Pretending
It’s fortunate that I’ve never pulled the Tower for anyone I’ve read for besides myself. Not yet. I will really have to mask my reaction when it does happen, because this is the only card that provokes a strong negative response in me.
When things are out of alignment in one’s life, in a relationship, a job situation, financial or health issue, etc., it is very easy to ignore it and just continue in an undesirable direction. It is human nature to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ and pretend that everything is okay, because it is easier than doing the work needed to clean up the messes we make, or allow others to make.
Sometimes changes must occur, sometimes the changes are needed. A sudden but relatively quiet upheaval can allow much-needed light and air into one’s life. It may be painful, but one can then breathe a sigh of relief and get on with things. Usually this is what the card Death signifies. But sometimes the circumstances to do not occur quietly. The situation can suddenly adopt the attributes of a raging wildfire, and one can feel things spinning rapidly out of your control. Quite often this is because they have been ignoring the misalignment of energies in their life. This is when the Tower might make an appearance.
Of all the cards that I might pull from a deck when reading for myself, this is the one I really do not ever want to see. I’m a quiet, private sort of person. I’d rather see Death in a reading for myself, because at least I know the pain will be private, and the healing will be personal. The Tower will have none of that, it always demands cannons firing and bombs bursting in the air. It may very well be my own fault that the Tower rises out of the earth at my feet to fix the mess I’ve made by pretending everything is okay. However, that doesn’t make it any less traumatizing.
The Tower only appears when it is needed. Focus on getting through it. Once the storm resulting from the fire and thunder of the Tower passes, the sun does actually emerge and the birds will begin to sing again. This is important to remember if you find yourself in the middle of a Tower storm. Just remember to keep breathing, and continue to trust that things will be okay. In fact, it is likely that your situation will be improved by the energy of the Tower, however difficult that may be to believe while you are while in it’s throes. The earth may shake, but it will stop shaking eventually and you can rebuild whatever was destroyed. And when you rebuild, it will be an improved design, stronger and safer, as long as you take to heart the lessons to be learned from the Tower.
Death
We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.~Joseph Campbell
Hanging on to the past, holding a grudge, reliving injustices in your mind till you can’t function; these are all examples of a life where the energy of the Death card would be a welcome relief. But what about a life that is coasting along just fine?
Living in complacency can be a trap as much as dwelling in a negative head-space. Sometimes you think you have what you want, and it is only when something comes along and shakes up your world, that you realize that you have been allowing yourself to be held back from a richer, more fulfilling life.
It doesn’t have to be the earthshaking energy of the Tower card. Sometimes it’s far more subtle, and it sneaks up on you. Sometimes while you’re crying in the dark over some dear thing that you’ve lost, you began to feel a small bud fight to emerge from deep underground. Don’t let the pain you’re experiencing overwhelm it, let it grow.
This is the power of Death acting in your life.
Darkness and the Devil
I love this card. It’s from the The Halloween Tarot, and it’s probably the only Devil card I have ever seen that I would describe as cute. But in reality, there is nothing really cute about the Devil.
There has been an interesting discussion going on in one of the Tarot forums I use. Someone started a thread concerning the Devil, and the ensuing discussion got me thinking about it. This card has rarely come up in any reading I’ve done so far, and when it has it’s been pretty straightforward in meaning. But I think it goes a lot deeper than issues of personal bondage or enslavement to material things.
In this forum discussion, questions were raised as to the nature of the Devil and whether he is ‘within’ or ‘without’ ourselves. I think it can be both, and sometimes at the same time. But more often than not, I see it as a tendency inside oneself to be destructive and negative. It is the desire to turn away from the light, because it is the easier path to take in a given situation.
Another way I see it, is a need to confront something dark and scary about our own nature. To accept it and shed light on it. If you drag your inner demons into the light and fresh air, they often shrivel up into nothing and blow away. Sometimes they may put up a struggle, but you will have the advantage when they are in the open like that. In some cases, they may never go away, but they become so small and powerless that you can easily control them. The important thing is to bring them into focus and shed Light on them so that you can see them for what they are. If you can do this, you will no longer fear them. Even better, you will no longer project that fear outside of yourself. Essentially and eventually, you will fear nothing. (This card is from the Universal Waite Tarot Deck.)
Now that sounds very simplistic, and I don’t mean it to be. It’s very hard work to confront your own darkness. There is a spiritual healing process called Shadow Work. It’s not easy, and it may take years to complete. Christien Jette has written a very good book about using Tarot for this work, called Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal.
Powers of Dark and Light exists in each of us. The Yin Yang symbol depicts this. It is human nature to contain both, and this is often a theme in stories.
There is an interesting passage in one of Terry Pratchett’s witch books, Wyrd Sisters.
I find this an intriguing theme in stories, movies, poems and songs. As I am fascinated by the complexities of human nature, I also find the Devil to be one of the most intriguing cards in the Tarot.
Ten of Swords
Few cards are more dreaded than the Ten of Swords. The one shown here is from the Waite Smith deck.
It graphically illustrates a man on the ground, in a spreading pool of blood, with ten swords sticking out of his back from haunch to neck. Unarguably the most gruesome of the Seventy-Eight. At least, in this deck. Even understanding the nuances of the image, I still tend to cringe when you see it, especially as an ‘outcome’ card.
But what does it mean; endings, finality, complete annihilation? Yes, it does. But it can also mean ‘relief’. It can mean ‘overkill’. Imagine you are in an intolerable situation and you are at wits end regarding how to end it. When you see this card as the ‘outcome’ or ‘answer’ in a spread, you might think that you are simply going to die from the stress. But what if the card is telling you that the situation is coming to an end? Relief. This situation has run it’s course, and will be ending soon. Or what if this is a case of you brewing a tempest in a teapot, and the card is telling you to stop worrying yourself sick about something over which you have no control? Overkill. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy, making matters far worse than they need to be.
We tend to identify with the figure being pinned to the ground by many blades. But what if the figure represents something that is causing pain, suffering, trouble or anxiety? If that is the case, then this card is a welcome sight.
I know that many of us, myself included, tend to think the worst when reading for ourselves. It’s overcompensation in and effort not to sugar-coat a reading by seeing only what you want to see in the cards. So it is important to remember what you would tell a client when this card appears. And yes, sometimes this card is indicating negative things. But you would try and explore ways in which this card could be a positive message for your client before assuming otherwise, so why not do so for yourself? And even if the message is one of failure or disappointment, there is almost always a silver lining. After death comes rebirth or resurrection. There are no truly final endings, not as long as Time continues to flow.
As with the other ‘dreaded cards’ there are always positive ideas to be found in their seemingly negative meanings. It’s just a matter of being open to them.
The Tower – Liberation
Yesterday I finally quit my job.
Today I pulled the Tower as my daily card. How appropriate. Giving notice at work has certainly resulted in a release from stress and anguish. Nevertheless I still feel out of sorts. The decision to quit came rather suddenly, however timely it may be.
It was cathartic to stand up to my abusive boss. It was also cathartic to type up my letter of resignation. I felt renewed, cleansed and energized afterward. I feel that I am ready to face new challenges.
Because things have been shifting and changing so rapidly in my life lately, I was curious about how the planets may be affecting me. So I took advantage of the free natal chart and forecast info offered at astro.com.
Saturn conjunction Uranus: Fundamental changes: Beginning of September 2006 until beginning of June 2007: This is an extremely powerful influence, for it represents powerful internal forces for change colliding with powerful resistance from the external world. You are trying to escape the routine, dull and ordinary aspects of your life. You try to find new things that will make your life more exciting and stimulating. But with every effort of this kind, circumstances, duties and obligations seem to hold you back and keep you stuck in an oppressive situation.
You may get to a point where the pressure is unbearable, and then you will make a sudden break for freedom. You may suddenly leave a relationship, an oppressive job or your place of residence, without warning anyone.
No kidding.
The Tower is one of those cards that can be scary. But, in fact, it can be a card of liberation. It can be a sign that freedom is imminent. It can represent risk-taking, powerful drive, and fast and fierce changes in any situation. The Tower is a Major Arcana card associated with Mars. Mars is the planet of drive and leadership.
Any major change in your life can be scary. But it can also be exactly what you need to free you from whatever has been keeping you from growth. Sometimes the Tower can be exactly what you need.
This Tower card is from the Universal Waite Tarot Deck
Death – Starting Over
I received an interesting answer in my daily card today.
When I do my daily card draw, sometimes I ask a question if there is some particular issue on my mind. Acknowledging from what I learned here, that I need to work on issues of self-worth, I asked, “How can I be good to myself today?”.
I was a bit surprised when I pulled the Death card. My initial thought was “Quit Your Job!” Yeah, right… that’s just wishful thinking. I’m not quite ready to do that just yet. After taking a few more moments to reflect on it, I realized that I was allowing old habits and automatic reactions to hold me back. I really need to let go of some things.
Let’s face it. Dying is the ultimate act of ‘letting go’.
Yes, it is time to let go of my expectations in my current job that was once wonderful and has now become a chore. But I also need to let go of my old ways of feeling about myself. I need to let go of my anger and frustration at whomever is causing me this trouble at work and I need to let go of my ongoing futile attempts to please everyone all the time. In the act of ‘dying’ to the old ways I will make way for the new ways to grow. Out of the skeleton we see emerging a butterfly, an age-old symbol for rebirth.
For further understanding, I looked up the affirmation written for the Death card by A.L. Samul in the book Wisdom in the Cards, the companion book for the Hudes deck. Here is what I found,
I acknowledge my ability to release the old, so that new can come into my life. I forgive others and release my hold on them. I forgive myself, and allow myself to move on.
This can be a scary card for some. But this morning I saw it as a way out. I focused on what this card meant for me today and as a result I had a very relaxed and productive day with minimal stress. Sometimes the Death card can be a welcome sight.
This Death card is from the Hudes Tarot Deck
Three of Swords
This will be the first post in a series I’m calling Dreaded Cards. There are cards we all hate to see turn up in a reading, be it for ourselves or others. My idea is to take each of these cards and see what I can discover about them that will take some of the fright out of them.
I use the Tarot as a tool for insight and answers. I like to think that there is always something positive in every card no matter how negative it may first appear.
This is the Three of Swords from the Rider Waite Smith
My initial reaction is to cringe. It hurts to look at it.
Here is part of the interpretation to be found at tarot.com:
General Meaning: Traditionally, the Three of Swords signified separation or the breakup of a significant relationship, including the tragic emotions that come along with such an event. Some cards show the horizon filled with storm clouds and flashing lightning.
This past week I read a book called Stories in Stone
A particular passage caught my attention in the section on religious symbolism. It states,
In religious and cemetary symbolism, a flaming heart symbolizes religious fervor, a pierced heart indicates repentance and devotion, and a heart wrapped in thorns is associated with the Great Promise of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Italics mine).
It got me thinking about the Three of Swords in a different way. Yes, it would still represent pain or difficulty but not necessarily sorrow or grief. If you see it as repentance and devotion, perhaps it symbolizes this to a degree of completeness signified by the number three – as represented by the three swords that pierce the heart. Maybe in a spread it could be speaking of self-sacrifice because of devotion to the point where it hurts. It could also be speaking of true and absolute repentance that affects not only the mind but the heart as well. That the heart is seen in the clouds could show that it takes place on a higher level of consciousness. The rain can represent tears, not of sorrow, but of true repentance that truly seeks forgiveness. The tears could be of the higher joy that comes from sacrificing everything out of devotion to a person or a higher cause, or of the kind of religious devotion that strips away everything but the love that emanates from God.
Depending on it’s position in a spread it could be asking the querent to make such a sacrifice or choose a path of devotion. It could the cause of a situation, the reason things are happening they way are. It could be warning, if someone is giving too much in a relationship out of a false sense of devotion, not realizing they are hurting themselves in the process.
These are just a few ideas, and I’m sure it could be elaborated on with further study and reflection. I find comfort in this new way of seeing this card, because it can mean something positive resulting from something that may seem at first read to be negative. That pain and difficulty can sometimes serve a purpose for good. It’s the silver lining I was searching for in this particular cloud.
