Synchronicity and How the Tarot Works

One of the first stories in psychotherapist Robert Hopcke’s There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives involves the Tarot so – as you can imagine – I was immediately drawn into the book.

His client Bobbie, who came from a very Christian upbringing, began describing dreams that Hopcke recognized as filled with Tarot images: an Empress on her throne, an Emperor with a scepter, a Fool at the cliffside. Due to her church’s influence and her own skepticism, she just couldn’t bring herself to buy a deck or tell anyone besides Hopcke about her dreams. But the dreams kept coming, including a dream right before her birthday with an elaborate Tarot spread of 13 cards. Following her birthday, she walked into a therapy appointment holding a Tarot deck and quickly saying, “I didn’t buy it.”

Gaian Lovers Spread

 In my last post, I mused on how The Lovers invites us to a deep contemplative awareness of our world.  I also promised to soon post a spread inspired by the Gaian Tarot Lovers.  Well, the soon part was not true (unless you are using a cosmic time clockJ), but finally I return to post the spread.

 The Gaian Lovers is an inspiring image, and its elements provide support to contemplate not only the beautiful in our lives, but the challenging.  First, the lovers stand together supporting each other to look out into the world.  Their strength is shared and in each other they can return to a state of nurturance, communion, and passion no matter what is happening in the wider world.  They are surrounded by a green lush bower that reminds us of how the earth is constantly renewing itself and offering us gifts.  The woman’s spiral arm band reinforces this idea of renewal, and calls us to remember that we all stand within the Great Spiral of Life.  Finally, the birds are guides and inspirations.  All birds can be seen as messengers between the realms and intermediaries with the spirit world. The doves remind us of the possibility of peace and the swan is a symbol of love, grace, partnership, and transformation across cultures.  And the swans are fierce!  They will stand their ground no matter what confronts them!

The Lovers, Looking, and the Gulf Coast

Preparing for a Tarot meditation session on the Lovers, it struck me:  the invitation of the Lovers is to look. 

The card’s call is as simple and as challenging as looking.  On the simple end of the continuum, something comes into our awareness, we see (or touch or taste) it, and move on.  In these times, we always seem to be on the move as we:  read the ticker tape headline news at the bottom of the TV screen; eat our breakfast muffins while driving in the car; glance at the sunsets before running into the house to make dinner. 

But a deeper looking is possible and described beautifully by the contemplative William McNamara, “People, trees, lakes, mountains. You can study things, but unless you enter into this intuitive communion with them, you can only know about them, you don’t know them. To take a long loving look at something –a child, a glass of wine, a beautiful meal-this is a natural act of contemplation, of loving admiration.” The problem? “All the way through school we are taught to abstract; we are not taught loving awareness.”

This past Friday, I had the epiphany that the deep meaning of the Lovers card is a call to this contemplative awareness, a call for us to take a long loving look.  And I fell in love with the card in a new way.

New Hierophants for New Times?

I lead monthly Tarot meditation sessions where we journey into the cards to meet the wisdom figures there.  This month we focused on the Hierophant and this figure was offering surprises.

 As the card in the Tarot most connected with rules, assigned roles, and established teaching or principles, the Hierophant is not the usual suspect for surprises, but such are the times that we live in that this figure, too, might be breaking out of its box.   As you can see from the Rider-Waite-Smith version of the card, the Hierophant is a figure of authority who works within institutions to pass on established knowledge.  His students listen and receive the information as it is passed to them.  The Hierophant has brought us the gifts of the wisdom of our ancestors, but also has a shadow side of control and domination that limits personal development and insight.

But in recent meditation experiences, the Hierophant seems to be coming in different forms.  In my own meditation, this wisdom figure came to me as a little girl.  (For more on children as wise ones, see my post on Children in the Tarot.)  She laughing led me to a temple hidden in a hillside, really a cave with a light source at its peak.  Another meditation participant had a most unusual figure appear.  The outstanding features were wings and it was hard to discern any kind of body.   In fact, it was impossible to tell if this figure was animal, human, or something else.  But it floated and led her to a temple to complete the work of the meditation.

After the mediation, I began to think about how nearly all of our society institutions are in crisis and flux:  the economy, religion, and the media may be the most obvious examples.  I work with people who do communications for grassroots justice organizations so I hear from them about how the “old” ways (from 10 years ago!) of getting out their messages and reaching the media have absolutely changed.  Newspapers are reduced in size and impact while social / new media has emerged a vital way to reach people. 

We live in Tower times!  And when the old structure is no longer providing societal support, the traditional Hierophant is limited.  He is not a figure to help us to make the leap to the new.

What We Might Learn from Plants and the Five Green Allies Spread

I wondered while gazing upon the Gaian Teacher about what questions the plants pictured might ask us if we could understand their language. I looked at Joanna’s companion book and my own herb books to see their properties as well as drew to mind my experience with these plants. I felt that each plant offered questions to aid us in healing as well as developing self-knowledge and mindfulness.

Dandelion: We modern humans with lawns are always trying to uproot this plant that has wonderful nourishing qualities and bright sunny flowers. Despite knowing this, I uprooted a few the other day because they had wandered into my Hosta area! So what wisdom does the dandelion have for us and what questions might it ask:

• Self-Knowledge: What part of me is tenacious and steadfast no matter what confronts me? What am I trying to remove from my life that might actually be helpful to me?
• Mindfulness: Where is there simple happiness in my life that I need to pay more attention to?
• Healing: How can I nourish myself after challenging times? How can I keep hope alive within my soul?

Garlic: I love the tangy strength of garlic and feel a surge of good health after a meal cooked with its pungent cloves. Joanna points out that the many layers of the garlic can be seen as a metaphor for the unfolding cosmos.

• Self-Knowledge: What can help me to put my current life challenges into larger perspective? What stinks in my life right now, but might be making me stronger for the long haul? What is at the hidden center of myself that can give me strength to face the challenges of life?
• Mindfulness: What area of my life needs strong and focused attention right now?
• Healing: how can I build up the strength to take on the next challenge of my emotional (or spiritual, or physical, ect) healing?

Nettles: Their outside stingers on leaves and stems guard highly nutritious food and its fibers make strong rope, clothing, and fish nets. Always handle the nettles wearing gloves!

• Self-Knowledge: If I look beyond my current crankiness, what gifts are being developed below the surface? If I’ve been prickly with people lately, how can I look into the source of this prickliness and bring forth something for the greater good? What can I tie more tightly into the fabric of my life to realize my desires?
• Mindfulness: What do I need to handle with care right now?
• Healing: What aspect of my current situation needs to be neutralized so I get through to the gifts?

Comfrey: This plant is also know as All Heal and offers great benefits to bones and muscles. Joanna reports that it is reputed to bring safety while traveling.

• Self-Knoweldge: Right now what is providing the strongest structure in my life?
• Mindfulness: What do I need to pay attention to ensure my safety as I travel through my day?
• Healing: What’s broken in my life right now and demands my attention for healing? What can I do that will provide me with the most important healing in my life right now?

Yarrow: I have yarrow in my yard and love the strong, flat flowers. It is potent against infection, reduces fevers, and staunches the flow of blood from deep cuts. Joanna reminds us that the sticks of the I-Ching are made from yarrow and it is thus connected with divination as well as love and courage.

• Self-Knowledge: Where is my life is my energy bleeding away? How can I staunch the flow?
• Mindfulness: What should I pay attention to at this time to gain greater connection to the Divine?
• Healing: How can I “cool down” from feeling “burnt out” or working at a “fevered pitch?” What can I do to prevent a small annoyance in my life from growing and “infecting” my whole life?

Wow, these little plants offer us many deep questions for living in times of change.

You can combine these questions into a spread that has a theme. I, for example, put together a Five Green Allies for Self-Knowledge Spread. I, of course, used the Gaian Tarot cards with this spread.

Part II: The Magic of Planning and Goal Setting

[Note:  I sent this article to my e-newsletter list a couple of weeks ago.  If you want to get the latest news from me, send me an e-mail (carolyn (at) artofchangetarot (dot) com) and I'll add you to the list.]

At the last Tarot Playgroup, we explored the first card of the Major Arcana, The Magician, along his/her four magical tools: the wand, the sword, the cup, and the pentacle. You probably recognized them as the emblems of the four suits of the Tarot. As card one, the Magician invokes unity and the potential of holding all things together without division. He integrates the elemental qualities of his tools to simultaneously work with his creative passions, the gifts of the intellect, all kinds of emotions, and the practicalities of everyday life. Raising his wand to the heavens in one hand and reaching the other hand to the ground, he unites the spiritual and the material. So I’ve been thinking about how he (and really the Tarot as a whole) is a valuable and interesting guide for goal setting.

Part I: Visioning and Planning – The Year Review

Since 2004, I have used The Sacred Journey Daily Journal for planning and reflecting.  There are 3 basic elements to the journal:  1.)  Mission and goal setting for the year along with identifying annual and monthly symbolism to guide you. 2.)  Monthly and weekly calendars including spots for outlining objects, setting focus, noting tasks, and (for me) writing down weekly Tarot spreads.  3.)  Reflection pages at the beginning and ends of months, seasonal events, and the whole year.

During this year, I’ve paid much more attention to and evolved my practice of observing, and working to align with, the seasons as well as weekly planning, intention setting, and reflection.  Days seem to go by too fast for seeing patterns, and if I wait until a whole month has gone by I can’t remember enough detail.  Season reflection allows me to see time from nature’s perspective, which is so different from our clock-obsessed society!

Articulating How I Work at Open Studios

I recently participated in the Artists Open Studio in the building where I work.  I organized a Tarot Gallery by creating displays on my walls with cards (Elmer’s Tack is my new favorite thing!) and did light one card readings to introduce people to Tarot.  It was fun!  And very interesting to be working to dispel some of the misperceptions and even fears that people have about Tarot.  I felt like a Tarot Ambassador.

And it struck me how Tarot really does need Ambassadors and lots more positive PR.  Some people when they realized the room was filled with Tarot cards backed quickly away.  A number of people talked to me about how they were afraid of Tarot, but when I did my 1 card readings for them, they were pleased.  They just needed to have a positive experience with Tarot, which most often is misrepresented as some kind of mystical force that will act on the questioner (and, sadly yes, occasionally is actually used in an abusive and unethical way) rather than a tool to be used by the questioner to support their own positive action or understanding.

Readers do use Tarot in different ways and over the course of the 3 days of the Open Studios, I got good practice at articulating some of the key principles / assumptions behind how I work with Tarot.  Here are the statements I made over and over again:

Seasonal Reflections and Special Offers

The winter season brings strong winds to blow leaves from trees.  Plants die back and the land rests.  The essential shape of the landscape is revealed; we see sky and distant mountains clearly.  What is ready to be revealed in your life?  What needs rest and renewal in your life?

The dark descends.  Out of these long nights, all traditions have created celebrations of light where rituals with friends and families are enacted and stories told of ancestors and wisdom teachers.    These remind us that the light will return.  Do you have or need to create rituals to dwell in the dark while remembering the light?  Are you ready to gather with friends and family?  Or are there relationships that need special attention or repair?  What stories would you like to tell in this season … of your life … your community … your country?

The holiday of the New Year is a chance to start anew.  Ancient cultures gave us the gift of looking at the new year as a time when creation can begin again, when the new year offers the possibility of ushering in a whole new era.  Our calendar year’s start of the year in January offers a quiet time for reflection, dreaming, planning, and putting in place what is needed for a positive and productive year ahead.  What are the seeds that you would like to plan for the new year?  What are your dreams and visions for the coming year, for the next 5 years, for the next 25 years?

 To mark the season, I am offering the following packages at very special rates:

Paradoxes of Change: Memory & The High Priestess

Preparing for a recent Tarot meditation, I delightedly explored a new aspect of the High Priestess.  I am constantly amazed how the meaning of the cards is revealed afresh to me despite the fifteen or so years that I have studied the Tarot.  This time my attention was drawn to the High Priestess’ connection to deep memory through Rachel Pollack’s writing in her book on the Haindl Tarot about the High Priestess’ correspondence to the Hebrew letter Gimel:

 “The Hebrew letter for this card, Gimel, means “Camel,” the animal we see crouched at the the woman’s legs (in the Handel High Priestess card).  A symbol for timelessness and patience, the camel, which carries its own liquid as it crosses the dessert, links the elements Water and Earth.  But the camel (on the card) is filled with light, radiating upward, reminding us of truth found in animal instincts.  The camel looks away into the past.  The images and myths implied in this card belong to humanity’s most ancient memories” (p. 31).

 The High Priestess is the conveyor of deep memory along with deep mystery.  But what does this really mean?  Certainly this includes wisdom passed by our ancestors through books and scrolls like the High Priestess holds in so many pictures as well as through the oral tradition.  But I have also been reading lots of material on the new cosmology which weaves together science and spirituality.  In Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry’s The Universe Story, they move through time from the Big Bang to the present day.  They describe the birth of the earth and tell the story of the first living cell, who they name Aries.  Aries is our first ancestor and we’ve been drawing on his life generating forces since his birth from a lightening strike.  As Swimme and Barry write, memory is what connects Aries to us: