SoulTraveler

I love this card. When we look at the High Priestess we see a serene woman sitting in contemplation. She represents inner wisdom and intuition.The cross on her gown and the torah in her lap and the sliver of the moon by the bottom of her gown shows that her spiritual wisdom transcends any one religion and rather encompasses them all as these are the symbols of some of the major religions, Christianity, Judaism and Muslim. On top of her head is the moon, again showing hidden aspects of ourselves. The fruits in the background represent the fruitfulness and abundance of knowledge that is hers. The black and white columns with contrasting letters for me represent the idea of the Chinese symbol of yin-yang where opposite energies are brought into harmony and balance. When the High Priestess comes up in a reading the message is that you are to let yourself be guided more by your intuition as it will always serve you well. The High Priestess is serene because she knows the truth and will let

The Sun The most positive card in the tarot deck by far is The Sun. When looking at this card, the actual sun is the most dominant image showing us warmth and other good things we associate with the sun. The Sun card is also a sign of positive growth as shown by the sunflowers just below it. The child riding on the white horse represents joy, pureness and possibilities; a reason to be happy and celebrate life. The red flag is large in size and by it’s color and size together we get the message of long lasting love and joy. We would draw on the energy of The Sun card when we need a shift in focus to the positive aspects of our lives. We can use it as a reminder that all will be well, that we just need to believe. When you look at this card you can’t help but feel the positive message implied in it. It truly is the feel good card of the deck. For meditation purposes you would want to light a yellow candle to represent joy and the warmth of the sun. If you like to light your candles in a

When looking at the Hierophant we see three men. The dominant man of course is the Hierophant who is the chief priest or Pope. This card is about tradition and wisdom. The keys at the bottom of the card represent knowledge and because they are crossed, they are associated with the ecclesiastical, namely the Pope. They can also symbolize the keys to the gates of heaven. The Pope’s crown represents his authority in higher matters. For purposes of meditation and reflection we would choose this card when we are looking for ways to deepen our spiritual beliefs and looking for ritual as a way of expressing or experiencing these beliefs. So for example, in order to incorporate more ritual into our daily spiritual lives we might explore things like morning meditation, prayers or daily inspirational readings as a way to connect us to the source. We can also use this card to ground ourselves by focusing on the traditional aspects of our lives that give us comfort. The mundane rituals of our liv

The Tower is one of the more disturbing cards in the tarot deck. Just one look at it and you know the news may not be too good. In truth, that depends on the circumstances you are in. People automatically go to the negative side of the Tower without thinking about the other possible side of it. When we look at the illustration of the Tower from the Rider-Waite deck it does look a bit grim. We have people falling from a tower that is engulfed in flames. The one person is wearing a red cape. Red as we know is the color of passion which is one indicator that things are far from calm. The lightening, the clouds, the flames, the pointy mountain of ice below all indicate that there is nothing friendly here. The interesting thing is the crown which is shown as having been blown off of the top of the tower. Assuming that the crown represents the crown chakra, we have an interesting situation. The crown chakra represents our highest self, our point of personal divinity if you will, and here it

This time of year just before Valentine's Day is a very stressful time for people who are struggling with the romantic relationships in their lives. Good communication is key to maintaining and developing good relationships whether they are romantic by nature or not. When I read this article from Daily Om I thought it made perfect sense in pointing out how to improve communication between people. Daily OM: Communication Centering and Expressing Expressing ourselves honestly from a centered place is essential to our sense of well-being. When we are in a relationship where we feel listened to and understood, we count ourselves lucky because we know how rare that experience is. We reserve our most intimate selves for the people who, along with us, cocreate an open space where we feel free to express ourselves and listen without judgment. These relationships, which thrive on open communication, can mean the difference between existential loneliness and a deep sense of belonging. We al

Strength is almost always depicted showing a woman taming a lion. It is a very peaceful serene picture. There is no fear or aggression on either side. The woman in the card is wearing a white robe which symbolizes purity and a spiritual element. She is not forcing the lion but rather coaxing it. The lion’s tongue is sticking out as if to give her a lick and letting her know he is willing to work with her. Above her head is the infinity symbol showing that unlimited patience and willpower is hers. The garland worn around her waist and her head symbolizes good luck and intuition. Strength is typically known as the card of female inner strength. When it comes up in a reading it shows that you do indeed have what it takes to succeed and succeed you will in time. You are being asked to have patience with the process. The green grass shows the healing of the situation as well. For using in meditation I would suggest a green candle because the color green symbolizes healing and love. Love and

The Justice card is often referred to as the karmic card of the tarot. For every action there is a re-action and after that exchange occurs, things are brought back to center. Justice is a more severe look at balance than the more flowing picture we see with Temperance. For one thing the color red of the robes shows quite a lot of passion, although it is tempered by compassion with the color green that outlines the cloak. The higher essence of the soul is shown by purple, the color associated with intuition and the third eye chakra. The Ace of Swords that he holds in his hand shows that justice will be served with swiftness and assurance while the scales show that justice will be fair as well. Although the purple above his head shows this man to be of a spiritual nature, his foot (which is shown at the bottom of his robe), shows he is also very much grounded in reality. Like the Magician, he is serene and sure of his position. There is nothing aggressive about this man. Justice is the

I Can Do Anything! The Fool is the very first card of the journey of the majors. When you look at this card the brightness is the very first thing you are drawn to. The abundance of yellow in the background along with the Sun in the sky suggests happiness and optimism that is unlimited. The figure of the Fool is looking upward for perhaps some divine inspiration although we can see that he is already prepared to start his journey with nothing but the highest of hopes with his yellow boots showing the warmth and positive expectations associated with the sun. His white dog shows that he also brings with him purity of motive and thought. The flower in his outstretched hand shows his willingness to grow and learn from his experiences. His red bag suggests his passion for traveling forward in his life. The small size shows him just starting out with not a lot of knowledge to fill the bag with just yet. Standing on the edge of a cliff, he is ready to take the leap and start the journey. Whe