Tarot

I know how tarot works. I first and foremost believe in science, specifically psychology – I understand how self-fulfilling prophecies work. I know that reading tarot makes people deal with the subconscious that is right below the surface. I know all this, and I still do tarot. The thing is, quite often people, and I am looking at myself with this, do not or cannot deal with those thoughts.

Starting to get back to a better place mentally, I have been cleaning and pulled out all my tarot sets. I have three total now, and there is one an artist I love is working on, and when she is done and ready to print I am going to collect it as well because the symbolism works perfectly for how my brain works.

As I mentioned, the set I use the most is the Osho Zen Tarot, simply because it fits perfectly into meditation practices. The way it is designed is perfect for self-reflection, which is currently my goal.

This morning I went through my “ritual” of picking a meditation card for the day; this is a practice I do for myself to help me focus, so I won’t bother writing it. It is enough to say I do this all with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes to look at the card I had pulled, I had a card in my hand, and three more came with it and had fanned out on my desk. I didn’t notice them coming out of the deck with the card I pulled, but I’m going with it for the day.

Focus Card: The Burden, Six of Clouds – suit of the mind.

This card looks at all the extra things we carry, the things placed on us by society, others, and ourselves. The “Should’ve” demons I have written about for years. The point of this card is to let go, to put down the unessential and only focus on what is truly needed to be one’s true self. Which is sort of the entire purpose of what I have restarted this practice for myself – to let go of the baggage and start to move forward without carrying all of the unnecessary forward into the future.

And again, these are thoughts and goals I have had off and on for a while, have been below the surface in my subconscious; the cards tell me nothing new, only help me focus my thoughts on “what I need” right now for myself, from myself.


AND today’s bonus cards fell is a standard Past, Present, Future spread, so I sort of what to look at them that way.

Past: Laziness, 9 of Water – suit of emotions.

This card is about complacency, thinking that the goal has fully been achieved or the “trial is at an end.” But it is a reminder than one end is always a new beginning, a reminder to not simply -stop- and accept things as the way they are, but that the next step is just waiting to be taken.

Present: Going with the Flow, Ace of Water – suit of emotions.

This card is about acceptance, understanding, and inner peace. It is about change in a positive way; understanding what can and cannot be controlled while moving forward. It is also about refocusing away from the self as an individual, but self as a “part of the river moving forward.”

Future: The Rebel – IV (Major Arcana).

This car is about breaking the chains holding one’s self back, about finding the true self. “The Revel challenges us to be courageous enough to take responsibility for who we are and to live our truth.”

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June 10, 2020

I’ve never done tarot (is that right? Do you “do” tarot?), but a set of cards about mindfulness intrigues me…do you find it helps with the direction of your day?

*-V.

June 10, 2020

@fleshypen – I’m actually not sure how “tarot” works in terms of language; I believe it is officially a noun, but some nouns can be modified into verbs…and I’ve forgotten what those are technically called… Too many allergy meds for me to figure this one out today.

BUT, I do find it helps me a lot to have a focus. This really serves the same purpose as ‘affirmation cards’ that I have seen people use. I personally follow various Eastern philosophies and teachings in my personal life, so the Zen tarot works for my personal philosophy and serves the purpose I need it to – to get me thinking about my own subconscious thoughts and start to deal with them.

If you want to check out the cards, the set is full called the Osho Zen Tarot, and when I just searched it, there is a lot of information out there on people’s views of it. And you can preview the cards and book to see if it is something that resonates with you.

June 10, 2020

@fleshypen – And my allergy blind butt on your other note on my previous entry clicked the wrong thing.

I wanted to thank you for your kindness and was wondering what books you had read that you mentioned. I have a stack of like 20 “to read” but am willing to add more 😀

June 10, 2020

@ravenusher “You Can Be Happy No Matter What is a great book and far less cheesy and happy go lucky as it sounds. It deals a lot with how our thought patterns get us off track and we need only to recognize that these thoughts are not facts and feelings are fleeting depending upon mood and emotional state. I’ve read it twice now and gathered what I needed each time! Another excellent book is Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow by Karen Casey, it’s probably my favorite of the two for the subject matter.

and I feel what you mean! My to-read pile is taller than me 🙂

Thank you for the information about the cards, I’ll be checking them out!

*-V.

June 10, 2020

I really need to get to meditating on tarot. I had stopped because of stupid reasons I won’t get into here. It’s good to see that I am not the only one who understands the concepts people accuse tarot of exploiting, but I still find peace in it!

June 10, 2020

@zie – Thank you for sharing; it’s nice to know I am not the only one. The best way I can think to explain it to others who go “OMG EVIL” is to explain the psychology and that to me reading tarot is no different than seeking counseling – this I can do for myself in a way that is more powerful and meaningful. It’s always fun to watch the cognitive dissonance flash across their faces explaining how it works.