Monday, March 05, 2007

Tarot Cards.......


I was around 16 years old when I got my first tarot deck. My mother bought me a "James Bond" deck and put it in my Christmas stocking. I can't remember when I started using the cards in earnest, but years ago on a trip to Big Sur with my then-husband, in the gift store among petrified branches and shimmering stones and crystals, there I found the deck I would use and keep. It is an Herbal deck: each card has a specific herb or plant attached to it.
I admit I am chuckling abit as I write this post. I don't broadcast that I read these cards, and I can go months or years without much thought of them, but when it becomes known, I am often asked for readings by believers and cynics alike. There seems to be a fascination that extends past logic and reality. I rarely do a reading for someone who is not 100% attentive and receptive. And I might as well tell you I've read for company CEO's, math scholars, atheletes, and engineers--not the kind of folks you would expect to participate in this type of sage guidance.
Like a regular deck of cards, the tarot has four suits: wands, cups, coins, and swords. Each suit has ten cards and a page, knight, queen and king. Each suit reflects a certain quality. For example:
Wands: Growth, enterprise, distinction
Cups: Love, happiness, relationships
Coins: Material status, possessions, money
Swords: Conflicts, challenges, struggles
In addition to the suits, there are 21 Major Arcana Cards: each signifying a value or quality such as Strength or Justice or Temperance. Often the major Arcana cards represent states of mind: the Star for bright and hopeful outlooks, the Moon for hidden forces that may not be seen, or the Hermit, when it is best to look down on things and sort them out from a distance, alone.
So! After almost 18 months without tarot cards, I've started to read again. Here are the three cards that keep coming up for me. Two of them are Major Arcana cards: that indicates a weight and significance that I am wise to respect.
I begin with "suspended person". This is a politically correct term for "The Hanged Man". This person is upside down but not afraid and not uncomfortable. There is action occurring but it is beneath the surface. It is best to wait patiently and let events reveal themselves. Perhaps take a step backward in order to move forward. Relinquish control and realize you do not need to be uncomfortable even when you don't know what's going on.
The Ten of Wands: Wands are about growth. This person is carrying a heavy load somewhere. She/he is alone and must keep things balanced in order to keep moving. This burden might be because of too much responsibility or baggage over a relationship or work or other circumstance. But the important thing is that the person does not put the load down and does give up carrying them to their destination. It is not easy, but it is important.
Well, ok, I admit this pretty much sums up how I feel these days. Not all the time, mind you. But change tends to throw me for a loop even when I've instigated it. And no doubt my life is changing. It's true that these days I am not sure what's happening and why, and it's true I am trying to carry the somewhat heavy "wands" that I care about with care, without dropping them, and without getting depleted.
The third and last card: The World. In the tarot, this is final, 21st Major Arcana card. It is the last and most positive card in any layout. Here's the meaning in a nutshell: "You can look forward to success, whether this involves your relationship(s) or creative enterprises. You will be happy and you can make others happy too. You have gained insight and wisdom about your place in the world and you can trust your path both emotionally and physically."
My mind, perhaps like yours, is now saying "Bull!". But guess what? My mind is no more equipped or able to know the best path or possible outcome for me than is the message of the tarot cards. And I have actual experience in trusting these cards over the years, even though I still can barely explain what makes them work. And this particular message seems pretty 'right on' for me right now.
So I am going to continue to patiently wait, with as little discomfort as I can; to carry and sustain a weight that may be burdensome but one which I truly believe is worth it; and to trust that through it all and from it all I will be blessed.
The End.

22 comments:

  1. I didn't know you read cards!! I can't wait until my next visit. You'll have to get them ready for me. :)

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  2. janna! hello!

    i might put a time limit on when i will give you a reading so i can be sure to see you soon. we miss you a ton. :)

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  3. I had someone read my cards once in college, and it was weird years later to look back and see how right on they were. I'd love for you to read mine! :)

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  4. I've always wanted to learn how to read tarot cards. I think they are fascinating. I have angel oracle cards that i used to read when I was a lot younger. It's functions like tarot cards except you choose just one card which represents a particular angel. Each one has a purpose and you just try to discern what it means to the particular question you ask.

    Maybe I'll dig them up sometime and try them again. :D

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  5. Hah! I still have my deck from back in the day... I think I was fifteen when I bought it! I've had my cards read many times throughout the years, and I've always been intrigued by how accurate some of the readings were. You know... I want you to read my cards for me! Really! By the way, I did a drawing of the Strength card a while back... I'll trade you a print for a reading:>

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  6. What do I have to trade to get a reading? Never mind, I may have to go back to that woman with a fake island accent in Jackson Square in New Orleans to get a reading!

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  7. I have a tarot deck too, but I don't use it much these days. Sometimes it can be a bit scary doing a reading for yourself as the cards are usually so accurate.

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  8. I need to buy a tarot deck and practice reading on Spring Break...

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  9. Here's my take on it (for what it's worth): We humans are story-tellers and meaning-makers. It doesn't really matter if there is anything mystical about your particular way of making meaning, doesn't matter if it's capital T Truth. What mattersi s what you take from it. It seems like what you gained was a call to patience and trust. That's good enough for me.

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  10. melissa, i will give you a reading.

    menchie, see csl's comments. i've seen angel cards but never used them.

    carla, we've got a trade!

    ces, fake island accent? jackson square? surely you aren't comparing me to a phony reader!!?

    marie, i know what you mean. once i got the devil card for months and i couldn't seem to wise up even with the warning!

    ces, ok, already. i'll give you a reading. but it better not advise you to start replacing your friends...

    csl, please could you be my neighbor or friend or colleague? i look forward to your comments now--!

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  11. Wow a lot of closet Tarotists!

    I have noticed that many 'Merkins say Tarrot as in Parrot and we uppity Canadians refer to them Taro as in arrow...then again who still pronounces Coyote Koy-oh-tay?

    My sister got into them when she was a teenager back in the 70s when Seances were also still en vogue. I loved the pictures..very Blue Oyster Cult!

    As a confirmed Skeptic and Empiricist I am of course prone to dismiss such practices at face value (sorry I am what I am)
    ..during my Pentec-Hostile days back in the 80s I would have cast the demons out of you(Ramaduhasztenewanoya
    hwehesmashontalowchechma
    toliczanadey!)

    ...but to be honest I would love to hear about it from an artistic interpretive stance. Whatever we can adopt from various sources that help us to better understand ourselves and others is valuable.
    I have friends who adhere to Reiki and Wicca and I try my best to see things from the other side.

    Please don't take this the wrong way..I don't imagine for one second to have all of the answers..in fact I acquire more questions every day. I am being honest. My portal to understanding the universe around me is dependent on the parameters of science...it doesn't mean that I lack a curious nature and that I am completely averse to the mystical side...case in point despite my rational leanings I cannot watch those 'haunted' shows..perhaps it is a holdover from my spiritualism..not sure..maybe you can alter my stance with a spot on reading?

    way too much coffee!

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  12. Interesting post - very educational on tarot cards.

    I've never been into tarot cards (never owned a deck, never had a reading). Actually, as I'm thinking about it, I did go to a psychic once...in college...and really, only because a friend wanted to go and she didn't want to go alone. I can't remember if the psychic used a tarot deck...maybe (obviously, it didn't make an impression on me...or I'm in early stages of senility at age 40). The only thing I remember that the psychic said was that I'd have 2 children - which I thought was odd since I didn't want children at the time. 20 years later, I can say she was wrong since I never did want to have children and never did. My thought at the time (and still is) that this was a "statistically" good, general prediction that can be said to most women since I believe the majority of women do have children.

    I guess I'm a bit of a skeptic, but I agree with CSL, what matters is what you take from it. Good luck with the tarot cards...I hope they bring joy and comfort, KJ :)

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  13. So interesting! I've always been curious about this, but too afraid to get a reading. I don't know why.

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  14. he, to me it's 'taro' as in 'arrow.'

    i can offer this simple explanation. time is not linear. somehow the cards allow a flow of energy that includes the past, present and future. i keep my feet on the ground when i read and i serve as a conduit. maybe...

    a spot-on reading for you? i might try....

    elsa, sounds like your fortune was totally wrong!! there's competent and incompetent folks in every field. and i'm sure i'm wrong as well sometimes, both with the cards and as a counselor.

    liz, on a dreary saturday, one of these days, i think you should go for a reading......

    :)

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  15. I read my future today and it said - get some sleep!

    I always thought it was pronounced "tarrow". Even the rednecks call it "tarrow".

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  16. ces, i read your cards today and all they said was "be very sweet to your close friend".............

    :)

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  17. I could have told you that without cards - I am always sweet to my friends.

    Oh check out this ebonics word verification - Mothu

    At least it resembles some kind of word instead of being plain jibberish.

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  18. Your reading sounds like you and I wish you lived closer. My reading would be very interesting.

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  19. How mysterious ! and you may be proud of myself : this is the first time that I actually read about Tarot. Trust your path : that is a nice message, right !! And there is so much that you don't and can't tell here, but that I would ask you about right away if we were sitting together IRL.

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  20. Too far north for me to be a neighbor, but friend is good!

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  21. I've got a set too, wrapped up in black silk at the back of my wardrobe. I'd forgotten all about them until I read this post.

    I used to do readings for friends, but must confess that much of what I told them was what I intuited they needed to hear.

    Oooh! I'm sorry I've not been by for so long. And this is only a fleeting visit. I will catch up on all your wonderful words and try not to leave it so long next time xxx

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