When the Hermit appears in the reading, a client will often despair. For many, the Hermit does mean being alone or that a relationship might not work out, or the friends won't come anytime soon. Like all things Tarot, symbols are more than they appear at first blush. Personally, when I think about the archetype of the Hermit, the Kung Fu Monk on the Mountain comes to mind. Perhaps this imagery came to me so strongly because a few years ago I lived in China and took a trip to Shaolin Monastery, if any of you are Kung Fu fans, you know that this is THE place to learn Kung Fu. It is up a mountain in a quiet part of China and packed with Chinese and foreign students learning Kung Fu and Buddhism. To awake in the morning and see thousands of people in rows going through the same movements is an amazing thing to behold. The grandeur of this noble art and way of life came from one Hermit, a monk named Batuo, who wandered in from India to teach Buddhism and later established Shaolin Monastery. One Hermit who decided to withdraw from the world, forever changed the world, this is what the wisdom of the Hermit can often evoke. In all religions and important cultural stories, the Hermit is front and center to great spiritual change. Jesus, an example was as we all know, wandered as a Hermit eschewing a carpenter's life. The Prophet Muhammad, the Buddha all had similar origin stories- the world’s religious leaders often began their time wandering alone to return to the public with radical messages. Everyday, people decide to take time off from society and come back forever changed by it. An excellent blog post about the historical/philosophical/religious of Hermit life can be found here by Tarot reader and Academic Donna Hazel. Interestingly we both posted on the same day about nearly the same topic-funny how that works. The Hermit truly as an archetype often have these commonalities:
Once the Hermit has committed to a withdrawal process, he then spends time without distraction. He works hard, he is uncompromising in his goal, and he may not know the end result, but he knows that silence is what is needed right now. And when the Hermit has attained a level self-development, he then lights his lamp. He beckons those who are deserving of his time and energy to climb the mountain and he guides them to his mountain abode in order to share what he has learned.
So when we get a Hermit card in a reading, it doesn't necessarily mean,
"Omg, go adopt 6 cats cause it's the end for you! No one will ever love you again!!!" Nope. But... The appearance of the Hermit in your life often represents: A time of voluntary withdrawal (a pledge of not dating, or not seeking old dysfunctional friendships) and a welcoming of the silence that is the Source. A time of deep introspection and getting your head clear from distraction (not seeking hookups, not seeking bad connections and spending that time working on your STUFF). During your time of introspection and quiet, be mindful of falling back into old behavior because you are: bored, lonely, sad, tired. The Hermit recognizes that these emotions are part of him but he continues forth, he deepens the silence in spite of distraction. Remember, the Hermit is committed.
And when the Hermit is ready, he lights his lamp-not to just anyone-but to people who earn his time and attention (reacquainting ourselves with OURSELVES we no longer bother with mediocre relationships, others must EARN our time and attention, they must desire to raise the vibration).
The Hermit surrounds himself with people who feel deeply, who create, who are honestly living their lives outside of what the village has taught, because the Hermit knows there is always more depth to be had. Need a real life example? Read up on this amazing person, his documentaries are often on PBS. He lived alone in the Alaskan wildreness for over 20 years. His documentaries, self filmed have inspired generations of people. Deeply consider the following: Time consciously removed from the higgy-biggy will mean that over time the quality of your relationships of all kinds will be of a higher vibration. So how does one do that, with kids, jobs, partners, parents, bills, pets to feed, and on and on and on? To partake of the Hermit energy can happen in a day, in an hour, in a weekend; one does not need to leave their lives behind to benefit from Hermit wisdom. Actually, there are many websites devoted to offering the public retreat options of all types and kinds, from religious to secular these places with all kinds of budget options catering to your financial and time needs.
Resources for Want to Be Hermits:
I highly recommend www.retreatfinder.com (there are international listings though it is primarily US based). And even if you cannot pay for an away retreat, I cannot recommend this book enough to cultivate your own retreat space: Woman's Retreat Book: A Guide to Restoring, Rediscovering and Reawakening Your True Self --In a Moment, An Hour, Or a Weekend by Jennifer Louden Dig into the Hermit, do not see his presence in your life as a time to despair, he is calling you with his lamp, join him in opening to the Mystery and shift your life more closely to positivity, authenticy and a more deeper spiritual life. Stop filling up on snacks, the meal is about to arrive.
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Reading Tarot is so much more than just “telling someone’s future”. Like most things, what is known and the truth of a thing are often vastly different. Tarot has been hugely underrated by John Q Public because it has been cloaked under the mantle of fear, and general misunderstanding.
So besides doing oogy boogy so scary readings, or telling your best pal when she will walk down that aisle, the art of Tarot is an incredible resource for personal growth and self-discovery. The act of learning to read tarot will change you as a person, and for the better. Like any tool, Tarot can be used for a variety of uses, there is such a world to Tarot, it can do so much more than most give them credit for! But, don’t just take it from me, I opened the question up to several online Tarot groups, “How has Tarot benefited you as a person?” I was overwhelmed with positive responses from new to Tarot to Tarot Masters and here is what they had to say:
Tarot Helps Us Be More Compassionate to Others
Tarot helps Us See How We are Agents of Change
Tarot Supports Our Healing and Transformation
Tarot Changes the Way We Interact With Ourselves and the World
The benefits one gets from learning Tarot far outweigh the work involved in learning them. These stories from other readers of all levels reveal incredible insights as to why working with Tarot is a worthwhile persuit of depth, healing, connection and insight in addition to the more popular understanding of what the tool of tarot does for us.
Tarot is so much more.... and its positive changes are deep and wide-spread...
Happy Winter Solstice!
Please accept a solstice gift from me to you.... the 2015 Manifestation Map! As this is the shortest day in the year, it is a good energetic time to think about what we wish to grow as the light grows. Using the first half of the major Arcana you are guided in the process of seed planting. May it be so for you!
Happy Summer Solstice!
The longest day of are upon us here in the northern hemisphere as we bask in the light of a strong sun and a long day. After the solstice, every day gets just a little bit shorter than before until finally we see the sun the least in the winter solstice. On a spiritual level, it is good to think about what to pare away, reorganize or walk away from during this time. You get bonus points for doing this during a Mercury Retrograde which we are are in until the end of June. To help you with these ruminations and choices I created a Dismiss List, a guidance for you to think about all the things in your life that you may Dismiss with a wave of your hand (a wand and glitter are also totally appropriate) and the flow of your pen all the junk that has latched onto you this year. Your Dismiss List uses the second half of the Major Arcana and fits with the Manifestation Map, which we did during the Winter solstice using the first half of the major arcana completing the cycle. If you missed out on getting the Manifestation Map, here you go! The Tarot can be a wonderful tool for self discovery and awareness, a well worn path of human experience that, when we follow it, can help us gain personal fulfillment and spiritual awareness. Tarot is so much more than just peeking into the future! May you use the Map and List wisely and well!
Over time, I have learned to mark my calendar and back up my hard drive because it seems that the Mercury Retrograde seems to hit me hard. As a triple Gemini (sun, moon and mercury all in Gemini) I seem to get particularly hard hit during these times.
Last year, I had my laptop break, my car break down, the electrical wiring in my house collapse all costing me over 5k in repairs! For me, the retrograde of Mercury is no joke and I appear to feel its effects about a week before it actually goes in rewind. Mercury is about to move backwards on June 7th and lasting throughout the rest of the month. Remember what I said about it hitting me early? Well, I fell down the stairs a few days ago and sprained BOTH ankles! When Mercury is in retrograde we may experience snafus in communication with others, problems with travel, and electrical equipment failures. Go gently, back up your work, and of course, get a Tarot reading about it! Mercury Retrograde Spread Read the Spread is read right to left 1. Will the retrograde affect my communication with others? 2. Will the retrograde affect my electronics? 3. Will the retrograde affect my travel? If any of these is a positive response then proceed with further clarifying questions. To help you with your reading I have conducted a spread on moi:
Using the Wild Uknown I proceeded to ask the questions below and got:
1. Justice for Communication (looks like there are no issues in this area this time around...yay) 2. Judgement reversed for electronics (uh oh looks like a problem here! The Wild Uknown showing me the Judgement card which has birds leads me to believe it is most likely a car issue-- something that affects movement) 3. Ace of Pentacles reversed is definately giving me further insight since this question covered travel and Ace pf Pentacles reversed is often a loss of money, i.e. more expensive repairs! grrr. Step Two: Cut a hole in the box... oh, wait... wrong instructions, ahem... Cross the first card with this second, action card, this can be none or all three depending on your initial responses. 1. What can I do to block the effect of the retrograde in this area?
Pulling aside the two 'trouble cards' I then cross them with the blocking element, what can I do to block this energy? Chariot crossing Judgement FURTHER indicates that this is going to be a car issue or travel related break down of some sort and 10 of swords crossing the Ace is basically my deck shaking his head and saying,
"Girl you are not going to get out of this so do not buy those shoes, inflate your savings account! Check your AAA membership. too!" Sometimes there really isn't much we CAN do, but the heads up is very helpful. Step Three: Finally pull 3 more cards below the initial card and the crossed card as the final outcome 1. What will be the outcome of the affected area once I take minimizing actions?
First I have the Sun, the Devil, and finally 6 of Wands: While it is an annoying inconvenience it really does work out in the end without too much heartache. I have been thinking to get a new car for awhile now, and I believe that is the function of the Devil in this layout.
Second, Page of wands (that's me I am usually Page or Queen depending), 4 of wands and Strength: further reinforcing that I will be really just fine, no personal harm done and it should all be ship shape by the end of the retrograde. While there was nothing I could really "do" in the context of this reading, it is helpful to know what I need to be aware of so now at least it will not be such a glaring surprise. There you have it, my Mercury Retrograde spread! Do share the results of your spread in the comments below. I hope the retrograde goes easy for you!
A tarot reading can quickly uncover a sitter who is dealing with anxiety, especially if that anxiety is impacting or blocking the event that the client wishes to look at in a Tarot session. Often, our dreams for finding the right mate, a great job, happiness and general prosperity and success can be greatly hindered if personal anxiety has too much power. *
Anxiety can be a good thing if it is in balance with the other aspects of ourselves; anxiousness is the self protective feeling or inner voice that urges caution, that gets us to reexamine our personal plans, it is the warning light on our inner dashboard, “something is not quite right.” However, anxiety out of balance can be an insidious and painful side effect of our hectic, materials-obsessed society. Anxiety is the ghost in the machine, it can fill us with fear and discomfort so great that it can greatly impact our lives; but its just that-- a ghost-- it isn’t truly ‘real’ in any sense of that word, it is thought run rampant that effect our bodies, minds and our quality of life. Using Tarot as a tool for self development, anxiety specifically appears as: 5 of Pentacles, 9 of Swords, the Moon and the Devil. When sitters tend to get these kinds of cards in a reading there may be a significant anxious feelings that are blocking contentment and personal growth. Below, I have outlined what I call my "anxiety cards" and how they can operate within a person if they are out of balance. This is the first in a series of articles I will present on Tarot and anxiety but first let’s explore how anxiety appears via Tarot and how each card shows the expression of anxiety in its own way.
The Devil--
The Devil often shows up when the source of anxiety is based on a strong inner critic response. If we have thoughts that reinforce feelings of inadequacy then that can be a source of strong anxiety. The resultant feeling after this critical thought can often be anxiety, worried that others might also think we look like a hippo in a dress and as a result we are thinking about this rather than the fun night we are about to go out and have. Sometimes, the Devil’s power over us is so strong and the message is so loud it will keep us from actually going out, connecting with friends, or seeing ourselves in a clear and loving light.
The Moon- The Moon often shows us when there is anxiousness that resides from discomfort around feelings of ambiguity. Our society has trained us very well to be in control in managing all aspects of our lives and when we are in a place where we do not know the answer, we may feel uncomfortable, unhappy and questioning our self worth. Sometimes we might even shut down in the face of ambiguity, or we may go in the other direction and attempt to hyper control our relationships, our food, or work and so on. Either way, we are unhappy and uncomfortable with the pervading sense of ‘not knowing’ and can create more damage trying to rectify it as a result.
5 of Pentacles--
5 of Pentacles can often appear when the anxiety is either resource based or there may be abandonment issues that feed the anxiety beast. Hoarding can be an issue for many and at its heart is an anxiousness that feeds it. Hoarding is a side effect of general anxiety around needing something later on, not having an item when needed, not wanting to be wasteful or because there is a memory tied to that item. Often, hoarding issues are dealt with but the anxiety connection is ignored resulting in re-occurance. Also, anxiety that arises out of abandonment fears means that we stay in relationships that do not serve us, continue to engage in familial relationships with people who wreck our personal boundaries and put up with all kinds of shenanigans because the anxiety of feeling left behind is greater than the real and true pain of hurt.
9 of Swords--
This card often appears when general anxiety is being expressed as physical symptoms such as sleeplessness, waking up in the middle of the night and an inability to rest well. We know they are anxiety worries because usually in the bright light of day we realize how large and frightening they felt, but in the morning how strange and dramatic they were. This card has also presented itself to me when there are panic attacks and a heightened adrenalin response due to anxiety. Also, this card can appear when the sense of anxiety and its source is not yet concious.
When we can identify where our anxiety truly comes from we can then begin to reprogram ourselves to minimize the effect anxiety has on our lives. We can also create lives that support the rebalancing of anxiety as a natural aspect of protection rather than overstepping into every aspect of our lives.
The next series of Tarot and Anxiety I will discuss each anxiety Tarot card in turn along with tools, technuques and resources to help address anxiety out of balance. While there may be 4 anxiety cards, there are far, far more healing cards which we will uncover later in the following articles. I do hope you come along for the journey. Want to begin the important work of managing your anxiety instead of it managing you? I offer a series of different Tarot Life Coaching packages suited to all levels of intensity. Check them out and if they resonate with you, to me. *Please note that a true diagnosis for anxiety can only be officially supplied by your medical and mental health practitioner, while tarot is an invaluable tool for self discovery and personal growth, it can in no way replace the methodology of traditional methods to diagnose and treat anxiety.
Now is the time of year when many people are making New Year’s resolutions. Excited for the fresh start we buy our juicer, throw out the now stale holiday cookies, buy a new pair of sneakers and commit to no caffeine no alcohol no gluten in a bid to make ourselves healthier!
More productive! Kinder! Save more money! Living a more meaningful life than last year! And by the time March rolls around we are barely clinging on to these resolutions or have abandoned them entirely. We try not to think about letting ourselves down but it does creep in and we judge ourselves, sometimes rather harshly. But, what if we could use Tarot as a way to see if the resolution is the right one for us? Perhaps our resolution is not the resolution we should be making; perhaps the resolution is to leave a toxic relationship or lean into our work for a promotion rather than lose 10 pounds. Sometimes half the battle is not the resolution per se, but choosing the right one that fits where we are right now. Tarot can help us figure out what we need to do to keep on track as well as point out any danger spots along the way. Getting guidance on the most important resolution to make, ways to make it stick, and pitfalls and set- backs to be aware of can be a powerful tool for igniting transformation. So to help you think and create the resolutions that make sense to you I have created the ever handy-dandy: New Year’s Resolution Tarot Spread (You can create whatever kind of shape you would like for this spread, I tend to just read them line by line) What area of my life needs a New Year’s resolution the most right now? Pull 3 cards: 1, 2, 3 How can I best achieve positive results with this resolution? Pull 3 cards: 4, 5, 6 What obstacles or dangers are in the way of the success of this resolution? Pull 3 cards: 7, 8, 9 How will I know that I am on the right track to sticking to the resolution? Pull 3 cards: 10, 11, 12 How will working this resolution contribute to transforming my life? Pull 3 cards: 13, 14, 15 With a little guidance we can truly create the life we want to experience. If you have a tarot deck and can read yourself, give it a try and let me know how it goes for you! Or, book an and we can discover this together. Either way, once you are done, join me in my class on January 11th, Visioning the New Year Vision Board Workshop to cement what you uncovered and create a board to help you synthesize your best and keep you on track. Happy Resolutioning!
Happy Equinox & Mabon!
When I think about the Equinox, the time of perfect balance and equilibrium, I think about the tarot card Lady Justice. Lady Justice is also known as Lustitia the Roman Goddess of Human justice with a lineage that includes even more ancient Goddesses who precided over fairness including Dike of Greek and Maat of Egyptian pantheons. Justice's call is to maintain equilibrium, to make things fair, to be without bias and while we might feel that this balanced state is stable, it is actually a very interdynamic process needing a lot of care and attention to maintain. So for today I have made for you a guided meditation to help you deepen your understanding and work around balance and also a little sweet, sweet divination, i.e. communication with the Divine! The meditation is about 10 minutes and I hope you can join us as you recalibrate your sense of equanimity while our very planet suspends between movements. I would LOVE to read your experience with the meditation, please write about your experience and insights in a comment below!
Victorian Romantic Tarot
Give Yourself Time to Process Initial Reactions
Having a Tarot reading is being open to a vulnerable experience. You are talking about things and asking questions about things that perhaps no one in your life knows about. You are baring a part of your soul with an intuitive who is guiding you through a process. Coming out of this vulnerable time and into normal space may feel disorientating so make sure that you ease back into the mainstream. I cannot speak for all intuitives but I make an intuitive connection with each client, third eye to third eye, to enhance the intuitive session. When you leave the session, I make sure to close the connection but for some it can be disorientating, exhilarating, confusing or even a peaceful experience; each person reacts differently to this process. Give yourself time to adjust back into normal space. Be gentle with any emotions that may arise or need to be worked through. Following an intuitive coaching session with a high stress work meeting is not a good idea. Give yourself a few hours if possible in a calm environment.
Allow First Impressions to Sink In
It is important to allow your short term memory and impressions take root into your conscious as they are naturally remembered from the experience. Listening to the recording too soon will take the place of those important first impressions and powerful moments of clarity. It is like remembering a photo when you were having your 10 year old birthday party rather than remembering the party itself.
Capture Your Initial Thoughts & Reactions
It is very helpful to journal or record first impressions and insights after the Tarot session. These first insights can often be the most powerful awakenings in the session. If possible, take the next hour after the meeting and go somewhere quiet to capture these impressions; journal in your car if you have to. What were some big realizations that you made during the session? What connections did you make? What are you ready to move on from, or to? Bonus points if you can make this a creative activity by drawing, painting or collaging your new understanding.
Create a Map of New Beginnings
Once you have got your insights down in whatever form you like best, it is important to continue the work with creating a map of new beginnings. A map of action steps to help the changes take hold helps support the momentum unfolded in the Tarot session. Having a Tarot consultation and making new connections is only the beginning; your transformation needs to be strengthened by an action plan and a commitment to change. A client who only listens to the session, without further work on her part, will find that the work of the intuitive session unfinished.
After the First Week or Two, Listen to the Recording
After journaling your first impressions and insights, you may find that you have additional, clarifying questions; these questions are often linked to your own spiritual and personal growth. Write them down during the time between your first impressions and your first recording listen. You may find that the recording will answer many of the questions you had after the reading. Listening to the recording later will round out and define the initial insights as well as give you some keys for greater growth and positive change.
Listen to Your Recording 3 Months after the Session
Listening to the recording 3 months after the session will help you identify if you are still on the path of radical transformation, identify places where you are still stuck, and remind you of the work that needs to be continue. It is at the 90 day mark that it is said that new habits form into lasting habits so checking back into the reading at this time will help if there has been any slippage into old habits or back into old relationships. The three month mark is also a good time to ascertain whether the information is still relevant, useful, or if things have moved on. At this point many clients book another reading to ensure they are on track with the message originally delivered or to see if outcomes have changed due to their own actions. Taking these action steps after you Tarot session will greatly maximize the messages you received and their practical application into the changes you wish to make in your life. I highly recommend taking the time as possible to complete the steps above to vastly empower your deepening connection to the Source and to your own personal and spiritual development. Readings should be interactive experiences Readers such as myself are only conduits of information given to us by our and your Guides. The session is enriched when you share what you are also thinking, perceiving and feeling during the process. We work to activate your natural intuition so to have a “surround sound” experience. Our intuitive selves are involved in a conversation both with each other and our Guides to bring forth information which will be helpful for you; this is not a one man show. Being open and participatory in your session will only enrich the time you have with your reader. Sometimes the Tarot will tell you something other than what you wanted You came in wanting to know whether your boyfriend will propose to you; meanwhile, the Tarot are talking about a huge restructuring of your company, or how to patch things up with your Mother. I like to call this “Tarot Override”. Tarot override happens when our Guides are telling us, “what you WANT to know is not as important as what you NEED to know.” And, sometimes, what you want to know the Tarot will just outright refuse to answer. If you can stay open about the information you will receive then you will find the reading to be more helpful than you could have imagined. But sometimes our Guides just won’t let us have our way. Share information: the more you give the more you will get Ahh… the testing of a Tarot card reader. Testing by withholding information only makes a good reader spend time ferreting it out (time you are paying for!) rather than using the same time to work on what you both don’t know. When I “tune in” to a client it is like putting my hand into a large magical top hat. I get images, impressions, signals and words and I often have to play detective to understand their significance and compile them in a way that can be helpful. Without any information being provided I have to spend time pondering, “how does this red sock, a boy named Billy and discomfort my client feels when going to the movies relevant to what she wants or needs to know in right now?” Ahem… we ALWAYS know when we are being tested. It is still meaningful even if it doesn’t make sense Sometimes a reader will bring up information that makes no sense whatsoever. Or the information doesn’t seem to pertain exactly to you. Rather than fighting it, or thinking your reader is wrong, just file it away later. Oftentimes it may not make sense now, but it will later or it is predicting an event later on down the road. I like to call these Tarot warnings, our Guides are bringing forth information that while not immediately helpful will be later on. This is why I record my sessions, so clients can refer back and make later greater connections with the information later on. Give yourself a week, then listen to the recording of the reading and see if anything clarifies, then listen again after 4. After the session journal your thoughts, impressions and feelings This one is SO important, there is so much radical information that has to do with your positive growth and change that it is easy to forget about it and not work on it after your session. Journaling the experience, how you felt and how you will move forward deepens the energetic work and the information provided to you by your Guides and your reader, the session is interactive even after the session has ended. Crying and laughing are beautiful When we hear deep truth, truth we have only ever kept locked up in our hearts, we often cry or even laugh when it is brought to light. If I had a nickel for every client who told me sorry that they were crying I would be rich. Do not say you are sorry, and yes it is perfectly OK to cry. Your tears are honest and out there in the “real world” we are told not to cry or our experiencing deep emotion is something to avoid as if it were shameful. But in your Tarot session, the session is about you and your honest, authentic emotions. Cry, laugh. Do a silly dance. Sing a song… embrace them all. You can do that in your reading and if you feel uncomfortable doing that with a Tarot reader, get yourself a new one. Above all, be nice to your Tarot card reader What we do is brave work. Outside of sessions we have to deal with a lot of stigma and misunderstanding from the general public about what we do and what our gifts are and we swim against the tide in all of that because we have a gift we could not ignore. Trust me, it is far easier to say you are an Accountant than a Psychic or Tarot card reader! We do what we do because we love to help and we have a burning desire to share the messages we encounter. It is tough to be in a job that the “real world” says isn’t real and that our gifts are just made up. One kind word or one act of validation from clients can mean so much. This career choice has a high burn out rate because not only do we have our jobs to do but we have to fight a lot of stereotypes in order to do it. Did I forget anything above? Please make your additions to the comments section below! |
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Jenna Matlin
M.S. in Organizational Psychology and Leadership CategoriesAll |