The power of Tarot

If you read my last blog you would have worked out that life has been really tough recently. (If not- you can catch up here).

I have a beautiful connection with my tarot- mostly born out of study, hard-work and lots (lots lots & lots) of practice. It is very tempting to use my cards to try to unpick exactly what is happening to significant others in my life. OK, honestly I have used the Tarot to explore the other people in this drama (I'll share that in my next blog...)

What I wanted to share in this blog is where the power in tarot really lies. The power opens when you use the tarot to understand the only thing in this world you really have control over- yourself.

It is easy with a deck of tarot cards to get caught up in what has happened, what could happen, what others think, or may do, or may not do.

All of this can be useful- but there is no power there. If the focus is too much on the past, the future, others- then you dilute the precious power of you, in this moment.

Power can lie in a simple three card reading- asking…

How am I doing right now?

How can I best use this day, week, month?

What do I most need to know?

What is blocking me?

What do I most need to do?

Power can lie in a more complex reading- perhaps a variant of a spread you already love, or you are welcome to try my reflection spread (a variant of the Celtic cross).

Again- very based on you. Shining a spot light on your strengths, weaknesses, and how you are reacting to the world around you- helping you to step into the power of creating the life you want to live, regardless of the world around you.

I have used this spread, often daily, to help me reflect my emotions, and keep track of how to manage- I often use the card at the bottom of the pack to represent advice (or I may lay another three cards for practical advice).

The spread shown was me trying to get a snapshot of my growth and development as a result of my personal situation- you know "the gift that grows from the despair" (I’m sure I read that in one of the million self help books I’ve read in the last month)

My interpretation of the cards is very personal, I think a special relationship is developed over the years when you use a deck to read for yourself- so my interpretation may slightly different than if I was reading for a client.

#1- Me- king of wands. I think of this as the shaman card (along with the Hanged man) and certainly over the last year, heightened in the last 6 weeks, my shamanic journey has intensified more than I would have ever expected.

#2- Crossing me, something I need to overcome or integrate. The Fool. In shamanic terms this is the freedom to completely let go, deeply connect on the shamanic level. Hard to do as a full time working Mum of four! I always have one foot on the ground.

#3- The unconscious, 6 wands. I am- perhaps at last- starting to appreciate that after all the study, training, practise, and dedicated training I am quite good at what I do shaminically (that was whispered quietly) I do see myself as a “Seidr kona” now – the Nordic word to describe my specific path of shamanism. It took 19 years but I am proud of what I do.

#4- The past, 2 cups. Relationships grow and change with time. For a long time I was very focused on my partners needs- rightly so I think as we raised a family and he worked hard to support us. But the relationship is changing as we both change.

#5- my conscious mind. More than anything I am still a Mum. The Seidr chant may call me deep, I may be tempted to go deeper- but if my children need me it all stops, I am still a full time Mum.

#6- The ace of swords. Well swords have been a constant experience in my shamanic world recently. A gift of understanding from Odin, a gift of protection from Arch Angel Michael, and I feel it will be the deep knowing of what to do in my personal life- somewhere I have not reached yet.

The card at the bottom of the pack. This is the cards having a bit of a laugh. In readings for me this represents my personal spiritual path- a Nordic wisdom tradition called stav (roughly translates as staff)

Somedays when I have done this spread it has reflected my deep sadness and confusion, other times a growing hope shining through anger- but this is a wider picture overview- a sense that what is happening is about personal growth, no matte how hard it may feel.

I am privileged to have read tarot for a great number of people. I have come to witness that there are two ways to approach tough times and life problems.

The impossible way- try to change the world.

The difficult way- change yourself. This may be difficult, but it is the clear way to create the life you would love to live. I’m not one for memes & new age quotes. But “become the change you want to see in the world” sums it up perfectly. And important as it is to understand the others in your life, the wider world, the potential and possibilities. Understanding you is where all your power lies.

In my next blog I’ll share a bit more about which spreads I used to know exactly what is

happening to the other people in my life during my troubled times….