Using tarot as a tool for personal transformation

[Raggydoll]

I wanted to talk a little bit about using tarot cards for inner work and as tools for personal development and transformation. I have been using my cards this way for many years and I am keen to hear from the rest of you if or how you use your cards for this kind of purpose.

 

My favorite ways of doing this is to meditate, reflect and journal. But I also like to use more hands-on techniques, such as actively choosing which cards I want to see in a reading. Like, for instance, I would ask myself what card I would want to receive in a certain position. And then I go through my deck, pick out that card and lay it in that position. After reflecting how this felt, I then ask myself what card I would most likely need to see in this position. Then I pick out that card and lay the two cards next to each other so I can reflect (and journal) on them both – the way the relate or differ from one another, and how (or if) I could possibly change things up in order to get closer to what I want.

 

(I do traditional 'shadow work' as well, but not as often as these kind of exercises because, from my experience, shadow work really requires a certain state of mind and also tend to be quite draining energy wise.)

 

As an example, these are the two cards I have been working on lately. They are the 9 of Wands vs. the 9 of Disks (from Stella's tarot). To me, these depictions carry some of the same energies/feelings, only that they are modified by their different circumstances. Nine of Wands would be the card that represents where I feel that I am at, and Nine of Disks represents where I want to go. When I am done reflecting and journaling I will use Nine of Disks as a tool for setting intentions, doing affirmations and manifesting.

 

So, now I’m curious. In what way do you use tarot as a tool for personal transformation?

[Flaxen]

I use tarot for personal development and inner work too. One of the things I've found very useful it to choose cards to illustrate a particular life event or 'story' I'm working on healing. I choose cards to reflect what happened and then go through and spin the narrative a different way - perhaps from the point of view from one of the other figures in the cards.

 

The Bohemian Gothic works well for me for shadow work. I once did a very healing narrative about the death of my parents using it.

 

I also use tarot as a jumping off point for shamanic journeys sometimes - Tarot of the Sidhe is excellent for this for me.

[Starlight]

Just wanted to say - Great topic! Thank you for sharing. I've never been too sure how to use Tarot for personal transformation other than to get an insight into what may be lying unseen beneath my thoughts and ideas. Thank you, Raggydoll[/member],  flaxen[/member].

[Raggydoll]

Just wanted to say - Great topic! Thank you for sharing. I've never been too sure how to use Tarot for personal transformation other than to get an insight into what may be lying unseen beneath my thoughts and ideas. Thank you, Raggydoll[/member],  flaxen[/member].

 

I am happy you found this helpful. I have two recommendations if you would like to have even more ideas on this type of work. The first is Katrina Wynnes fantastic book on transformative tarot counseling: https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Transformative-Tarot-Counseling-Reading-ebook/dp/B008673VG4

She has lots of interesting exercises and examples, and a lot of it is helpful even if you never read for others. The second recommendations is the shadow-work videos by Kelly-Ann Maddox on YouTube (if you haven't already seen them). She has great ideas on how to do inner work with tarot cards. I especially like her simple exercises where you work with cards that you really dislike, and you try to find out what kind of shadow material that card is triggering within you.

 

Another really powerful way of working with your cards are to move or switch out cards in a reading. For example, if you get a card that is reversed, then you can think about what blocks it might represent and how you could try to release those blocks. And then you might choose an affirmation or just visualizing how they are resolving - while you turn the card upright again. Or you could choose to remove a card that represents something you don't want any more in your life, and replace it with a card that represents what you do want. This is usually done by the end of the reading, after you have interpreted everything. That's when the transformative magic feels the most powerful to me.

[Tanga]

Similar stuff to all above mentioned (except for the journalling - I hardly ever journal).

Though - I hate the new popular coined term "Shadow work"... and even found listening to Sasha Graham talking about shadow work at the last conference annoying  ;).

 

My most regular practice is:

- I listen to how I am feeling in the moment - and choose a card to represent it (Barbieri Tarot is my go-to deck for this sort of exercise). I think about that.

Then, I choose a card that I'd like it to be instead (i.e. "how do I feel?  How would I like to feel instead?"). I think about that - and all that it means according to what has happened that day and why I'm feeling that way etc.

Then I choose a 3rd card as the "Bridge".

This can be how to work through becoming the card I'd prefer to "be", or "advice", or a different focus that may be helpful or diverting (in order that I let go of whatever the drama is).

 

I really enjoy this sort of thing and it helps me work out my personal baggage pretty well.

 

 

Another thing I love to do is:

- "What do I wish for or wish to accomplish/be? - this week or this month etc."

I choose a set of cards that is like a spell or tells a narrative of what that is.  Or that is an affirmation of what that is.

Cards for this come from mixed decks - Tarot, Oracle and even MTG (Magic The Gathering - someone once taught me, but I don't play it. I do have a couple of decks. The imagery/artwork is really engaging.).  I find this very helpful too.

[Raggydoll]

Tanga: I get what you mean. What annoys me the most about this 'shadow work'-trend is that people seem to think that it is best done in October and that you can only use dark/Gothic decks  ;D (I still use that terminology though, cause I don't know any better way to describe jungian-inspired exercises that aim to bring unconscious shadow material into the conscious part of the brain)

[CharlotteK]

Apart from a few reading exchanges in forums and occasional readings for friends, almost all of my Tarot usage falls into this domain and I very rarely ask Tarot predictive questions or use it for divination.

 

Using it as a tool for exploration of the self (ego, conscious, subconscious etc) and for development was the reason I got interested in tarot in the first place.

 

I do like darker decks in general for self development because they seem to draw out deeper answers though I have been really taken by surprise by decks like Animal Totem, Dreaming Way, Fountain and Steampunk in the past for really deep readings. Fountain Tarot I found to be a beautiful deck for emotional healing when my Gran died.

 

I do use Tarot to explore my 'shadow' but its not something I do every week or month and I find softer decks and art decks are much more helpful for me here when I do decide to look at shadow. Decks like Tarot of the Spirit, Linestrider, Roots of Asia, Tarot of the Sidhe have all been much better for me than darker decks for 'shadow work'.

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

 

[Raggydoll]

CharlotteK: I agree, there is a place for both darker and softer decks when doing this kind of work. Like you, I often get surprisingly deep (and ’dark’) readings from seemingly lighthearted decks. And I think that this type of exercises is best done in small doses on a somewhat regular basis - not just in an intensive period of four consecutive weeks per year.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Usually, I use the Tarot for divination, but I sometimes perform readings to know more about the Tarot itself (yeah, that's meta). I rarely perform shadow work, but when I do it's usually very effective and I glean a lot about myself. I may have to explore it more this year. But first things first - I have to figure out better spreads and techniques.

[Starlight]

When I've done readings with cards, I've usually been looking deeper into my mindset - I think I need a lot more practice to read for divination, esp for myself.

 

What I have found to be quite effective as a method for personal transformation, or at the very least, to get the ball rolling, is Focusing (a term coined by Eugene Gendlin for a specific method of dealing with stress/pain/difficult emotions). I wonder if Tarot could be combined with Focusing. I imagine that would be very powerful.

 

Actually, using Tarot for the exercises you've all shared here (a personal thank you from me!) and combining it with Focusing could yield a lot of depth. The trick is to sit in interested curiosity when something difficult comes up.

[Raggydoll]

I would suggest that perhaps the most important tool when aiming for personal transformation is patience and kindness. Try not to be hard on yourself if you find resistance when you get closer to your blocks - that is perfectly natural and to be expected. Do it in small doses so that your mind has the time to catch up. No one can confront all their 'shadows' or destructive thoughts and behaviors all at once, that would be devastating and not of any real help. Healing is slow, and sometimes it is so slow that the process seems like it's going in the opposite direction. But remember that falling, doing mistakes and feeling like you want to give up, is all an essential part of real, long term progress.

 

Starlight: I think you could definitely try to combine tarot with Focusing. As long as you do it in small doses, like I already said. It is hard to keep focusing and having an 'interested curiosity' for a longer period of time, but it does get easier with practice. I have not been working with that exact technique, but I have been doing mindfulness exercises for a very long time. Me, being a Gemini with a constant (and rapid) flow of thoughts, have found it both extremely challenging and rewarding to practice mindfulness. I've also gone through cognitive behaviour therapy which was equally beneficial and works really well in combination with mindfulness.

[Page of Ghosts]

I mostly use tarot for this purpose and this thread has given me some great ideas. My readings are usually pretty basic and I've been thinking of a way to spruce things up.

[Guest]

Inner work is why I use the tarot. I use them to observe experience, to play out thought experiments, I use them to describe myself to myself, and more... and of course a lot of the other stuff mentioned as well.

[IndigoWaves]

 

 

Though I'm a relative hermit, I do enjoy observing and pondering human nature: our psychological, biological, emotional inclinations... What leads us where we tend to go, and why we tend to behave as we do. I've often found Tarot useful for predictions, but that aspect of divinational cards doesn't arrest me as much as their ability to unfold analytical imageries that encourage deeper looks. How much of our lives and selves we're actually able to control/willingly alter remains unknown, but our wishes and attempts to do so are sincerely engaging... A deliciously addictive use of the cards in making our individual yet universal stories come to life.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I feel compelled to explore this practice this year, so I truly appreciate all the insights you guys have given. Aside from Raggydoll's suggestion of transformative Tarot, do you have any other book recommendations?

[Albadawn]

I second what EmpyreanKnight has said. I can suggest Around the Tarot in 78 Days, by Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin. It's essentially a journey through the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. I got about halfway through a few years ago and ended up stopping because it got too intense, but I'm going to re-attempt it this year.

[Raggydoll]

Well, there is always Wisdom of Tarot and Tarot Revelations (Paul Foster Case), for those who like a more occult spin on things (and perhaps get a feel for what Waite, Crowley and Pixie were doing with tarot in their time).

 

There are also several youtubers that work with tarot in a similar transformational style, so definitely taking a look around there. But perhaps the most important thing is to just start somewhere. Pick an excercise (or two) that resonate with you and get cracking at it. And of course - then tell us all about it  ;D

[Raggydoll]

I would like to add one thing. I never use any kind of transformational techniques on other people, even though that is what some of those books are for. (Like Katrina Wynnes book, for example). That is just because I would feel way out of my depth in doing so. But this is a bit off topic since the discussion really was all about ones personal transformation. And I think it is perfectly fine to use oneself as a guinea pig  ;D

[Starlight]

I would like to add one thing. I never use any kind of transformational techniques on other people, even though that is what some of those books are for. (Like Katrina Wynnes book, for example).

Crumbs, no, that would be crossing an ethical line.

 

Is Katrina Wynne's book written for a reader to use with a querent who would like to do some personal transformation work? I thought that's what the book was about, but I could be wrong.

 

I also came across Tarot: The Open Reading by Yoav Ben-Dov and this is a book I'd like to study. From what I can gather it's looking at tarot from exactly that perspective, from a healing perspective and possibly also with a bit of gestalt-like technique, in that no card has a set meaning before you read it, its meaning only becomes clear when connected with the other cards.

 

Sadly he died just over a year ago.

[Raggydoll]

Starlight: Katrina Wynne is a professional in the psychology field as well as in tarot, and she thinks that all tarot readers should have some basic understanding of psychology and some techniques for working in a responsible way that matches ones level of competence. And being able to tell your limitations (as far as knowledge and competence goes) is a big part of her teachings.

 

And she talks a lot about how to never forget that the reading is all about the querent - not about you doing a great job and showing off all your skills. She wants the querent to be motivated to actively participate (but only to the extent that they are comfortable with, of course) so they can experience the whole process, not just have interpretations thrown at them. And she also talks about how our school-book knowledge of tarot cards must come in second place. It is always the inherent wisdom and feelings of the client that should guide what the cards symbolize.

 

All in all, I think it is a very good book. But I can surely see some risks with having just enough knowledge to stir up shit, but not enough knowledge to clean it up afterward. So I merely use it for myself (well I might consider using it in collaboration with a friend that really wants to try it, and knows well what he or she is getting into).

[Starlight]

Starlight: Katrina Wynne is a professional in the psychology field as well as in tarot, and she thinks that all tarot readers should have some basic understanding of psychology and some techniques for working in a responsible way that matches ones level of competence. And being able to tell your limitations (as far as knowledge and competence goes) is a big part of her teachings.

[snip]

All in all, I think it is a very good book. But I can surely see some risks with having just enough knowledge to stir up shit, but not enough knowledge to clean it up afterward. So I merely use it for myself (well I might consider using it in collaboration with a friend that really wants to try it, and knows well what he or she is getting into).

 

Ah, I understand you now. I see what you meant - knowing enough to potentially do harm and not enough to work through any turmoil and bring things back into balance. That would not be good.

 

Which begs the question (for me): can you have just enough to stir things up in yourself and not have enough to put yourself back together properly so you can function at your best? Should we be trying anything like this if we haven't studied psychology?

[Raggydoll]

I believe everyone knows themselves best and you psyche will most likely put up resistance whenever you try to push things too far or too hard. But these transformational techniques should never be taken lightly.

 

One should certainly not embark on a ‘shadow-work’ journey just because ‘everyone else is doing it’ or because it sounds like something that would be beneficial for everyone. Just listen to yourself and start out small. And if you feel that there is some deep underlying issues that want to come up - then you might want to consider contacting an actual professional counselor for extra support and advice.

[Starlight]

I believe everyone knows themselves best and you psyche will most likely put up resistance whenever you try to push things too far or too hard. But these transformational techniques should never be taken lightly.

 

One should certainly not embark on a ‘shadow-work’ journey just because ‘everyone else is doing it’ or because it sounds like something that would be beneficial for everyone. Just listen to yourself and start out small. And if you feel that there is some deep underlying issues that want to come up - then you might want to consider contacting an actual professional counselor for extra support and advice.

Sound advice! Thanks, Raggydoll.

[Jewel]

Like others here the majority of my tarot use falls within this category and I find it incredibly helpful because the tarot helps me view things from a different perspective than I would usually default to.  It keeps me honest with myself.  I found "21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card", by Mary Greer, to take me on a personal journey that I never expected.  It allowed for some deep self exploration, combined with some "breaks" from the work in between and overall very enriching.  And another great thing about that is that a beginner can do this and do some self exploration while learning tarot.

 

I do most of my work through spreads, exercises, and journaling.  I have collected a variety of spreads from the internet that I use.  From exploring my fears, to resolving issues.  I actually showed my journal to my therapist during our final sessions and he told me to keep it up because it was like self therapy lol.  The key is there is no right or wrong way to do this, and when working with ones darker side is more draining and tough it really can bring a lot of positivity when faced.  I have also done the exercise of using 3 cards, where I choose cards to represent how I see myself, how I want to be and then I shuffle and draw a third card which is the bridge.

 

When I am feeling like using a darker deck I turn to The Tarot of Sweet Twilight, Deviant Moon, or Bohemian Gothic.  But I also have used lighter decks like Joie de Vivre when working on some of these darker issues and it can pack the same punch though the message is delivered in gentler manner.  That deck really surprised me.  I had chosen it as a deck of the month, and by the end of the month it actually became one of my go to decks which I never expected it would.  The Fey tarot is another I find myself pulling out for this.  I think the key is balance, focusing on all of you not just on the darker or "shadow" side.  So a healthy combination of personal development along with introspection.  Most importantly you have to be honest with yourself and not let your ego get in the way, that is when I start to feel healing and transformation.

 

The Fifth Tarot is another deck I have found really good for spiritual and personal development.  When I work with this deck I find myself pulling out other decks and oracles in conjunction with it depending on what I am doing.

 

Personally I love journaling, and I love including colored images of the cards I am working with within the journal.  I periodically will go back and read it to get a sense of where I am on my personal journey.

[rushingriver]

This sort of thing is what really attracted me to tarot, so cool reading experiences from those who have been doing it a while. For the last month I've been using the tarot to consider my hair-trigger temper, drawing a card and meditating on what comes up for five to ten minutes. It's been an interesting way to learn the cards and feels like the beginning of a fruitful practice.

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk