Tarot, Fear and Faith

When I posted my outrage at marketing decisions made by Doreen Virtue and Hay House for her new tarot deck I had no idea there was also a great deal of controversy in the tarot community about the deck itself.  As I said in my prior post, I personally don’t find anything troubling or offensive about the deck – it is not very original in its concepts, but it looks lovely.

The conversation that has arisen out of this controversy is worth tackling as a topic of its own.  The question is “Is tarot scary?” 

A few clients tell me that they are a little afraid to have a reading.  That is not because they are afraid of the cards, per se.  It is because they are afraid of what I might tell them.  Sometimes, for new clients, it is because they have heard stories of other readers who said very negative things.  Sometimes it is because they suspect something to be true that they don’t want to be true – and they know that a reading may confirm their suspicions.

Some people are afraid of tarot readings because of the Gypsies who use tarot to defraud people.  We should all fear and avoid fraudulent business people.

Some people are afraid because they have been taught by particular religious dogma that tarot is evil.  Sadly, religion can sometimes narrow our thinking instead of broadening our horizons.

People often fear what they do not understand, and tarot takes some time and effort to understand.

Some people find the actual cards scary because of the harsh images and words on cards like Death and Devil, for instance, or the upsetting images on cards like the Ten of Swords.

As a reader, I find that fear of the words and images creates a good teachable moment.  It is an opportunity to teach something about tarot, and an opportunity to teach something about fear.

For instance, in the Waite Ten of Swords image a person is laid prone and bleeding with ten swords in his back.  It is not a pleasant image by any account.  But when I explain to the client that those swords represent their own thoughts or their own reaction to unkind words, the client is empowered to change their thinking, or to take control of their reaction.

Sometimes it is helpful for us to see graphic images that represent our pain.  These images both validate us and give us clues to help us heal.

Sometimes people fear tarot, and tarot reading, because they fear all things unpleasant.  Once at my tarot table I asked a client what she wanted to know and she responded with “I just want to hear that my life is going to be happy and everything is going to be wonderful.”  She wasn’t kidding.

Another potential client told me she didn’t want to have a reading because the last time she had a reading she was told that someone around her was going to die within two years. Within two years, someone around her did in fact die.  The question I countered with was this.  Can you remember any two year period in your life when someone around you didn’t die?  The reader might have just as well predicted that you would breathe air.

From those two stories I take away two ideas.  One is that people may fear readings because readings generally don’t confirm unrealistic expectations.  Two is that people are not always in touch with the basic realities of life.

The reason people are not always in touch with the basic realities of life is – you guessed it – fear.

Fear can be disabling in many ways.

Perhaps some people fear tarot because tarot is a reflection of life, and of truth. 

Well-placed fear can protect us and keep us alive.  Fear of failure, success, change and growth can keep us from living.

When we walk in fear we lose so many opportunities for joy.  That may be the ultimate goal of the spiritual journey, no matter what the culture or belief set may be.  We all need to learn to walk in faith, rather than in fear.

Many of our modern philosophers, from great presidents to the Grateful Dead, have had wise words to say about fear.

My beloved Desiderata by Max Erhmann says something about fear.

"Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.”

I wrote about fear in my poem about the Ace of Swords.  Its final lines read:

But do not take this Sword of Air
Without the strength the truth to bear.
And remember with faith, when truth is clear
It's never as dark as what you fear.

For me, that is the truth about tarot, and about tarot reading.  Tarot is a reflection of life, in which some things are more pleasant than others.  But if we can face life from a perspective of love and faith, we never have anything to fear.

Tarot is a tool that can help us find the love, faith and strength of spirit we need to move forward boldly, and with joy.  And that’s not scary at all.

Envy

Envy is one of the Roman Catholic Seven Deadly Sins.  As a tarot reader, I have an interesting perspective on envy.  On one hand, I see a lot of it at my table.  On the other hand, because I get a sense of what life is really like for people whom I might have otherwise perceived as more fortunate than me, being a tarot reader precludes my envying others.

I grew up with a clear understanding of those Seven Deadly Sins.  Although we were not Catholic, my mother had a romantic fascination with medieval Christianity.  Apparently, the Seven Deadly Sins are categorized as such because they are the sins that lead to other sins.

Often I read for people who envy the wealth of others, especially here in Palm Beach County where many live in the shadow of the opulent Palm Beach lifestyle.  They wonder why they can’t live in mansions, own yachts and have a staff of servants.

Many times people envy their friends’ relationships, or good looks, as well as the wealth of their neighbors.  I often think that if people took all the time and energy they spend wishing they had somebody else’s home, husband or hair and spent it at something productive, they would find themselves in a more enviable position.

On a political level, it makes sense to question the distribution of wealth, especially when it comes to access to clean water, decent food and affordable health care.  But that’s not what envy is.  Envy, as it shows up at my tarot table, is the belief that other people have something more or something better than you do.  Envy is a frustrated six-year-old inner child stamping her feet and yelling “That’s not fair!”

The problems with envy are myriad.  First, envy is based on what is often a faulty supposition.  It is impossible to know for sure that the person in the mansion is happier than the person in the economy apartment, or that the person in the Bentley is somehow enjoying life more than the person in the Honda.  The strikingly attractive woman may suffer from debilitating anxiety.  The charming, wealthy husband may be a cheater.

In my career I have read for people from all walks of life, many cultures and all economic strata.  That’s why I have learned to envy no one, and to simply be grateful for the blessings in my own life.

Another problem with envy is that it seems to go hand-in-hand with low self-esteem.  In short, to envy someone else’s life is to say that your own life isn’t valuable. 

Envy is disempowering.  When we spend time and energy envying others, we deny our own ability to set goals and work toward them to improve our own lives.

There is a great line from Desiderata, my eternal go-to for wisdom. “If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain or bitter”.  Maybe that is a way to look at envy.  Perhaps envy is what happens when we compare ourselves to others and find our own life wanting.  If that comparison inspires us to be better and do more, that’s a good thing.  If it makes us bitter, we sink into the disempowerment of envy.

Desiderata in the Language of Tarot

Do you remember the books we read as children?  There was a certain type of book for early readers; I am not sure if these sorts of books still exist.  There would be a simple narrative.  Some words were missing, and instead there would be a picture.  Maybe the words were present under the picture.  I remember things such as: “John played with a [picture of a ball].  Judy lives in a [picture of a house].”

This concept invites an interesting tarot exercise.  What if we took a poem, or set of lyrics, and found tarot cards to represent the concepts therein?

Obviously, there would be no right or wrong way to do this.  It would be a great way of teaching how tarot cards can communicate concepts, and be read as sentences and paragraphs.

So, today I decided to try this with my favorite poem.  Perhaps other tarot enthusiasts will find different cards, or more cards. 

The poem is Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann.  This was also my Grandmother’s favorite.  She had many copies of it that she gave freely to people.  It has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

In the interests of simplicity, I will not try to insert the actual tarot graphic; I will simply insert the name of the card that I think belongs.  I will insert it in brackets directly after the phrase I feel the card describes.

We’ll see how well this works!

Desiderata

By Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, [The Hermit] and remember what peace there may be in silence [Two of Swords].
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons [Six of Pentacles].
Speak your truth quietly and clearly [Page of Swords]; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story [Five of Pentacles].
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit [Seven of Wands].
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter [Four of Cups]; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself [Five of Swords].
Enjoy your achievements [Six of Wands] as well as your plans [Two of Wands].  Keep interested in your own career, however humble [Three of Pentacles]; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time [Wheel of Fortune].
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery [Seven of Swords].  But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals [Knight of Swords]; and everywhere life is full of heroism [The Chariot].
Be yourself [The Lovers].  Especially, do not feign affection [Ace of Swords]. Neither be cynical about love [Ace of Cups]; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass [The Empress].
Take kindly the counsel of the years [Queen of Swords], gracefully surrendering the things of youth [Eight of Cups].  Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune [Temperance].  But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings [Nine of Swords].  Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness [Eight of Swords].
Beyond a wholesome discipline [Justice], be gentle with yourself [Strength].  You are a child of the universe [Page of Cups], no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here [The Sun]. 
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should [The Moon].  Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be [The Hierophant], and whatever your labors and aspirations [Seven of Pentacles], in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul [The High Priestess].  With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world [The World].  Be cheerful [The Fool].
Strive to be happy [Knight of Cups].

There are so many ways to combine tarot with poetry.  For me, this is just one more.

The image used is available as a print. Please visit the artist's website!