I believe the Tarot is a true inspiration for change. Through a reading, we look at our situation from a new angle. Through a Tarot reading you get those missing insights. Then new things seem to appear or seem obvious.
My spiritual interest took me to many places during the ’90s. I was in my twenties and wanted to know more about alternative spirituality and it was not so easy before the internet became useful.
I was lucky enough to find highly prepared people along the way at seminars and courses, students and teachers had a lot to share. This is how I found my teacher. He had a particular style in which he navigated through the cards by asking my story and recapitulating it. The cards marked for him the tone and also helped place the facts. The outcome is a map. The picture that emerges from it was filled with meaning and spoke of development and trials to overcome.
Wherever I was after one of his readings, I was not lost, and my world did not have any significant crack. Tarot gave me the right insights to keep going. For me, this would become my method.
Shifting our perspective is a difficult practice, but it is the way for new actions to come from our hearts. It is vital for having more flexibility in our lives, because any change is easier if we can shift the weights of our motivations. Changing by pure determination is very hard and it feels fake, changing by the pull of a new understanding of who we are is quite more relaxed.
Ann found her married life unhappy. She dared start her life at twenty-one, but though the first couple of years were good, she then realized she made a mistake. Now with a beautiful daughter, they both felt compelled to try their best. Her husband Nicholas became less talkative and did not spend a lot of time at home. He worked in sales, and his job kept stretching over his personal time until his life happened outside of their home.
Ann was in a difficult situation. After deciding she needed to start again and going through a difficult divorce, she needed a change of scenery and moved to another city. It affected the situation of their daughter. She found her now ex-husband continually created legal problems. He had a lawyer who, she felt, made things more difficult. They fought for custody over their daughter who was at the time five years old, and her changing jobs did not show her in the best light.
She was feeling at war with him, and this made things worse. They did not talk a lot, but when they did, she reacted poorly. It only fed his determination to fight for full custody.
When Ann talked to me, I saw the arguments repeated themselves. The cards of swords seemed to pile up around her. Her anger was in words and conversations and a struggle that never ended.
It was not in his cards. He appeared empowered and with a lot of fire which could become anger if the situation called for it. Spite was present for sure, as his suffering also left a mark.
A different approach could change the dynamic, and the first card to tell us this was the Sun. She needed to start a conversation from a place of joy. The priestess then spoke of a positive moment, one of connection and grace. It was the way to avoid the defeat of the five of swords, of engaging and losing an argument. Instead, a true victory appeared in the ace of wands. It is not the victory of petty feelings but stands at the root of what a triumph really means. It talks of balance and long-term agreement, of finding a solution to make things better for oneself and others.
We talked about this as an exercise, which seemed like something she tried before. This time she would observe the dialogue more carefully. She did. She approached the conversation from a real new place. He did not put up much trouble to find a new arrangement, and she felt he was eager to solve this and in a good mood.
We indeed make our reality, but how we do it is hard to perceive. A healthy approach to Tarot should provide us with the right insights, and they should feel like connected dots. Realization is what brings growth and prepares us for the future.
Pablo (Paul) Gustav Azelem
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