My Nan was a beautiful English woman, large, loving, kind and Fae. She knew things, felt things and had experiences she would not often speak of, as it was not an accepted way to be in her day. When she lost her six year old boy in 1954 through a tragic car accident, she collected books on life after death and along with my Grandad, who told me when I was little, that he had seen a UFO, together they amassed a large collection of psychic phenomena literature. This collection, which sat on a huge bookcase in their lounge room, was a source of solace and facination for me. My ancestors on my Grandad's side were European Gypsies. Not the glamorous kind, but gypies none the less. In those days they were not considered as being anything to look up to. They told fortunes to survive, and so, although I do not tell fortunes to survive, I resonate with the gypsy energy.
When I met my spirit guide Rama for the first time during my teens, one of the first things he told me was that I had been a gypsy dancer in one of my lives. Being sixteen going on seventeen I loved this idea, and so with my clairvoyant abilites poking their presence in my side, I took on this archetypal female, like a right of passage. I loved the old clothing that swam in the boxes at my op local shop, the odd, but beautiful jewellery pieces that lay clumped in straw baskets, flowing clothes and the feeling of movement and freedom. I also loved the ability to sense things like my Nan did.
So when I found tarot something within me clicked into place. An old feeling of knowing that spoke thousands of words, that if I uttered, would sound stupid to anyone else. But that's how it works really, it's always a knowing, a feeling. And so when I spread out my cards, hold them, and yes even smell their cool, cardboard scent with a hint of essential oils emmanating from them, I sigh and feel comforted by their familiarity.
On this page I will share my ongoing learning with this fine, ancient art. Please feel free to join my world of the Inner Gypsy and if you feel brave enough, share yours and I will post them here.
Okay, so here's the thing. The Fool is still the Fool at any level, inherently innocent. But when he is aware of The Tower coming, something unusual happens.
Now let me state this before I go on, all of the esoteric meanings and knowledge I use here is in my book, Tarot The Holistic Approach. This documentation regarding the symbolism of seventy eight cards, is something that I cannot put on the website, it is too much information.
But it is to be here that I will teach tarot, from my daily experiences, observation and constant learning.
So you will need to have some understanding of what I've written in the book, in order to get where this page is coming from.
Because I wont dumb it down, I'm going straight for the knowledge!
Because this will allow me to throw things out there that will inspire your own learning, and questioning, is she right about what is interpreted?!
So, no tarot baby food! For tarot teeth only!
Having said that, I will continue.... the unusual thing that happens when The Fool meets The Tower at a higher vibration is this, yes, if he doesn't see it coming he very well may avoid it, but when he is intuitive, and has foresight and does see it coming through energetic fields approaching, he can still avoid it so long as he does nothing created from an impure heart.
It is about his attitude, the one of non judgement and lighthearted distraction from the heaviness. But when The Devil sits next to our Fool, who is often unaware of his own faults, then delusion prevents him from the high vibration of avoidance, which has to come from a pure heart.
If we see this combo in a reading, then we have to face the Devil and acknowledge that we may be at fault, and the accomplice to this is usually selfishness and self indulgence. So to heal look to the heart of The Fool, and purifiy it, because this is where The Tower is born out of in the first place, a selfish heart filled with delusion and self indulgence.
You see if we clear away the denial and The Devil, and see that it may cause The Tower, then yes we can avoid it, knowledge of it coming and all!
Then we can sail to calmer waters mentally in the Six of Swords.
Note: Always follow the flow of the kinder cards for learning as we can very happily put a great deal of stock in a Minor Card's teachings, even when there are huge Major Arcana shifts to battle with.
Once we purify the heart of The Fool then we are swept up into the sky, to soar and rise above the lightning of The Tower.
Every single person on this planet sees life through their own eyes. We cannot perceive, without first being in a position to perceive. Which means we will always have a point of subjective perspective. But when it comes to Tarot, the symbolism lives in a place, that although is born of mankind, is just above it, beyond the borders of physical reality, within the Divine Matrix. The potency of each symbol in Tarot holds a signature energy that stands on it's own. Every moment we experience in life holds a signature energy, one that is unique to that moment.
Signature energy holds the purity of the 'creation' within it, which could be a split second glance at a loved one, or an energy that spans a million years, such as The Moon, Solitude, Love. All these are signature energies. So each card that exists within the realm of Tarot, whether it be an Oracle deck or an interpretation of the first recorded deck of cards, the Visconti-Sforza, has its own signature energy, based in the collective symbolism of humanity. The energy comes from us. The symbolism reflects us. So when we tap into a specific deck, we tune into that energy and then through our own experience of it, create our own signature interpretation.
That is why, (although I am a stickler for the potency of the original tarot), we can take what we need, from any set of cards, and use them for growth. The Hierophant for example, may hold an energetic signature of the teacher for some and for others, the tribal mind. But it does not matter, because when we lay the cards out before us, it is what we pull from them that counts. As long as the message resonates at a higher vibrational energy, then it does not matter what angle you see the cards from. Of course we cannot stray too far, because the symbolism and the signature energy are held within the symbols themselves, you cannot invent them out of thin air without first creating a massive energetic thought form based in the light, that is created for the purpose of healing. If you are advanced enough and connected enough, one can tap into the mind of the Universe and create a deck that holds power. But I dont think this would be a flippant venture.
Every deck out there serve a purpose. None excluded. What might work for me, may not work for you. I guess my point of perception is set in the power of symbolism of the 22 Major Arcana, and the 56 Minor cards, simply because they have been around long enough to tap into the energy of the Universe, and thus came from an ancient source. But whose to say, I mean new decks are coming into creation all over the world because mankind is shifting.
It all comes down to what we need as an individual and the energy we put into our own deck. I love my Hanson Roberts cards, simply because I resonate with Mary Robert's artwork, the colours she paints with, and more importantly for me, she is true to the symbolism, to an extent. She still puts her energetic imprint into her deck. But that was my experience with Tarot when I first discovered its existence, and only mine.
So when you take out your cards, you are free to use them as you will, read with them as you choose because they are, after all, an extention of you.
TRANSMUTING THE SHADOW SELF THROUGH TAROT
BY PUTTING TO DEATH THE NEED TO BE RIGHT
I felt it, that niggling in the back of my mind that something was wrong. It was a strange feeling of being under attack, but having no evidence of it. All I had was a feeling that maybe someone, someone I was unaware of, was annoyed with me. So when I drew these two cards, I cheered, 'I knew it! Someone is angry with me!'
I got up early the next morning, my mind racing about what I had done wrong, who was it I had harmed and how was I going to get my power back. Really spiritual thoughts, I think not. But I think them anyway, no matter how good my intentions to others are. You see I cannot run away from my archetypal energy of the Page of Cups, the immature emotional brat. This one rears it's sweet little face every now and then, and says in a whiney voice, "You did it wrong again! Now you'll get in trouble". So I walked with this brat yapping away and thought right, well in that situation I'll gaurd my heart, and there I wont give in, and I'm not backing down when he says this....blah, blah, blah. The thoughts rambled on as I puffed my way up the hill through the bush.
What I had assumed was that the Ten of Swords, was me being laid down, in the dirt, attacked by some unknown, and the Five of Swords, well I just assumed someone was trying to get the upper hand. But as I started to contemplate action, 'they' came in like a gust of wind and swept into my thoughts stating very clearly 'You need to put to death the need to be right.' It was an epiphany that came out of the blue and was not from a process of thoughts I was having that led me to any realisation. It was placed into my mind, plain and simple in a flash. Because I now know what it feels like when they come in, it was clear, I had misunderstood the cards.
So I stopped, stood still amidst my favorite eighty year old trees and tuned in with this flow of frequency. They explained that when we live in the heart, the sacred heart, we are outside the contrast of right and wrong, and can live only through pure allowance of it all. There is no need to be right when you see that all is one, and every contrasting oppositional challenge, is a lesson in understanding it is all for our highest good anyway, even if it is not clear at the time. Stay in that circle of oneness and there is no point in being right, as there is nothing to 'gain' anyway, as we are all loved.
The figure lying in the dirt was me, but it was my attitude that had to be put to death, and I was the one self righteously holding the three swords, trying to get my delusional personal power back.
I walked back to my car and did nothing, did not act on my fears and all seemed to fall into place after that. For a time anyways, as I still live in the third dimension, and as we all know, it ain't easy down here.
JANUARY ARTICLES
The Ultimate Heads Up
Reading For Other People
When I first came across Tarot, I only read for myself, or I read for people who were feeling lost, in need of guidance or sought a way through to the light, to a better way of living. But what took me years to really master, was reading for others in a way that gave me a heads up regarding how to best deal with a situation that could potentially blow up in my face, if I handled it badly. I needed to know where they were energetically, in order to walk the path of least resistance, which was elusive to me at a young age.
I had not yet realised that drama would not follow me if I did not resonate with it. And I mean resonate as in, what I held in my deepest self to be my truth, and my truth was that I was not worthy of anything other than seperation and judgement from others. So when I taught myself to use tarot for the purpose of discovering where other people were at, I was able to create a detachment and a discernment that I could not without Tarot, because it was a perspective that came from the light.
Here is my experience and perspective.
First rule of thumb, to find out where others are at energetically, we cannot hold judgement. We cannot read from a space of third dimensional, vindictive judgement. This is a healing process only, not one to get the upper hand, because that resonance, brings in The Tower! We are light beings, and if using the fine art of Tarot, should act in accordance with this.
So sit in a space of non judgement. You can hold fear in you and still ask for assistance for the purpose of healing, that way the fear will not inter-fear ; ) But expand out in your mind, and shift your focus to the energy above you. This is an energetic practise, to focus your energy above and out, expanded in a sphere. It's almost like a physical exercise, but visualise your energy moving out in all directions, through walls, outside, across grass, through trees and buildings, out in all directions, then draw three cards. Lay them down, pattern side facing up, hiding the picture so you do not make an immediate assessment.
Once they are turned over of course we will look immediately at the most negative card, but each and every card holds an aspect of light and shadow, negative and positive. Some are energetically laden with harder lessons and blocks to work through, but the blocks let in the light when they are embraced and dealt with. So in the case of the Five of Wands, The Four of Pentacles and The Magician, we have someone who is a powerful creator, but when coupled with the Four of Pentacles, witholds and dominates, one who does not let go easily, and they are more than willing to battle it out, hence the Five of Wands.
To heal and protect myself I must work with the light of each card based in the shadow. First of all I would not approach this person with a battle mentality because they will fight me. They will also be successful because The Magician wins over the support of others through charisma and manipulation. I would be very small, very discerning and I would not expect them to give me anything that may ease the tension. Do you see how this can give you way out. It tells you how to go into a situation by looking at the light and shadow aspects of the symbolism and then acting accordingly.
Since there are many Wands in the symbolism of the Five, other people may get involved. So I would put down my Wand, and not battle with them. I would make sure that we spent time without others around and if others were around, I would hold back on my opinions and not try to win anyone over. The Four means they feel the need to protect themselves so I would not take their power by being critical. Instead I would be open, yet I would not allow myself to be drawn into the illusion they create. The esoteric truth of The Magician is, watch and wait, as the illusion will dissipate, and they will be left standing as they are, no frills, no bells and whistles. This is the energy of entrophy, things come to a head, hit the top of the wave and then finally falls back down and loses it power.
Like I said, we must read for others to get a heads up, not to control or judge. All we need do then is take care of our end, clean our hearts because that is all we can control, and then face what the cards bring for us, regarding them. Now if you feel the reading is clear enough, pull out one or two more cards and this will help to clarify. Then stop when it starts to 'blur'. For example....
It's fairly clear that, together, because of the Two of Cups, we will have some sort of clarity, or epiphany, brought about by the Ace of Swords, regarding our connection, and it will be new, not like any previous connection. The Two of Cups, even when it relates to an old friendship, is a new connection. So clarity and connection, a meeting of minds, an understanding will come to fruition, so long as I, the seeker, keep my cool, by putting down my fighting Wand and allowing them to feel that little bit protective. It's not always a bad thing sometimes to let a person gaurd their heart. They will put their pentacle down eventually to allow abundance in.
The Hierophant in Tarot, is a stepping stone to a higher level of spirituality from a base that gives us structure and security. This I know from personal experience, because I have sat in The Hierophant phase, at the feet of The Hierophant, for the purpose of feeling safe. The reason it was my safety net lies in the fact that I needed a structured belief system in order to connect with my higher self. It gave me a sense of purpose and belonging, because at the time I was neither ready, nor was I able to step outside of the belief system I held for fear of being lost to the world, and for fear of punishment. This way of being is purposeful when we need this structured kind of guidance. But it cannot stay. We ought not sit with this structure for too long, because if we do, we become stuck, dogmatic, rigid in our perspective on life, and will live in fear of what may befall us if we let go of our belief system, the one that saved us, the one that cared for us when others would not. It is sacred, this learning is sacred. To sit in a church or temple, to feel that purity of belief is to be honoured. Yet given the way our physical, third dimensional realm is, this cannot last without there being a need to move out in all directions of learning.
As a result of this, our belief systems will be challenged, as it is our nature to expand, and the energy of the soul cannot be contained or defined. Nor can it be kept in one space for too long. This means eventually we must question The Hierophant, question our belief systems in order to progress to the next level. But here is the fine print, if we have needed this archetype, we can only leave it once we are ready to progress to the next level of spirituality. If we have not, we must stay with the The Hierophant until we have some understanding that we are not just the body, that we are spiritual beings. And indoctrinated, ancient wisdom teaches this very thing. But it is not enough, because it is limited.
Which means that although this archetype helps us find what we believe in, we must then question him. This means taking our core beliefs, as this refers to our personal belief systems as well, not just indoctrinated ones, and assessing whether or not they still apply to our truth. Do they still serve a purpose, a higher purpose, or are we just holding on, out of fear that if we let go, we will go to hell, will lose face before our family, be kicked out of a circle and left to fend for ourselves. This is, after all, the tribal mind, the base chakra, and base chakra learning is about fitting into society, not being burned at the stake or cast out into the desert. If we have become dependent on The Hieropahnt to tell us who we are, then we must break free and stare our core belief systems right in the face. It is terrifying, I know, because I have been through it.
At the time I thought, what will I do if I don't have this belief anymore? I'll be alone, and maybe, just maybe something awful will befall me because I have dared to question. So I turned to 'them', not a human, and was told that I must match what I know, what I see as my reality, with my spiritual experiences. Because there is no judgement in a spiritual experience, in meditation, in connecting with Source. There is no opinion, there is no force, or opposition, or structure. It is, an experience of All That Is, that is all loving, and all accepting. There is no punishment other than what we dictate for ourselves. So this is what I trust, this inner knowing.
So I faced my Hierophant head on when he appeared during a huge shift in my life and I challenged it. Questioned it. I honoured it and I loved it for what it was, a phase of learning that I was now done with (for now that is, until I step up in vibration to a higher resonance of The Hierophant). I understood they were right. I had two things going on, and that was, my outer beliefs did not reflect my inner knowing. My external belief system was set in fear. It was set in fear and obligation and that is the shadow aspect of The Hierophant. We ask ourselves 'What if I am not safe, what if I fail, what if I cannot stand without that structure and what if I can't do it alone?' Well we are never alone and I return often to what Rama has always told me in non judgement of everything I do; 'You choose because you choose. That is all. There is no right or wrong path, just different consequences'.
It is in our nature to see things in black or white, in judgement of everything, because we hold a singular perspective. But one day we will be asked to step up vibrationally, and leave the safety net of The Hierophant, of a belief system that no longer serves our highest good, and step out, into the light of Source, where we are eternally loved, not judged. After I worked through this, The Star appeared on my horizon. Trust, that all is in it's place.....
Interview With Albert Einstein - Channeling Erik, Jamie Butler
Fed up with things still clinging to me in the form of former ideas about what I kept myself tied to, I pulled out this card.
Always, I mean, almost always, I say to myself, oh right, death of the old self, lardy dah.
I put the card back in knowing that it is time to move on, but I never really understood why, until today, when it popped out again.
I am aware that the swords are a culmination of all the self deception, delusional thinking, the pain, the suffering, that is done with, and done with painfully, and I happily had accepted this idea developed through studying tarot.
But for the first time today I understood what it truly meant.
It meant, completion of suffering.
It meant I no longer needed to drag around the cross I bore and keep reliving the pain. It need not sustain me any longer, because the Ten is completion. It means the end of a cycle, and my cycle of feeling worthless, less than and reminded, was over.
So for those who find this card amongst their spread, you need not fear, as you now have permission to not only put to death the old self that sat in sadness, you also have completed your cycle of pain, and like a right of passage you can let the storm clouds pass and stand in a stream of light. I intend to....
There is one thing I want to share, and shout, and scream out to others, to give a Tarot helping hand, to give some answers to this question...what do we do when a reading makes no sense?
Many times I turn to Tarot when I feel 'not so great'. They are, after all, a tool to use when we cannot see around the corner and we find ourselves speeding towards disaster.
On ocassion I get this niggling feeling that I'm a bit off. That although on the outside I seem fine, in actual fact I'm unsettled about life. So I sit down with my cards to gain some clarity. This is what they do, this is their job, it is how they work. They reflect us with impunity. They have no agenda, they are simply symbolic energies that mirror our reality.
I shuffle and pull out six cards (a free form reading), but they do not match. They are either, too vague, too extreme to make sense, or the combination is messy, all the Knights, too many men, with the Death card, how does that relate, and The Hierophant, do I need to run out and join a nunnery,...what?
Now the really potent readings, when they are inspired, match beautifully. They say, here is The Hanged Man, feeling stuck, with The Devil and The Moon, underlying issues to face and here is the Ace of Cups, emotional wellbeing sprung from the sky as a gift, coupled by Temperance, a reprieve, so let go of your anger, your attitudes and release will come in the form of suddenly feeling better, along with the world giving you a break. Sigh...how lovely. That is what an inspired reading looks like when all your ducks are lined up, when you are connected, centered, feeling insightful and the meanings all fall into place.
But when I feel confused, guess what the cards are going to mirror back to me, that's right, my confusion. This means I need to take into account the fact that they will reflect my lack of clarity, not to mention all the muddled influences around me that come into play, of which I am probably totally unaware of, such as the planets, other people, the energy in general of my physical surroundings.
We do not live in a bubble people, although we'd like to think so, think that our flesh, our bodies, our bones, prevent anything from influencing us, as though we live in an iron box simply because we are physical. But this is not so, we are influenced by things we can neither see, nor explain. Frequencies, energies from all that is in our reality.
So please, take this into account when a reading is messy. Take into account that there may be people you are completely unware of, connecting with you etherically and that has affected the reading, or the fact that you haven't decided anything yet, that You have no idea and it's your reality, and so yes, more confusion reflected back, and no clarity.
Let's also consider the possibility that you may have read something in the cards a week ago, ignored it, because you didn't like it, and now things are unclear because you are in denial. Are the cards that accurate you may ask? Well are they?
It depends on how tuned in to your own reality you are. When we consider the science of Tarot, the universal and proven Law of Attraction, quantum entanglement, the fact that we influence what Matter does, that thought creates reality and that Tarot is a part of our reality, then yes, they are as accurate as the awareness we have of ourselves.
Denial is a funny thing, and denial is the biggest block to a clear reading. So here's what I do. I write down the cards from the messy reading, if they make no sense to me, then put them back in, leave it for a bit, an hour, a day, then create a new spread, to see if the same cards pop up and after a while, once I begin to work through life, a pattern emerges. It is in the pattern, the repetition of certain cards, that the answer lies. Focus on them, look at them, love them, and wait for the lesson to emerge, because that lesson will end up becoming your signature energy for those cards.
The main thing is, keep an eye on what you may instinctively dismiss. Because what you dimiss, may hold the answer. So wait and watch, watch life to see what begins to match. Remember our Guides will find a way to communicate with us, and Tarot is one of the best ways to connect. We just have to be aware enough to know what it is they are trying to say. But it will become clear once we start to get an idea ourselves, then, once we do, the guidance of the Tarot can do it's work, then we will start to see how it makes sense. Sometimes the very confusion we are trying to work through, can be the biggest block to clarity in a reading.
So don't give up and keep an observant eye on the sychronicity that will soon begin to emerge, because if we are open to it, it eventually does make an entrance.
I stood behind my marquee tables, covered in velvet watching passers by. A woman approached and chatted as she perused the crystals. She looked up and said it was her birthday and, that she wanted a reading. She had been thinking of going to a day spa in the Yarra Valley but her friends had pulled out at the last minute and she had nothing to do. Her husband hovered in the distance, skeptically watching the conversation. She looked over at him and said "It's funny, he believes in ghosts but he thinks tarot is evil, and dangerous". I thought well tarot can't push a vase on to your head while you sleep at night, but kept this thought to myself. I said "He is half right. If you don't treat it as sacred it can bring out things you may not be prepared to deal with yet". She smiled and said she'd book a reading later in the week, I never heard from her again.
This sums up the attitude that quiet a lot of people have about tarot. I don't mind because as I said to this lady, it is relatively true that it can be......well, dangerous is the wrong word, but it can unhinge us, and people we read for, if we do not know what we are doing. This is the case because tarot does not lie, to quote a good friend of mine. It is completely impartial and so it reveals things that may potentiallty come to fruition, and if we are not prepared for it, along with the very disconcerting law of self fulfilling prophecy, you may bring about disaster.
I honor the process of tarot and I follow up with clients when I know the reading has been challenging, because when it comes to the mystical, knowing things too soon, things that should not yet be revealed can be confusing. This is the unwritten law of sacred knowledge. This knowledge must be handled with care because the receiver may react in a way that is hurtful to themselves or others, out of fear for what is said to befall them. This is why it takes The High Priestess, to manage the information, because she knows when to reveal things at just the right time, You see the knowledge is there, waiting to be tapped into, but we need to know when the timing is right to do so, when the person is ready to hear it. Reveal things too soon and yes, it can be dangerous, especially if the information is incorrect in the first place, due to the inexperience of the reader.
The knowledge revealed by tarot, must be read in the right way. The pieces must be put together accurately and then an answer that inspires growth, not fear, must be given. Knowledge that is held within the symbolism triggers and mirrors. What do I mean by this? Well the cards mirror what we are going through and the observation of them triggers something. I think I ought to give an example....but first this disclaimer should always be said or thought; nothing is ever set in stone.
This is a hypothetical example, sprinkled with some truth, a woman comes to a reader and although appearing very determined to have her cards read, she is very fragile and emotionally vulnerable. The cards are laid out by a reader, who although knows the cards well enough, has not yet had a lot of experience. Now remember hidden knowledge is hidden for a reason, this being the awareness of it, causes change, and there is power in this, power that must be respected, plus the person receiving the reading will have a high level of trust in what is being said. I think deep down, we all do when it comes to the mystical because it is pure and beyond human explanation.
So before them both is, The Moon, The Devil and the Seven of Swords, with a King of Wands sitting above. From this the reader picks up that there is a hidden issue, one that is dark. The querent responds and admits she had a difficult childhood. The reader pushes further, feeling the desire to help but also, to rescue. She describes the King of Wands and the querent nods this was her father, his personality. The reader feels some satisfaction that they are getting somewhere and there is nothing more eniticing than confirmation, so she embelishes on aspects of The Devil archetype and prompts for more confirmation, to which the querent admits there was serious abuse. Now stop there. This is where the sacred knowledge, the hidden knowledge, must be respected, and the person retrieving this information, must be very good at what they do as an empath, and a healer. We do not claim to be miracle workers, let that be said. But when we work from a higher plane of healing, the divine steps in and healing will occur. But if someone is not there yet, and they have not mastered their abilities and connected to Source energy to do this, they are in danger of harming.
In order to work with sacred knowledge, we must have spiritual maturity ourselves, and spiritual intelligence. This is why some people either fear the cards, do not approve of them or prefer to rely on logic, because they have had a negative experience with an inexperienced or insensitive reader, because too many do not understand why The High Priestess holds back! She does so because she is connected to spirit, knows it is spirit, not human willpower that heals, and understands when to deliver the information needed for growth. So many also think anyone can read tarot and this is true to an extent. Anyone can pick up a deck, read a blurb in a tiny book and then embelish the information. But the readers who heal, are the ones who rely on their connection to a higher source. Being inexperienced is fine, but trying to heal with tarot, through willpower and human logic alone is not. I am not a fan of reading without guidance. There are times when I am blank, when it has gone dark, and I get nothing, but this does not last long if I am consistently honing my skills.
So as I have said before, meditate, study and practise, but do so knowing that if you struggle, one day soon the cards will reveal their true esoteric power through synchronicty, a power which ought to be, greatly respected.
In Light and Love
Blue Star
ABN: 93 348 835 593
Phone: 0437 750 622
© Blue Star Tarot
