I’m in the process of reading “The Secret Life of Nature” by Peter Tompkins (co-author of “The Secret Life of Plants”), which especially deals with the Fairy World as part of a Universe that is intensely alive and in constant communication with us. Tompkins’ statement that, “The idea that the entire universe communicates with the interior of our bodies and minds has been part of esoteric religious tradition for thousands of years” [213],” also has implications for divination techniques like Tarot and Bibliomancy.
Ancient peoples viewed divination as more than just a self-serving practice based on the desire to know what’s coming down the road so you can take advantage of it. When you get out your pack of Tarot cards or other divinatory tools, you are both saying and signaling, “Hey, I’m ready to pay attention.” This is a respectful act, because it amounts to paying attention to what the Living Universe is trying to tell you, and paying attention is paying respect. There is an exchange of energy here, a metaphysical coinage, an energy offering.
When we take the shamanic view, we approach the larger, Living Universe and all its individual life forms and expressions of life as kin to us. We can look at divination as a way of opening a friendly conversation with our spiritual kinfolk, so there’s nothing dark or boding or fearful about that. Persons with strong family feeling take pleasure in being in touch with extended family members; this is one of the reasons that so many Native Americans begin speeches as well as prayers with a greeting to “all of my relations.”
This can provide creative inspiration for Tarot artists: one could come up with something of an animists’ Tarot deck or Oracle, where you have not just human figures, but illustrations where the human figures are interacting with faery and spirit forms, as well as with other natural entities, and with natural and man-made features of the environment that are in some sense animated. I think I have come across some decks that at least hint at this. Can anyone jog my memory or suggest Tarot decks that illustrate this sense of communication with the larger world, and with the Intelligence of Nature?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Giving You Something to Write About—March 17, 2010
With the start of April getting closer in sight, I’m pulling my stuff together for my first-Sunday-of-the-month visits to the Triple Goddess, (with the first on April 4th, which is also Easter). As always, these sessions are free and casual, and among the reasons for stopping by are that novel events like my “magical chat sessions” give you something to write about.
If you blog or keep a journal, or if you are a person who tries to be dutiful about writing letters or e-mails to friends and relatives, you know that it can sometimes be difficult to find much to say beyond reporting about the weather and everyone’s health condition. However, if you happen by the Triple Goddess on one of these Sundays when I have some activity set up, such as the Faery Friends, Dollhouse Oracle, Animal Cracker Oracle, etc., at least you can write up something like, “I stopped by the Triple Goddess today, and there was this lady who was telling fortunes with animal crackers …” (or what have you). Think about it—how many places are there in this area (or anywhere) where you can just wander in and see something like that going on? Also, if you participate in the demonstrations of Tarot reading or other oracles, that gives you additional fodder for writing, because you can explore the meaning of whatever reading you got.
Just a reminder—if you would like to further probe the significance of your readings or other topics of interest, you can post questions and comments to this blog. I will be happy to respond, because there are always so many additional insights that one can pull out of a reading or discussion.
For those who are unfamiliar, when I come to the Triple Goddess, I demonstrate Tarot techniques or other Oracle techniques (among other things). Typically a small group of people will be present, and if it involves Tarot reading, people will bring their own cards or can borrow demonstrator decks from the Triple Goddess. As we delve into whatever is the theme of the day, individuals shuffle and lay out their own cards, and then we go around the table discussing the readings. If you are shy about having your situation discussed in a group, you aren’t obligated to participate. It is OK to just look on, and you can pick up pointers for reading that way.
A big advantage of the group experience is that when people come together, their Spirit Mentors also come together. Just as individual human persons have different knowledge, insights, and talents, so do people in Spirit, so this is an opportunity to tap into the greater collective wisdom of the Spirit World. And of course, a high vibration place like the Triple Goddess already attracts the better class of spirits. Some things I hope to continue to develop throughout this year’s sessions are new ways that we can CROWD SOURCE TO SPIRIT.
This is also why I very much encourage participants and onlookers to butt in as we discuss different peoples’ readings. If someone has drawn certain cards (or whatever), and something pops into your mind about their meanings, do speak up. Even if your comment doesn’t seem entirely pertinent or significant, it may be that you are getting a message from Spirit, with something that somebody there needs to hear. Also, with the Synchronicity Factor, a message for one can be meaningful to many. Often, in analyzing or discussing someone else’s reading, things will come up that speak to my own concerns. I think this is all the more the case for group members when a number of people come together.
Another good thing about these sessions is that the good folks at the Triple Goddess allow—and indeed encourage—us to work with their demonstrator decks. So, if you’ve been thinking about buying a particular Tarot deck or other oracle deck, but are wondering how it would work for you, or if you just want to familiarize yourself with a lot of different decks, this is a great way to try them out.
By the way, among the things we’ll be doing at the April 4th session are a Tarot reading and Tarot spell on the theme of Resurrection, which will be focusing on the Judgment card. If you have a chance to come by a little early, you might take some time to go through the demonstrator decks to see if any of them have a version of the Judgment card that you’d like to try working with. Note that you don’t have to use the same deck for both the reading and the spell—it’s fine to use two different decks.
If you blog or keep a journal, or if you are a person who tries to be dutiful about writing letters or e-mails to friends and relatives, you know that it can sometimes be difficult to find much to say beyond reporting about the weather and everyone’s health condition. However, if you happen by the Triple Goddess on one of these Sundays when I have some activity set up, such as the Faery Friends, Dollhouse Oracle, Animal Cracker Oracle, etc., at least you can write up something like, “I stopped by the Triple Goddess today, and there was this lady who was telling fortunes with animal crackers …” (or what have you). Think about it—how many places are there in this area (or anywhere) where you can just wander in and see something like that going on? Also, if you participate in the demonstrations of Tarot reading or other oracles, that gives you additional fodder for writing, because you can explore the meaning of whatever reading you got.
Just a reminder—if you would like to further probe the significance of your readings or other topics of interest, you can post questions and comments to this blog. I will be happy to respond, because there are always so many additional insights that one can pull out of a reading or discussion.
For those who are unfamiliar, when I come to the Triple Goddess, I demonstrate Tarot techniques or other Oracle techniques (among other things). Typically a small group of people will be present, and if it involves Tarot reading, people will bring their own cards or can borrow demonstrator decks from the Triple Goddess. As we delve into whatever is the theme of the day, individuals shuffle and lay out their own cards, and then we go around the table discussing the readings. If you are shy about having your situation discussed in a group, you aren’t obligated to participate. It is OK to just look on, and you can pick up pointers for reading that way.
A big advantage of the group experience is that when people come together, their Spirit Mentors also come together. Just as individual human persons have different knowledge, insights, and talents, so do people in Spirit, so this is an opportunity to tap into the greater collective wisdom of the Spirit World. And of course, a high vibration place like the Triple Goddess already attracts the better class of spirits. Some things I hope to continue to develop throughout this year’s sessions are new ways that we can CROWD SOURCE TO SPIRIT.
This is also why I very much encourage participants and onlookers to butt in as we discuss different peoples’ readings. If someone has drawn certain cards (or whatever), and something pops into your mind about their meanings, do speak up. Even if your comment doesn’t seem entirely pertinent or significant, it may be that you are getting a message from Spirit, with something that somebody there needs to hear. Also, with the Synchronicity Factor, a message for one can be meaningful to many. Often, in analyzing or discussing someone else’s reading, things will come up that speak to my own concerns. I think this is all the more the case for group members when a number of people come together.
Another good thing about these sessions is that the good folks at the Triple Goddess allow—and indeed encourage—us to work with their demonstrator decks. So, if you’ve been thinking about buying a particular Tarot deck or other oracle deck, but are wondering how it would work for you, or if you just want to familiarize yourself with a lot of different decks, this is a great way to try them out.
By the way, among the things we’ll be doing at the April 4th session are a Tarot reading and Tarot spell on the theme of Resurrection, which will be focusing on the Judgment card. If you have a chance to come by a little early, you might take some time to go through the demonstrator decks to see if any of them have a version of the Judgment card that you’d like to try working with. Note that you don’t have to use the same deck for both the reading and the spell—it’s fine to use two different decks.
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