Tarot as a moral compass

Studying tarot has been a major eye-opener or rather, a mind-expander, for myself in the areas of a world view, values and thinking patterns. Since I started reading tarot, I've become more mature, calm and zen in life in general. How and why did that happen?

When I first stumbled on tarot some five years ago, I was mostly curious about its symbolism - I have a degree in art history and I've been drawn to understanding and deciphering symbols and codes since the start of my studies, in the best Dan Brown / Da Vinci Code manner.

Quite soon, I became enticed by tarot's divination skills: how could such a thing possibly exist and were the divinatory "powers" tarot clearly seemed to have (based on my Excel spreadsheets I kept to track my predictions) merely an illusion or a real thing? And if they were a real thing, how could that possibly be true from any scientific point of view I knew?

After encountering tarot, I became less enthusiastic about the reductionist, scientific and rather simplistic world view (matter is all there is) and other, more layered, metaphysical explanations started to make more sense.

I became more and more interested in the Eastern spiritualism (inc. Buddhism, Taoism etc.) and later on, on the traditions of Western Mysticims, including New Age but also other streams such as the Golden Dawn (one of the occult societies that created their own version of tarot cards in the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries), Theosophy, Druidism, Wiccan etc.

I don't subscribe to any religion or specific spirituality, but perhaps Theosophy hits closest to home with the idea that everyone should study and learn from every possible philosophy, religion and spiritual tradition, to form their own views and be as informed as possible = to be the lovers of wisdom, theo sophists.

I have not concluded how it could be possible that tarot can have any divinatory powers. The cards definitely seem to have them, for sure. I have predicted, for instance, meeting my husband, certain events happening at work, a couple of major arguments coming up with close relatives, and so on. I'll discuss my theory later on. Today, I'm more interested in discussing the "we see what we focus on"-theory.

I think that at its most rudimentary level, tarot is just a trigger for intuition in the same way than clouds, flames, foliage, or even wallpaper patterns can be. The human mind is incredibly apt in finding patters, forms and images - making meaning - where there is none. I believe we see patterns and images in the clouds, tree canopies, in the fur of our pets and practically, wherever, because we project what's in our mind anyway.

Tarot is all about looking at pictures and understanding their symbolic meanings. Normally, cards are rich in imagery and there is always something different to focus on. For one person, a white lily in the picture jumps out, because s/he is contemplating a matter that relates to innocence, children, purity of thought etc. For another reader, a medieval sword in the picture draws attention because his/her mind is occupied with thoughts about arguments, need for clarity, painful/hurtful words = blades etc.

People in general see meaning where it is only hinted - to the point where it becomes a problem. Think of all the times you - or perhaps your significant other - read something between the lines and it was, in fact, completely off base, only brought into existence by your own fears or hopes?

With tarot, the trick is to see meaning, but not too much of it. Intuition can't be paranoia or wishful thinking. How to find the exact amount of gut feeling? With practice. We know much more about life, ourselves and other people than we realise, but that requires careful tuning into the quietest wave lengths of our mind: it's about hearing the whispers, the hunches, the tiniest signs we've captured earlier without realising it.

As mentioned at the beginning, tarot has had a very educational role in my own life. When I focus on the tarot cards, I see messages of wisdom, patience and good will. Cards that repeat in my readings, highlight issues and recommend ways to fix things. For example, I have made a deliberate effort to become less fiery/trigger happy and more understanding and emphatic in arguments, because of the repeating message I've picked from the cards. Of course, the repeating cards can be a mere coincidence. And still, after I've understood and incorporated the message, the repetition stops.

Seeing messages in tarot or in any other medium can be explained by the fact that the human mind is tuned to see  meaning everywhere. I've seen meaning in random cards and it is not necessarily anything mystical. On the other hand, if seeing meaning improves the quality of life, is that a bad thing or wrong? Of course not.

Why and how has tarot made me calmer and more mature? I think it's partly because of self-reflection the cards give prompts for; and partly because of the divinatory properties.

Whether or not I can prove that the predictions are true, I feel that I can know what's coming up and there is a reason why certain events happen. That makes me much calmer towards any upheaval or sudden change in the future.

With advance notice, there's less reason for stress. And with the world view that everything happens for a reason and contains a lesson to draw from, hardly anything is scary. It just is. We always have a chance to decide, how to feel about matters, how to react, what action to take, how to fix or change or adapt into the situation.

I think that tarot in itself can be a way of life. Reading cards is often accompanied by some spiritual world view, but not always. Perhaps the only thing that connects all the readers is the idea that random pictures can trigger the intuition to know more than it otherwise could. Tarot is, at its core, about expanded knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of oneself and others.

Tarot to me is an inherently empathetic messaging channel; to me the cards always show the high road, the better way, the more moral take on the issue. Perhaps it's nothing more than a reflection of my own subconscious, but luckily my subconscious seems very concerned about the well-being of others AND myself, and hence, has helped me to become a better person. Thanks tarot! :)

Can the cards really know what's going on or what should be done? Actually, it doesn't matter. It's the reader who makes sense of the pictures and finds meaning in patterns with his/her intuition. 

How to analyse dreams

For some reason, dream interpretation has a bit of a bad rap - it's easily seen as fluffy and vague pseudo-psychology or New Age mumbo jumbo that's at best harmless and at worst, laughable.

I personally think interpreting - or rather, analysing - dreams is a very useful tool for self-exploration and knowing what's going on in your life, mind and heart.

People have interpreted dreams as long as the human kind has existed.

Apparently there have been times and cultures where talking about dreams has been the first thing to do among the family or tribe members in the morning. I love doing this with my partner - whenever I can remember my dreams - because it's an interesting topic, a nice way to connect over breakfast (on weekends when we're not in a hurry to get to work) and it's also a practical way to get to know what's going on in your partner's or family members' subconscious.

When I talk about dream interpretation, I don't mean referring to dream symbol dictionaries. I find them indicative at best, but they should not be used as a bible. I think everyone knows their own symbols without a dictionary, but it requires a bit of imagination, effort and putting your mind to it.

In my opinion and experience, the most useful method for analysing a dream is:

When you wake up, go through the dream while you're still laying down, or immediately after getting up. Don't let the feelings and images fade.

Think carefully what you felt in the dream. Don't focus on the images, people or actions in the dream yet, just think how you felt. Was the vibe uplifting, happy, content, neutral, anxious, scared, what?

Now look at the actions that you did or happened to you in the dream. Try to ignore the imagery again, just focus on the actions. Say, you were chased by a dragon. Ignore the dragon and focus on the feeling of being chased.

Scan through your life: what is causing you to feel like you'd rather flee? Is it your boss? Colleague? Partner? Life's pressure in general? The presentation you're supposed to give next week? Clearly you'd rather avoid something in your life and that's what the dragon symbolises.

Combine the action and the feeling, and again, ignore the imagery. What did you do or what happened to you and what it caused you to feel? This tells you the core of the issue. Scan your life again to recognise what matches or reminds you of this action and feeling in reality.

In my opinion, often in dreams, the look of the objects and/or people is of secondary value and the feelings they evoke are the focus point.

People and objects in dreams can be almost disposable or interchangeable with other people or objects, and the message would still be the same. It's like you need to strip the mask of the elements or actors/actresses in your dream to see the real meaning behind them.

An example: 

I still dream about my first boyfriend from my teenage years. I don't miss him - awake or in the dream-, but still he is a regular character in my dreams, playing the part of my partner.

I've had other partners since and I don't have any regrets about not being with this person anymore. I was baffled for a long time: why do I keep seeing him, even in intimate dreams, when he doesn't really matter to me anymore?

Finally I figured: it's not about him, it's about what's happening and what I'm doing and feeling in the dream. 

My mind has a habit of casting him into a generic role of the "opponent" to deal with issues I nowadays encounter in relationships (romantic, friendship, family, or work life) in general.

In that relationship, I often felt I was not heard or seen as I really was, I was misunderstood, or I was treated in an unfair manner. Whenever I'm feeling the same in my current life, the ex-boyfriend pops up to play the part so that I can practise dealing with these elements of misunderstandings or unfairness in my dreams.

In these dreams I've screamed, yelled, cried, walked away in puzzlement, walked away in disgust, stayed silent, tried to reason, tried to justify or explain, stood up for myself... It's like am trying every possible coping strategy to see how it works and feels to be able to use it in real life to solve the real life relationship issues.

And my ex-bf just happens to be cast in the role because my mind can easily recognise him as an "opponent" to practice with. It could be anyone else, really, or even an unknown person, but clearly my mind finds it easy to picture him for this purpose, so him it is.

In my opinion, the imagery of the dream does matter, but dreams should not be interpreted with a dictionary of readymade explanations. Yes, images symbol different elements in life, but I think they can be highly personal and one size does not fit all. Hence, it is worthwhile to study your own dreams to build a personalised alphabet for what the different elements can mean.


Some examples about what imagery can mean, based on my own dreams.

Landscapes in general tell what is my overall internal state: calm, happy, content, neutral, bewildered, anxious or something else. A beautiful landscape with nature, trees, flowers, water etc. tell about content and joy, whereas any type of a threatening landscape (including city scenes with scary people) indicate anxieties, worries or fears - either specific and topical, or general, underlying fears.

Interestingly, in dreams I sometimes see objects, events or people afar (veiled in blue haze) that will appear in my life in the future - geographically distant objects in a dream are distant in time in real life.

A house tells about my physical and mental state. If I've had a few drinks or I'm ill, there are bugs in the house. If the house is in order and tidy, I feel organised and in control. If it's in various states of disrepair, something needs to be fixed in my life or body. If there's water on the floor, I need to wake up to go to the toilet :D

A car tells about whether I feel in control or not in life. If I'm driving and it's going fine, all is under control. If the car is misbehaving or someone else is driving, I feel that I'm lacking control. This can be positive, negative or neutral, depending on who's driving and how's it going.

A train is about life and direction, too, but it's about focusing less on direction and more on who's on board with me. Life is on track, going where it needs to go, but who's with me (friends, relatives, partner, unknown people) can tell who matters to me in this moment or whom I should focus on.

Water is about emotions and thoughts. I've had some beautiful dreams about standing at the shore of a water body (lake, river or ocean) and I can see golden fish through the pristine water clearly. After those dreams I know I'll soon get an epiphany of some sort - there's absolute clarity of thought; and stillness or calmness of emotions.

Dreams, in essence, are metaphors for different situations in life and not everyone has the same metaphors or symbol library. It can be hugely informative and entertaining to recognise your own symbols. Next time you have a dream you remember, why not have a crack in analysing it instead of letting it disappear!

Something visible and useful can crystallise out of a dream if you take a close look. 

Why and how to improve your intuition?

Learning tarot is not just about memorising the card meanings. It's mostly about letting your intuition guide your rational mind instead of the - usual - other way around. And this is much more difficult to many/most people than expected!

As a tarot teacher, I've learned that the biggest obstacle in the way of a successful reading is the lack of trust in your own intuition and imagination; not letting that part of yourself come to light and direct your rational mind.

I grew up surrounded by stories and artwork. My home was not particularly artistic, but my parents believed in teaching kids to read young and we had bookshelves full of story and picture books. I learned all the traditional fairytales before the school age and I loved the weekly trips to the library to borrow more picture books. I also loved drawing, so I was deep in the world of stories, pictures and symbols for the best part of my childhood - and I still miss that incredible feeling of immersion only a child can achieve.

Now, how this relates to tarot, intuition or teaching it?

I had never realised before I started using and teaching tarot cards that not everyone is equally comfortable with letting their imagination soar.

We are taught from early on to be practical, rational and sensible. "Stop daydreaming and get on with your homework/studies/work" is one of the most common instructions we all get from our parents, teachers, bosses and ourselves. And this is a shame, I think, because imagination and intuition are different sides of the same coin and we can't use our intuition effectively without imagination.

Tarot is not about voodoo, superstition or hocus pocus. Tarot is about accessing your own intuition for a clearer decision making in life.

If you know what your drivers are - the deeply held fears, hopes and aspirations - you're bound to make more informed choices in life, and can access and build deeper and longer-lasting happiness and satisfaction.

This is not marketing hype, it's something I've seen happening for myself and countless of other people who have learned to listen to and trust their intuition - either with or without the cards.

Tarot cards are useful in practising the use of intuition, because they bring the elusive and ambivalent emotions, hopes and fears visible by showing them in a picture form instead of one having to scope them in the "dark", only by sensing and observing one's inner workings.

Tarot is not the only pathway available to your inner world. Paying attention to dreams and gut feelings work, too, as well as meditation.

I've recently started this practice of "checking up" with my intuition to see what's going on in my life and what direction my subconscious sees or expects/prompts me to take. It's probably a form of meditation but I like to think it as a check up, taking a look on my subconscious. If you believe in clairvoyancy (by telepathy or accessing the collective subconscious), this can also be used to read for other people.

How to improve intuition and imagination - 
through meditation

Find a quiet spot in your house and preferably try this in the morning before all the hassle of the day. I've found that within an hour of waking up the mind is still close to the dreaming state and more receptive to images, and you're not overburdened by the stress and chores of the day.

Sit down, close your eyes and try to not think. No talking to oneself, no questioning, no planning or remembering, just let your mind be.

Then, whatever thought or image, no matter how faint, appears - let it come and watch it with your mind's eye.

When doing this, I don't see as clear images as in a dream, but I do get hunches, physical sensations (warmth, sounds, smells) and "see" or experience images or even "videos" with my minds eye. It's difficult to explain because it's not as clear as a full-on (lucid) dream, but it's clear enough to pick the message.

The main thing is to allow and trust what comes and simply observe. Don't try to guess whether the image is relevant, or whether it's "correct". Try not to direct the images or the story, just sit and watch.

Absolutely don't try to guess where the story will go, otherwise you're letting your rational mind take the lead and the whole purpose of this exercise is to let your intuition lead the way.

I usually watch the images or the "video" for maybe 30 -60 seconds after they start; then I pause to write it down. Longer periods (even up to an hour - how long you feel you can do it without falling asleep ;) ) are fine too, but I personally prefer to take breaks to take notes. For me this pace works because it allows me to just sit and observe without thinking or trying to memorise or analyse, and I can still remember the images to write them down and start analysing afterwards.

Don't be put off if you don't get anything sensible, or anything at all for the first few minutes. It's possible nothing comes (or you don't  know how to spot it) for the first few attempts. It's a skill that needs to be practiced. Intuition and imagination are like muscles - everyone has them, but the ones you don't use, tend to get weak and when you start exercising, they feel utterly useless at first!

I tend to see symbolical images - people in historical dresses and in all sorts of landscapes, and I interpret it later. The message doesn't have to be a photographic presentation of your everyday life to be meaningful. After all, this is akin to watching dreams fully conscious and also interpreting them on the go. And dreams are not necessarily straightforward representations of your life - yet they are relevant to understanding your own inner workings, beliefs, fears, motifs etc.

I've found that for any sort of intuitive practice, be it dreams, tarot or meditation / check ups / clairvoyancy, it helps to be acquainted with symbols, fairytales, folklore and legends to fine tune your intuition and "vocabulary". I'm an art historian and it helps me immensely with seeing and understanding coded messages. But you can find your own meanings and interpretations, too.

If you find meditation or clairvoyancy difficult to start with, try cloud watching. Just let your mind see patterns, images and symbols to get into the practice of letting your intuition direct your mind instead of the other way around. Don't disregard anything as silly, just keep watching and imagining - it will bear fruit eventually with improved clarity and self-knowledge!

Where will your intuition lead you, if you let it take the lead for a change? Photo via Kaboompics.