Cassy's Tarot Blog » Tragedy

AVOIDING FIXATIONS WHEN READING TAROT CARDS: PART TWO

Cassy — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:24:06 +0000

Nowadays, tarot authors tend to steer clear of the tougher subjects, such as death and illness, but the tarot was designed to encompass all the psychological, philosophical, and physicalities of life. We may try to help beginners wade into the kiddy pool, but when beginners are on their own, the possibility is there for a big dive into the deep end, which can result in confusion. In my opinion, these subjects should not be sugar-coated. Instead, we should strive to educate as much as possible so beginners can relax and enjoy the oracular experience offered. Let’s bear in mind that any divination tool is a key to unlocking your own intuition. The divination tool is not an entity with a mind of its own. Remember that we are working with energies: our own energy, the energy of the seeker, and the energy of the universe.

We all want to offer the lighter side of the tarot, the excitement, the fun, the wonder. “Will I find love? Will he or she be my perfect mate? Will I get a good job?” But life does have its setbacks, its hard times, its tragedy, and these subjects cannot ever really be avoided. This is part of our walk with Spirit. When we seek, really SEEK to find, we must embrace the ALL, not just the SOME. This is the burden of a psychic. We are not just given the good. Besides which, some tragic events can be avoided if the oracle is properly interpreted. But we want the beginner to fully understand. You must walk before you run. Don’t rush the cards, don’t rush the learning. Spirit opens up to you as you can handle it.

If you become panicked or you are a beginner, and you are concerned about any “grief” cards appearing too often in your throws, I suggest that you remove the offending cards for a brief time, perhaps even a few months, until the feelings of dread dissipate and you’ve gained some more knowledge of the cards and spreads. Doing this resets your pattern of thinking. Once you understand how to maintain the cards and meanings in context, and your confidence is well established, these cards will no longer cause panic, fear, or dread. You will understand their importance in the deck, and you will have learned to accept their message in context.

For a reading, or to purchase Cassy’s Oracle Coins, visit www.cassystarot.com

Tarot Readings

Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards: Part One

Cassy — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:22:13 +0000

One of the reasons why seasoned tarot readers don’t recommend that beginners read for themselves is because of the pitfall of becoming fixated on certain cards. For example, if you own a copy of my book Tarot Cassy’s Way, which is just the beginning in a series of teaching tools, you may read that some tarot readers view the combination of “Death” and the “Ten of Swords” as a portent that someone close to the seeker may undergo a physical death. What can then happen is that every time the beginner comes across these two cards in a spread, they will fixate on the worst-case-scenario meaning, fear will set in, and they will become panicked about this card combination. They may even begin to employ subconscious behaviors during a shuffle to avoid those cards altogether.

In future projects, I will be offering suggestions that will outline these concepts more thoroughly, but for now, let’s take a look at some simple concepts. First, let me start by saying that the Death/Ten of Swords combination does not always mean death. And there are many guidelines to consider before deciding that the above-mentioned combination may in fact mean death. First, the question is the key. If the seeker poses a career question, and the reader chooses a spread in which the Death card appears in the “Upcoming Event” position, and the Ten of Swords appears in the “Obstacle” position, this may mean that the seeker may be experiencing some drastic changes at their current job that will force them to move on into a new career opportunity. Bear in mind that Death is a card of transitions and permanent change. The number Ten is the number of completion, the end of a cycle, which always means that the beginning of a new cycle is imminent. The Ten of Swords, or “the stabbed in the back” card, may also imply that the seeker has events ongoing at their current job that is not in their best interest, anyway. Co-workers may be undermining their position. If the “throw” is what I call a cold reading, with no question posed, the Death/Ten of Swords combination may have an altogether different meaning.

Secondly, consider the type of spread, or the arrangement/layout of the cards. The bigger the spread, the more you must consider the positioning of the cards and the surrounding cards before you leap into the abyss of assuming death is on the horizon. Where do these two cards fall in the spread? What is the proximity of the two cards? You may also want to lay out some clarifying cards, alongside the Death card or the Ten of Swords. This can help alleviate any worries or concerns. But, mainly, keep the interpretation of the spread pertinent to the question posed. This will go a long way in helping you read the spread accurately. The meanings in books are there as a guideline only. The key is listening to your own intuition and keeping the meanings in context with the question asked. This is why there are so many variations of meanings in tarot card books. Because the meaning is governed by the question posed and the spread used.

I will continue this discussion in Part Two of Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards.

For a reading, or to purchase Cassy’s Oracle Coins, visit www.cassystarot.com

Maintaining Perspective When You Feel Like Things Are Falling Apart

Cassy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:42:52 +0000

At some point in life, most people will encounter stress or tragedy: a divorce, the passing away of a loved one, the failure of a business, a foreclosure, loss of a job. Any of these things causes stress. It is our tendency, as human beings, to focus on all the bad things that are happening. During times of trauma or high stress, it is very difficult to maintain a positive thought. Usually, one bad thing is followed by another and the stress becomes layered, growing ever more complex. It may feel like the world is crashing down all around you. For example, the loss of a job may result in the loss of a home, and the stress of both can result in a divorce. One thing builds upon another until all feels hopeless, and you feel lost, mired in doubt, uncertainty, and worry. Where will it all end? Will it ever end? Will I be okay? These are common questions we ask ourselves during difficult times. As I did in one of the previous articles, I would like to offer suggestions on changing your perspective of the situation. And I will relate this to the tarot cards, if you like. The Hanged Man asks us to look at things from a different perspective. The Hanged Man is often in a state of limbo, waiting, stagnant. In order to move forward again, he shows us that a fresh perspective is necessary.

Now, I know that losing a job, going through a divorce, or suddenly becoming homeless are tough issues. I’ve been through them all myself. So, I understand how painful these events are, and I am not in any way trying to diminish these events. However, it is vital to your spiritual health and your physical health that you look at events in a whole new way. It is vital that you focus inwardly on your spirit and outwardly on your future in a good, positive way in order to keep good, positive energy flowing to you and through you. Take a moment each day, twice a day, to meditate and unwind. Your meditation can be as simple as a few deep breaths in a quiet space, and a simple mantra to reset your brain. It can be as easy as three slow, consecutive breaths twice a day. Here’s how it is done. Find a quiet, comfortable place. You can be sitting in a comfortable chair or lying down. Close your eyes and try to relax your body. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nostrils, drawing the breath slowly into the abdomen, instead of the upper chest, hold the breath for the count of three, and then slowly release the breath through your mouth. When you have come to the end of the breath, relax a moment, and say out loud, “This is a new beginning for me. I am being offered an opportunity to start fresh, with a clean slate, and to do something better for myself.” Then take another slow, deep breath in exactly the same manner. After you have taken three slow, deep breaths, relax quietly for a time, smile, massage any remaining tension out of your forehead and end your brief meditation by thanking the source for provision.

Notice with this mantra that there is no mention of tragedy, uncertainty, or doubt. Never, ever, focus on doubt. Only focus on the outcome you want. With this mantra, coupled with the slow, deep breaths, you lower your blood pressure, relax the tension in your body, and reset your brain to believe something else about your circumstances. Ideally, ten slow, deep breaths with your mantra is better. But if three breaths twice a day is all you can manage, then do so. It will do you a world of good. When you reset your brain to focus on something other than worry and fear, in this new, relaxed state, ideas will present themselves to you. Worry always spins around itself in a useless circle. Taking time to relax the tension in your body and stop the worry thoughts allows new messages to penetrate. With each new thought, hope is reborn anew. You begin to see that there are possibilities, options, and opportunities. Your worry was simply blinding you to these messages. Hope builds on hope and soon you have come through the troublesome time, and indeed, you have a new beginning forming all around you, taking shape, and offering you a better future.

Enjoy The Path