Epiphanies and Elephants

Welcome to the latest edition of the Tarot Blog Hop. The theme for this Mabon Blog Hop is to talk about a time when our understanding of the Tarot underwent a quantum leap, what brought about the change in our understanding of the Tarot and how we approach the Tarot differently than we did before the change. In other words “the things that I wished I knew about Tarot sooner than I learned them.”

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I thought long and hard about whether to participate in this hop, since when it comes to Tarot, I can’t honestly say I’ve had any massive leaps in understanding, as such. No light on the road to Damascus, no divine revelations complete with angelic choirs and heavenly light, no epiphany, no OMGs, not even a blinding lightbulb moment. No, it’s been more of a process of gradual realisation. A realisation that there was an elephant (not necessarily a pink one) in the room and although it had been there all the time, I had just not noticed it. In short, the process has been more quantum creep than quantum leap, rather like the oft-unnoticed snail on the RWS 9 of Pentacles card.

I have, at some point, undergone the realisation that the Tarot is not some scary woo-woo communication device to the unknown*, but simply a picturesque pack of cards made of ordinary cardboard created by an ordinary person artist. Albeit, they are cards that can be used for infinitely more significant applications that merely playing card games although, that too, is a possibility and, indeed, their original purpose. That realisation made the Tarot suddenly more accessible for use on a daily basis and not just something to be reverentially taken out when needing to make a momentus life-changing decision. In short, that began my real Tarot journey. If only I’d known sooner 😀

*Well, OK, it kind of is a communication device to the unknown…but not a scary woo-woo one 🙂

Then, there are all the other little puzzles that have, in the fullness of time, fallen into place. For example, what business a card which is traditionally interpreted as “heartbreak”, clearly an emotional experience, is doing in the uber-logical suit of Swords. Duh! The emotional pain passes and what is left is the knowledge and remembrance of the pain, holding us back. A demon of the mind and not the heart, as are many of the Swords cards. The cleansing rain is what is needed to allow us to grow beyond that self-imposed limitation and move on unhampered by past relationship outcomes. Of course, the notion that the Swords suit itself is all about emotionless logic is itself nonsensical in the face of 9 Swords (Angst), 8 Swords (Self-doubt), 10 Swords (OMG! what a lot of emotional drama we have here) and the rest. The heart and mind are not as detached as we Swordsy types would like to believe.

And then, there’s what to do with the Pages and what if the Outcome card is a Court and many such little dilemmas. I have faced them, given them consideration and found a solution. Oh no, I won’t spoil the journey for you if you haven’t travelled that path yet. Besides, I’m still learning, still finding my way through the possibilities and myriad of meanings and their application to real life. A true study of a lifetime and what a ride! If only I’d known sooner 😀

On that note of jolly progress on life’s rich and varied path, follow the linky road below to the next blog, or the previous one, or even to the master list in case you lost your way 🙂

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