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closeIt’s all in the cards
Nurse practitioner uses Tarot to open the doors to self-healing
Susan Schell
of the Gateway
Jen Lee sits at a table and peers down at a group of cards displayed on the table. She offers insight on what she sees during the Tarot card-reading session.
Lee is a healing practitioner with a bachelor of science degree and a master’s degree in nursing, and she’s a licensed family nurse practitioner. She’s also certified in Natural Force Healing, Reiki and Matrix Engergetics.
How could someone with feet firmly planted in the Western medical world become a Tarot card reader? Lee described her interest in the cards as a step on the path to healing after she was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma in the early 1990s.
“It was a real wake-up call,” she said. “It brought me into an era of self-discovery.”
After she finished chemotherapy 1 1/2 years later, Lee’s sister, who was studying energy healing, suggested she look into alternative ways to get healthy.
“We’re wined and dined by pharmaceuticals,” Lee said. “And at the time, I was very Western, very logical-minded. But I was open to the concept of emotional causes for physical disease.”
As she learned more about cancer, she began to look at what she could do to become a happier person.
“I had such a busy life, I didn’t stop to reflect,” Lee said. “But then I started taking energy-healing classes in Seattle. I got into meditation, yoga, numerology — anything I could do to keep myself alive.”
Lee believes people sometimes get so steeped in negativity that the healing process is like peeling off layers of toxic emotions and thoughts.
“It’s not about finding what you don’t want, but focusing on what you do want,” she said. “Turn away from negativity and bad news, and find your passion. Once you find your passion, you’re in the flow.”
Lee said she was introduced to Tarot cards in 1997 during a class on Vashon Island.
“It didn’t make a lot of sense to me then,” she said. “Reading was a struggle at first. But then I found I had a special gift for intuition. I took another class, and everything fell into place.”
Over the years, Lee has been based at Heavenly Choices in Poulsbo, Crystal Voyage in Tacoma and Crystal Cove in Shelton. She now teaches energy healing, Tarot, numerology, meditation, past-life regression and spiritual prosperity classes.
Lee said people who come to Tarot reading classes often are curious and want to open their intuitive skills. Tarot cards are tools to help people on the path of self-discovery, much like meditation, Reiki and acupuncture, she said.
“The Tarot is not something to help you see into the future,” Lee said. “It’s about helping to see the present more clearly. People come to receive information on their relationships, work or their families. Tarot is often about validating where they are and getting some inputs and suggestions about where to go with their lives.
Elle Tatum, who’s been through readings before, brought her daughter-in-law, Carrie Tatum, to visit with Lee.
“We’re seekers,” Carrie said. “This is my first class, but I’ve always been interested in the world.”
“I’m exploring and trying to develop my intuition on my quest for self-discovery,” Elle Tatum said. “We get bored when we’re not learning and stretching. During the readings, I believe our intuition surfaces, and I believe you can trust it as a guide.”
The history of the Tarot card is sketchy. Lee said a lot of people believe the practice of reading the cards descended from Egyptian mystics. Others maintain they came from China.
The cards were introduced to Western Europe in the 14th or 15th century, and they increased in circulation and popularity.
“We are all on a path towards self-realization,” Lee said. “The Tarot can help you on this path.”
Tarot card readings
Jen Lee will offer two Tarot card reading classes in the coming months. A Tarot Basic class is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28, and an Advanced Tarot class is set for 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 20.
For more information, call 253-549-8627, e-mail jen@jenleereadingsandhealings.com or visit www.jenleereadingsandhealings.com.