Insight or New Age Woo-Woo and Unicorns?

"A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection of the depth wisdom of the psyche, by participating in a ritual, participating in the myth, you are being, as it were, put in accord with that wisdom"
~ Joseph Campbell

Over the years I've come to love Tarot more deeply and it fits very well with my creative personality as a visual artist and because I also love to write. Tarot  lends itself to story telling or myth which directly relates to the subject matter of my art work.

There isn't anything I dislike about tarot. I do however find that the misconceptions, skepticism, and deception that surrounds Tarot very frustrating. The Major and Minor Arcana cards of the Tarot are not responsible for this but is attributed to those individuals doing the reading.

I sometimes find myself having to explain just what Tarot reading is, because generally speaking I don't think the average person understands Tarot and what to expect from a reader. I certainly don't mind providing a clear explanation. However it is disconcerting when I meet those who've had negative experiences after having had a reading done.

I've met people that have had unscrupulous readers tell them untruths, half truths or out and out lies. This is both disturbing and hurtful to those entrusting a stranger to supposedly give them some insight,clarity and guidance.

First and foremost a reader's responsibility and the foundation principle of a Tarot reader's philosophy, and what is paramount is to do no harm. For example, to tell someone there is going to be a death, or some other kind of foreboding bad news is not kosher, period! The individual having a reading done should be left with a positive feeling with some insight and clarification of whatever issue they have relating to the question they've asked.

Yes their are those who will present themselves and Tarot as some kind of what I call magical New Age Woo-Woo. But their are those Tarot readers who are principled with great integrity, who hold the Tarot reading as a kind of sacred covenant of ancient wisdom, much like a ritual and consider it a privilege to read the Tarot cards.

Tarot readers with integrity, are very grateful to be given the gift and the opportunity to read for others. They are perceptive and intuitive em-paths, not so-called fortune tellers, and do no harm.

I'm no fan of the description "New Age", because as a Tarot reader, what I do is not new, but very old, very ancient, dating back to the 11th century. I also tend to think the concept of New Age is more confusing than clarifying to the average person.

I'm not implying that there aren't those who have psychic abilities or who are even visionaries, or mystics. What I'm saying is that it's not a prerequisite to being a Tarot reader, but a sense of humour is, along with intuition, perception, having a love and appreciation of humanity, with a good supply of humility are all essential, minus all the Woo-Woo and the unicorns!


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Justice - The Art of Taming Horses

Justice, a very fitting card to draw today as I've been thinking about the qualities reflected in this Major Arcana card. Athene who taught the art of taming horses is a warrior of the highest kind, unlike Ares the war-god for whom the arts of war were based solely on conflict. Not Athene, her arts of war sprang from high principles that uphold and preserve truth.
 
Athene, the goddess of Justice embodies reflective judgement and rational thought, qualities that the Greeks considered divine, because it's what differentiated human beings from the beasts. Her teaching of the civilized arts symbolizes the capacity of the mind to hold untamed nature in check and transform it through clarity and to plan objectively.

The first of the four cards in the Major Arcana traditional referred to as the Four Moral Lessons which are Justice, Temperance, Strength and the Hermit, all necessary for us to function effectively in life. The lesson Justice purports, is how we must learn to think clearly and to have a balanced mind, weighing one thing against the other. If we do not respect fairness and truth as being important ethical principles, there is not Justice to be found.

Today I found this wonderful article about a beautiful 96 year old women who I think must have the courageous, and youthful adventurous heart of Athene. There is much to be said for those who are understand the art of taming horses.

As Dinnie Greenway states, she understands some people are afraid of horses but says the trick is to treat them like people.
"If they step on you, it will hurt but if you are sensible and you are kind, they'll be kind to you."
Dinnie speaks of truth and fairness based on clear thinking and having a balanced mind.

Riding horses all of her life has kept her going and keeps her young, with the true heart of Athene.

Strength - Learning to Dance in the Rain

When I woke this morning I was draggin' my sorry wilted butt at 5:30 am after a very humid, mostly sleepless night. I was relieved to find out I didn't have to work, and maybe would be able to catch a much needed nap this afternoon. I am normally an early riser, but was up way too early this morning, and greatly lacking sleep.

 That old familiar feeling of lacking sleep brought me back to when I once was working 12 hours shifts, traveling four hours a day pretty much living in my vehicle. Or when I had to get up at 4 a.m. in the morning to get a lift with a neighbour at 5:30 a.m. so I could get to University in Sackville New Brunswick. I had to hitch hike for what seemed like an eternity and after having a few emotional meltdowns along the side of the road, feeling overwhelmed, depressed and despairing, until the day it finally came when graduated at the age of 59, four years ago.

 All the crap I went through, looking back, was all worth the struggle because it made my accomplishments so much sweeter and I felt proud  I'd actually overcome those 'bad times'. Everything was put into clear perspective.

I drew the Strength card today, and then I saw this photo a friend posted. I thought it went right along with this Major Arcana card.

This photo reminded me to be grateful for the good, and the bad times. Most importantly, I'm reminded to have a sense of humour and play, which always helps to keep a lid on that inner  wild animal that the Strength card embodies, in the image of the ferocious and monstrous Nemean Lion.

I know it's an understatement to say, some times it's really a challenge to find the silver lining behind the dark clouds. Nonetheless, there will always be good and bad days. Once I learned to accept that, many if not most of my bad days became good days, in spite of, or even because of my perception of those bad days at the time.

I stopped wishing life was different or that I was someone, somewhere or something else. I learned to embrace life on life's terms and I really did learn to dance in the rain, instead of waiting for the storm to pass. It's good to be alive!

The Celtic Cross

I didn't draw a daily card today. Instead I did that personal reading I have been wanting and needing to do for myself. I have been really wanting clarification on a particular concern and situation.

I thought it might give readers of my blog some insight, as to how I approach Tarot and readings. The way I do a reading for myself is basically the same way I read for my clients.

As a Tarot reader you are continually learning through study, but with each reading comes more insight, and you are constantly honing your skills and intuition, developing a relationship with the cards. This is the reason  why I do a daily card draw, in order to deepen my relationship and understanding of the meanings of each card. Learning to read Tarot involves intuition, study, and skill. Intuition gets better with trusting it and practice, skill you are shown how, you try it, then you practice, and you are always studying and learning.

Memorizing the card meanings is pointless I believe, although this does not mean you don't end up remembering the meanings. But this comes from doing regular readings, more than from memorization. It's a good thing too, because my memorizing ability is like what I think Gerald Ford once said, 'I forgot what it was supposed to remember!' 78 cards to memorize? Forgetaboutit!

Before I do my readings, I say a prayer or invocation. Maybe light a candle. Everyone has their own personal routine or ritual in order to get focused and into a present mindfulness. Here is I think, a beautiful invocation I often say, called The Invocation of The Orchard. I know it is from the Cabala but I have no idea who wrote. it.

Invocation of The Orchard

     
 "I pass through this orchard remembering that what I may learn, and what may pass before my 
eyes will be for the purpose of healing the world, and bringing Unity into this dimension, into the plane of human awareness. This orchard is the transition point between the transcendant and the imminent - the abstract and the concrete.
My personal path can adapt and absorb this forest slowly, and as it sees fit. My basic personhood remains intact, while sampling the myriad forms and concepts in the grove. Drinking from the river of delights of the Creator's house, my own specific root into the infinite is a path of emanation along which I can safely and respectfully traverse.

"All the world is a very narrow bridge - but the point is to be fearless."

Sepher Malchus is the grounding point, where I am centered, and where I will return after contemplating the trees, springs, fragrances, and many-faceted gems in the enclosure. Sepher Malchus is the point of connection and return to my personal concrete reality and viewpoint, to my ideal stability."

*  Sepher Malchhus relates to the Earth.

When I am ready, I ask an open ended question, as opposed to a closed question, which would result in a simple answer, yes or no. I avoid starting the question with Will… When… and Should.

An example of asking an open ended question instead, this starts with What…, How… and Why.

i.e. 1. What has been blocking me in finding a new job and how can I release these blockages?

     2. What can I do to create the love life I truly desire?

And so, I had a general idea of what I wanted to ask, but I needed to get clear, and specific about my question. The more specific the question the more specific the reading.  I turned off the radio, sat down at my kitchen table, created a space,  I got relaxed and quiet. I tried to clarify my question as best I could, and shuffled the cards.

When I drew my 10 cards, and laid them out in the ancient Celtic Cross layout, I did a quick scan. My first thought was, oh frig, this isn't going to give me much information, and I felt a little down. This inner critic pops up every now and again. I ignored my negative inner critic and refocused. I began to further clarify and deconstruct the question. I got down to bare bones of what I was really asking, and I wrote the question  down in my Tarot journal.

The spread I use, the Celtic Cross, I find, enables me to tell the story of what the cards are saying, in depth.  Scanning the overall layout, I made note of the number of Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles, Aces, Pages, Major and Minor Arcana, and made some initial connections between the cards. After looking at the meanings of each card in my mind, figuratively I could past or connect the cards together, like pairing or grouping the cards, i.e.  4 Swords , 3 Pentacles, 2 Pages etc., and relate each one in accordance to the meanings of the position within the Celtic Cross layout, as I've listed below

Position One - Signifcator
Position Two - What Crosses You
Position Three - What Crowns You
Position Four - The Base of the Matter
Position Five - Past Influences
Position  Six - Future Influences
Position Seven - Where You Find Yourself Presently
Position Eight - How Others View You
Position Nine - Hopes and Fears
Position Ten - Final Outcome

 I then began to carefully decipher, interpret, and connect the meaning of each card, one card to another, and as a whole, to tell the story of my reading. Oooo it was an interesting story too! But I dare not tell!


Without going into the details of my reading, because I don't think it is of any interest to any one but me, well  maybe one other person who shall remain nameless. However, I will share these two particular quotes I found, that really resonated with me, and I directly relate them to my reading. I think they will give you a feeling for my overall reading. and I think and hope you will be able to identify with, and relate to each one.

" Until we can receive with an open heart we are never really giving with an an open heart . "
                                                                                 
                                                                                - Brene Brown

" What's difficult in life is to stay centered when somebody does or says some thing that tempts us to close our hearts, because their heart is closed. That is hard. But that is also how we grow, We go through those circumstances in order to evolve into people who can hold on to out loving center no matter what the world throws at us. 
                   
                                                                              - Marianne Williamson

Three of Pentacles - Professionalism

 

I am partial to the number three for a number of spiritually related reasons. Threes also make me think of the three Graces or Muses, and indicates an initial completion, the first bit of a project is done, rather like the basic shell of a structure that has been erected, and now energy is put toward the next needed elements to hopefully follow.

It is a rewarding feeling of satisfaction to have the beginning of project started, but there needs to be a full awareness of the hard work ahead. If I have an inability to know my limits, and do not understand  my character, knowing what I can or cannot handle, this is proportional to my success and lasting rewards.

The Three of Pentacles is a very appropriate card drawn for me today upon commencing my most recent art project, a series of 22 paintings, the Major Arcana cards based on the Mythic Tarot. Once I complete the Major Arcana, I want to complete the remaining 56 cards of the Minor Arcana.
The early beginnings for me is probably the most daunting undertaking, because of the combined fear, ambiguity and excitement that comes with the initial approach to an art project. However, I am sure this will come up again with each painting in varying degrees until the project is done in my efforts to make 'good art'. I do make a concerted effort to crowd out of my mind any negative self-talk or self-doubt in my ability to create, and replace this with positive affirming thoughts.
 I must remain steadfast, positive, realistic and adhere to my professional development.

Transcendence - The World

The World is a reassuring card that I have drawn today, after this past week which has be a rather difficult one. A sense of completion and wholeness, the ideal goal in the cycle of life, that goes on as they say, and we are left often trying to figure out what it all means. There are often no answers to our questions, but I do believe with the depth of my soul, that there is the power to transcend, through a spiritual awakening, the kind the Carl Jung referred to regardless of your religious belief.

Life being so full of ups and downs, we all pass through various phases, that present a variety of challenges. It can be very difficult to find joy when we are at the low ebbs of the cycle. I compare life to the weather. Wait a while, and it will change. If there is nothing we can do, then we can do nothing, but wait for the storms to pass, and take what joy we can, out of the moments we have, and be grateful for the seemingly  insignificant little things, as well as the major events in life.

All the elements come into play in the last card of the major Arcana. The unborn potential and capacity of the personality leads the birth of the Fool which completes the circle of life.

The World causes me to reflect on the Winter Solstice which is fast approaching, heralding the end of darkness and beginning of new light. In the cycle of life, life begins, ends and begins again.

"The great cycle of the Major Arcana ends where it begins." -The Mythic Tarot

Skeleton Woman - Catherine Meyers

The Magician - The Inner Guide

A great card the Magician  is,who appears to possess all the tools needed.  The first card following the Fool in the Major Arcana, it is a masculine card suggesting powerful energy.
There is a great will and determination to see ideas or projects through to their completion. God knows procrastination is something many of us struggle with, and can cause all manner of trouble, chaos, and difficulty. So there is much to learn, and benefit from the Magician's tools. Powers of concentration and control along with desires that are fulfilled by a strong will, and the ability to utilize one's innate faculties to their fullest advantage with originality and invention.

The Magician is the inner guide, and a spiritual teacher for the Fool., and that unconscious power that looks after us.

 The Magician is seen often standing at a table with the four emblems of the Minor Arcana: wand (fire), cup (water), sword (air) and pentacle (earth). The four elements are at his disposal and always readily available to him to be used to their fullest extent.

Note: The Magician needs also his own inner guide as he is in danger of becoming preoccupied with the world of material things. I will discuss this in relation to The Hermit in my next post.