5/1/13—Putting Tradition In Its Proper Place

SPECIAL EDITION!!!!

Today we're doing something different at the Daily Draw. I joined a group called TarotBlogHop and the idea is this: 

People in the group all post at THE EXACT SAME TIME, no matter where they are in the world. And we create a circle. To do that, at the beginning of this post, I provide a link to the blog that comes before me in the "hop". So if you came to me from Johnny Two Brows' site, you're in the right place. John is a tarot reader right here in VA, where I live. And though I've never met him person, we have actual three-dimensional people in common. 

When you're done reading my post, I'll link you to Chloe's Celtic Lenormand site. Chloe has always been a big supporter of the Daily Draw, so you'll want to be sure to visit her page. 

So the idea is that all the bloggers create a big circle that you can go around and read each person's views about the chosen topic, which is "What traditions are important to you in how you read Tarot?" Fun huh? I get new readers here, you get new blogs to visit there and everyone wins! Hooray!

Now, on with the show...


Today's Draw: The Hierophant from the Pen Tarot in the What to Avoid position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Would you call yourself a tarot traditionalist? What kinds of things do you do to buck tradition? And what traditions are important to you in how you read the tarot?

Usually, I randomly draw a card from a tarot deck and randomly choose from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. But today I intentionally chose two cards to communicate how I feel about tradition (represented by the Hierophant). 

I don't REALLY think you should avoid it in tarot—or in life, as a matter of fact. In fact, I think we should all know the traditional ways. I think we should know what all the cards mean. I think we should at least be familiar with traditional spreads. And I think we should all know how to give a traditional, face-to-face reading. But that's where I draw the line.

One of the classes I teach as a tarot teacher is called Taboo Tarot, Breaking All the Tarot Rules. In that class I'll make you to shuffle your cards a different way. I'll have you to read a querent a different way. I'll compel you to learn something different in the area of spreads. And all of that will not only force you to have fun...haha, but to also learn the most important "rule" of tarot there is—that it works no matter what you do. I can tell you that rule all day, but you won't get the hang of it until you start breaking the rules yourself.

And why should you break the rules? Because tarot has so much more to offer than tradition "allows". If you're not familiar with my Deck of 1000 Spreads, it's the perfect example. Traditionally you would use a Celtic Cross as a spread. Or you would find a spread in a book. If you were really adventurous, you might try to create a spread on your own. But the Deck of 1000 Spreads opens even more avenues beyond that. You can "divine" a spread, meaning you can draw spread positions the same way you'd draw tarot cards from a deck, then lay them out in spread form. You can easily re-tool any spread you might find online or in a book. Plus, the colors on the spread cards pull out colors in your tarot cards, adding a whole new dimension to your readings. And that's just a few of the things people are doing for the first time because of this deck.  

I know that sounded like an ad for my cards. And it was. Kinda...haha. But I write ads for a living, so it can't be avoided. The point is that when you start thinking outside of traditional realms, you can create something that totally changes the game for your readings. Tradition forms the basis, but breaking tradition is what keeps the practice alive in your heart and soul. At least for me it is. And when you bear the excitement of a practice that's always evolving, you light a spark that keeps that keeps the energy going from generation to generation.

Look, if we never veered from tradition, we'd all be reading in stuffy parlors with Tarot de Marseilles decks. And some LOVE the idea of that. And that's cool. But I'll bet few people actually still read in the same manner people did in the 15th and 16th centuries. Heck, it was a card game back then. SOMEONE had to buck tradition to even make it a divination system!

And that's exactly my point. Everything derives from breaking tradition. When man moved out of caves and into small farming communities, they were breaking tradition. In fact, when primates start to walk upright, THEY were breaking tradition. It's in our DNA, ferchrissakes!

So when I teach tarot, I tell my students to memorize their card meanings, but to also read "intuitively". I tell them to learn their Celtic Cross, but also create their own spreads. They learn to read traditional ways, but also with multiple decks, or different kinds of shuffles or ways of drawing the cards. Because that's how you get from a TdM to a Sola Busca to a RWS to a Greenwood, Thoth or non-traditional deck...by knowing what you're talking about and what you're supposed to do—but not being limited by it.

I recently taught a spreadcrafting class and told the students that, at some point, I had to give myself permission to stop looking in books for spreads and create my own. Giving myself permission, and assuming the power to off-road based on all those who broke the rules before me, was so freeing! It set my creative juices flowing and gave me new excitement for tarot. And it's what eventually led to creating a new way to approach spreadcrafting with my deck.  

Tarot needs more of that. Tarot needs legions of free thinkers with the permission to break the rules and thank god there are many out there. But this need is not just tarot's. It's needed in politics, business, religion and society in general. Man and the times are continually evolving and our leaders and iconoclasts need to keep pace. It's vital to know where we came from and why. But when tradition is no longer relevant or "big enough" for the people who follow it, it's time for a change.

So now that you know how I feel about tradition, I'm going to tell you that traditionally, you'd visit Chloe's Celtic Lenormand page after mine. In fact, I strongly recommend that, because Chloe rocks. But maybe you want to buck tradition and hop backwards to Johnny Two Brows' site. Or maybe you want to do something entirely different and choose someone from the master list of participating blogs. Whatever you choose, you've got my permission. ;) Have fun!

2/8/13—Leaving Religion in the Past

Today's Draw: The Hierophant from the Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery in the What to Leave in the Past position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you follow a certain religion? Have you left a certain religion? Either way, why?

Before I begin what could be a controversial and to some, even blasphemous, entry I have something I have to say. When I first flipped through the Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery the other day, this card stopped me in my tracks. The green robes with the blue headdress...simply breathtaking. 

OK. On with the show. 

Robert Place defines the Hierophant as representing "exoteric religion and morality." Exoteric means that it's designed and/or communicated in a way that it would be easily understood by the general public. I had never heard that word before, but that's an interesting nuance on how I normally see the Hierophant. I normally see him as the guy in charge of spiritual or religious dogma. Often called The Pope card, he's in charge of presenting religious doctrine as being incontrovertible. 

While I think the Hierophant is actually both, I find the idea of "exoteric" to be compelling in regard to religious doctrine. I'll use the Bible as an example, but there are many religious tomes to which what I'm about to say can apply. 

As an advertising copywriter, the crux of my job is to compel others to take action, whether that be to visit a website or buy a product. I've been doing it for 25 years, so I'm well versed in how everything from the words you choose to the tone of voice you present them in can put a person in such a state as to incite action. And this doesn't apply just to advertising. It's the basis of any communication, whether promotional or not, fictional or not. 

So let's say the action the Bible wanted to compel was "belief". It would be written with such words, tone and story as to make you want to believe. Add "exoteric" to the mix and it's written in such a way that everyone—not just the well educated, the uneducated, the female, male, rich or poor—would believe. 

So it would make sense that they chose to write a story, one with love and violence, sex, good and evil. It makes sense that they would develop characters for that story that would support the idea of belief. So characters that didn't believe would meet horrible fates and those who did would be cast in a favorable light. And the hero of the story—he's the guy we want to believe in—so let's make him so formidable that, to not believe, would not only make you a bad person, but it would also put you in danger of a horrible fate. 

Finally, as for tone, let's base our storyline on some historic knowledge...knowledge that people already believe. That would make our entire story appear to be fact...facts so undeniable that to doubt them would make you seem foolish. And let's make it so authoritative that the uneducated would believe if they only knew the words and the educated would believe for the subtext beyond the words. 

That would certainly be the way anyone with the kind of knowledge I or screenwriters or journalists or novelists have for communicating to the masses and inciting action. Those with oratorial skills—such as preachers and presidents—would follow some of the same techniques, using the parts of fact that support their message and intent, punctuating certain parts and raising up the energy toward the end to inspire and motivate. 

OK. So here's the controversial and possibly blasphemous part—that, to me, is what religion is. And you'll notice I'm not talking about any religion in particular, but religion overall. It has a message designed to incite the action of belief that may or may not be based on actual events. It's communicated in such a way that everyone can understand. And the actual information—the spiritual teachings (note my use of spiritual here, versus religious)—are really secondary to the (ok, I'll say it) manipulation used to get you to take action...to get you to believe. 

So this card...the card of the priest and exoteric religion...is in the What to Leave in the Past position. Which, to me, is saying it's time to move away from it. Most of the people reading these words are already there. Some are just part of the way. 

Here's the way I see it. The belief in God or a higher power is a good thing. The following of many religious teachings is a good thing. "Love thy brother" rocks, for example. The following of many moral teachings that come from religion is good. I LOVE the Golden Rule. But the idea that we have to buy the whole package to believe the parts is what's outdated. Because as far as moral and religious teachings are concerned, "love thy brother, but don't love them in certain ways if they're same sex as you" doesn't work for me. And "do unto others as you would have them do unto you...with the exception of judging them for their beliefs and condemning them to Hell for thinking differently than you" also doesn't work for me. 

In my mind, religion teaches a lot of fear and hate, which is why I don't partake. I don't believe God is the mass murderer depicted in the Old Testament, for example. I also don't believe I'll go to hell for saying that or for saying I think Jesus was a man. 

The fact that people should believe in a God that would give humans the power of free will, then condemn them for using it is something we need to leave in the past. The thought that we're any less able to hear God's guidance than a priest or Moses or David, is something to leave in the past. And, seeing as how even God himself couldn't foresee having a son when he carved the Ten Commandments and dictated the Old Testament, it's quite plausible there are many other things he couldn't have foreseen that have happened in the past couple of thousands of years. 

So what today's draw is saying is that this strict adherence to teachings born in a different age with different social mores is something to leave in the past. You hear the voice of God in your head just as clearly as anyone else who has ever walked this earth. If it tells you to toss it all aside, then that's the path meant for you. If it tells you to go all evangelical on its arse, then that's the path that's meant for you. The higher power made each of us an individual for a reason. The idea that we were created as individuals just so that we would all think the same way is not only contradictory, it's something we—and our religious leaders—need to leave in the past. 

10/13/12-10/14/12—Remembering Wisdom

Weekend Reading: The Hierophant from the Victorian Romantic Tarot. As yesterday's Daily Draw suggested, you have far more wise answers on the tip of your tongue than you're aware of. And this weekend you'll get a chance to share them. The Hierophant is the keeper of traditional knowledge, so the best advice may end up being advice that was passed down from your parents. And if you're the one in need of advice, then maybe think about what grandma or grandpa would tell you. After all, not much has changed in the landscape of human drama throughout the centuries. You may be able to get out of relationships faster, but it's really the same stuff as always. Chances are most problems were solved eons ago. You'd think we'd learn. ;)

10/1/12—Carrying Hierophant Energy

Today's Draw: The Hierophant from the Margarete Petersen Tarot. Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual or both? What do you see as the distinction between spirituality and religion? Do you feel you embody the spirit of the Hierophant?

In many tarot decks this card is represented by a priest of some sort. In fact, in some decks the name of this card is The Pope. So the meaning of the card lends itself to traditional, even dogmatic, teachings of the church. It can also speak to the ceremonies performed by priests, such as weddings and baptisms. For the most part, it's a card of conformity, suggesting a relationship with god based on scripture. 

But that's not really how I read it. More often than not, I read this card to be more about spirituality than religion...more about the relationship you have with god based on your own knowing. That's how I see the difference between spirituality and religion. It's all in your point of reference. If you're learning about god from scripture and traditional teachings, it's religion. If you're learning from within—from your personal relationship with god—it's spirituality.

This particular Hierophant card is non-traditional and it seems to align with the way I prefer to tread this card. It shows a mystical kind of creature working its way through a mysterious room using light that seems to emanate from the palm of his hand. 

The tarot people out there are probably thinking about The Hermit card right now, which is about separating yourself from life to seek within. The guy in that card sets off into nature with a lantern, much like in this image. And that parallel makes sense to me because we search within to find our own higher self. And we search within to find our spiritual version of god. 

Some would say our higher self and god are one in the same. And the progression that happens between the Hierophant, card #5 and the Hermit, card #9 is that the search for god shifts from looking outside of you to know him/it to looking inside you. 

When you see god as being inside you, you begin to accept that everything that happens serves god. And everything that happens serves your highest good, too. God isn't doing something TO you...he's doing something FOR you. That's part of the shift. It's hard to see that when you're standing in the middle of a crap sandwich, but understanding it and trusting it would save you a lot of suffering. Which is one of the things the book for this deck says about the Hierophant...that it's about transforming suffering into knowing.

When we look back on the pains and losses of our lives, we see how everything led to the person we are today. And chances are we wouldn't trade even the worst of those happenings for the lessons and growth we got from them. The things we would change are probably ones we're still so emotionally tied to that we can't see the value in them. Life has taught us this lesson about how everything that happens to us has divine reasons over and over again. Yet every time we're in the midst of crisis, we doubt it.

Hierophant energy is about transforming suffering into knowing before the suffering takes hold. It's about trusting in god's wisdom enough to not question it every time we don't like the way it looks. It's about understanding that crappy things don't happen to you to make you victim. Rather they happen to you because god or the universe loves you enough to give you the information and opportunity you need to move closer to source. 

Suffering is a choice you make based on your separation from source. Understanding is a choice you make based on your union with it.

8/24/12—Creating Our Own Realities

Today's Draw: No-Thingness from the Osho Zen tarot. Do you know people with "bad energy"? Do you feel like another person's energy can change your mood, or wreck or improve your day? What if it turned out that the only "bad" energy out there was created entirely by you?

Nothing is misspelled or misprinted on today's card. The black represents the gap, the void...the place of pure potential. This is a scary place where there is nothing to hold on to, yet it's also the happy place where all possibilities exist. 

I know this sounds like Zen BS, but bear with me. It's a place of detachment. If we haven't attached to anything...haven't claimed or chosen or set our hearts on anything...then all possibilities exist. Anything is possible. If we don't decide "this thing is the right choice and all these other things are the wrong choices", then really what are our chances of being disappointed or knocked off guard by, say, someone else's "wrong" choice of words or their "bad" behavior? It's OUR choice to determine what is good and what is bad. And, in turn, that choice then creates our reality. 

In this way, the state of no-thingness acts as a balancing force for us. And really, it keeps our energy clear and free to flow where it's needed, not just to where we direct it. AND it keeps us free to accept and transform energy to use as we need. 

Another thought that occurred to me in relation to energy and this card is that energy itself is no-thingness...it's pure potential, prepared to manifest as whatever is needed, wherever it's needed. Since we create what is good and what is bad, what is needed and what is not, we have the choice to shape the energies that come our way. 

So that chick with "bad energy"? Her energy is pure potential until we decide how to color it and how to receive it. In the metaphysical world, people are always talking about the energy and vibes of others, but what if it's actually our OWN vibes that are the ones we have to worry about—the vibes inside of us that judge and color the vibes of others? Toxic energy is not imposed upon us. Energy is. We decide it's toxic. We are own worst enemy! 

Anyway, even I'm enlightened by these thoughts...haha. This is a Buddhist principle I hadn't really considered exactly in this way before. I try to remain open to things and I believe that's a high spiritual path. But how open to things are we if we're labeling things good and bad? I mean, it goes beyond this, but just think about how many times the "worst day of your life" turned out to be "the best thing that happened to you"? Like the day you catch your husband with another woman or the day you lose your job?

One of the things I like to say lately is "the story isn't over yet." When things happen in our lives—especially bad things—we tend to see it as the end of the story. An unhappy ending. But the story isn't over yet! You eventually either forge a stronger bond in your marriage or leave the cheating bastard. You find a new job and possibly even a new career. In between the seemingly bad moment and the seemingly good moment, we learn a lot about who we are, what we want and what we need. 

We all know the story never ends. And by coloring things good and bad in the interim, our energy is up and down and up and down again. We put ourselves on that rollercoaster. Not life or any individual. Our choices and our judgments and the way we color the energies around us determine our experiences in life. 

So anyway, a deep thought for a Friday, but a powerful one to consider. Instead of wishing you a good day today, I'll just wish you a day. You can make any kind of day you want. ;)

3/20/12—Indoctrinating the Aliens

Today's Draw: The Hierophant from the Blue Dog Rose Tarot by Nakisha. Have you ever wondered what religion extraterrestrials might be? If they believed the same way as, say, Christians believed, what impact do you think that would have on the world's religions? And, assuming they're a significantly more advanced race than us, do you think whatever they believed would impact our beliefs?

The Heirophant is a keeper of religious knowledge. Sometimes known as the Pope card, he's usually a teacher of scripture and traditional interpretation, as opposed to being a modern or unconventional thinker. 

Yesterday's post posed questions about how the concept of God has changed over the history of mankind, based on cultures, lifestyles and popular belief. Because that was a re-post of an earlier blog, it got me thinking again about how the idea of God can change. And it occurred to me...how would/could the idea of God change if/when we are visited by aliens and learn what they believe. Of course it didn't hurt that the goldfish in today's card looks a little ET.

Of course, everything's cool if aliens come here and say they believe in the Judeo-Christian God and that Jesus came and visited them and gave them his teachings. And then maybe they tell us about about their near-death experiences and the tunnel of light. And maybe they have statues on their planet that bleed at the hands. And then, every once in a while, the face of Jesus himself appears in a slice of toast. Just like here. 

Even if that's the case, you have to ask if God created this race. And why didn't he create them in his image (assuming they don't look like us)? Why didn't He, in all his Biblical teachings about life, ever mention them? Not even a peep...from him or Jesus. How come? And if He did create them, did he create them first? Are they equal to us in his eyes or, because he gave them superior technology, is it possible He loves them more? And what if their Bible and teachings are completely different from our own?

Then, what if it goes another way entirely? What if they're total non-believers and never have been? What if there is absolutely nothing in their experience that has ever pointed to a higher power? Can popular belief continue to hold that their entire race over generations and generations has all burned in hell, even though God or Jesus never showed themselves to them? 

Then what happens if they're all Buddhists? Or if they have a totally different concept of God altogether?

I know I've asked a lot of questions we may never have the answers for. But the point is, regardless of what they believe, aliens and their beliefs will likely be a game-changer for our race. Even if they believe the same things we do, just the fact that they exist will cause turmoil in traditional religious realms. I mean, imagine you found out your Father had an entire other family He never told you about!

It's interesting that when we think of aliens visiting our earth, we often think of how they might be combative or want our resources. Realistically, religion aside, just the fact they exist will be shocking enough. But just imagine the social chaos they would create if they rode in on pink unicorns claiming they were all Moonies or Scientologists. 

I believe there is intelligent life out there. I believe they've been to earth before. I also believe the government has some knowledge they're not sharing. And I understand why they wouldn't share that information and think they're wise not to. Even if they're friendly visitors (which I think they will be), the potential they have to literally shake us to the core just simply by being is significant. It would cause many to question everything they know and believe. And if those questions cause an institution the size of Christianity to crash to the ground, it could send humanity to spiral out of control. 

2/28/12—Contemplating Tradition

Today's Draw: Tradition (Hierophant) from the Ironwing Tarot. What value do you place on tradition? How do you see its role in modern society? And where do you fall on the spectrum between traditional ways and non-traditional ways?

The Ironwing is one of my most coveted decks. For one thing, it's not easy to come by. But for another, it's a pretty deep deck. But more often than not you have to read the book to even know what card you have in your hands, much less what suit. The Major Arcana cards have browns and rusts on them. All others are black and white. Beyond that, you're on your own. 

Turns out this is Major Arcana V, and corresponds to the traditional tarot meaning for the Hierophant. Not all the cards in this deck work that way. And it's funny I got the Tradition card today when a bunch of tarotists have been having a debate about traditional meanings and systems of tarot vs. non-traditional systems and intuitive interpretations. 

So here is a very non-traditional deck—it doesn't follow traditional suits, symbology or, entirely, meaning. All meanings and symbols are aligned with their relevance to iron works and forging, rather than normal esoteric symbology. Heck, it's hard to even know what card you have in your hand at any given time! In that way, it makes traditional interpretation less accessible. And, if you look at some of the other cards in the deck, you'll see it doesn't lend itself heavily to intuitive interpretation, either. At least not for me. I rely very heavily upon the book to help me with my interpretation and it's those nuances within the book that are often very profound for me.

So I happened to be guided to choose this odd animal on a day when folks are debating traditional vs. non-traditional systems and interpretations. And I, the eternal iconoclast, happen to choose the Tradition card! Go figure. But it's the perfect card!

The girl in the card is positioned at the door of the smithy, ready to enter or turn away. She has that choice. If she enters, she will learn a lot...information passed down through the ages. But the book cautions that the smithy can be a place of either guidance or oppression. Its traditions and resistance to change are both its strength and its weakness. So you'd better know who you are before you enter. Tradition can nurture efficient habits and teach arcane lore, but there is no place for original thought or interpretation. The book entry ends with saying the choice she makes (to either enter or turn away) is not important. What is important is that she makes the choice that is right for her. 

Outside of Death, how many of these cards can you positively identify?

I love the Ironwing. In a paragraph, this card encapsulated a debate that has been going on all day between a highly eclectic group of readers. But this isn't just about tarot. It's about many of the choices we make in our lives. At Thanksgiving, do we carry forth the traditions we had as a child or do we make new ones of our own? Do we color inside the lines, or add whole new worlds outside the lines the coloring book publishers didn't count on? Do we follow our church's interpretation of The Bible or do we have our own interpretation? We probably don't even realize how many choices we make between "the stated path" and off-roading each day.

Most people will probably say "I can do both". And they can. But if everyone said that, what would happen to tradition? And if no one said that, how would new ideas ever enter the consciousness? How would we ever evolve as a society? It's an interesting consideration when some are saying "tradition has everything I need" and others are saying "tradition is boring and stale". 

I think the traditional way holds some value, but not a whole lot. Just because it's been done a certain way for ages and works doesn't mean it's time to stop thinking. There may be better ways. Or more ergonomic ways for the individual. So I think everything should be tested by the individual before it's accepted. That said, I'm really into rigor and following "the way" when it comes to ceremony. So I'm going to say I'm maybe 20-25% traditional. How about you?