If you hang out in the cozy lounge area of the Floatation Centre for any length of time, you will notice that there are a couple of tarot and oracle decks kicking around. The centre has also created and released their own TFC Mantra Decks to accompany your float practice - I love the affirmations and gentle colours of the cards. As a witch with a regular tarot and oracle card practice, I sometimes draw cards for myself before or after a float as a kind of vibe check and the mantra deck is a beautiful addition to my practice. If you're interested in doing something similar, read on!

Maybe you're curious about the cards in the lounge but are a bit hesitant to open up one of the decks to see what it's about.. Maybe you're afraid of "doing it wrong" or messing it up somehow. The great thing about a personal practice is that if it works for you and doesn't harm others, you're doing it just right! You can draw cards before your float, after your float; you can draw one, two, three, or more - whatever you feel like. You can draw from a single deck, or multiple. You can treat it like reading your horoscope in the paper, or take notes or photos to save the card meanings for later contemplation. Whatever “floats” your boat!

There are lots of webpages with lists of great questions to ask an oracle or tarot deck if you are stumped and can’t think of anything. I appreciated the ones from mindbodygreen when I recently went looking for some fresh questions. Here are a few questions that I’ve used that might be fun to ask an oracle or tarot deck before you float:

• What tools do I need to further my spiritual growth?
• What are some words of advice or messages I should keep in mind about my upcoming week (or career, relationship, health, etc.)?
• How can I cultivate self-love in my life right now?
• What do I need to pay attention to within myself during today’s float?
• How can I bring more love into my life?

If I arrive with a leisurely amount of time before my float, I often do a simple three card draw with a simple intention in mind. Sometimes I decide that one card will represent the past, the next the present, and the last the future - then I think of checking in about my week while I shuffle the deck that I’ve chosen. 

As life is busy life-ing most of the time, I lately find myself walking into the building with enough time to greet the kind human at the front desk, kick off my shoes, and head into the room I’ve booked for my float. I deliberately don’t make any plans after floating, so I take my time in the lounge afterwards letting myself gently transition from floating and back into real life. It’s a receptive time for my brain/body/spirit, so an ideal time to draw a card or two to reflect or gain insight.

If something kept floating up to my conscious mind during my float, I’ll ask a deck or two about it. If I’m just feeling chill and blissed out, I simply ask for a message to take with me into the remainder of my week. You can take this practice as seriously or as casually as you like - I recommend treating it like just another data point and gathering more information from other sources to verify it. Use your intuition, look at the pictures on the cards and see how they make you feel, consult the little book that comes in the box - all are valid ways to interpret what you draw.

Here are the steps I used and the message I received at my most recent float when I had the time to arrive a bit early and play with the cards in the lounge:

Question: What messages should I be open to receiving about my body, mind, and spirit?

I decided to draw three cards and assigned “body” to the first card, “mind” to the second, and “spirit” to the third and shuffled the deck while thinking about opening myself up to receive new information.

Card 1, body: Judgement. And boy is that cat judging me! The little book that accompanies the deck says: “Here comes the judge. This card invites you to examine your choices and actions. Are you where you want to be? Weight the scales.” Since I asked about what I needed to know about my body, I have interpreted this as me having written too many cheques that my body cannot cash and need to find a better balance.

Card 2, mind: 5 of Wands. Just look at those chaos kittens! The book says: “There are only so many toys to go around, so there may be some competition on the horizon, even a little struggle and conflict in the seeking of rewards.” I interpret this as my mind needing to prepare to fight a bit to find the balance that my body desperately needs and that maybe collaboration is key instead of conflict.

Card 3, spirit: 4 of Swords. That is one relaxed feline. The book says: “The mind finds access to deeper levels during periods of rest. It’s time to relax. Find a sunny spot and settle in for an hour of snoozing. It may look like you’re being lazy, but being still allows your mind to do the work it needs to.” Since I was about to head into a float to do just that, this card made me giggle. It also helped me feel confident that I’m doing exactly what I need to do to resolve the tension in the first two cards.

And there you have it! My pre-float reading gave me plenty to consider while peacefully drifting in the dark of my beloved Tank #3 and helped me focus when I needed it.