2/9/12—Being Golden With the Golden Rule

Today's Draw: The Eight of Coins from the Maroon Tarot. Have you ever been the object of some sort of prejudice? Do you ever wish someone understood that part of you? And while you're hoping for that kind of consideration, do you truly follow the Golden Rule?

The Eight of Coins is a card that usually depicts a person hard at work on their craft. It's the card of the second-time apprentice and suggests starting something new. The Eight of Cups from the Maroon Tarot is different from any I've ever seen, because it shows someone in a pointy "witches" hat, setting off on a journey (or arriving somewhere new), a little bent over and in thought. 

Tarot is all about what you seen in the cards in the moment. In this card, I see a witch who has a hard day and yet is still moving forward with her good works. This makes me think of the prejudice and assumptions people make based on the fact that someone reads tarot:

1. They think you're a witch or practice Wicca
2. They think you're going to tell them they're going to die
3. They're afraid you'll put a spell on them
4. They think you're in cahoots with the dark side
5. They think your readings are BS...a sham

Needless to say I'm none of those things. For anyone curious, I have no religious affiliation, but am very definitely metaphysical, which means I think there's a physical and/or scientific explanation for why things happen in the universe. I believe everything is energy interacting with energy and that there is way more going on out there than we currently know about. So, to review, I don't sacrifice babies (or any other living thing...God and nature are one to me), I don't confer with any false or devious Gods in order to do a reading, and I absolutely do NOT cast spells on people or even wish others bad, primarily because I think it comes right back at you.

Anyway, maybe a month or more ago, something really interesting happened on Facebook. A person who doesn't know me made a crappy little remark to me about me and my cards. They suggested that, because I read tarot cards, I have dark intentions. I mean, anyone who's even read just ONE of my blogs knows that my message is all about moving closer to our higher selves and the light. So I replied back, not in a snippy way or anything, that he might consider he's judging something he knows nothing about, because if he understood what the cards are about, he may not have such a harsh opinion about them. The person was kind enough to apologize for being snippy (probably because he thought I might cast a spell on him...haha) and things ended nicely. 

But that's not what is interesting. The interesting thing is that the very next day, someone came to my Facebook wall in a friendly and curious manner and asked me a series of questions about tarot. They said they felt comfortable approaching me about it, which was a VERY nice thing to say. And we had a thorough discussion on the topic, whereby she asked all the right questions and I gave the answers as I know them. She asked how it works and where the messages come from. What the role of a tarot reader is. Everything! It was the conversation you dream of having with someone who doesn't know. 

Essentially, my answers were that I believe everything is energy interacting with energy. And I don't need the cards to interact with her energy and give her a reading, but they're a useful tool because they spark certain thoughts in me. Just like this card today was about being a second-time apprentice and I'm talking about prejudice and assumptions instead, it's all about what you see in the moment you're reading it. And a reader trusts that she's focusing on a certain element of a card for a reason.

I told her that different tarot readers have different religious beliefs. So some might think the messages are coming from God or Jesus (yes, there are MANY Christian tarot readers and most of the ones I know call themselves Christian) and others might feel they're reading the energy of the person or situation. It's different for different people. And, regardless of their beliefs on that, it works.

And I also told her that, to me, tarot is not about foretelling the future (though it can do that). It's about helping people understand "why" in a way that no other means can. It helps you see a person and/or situation through a lens you can't view it through on your own. It's a more astute adviser than a friend (who probably knows you too well to be objective) and it's the perfect adviser for those day-to-day issues that aren't worth going into therapy for. I want to be careful comparing it to a therapist, though, because tarot readers aren't qualified to guide you through your traumas and inner child issues. This is for people who are relatively emotionally healthy and stable who just have a question about why something is happening in their life.

So one day someone criticizes me because they don't understand. And the next day someone comes seeking understanding. It was full circle moment. And I bring it up because there have been a couple of times lately that I've wondered if the reason someone has responded so negatively toward me is because of the tarot thing. Sometimes we know why people act out toward us...there's a trigger. But other times it just happens for no apparent reason and you wonder (though I could always ask the tarot and never think to do so for myself...haha). This isn't a part of me I hide. And I accept responsibility for that. But I've wondered recently in regard to a couple of incidents where people did know this about me. There are a lot of different views in the world, right or wrong. And it's often hard for use to look past the one thing to see the other million things that exist in a person or the intentions beneath their actions.

As I saw the woman on this card in her witch's hat bent over, yet continuing on, I have to say I feel that way sometimes. Especially lately. Especially after the story I told yesterday. I think it may be connected. Bottom line is that, when I choose to read a person, I do it for good, healing reasons. And I write this blog for good, healing reasons. And there will always be people who will look at it and see darkness, no matter what you do. But you press on.

And on a final note, I apologize to all the Jehovah's Witnesses I've been rude to in the past. I'm not being cheeky. I still don't want you to come to my home for a chat, but I do apologize. Because I can't ask others to see me from the standpoint of my intentions if I can't view them through the standpoint of theirs. All they want to do is serve their beliefs and they're good people inside. It doesn't matter if they can't see past the tarot with me. What matters is that *I* become a good enough person to see past *their* pamphlets. So that's something worthwhile for all of us to consider. It's a nuance of the Golden Rule we often overlook, but it's essential for all of us who seek to walk in the light.