Tarot Lesson #5

 

Greetings, and welcome to tarot classes based on my book:
The Ultimate Tarot Guide: for Your Personal Tarot Journey

You can purchase your copy @ the link above.

You will need a notebook or three-ring binder and a pen. I recommend the notebook or binder, as opposed to typing your answers/reflections into the computer. A couple reasons for this…handwriting anything puts you closer to the topic and the energy you’re working with. This is why the emailed tarot readings I do are all written out in long-hand first, as I turn the cards, and only then typed into the computer. The second reason is that, at the end of your journey, you will have a keepsake of your adventure, in your own handwriting, to review at your leisure, to use for reflection and meditation.

You will also need a tarot deck to work with. This should be a deck that resonates with you, a deck that you’re comfortable with; but I do suggest that the deck be a standard deck, in that the major arcana, the court cards, and the suits be traditional. I recommend good old Rider/Waite. It’s a traditional set of cards that you may find yourself returning to again and again during a lifetime of tarot study and reading.

The first thing I want to tell you is that the journey you are embarking on right now will be an incredibly personal journey.

These tarot classes are copyrighted material and may not be reproduced in any form, nor may they be displayed to the public through blogs, social websites, personal websites, emails, etc.

Lesson 5: Tarot Meditation

The tarot’s most popular and most recognized use is for divination, but you will discover that its mystery and power goes way beyond the confines of revealing other people’s secrets, exploring the past, or predicting the future. Through the use of tarot with meditation you will be able to explore your own psyche– what drives you, what bothers you, what compels you, and what you might need to face to reach your goals and your full potential.

The only way for me to teach you how to do this, is to take the journey with you.

As you will pull a card for this meditation, so will I; and I will record the findings for my card as you record the findings for your card.

Let’s begin…

• 1. Shuffle your deck and pick a card. I don’t care how you do this, as long as the card chosen was chosen completely at random.

• 2. Turn your card over and record the name of the card at the top of a fresh page in your tarot journal.

My card is…The Chariot.

• 3. Write down the first thing you thought of as you saw the card you drew.

Journeys, travels, the idea of how far I’ve come and how many roads, pathways, and detours I’ve taken to reach the point I am now…

I’m not going to record the entire answer I’ve written for this section, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll need plenty of space and quiet time just for this section. Don’t rush the process. It would be nice to be able to do this all in one sitting, but that isn’t possible for most of us. If you have to, put it aside, and come back to it when you’re able.

But keep writing…you are going to be surprised at what pours forth from just your first glance at the card you’ve chosen. It’s choosing wasn’t as random as you might think– there’s a reason that you’re holding the card that you are holding and you will discover that reason through this meditation.

• 4. Write down what you think this card is trying to tell you.

I think I’m going somewhere, going places, perhaps not even physically, but that I’m going to reach specific goals that I’ve set for myself, vantage points that I’ve strived for, milestones.

What is your card trying to tell you?

Record your answers for the following questions:

• 5.  What color do you most notice in this card?
  
  

• 6.  What do you associate with this color?
  
  

• 7. Does this card make me think of someone?

Your answer to this question might be a real person, someone you know– family member, friend, fellow employee, acquaintance, etc. But the individual that you think of could just as easily be someone that you’ve seen in a movie or on tv, a deity, a character from a book, someone that you’ve seen in a dream, or a historical figure.

• 8. If this card makes you think of someone, what feelings do you have when you think of them?

Sad? Happy? Moved? Inspired?…but also, afraid, disgusted, intrigued, mesmerized. What do you feel when you think of this person?

• 9. Do you associate a season with this card?

Look at the card closely, for as long as you need to, and record your answer.

• 10. Write down the feelings, memories, and associations that you have with this season.
  
  

• 11. Is there the image of a particular object on this card that catches your eye above the other images/objects found on your card?

What is the object or image?

• 12. What does this object mean to you?

Use all the time and space necessary to cover, as thoroughly as you can, what this object may mean to you, along with any secondary associations connected with it.

For example, sunflowers remind me of autumn, autumn reminds me of my childhood in South Dakota, my childhood in South Dakota reminds me of my grandmother…etc. Interestingly, when I refer back to question 4 of this lesson, the card that I chose– The Chariot– did indeed take me somewhere. It took me home.

You’re going to end your meditation here.

• 13. One last time, for this meditation, look at your card.

Think about the following questions. Either meditate upon your answers, or write your answers down in your tarot notebook:

What stood out for you most about this card, the questions, or your answers?

At the end of your time with this card, were you in the same place (mentally) that you were when you began, or did this card take you somewhere else?

What emotions did you experience?

Were you surprised by any of the emotions, memories, or thoughts that came to you during this exercise?