The Weekend Tarot Reading — Sunday, July 1, 2012

By Sarah Taylor

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
…
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And — which is more — you’ll be a Man my son!

— Rudyard Kipling, If

This Weekend Tarot Reading is notably different from most, if not all, of the readings that I have done until now, because it doesn’t describe a moment in the past, present or future; it suggests something that we can apply at any time in our lives, and in any situation.

It’s an instruction, simple and to the point — albeit one that we can take or leave — which is this:

Whenever we feel like we are in a situation that is unclear; when we feel scared or unsure of ourselves, of others, of our place in the world; when shadows creep in and strange, perhaps unsettling, thoughts invade our consciousness; when we encounter loss, or we focus on something that seems to look like loss — whenever we catch ourselves in any of these acts that really only serve to separate us from ourselves and from others, that is the time to remind ourselves gently to move inward and seek a sense of centre that will put us back on the path that guides us to the light.

Remember: fear is always about something that hasn’t happened. In which case, it is fear itself, not objective reality, that knocks us off balance. We move into all manner of fantasy when our minds are rushing backward and forward and our emotions go into rollercoaster mode.

Yes, these are interesting times we are living in — the astrology and the tarot are pointing to that. However, it is worth keeping in mind that we are more connected with each other than we might imagine. When we move through our lives unconsciously, we have an uncanny ability to ramp up collectively whatever beliefs, ideas or emotions are doing the rounds to the point where it can become all-encompassing and consequently unmanageable. We no longer act; we react.

The antidote to this is indicated by this week’s reading: go within.

When you get an attack of the heebie jeebies and a metaphorical red lobster crawls into your headspace and makes your inner wolf howl, that is the time to start meditating. And by ‘meditating’ I don’t mean you have to find a quiet corner and assume the lotus position — that might be nice, but we don’t often get that luxury. (Though if you can, I’d say don’t knock it before you try it.) By ‘meditating’ I mean drawing yourself inward, moving away from your thoughts and your feelings and finding a place at your core that lies beyond thought and feeling.

You’ll know it when you find it because you will meet with something that has definite presence — it emanates a life force unlike anything else — but it doesn’t need to speak to be heard, nor will it tug on your heartstrings, your adrenal gland, or anything else that is designed to agitate, even in the most seductive ways. It is expansive beyond imagining and it is distinctly not of this world.

Tune in to this, and anything that is unnecessary is tuned out. When you do, you’ll be in a far better situation to sniff out the bullshit — your own as well as others’ — and become acquainted with a sense of your own truth. Then you can act if any action is necessary.

If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.