How To Read Like A Seer - Part 1

Symbology is the language of the subconscious mind and this is precisely where tarot (magick) exists. Ultimately symbolic literacy is what we wish to achieve over time, although this takes practice, trust, as well as an open mind & heart. 

From the moment of our birth into this physical world, we are born oracles. In fact each one of us carries a library of experiences from not only the physical, but our other world, too. For most of us, the key distinction is an overly developed emphasis within the realm of our conscious or physical world; with very little attention or development given to the landscape of our inner/other world.  

One of the biggest challenges of working with the tarot is learning to bypass the conscious mind in order to shift our awareness into the cockpit of our own subconscious mind; for this is the place of feeling which utilizes the otherworldly language of our own spirit’s symbology. When we do this, we open ourselves up, like an antenna, to receive messages (from beyond). All of this translates into our intuition - a place of magick. So, with this said, the key difference is either “thinking through” a tarot reading with our “rational” conscious mind, or “feeling” our way though a reading by tapping into this other world, often known as our intuition or inner guide.

Intuition = flow and one of the chief aspects of flow is that gentle voice we hear within ourselves during a reading; and ironically, this is the same voice we often discount as silly, not to be trusted, or some fiction created from our imagination which carries no credence within our current reality. When we doubt ourselves in this way, we are succumbing to the reality of the rational or conscious mind; and when we do this, our reading is already dead in the water! So when in doubt, turn off the head and turn on the heart.

Until next time, stay magical!

Pain Needs A Home

From long ago, experiences we may have thought were once lost to time never fully left us. Whether they were terrible or pleasant in memory, they remain etched within the psyche of our subconscious mind; which functions much like a museum for these memories which we rarely feel the need to visit. Although in the case of negative experiences, similar in taste to a past episode, chances are very good that they will trigger a sounding of the guard within us. At which time, our own safety mechanism of fight or flight springs forth into action like a noble knight. After all, this is war and there’s a new battle waging just above the surface of our subconscious.

Once our guard has been roused into action, we naturally fear the worst, believing this new threat might even fair worse than its past predecessor. In response we often retaliate in such a way that we overcompensate in the hope of warding off or even destroying this new menace. I prefer to think of these unwelcome beasts as dragons, randomly manifesting throughout our waking life to remind us of unfinished business, often spiritual in nature and desperately in need of our attention.

In terms of our response, we might attempt to ward off the beast with substances like drugs, alcohol, self-inflicted physical abuse or possibly just shutting down or isolating ourselves from the living world altogether; until the dragon takes flight and temporarily leaves us once again, just long enough for us to regain our emotional and psychological equilibrium. 

In order to overcome the unfinished business of any past hurt, many might assume that we need to challenge the beast head-on to a duel. Although ironically it’s really not necessary nor productive to work against these forces in this way, largely due to the fact that we are destined to lose such a fight. No, what’s needed is to welcome the beast, even shine a light of understanding across its body in an effort to acknowledge the wounds of another age. In the end, pain needs a home and by providing safe harbor from the wreckage of our past, gradually we transmute ourselves from survivors into thrivers. 

This sort of inner alchemy begins with the soft and almost whisper-like summoning of patience for ourself and our predicament. And it is this same spiritual elixir which need not mire itself in judgment or any kind of conditional expectation. Instead, patience is the beginning of healing, of finding the way back to our higher self as well as reuniting us with our true path. For a nice reminder, one might meditate upon the Major Arcana tarot card, Temperance. Overall this card offers a recalibration that leads to balance, as well as inner calm, inner peace. 

Until next time, be well.