Category Archives: Life Lessons Tarot (Major Arcana)

The World Card And The Illusion Of Having ‘Made It’

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The WorldI just read an article in the arts section of last weekend’s newspaper about a guy called Brian Eno, an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, who is apparently pretty famous. He played the keyboard in Brian Ferry’s band Roxy Music which was popular a few decades back, has been a pioneer composer of ambient music and has produced albums for David Bowie, Devo, Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay just to mention a few. By any standard this man is a success.

You’d think after all these achievements he’d be happy to rest on his laurels a little bit. Sit back and savour his success. But nothing could be further from the truth. Continue reading →

The Two Great Ages Of The Chariot Card

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The Chariot

The Chariot is a Life Lesson card (aka Major Arcana for you Tarot old schoolers.) As such it represents a major phase in the life of everyman/woman. A chariot is basically an old-fashioned car. So its pretty easy to work out when this card comes into play in your life.

The first Great Age of the Chariot equates to the time when you Continue reading →

The Hanged Man: Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

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So. I’ve been asked to consider working in another position at my workplace. It’s not a promotion or demotion more a sideways crawl. The powers that be think it’s important to improve my overall professionalism whereas I’m more of a stay-in-the-job-you-love-kinda-gal. Still, I’m torn. They say ‘it’s better the devil you know’ but I’m not 100% convinced of that. Sure I’m all comfy where I am and anything new is scary but every time I’ve been asked to move before I’ve actually ended up enjoying the change. However I’ve no way of knowing if I’ll feel the same way this time around. It’s just so tootin’ hard to know if you’ll like a job before you try it. And once I move I’m locked in for a year or two. What to do? What to do? What to do?

This classic career conundrum – should I stay or should I go now? – is very much in the realm of The Hanged Man card. We all experience this sooner or later in our jobs whether it’s a nod from the boss or ennui setting in suggesting it’s time to make a move. And when you really don’t know which way to jump there’s nothing you can do but sit on the situation and hope for a sign to show the way. Which in my case may be a tap on the shoulder, lol.

Anyone else out there in the same boat?

The Fool + Death: Dumb Ways To Die!

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So. As well as sharing ideas about Tarot cards I want this blog to be a bit of light-hearted fun. To that end I am dedicating my post today to an AWESOME video clip made by the train authority in my home town of Melbourne (who’d have thunk it?) It’s called ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ and you can find it on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw. I will also post it to my Facebook ‘The Tarot Teaclub’ page.

The video was made to discourage people from acting in a life-endangering manner around trains. Trying to sneak around boom gates in their car or jumping down onto the tracks to collect something that’s been dropped. That sort of thing. This is very much a Fool + Death scenario. The Fool card represents idiots in every shade. Funny ones or just plain stupid (or both). It’s number 0 in Life Lessons Tarot i.e. The know nothing card.

The Fool’s always good for a laff. Enjoy!

A Judgement Card Story: Scientific Proof Of The Afterlife!?!

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For most of his career a neurosurgeon by the name of Eben Alexander was sceptical about his patient’s claims of near-death experiences. As far as he was concerned NDEs were just a product of brain chemistry. Fantasies produced under extreme stress.

Then in November 2008 his own brain was attacked by a rare bacterial meningitis. For seven days he lay in a deep coma. His chances of survival low. While unconscious he experienced a hyper-vivid and coherent reality. He saw flocks of shimmering beings arcing through the sky. Heard a glorious chant booming from on high. Felt connected to everything in a way he never had before. Was enveloped in a vast presence of light, colour and love. He was accompanied on his journey through this strange realm by a woman who he first met sitting next to him on a butterfly wing.

When he woke up from the coma he tried to rationalise his hallucinations like the good scientist that he is. But he couldn’t. While he’d been unconscious brain scans had been taken which showed that the part of the brain that controls thought and emotion had shut down completely. His brain was literally incapable of producing the experiences he had during his coma.

Thus Alexander was forced to acknowledge the possibility of life after death. As a scientist he could come to no other conclusion. Moreover, after he recovered Alexander – who was adopted – was shown a picture by his biological family of a sister he had never met or seen before. Turns out, she was the woman on the butterfly wing.

You can read the full story in his book ‘Proof of Heaven’ which was recently released.

Of course not everyone believes this is proof that NDEs are real. Some have said he must been dreaming. That his brain wasn’t as blank as the hospital machines indicated. This seems a rather unscientific response. A point black refusal to accept the evidence as it exists. And it doesn’t explain the sister.

This is very much a Judgement card story. First of all, because like this Tarot card it involves human interaction with an angelic dimension (for want of a better phrase.) And secondly, because it calls into question the judgement many have made in the modern era that there is no possibility of an afterlife.

Are you convinced by Alexander’s story? Or not?

The Fool: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum!

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This afternoon I took my parents to see a stage performance of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum’ starring the great Geoffrey Rush. Now there’s a King of Wands if ever I saw one. A man completely in charge of his performance. I reckon he could make painting a wall look interesting. Rush played the starring role of a Roman slave called Pseudolus who connives to help his young master win the girl next door in order to become a free man.

Pseudolus has all the hallmarks of The Fool:

He’s prepared to DO ANYTHING to secure his freedom.

He comes across like a babbling idiot simpleton. A know nothing. When in fact he’s the one driving the action.

His every move seems to cause more problems than it solves. And yet despite the strange and twisted path Pseudolus takes he achieves his goals.

He’s prepared to make himself look ridiculous and others too.

There’s a lot of physical comedy. Pratfalls.  A Fool is always ready to take a fall!

He’s hilarious.

Comedy is full of characters like this. Think Lucille Ball, the Three Stooges, Mr Bean. Fools one and all. The Fool makes us laugh because he’s prepared to do anything – look crazy even – when most of us are not. That’s one of the reasons The Fool card is numbered 0 in Life Lesson Tarot. He exists outside the normal parameters of human behaviour.

I think it’s interesting that in this play and in comedy in general The Fool gets what he wants because I think that’s what Tarot says too. The Fool card at the start of Life Lesson Tarot leads to The World card at the other end i.e. If you’re prepared to behave like a Fool, act outside your comfort zone, you can achieve your heart’s desire. It’s what Susan Sarandon was saying in that quote yesterday:

“…I believe that being surprised and being somewhere that’s uncomfortable because it’s unknown is really one of the main rules to live by.”

Who’s your favourite Fool?

Susan Sarandon: Tarot Woman

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American actress Susan Sarandon was recently quoted in Elle magazine’s ‘Woman In Hollywood’ issue saying this:

“I think the struggle is to live an authentic life. Often, being comfortable and courting the illusion of safety cannot coexist with being authentically who you are.”

This is a great summation of the Tarot philosophy. More than anything Tarot encourages you to be true to yourself. (And when you’ve achieved that it encourages you to give back to the community.) The first official card in Life Lessons Tarot called The Magician signals your potential. The journey from there to The Sun card (number 19) is all about bringing that potential into the light. Birthing your true self. The danger along the way is that you’ll get stuck in The Devil experience, choosing comfort over authenticity, a nice house and accessories over living your dream.

Susan goes on to say the following:

Anytime I have drastically changed my life – which has happened a number of times and, I hope, will happen many more – it’s always been a mixture of terror and exhilaration and discovery.  But I believe that being surprised and being somewhere that’s uncomfortable because it’s unknown is really one of the main rules to live by.”

This is a wonderful description of someone busting out of their Devil rut via the dynamic terrifying exhilarating energy of the next card along in Life Lessons Tarot, The Tower, which we’ve discussed before. If you refuse to let go of your crutches sooner or later life will do it for you by causing some kind of drama that forces change. But someone who’s in tune with their inner self will feel the need and make the changes for themselves. Aka Susan. And all power to her I say!