Tarot Life Book 4: Go With The Flow

Table of contents :
Authors Note
Copyright
Introduction
Going With the Flow
A Simple Method for Beginners
Untwisting the Tree
The Sephiroth Positions
Going With the Flow
The Flow Cards
Conclusion
Bibliography

Citation preview

TAROT LIFE MONTH 4 GO WITH THE FLOW Marcus Katz & Tali Goodwin

You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Authors Note: This is Month 4 of our 12-booklet Tarot Life series; you will require the previous Months 1, 2 & 3 booklets to follow the sequence over the year. Most of the exercises in each booklet may be carried out as stand-alone pieces of selfdiscovery or re-purposed for use in daily, personal or client readings.

INDEX Introduction Going with the Flow A Simple Method for Beginners Untwisting the Tree The Sephiroth Positions Going with the Flow The Flow Cards Conclusion Bibliography Websites & Resources

TAROT LIFE: 12 STEPS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE

A linked series of Gated Spreads to be carried out over a full year. Introduction In this series of Kickstart books of Tarosophy teaching, we take a break from the reference work of Tarot Flip, the seventy-eight innovative Tarot methods in Tarot Twist, and the spiritual considerations of Tarot Inspire to offer a unique practice of our work. You are about to change your life with Tarot, and whether you are a newcomer to tarot or experienced reader, you are about to do something totally new. In using what we call a Gated Spread – a linked sequence of tarot readings whose questions are determined by the results of real-world activities – you are going to fundamentally alter the way you experience your life. We have combined here the wisdom of the Tarot with years of practical testing and the latest research in psychology and the biology of willpower, belief, habit and other aspects of our being. This series is designed to be experienced a month at a time, and in the sequence given. You can start at any time, although New Year, your Birthday, or the Spring Equinox are all powerful starting times. This series is accompanied by a private Facebook group for discussion and questions about your experiences as you make this journey. We look forwards to your engagement of tarot with your life – it is about to become a truly Tarot Life. Marcus Katz, The Tarosophist & Tali Goodwin, TaliTarot

Going With the Flow I AM THE CHARIOTEER, THE CHILD OF THE POWERS OF THE WATERS AND THE LORD OF THE TRIUMPH OF LIGHT, TAKING MY PLACE UNDER THE CANOPY OF THE STARRY NIGHT SKY. I SAY TO YOU THAT THE WAY IS LIKE WATER, FLOWING THROUGH YOU, AS THE HORSES DRIVE YOUR CHARIOT AHEAD. ACHIEVE VICTORY BY ATTUNEMENT, AS THE RIVER RUNS TO THE SEA, DAY BY DAY, MAKING ITS COURSE WITHOUT CONTENTION AGAINST THE EARTH. KEEP YOUR GOAL ALWAYS IN SIGHT, AND YOUR WAY WILL BE CLEAR AHEAD. FIGHT NOT WHAT IS ABOUT YOU, BUT RATHER LIVE IN THE HERE AND NOW TO FACE THAT WHICH IS BEFORE YOU. ONLY THEN WILL YOU KNOW ME IN YOUR WORKS. ‘Speech of the Chariot’, The Zodiacal Rituals (Forge Press, 2008) In this fourth month of Tarot Life we encounter the sign Cancer, corresponding to the Chariot card of the Tarot. The card represents the stage where the work proper begins, and the journey is set out upon, after the previous gates of gathering together the necessary requirements and information. The Tarot card attributed to the path of Cancer is the Chariot (VII), depicted commonly as a chariot with a starry canopy, pulled by twin horses or sphinxes, sometimes colored one white and one black. The Chariot signifies "Victory", but is also attributed to the Magical Grade of Magister Templi and is taken by both the Golden Dawn

magical order and even more emphatically by Aleister Crowley as a symbol of the “Great Work” itself. We have chosen to focus in our gated spread for this month on the "attunement" nature of the card, where the Charioteer flows with the world around him, and thus achieves a constantly adjusting path of non-conflict. The “Great Work” is to unify ourselves into the flow of the cosmos, and the “Magister Templi” is someone who has surrendered themselves to this flow and achieved this high initiation. In Kabbalah, this card corresponds to the path between Binah (Understanding) and Gebruah (Might). The Charioteer utilizes his understanding of the patterns of life to drive towards his destiny with might and power. There is no-one in their way for they are aligned with everything that arises. In this manner, the flow is found. You may be interested to know that early Kabbalah was termed Merkavah, or “chariot riding”, because its mystics spoke about riding Ezekiel’s chariot to the divine in their visions. In our previous gates, we have already opened the gates of destiny, blocks and choice, so we can utilize these parts of ourselves to guide us forwards in the flow. It is often the case that we are “in the flow” when we are least aware of it. It is always the case that when we are fully enjoying ourselves, immersed in something, it is “over before we know it”. The Charioteer has to become aware of this immersion and surrender to it, whilst retaining some self-awareness. In the method we present for this month, we will provide several levels of performing the gated spread, each of which is suitable for the amount of time and resource you would like to invest in the exercise. We will also look at how the Aces of the Tarot are the most powerful cards when considering flow, and give an indication of how certain major cards in a reading can indicate someone’s defense

mechanisms and blocks. It is another purpose of this series to teach tarot for reading for others as a consequence of your experience. We will progressively deepen our experience of the cards through our engagement in real life, which will radically empower our readings for others. Before we commence the Gated Spread, as in each of these books, we will provide a stand-alone method for general usage throughout the exercise or whenever you may find it useful. This is based on a Kabbalistic principle but you do not need to know Kabbalah to use it in your life.

A Simple Method for Beginners In the Tarot, we can choose to see a flow of energy cascading down the cards in a kabbalistic sequence. We can take this as simple numerology also, starting with the Aces kick-starting the energy flow and imagining the energy becoming more structured as it works down to the Tens of the deck. This is the Lightning Flash of creation, as shown on the illustration. To discover where your “flow” is blocked in any activity, where you have met difficulties or troubles that feel unnecessary, or out of balance, you can use this method. It uses reversed cards to locate where your flow has been “twisted” or “turned”. Untwisting the Tree 1. Take the forty Minor cards from your Deck (Aces to Ten in all four Suits; Pentacles, Swords, Cups and Wands). 2. Shuffle whilst considering how your present situation is perturbed, diverted, blocked, twisted or turned. Turn cards the other way as you shuffle, reversing some cards (upside down, not face-up). 3. Lay out the cards in the Tree of Life pattern as illustrated, facedown, placing the first card in the first position, the second card in the second position, to the tenth card at the bottom, then repeat again (four times in total) until all forty cards are laid down. You should have four cards in each position. 1 23 45 6 78 9

10 4, Turn the cards up and see which positions on the Tree of Life have most reversed cards. If there is a position where all four cards are reversed this is the one which requires most attention. 5. Rather than read the reversed cards (which you can do using our quick reference book, Tarot Flip or the in-depth Tarot Turn in 3 volumes) you will read the upright cards from the “balancing” position. 6. The “balancing” position is listed below: Position with Reversals 1 (Ace) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Balancing Position 10 3 2 5 4 9 8 7 6 1 (Ace)

If the “balancing” position has all reversals, then at this time the spread has no possible advice for you and you should try again the following day. Otherwise, take the upright cards in the balancing position and read these as the required action to free the flow, right the imbalance, smooth the twist, resolve the problem, or break the block. If you are comfortable with reversals, you can also read any reversed cards in the balancing position as advisory cards.

As an example, if I laid out the cards in all ten positions, turned them up, and saw that I had lots of mixed cards upright and reversed throughout the layout, but in position 8 I had three reversed cards (and other positions only had two at most), I would read the position 7 cards as balancing. In position 7 I might have the 8 of Wands and the 3 of Cups upright, and two reversed cards, which I can ignore for this example. I would read the 8 of Wands and the 3 of Cups together as suggesting “taking new ideas to a group of friends”. This would untwist the situation and restore the flow of the creative process. For advanced Tarot Living, you can consider the nature of the Sephirah in which your “balance” is to be found, here in position 7, Netzach, the Sephirah of nature and cycles, and corresponding to Venus. So there should be more delight in the project!

The Sephiroth Positions If you would like to consider the nature of the position in which you have twists to your flow, here are some basic keywords for the Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. The word Sephirah (plural, Sephiroth) means a “numerical emanation”, indicating that it is part of a divine flow in a numerical sequence from One to Ten – just like the Tarot Minor cards. We give the title of the Sephirah, the main translation into English (in bold) and other alternative translations. Then we offer a brief idea of how this position plays out in our lives. 1. Kether Crown, diadem, to surround, beseige, wait, encompass. This is the position of your highest spiritual goals and the source of all creation. If your main twists in the flow are here, consider your spiritual life, your core, your highest values. You are already going the wrong way, go further and deeper to discover what has twisted your flow so highly. 2. Chockmah Wisdom, experience, knowledge, intelligence, insight, judgement, science, midwife. This area of your life is that of the father, authority and energy. You may be wasting energy, or forcing yourself in the wrong direction. This will cause turbulence in the flow and disrupt your plans. Consider how the cards in Binah show how to bring balance and structure to your energy. 3. Binah

Understanding, insight, prudence, reason, discernment. In this Sephirah, we have the mother and all structure, all form – the matrix of life. If your cards are twisted (reversed) here, then you are looking at life in the wrong way – you are missing understanding the situation and big picture. Take time to try and formulate your plans in more detail, see how one thing is connected to another. 4. Chesed Mercy, grace, piety, beauty, good-will, favour, benefit, love, kindness, charity, righteousness, benevolence, to do good. The position of “loving kindness”, this Sephirah is the big burst, the big bang, the constant outpouring of love and energy into the universe. It can also be blind and ruthless - love can be harsh. So if your twists are here, you may wish to consider how you are expressing yourself and expanding into the universe. Are you sure you are being selfless in “helping” others? 5. Geburah Strength, power, force, valour, courage, victory, might, God, hero The position of might, power and constraint – also known as Pachad, meaning “fear”. A more challenging Sephirah in which to have blocks to your flow, you need to really look at the cards and see how you must face up and be brave in meeting these challenges. 6. Tiphareth Beauty, splendour, magnificance, ornament, honour, glory, boast. When cards are twisted here, you are out of balance. You should consider the cards in position 9, Yesod (“foundation”) to get grounded and take a step back. You may be experiencing some

great times and energy in your flow, but it may come toppling down without a solid foundation. 7. Netzach Victory, splendour, glory, truth, power, firmness, confidence, eminence. Duration, perpetuity, eternity, lasting, enduring. To excel, be superior, strength, blood, to be chief. Music-master, precentor, to sparkle, shine, win. Netzach, in our own being, is the realm of the emotions, compared to Hod, the realm of thought. Netzach is the position of habits, routine and cycles. If your twists are mainly here, you are in a bad cycle and need to look over to Hod to gain clarity and work your way into a new way of being. Turn the cycles in your life into spirals upwards. 8. Hod Glory, splendour, majesty, renown, ornament, beauty. Hod, compared to Netzach, is the realm of thought and clarity. When your reversed cards are mainly here it is a sign that your thinking needs to be better aligned to the reality of the situation. Try writing it all out, journaling, consulting – take rational and logical steps. 9. Yesod Foundation, base, ground, principle, compilation. As a mirror of Tiphareth (6) above, when cards are twisted here and reversed, it shows you are in a position where things are upturned generally. You have got things the wrong way entirely. Look to the upright Tiphareth cards to gain clarity. If those cards are also reversed, things are wildly out of centre – look to the cards in 7 & 8 to regain balance at this time. 10. Malkuth

Kingdom, dominion, realm, reign. At the base of the Tree of Life, if your cards are reversed here, the flow has been blocked before it can finally manifest. There may be great strain and stress in your life – in fact, the blocks of our previous Gate 2 exist in Yesod above, stopping the flow. Look to the cards in Kether to return to your source and power, then make a new start and initiate a totally new current from those cards. At the end, we begin again..

Going With the Flow Calmness of mind does not mean you should stop your activity. Real calmness should be found in activity. Ram Dass. In this month’s gate, we pull together our previous gates and use them as material for this exercise. We provide a few different levels to perform this exercise, depending on how much time you would like to invest in it. At every level this month’s gate is to be attempted as a constant practice. That is to say, you should aim to be doing the exercise as often as you can for as long as you can every day during the month. It is a simple practice, but the challenge is keeping it constantly in your mind. In this sense, it is a practice of mindfulness. A. Simple Version Take out your Destiny Card from the first Gate exercise. Take the forty Minors from the deck and shuffle them (minus your Destiny card). Select one card for the day and hold it up in front of you. Consider it as a mirror of yourself. Consult the suggestions hereafter for how this card can align you to the flow of the day. Attempt to hold this image of yourself as often as possible during the day, from moment to moment. Do not allow anything to distract you from considering that you are reflecting this card.

As you may forget during the day, each time, remember again and continue for as long as possible. Obviously you may need to balance this exercise if you are undertaking dangerous or risky activities requiring your attention. Make a note of the card, and any feelings which arose during the day, and particularly any synchronicities, “strange” occurrences, coincidences, lucky events, etc. Anything happening “out of the blue”. These are all signposts of flow. The following day repeat the exercise, having returned the previous days card to the pile. You may have the same card for any number of days across this exercise, which should also be noted. As the month progresses, you may find yourself entering the flow in all its currents with increasing ease. This is “chariot riding”. B. Intermediate Version In this version, you perform the exercise as given in version A, however, with consideration to the blocks which you worked with in the second gate. 1. Go back to your notes on your blocks and mechanisms from Gate/Book 2. You should have recorded your most common blocking mechanisms out of the list of 8. 2. Take the following cards from the Majors to represent each block: A. Lying B. Suppression C. Reaction Formation D. Repression E. Introjection F. Isolation G. Projection H. Denial

Devil Strength Hanged Man Moon Last Judgment Hermit Sun Chariot

You will also see now we have given these correspondences that when you carry out a Tarot reading for someone, these cards can indicate their deeper mechanisms holding them in particular patterns. 3. Take the one or two card(s) that represent your most common blocking mechanism(s) and each morning, when you hold up the MINOR card for your flow, hold up the blocking card(s) in front, and then move them out of the way so you can see your flow card. Repeat this several times, then continue the constant exercise with your flow card. This will signal to your unconscious that those blocking mechanisms are put to one side when you find flow. As a result, you may find significant shifts in personality and behavior as your align yourself to your flow card for each day. Repeat this exercise daily throughout the month, with the block card(s) and you should notice that its power reduces as you easily remember each day to align yourself with the flow card. This encourages you to “remove the blocks” by simply making them obsolete. C. Advanced Method In this method, you follow the same practice as A & B, with the addition of your decision-making Court Card from the third Gate. In the morning exercise which opens this gate for the day, you move your block cards out of the way so you can see your flow card, and you also place your decision-maker Court Card at your feet. As you move the block cards to see your Flow card, you also briefly gaze down at your decision-maker Court card. Take in the qualities of this card, and consider how you then see your flow card for the day, beyond any blocks. Enact this ritual several times.

In all three versions, the important thing is to keep the flow card in mind, as you are intending to reflect it as often as possible, during the day. Notice when you suddenly remember that you have forgotten to think about the card!

General Practice This practice can be quite profound, and will change as you progress over a month. If you do find yourself forgetting too many important things, getting confused or other unwanted issues, abandon the practice – or take a card for the day, and journal upon it as a “flow” card at the end of the day. At the very least, you can accomplish this gate by performing the practice for a day just once a week, for example, making Wednesday’s your “Flowday” and practicing with four draws/days over a month. Do not force the flow!

The Flow Cards 10 of Pentacles Reversed, this card indicates a lack of return on investment, in all its guises. So to go with the flow of this card, we must ensure that we are getting out what we put in, to all practical matters. As we progress through the day, we should take constant note of the purpose of our activity, and its reward, whether immediate or delayed. Keep it in balance all day, and waste not one moment. 10 of Swords In terms of flow, the 10 of Swords brings avoidance of being pinned down, mentally, figuratively, metaphorically, in an argument or discussion – or point of view. Feel free to change your mind to suit the circumstances today, as you reflect this card in every moment. Be as free as the wind to go whence and whither. And don’t let yourself get typecast or anyone take you for granted – you may shock, surprise and be inconstant, to follow this flow. 10 of Cups The ecstasy and the heartache of the 10 of Cups, upright and reversed, tells us to reflect our feelings fully and wholly all day. Our flow is to attend our emotions, as we constantly observe this card today. Become a wholly emotional being, intuitive and sensitive. You may not “get real” or be as “sharp as a razor” today, so long as you immerse in the emotional flow of your soul. 10 of Wands The flow of today is all about pulling it together – your ambitions, work, and values. Bend your arm to what is most important to you, realize your vision and make it real. Carry the load forwards, even if it is a push. Going with the flow can sometimes mean pushing against resistance – but it is only the resistance of a mountain to a river; eventually it will be worn away, it is only a matter of time. 9 of Pentacles Going with the flow can be tricky – we may not know what to surrender and to what we must hold. It is like going down a river

clinging to a branch; it may keep us afloat but we may wish to let go and wade for shore when the waterfall is ahead! So when we get the 9 of Pentacles as our flow card, we must be aware during every moment of the day that we are either attached to something or letting go – from moment to moment, our attention, resources and being are fixing and releasing from one attraction to another. Watch. Learn. Are you the bird flying free, or hooded and chained to someone’s wrist? 9 of Swords Doubt can be a hindrance to flow, and in faith its freedom. When we have this card to reflect, moment to moment, we must hold our head up, eyes forward and keep going. There should be no doubt, no pause, no deviation – just forwards motion. We may not even see the aim, but this does not matter – we go forwards. Don’t stop today, and today won’t stop you. 9 of Cups In the meaning of “fulfillment” and its reverse, “disappointment”, this is a card of emotional accountancy. Take your fill of love, it suggests, and indulge in the flow of all good things. Find yourself today moving always to what delights you, and away from anything or anyone who seeks your despair. You are a jolly green giant today, a clown, laughing at everything, taking time to enjoy everything, and reflecting the sheer happiness of being in flow. 9 of Wands Taking care of yourself and others is your entry into flow with this card. At every point of the day, ask, “is this care?” Show compassion and a respect for others, let them know they are valued, and value yourself too. It is all about the people today, their views and opinions, and recognizing the importance of acknowledgement. 8 of Pentacles This is a card of work for its own sake, the zen of work. Whatever you do today, do it for its own sake. Focus on just the moment, the connection with what you are doing. Take an Asana (position) of immediate focus, to everything. Take each moment as it comes, this is perhaps a more spiritual flow card than you may have thought.

The answer lies in every detail, pay attention and don’t be concerned about planning or the big picture. 8 of Swords Trust. A small word for a difficult concept. How do we trust to the flow? How do we know what is right for us and what is a trap? If we surrender, will we be abused by time itself? Today, if you have this card, is a test of your trust. Do not do anything. Wait. See what happens. And go with it. Imagine you are floating back into the world, and it is guiding and supporting you. Where do you go? It doesn’t matter – let go to it. This is one of the more challenging flow cards, for its image (for example on the Waite-Smith card) is usually taken as the opposite of flow, i.e. constraint. Yet it is far from it. 8 of Cups Moving to another place is often seen as stressful, and yet we do it every moment. How do we know what the world holds in store from us, from minute to minute? In the 8 of Cups, we step forward into the unknown. So, today, to enter the flow, from moment to moment, consider that anything could happen next – and now, anything could happen again, and so on. Take every moment as a step into the unknown, and wake up from boredom, expectation and complacency. Just because the sun appears to rise every morning does not stop it from being a holy miracle. 8 of Wands Management and ambition appear to be somewhat removed from “flow” however there are many books on attaining flow-like states of employment, direction and management. An effortless handling of every situation, with full awareness and appreciation of all the factors at hand, is how you want to reflect this card today. Deal with every matter as if you were in charge of a computer game set way below your ability. Act with confidence and assuredness and find the flow of a senior executive – or an angel. 7 of Pentacles What you reap, you sow. So today, “sow in flow”. Plant seeds, nurture, assist everything to move on a step, with gentle nudges, patient advice and a helping hand. Become a secret agent of change

– using every second of the day to invisibly assist in the divine master plan of everybody reaching for their highest aspiration. This is your flow – get to it. 7 of Swords A devious little card, to gain flow from it we must tread carefully. Today, make the obvious, well, obvious. State out loud what is what and who is who. Do not be afraid of stating the obvious. I said that again, didn’t I? Can I make myself any clearer? This is the flow for today – get all the skeletons out of the closet, hang the dirty laundry out and get it cleaned. Don’t hide, don’t hold back, don’t beat around the bush. The flow is pure and clean, don’t muddy the waters. You are a crystal beacon of radiant light when you reflect this card, so stay with it all day. 7 of Cups This card of imagination (run wild) tells us that our flow today can be found in creativity and a little wild ambition. Dream, play and create a little. Do something quirky or out of the box – but do it all the time. You may want to wear something a little unusual to try and keep this in mind as often as you can today. Like a quirky button or scarf. See what happens when you enter an off-beat flow, how it turns everyone else, directs attention to new thinking. You may even make something original happen today in the flow. 7 of Wands To go with the flow today you need to defend your space regardless of how other people prod and poke you. If you feel embarrassment this is a sure confirmation that you are being called to stand up for who you truly are meant to be. The process of standing one’s ground and protecting your personal space whether it is emotional or physical will bring about transformation - which will position you back in your rightful place in flow. Do not let anyone stand on your toes today! 6 of Pentacles To go with the flow today you need to stop giving it all away, for there is a tendency for you to give to others at the expense of your own welfare. If you feel the desire to spend money on yourself today go

ahead and treat yourself, indulge in your indulgence, others can take care of themselves. Today is a day of being self-centered and self motivated, every moment. 6 of Swords To go with the flow today you need to put yourself on hold, you need to stay put, hold back, do not venture too far. This could be in the context of verbal debating, do not let yourself get too carried away with a disagreement - you will be lured into waters too deep. You cannot hold back the river, but this does not mean you have to get your feet wet! Find higher ground and maintain it all day. 6 of Cups To go with the flow today you need to be ‘future orientated’ rather than present/past orientated in your approach to life. You must ‘imagine the unimaginable!’ Today is the day that you should plan out your life and focus on long term goals. Ask yourself where will I be in 5 years time if I carry on doing the same old negative things I have always done? The chances are that it may not be a desirable place to be. It is all very well being sentimental about the past, and hanging onto worn-out patterns of behavior and tolerating people in your life who are working against rather than for you. Stop playing it safe, and speculate on a better future - one of your own making. Shun the tendency to dependency. Today is the day to get real and put aside childish ideals and focus on creating your future every second! 6 of Wands To go with the flow today take time out from wanting to be in the proverbial driving seat - being in charge is not all it is cracked up to be. This could be in your home life or the workplace. Surprise the people in your life, let go, change your mindset, change your position, be a passenger in the back of the vehicle for a change. Just for today let others experience what you have to carry off from day to day; they may find that ‘success’ has a constant companion called ‘responsibility and hard work’. Can you let go all day? 5 of Pentacles

Give into the flow by celebrating the good fortune you have in your life at this time, however small it may be, it is worth being thankful for. Today is a day to live for the moment and enjoy the fruits of your labors - after all, you have worked hard to get this far. There is a school of thought that teaches that the act of celebrating the positivity in your life attracts more positivity. Have you noticed how easy it is to elicit a smile from others if you are wearing a smile yourself. It may be hard to wear the smile all day, but why should this be so difficult? May good fortune smile on you today as you let extravagance have its way!

5 of Swords Go with the flow today by accepting ‘loss and failure’ in equal measure to ‘gain and success’. As the poet Kipling advised ‘meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same’. Keep this quote in mind all day if you can as you reflect this card in constant mindfulness. 5 of Cups Give into the flow by bathing in glorious joy; today is the day that you convince yourself you possess the cup that holds the holy grail of sweet happiness from within. Drink, drink deep - have the courage to believe it is possible to behold. Put aside the glass that is forever bitter and half-empty and put to your lips the glass that is half full and optimistic. Make a toast to the return of old hope renewed. Can you do it? Look deep into this card all day. 5 of Wands Give into the flow by courting harmony in your life. It is the time to put aside past grievances and actively promote concord in all relationships. Be receptive to rebuilding situations that you believed to be beyond repair. Consider death and rebirth in nature, like the rotting plants that die to create the soil, nothing is waste or wasted during this process. Regeneration is the name of the game today in flow. 4 of Pentacles Give into the flow by taking a bit of a gamble, experience the thrill of not being held down by playing it safe. The act of desperately holding onto security can become stultifying and stop you enjoying what you do possess. Be spontaneous every moment as you can and do not restrict yourself. Life is far too short to be ruled by restriction. 4 of Swords

Go with the flow by being the one to agitate situations that have become stagnant. Be the one to speak up to promote change, it could be that you have been biting your lip for far too long in order to keep the peace. Sometimes to achieve genuine long-lasting peace we have to stir things up a little initially. Keep an eye out all day for your opportunities to accelerate and perturb the flow. 4 of Cups Go with the flow by putting your emotions into action. There is a lot for you to achieve if only you would put aside the habit of procrastination. If you have a gut instinct that you should act then follow up on it. Put all your ambitious plans into action. It is really that simple. 4 of Wands Go with the flow by withdrawing from social activities. There could possibly be an opportunity today to turn down one of those invitations to a social event that if you are true to yourself you will turn down. How many occasions have you said yes to an invitation when you would rather say no. Give it a go today go with the ‘flow and say NO’. 3 of Pentacles Go with flow by dropping the desire to achieve perfection. We live in a world that is pre-occupied with the ideal. We feel that our best can always be bettered, if not by ourselves but by others. Be a little blasé, and do not become too obsessed with detail and thereby never finishing what you started out to do. It is better to create something that is imperfect than not to create at all. As Quentin Crisp said ‘If at first you do not succeed, failure may be your style’. Embrace it - after all it may be the very thing to make you unique. 3 of Swords Go with the flow and release your inner chaos-devil, surprise those you know by doing something most irregular and out of character. You may find that you rediscover a side to your personality that is

very special and unique – and that you have denied yourself for far too long. As Friedrich Nietzsche expressed “You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star”. 3 of Cups Go with the flow today by being aware that congeniality is not always possible. Those old friends of yours may be stressing you out a little; it may be that they feel they know you so well they are taking you for granted. The intimacy you once shared is now beginning to feel intrusive, you may find yourself wanting to tell them to ‘butt out of your life!” 3 of Wands Go with the flow by accepting that something that you have invested time and energy in creating might not be the success you believed it to be. It may be advisable to cut your losses and reserve your energies and focus on a new project. The advice is not to speculate, take nothing at face value, and keep this in mind all day. 2 of Pentacles Go with the flow by letting go of commitments that have become too much effort to maintain. You may be trying to manage too much at one time in your life. Take time out and re-evaluate what is really of importance to you. Look for chances to do this all day in case you miss something obvious. 2 of Swords Go with the flow by just letting go, relax and give into the very thing that should be the easiest thing in the world. If only we could remember a state that once came naturally to us before we became bound by our severe and restrictive thought patterns. The desire to protect ourselves by being self-defensive has become oppressive and in turn is effectively a burden in itself. Watch out from moment to moment when you tend to contract, and let go at that time instead of flexing inwards. What is the worst that can happen? 2 of Cups

A simple card that is truly all it appears to be. Go with the flow by reevaluating relationships in your life, it could be that emotionally you are bearing too much and need to recalibrate your relationship. It may be that on the surface all appears well, so put down the emotionally full cups and start to communicate on another level. Today is about asking, from moment to moment, “avoiding relationship?” as a constant mantra. You may be surprised by how powerful this observation can be. 2 of Wands You can go with the flow by maintaining faith in what you have materialized in your life so far. Do not give in due to feel of failure. The only loss you will have is by not knowing what you could have gone on to achieve if only you had believed in yourself. Stay today by looking forwards and building on your past – refer to your experience at all points of the day. Let others know.

The Aces Please note that the Aces – when it comes to their correspondence to the cosmic flow – are the very source of that flow. They correspond to Kether on the Tree of Life, the root of all creation. As a result, they are the most powerful and challenging cards to attempt to hold in constant mindfulness for an entire day. Ace of Pentacles All that is real and material belongs to this card, that is to say, everything. Today is the flow of sheer sensation. Take every moment to feel, to touch, to taste, to see and hear, and smell everything possible. Become a fully sensing human being, a creature of flesh and bone, of blood, and immerse yourself in the physical flow of all creation. Can you exist just like this for an entire day? Ace of Swords In our beginner’s book, Tarot Flip, we give the oracular image of this card, “light streaming through a library window”. This is the light of knowledge, of clarity, and the source of the flow of the mind. All thoughts originate from this singular point and cascade into the world. So your task today – to enter the flow – is to become fully aware of the stream of your thoughts. Direct your attention inwards and observe how your thoughts flow. From where do they come and where do they go? Can you do this all day? Ace of Cups The penultimate flow card, this card is about movement and natural flow. Let everything happen, encourage and celebrate it. Go with the flow as if there were nothing else in life other than the sheer joy of every breath, saying now “I’m alive” and again, “I’m alive”. Be awed at the sheer incredulity of life and creation, overact, be large, be bold be bountiful and beautiful. Every minute. Can you last the day like this? Ace of Wands

The ultimate flow card, this is the seed of ambition. It is where all flow begins, so is the source of our wisdom. Imagine today from moment to moment that you are bearing a wand, and that everything is emanating from it, and everything being drawn to it. You are the sole centre of everything, and everything is dancing in a vast cosmic spiral around you. As you move, you move everything. Yet you are a still centre of all things. Can you hold this centre all day, where the flow is born from your very being?

Conclusion Contrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times – although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind are stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something we make happen. M. Csikszentmihalyi, Flow. p. 3. In the following eight booklets in this series, we will build on our progress in the first four months, next discovering how to ride the lion; a profound exercise of self-discovery. It is important to the process that you undertake the exercises, and we have an optional Facebook group listed in the appendix where you can share and discuss your experiences, ask questions and gain support. We have also provided in the final section a list of reading materials and website resources to discover more in the very best of Tarot and Tarosophy®. In this series, released monthly over 2013: 1. Discover Your Destiny 2. Remove The Blocks 3. Make Decisions Better 4. Enter the Flow 5. Ride the Lion 6. Connect to Service 7. Find Your Equality 8. Die To Your Old Self 9. Entering Unity

10. Becoming the Real 11. Your Keys to Freedom 12. The Depth of Divinity What Follows Next Month In next month’s Tarot Life, we ride the Lion; a deep method of incorporating and utilizing our personal relationship to the divine. We will see how we can harness the everyday events of our lives and our own reactions to them to perceive the hidden relationship between ourselves and the cosmos. We will then be able to connect to service in the following gated spread and enter into a more spiritual tarot life as we progress through the sequence. These gates may take you further than you recognize when you learn to ride the lion. A Final Note on Constant Prayer In this book we have utilized not only the latest findings in how we achieve “flow” in our lives but also a fragment of method from western mysticism called “constant prayer”. Whilst this is somewhat similar to repeating a mantra in the eastern traditions, it is actually closer to a form of directed or themed mindfulness. In this, it is also different to contemplation or other methods, in that it is carried out in daily life. It does not require a hermitage or monastery! We have given in the bibliography the classic text in the Christian tradition for this process, and a contemporary book on living a spiritual life within an everyday life. We encourage you to go beyond these exercises in Tarot Life to further discover how Tarot can open gates to many practices and approaches to living a deeper spiritual life in the western traditions.

Bibliography Brianchaninov, I. On the Prayer of Jesus. Boston: New Seeds Books, 2006. Csikszentmihalyi, M. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: HarperCollins, 1990. Sinetar, M. Ordinary People as Monks & Mystics. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1986.