It’s a fact, I absolutely love Tarot!
So I decided to put a quick blog together about it.
Before I was introduced to Tarot, I really had no understanding of what it was! All I had seen were stereotypical images portrayed on the TV. More recently I recall seeing a few cards pop up in ‘Queen of the South’ on Netflix (I do love a good drug cartel series)!
After studying and practising tarot for a couple of years, I know that it is an absolutely fantastic tool for transformation.
Do I use it with all my clients? No. I don’t ‘need’ it to do be able to do my work, it’s just a great added extra for those who are interested and I have a genuine love of it.
When I embarked my coaching training some time ago now, I had no idea that this would be a tool I would be using professionally or at all!
In fact, quite honestly, I would have rolled my eyes in disbelief at the very prospect (please don’t judge me, I was a sceptic…things have changed, I have changed)!
Tarot cards work brilliantly with coaching, especially when it comes to transformation, intuition and spiritual intelligence.
The tarot’s blend of ancient wisdom and symbolism helps us to tap into our deepest feelings, thoughts and beliefs. It is a way of bringing to the surface that which we already know in our highest consciousness.
I have used tarot personally for a few years. It was a powerful companion in aiding me to take the leap and start my own business. It was pivotal in helping me manage my fears and connecting more deeply with my true self.
Sometimes, I read the cards for clients and share insightful and encouraging messages that are loaded with a spiritual guidance and philosophy that never gets old.
Other times, I help clients interpret the cards to access their intuition and left brain thinking. All the while, ensuring that it provides purpose…after all, coaching is about what we are going to do / how we are going to ‘be’ going forward with the insight gleaned.
It’s also interesting how our reaction to some ‘thing’ can often teach us more about ourselves than the actual thing itself. Our reaction to the cards is potentially more revealing than the cards themselves at times.
As we know, life involves a range of experiences, emotions, feelings and beliefs and the cards are reflective of this. There is nothing to be afraid of and I always maintain that we never want to give our power away to anything or anyone outside ourselves.
Free will is what dictates our life along with a good dose of surrender, flow and allowing ourselves to be guided. We are conscious creators.
I believe Tarot dates back to the mid fifteenth century, but I won’t be getting stuck into any historical nitty gritty! Basically Tarot represents timeless wisdom.
There are tons of incredible Oracle cards out there too (I have quite a stash myself!) and they tap into all kinds from animals to affirmations, mythology, nature, gratitude and more. They are wonderful tools but perhaps not offering quite the psychological and spiritual deep dive a Tarot deck can provide.
A Tarot deck is typically made up of 78 cards. In its entirety, it contains a plethora of archetypes and aspects of the psyche that are present and available within all of us and in our environment, the world and the collective conscious.
22 of these cards are known as ‘Major Arcana’ and are indicative of major life lessons. In fact, these cards essentially depict all the critical stages of the journey of transformation and our personal development / self-actualisation.
For example, in brief, the Hermit card is about going inward, connecting to our intuition and our internal guidance system (linked to the astrological archetype of Virgo).
The Lovers card can be about our relationships but also the choices we make and the values we live by. It is the representation of duality such as masculine and feminine (linked to the astrological archetype of Gemini).
The Magician is about leadership, co-creating with the universe and using all the resources we have available to us to lead us to our destiny (linked to the planet Mercury, messenger of the Gods).
The Devil card looks a bit dramatic but really it represents anything that holds us back or keeps us trapped such as addictions or limiting beliefs. The Devil is just symbolic of fear based thoughts or actions that stem from the wounded ego (linked to the astrological archetype of Capricorn).
That leaves 56 other cards known as the ‘Minor Arcana’ which represent more everyday situation and patterns.
Within these cards are the four suits (like a normal deck of playing cards) that represent the elements of our lives; Pentacles, Swords, Cups and Wands.
Pentacles – Think of the element of Earth. They represent the physical and material realm; money, our work and our relationship to abundance or lack. As our external world relates to our inner self.
Swords – Think of the element of Air. Swords represent our thoughts, the thinking mind, beliefs, ideas, imagination. They also relate to truth and communication, logic, strategy, conflict and challenge.
Cups – Think of the element of water. This is the realm of emotions, feelings and surrounding situations including relationships.
Wands – Think Fire! These cards carry the energy of inspiration, courage, initiation, enthusiasm and action to name a few.
The Minor Arcana are numbered from an Ace up to 10 (also representing numerology) then we reach the Page, Knight, Queen and King – all of which represent ages, archetypes and facets of personality and skills that we need to adopt or develop.
The ideal being achieving a sense of wholeness by being balanced across all of them (constant working progress)!
This would look like the masculine and feminine energies within us working in harmony and not being supressed. It also represents balance in our body, mind, soul and spirit and being able to access our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual intelligence.
I love the symbolism and I find the artwork and variety of tarot decks completely mesmerising (let’s just say I have a fair collection)!
I hope this quick blog has given you a bit of an insight into Tarot if you don’t already know about it.
I am planning to share a weekly ‘Tuesday Tarot’ post with wisdom and insight from the cards. My aim is to help you focus on self-mastery and integration with questions for your consideration.
Good Vibes, Amanda G
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