each new card her reads to me, the more I feel like I am being seen by the Divine herself.
“You’re missing emotional balance. The Hangman, there has been a lot of self-sacrifice on your part.”
Dr. Z had no idea how spot on he was.
“10 of Swords. Completion and new opportunity are coming your way. Queen of Wands is about abundance, courage, intuition. She is the queen of the witches. I think this is you! 7 of wands is about standing up for yourself, your legacy. The 10 of Cups again! This feels like a happily ever after. The Ace of Wands is your potential, and the Judgement card tells me that you have a new understanding. You won’t make the same mistakes again.”
Something I’ve been consciously reflecting on. This reading is deep.
“I see completion. Fulfillment. You have to accept that things are changing. You want and need more harmony and balance. That will come when you accept that things are changing.”
Dr. Z had no knowledge of everything going on in my life over the last year, and yet he saw into my soul with his cards. He saw the things that I haven’t been ready to face yet, to help me face them. To heal, we must illuminate the dark. And that is exactly what Dr. Z helped me do with this reading.
Who is Dr. Z?
Zachary Weaver, affectionately referred to as Dr. Z., is a self-taught healing practitioner. He got the name the “Tarot Teddy Bear” due to his gentle, caring nature.
Dr. Z started on a more traditional path in Criminal Justice Policy, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rust College, a Master of Public Administration from Clark Atlanta University, and Doctorate in Public Policy Administration from Walden University.
As an empath and highly sensitive child, Dr. Z spent a lot of time in his imagination. He faced a lot of loss in his life, including the deaths of his biological mother, the grandmother who raised him, and most recently his father with whom he has a strained relationship. Through the path of pain to forgiveness, Dr. Z healed himself and embraced his healing gifts to help others.
For the past twenty years, he has studied esoteric teachings both formally and informally. He is a certified Oneness Deeksha Giver and Reiki practitioner, a member of the American Tarot Association, and of the Tarosophy Tarot Association.
Dr. Z uses the Tarot as a tool to tap into divine wisdom. He views Tarot reading as an access point, an evidence of a stream of energetic interconnectedness, serving as a conduit for accessing universal consciousness, where infinite knowledge exists. Tarot is a tool for illumination and transformation. Tarot’s very demonstration affirms all life’s connection to an invisible web of spiritual wisdom. The Tarot Teddy Bear illuminates the way, by sharing divine guidance on every question about work, home, fortune, love, and more.
In my experience, he is incredibly kind, gentle, and humble. His energy provides a sense of comfort and security. Dr. Z’s gentleness reminds all who experience him of the freedom and security that come from being vulnerable.
Dr. Z’s Most Surprising Message
I asked Dr. Z, “What is the most surprising message or healing that came from a tarot reading that you can share?”
He responded, “That’s a good question. How can I just pick one? Well, I have come to understand that there is genuinely only oneness. We are all bound in the collective consciousness of God. Yes, we have our unique expressions and experience, but we are never separate. Our choices have an impact on the whole. The tarot has taught me that justice is always watching over us, ensuring karmic law. So it’s best to operate from a place of high intention. The tarot seeks to teach us how to create balance within the unique self and humanity at large. This tool reminds us of the energies that we must cultivate and those energies we must rid ourselves of creating to sustain harmony and balance. In Compassion, we are in alignment with God and help to restore balance to the collective whole. Love is the way. How can a tool that shares so much wisdom be evil? I think not.”
I have to agree with him.
The Adventure Continues…
I was so excited about what Dr. Z. was able to do for me and what he shared that I wanted more. Luckily, he also recently wrote a book called Tarot & The Healing Arts: Develop Your Wisdom and Transform the Lives of Your Clients.
Of course I had to buy his book and a new Tarot deck. The one I bought at 16 was missing a bunch of cards after all the moves over the years. I regularly use Oracle cards and Pendulums as my go to divination tools for myself and my clients, but I was excited to get a new Tarot deck and expand my toolkit as a Healer myself.
This book is so much fun! It is part education, part self-help, and all sorts of adventure to the inner worlds of the self. I loved it because I got to reacquaint myself with Tarot, but I also got great insights about myself.
This book is a personal journey into the self, into the soul, to encourage inner reflection. Which is what Tarot is all about. As with most divination tools, Tarot’s healing properties come in the form on going inward to tap into your own inner guidance and wisdom that you have a hard time hearing do to day to day life and your mind chatter that never stops. The inner work takes practice. If it was easy, we all wouldn’t be so twisted up about life. But we are. The inner work will bring you the freedom, peace, and happiness that you have been searching for outside of yourself all of these years.
How to work with Dr. Z
If you are curious about Tarot, I highly recommend Dr. Z. You can get a private reading, take a class to learn the healing art of Tarot, get his book, or get social with him.
Connect with him on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/DrZTarot
Book a reading or class: https://drztarot.com/
Stay curious my friends!
