Image via WikipediaSymbols
Young man, the sun, yellow, orange, white, small dog, brightly colored clothing, laurel wreath, cap, feather, bag, staff/ wand, white rose, yellow boots, cliff, mountains.

The card
Here’s Jack setting off to the markets, to buy a cow for his mother and coming back with a handful of beans; here’s Parsifal setting off for magical Camelot; here’s a band new soul entering the world. This card is bright, humorous, and cheerful. We feel the warmth of the sun, and hear the barking of the small dog. The rose gives off a wonderful fragrance. We’re full of the energy of youth.

Look at the card for a moment, and try to identify the emotions it arouses in you. Remember that this is subjective; whatever you feel is right, there is no wrong answer. Do you feel hopeful and enthusiastic? We’re all the Fool, each morning of our lives, as we get up ready to face a new day and have no idea what that day will bring. We never see the chasm yawning at our feet. The Tarot is a way for us to see the result of our careless steps in advance, however, sometimes it’s better to take a leap of faith, and just step off the cliff.

The Fool is likely to appear in your readings whenever you’re starting something new—like a new business. It can indicate the start of an entirely new cycle in your life, or it can indicate the end of an old one. Whenever the Fool appears, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a fool to be starting your new business, or whatever new project you’re involved in. That depends on the surrounding cards. If the surrounding cards are uniformly negative in context—if the Fool is surrounded by a lot of Swords, or The Tower, or The Moon, it would mean that your new business  was in serious trouble. You should find out what is causing the problems and work to rectify it with all speed.

Sometimes it’s not possible to avoid problems however.

All the major arcana cards are archetypal in nature. They indicate that the situation is largely out of our control.

The Fool can also be very literal. For example, one morning I was rushing to leave the house. I picked up a big stack of magazines to take out to the recycling bin. I stepped off the back step, but my foot hit the step and I slipped. I found myself lying on the concrete.

My two dogs gathered around me in concern. You could see the shocked expression on their faces: they were as surprised as I was. I thought I’d broken my ankle, but it was only a sprain.

I thought the accident had some significance, so to find out what it was, I asked the cards. I drew a card, and it was—the Fool. I had to laugh. It was a clear expression of what had happened: I was too busy thinking about everything I had to do that day to pay attention, so I stepped off the cliff.

All the elements of the card were there: the step, I was carrying something heavy, the dogs, the bright sunlight—a tub of geraniums growing beside the step.

So cards which indicate accidents, the Fool, the Tower, the 10 of Swords, can often be literal: take care, because you might be about to slip on a cosmic banana peel.

Sprained ankles notwithstanding, I enjoy receiving the Fool in my readings. The card is similar in spirit to the Joker in the ordinary pack of playing cards; you can use the card to stand in for other cards.

Image via WikipediaLet’s say you’re starting a business, or you’ve already done so. When you own your own business, you’re lonely, because you’re betting on yourself. There’s always the chance that you’ll blow all your money and go broke. The Tarot cards can guide you. They can give you access to all of you, not just the part that happens to be wearing a suit of clothes and that you think of as ‘you’.

Begin by using the cards in a simple way. Just familiarize yourself with them. For example, when you first walk into your office in the morning, draw a card for the day. This will activate your subconscious mind. When you’re first learning the cards, draw a card from the major arcana: the triumphs. Look on it as asking yourself how you will triumph today. This is your touchstone, the card that will bring you success today.

What if this card is one of your least favorite cards? Later, in your work with the cards, you can  stick with this card, knowing that it is a part of you as are all the other cards, and even 13 Death will let you feel cheerful and optimistic—Death means a change for the better, most of the time. However, if you turn up a card and you don’t like it, just pick up another card. Or, you can pick from the majors all face up—choose the card which will give you most inspiration today.

When you’ve chosen your card, whichever method you’ve used, sit for a moment and look at the card. Don’t strain, just take in the card. Close your eyes, and  see if you can image the card clearly. If not, open your eyes, have another look, and then close them again. There is no need to spend more than five minutes on this exercise, but if you do it every day, you will soon find that you are learning all the cards, and are enjoying working with them.

Keep the card where you can see it during the day. If you have a couple of moments, doodle the design of the card. Even if you think to yourself “I can’t draw”, tell yourself that this is not for anyone else to look at. It’s simply another way of connecting with the cards. This is enjoyable, and relaxing. You can be like me, and keep a tin of colored pencils on your desk, so that anytime you are pressed for inspiration, you can doodle the design of one of the cards: you will soon find that you’re relaxed, and the idea that you’ve been waiting for will come to you, without any effort on your part.

Image via WikipediaIf you haven’t played with tarot cards, you have a treat in store. The cards will enhance your creativity and will teach you about yourself. In essence, the cards give you a compass so you can navigate the deep waters of your subconscious mind.

First acquire your deck

You can buy a tarot deck almost anywhere. Try your local bookstore, or a specialty or gift shop. If you can’t find cards locally, you can buy them online at online booksellers like Amazon.com.

Get to know the cards by using your tarot deck as a relaxation tool

Using your cards as a relaxation aid is the fastest and easiest way to use their ability to enhance your creativity. This is because the key to creativity is communication between your conscious and subconscious minds, and between your logical left brain, and your holistic right brain. This happens most effectively when you’re relaxed, or asleep.

Information tends to bubble up from your subconscious mind when you combine relaxation and a repetitive simple activity. Many artists and writers find that their best ideas come to them when they’re driving, or gardening, or taking a shower, for example. They relax, their conscious mind is engaged with the repetitive activity, and ideas arrive, bubbling up from the subconscious.

The relaxation process with your cards is easy. Here’s how to do it:

Not only is the process easy, but it also acquaints you with the cards.

* Take your cards out of their box, and sit in a comfortable chair. Make sure that you have adequate light so you can see the cards clearly;
* Take a couple of deep breaths. Hold each breath for a moment, and then exhale;
* Close your eyes, and scan your body. Can you feel tension anywhere, such as in your shoulders, or between your eyebrows? Consciously relax those areas of your body. Feel as if you’re standing under a warm shower of spring rain, and the rain is washing the tension completely out of your body;
* Open your eyes and stretch. Smile;
* Take the cards one by one, and just look at them in a relaxed way;
* The key here is not to strain. Enjoy the process. Try to recapture the feeling you had as a child when you paged through a picture book;
* Look at a card for as long as you wish, then move on to the next.

If any strong emotion comes up, don’t try to repress it, whatever it is. On the other hand, don’t cling to the emotion either. Take a couple of deep breaths, and go on to the next card. In a future article we’ll suggest some ways to use the emotions that arise, but for the relaxation exercise, go back to looking at the cards in a relaxed way.

How long should this relaxation process take? Anywhere from three to 15 minutes.

Keep a notebook handy when you relax with your cards

When you use the relaxation process (you can use it several times a day if you wish) you’ll often find that you get inspired. Ideas which come up for you may be related to your primary concern, such as a project you’re working on, or to a relationship problem, or to a new way you could approach a task. Or they may seem to come out of nowhere at all.

In order not lose your ideas, keep a notebook or a tape recorder handy. You’ll find that if you don’t make a note of these ideas, they’ll vanish: they tend to be as ephemeral as dreams. Even if you’re sure that the idea you just had is so brilliant that there’s no way you’ll forget it, write it down.