Stress and Tarot - HOW TO DEAL ?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Aug 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Indigo_lady	18 Aug 2003
Here's one question How do you guys deal with stress in your daily life and tarot??? I've started working again not long ago. I don't bring any work home with me, but still the kind of work it is, is pretty stressful, and when I come back home I just want to have my mind blank and forget about everything. I used to do daily draws but right now I can't even see a card every 3 days... I feel like I can't concentrate on anything what-so-ever and I don't want to put it in a closet, especially since this job is not that important for me, it's just a way to make money to support myself How do you guys deal with that???? Thanks ahead ;)

lawguy51	18 Aug 2003
I wrote a novel once, and before I wrote it, I read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way which was a 12 step program for re-discovering your creativity. One of the things you had to do was write 3 morning pages as soon as you got up. It didn't matter if it was drivel, you just had to do it. Sometimes I just hated doing it, sometimes I got a lot out of it. But it started my day off so that before I had even written a word of my novel, I had fifteen minutes of writing under my belt. Why am i telling you this? Because, I think if you take the time to do a draw in the morning, or every other morning...whatever...3 cards, 1 card, it doesn't really matter, and maybe you only have time to look at the draw for 30 secs. or so and if you're like me, some times you'll get an 'aha' and sometimes you'll get a 'huh?'. Doesn't matter because I usually carry something into the day that helps me navigate my way through it, something I picked up from the cards. And sometimes during the day, something happens and I go...'aha'! Lawguy51

Elle	18 Aug 2003
I'll be returning to school in two weeks and I will be carrying a heavy course load, along with all the other stuff I'm involved in. I worry that Tarot will fall by the wayside as well. Maybe I'll leave the cards on the kitchen counter and look at them with my morning coffee. I always read best as soon as I woke up anyhow! You could try that. Warmest, Elle

Indigo_lady	18 Aug 2003
Thing is my brain has a mind of its own (HAaaaaaa) Never in my life have I been a morning person. Eversince I can remember I could physically wake up for school around 5am, shower, get dressed, leave and sit in my desk for ages, yet my brain would not wake up until around 10. As much as I've tried I haven't been able to change that, I think it was there before me. Even when it comes to remembering my dreams. Again I could have woken up at 5am but I would not get flashbacks of them until about 10 or 11 In the mornings if I try to draw cards I get literally angry and I feel that I repel them... Then, when I finally get back home I'm dead tired and I can't do it either... How do you guys cope with balancing stress and tarot ??? relaxation techniques, any other little tricks????? heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp Thanks ;)

Macavity	18 Aug 2003
I think, aside from obvious limitations of getting an education or earning a crust etc., I have learned to allow myself the option, just occasionally, to "run away" from major stressors (usually certain people!) Perhaps disgression sometimes IS the better part of valour. Works for me... ;) Macavity

Umbrae	18 Aug 2003
Back in my stress days… During the day – I would take a break and pull a card (at work). You can always go into the lavatory and close the door. Reading on company time is a great stress reliever. Then when I get home…go into the lavatory and shut the door (folks tend to leave you alone there). I’d sit on the floor and do two cards. And breathe… Breathing is the key to sloughing off stress. Watch yourself when you’re all stressed out…betcha you are only breathing from the top 1/3rd of your lungs. Try to breathe from the bottom 1/3rd.

truthsayer	18 Aug 2003
i don't wake up til around 10 either. the body is there but the brain just isn't perking. i think umbrae's suggestions are right on. you'd be surprized how much better you think and how much calmer you are when you take a few moments throughout the day just to take a deep breath, hold it for 10 or 15 seconds and let it go. what we call stress related anxiety is actually oxygen deprivation and water dehydration. breathe and stay hydrated. go for a walk around the block at lunch or when you get home. find something in nature to admire. what has this got to do with tarot? if you feel more relaxed and rested when you get home, you may feel more like drawing a card and writing about it a few seconds. i've tried the julia cameron method with one alteration. i don't do mornings so i do my morning pages at night before bedtime. bedtime is a time for reflection about my day. writing or drawing a card helps me unwind for bed.

jog1118	19 Aug 2003
i'm 26 yrs old, a purchaser for a local petroleum company from 8 am-5 pm, married, with a 1 yr 6 mos daughter. my wife and i wake up at around 6 am in order to catch a ride with our godfather. i normally arrive at the office at around 7:45 am...15 min to have breakfast. after work its another 1 to 1 and half hour back to the house. my daughter usually stays up until 11 to 11:30 pm. at this time, i'm too tired to even do a 3 card reading for myself (normally when my kid falls asleep, i fall asleep to :D ) what keeps me within the tarot practice is AT. in the office, during idle moments, i check AT and...have fun, learn, practice tarot (although you may say this method is virtual) here in the Philippines we have a saying: "kung gusto, may paraan; kung ayaw, may dahilan" meaning if you want something, find a way to have it; if you do'nt like something, there's always a reason not to pursue it :smoker:

catlin	19 Aug 2003
Just playing around with tarot cards or doing a ritual is very stress reducing for me (or sometimes going under a high way bridge or railway bridge and howling but make sure to do that when a train comes across it unless ppl will think you insane).

fairyhedgehog	19 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by jog1118 here in the Philippines we have a saying: "kung gusto, may paraan; kung ayaw, may dahilan" meaning if you want something, find a way to have it; if you do'nt like something, there's always a reason not to pursue it How very true! It would make a great sig.

Logiatrix	19 Aug 2003
Here's good decompression technique that helps me to become calm; I use it before I get chemotherapy infusions. Visualize your stress by giving it a vaporous form, like sickly gray smoke or putrid beige steam. Picture it as it fills you, causing the tension in your jaw and neck, the pain in your back, or the swelling in your feet--wherever you hold your stress. Be sure to name it as it takes form in your mind. Just outside of your skin is a beautiful light of peace and calm. Picture this most beautiful, glowing sanctuary wrapped around you. It envelopes you completely in blissful pink (or purple or gold, etc.) light, but cannot fill your body and soul until you breathe it in. Be sure to name it as you see it around your body. Now, visualize the complete image in your mind: the stressful muck inside of you, and the calm light outside of you. Time to focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath so that your abdomen rises, then falls (if only your chest moves, then you are using the wrong third of your lungs, as Umbrae suggested--send your breath lower). On your next breath in, say "In with calm" and see yourself taking in the light. On that breath out, say "Out with stress" and see yourself pushing the muck out. As you breathe in and fill yourself with the light, you will empty yourself of the stress; keep seeing it in your mind as you breathe. Aaaaahhh... :D You can "name" the bad stuff and the good stuff whatever you need to, according to the situation. It is a good on-the-spot de-stressor for unsavory people situations where conflict rears its ugly head ("Out with anger, In with love.") Once you picture the shift occur as you regulate your breathing, you can work your way to calm rather quickly. It becomes quite natural. Really! :) Peace, Tauni

Emily	19 Aug 2003
Hi Tauni, Just got to say thanks for posting this technique, I've just been sitting here trying it and I felt my stress levers drop, I've got my 6 year old son running round and screaming like a banshee and a pile of office work I should be doing, I had an headache when I came on here but after using your technique I do feel better, calmer, I think this is one I'll keep practising - thanks :)

purplelady	19 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Indigo_lady Here's one question How do you guys deal with stress in your daily life and tarot??? I've started working again not long ago. I don't bring any work home with me, but still the kind of work it is, is pretty stressful, and when I come back home I just want to have my mind blank and forget about everything. I used to do daily draws but right now I can't even see a card every 3 days... I feel like I can't concentrate on anything what-so-ever and I don't want to put it in a closet, especially since this job is not that important for me, it's just a way to make money to support myself How do you guys deal with that???? Thanks ahead ;) Indigo_lady, I know exactly how you feel. I actually use and read my tarot cards a lot less since I've been working at my current job. What you describe brings to my mind the picture of people I know who come home from work and "veg" in front of the t.v. all evening, perhaps because anything else would take too much physical energy and/or brain power! Personally, I much prefer coming home and sitting at my computer, and coming to these forums because I find it relaxing! (And hopefully it uses a few more brain cells than t.v. watching?!) BUT I Really Do Miss having the time and motivation, just that relaxing "right" time to sit down and read my cards. I have all these plans to but it's difficult finding that right time anymore. My family wants me to make their dinner, I'm tired, and I feel too frazzled and fuzzy. As for the daily draw, Maybe you can find a different time of day to do this? Awhile back, when I was working a different job with a few less hours, I drew one card a day from the "Cosmic Tribe" deck. And not in the morning. I usually drew my card between 8 and 10 in the evening, and then would spend close to an hour journalling about it! I really liked that! I know it is Supposed to be done in the morning, but it's my opinion that whatever time of day you prefer is right. So whether you are a morning person or a night owl, or even if you want to pull a card everynight at midnight I think that is great if it works for you! I'm sure some "expert " would disagree with me however. Or perhaps you need to set up some time on your day off for cards?

Astra	19 Aug 2003
Give it a couple more weeks. Even though you don't see the job as highly important, it is new to you - new people, new surroundings, new variations on your work, even if you already know the basics of it solidly. Once the "newness" wears off - once the brain has had time to incorporate all the information and file it as standard - then the odds are pretty good that you'll find yourself picking up the Tarot again without sweating to do it.

Ruby Red Slippers	19 Aug 2003
IndigoLady: Or you could just try "shuffing the cards" when you sit down in the evening. Even if you don't pull one, the "shuffling" all by itself can be a exercise in relaxation. No need to think....just shuffle, and put them down. When you are ready you'll "feel" the time to pull one. I have decks all over the house for this reason. Some people here even keep a deck in the glove compartment...I'll have to stash one there too! Good luck and go easy on yourself through this transition. :) Blessings, Ruby Red Slippers

Indigo_lady	20 Aug 2003
I can't thank all of you guys enough for your feedback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) purple lady, you described it just the way it feels... In my job I don't have that much free time or privacy for that matter (at least according to my standards) ... I tried just shuffling the cards a couple of days ago. Got on the net and started practicing spreads. That is the order the cards would go and just reading for the fun of it, for imaginary people, quickly and it relaxed me so much because it distracted me from everything happening around me... Thing is that it took me over an hour to get started, that is, relaxing, soothing down my mood, etc.. Then when I finally did and I had finished it was almost 3 am and next day I was dead tired at work Today I had the day off so I dedicated it entirely to myself. By the end of it I grabbed the cards and did a reading on an issue that wasn't directly related to me or anyone I know and I think it went pretty good In case you care to check it out ... http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16896 I'll give that technique a try this weekend Tauni... ;) I have been trying breathing excercises at work and it seems that it might have helped, at least a bit THANK YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

skytwig	20 Aug 2003
all excellent suggestions.... cool :) I just read a tiny book called, The Art of Doing Nothing by Veronique Vienne. you might want to peruse those pages... it is relaxing just to read it! Astra hit it right on the head, it is all so new... your mind is over stimulated right now.... The other thing that came to mind is meditation... breathing as you drive home, breathing out all the stress. I do breathwork in the car and it seems to be a good place to de-workize.... meditation always chamges how i feel. Also, maybe get a 'fun' deck, like the Inner Child cards, something that will lift your spirit, rather than lean toward the intellectual...

Logiatrix	20 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by skytwig Also, maybe get a 'fun' deck, like the Inner Child cards, something that will lift your spirit, rather than lean toward the intellectual... Very good idea...now I need a new deck }) ! Hmmm... :D

Logiatrix	20 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Emily Hi Tauni, Just got to say thanks for posting this technique... ...I think this is one I'll keep practising - thanks :) You're very welcome, Emily... I've read this technique--in various forms--in several different books. One particular book I have enjoyed and return to often, is "Wherever You Go, There You Are," by John Kabbat-Zinn. I especially like the "Mountain Meditation," a particularly simple visualization which I have adapted to use with tarot cards. As a matter of fact, many of the meditations in this book are adaptable to use with tarot cards. It's a wonderful, "no pressure" way to use your deck. :)

Umbrae	20 Aug 2003
One more thing...Drink more WATER!!!

WolfSpirit	22 Aug 2003
For me, the evening is more natural to relax and meditate. Even when I don't really have a lot I must do, there is always little things jumping in my head. So I do my daily reading often the night before. If you find it difficult to make the change from busy working day to relaxing evening, you might try a few easy exercises to relax your body. I also like to kick off my shoes and let my feet get in touch with the ground and get all attached to the ground. You could combine these with the breathing technique Tauni gave. Sometimes I don't use tarot very "useful", I just play with the cards but it relaxes more than watching t.v. all evening. I know it is difficult to fit everything in into our hectic lifestyles - but then again, shouldn't tarot be the thing to help us conquer this stress ?

Cerulean	24 Aug 2003
If you can park your car in a shady spot, reach under your seat and zip open a small bag--cosmetic, bookbag, whatever container--might even be a ziplock plastic bag that contains a deck that your hands and knees can handle, that's great. A small cloth to put over your lap and pull up on the corners in case any card falls might also work. Anyway, 'page' through the card deck or leaf through it. Looks like you are riffling through pages in a book or playing an impromptu card game...it takes about five or ten minutes to go through the deck. You can stop at one card. Sometimes during a lunchtime in a not busy parking lot works: sometimes a bench in the shade, sometimes you have to have a tarot book title, one with with lots of nice illustrations such as Rachel Pollack's Illustrated Guide or interesting information...Pictures from the Heart or a title like Tarot Reversals? I keep it under the seat in the bookbag. It may be only ten minutes in the middle of the day, before a walk or getting food...but it's that ten minutes that you reminded yourself of your inner interests...and it is somewhat settling, a little different and nurturing and a nice reminder...hope that helps. Mari H.

Elle	24 Aug 2003
I also read my cards in the car - often at the park near the lake- I have a deck and a few tarot books that I leave in there. I use one of the books as an impromptu table (great for three card spreads). I read morning, noon, and night (way too often)! Warmest, Elle

celeste	24 Aug 2003
I had an awful week at work last week-me and another employee even had to file complaint(s) against a doctor who works with us. And I have been so anxious about this(and the fallout from this)(I had to work with him again Friday night-and I threw up in the back room)that my boss gave me two days off(with pay)just to recover from the stress. I have been so tense about this situation that I have only been able to bring myself to draw one card a day(I don't think I could handle forseeing this thing blow up in my face-though I don't think it will-there were too many witnesses.). The card I drew yesterday was the 6 of Wands-Victory. So I'm clinging to that and hoping it pans out. Today was the Universe rx. I don't have to go back to work till Wednesday-so that helps too. I went for a walk along the river path behind my apartment building. I think being in nature helps stress. Generally, I am lucky that I live close to work and can get away from it for an hour a day at lunch. If I have time I'll draw one or two cards for the day. If these cards are favorable I get a boost-if not the worry only adds to my stress level. So tarot does not always relieve my stress-sometimes it adds to it. I also pray alot and try and tune into "the still, small voice within". So far its telling me that everything will be ok and that I will be protected from any ill will or retribution on his part or from the employees who like him(and put up with him). Crossing my fingers and toes too just in case :) *Generally speaking as well I think working with the tarot has opened me up and is continuing to do so in ways where my other senses pick up stuff others do not. This also contributes to stress (I feel alone in my community sometimes)and I would like to turn it off sometimes-even though its not constant-just sporadic. For example last night as I was doing the dishes I saw(out of the corner of my eye)a little girl in a tattered flowered dress watching me. When I turned to face her she vanished. This was not upsetting to me -I was just curious-she probably used to live here or something. But the point is these experiences come and go of thier own accord and reading the tarot seems to accelerate the amount of times these things happen. I've always been over sensitive- and anxious. I take clonazepam just to help me sleep. I hope everybody else has a good week :)

The Stress and Tarot - HOW TO DEAL ? thread was originally posted on 18 Aug 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.