My name is Cilla (Cilla Conway for the benefit of Ezine) and I just wanted to let you know that this blog has now moved to its own domain. If you are not redirected automatically, please use the link below to come visit us: http://www.tarotcardmeaningsonline.com/
A friend and I have been running workshops together for a few years - she is a shamanic practitioner and teacher who facilitates workshops on storytelling, journeying, and the Tarot. I’m a professional tarot reader and visionary artist, and use my own decks in readings (The Intuitive Tarot and the Devas of Creation). We began these workshops two or three years ago with a slightly challenging title - the Tarot and Transformation. One of exercises in the workshop was a movement sculpture, which proved to be phenomenal for all concerned.
We are now taking that idea one stage further, in our June workshop on The Major Arcana (in Harrow, London, on Saturday 20th June). After a guided visualisation on the Majors - which will demonstrate how the Majors depict a profound journey of initialisation and self-development, and an audio-visual presentation on the history of the Tarot, we will suggest that participants embody the qualities of one of the Major Arcana. Having taken on this powerful archetypal energy, others can then join in to illustrate other aspects of that image to which they feel drawn. It should be a powerful exercise.
The Minor Arcana workshop was held in May, an interesting way of introducing the Tarot (people usually begin with the Majors and move onto the Minors in the second half). But it seemed this was required: we will no doubt discover the reasons at the workshop … the Tarot is much more profound than we realise - as anyone who works with it regularly will know.
If you would like to join us to work with the Major Arcana, let me know (http://www.theintuitivetarot.com/Intuitive_tarot_courses.htm, where you can find the flier and phone numbers).
People often find reversals - when the card is drawn upside down - offputting in the extreme. Indeed, many tarot readers don’t use them at all, preferring to interpret both negative and positive sides of the card at the same time. However, reversals can be very useful - particularly when the majority of cards have appeared reversed. One way of working with them is to see a reversal as an indicator that there is a blockage or lack of confidence involved: so for example, if someone has drawn the Nine of Rods (Wands) reversed, the interpretation could be that although they appear to be strong and in control, inside they are feeling defensive and not at all sure how long they wish to continue holding people at bay.
Reversals of the darker cards often display a more optimistic aspect of the card. The Nine and Ten of Swords reversed all indicate that the darkest time has already passed (useful, as they are such dark cards!), and the Five shows the fearful, cowering person at the bottom of the card beginning to take power into her hands and face her fears.
One of the most interesting of reversals is the Tower. The meaning of the card is the lightning strike of God, the cosmic illumination that shatters all existing structures - and although the card isn’t always *that* negative, it certainly can indicate disastrous events (like 9/11, for example). So how to read the Tower reversed?
Nowadays I usually see this as dismantling important aspects of your life, which can be deciding to downsize, for example. Separation, divorce, or giving in your notice after a shock could also be The Tower reversed. But one of the best examples I’ve encountered happened recently in a reading for a woman who was 7 months pregnant. She blenched a bit to get the Tower reversed and I explained what I’ve just said above: that it wasn’t necessarily negative at all, but she’d have to rethink her life and get rid of all sorts of unwanted stuff. Three days later she texted me to say her baby had been born - 2 months early, but he was fine. She wanted to know what the Tower reversed meant! I replied that although she had expected the birth, she’d thought she had plenty of time. Now, however, both she and her partner would have to make some radical changes to their lifestyle - dismantling the old structures and setting up new.
This was sent to me by Gary Oppenhuis on Facebook, and it is so apposite I thought I would share it with you…
‘I periodically perform Tarot readings for my self, as a meditative interaction, a time of spiritual play and reverance, delighting in the random coincidences. Often I choose a word or phrase as the focal point for these tarot interactions.
‘For a recent reading, I chose the word “Progress“. Progress as a verb, as in “going forward”. I want/need to Progress in many areas of my life. For this reading, I used the Intuitive Tarot, by Cilla Conway.
‘The card I pulled was: the 2 of Rods. Traditionally, the 2 of Rods (or Wands) is often associated with initiative, boldness, originality, commanding attention. Certainly appropriate themes to foster Progress!
‘And then I looked more closely at the specific imagery on this card. And then I smiled, and glowed, and realized what day it was (Jan. 19, 2009, MLK Jr. day), and the momentous event that was about to take place the next day (Jan. 20, 2009): the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States!
‘The card depicts a tall, lean, dark, regal figure standing atop a hill (Capitol Hill?), holding an orb in his outstretched hand, reflecting on the state of the world. In the background there appears to be a vast multitude of faces, of many colors. A larger orb glows at the top of the card, like a spotlight or Sun.
‘The scene is like a leader or actor on a great stage, pondering and expressing a vision of progress. The 2 parallel rods or bars crossing the orb could represent the 2 great leaders (Martin Luther King and Obama), and the ladder they have helped to build in the climb towards unity. The 2 bars crossing the “O” is somewhat reminiscent of the Obama campaign logo.
‘I normally do not relate personal readings to public events, but the symbolic impact of this card, and of this moment, gave me a tremendous lift and feeling of positive transformation as we all work towards Progress, for our selves, for each other, and for the world.’
