28/08/24
i was playing around with the voyager tarot, doing some random readings for fun and exercise - i make up a client and question, and then do a spread for them. as is often the case it was adjacent to things i've been recently pondering and it sounded like generally decent advice. i was so happy with how it flowed - i'm only just getting the hang of this deck - i decided this is one to share.
image description: the image shows a tarot spread in two parts. the first part consists of a row of three cards: nine of crystals - narrowness, four of worlds - commencement, moon. the second part is a cross. on the left is the ace of cups - ecstasy. on the right is the tower. above is the two of cups - equilibrium. below is the woman of worlds - preserver. in the center is the child of worlds - player.
the first bit is just coming up with the imaginary querent. they're someone very science-minded and logic driven, whether by nature or by profession. there's a tiredness or disillusionment with that approach, maybe they've seen through the narrowness and arrogance of western scientism and academia. they're asking how to actually, practically start to expand their perception into the spiritual, intuitive, mystical. into what seems dark and dangerous ground, and yet is such a part of human experience all over the world, all across time. it's exerting its pull on the querent.
what's working for the querent already is that a) they have a strong desire and motivation for this opening of the heart, and b) it's a natural capacity we all carry. yes, it will need tending and nurturing, but nature knows what to do, perhaps all that's needed is to let it. get out of your own way.
what's opposing this work - it's a diametric shift, and it could be the querent is either under-prepared or over-cautious. if they had ever experienced that world-shattering, nothing's-what-i-thought, flipping-upside-down of their world then they might be apprehensive to go through something similar again, tempted to build up the wall of rationalization and mental stiffness further. alternatively, they might not be aware how much their life is about to change and could do some research into different paths first - how embarking on a spiritual quest impacts the quester and those around them. maybe they could start looking at paths where there's a community who will know what they're going through because each member had their own transformative experience as part of conversion/initiation. maybe a path where they work closely with a teacher who can catch them, help them integrate the new experiences into their daily life.
the advice is to treat this investigation into the otherworldly as if building a relationship. whether addressing a deity, nature itself, some inner wiser self - imagine they're a person and treat them the same way you'd treat any other person you're trying to have a deep and rewarding relationship with. speak to them, in your mind's eye, in your waking life. starting at acquaintances - politeness. even if it's strange and foreign, start at basic decency and respect of the other's position. maybe the querent doesn't yet understand it or agree with it, but coming from a scientific background surely they know the importance of removing their own bias and keeping all possibilities open at the beginning.
then - learning more about that chosen other. listening, trying to understand. letting them know about you, sharing, being open, increasing the degree of vulnerability. trying to initiate contact - inviting the other, reaching out. perhaps offering gifts of appreciation, and those gifts can be actions dedicated to their well-being. the spread itself doesn't stress the intellectual aspect, but i will refer to the querent's preferences and experience in such and direct them to further use their skills, for example for research. research a tradition. or research the world closest to you, your environment, its plants, fauna, geology. its folklore, its magic. investigate stirrings of your own curiosity. start a dialog with the different parts of yourself. here's the skeptic, here's the one who hopes for more, here's a thread of memories, and over here a mysterious calling.
the outcome is what they wanted - a growth, an incubation, tapping into the eternal stream that runs through so many spiritual traditions. the title's card - preserver - makes me think of ecological involvement and a spirituality centered on nature, animism, druidry.
the core of this issue and reading is curiosity. the querent already has a curious mind, having used it to try to arrive at irrevocable facts. it's a matter of switching the lens to something more playful. questions like "what if...?" returning to the childlike wonder from before magic and mystery got civilized out of them. approaching this lightly, with a spirit of play. kids try things out all the time, drop them when they're bored. but also are not afraid to go all-in when their imagination is engaged with an idea, obsessing about a subject, seeing it and taking it with them everywhere. what if you were to swim in wonder, what if spirit is everywhere, what if it's inviting you to play with it, always ready to creatively collaborate with your imagination? imagination is crucial. and imaginary doesn't mean un-real or un-useful. how many things were sci-fi inventions before they became part of our very real-world technology? imagination is one of the strongest tools to connect with spirit. alongside intense presence and alertness to the world. but this querent needs to learn to be ok with "childish" "silliness" and stop shrinking away from it. stop judging things as such, stop fearing others' judgment. there, more entryways to the world of spirituality.
taking the cards out of their positions, i love the woman of worlds bringing forth the child of worlds. the nine is a card of endings, but the mother creates a new beginning. perhaps she's a nod to ancestral beliefs, the querent's cultural origins. the child starting on the path of the ace of cups, the quest for the grail, open to source. progressing to the two, entering into conscious union with the divine, and ultimately bringing it back to the material reality of the four of worlds. grounding it in real work, in real action. the mysterious light of the moon casting strange shadows in the unfamiliar landscape of the ruined tower, further fueling the imagination, casting a glow of the uncanny, working directly on the animal instincts and intuitions within the querent, drawing them further out. it's in their/our nature, all they have to do is find the right gate that will unlock that understanding at this particular place and time in their life. and the doors are all around.
