About Tarot
A Vocabulary of Signs & Symbols
Hello. Marie here. I want to share my Tarot story with you. Back in 2005, I'd been struggling with Irritable Bowel Syndrome that was so severe it left me gripping the sheets. This went on for three years. I lost weight, I had no energy, and I was in near-constant pain, especially after eating. I had to stop working.
Doctors had no answers and were on the verge of performing exploratory surgery to rule out Cancer. I was desperate. I started researching natural remedies, but the process of figuring out what was right for me and what wasn't was discouraging. At about the same time, I discovered I was (and am) a Highly Sensitive Person, and that my IBS was related to my depth of sensitivity. Still, Dr. Google only provided partial answers about IBS, and those answers were often conflicting.
I was pretty much born with the question "Why?" right on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to know why to just about everything, and if an answer didn't make sense, I felt driven to find one that did. I wanted to know why I was highly sensitive, and I wanted to know what I could do to get rid of my IBS. I had some ideas floating around in my head that I might try, but I had very little money and was hesitant to spend it on products that didn't work. Maybe you can relate.
One day, when I was feeling okay, I went to the store for some applesauce and crackers (about the only thing I could tolerate eating). On my way home, I spotted a small metaphysical shop. I felt led to go inside, even though, being a Christian, that kind of place was considered taboo.
Once inside, I was surprised at how relaxed I felt. I browsed a bit and was getting ready to leave when I felt led to a corner where I found a glass case containing Tarot books and cards. I timidly flipped through one of the books, which stated I could find all of the answers I was searching for within myself through Tarot.
My heart jumped with something I hadn't felt in a very long time. Hope. The sales lady helped me to choose a deck of Rider-Waite cards, and as I walked out the shop door, I hoped God wouldn't strike me dead for feeling so at home in that tiny, ambient shop.
When I got home, I curled up at my kitchen table with my deck of cards. I followed the instructions, timidly asked the first question, "Why do I have IBS?" and then continued to ask more questions until I was satisfied I finally had the truth. Based on what I was told (and I'll spare you the long details), I went out and bought some dietary enzymes, rushed back home to try them (as directed on the bottle label). I sat back down at the table, took two enzyme tablets, ate my applesauce and crackers, and braced for the pain I knew would ensue. It never came. I ate a little more. No pain. The tears fell hard, not from pain but from relief. That night, I had a small dinner for the first time in three long years without experiencing any pain at all, thanks to Tarot. I had finally found my "Why?" and my "How?'.
Tarot: A Vocabulary of Signs & Symbols
Tarot is a vocabulary of signs and symbols that, when used correctly, helps you to communicate with the universe, spirit, and God. You can go to your doctor for emergency medicine, your lawyer for legal advice, your mechanic for car troubles, and the internet for nutritional advice, but where do you go for answers you can't find elsewhere?
You might turn to God, whatever this means to you. But sometimes, things get lost in translation. Sometimes, the stress of being human on Earth can interfere with hearing, understanding, or acknowledging spiritual messages. Not to cross personal boundaries or rattle your cage, but each card in a deck of Tarot can be perceived as a personal message from God (your higher power, the creator, the force behind nature, pure energy, spirit, spirit guides, ancestors) and, as such, Tarot can be of immense value in helping you to decipher intuitive hunches, signs, dreams, and provide explanations regarding the unknown.
In many ways, pulling a Tarot card is like flipping a coin. It provides insight or an answer you can choose to agree or disagree with. However, unlike a coin toss, Tarot works through the energy you're expressing during a reading and can reveal answers, insights, and clarifications about any question or concern you may have through pictures, colors, and symbols. If you've dabbled with Tarot, you've likely come to recognize it as a holistic tool that gauges your intuitive responses.
Each card in a deck of Tarot cards relates to specific aura colors, constitutional temperaments, health-related conditions, types of energy (or lack of), and holistic alternatives, such as corresponding herbs, oils, stones, and sense-based activities, which is why Tarot can be a self-empowering tool for transformation. Take, for example, the Queen of Cups.
The Queen of Cups represents a real sweetheart, the wife of your dreams, the doting mother, the kind sister, or the young grandmother baking lavender cookies made with love. She has a nurturing demeanor, is approachable and supportive, and is blessed with good health when upright. But when she's reversed, she can be a drama queen, prone to insecurity, codependency, emotionalism, depression, and escapist behaviors.
The Queen of Cups' element is Water. So, naturally, water therapies, foods that honor her phlegmatic temperament (or Blue foods, such as blueberries), and stones that match her temperance and personality, ranging from blue to green (and a few pinks), will help restore her inner peace and physical balance.
Because this queen is filled with empathy and compassion for others and nature, fairness (justice) is one of her concerns. This card suggests that a loving attitude can go a long way in easing life's pains and promoting health and happiness. Should you receive a Queen of Cups in a reading, you can bet love is a part of the equation.
For more information about transcending stress through the use of Tarot, see The Herpes Witch Card Meanings below.
Tarot History & Card Meanings
