Engaging Life with Tarot
Tarot Face to Face (available HERE) is a clever book about using the cards in everyday life. This accomplishes two things: deepens your understanding of the cards and deepens your connection with life. Many of the techniques focus on how to use the cards to help others engage life. Some are for self-reflection. Others are for engaging with the outside world.
Chapter 6, about engaging with the outside world, includes techniques inspired by shamanistic practices, a particular interest of mine lately. The Tarot Week exercise is an example of one of the shorter ones. Others are longer, more in depth, as one would imagine for shamanic work. But let me share a bit of the Tarot Week with you.
Many people use astrological correspondences with the cards, and of course, the days of the week also have astrological correspondences. The Sun card goes with the Sun and Sunday. Here is the exercise for Sunday:
Sunday: The Sun – Day of Expression (from the book)
“The Sun is all about light. The god Apollo was not just a god of the sun, but of light generally. Our mystial path is full of allusions to and experiences of light; light is often seen as the divine, the spirit, and the creative force. In psychological terms, the Sun is the centre of the self, as it is of the astronomical solar system. It also relates to self-expression.
We will start the week by creating a “Freedom List” in our journal. This list is based on Aleister Crowley’s Liber Oz, a statement of rights of all persons. He stated that all people have the right to work, play, and rest as they will; to eat, drink, dwell, and travel as they will; to think, speak, write, draw, and create as they will. He also outlined a few more rights, some controversial; “to dress as you will” is one of the safe ones!
In your journal, write down what you feel free to do–where there are no constraints in your life. Consider the expansive sun, your solar self, and indentify where you can shine. Write down only what accords with the sun-those freedoms-rather than your constraints, limitations, and blocks.
Continue on as much as you can to really capture the areas of life where you have the possibility of expansion. Focus entirely on the sun, the light, and the freedom of your life. At this stage we are not concerned with self-judgment, constraints or other limitations that the exercise may highlight.
Next, carry out at least one activity today that you listed, in honour of the Sun tarot card. It can be as simple or extravagant as you wish; it just has to be carried out in the spirit of freedom and expansiveness. Even a person in prison can choose which of the four walls he wishes to touch.”
How will you express the Sun today?
This looks very interesting, thanks for sharing it Barb. : ) BB.