I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Friday, June 2, 2017

The Secret is...

From the Fey Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the I Misteri della Sibilla, the Seven of Diamonds (Baby):
          The loss, pain or betrayal this fey has experienced has become tattooed on his trunk; it is a part of his self-identity. Everyone has met people like this (and probably have been that person at some time or other): the widow/widower whose sole focus is the person they lost, the divorced spouse who can only talk of the affair, the person laid off from a job they've had for years, etc. They have become hooked by their experience, reliving it over and over again. Defining oneself by one situation or circumstance can narrow our world considerably. We become our focus. This is why so many people are careful with their labels and say things like, "I am a cancer survivor" or "I'm a recovering addict." The Seven of Diamonds warns that there is a need for boundaries and discipline. My first thought when I saw the baby with the plate of fruit was, "Those grapes are choking hazard!" Just as babies require guidance, we do as well when we are stuck in negative mental patterns. It helps to have someone to be accountable to - a therapist, spiritual mentor, or honest friend - who can help us find a more positive way of re-framing our experience. As Pema Chodron explains, "Don’t get caught in the content: observe the underlying quality—the clinging, the desire, the attachment."


8 comments:

  1. I've experienced that retelling our story, illustrated with tarot cards, is a wonderful way to redirect our focus. I mean who doesn't want to become the heroine of her own life.

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    1. "The heroine of her own life" - now I like that idea!

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  2. I like the idea of being the heroine in ones live too!

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  3. It's funny, this pair made me think of how pain and trauma can become embedded in the body, in our body memory. Perhaps, re-learning to move and experience, as though returning to childhood, would be a way to unlearn those experiences. There's a great therapist who has people experiment with seeing and moving as a child would, an interesting experience...

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    1. Do you remember when therapists had people hit pillows or bags with a bat to 'get their anger and pain out'? That set me back light years. I think what you suggested would be a vast improvement!

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    2. Yeah, I don't know anyone who recommends that anymore. 'Catharsis' more often ends up as wallowing, reinforcing or retraumatising :( Hypnotherapy is also great in that regard, allowing you to re-experience past experiences, but bringing in new resources to experience it differently, all while in a state of calm :)

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