Troubling
Tarot Cards
By
Joan Bunting
Glance through most tarot decks and you will see
certain cards that are a little unnerving: The Devil, the Tower, the Three of
Swords. No one likes to see these
cards show up in a reading because they remind us that life has challenges.
Plans go astray and problems develop – even when we’re prepared.
What’s the best way you approach such troubling cards?
First,
recognize that no card is good or bad in itself. Each on simply represents an energy or influence that can
affect your life. You can decide
whether that influence is helpful or not.
Sometimes
what seems to be unpleasant may actually turn out to be positive.
You could draw the Five of Cups in a reading about a job prospect and
think, “How discouraging!” Two weeks later, an even better job offer comes your way.
The “lost” opportunity left you free to accept this new one.
In
a similar way, positive cards can sometimes be unfavorable.
Once the Star appeared in a reading about an unsavory incident.
This card was the only bright spot in the reading and seemed out of
place. In fact, it represented a
false, “sweetness and light” that was being used to mask the nastiness. You can’t always take a card at face value!
Troubling cards often serve as warnings.
When driving, we’re glad to see a pothole
ahead of time so we can swerve to avoid it.
Unpleasant cards can tell us when something is less than ideal so we
can take action to change it. The
Devil for example, can help you recognize when you are letting yourself be
controlled or manipulated. The
Five of Pentacles can signal a brief spell of hard times so you can prepare.
In
fact, a troubling card can be welcome for this very reason.
Usually we know when something is wrong in a situation.
We sense a problem is brewing, even is we can’t put our finger on it. If you think you’re being betrayed and draw the three of
swords, the problem is literally out on the table.
You can see exactly what you’re dealing with.
What
steps should you take when you see a disappointing card?
First, check your assumptions. Ask
yourself what you truly want. Does
this card capture something you’ve been feeling, but didn’t know you felt?
Does it point out a possibility you hadn’t considered? Use this card to help you evaluate you situation.
You mat decide to make changes, or just keep going as you are.
In either case, you will gain clarity and understanding.
Remind
yourself that a discouraging card doesn’t mean your situation is hopeless.
A pothole won’t keep you from getting to your destination.
You may just have to take a different route.
Look
to the other cards in the reading for insight. No trouble exists in isolation.
The other cards will give you clues about what to do.
You may recognize someone who can help in an unexpected court card.
The Tower may suggest your environment is unstable, but the other cards
show your inner reserve of love and strength.
The
position of a card is important. An
unsettling card in the past certainly has a different meaning than one in the
future. In one position, the Nine
of Swords may reflect your own feelings of sadness, in another position those
of someone else – a different matter all-together!
Troubling
cards are most difficult to accept as the outcome. They seem to imply that s situation will turn out badly no
matter what, but thus us not the case. Your
future us never fixed. The cards
show only the most likely outcome given that all the influences in and around
you continue as they are. Simply
doing a reading creates change!
You always have the power to alter your circumstances
if you choose. A tarot reading
gives you the guidance you need to become more aware of your life and its
direction. All the cards in a
tarot deck have something meaningful to say.
These beautiful symbols of energy – positive and negative – help
us make choices that enrich our lives.
Life
Lesson Spread
This
spread highlights a problem, suggests a solution, and describes the life and
karmic lessons to be learned.
(See graphic at the end of the newsletter for the
spread layout example)
-
Spiritual
aspect of the problem
-
Emotional
aspect of the problem
-
Intellectual
aspect of the problem
-
Physical
aspect of the problem
-
Spiritual
aspect of the solution
-
Emotional
aspect of the solution
-
Intellectual
aspect of the solution
-
Physical
aspect of the solution
-
**Life
Lesson to be learned
-
**Karmic
Lesson to be learned
Goal
of the Reader –Take Action
One of your goals as a reader should be to leave
querents feeling better at the end of the reading than when it started.
Does this mean you should never give “bad” news?
No, but you
should be very careful how you discuss difficult issues and challenges with
your clients. The best thing to
do is not to dwell on the trouble but to discover things that the querents can
actually do about their situations.
One of the best ways to achieve this is to end each
spread with an “Action Card” this card will suggest a concrete action that
querents can take to help their situations.
It may involve others or it may simply be a way that they can nurture
themselves until their difficulties end.
Not
every situation can be changed, but sometimes just having something
constructive to do in the meantime can be a great anxiety reliever.
Astrological
Correspondences
~Major
Arcana~
Aries
(L)
– The Emperor
Taurus
(M)
– The Hierophant
Gemini
(N)
– The Lovers
Cancer
(O)
– The Chariot
Leo
(P)
– Strength
Virgo
(Q)
– The Hermit
Libra
(Y)
– Justice
Scorpio
(Z)
– Death
Sagittarius
([)
– Temperance
Capricorn
(a)
– The Devil
Aquarius
(b)
– The Star
Pisces (\)
– The Moon
Sun
(◉) – The Sun
Moon
(`)
– The High Priestess
Mercury
(D)
– The Magician
Venus
(E)
– The Empress
Mars
(G)
– The Tower
Jupiter
(H)
– The Wheel of Fortune
Saturn
(V)
– The World
Neptune
(X)
– The Hanged Man
Uranus
(♅) – The Fool
~Minor
Arcana~
Aries, Leo,
Sagittarius – Wands (Fire)
Cancer, Scorpio,
Pisces – Cups (Water)
Gemini, Libra,
Aquarius – Swords (Air)
Taurus, Virgo,
Capricorn – Pentacles (Earth)
The American Tarot Association
Code
of Ethics
v
I recommend you seek competent medical or psychological assistance from
a health care professional if you have any disease, illness, or disorder.
v
I recommend you seek competent financial assistance from
a banker, broker, or financial consultant before you make any financial
transactions.
v
I recommend you seek competent legal assistance from a
qualified attorney at law if you have any legal problems.
v
I recommend that every person act according to his or
her own conscience for the greater good of all concerned.
v
I will strive at all times to give you the very best
advice of which I am capable.
v
Tarot cards are not fortune cards and they are not used
for fortune telling.
v
Tarot cards are neither good nor bad, though they can be
used to encourage, give hope, and identify options for future behavior.
v
You alone are responsible for your own behavior.
*********************************
Tarot
Ethics: Six Tips Hollywood Forgot to Mention
By
Thea Bloom
*********************************
1.
Go Easy on the Judgment and Projection
2.
Fill Your Own Well
3.
Rein in Your Inner Approval Junkie
4.
Refer, Refer, Refer
5.
Keep It Confidential
6.
Try Not to Play God
ZERO – genesis, primordial cause, circles
ONE – originality, thesis, unity, beginning, origin, consciousness, idea,
pioneer, male, active, columns, independence, leadership.
TWO
– antithesis, duality, choice, cooperation, attraction, opposition,
division, pairs, partnerships, heaven and earth, male and female, active and
passive, conscious and unconscious, day and night, female, receptive.
THREE – synthesis, creation, expansion, manifestation,
body mind and spirit, birth life and death, past present and future, holy
trinities, Adam Eve and child, triangles, pyramids.
FOUR – completion, stability, security, structure,
earth, logic, law and order, four suits of the Minor Arcana, four elements,
four cardinal points, four seasons, four ages of man, four fixed signs of the
zodiac, squares, crosses.
FIVE – change, adaptability, freedom, adventure,
mediation, competition, conflict the five senses, the five appendages of man,
pentacles, pentagrams.
SIX – balance, artistry, reconciliation, reciprocation, harmony,
hexagrams, on the sixth day God created humans.
SEVEN
– rest, limitation, self-reflection, philosophy, seven heavens, seven
planets, seven musical notes, seven charkas, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit,
seven stages of initiation, seven days of creation, seven deadly sins.
EIGHT – expansion, strength, will, effort, infinity,
lemniscates, octagons.
NINE – completion, integration, selflessness,
compassion, universality, humanitarianism, spirituality.
TEN – culmination, consolidation, regeneration.
ELEVEN – master number, amplifies the powers of one.
TWELVE – twelve months, twelve signs of the zodiac,
twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles.
THIRTEEN – death, regeneration, thirteen lunar months.
TWENTY –TWO – master number, amplifies the power of two, the
Major Arcana, letters in the Hebrew alphabet
THIRTY-THREE – master number, amplifies the power of three
FOURTY-FOUR – master number, amplifies the power of four.
************************************
Tarot
Web Site of the Month:
American Tarot Association
P.O. Box 102
Stoneham, CO 80754
(970)-228-4104
www.ata-tarot.com
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