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I find inspirations for Tarot spreads everywhere and change models often spark such musings. The model put forth in Switch by Chip and Dan Heath provides a particularly concise model that lends itself to a favorite way to use Tarot: the 3 card spread. The model then expands to support further exploration of what is discovered in your 3 card spread.
Weaving together info from many sources, the Heaths show how each of us has a conflict built into our brains between the rational mind and the emotional mind. The rationale mind knows it would be better to put on the running shoes and go for a jog, but the emotional mind wants to sit in front of the TV with ice cream. Chip and Dan use evocative metaphors to identify these two parts of ourselves. The Rider is the rational mind who sits top The Elephant of the emotional mind. In the book they detail how these two have to find ways to cooperate rather than have one dominate as they go down The Path of creating change. (They are great storytellers and have perfect examples. Sometimes it is all a little too perfect in regard to the largest societal changes, but still their presentation of this work offers much food for thought.)
Are you seeing the 3 card spread emerging? Rider, Elephant, Path. I was just playing with the cards and tried a reading out for myself. I was surprised that laser precise insight and the deeper process that it inspired.
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.”
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!
There are a number of change models that I find inspiring. Each one offers unique insights into different types of changes we as individuals and groups go through. I’ll be blogging about a number of them. Today, we’ll look at Bridges’ Transition Model.
William Bridges, English professor turned psychologist and change process consultant, has written on transitions for individuals and organizations. He lays out a change process that includes letting go of the old and creating a picture of the new. Creating the new does not happen immediately so for a while those in the process of change are in the “neutral zone,” and, according to Bridges, this is where the psychological adjustment to the change takes place.
Bridges says that the neutral zone is both a dangerous and an opportune place where the old is released and new habits begin to take hold. He cautions that change makers who try to escape prematurely from the neutral zone will fail or fall short in creating the new. This concept calls to mind the Tarot’s Hanged Man who appears almost in a state of suspended animation. He is looking at the world from a new perspective, surrendering to his highest purpose, figuring out what truly supports him, and making a transition to death (the next card to come) and transformation. (The image to the left is from the World Spirit Tarot. One of my favorites to use with people and avaialbe from Llewellyn.)
This model inspired me to create a Tarot spread for how to work with the neutral zone.
Releasing the Old
Card One: What do I need to give up?
Working in the Neutral Zone
Card Two: What is the challenge of the neutral zone (i.e. before the change is finished) for me?
Card Three: How can I work with this challenge?
Card Four: What is the gift of the neutral zone for me?
Card Five: How can I embrace this gift?
Moving Toward the New
Card Six: What might be coming next for me in the process of change?
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