When you are saddled with the pressures of deadlines at work, the demands placed on you by the kids from guiding them through their homework to fetching them to and from classes right through to organizing that dinner with the in-laws and then remembering to turn up for your best friend’s birthday drinks, the last thing you’d feel like is a Goddess.
In my harangued state when I am juggling multiple projects at the same time or when I am faced with difficult issues, I will use the 22 Major Arcana cards in Tarot to find that inner space of divine peace and wisdom and reconnect with my higher consciousness.
I do this by meditating on each of the cards, starting with the Fool Card and ending with the World Card., literally following the Fool’s journey as I reawaken my inner Goddess. In my earlier blog posts, I had described how I read my Tarot cards intuitively by meditating and “walking” into the cards to have a “conversation” with the images in the cards. So when I am doing this card by card, I would focus my objective on grounding and centering myself and reconnecting with my higher consciousness. So here’s a sampler of my journey when I am under a lot of stress. I am using the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck for this purpose. Be warned, this is a rather long blog post but definitely worth every minute of your reading it.
The Fool
The Fool
The Fool has a knack of looking smug and just irritatingly happy all the time. So I asked him, “What gives? You don’t seem to have a care in the world when everything is crumbling around us and I can’t even cope with it. Don’t you care?” And his reply was this,” Look at these challenges as an unlimited potential to learn new things. Trust that the universe has a plan and it will present that opportunity in its own time and pace to help you make things better. And if it doesn’t get better, or if it no longer serves you, let it go.”
The Magician
I call the Magician, the show-off. He seems to be the only one with the lucky break because he is gifted with so many skills and talents. So I told him off,” Of course you have nothing to worry about; you have every tool under your belt to get things done. I am the one that lack resources, I need help and I can’t cope,” to which his reply was “You have been looking for resources in the wrong places! You can manifest your goals with the skills with which you already possess, they could be spiritual (Fire/Wand), emotional (Water/Cup), mental (Air/Sword), physical (Earth/Pentacles). Just look within you and around you to tap on these skills.”
The High Priestess
The High Priestess is the quiet, serene one. She doesn’t talk much but often gives me the knowing nod, or shakes her head in disapproval depending on the situation. Sometimes I wished she could say “ Come on! Just do xxx.” So if I am not sharp enough or calm enough myself, I might miss her nodding or shaking her head. From time to time, she may whisper to me to give me a nudge in the right direction, but I need to listen harder with a calmer mind. However, she thought me to awaken my inner Goddess by trusting my gut instincts more and approach situations with calm awareness. She also told me that quiet solitude is good from time to time, so I can think through solutions to issues.
The Empress
I like the Empress best. Her approach is to allow me time and space to bitch about everything I am unhappy with, wiping tears off my face from time to time, and just holding my hands all the way. She needn’t say anything. She has all the time for me, like a mother. When I arrive at her doorstep, it feels like I’ve come home. Immediately, all my stress melts away when I see her. The Empress gave me a great advice the other day. I tend to hop around like a rabid bunny when I get really pissed off with anything. The ogre in me would take over and if I am not raising my voice to get some attention, I would be slamming doors and chairs to make my point. So she told me to get a grip and be in touch with my feminity. No one wants to deal with a “loud hard-nosed bitch spewing expletives as a punctuation” when in a difficult conversation. I needed to approach these conversations with some flair for soft persuasion and a touch of genuine intent to turn the challenge around. To do so, the Empress advised me to go for a walk and just let nature cleanse me off my anger.
The Emperor
I like the Emperor, though not as much as the Empress. While the Empress is softer, gentler and motherly, the Emperor is more matter-of-fact in approach. He is stern but fatherly. When I am beside myself with anxiety, trying to deal with challenges, he would encourage me to put a structured plan together to deal with the issues constructively. He once took hold of my shoulders, shook it and said “Get a grip woman, what steps have you taken to deal with the situation?” At that point, I meekly replied, “nothing yet. But I will now.”
The Hierophant
The Hierophant is my tutor. He’s a bit of an old fashioned dude, more of a fuddy duddy type. However, his advice is never wrong. He seems to get it right all the time. When I am about to fly off the handle in rage during a difficult situation, I will remember the Hierophant’s kind words, “Joanna, you need to use tried and tested methods to deal with the situation. There are times you can do things differently and come up with off-the-wall solutions, but the time isn’t now.”
The Lovers
When I arrived at the Lovers Card, my focus is on the Angel above. The impact of walking into this particular card becomes most powerful when I’ve had a fight with my husband, I would tell the Angel, “I am so fed-up. He isn’t helping me much, he’s messy and he thinks only of himself.” The Angel then pointed to the passion between the couple to remind me of why I married my husband and he said, “Whatever situation you are in, think of the choices you are making, and make sure these choices are driven by love, generosity, compassion and a conviction to always stay true to yourself.”
Chariot
When I stopped at the Chariot’s Card, I really don’t have much time because the charioteer in the card has to ride off in that minute. So when I asked him for options to help me manage my stress, he shouted from behind him, “look ahead of you and stay focused on your goals. You will get what you need with enough will and determination.”
Strength
I thought the Lion in the Strength card is the ultimate softie. He must really lack balls, to allow that woman to conquer him! The lady in the card disapproved of that judgmental perspective of the Lion, then whispered to me, “ Joanna, I sometimes fear for my life, because the Lion could turn on me anytime. However, with patience, persistence and a sense of inner calm, I believe I can tame him. You need to do the same with your challenges and approach them with the same patience. Use your inner strength, and don’t fight volatility with a scattered mind and a impetuous heart”
Hermit
The Hermit is like a guru in the cave. And often, he just wants me to go find my own cave, sit down in it for a few days to think things over. You’d think that’s simple but really it is so difficult for me because I am often quite impulsive and want to settle an issue there and then. Somewhat like the High Priestess, he repeats her wise words by telling me to “Look within you and tap your inner wisdom for answers.”
Wheel of Fortune
I like the Wheel of Fortune. The card often reminds me why I am a Tarot reader in the first place. When I step into the card to play with the handles on that wheel, I am given to understand that only I have control over whatever I want the outcome to be. When I am down and the problems around me seems to be mounting, the Wheel of Fortune urges me to crank the handles upward by doing what I can to make the situation better or change my perspectives on the situation. It encouraged me not to just standby and accept what life dishes out to me. I am indeed the master of my own destiny.
Justice
I like to step into the Justice card when I meditate. She’s another matter-of-fact type. She sits on her throne brandishing a sword and a balance, reminding me that fair decisions need to be made with a logical mind balanced with an intuitive heart. When I approach her in my stressed out state, she would ask me “Are you being fair to yourself and others by taking on more than you can chew?” or “ Can you be honest with yourself about the actions you have taken?”
Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is the sorry sod. I mean, how could you possibly be happy always in that mode of suspension? When I arrived at the Hanged Man’s card, I would ask him,” You can’t even get yourself out of your situation, what makes you think you can help me get out of mine?” The Hanged Man replied,” I am here to think about the sacrifices I have to make to achieve my goals. Similarly, you should just stop to think about your goals and look at what needs to give so you can attain more.” Also, sometimes in a stressful situation, the Hanged Man would advise me to stop restricting my perspectives and broaden my mind to think about what other options I may have.
Death
Oh boy, what an ugly card. The guy has no clothes! However, he is such an optimistic bloke. Death, represented by a skeleton on a horse bearing a flag with the sun shining high up in the sky promised me that things will get better tomorrow and all I needed to do was to let go of a major period in my life that no longer served.
Temperance
The angel in the Temperance card has such a calm and serene aura about him. The angel reminds me that to awaken the inner Goddess within me, I needed to approach all matters with a measure of balance and harmony. Life is about balance, and the universe promises us abundance when we can understand the basic principles that it will provide what we need and not what we want. So the angel in the Temperance card asks me to be calm, patient and measured when I seek for anything. If it is meant for me, it would be a gift from the Universe given with the intent for me to help and do something good. If it’s not meant for me, move on, because probably it’s not something that I need.
The Devil
The Devil is a scary card to me because he makes me question my intent a lot whenever I arrived at his doorstep. He would remind me of the folly of being too attached or obsessed with material gains, and forces me to confront my fears by opening my mind to other options in my life if my attachments to certain things start to do my head in. He’s a bit of a cool dude though quite ugly. I asked him once “Why are you entrapping these 2 people? Can’t you let them go?” He replied me quite calmly, “It may be a short leash Joanna, but their collars are loosely fastened. They have the free choice to remove these chains and leave if they want to.” Cool, ugly but wise too.
The Tower
Every time I meet the Tower, I am filled with dread, worry and trepidation. I feel so disheartened when I see the distress in their faces as they watch the walls of the Tower crumbling before them. In fact, they looked pretty much like I did when major unexpected changes happened in my life, like my divorce some 15 years ago. However the guys in the Tower card advised me that when such challenges happened, I would need to let go and allow the existing structures of that Tower break down so that a new one can be built. One of them said to me, “You see, Jo, you’ve been sitting comfortably there in your ivory tower for way too long, blinded by that comfort zone and your mind is so restricted to preconceived notions of what’s to be expected of a situation that you sometimes fail to see that there are other possibilities in the horizon.” I’ve learnt to let go when I am faced with unexpected changes some times. I don’t always remember though, so this card is a great reminder to me that I need to learn to push the envelope sometimes, and steer outside my comfort zone with some courage. Yes, I need to be courageous, and full of confidence to be a Goddess right?
The Star
I love the lady in the Star card because to me, she’s a symbol of fertility. She takes water from the pool to nourish the ground before her, sustaining the earth and contributing to the lush greenery. She symbolizes hope and the blessings of the universe. When I asked her how I can have hope and how I would know the universe would bless me with what I need, she said,” My one foot on the ground is a reflection of the advice to you to be pragmatic and well-grounded always. The water before me asks you to be in tune with your inner wisdom or deeper consciousness. I am the 17th card amongst the Major Arcana which makes up the number 8, the number associated with strength, courage and determination, which are skills most needed to help you manage your challenges and guide you towards the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The Moon
I had a chat with the dog and the wolf in the Moon card the other day when I heard some gossips within the office. I was quite angry yet worried and I succumbed to my over-active imagination, thinking that some people were just trying to rock my turf. The wolf and the dog started howling to the moon as if in warning of a negative situation coming my way. However, when I started to chat to them, I was given to understand that they were warning me against myself and advised me to confront my fears and anxieties head on. They told me that I had to dig further to find out the full facts before making erroneous judgments about a situation. They also taught me to keep the source of my anxiety close, extend the olive branch and garner more information so that I don’t jump into conclusions but instead, find constructive ways to resolve these issues.
The Sun
If the Star card is one of my favorite cards, the Sun card is even more so. It’s full of energy, positivity, vitality and lifts my spirits when I am feeling down. The image in the card depicts a child playing happily while riding on a horse. Nothing needs to be uttered for me to get what the Sun card is trying to tell me when I want to awaken my inner Goddess. The child in the card urged me to explore my inner childhood full of innocence and love for life.
Judgement
In my moments of stress, I often pull at my hair, head in my hands, whilst asking the universe for reasons why these negative situations are happening to me. The angel in the Judgment card advised me to take a step back to meditate on what had happened, and how I could create a positive outcome with each of these situations. These are just examples of what the angel in the card had said to me before as he knocks my head with his trumpet, “Joanna, awaken yourself to the need to change the course of your direction. Why are you taking the straight road up to your goals, when the winding road provides you more enriching opportunities to learn?” And here’s another one, “Joanna, if you keep looking at your feet as you walk towards your goals, you will miss the kisses from the sun.” Incidentally, I stopped by the Judgment card right after the Sun card when he told me this.
The World
The dancer in the World card seems to be dancing and celebrating a joyful moment. What a positive card. It never fails to make me sound a sigh of relief when I stop at this card because there is a sense of finality or accomplishment I asked the dancer what’s she so smug about particularly when I have been through a ton of challenges. She said quite chirpily that I ought to smile too because after having been through a difficult period, and having put in every effort to try to turn things around, I am now very close to attaining my goals. She added, “ …and don’t forget Jo, that once you have achieved your goals, do pay it forward.”
If The Major Arcana Hasn’t Awakened Your Inner Goddess Yet…
…you clearly haven’t understood that the Universe have purposely laid these cards before you to mirror a typical journey that you may walk through your life and it wants you to know that you will never walk it alone without someone to hold your hand.
If awakening my inner Goddess means that I need to face each challenge with courage and determination of a warrior and manage them with tenderness, patience and persistence of a mother, these cards have taught me more than any course or teacher could.
About The Writer:
The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and is a mentor for the ATA. She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com
The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and is a mentor for the ATA. She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com
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