Tarot as Mindful Practice: My Cards for the Week

Today I’m talking about tarot. Coincidentally, it is Tarot Tuesday, so that’s cool.

(This is the post where anyone who hates witchy things and spirituality realizes they’ve made a mistake and unfollows me. So, like, if that’s not your thing, bye. I won’t hold it against you, I promise.)

Anyway, I am Jewish, but I am also just a touch witchy. I read my tarot cards every week. I check my horoscope and pay attention to astrology. I project good vibes for people who ask for them. Just little witchy things. For me, these things aren’t necessarily about belief in magic, but about mindfulness—especially the tarot. Tarot cards are about archetypes, and what one person takes away from the cards can be vastly different from any other person. How we interpret tarot tells us a lot about ourselves.

At the same time, I think there are things that we can’t explain in the universe, and that tarot in particular can be a way of being receptive to messages from outside oneself. But even if nothing is communicating with me through the cards, I can use them to be mindful of particular aspects of my life. If I draw the Devil, for instance, I know that focusing on a healthy diet, engaging in honest communication, and setting boundaries with others could benefit me. These things are always beneficial, of course, but a reminder to focus on them for a week can be helpful when I’m in the middle of a stressful time, which is when I tend to stop paying attention to my health.

Every part of laying cards is a ritual for me. I riffle shuffle my deck three times, complete a variant of the monge shuffle once, riffle shuffle again four times, and cut it into seven piles. These are all spiritually important numbers in Judaism, and going through the process of all four shuffles gets me into a calm mindset, a bit like meditation.

Then, I lay out seven cards, for a weekly spread. (There are other spreads I do on a semi-regular basis—the bridge spread is a favorite, for example.) After I’ve laid out all the cards for the spread, I glance over them to see if there’s anything that I feel needs clarification. If so, I lay another card partially on top of that card. Once I’ve laid out all the cards I plan to, I flip the deck and set it to the side. The card on the bottom of the deck gets added to the reading, as an overarching theme or key point of focus. Then I journal about the cards and my interpretation of them in a special journal I keep just for this purpose.

This week’s cards: 6 of Swords, 8 of Coins (Pentacles), 2 of Swords, the Hermit, Knight of Cups (Chalices), 8 of Swords, 10 of Swords, the Fool.

photo taken by me, @tessaragabrielle; deck is the Book of Shadows, Vol. 2: So Below

What struck me first about this drawing is that I got two of the same cards last week: the Fool, and the 10 of Swords. The Fool was on the bottom of the deck last week as well, which always gets my attention.

My interpretation of this drawing: I’m in the midst of a major life transition. The 6 and 10 of Swords both speak to this, with a component of needing to let go of some things in order to make room for the new creative pursuits and emotional connections that the Knight of Cups shows coming into my life. I’ve been writing more lately, and building connections with other folks here on Steemit, which is super exciting…and I still need to recognize there are only so many hours in a day, and I have finite energy. Some things need to leave my life, and I need to be open to that process of letting go, not grasping on out of fear. This will become especially important when I start my PhD program; time to lay the groundwork that will get me through to my degree.

I was just feeling a bit depressed that I haven’t posted anything in almost a week here, but the Hermit reminds me that it is okay to take time for myself, to retreat and focus on spirituality and acquiring new knowledge. I've recently incorporated nightly Talmud study into my life, so this totally makes sense. I find that the Hermit has a disconcerting tendency to crop up in my readings when I’m feeling stretched thin or overworked. It reminds me that it’s okay to slow down sometimes. The 2 of Swords echoes that call to re-prioritize things: I need to maintain balance, and I need to make the best choices for myself.

The 8 of Swords speaks to feeling uncertain about my path forward: what do I hold onto and what do I let go of? Do I really have what it takes to get what I want? Now that I’m in a PhD program, I’ve started to worry (thanks anxiety, you jerk) whether I really have what it takes to complete my doctorate. The 8 of Coins reassures, however: if I’m willing to come with right intentions and then put in the work to build what I want to see, I will find success. Even if things seem difficult, it’s not time to give up on what I want. Fear is a liar—I’ve got this.

I’ll be doing an independent research project this summer, to prepare for starting my program in the fall. This is another of the new pursuits which the Knight of Cups suggests. I’ve down-sized my belonging, and put things in storage. I’m grappling with the reality that I'm about to live half a country away from most of my close friends and family for 5-10 years. Doubts have begun to emerge, but there’s the 10 of Swords again: as with any life change, I will have to move on—that tendency to grasp tight onto things that I mentioned above won’t serve me now. The things I let go of are making room for beautiful new opportunities, which is important to remember.

In the same vein, the Fool reminds me that I’m at the start of a journey. Yes, letting go is hard. Yes, moving forward is scary. But if I can bring curiosity and openness to this next chapter in life, I could learn all kinds of amazing lessons. Piss off, anxiety, because I’m headed for big things.

So, that’s my tarot reading for this week. I think that I’ll be weighing important things as I move forward. Key points: commit to the work, practice gratitude, choose myself, be open to connections.

This was fun, maybe I’ll do a deck review or something in the future—I have five decks so far, with another in the mail on its way to me. I love talking about tarot, so I’d love to chat with you in the comments. And if you’re into it, here are some other cool tarot posts:

• I’ve loved @traciyork’s Tarot Tuesday readings on her website, and I’m excited to see her here on Steemit
• @zero-infinity is offering a few free readings
• nerdy tarot decks are the best, and @tarotbyfergus recently posted a collective reading with a Game of Thrones deck—love it!
• and there’s much more in the #tarottuesday tag

Thanks for reading!

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