The Simple Treasures of Tarot
If learning the Tarot opens my heart and frees my mind to play, then I recently accomplished one of my goals in sharing my enthusiasm for this insightful learning practice.
I recently stepped up to the invisible line of my comfort zone and offered to share my passion for Tarot with some of my sea sisters – ladies like myself who live and travel on their boats.
I told some of them that I study Tarot and asked if they would like to learn about Tarot as a way to help me deepen my practice. I explained in my own way about how I use Tarot to dig deeper into my intuition and that if they were willing to help me as I learn more, I'd share my Tarot with them, even do some simple readings.
The energy at the picnic table where we had gathered to learn decoupage that morning (many people share talents like jewelry making, basket weaving, painting, etc.) burst into questions and speculations about this interesting art form, which I may be the first to share among cruisers.
Soon I was going to experience what it felt like to step over that comfort zone line. On the morning of my breakout moment I wrote this intention in my Tarot journal: helpful, insightful, have fun, think a different way or think more deeply about a situation. What I hoped was that these words would turn into wonderful revelations for my new friends. What I got was wonderful revelations for mySelf.
I briefly shared the history of Tarot, the basics of the suits and the major and minor arcanas and how the cards can help us think differently about situations in our lives. As I opened mySelf to observing the four of us sitting around a table on the after deck of 50 foot trawler I realized that I could let go of the seriousness with which I sometimes play in life, and really have fun with my readings. I let go of a “right” way and a “wrong” way to have this session and just let it unfold as a big learning opportunity full of the treasures that Tarot could bring not only to my friends as the querrants, but also to me the reader. In the moments we shared, I became the student and they became my teachers.
I encouraged them to share a question and turn over the cards* one at a time, three to four cards each. We all looked at the cards and I sat back and just let it flow; they looked at the pictures and interpreted some of the cards eloquently, they helped each other enthusiastically with possible stories about the cards and when they got stuck I offered suggestions. We all had good laughs and the mystery of Tarot wasn’t so illusive in their minds.
Like the Fool I jumped in and let the moment live and breathe on its own; like the Hanged Man, I let go to grow, stretching my comfort zone and seeing my Tarot in a new way; and like the Empress, I shared my passions and my creative side, as a way to help others.
*Although I use Shadowscapes for my own readings, I used Universal Waite in this adventure with Tarot.
