Tarot Life Book 8: Die To Your Self

Table of contents :
Copyright
Introduction
Die To Your Self
The Tarot Life Method
The Living Tarot Cards
Conclusion
Bibliography
Tarosophy Websites & Resources

Citation preview

TAROT LIFE MONTH 8 DIE TO YOUR SELF 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 8 of our 12-booklet Tarot Life series; you will require the previous Months 1-7 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 4 Die To Your Self The Tarot Life Method The Living Tarot Cards

5 7 9

Conclusion 30 Bibliography 34 Websites & Resources

35

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 our other tarot books, such as 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, although there are many methods you will learn that can be used simply by themselves, for yourself or others. 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

Die To Your Self Thence the human being rushes up through the cosmic framework, at the first zone surrendering the energy of increase and decrease; at the second evil machination, a device now inactive; at the third the illusion of longing, now inactive; at the fourth the ruler’s arrogance, now freed of excess; at the fifth unholy presumption and daring recklessness; at the sixth the evil impulses that come from wealth, now inactive; and the seventh zone the deceit that lies in ambush. The Hermetica. You may recall that the very first quote we presented when we started Tarot Life in book 1, was “when you’re at the beginning, don’t obsess about the middle, because the middle is going to look different once you get there. Just look for a strong beginning and a strong ending and get moving”. At this stage, as we have passed the middle of the process, you may look back at that quite and see how things have changed since you began. You may wonder if you can recall how you thought things would be by half-way, and how they were. This power of retrospect is a fundamental practice to learning “predictive hindsight”, a way of reading tarot which is extremely powerful. Predictive hindsight is a skill simply acquired by practice; by journaling your readings and your initial interpretations, but then reviewing them after the situation has unfolded, you calibrate your readings. As you continue to do this, you find your readings change – what “first” appears in your mind is replaced by “what you would probably say looking back at these cards after the event”. Eventually, this latter predictive hindsight simply becomes the first thing that

appears in your mind. You just “know” how you would read these cards from the future, because you have been learning how to do just that by journaling, calibrating, and reviewing. In this month, we are actually going to prepare to learn a similar ability – not just for reading, but for life itself - but first we must remove ourselves from our own way. In effect, we will gracefully let go of blocks and obstacles, of expectations, and more, as we “die to our self”. The quote from the Hermetica – a keystone of western magical philosophy – with which we began this section shows this process of recognition and abandonment. As we bring all our patterns to the surface, they become “inactive”, until we reach the terrifying final “deceit” that awaits; that we were never who we thought we were in the first place. To make this a painless process, we play it as a game. Throughout this month you will be checking off aspects of your real everyday life with the cards – but then removing them from play. As the month progresses, a magical “funnel” will be formed, which will focus your attention on fewer cards and fewer events in your life. You may find strange synchronicities and other mysterious events occurring as this method is based on a powerful magical ritual. You are free to consider the remaining cards as you approach the end of this working and try and actually “create” the events that they depict, as if you were ‘cheating’ to finish the exercise sooner. It will actually not matter by then, as what is ‘controlling’ this process may be a little blurred at that point. There is no stand-alone or beginner method in this month’s work, as this is an advanced working suitable only for Tarot Life practitioners.

The Tarot Life Method In the Tarot Life practice of this month, you are going to reverse all our previous methods by reading the Tarot from life, not about life. The aim is to make your tarot deck a passive reflection of life, and read life – as tarot. To explain, it is very straightforward. Every day you will select TWO notable events in your daily experience, and correspond those TWO events to TWO specific cards. However, the Tarosophy Twist is here that you will then take those two cards OUT of the deck, and NOT be able to choose them again as the method progresses. As you reduce the deck of possibilities, exhausting different experiences, you will find yourself gravitating to the experiences of the remaining cards, in a strange and subtle manner. It is something that has to be experienced to be understood, as it is somewhat magical. You may even find that life becomes a living tarot reading all around you, with you as the signficator – or perhaps the Fool on a journey through the deck. We have given for each card a range of examples at different levels of what that card may correspond to in your daily experience – at a mundane, emotional/psychological or spiritual level. As ever, you are freely encouraged to use your own correspondences, interpretations and meanings of the cards. Here are the instructions for the method. You must have a deck that will not be used for any other purpose for a month or more: 1. Take out the 22 MAJOR cards from your deck. These are not used in this method.

2. Shuffle the remaining deck of 56 cards fully, considering all that you have done so far. 3. Lay the shuffled deck face UP. 4. At the end of each day, select TWO cards OUT from the deck (keeping the deck in order all the time) which correspond to the two most significant experiences of that particular day. 5. As the practice continues, you may find it harder to choose cards – this is part of the process. If you really feel that no two cards meet two significant experiences of your day, pass over the deck until the following day and see if something happens that corresponds to two of the remaining cards, either together or individually. 6. Continue this practice for a lunar month of 28 days or until the deck is depleted. 7. Towards the end of this practice you should begin to more naturally see events during your day in terms of tarot card equivalents. 8. Maintain a record of the pairs of cards you have selected for each day. Also make a note of any particularly significant events that occur, particularly as the practice develops. There is no other observation or practice required. This is a method that uses “installation” to prepare for a later gate, although it may in itself bring about some significant changes as you exhaust the deck of possibilities. In Practice During this exercise, and particularly towards the end, consider how this method is working. Are the cards reflecting life, or life reflecting the cards? What remains when you exhaust all the cards? This process is a tarot equivalent of the via exhaustio, or “path of exhaustion”. It is also a subtle mechanism of examining attachments

and “dying to your self”.

The Living Tarot Cards Page of Pentacles You may have had a business proposition today, and it is something which you seriously considered. You may have a felt a sense of confidence in starting a practical project. Something that had a spiritual significance for you manifested in your life, albeit in a very mundane way. Page of Swords You may have found yourself eager to thrust your fresh ideas and communications out into the world. You may have found yourself on the defensive saying what you feel with conviction- very strong self-belief. You have come into possession of something which is written or recorded, that has manifested a synchronicity. Page of Cups You found yourself in the position today where you were moved to be compassionate and felt impelled to move it from a feeling of compassion to an actual act. This could have manifested as you making a donation to charity or you may have offered your services to another. You found yourself overwhelmed by emotion, you have been able to see beyond yourself self and feel the pain of others, and you have been acutely empathetic towards others. You have been very tuned into the spiritual world. A perfect meditative state of being for divination. Page of Wands You may have found yourself having to be the only one being productive and creative today while those in your work space have taken it easy leaving you to deliver the goods! You are the creator and the messenger of good ideas.

You have been an emotional keg today ready to combust at the smallest slight you perceive to come your way. You have felt energetic and moved to harness energy to heal and spread light around to all those around you. You felt moved by spirit. You were indeed a bright spark in a dark space with the soul purpose to illuminate. 10 of Pentacles You may have found yourself making a life-changing purchase, such as signing the final contract for your dream home. You made yourself secure in a practical way today. You may have had moments today where you have fantasized over what it would be like to obtain your dream lifestyle, you pictured the perfect scenario, no longer having to work, no longer having to scratch about for money. You may have come to the realization today that you are content with your lot in life, you have your family, your security, good health and wellbeing. You are now focusing on the wealth of spiritual attainment. 10 of Swords You may have had to tell associate you are calling it a day, that you quit - the proverbial falling on your own sword. You may have found yourself removed from a project. You found yourself at the very end of your over-thinking-things rope today- there is no solution to a problem mentally, you have exhausted this route. This final realization may have prompted you to end an ongoing disagreement/feud. You may have found yourself hitting rock bottom, but realizing that we have to exhaust something to the very end before we can finally let go. This letting go may have felt like a release from the binds that have held you. You feel like a free spirit again. 10 of Cups You took time out today literally to ‘smell the flowers’, and appreciate the sheer magic and beauty of nature. This could have simply been

time spent in your own garden, or a stroll through your local park with those you love. In doing so you were at one with nature. You expressed to your nearest and dearest how much they mean to you, and you savored this moment as if it was the first and the last and forever. You became aware today that you are not merely “I” but the greater “One” and in doing so you were able to leave behind fear of being alone. 10 of Wands You lightened your load today. You stopped yourself from taking on extra work that you knew you could not manage easily. Well done for saying no. You said no to taking on someone else emotional baggage when were emotionally fraught yourself. Well done for putting your wellbeing first this time. You came to the realization today that you do not have to carry a heavy burden 9 of Pentacles You were very self-sufficient today and actively rejected assistance in doing something. You said NO thank you to the person who offered to lend you some money or buy something when you knew it would have strings attached. Today you found your power by saying NO to something you did not really want to do. Autonomy was the power word for today- you know your own will better than anyone! You stuck to your principles and ethics of what you believe in rather than being swayed by the aggressive will of another. You realize that convictions worth having are worth sticking to especially so under duress. 9 of Swords You refused to face up to a dilemma that has been troubling you for a long time. You put a trouble aside, you allowed yourself to be in denial over a pressing issue.

You stopped yourself over-analyzing a problem, and in doing so you overcame the fear itself, for as Franklin D. Roosevelt so wisely said. “All we have to fear is fear itself”. You battled your biggest fear, and in doing so you were able to leave behind a part of you that no longer served you well. 9 of Cups You really should have spent time today enjoying what you have worked hard for so far. Perhaps this was spending time at home with your family, enjoying a good meal and good company with those you love. You found yourself feeling a bit smug with the advantages that you possess. Perhaps you came across an old school friend on Facebook and could not stop yourself from letting them know how well you have done in the intervening years. You found yourself wondering whether it was worth being on the ‘hamster wheel’ to maintain your current lifestyle. 9 of Wands Today you found yourself being over wary of a situation. Perhaps the last time you found yourself in the position you experienced a bad outcome. You were tempted to bail out to run away, but in the end you stood your ground and faced any eventuality head-on. You experienced a situation where your wariness and paranoia of a situation brought upon the very thing you dreaded. You felt under attack from negative forces and had to take action to psychically protect yourself. This could have been as simple as burning a smudge stick around your home. 8 of Pentacles You worked diligently today on a project that will reap rewards personally and professionally or somebody close to you such as a child or partner has succeeded in an examination. You found yourself appraising your progress in life so far, this is in a very material area, and you may have considered that it is time to move on with a particular skill that has taken you years to excel in. You felt that this skill needs to be recognized and rewarded.

You came to the realization today that to move beyond the physical and master the spiritual world rather than creating in the material. 8 of Swords You were put in a position today where you were put on the spot by an aggressive inquisitor, it could have been in a job interview situation. You found yourself unable to formulate and answer something that you knew inside out! You were your own saboteur. You felt yourself today crippled by over-analysis and a reluctance to express to others your inner thoughts. You realized today that you are the jailer of yourself, and that your prison is a construct that you erected to protect yourself from being hurt from others. 8 of Cups Today you made a clean break from a comfortable but limiting relationship, be it a personal one or a workplace contract. It may be that you had a big clear of all the sentimental stuff in your life that keeps you stuck. You found yourself today able to walk away from your comfort zone, and the support of those who are there to love and support you, and into the wilderness of uncertainty, and in doing so you were no longer dependent, and fearful of the support being taken from you. You embraced a change and survived. You may have taken time out today to mediate upon where you are in life, emotionally and spiritually and come to the realization that you need to let go of those things you feel most attached to in your life. It could be that you realized you are too sentimental, and this sentimentality binds you to past experiences, that are depleting you in the now. 8 of Wands If you have been on the go all day, without a rest, a break, not a single stop, this is your card. It is constant activity, news, events, all going somewhere fast but not settling to rest. If you have been acting swiftly, smoothly, and without pause, this is your card.

A dart from above, a message from the divine? This is the card that you should choose if you have experienced something from “out there” today – a break-through of the mysterious world into the mundane. 7 of Pentacles Having an anxiety about work and money is indicated in this card, so if that is your unlucky state for the day, this is one of the cards to choose. If you have felt like your work has been in vain, or ill-rewarded, the 7 of Pentacles pictures this unhappy state. As a spiritual card, this image is difficult, but perhaps it shows that what we treasure turns out to be not worthwhile in the greater scheme of things. If you have transcended something today which was once all-important to you; riches, fame, success, you can remove this card. 7 of Swords The card of design, in its sense of plotting, scheming and planning. However, it is often unawares. If you have seen evidence of a ploy, a scheme, a plan, perhaps being carried out in secret, this is the card. Uncertainty in who is supporting you is also part of the nature of this card – like the feeling that if you go for something, no-one will follow you! If you sense this uncertainty, it is this card in action in your life. Remove it. In a reversed sense, and suitable for a more spiritual interpretation of this card, here we see a situation of good counsel. If someone has seen you truly, and where you are, and then advised you accordingly, this is one of your cards for today. 7 of Cups A day pictured by this card is a day in which something has evaporated – poof! Something that you were sure would happen, even made changes in plan for – has vanished. A cancelled appointment is the most mundane example. A politician disillusioning an entire nation is another example of the false hope of this card. If you have experienced an example of this, select this card.

Contemplation, dreams, hopes and wishes. If you feel that you have been dwelling in these visions, this is the card. Remove it. If you have experienced a creative vision, one far removed from the everyday and somewhat fantastical, you can select this card. It is a card of some spiritual progress in widening your imagination of the divine, even if not yet realized. 7 of Wands Holding your own today? This is the card! Victory against overwhelming odds, winning out a discussion, argument or just your own view. It has to involve direct attack, though, the situation which references this card for you. On a more abstract level, this is the card too of barter, negotiation, discussion, and competition. If you are experiencing these states, or being called into deal with such things, this card is active. Holding the courage of your spirit against all the odds is the highest nature of this card. If you are walking your talk, no matter what others may do, this is the card. 6 of Pentacles You may have found yourself today giving money out to somebody on the street begging for money. It is a case of having actively redressed an imbalance which you felt was unfair. You may have found yourself today troubled by the unfairness of the world, how the few has so much, and the many so little. On the way to work each day you see the extremes of this, the expensive flash cars, a woman who has it all and ‘lives the dream’ carrying a $6000 handbag, and then you see the ‘down and out’ on the street with very little, ‘living a nightmare’. You may have resolved to make a difference, to try to help the many in your community. At a more spiritual level, if this has been a day of weighing up your affairs and balancing out your energies, this is a suitable card. 6 of Swords A simple journey is enough to match this card, although one by water is more appropriate. If someone takes you somewhere, or you

ferry someone (to school, to work, to the shops) these activities all accord with the sense of this card. Doing what is within your limits is also another interpretation of this card for your day. Just doing enough, not extending yourself, and still getting somewhere? This is your card. In a higher sense, this is the card of transition, of knowing you are going through change for a spiritual purpose. Whether you can see the destination or not matters not with this card; it is 6, the Tiphareth of the Tree of Life, and half-way between the most divine and the most manifest. So if this is how you feel, you can select this card. 6 of Cups If nostalgic and childhood things have arisen during your day, this is the card to take out of play. Perhaps you saw an old photo on Facebook, smelt a scent that took you way back, or heard an advertising jingle from your past. Emotionally, this card is present in your tarot life if you are overtaken by memories, regrets or even happy reminiscence of the past. A new sense of belonging in the spiritual realm is prefigured by this card; an emotional contentment that you are doing the right thing. 6 of Wands You can choose this card if you have achieved a success in your day. Especially one that was supported by others. It may even be news of success or accomplishment, such as the passing of a test, a grant, or other recognition. Internally, it is a card of victory and a sense of inner accomplishment, although the card itself always warns of pride. If you have gained something as expected, this is the card. On a spiritual plane, this card signifies events in the day that have functioned as couriers of the divine plan – little nudges in the right direction, coincidences or synchronicity. Knight of Pentacles Being of practical use is the nature of this card, in any guise. Opening a door for someone, helping them carry something.

Pointing the way, giving practical advice – or better, doing something. A sense of responsibility will have been on your shoulders today if this is one of the cards you choose. Aligning your everyday work with your spiritual nature is the core of this card. It may be slow going, but bringing everything together to be truly authentic is the lesson of the Knight of Pentacles. If you have done nothing more than be solidly yourself, this is the card. Knight of Swords Direct action was taken today, swift and sudden, if you see this card as embodying an event of the day. A person who went off the rails, suddenly charged forward, or yourself. An event that happened out of the blue, but then swiftly passed. All these flashes in the pan are of this card. Bringing yourself to bear to a pressing issue and charging into it may also be the state that leads you to select this card today. Being the prototype of romantic chivalry, as Waite sees this card, is the spiritual lesson here. Doing what is noble, what is right, what is the duty of all who put their highest angel first, are all encouraged by this card. If you have lived up to these lofty notions, then this is your card. Knight of Cups Getting a message is the simplest way to see this card as an event in your daily activity. It is the card to chose if something was brought to you – particularly if it is a romantic gift! Someone arriving to visit, whether at work or home, can also be associated with this card. Emotionally, this is following your feelings, even if they feel a little at odds with what appears to be going on. Trusting your instinct. If you’ve done that in some notable way today, this is one of your cards. Today have you been totally concerned with your spiritual health and quest? Select this card. Knight of Wands

This card shows that things have moved on today, and started to “fall into place”. It is a card that shows the performance of an errand, a favour. It could have been something as simple as moving a box from one place to another, or delivering something. More substantially, it is a card that means that you decided today to take something in hand, and get a move on. A spiritual emigration is signified by this card; a metanoia, a total change of perspective. If something has swiped you into taking a whole new course, this is the card. 5 of Pentacles Hardship, financial issues, a pause in income, or deferring it for a later day – these are all aspects of this card in tarot life. Feeling left out or in the cold, in a social sense, is also a reason to choose this as one of your cards in a day. The idea of the “mendicants” that Waite describes in this card is that of voluntary poverty in pursuit of a spiritual goal. If this has been your path today, you can select this card. 5 of Swords An argument, saying something you regret, something you cannot take back, or watching the same, is the nature of this card. You may feel too like you are just putting an argument or conflict aside for later, storing it up – that is this card. Gaining disdain for such pettiness is a sign of progress on the spiritual path, and relates to this card. 5 of Cups If you have experienced a bitter result today, something that was spoilt against your expectations, leaving you sorrowful, this is the card. It is a card of regret, which can be removed today from the pack of possibilities for the rest of the working. Feeling frustration is the hallmark of this card, it leaves you feeling that you are not getting anywhere at all. Everything is just out of reach. If you feel that, this is the card. In a more enlightened view of this card, it shows that we must learn to leave the “spilt milk” behind, on move ever onwards. If you have

moved beyond something ruined, you can select this card. 5 of Wands You found yourself at loggerheads with a group of people who all wanted to perform a task ‘their way’. You felt emotionally overwhelmed today by too many choices that came your way, a sort of emotional ‘choice overload’. You feared taking action in case it was the wrong choice, so much so you were hindered by the indecision itself. To gain growth you need to be able to make mistakes without fear of failure. 4 of Pentacles You may have found yourself today resisting the temptation of spending money on a frivolous purchase. That’s this card! If you have felt that you have held onto what is your ground, that’s this card! If you have simply been sure about everything you have done, that’s this card! 4 of Swords For this stage of Tarot Life, we would like to fill in what YOU think this card is all about in life, and use it in the exercise accordingly. As you progress through this sequence of workings, you should be able to more confidently interpret cards in many different contexts. 4 of Cups Called by the Golden Dawn, Crowley and Waite, the card of “blended pleasure”, this card can be appropriate where you have mixed feelings about a situation. It is as if you have partly-achieved something, and remain discontent. You may also have felt loss, or simply want to get away from it all. On a deeper level, this is a card that reflects the turning away from the emotional turmoil of the world to accept the singular path of the divine. 4 of Wands

Getting a break, a respite, a home away from home, these are all events that meet the joyous invitation of this card. Feeling loved amongst ones friends and peers is also a sign that this card is active in your life. The “perfected work” is that you are uplifted in the presence of those who are in accord with your spirit. If this has been the case today, you can certainly select this card to represent that experience. 3 of Pentacles You may have found yourself playing at being the apprentice today to a person who knew better. You were humble enough to realize that you do not know it all and there is still much to learn and plenty of room to grow. This could have been at home or in the place of work, you may have started a new course full of how much you knew, but when you got there you recognized you have only just begun. You learnt the lesson of the importance of co-operation. Did you today let go of the desire to live up to others expectations of you? If so this would have enabled you to perform a task with love rather than out of fear. Did you today accept that you cannot always achieve perfection and that it is through, practice, practice that we get better at doing something. It is the doing not the end result that is goal. 3 of Swords You may have fallen out with someone today and this left you feeling totally bereft and unable to function. It felt totally betrayed and wounded by somebody who you totally trusted. Emotionally today you felt paralyzed and unable to get out of your mind a hurt that had been perpetrated against you. Perhaps you feel that you have not been given a fair explanation for this behavior. 3 of Cups Being in the company of others, a celebration, an agreement that brings happiness – these are all of this card. In the emotional realm, this card can be applicable in a day where you have felt merry, and fulfilled.

The solace of finding the true joy of the world is the spiritual aspect of this card. 3 of Wands For this stage of Tarot Life, we would like to fill in what YOU think this card is all about in life, and use it in the exercise accordingly. As you progress through this sequence of workings, you should be able to more confidently interpret cards in many different contexts. Queen of Pentacles A woman of depth and a certain sense of solid common-sense may be represented by this card, if she has been prominent in your day. Or it may simply be that you have seen through something into what is actually going on, and acted upon it. Being generous of your time, resources or energy is a mark that this card has been part of your character during the day. Waite says this Queen may see “world’s within” her Pentacle. In a higher sense, this is the card of divination; by seeing in small things the greater and secret patterns that bind the universe. Queen of Swords Keeping yourself separate or dealing with a cold person, means this card can be chosen to represent that part of your day. Or perhaps you had to make a cool decision. Emotionally, this is a card to choose if you felt like you were repressing something. If you were withholding judgment in a situation, this is the image. Holding oneself “in the world but not of it” is perhaps the best reflection of this card in a spiritual sense. Queen of Cups For this stage of Tarot Life, we would like to fill in what YOU think this card is all about in life, and use it in the exercise accordingly. As you progress through this sequence of workings, you should be able to more confidently interpret cards in many different contexts. Queen of Wands A good woman, honest, authentic and true will have been present today, when you chose this card to represent her. Or you could have

been such a character yourself. If you have provided a service to others, this is a suitable card to choose for the day. The Queen of Wands also represents being true to your values and sticking with them. 2 of Pentacles Taking things as they come today? Has it been a day of spinning plates, juggling, just keeping up with nothing actually getting done? This is one of your cards! If you’ve felt somewhat off-balance internally, like you constantly have had to shift from one state to another all day, like different personalities, this card can be chosen. A strange card for spiritual affairs, this represents a view in which everything is seen as equal to everything else – which can be quite depressing, in a certain sense. If there is nothing more important than anything else, what should one do? This ennui is embodied by this card, and can be removed from the pack as one of the two cards of your day if you have really felt it so. 2 of Swords If you have a deck in which this card is shown by a woman balancing two swords, you will know the situation it can represent – the holding of opposites, not committing, conforming. Biting your tongue or refusing to see what is going on. These are all conditions and situations which are pictured by this card. If you have felt equilibrium has been reached with something that has troubled you, a state you can support, this is the card. A certain contemplative balance in spiritual affairs is indicated by this card. It is hard to describe, but you will know it if you are experiencing it. 2 of Cups The card of affinity and accord, this can be chosen if you have met with someone special today, met a like mind and soul, or shared something of yourself with another. It can be a moment of intimacy,

or simple sharing with a relative stranger – all that gives rise to the unique feeling of sympathy or empathy. If you have felt more balanced today, in love with your own life, this is one of the two cards for your day. In the spiritual realm, this is the card of divine love, by which, as Waite suggests, “Nature is sanctified”. If you have felt the outpouring of union with all that is not yourself, this is one of the cards you can remove for today. 2 of Wands If you have something in planning today, this may be the card to choose. On the absolute literal level, it is the card of looking from a higher place – getting a good view. If you feel that you have grasped something, but it is not yet what you wanted, this is also the card to choose. It is the problem of achievement; that it is never quite what you thought. On a spiritual level, this is the card of comparing your model of the world with the reality as it is presented to you. If you have found yourself adjusting your world-view, this is one of today’s cards. King of Pentacles The hard-headed man, down-to-earth, calls a spade a spade, this is our King of Pentacles. If you have bumped into a straight-forward kind-a-guy, you know you can pull out the King of Pentacles for sure. He may be a manager, a farmer, a fixer, a mender, a banker. But he is just as he is. If you’ve had to think practically, work out what is the real deal, build something, or do some maths, geometry with a practical result, this is one of your two cards for the day. It may even be quilting, or working out how much your cat weighs for his tablets – this is as down and dirty as the card gets. When something manifests, right there before you, something real that was only visioned, then at a spiritual level, this card is active and can be drawn from the deck. King of Swords

If you have used a knife today, to cut through something, then this is one of the easiest and most literal events that correspond to our King of Swords. Of course, you may have been involved in a cutting decision, an act of command, or exercised authority. You may have received a parking ticket – all of these fall under the King of Swords. Internally, this card is active when you are considering or acting in your own decision-making. Any tough call is under the influence of this card, which also reflects the Justice card in the Major Arcana. At its highest level, far above the bread-knife, this card can be chosen when you have received insight into the mysteries of life and death. If you have felt cut-off from life, or singularly separate in a spiritual sense, this is the card. King of Cups An example of creative thinking today can be assigned to the King of Cups. His foot hovers above the waters of the unconscious and can produce intense inspiration from the deep. You may have met someone who has shown themselves to be emotionally experienced and wise. If you have held your temper and been responsible, this is one of your cards for today. You may have counseled someone in a spiritual concern or deep dilemma. This is also the way of the King of Cups, who can be a man of “business, law or divinity” according to Waite. King of Wands An honest man who sticks by his word – maybe hard to find, according to the songs, but is here found with the King of Wands. An “ardent” man, who is passionate about his values and beliefs, whatever you may think of them. If you have strongly encountered a King of Wands today, this is the card to choose. It may also be that you have been a bit of a “King of Wands” yourself; sticking to your guns. This is not the same as some of the other Wands cards, where you take to the fight, struggle, or defend your position (can you name those three Wands cards?) but rather you sit in your own conviction. Waite says this card, and the other Kings, all wear “what is called a cap of maintenance” beneath their

crowns. This is a sign of special honor, and mentioned in Freemasonic lists of symbols, from which Waite would have taken it. So, in a spiritual sense, if you maintained your spiritual dignity today, you have been a King of Wands, and earned your cap of maintenance. Take this card and remove it. Ace of Pentacles The seed of Gold, and all that glitters in the material world, this is the financial invitation, the start of a practical idea, even a decision to sort out ones house or garden. Practical, down to earth sort of days, even DIY to some extent, will all be your living tarot version of this card. It can literally mean a seed, or a coin, so any day in which a coin appears by itself in some significant way, particularly if it is given to you, can reflect this card. In a spiritual sense, this card is that of just being – in the right place, the right time, and having that honest and authentic sense of contentment. Ace of Swords The card of the winner – either you or someone else today triumphed, scored, won an award or recognition, money, a competition, or other conflict. Perhaps someone tried to fight you in some way, in an argument, debate, or persuade you of their way of thinking. If you felt somewhat out of control mentally today, as you were overcaffeinated, manic, or obsessed with one particular thought, this is also a suitable card to chose to represent the day. This is also at its highest the card of the source, Kether, the crown, in the Tree of Life. It is the lightning flash of creation. You will have experienced this as an overwhelming connection to the creativity of the divine. If you had a sudden illumination today, this is your card. Ace of Cups The card of high emotions, and suitable to chose for the day in which emotions have indeed “run high”. Particularly when they have been close to the heart, unbound, either for good or bad.

This card is of the “house of the true heart” as Waite calls it, and is spiritually the card for when you have felt your vision, your quest, your calling, overwhelming you with love. Ace of Wands This card can be chosen if today you experienced a new beginning, a birth, a project launch, or were given new impetus to start something. It is also applicable for days in which you felt a sense of power, creativity and enterprise. At a spiritual level, you may find this card appropriate for days when you totally felt aligned to your will and purpose in the world.

Conclusion The Corn was Orient and Immortal Wheat which never should be reaped, nor was ever sown. I thought it had stood from Everlasting to Everlasting. The Dust and the Stones of the Street were as precious as Gold. The Gates were at first the end of the World, the Green Trees when I saw them first through the Gates Transported and Ravished me; their Sweetness and unusual Beauty made my heart to leap, and almost mad with Ecstasy, they were such strange and Wonderful Things; The Men! O what Venerable and Reverend Creatures did the Aged seem! Immortal Cherubims! And the young Men Glittering and Sparkling Angels and Maids strange Seraphic Pieces of Life and Beauty! Boys and Girles Tumbling in the Street and Playing, were moving Jewels. I knew not that they were born or should die…. Thomas Traherne. In the final four booklets in this series, we will use the living tarot method installed in this month to work through – in real life - all the information we have gathered in our previous gates. At this stage of the process, corresponding to Death and transformation, our magick turns inside out – from here, we use real life as our spread, our cards, and our place of change, not our “inner” world. In doing so, we may find that there is less difference between the “inner” and the “outer” than we ever thought previously. 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 Equality 8. Die To Your 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 draw together all the preceding gates within the context of the living tarot method you have practiced in this month. In “entering into unity” we will consolidate four aspects of our life into one whole, in the process of which we will see gaps, cracks, holes, contradictions, and more. In having a full map of our being – through the tarot – we will weave these aspects into a more harmonious and luminous self; a self entering into unity. .

Bibliography Copenhaver, B. P. Hermetica. Cambridge University Cambridge, 1992. Traherne, T. Centuries of Meditation (c. 3rd C) Waite, A. E. Pictorial Key to the Tarot. London: Rider, 1974.

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