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Healing From Within
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Susan Eller: Spiritual Counselor, Reiki Master Teacher, Intuitive
Tarot Coach
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Tarot Tips
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Cultivating Your Own Tarot Meanings
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Although memorizing the meanings
of the cards is an excellent way to learn Tarot, you don't always have to know the meanings in order to derive benefit from a reading. An easy way to familiarize yourself with the cards is to free assoiciate with
them. The following method, inspired by some of Mary Greer's work, is a simple way to cultivate insights into the meanings of the cards.
Please note that the words in italics are my responses to the suggested method.
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1. Have pen and paper ready.
2. Think about an issue you would like help on. Then state your request in the form of a question. For example:
"What will help me write this article?" Or if you prefer you could just ask for guidance around a particular issue.
3. Take a moment to close your eyes and center yourself. Ask for higher guidance and wisdom.
4. Shuffle the cards then either cut them or fan them out with the picture side face down. With your non dominant hand select a card.
5. Turn the card over and look at it for awhile.
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Now notice how you feel as you gaze at the card. Just get an overall sense of the card. Describe what is going
on in the picture. What is happening? In answer to my question, "What will help me write this article?" I pulled the Page of Swords from the Universal Waite Deck. The scene depicts a youth holding a sword.
There are white, billowy clouds in the background.
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Notice if anything in particular draws your attention. Does anything in the picture remind you of what is occuring in your current situation?
If there are words on the cards, do they suggest anything to you? Free associate with any images that attract you. There's no right or wrong way to do this. Just let your imagination flow. The Page is looking
over his/her shoulder. This person looks a little unsure about him/herself as if they are looking for direction and not clear about what to do. This tells me that this article needs to appeal to someoen who is more
of a novice to Tarot and to supply them with tools that will give them a better understanding of the cards.
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You can also dialogue with figures or images in the card. Imagine they can speak to you. What might they say to
you? Do they have any advise for you? I have dialogued with the Page of Swords and was told that the sword represents the tools needed to feel more secure with reading the cards. This article is providing some of those tools.
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Pretend you are a figure in the card. What does it feel like to be that person? To assume its stance? When I
assumed the stance of the Page of Swords I found that holding the sword made me feel powerful.
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If the card feels good to you, imagine that you breathe in its energy. Fill yourself with that feeling. It feels comforting to breathe in
this image. It leaves me with a desire to learn more.
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If the card looks negative or scary, notice if there are any sensations in your body that correspond to how you
feel about the image. Breathe into these places and allow them to relax. Release any tension that might be in your body as a result. I could see how the Page of Swords might be negative looking to some people. A
sword afterall can be used as a weapon. If I were to think of this card in a negative way I would feel tension in my stomach like a tightening there. I have taken a slow, deep breath into my belly to release that
tension and now feel more relaxed and at ease.
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Is there anything in the picture that is hopeful, that might help in some way?
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Does it correlate with anything in your life or any part of you?
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What might it be trying to tell you? The flock of birds flying high above in the sky looks like a hopeful
message to me. They suggest support from my peers yet the space to fly on my own.
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Notice if there is anything in the card that might indicate a way that you could turn this situation into an
opportunity for healing or growth. I have been drawn now to the Page's boots. I notice that the Page is standing on the only piece of land in the picture as he/she is surrounded by water. Even though the scene is
a windy one, (I am noticing the trees bending in the background) the ground keeps the Page stable. The message is to stay grounded when things are being stirred up (which will happen if you are learning something
new) as a means of stability.
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Combine the insights you have received into one or two sentences. The Page of Swords depicts someone who is
in a new situation, one that may seem unclear and even feel uneasy. However, by grounding and using the tools available, one can overcome and triumph from this challenge.
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As you can see you can receive quite a bit of information from a card even before looking up a meaning. You
might try doing this exercise the next time you pull a card. It's a good idea to record your notes in a journal. Experiment, explore and have fun with your cards. Over time as you practice free associating you will
find you have developed your own meanings that you can use as an adjunct to those you have memorized
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More Tarot Tips:
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Getting Aquainted With Your Cards
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Working with Negative Looking Cards
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Return To Top Of Page
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Healing From Within
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Copyright ©1998-2010 Susan G.Eller. All Rights Reserved.
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SPIRITUAL COUNSELOR, REIKI
CLASSES, INTUITIVE TAROT COACH, E-BOOKS & TOOLS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE
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