Does Tarot always have to give a spiritual lesson/message?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Cascade	23 Apr 2005
Can't tarot just be used for daily life? There's a melon on the counter that I know isn't quite ripe yet. But I want it. so, as I'm slicing, I see my card of the day, the 7pents. This is my lesson? Mundane things count too?

Gwynne	23 Apr 2005
Yup, that might just be your lesson. Sometimes we overthink the Tarot, searching for the deeper meaning, at the expense of what's staring us right in the face!

MeeWah	23 Apr 2005
Of course! Daily life--the mundane part of the existance--counts in a larger way than may be immediately apparent. They are the building blocks towards the whole of the life. Contributes towards maintaining the daily endeavours, the interactions & the experiences on any & all levels. To discount them would be akin to denying the basic structure for the human survival & existance--food, shelter, rest, leisure, companionship.

Julien	23 Apr 2005
Gotta work for the mundane as well as the big, don't they? I mean, everyday doesn't necessarily bring some big lesson. But I think we want the Tarot to give us insights into the scary or trying moments, so we look for those moments even when the Tarot is just referring to -- oh, here's an example: yesterday Fairawan drew the three of wands in a general reading for my weekend. She suggested it meant I was waiting for something on Friday. In fact, I spent the whole day waiting for my students to show up (and only one did -- so annoying) so that I could go home and rest after a tough week. And, well, I spent most of my time staring dumbly out the window of my office at the lake with its sailboats (much like the guy on the card) because they missed their appointments and I was, actually, too tired after a very tough week to put my mind to other work. But there it was -- just that simple. Julien

Fairawen	23 Apr 2005
I myself have yet to see a mundane thing happen in accordance with that tarot, but I can easily see how tarot would teach lessons through the mundane as well. They're all important, and that tarot may be teaching righ there that even small things deserve it's attention. And yours. :) ~Fairawen~

Cascade	23 Apr 2005
I guess I'll accept Patience as my not-so-mundane melon lesson and try to work on that more. The RW 7pents does look like he's waiting for a place to put the last pentacle. One card draws have too many places to go! Thanks

Kiama	24 Apr 2005
Absolutely! The only reason some people think Tarot must always be really deep is because a lot of the time the people who use Tarot or have Tarot readings are spiritually minded, and ask quite deep questions. But I've done readings for some guy's car before (poor thing needed a good fixer-upper), I've pulled runes for soup (with Umbrae), asked about parties, done readings for my sister's schoolwork, and have often received the message 'go have a drink' (usually from the 3 or 9 of Cups) when I'm trying to look too deeply into a reading that obviously isn't that deep. Blessings, Kiama

Alta	24 Apr 2005
Fully agree. Most of life is not the big moments, it is a gradual building up of small moments. I try and remember that when I draw my dailies and get one of the important cards. But it is just another day, and the card refers to something that is part of my life, but not an earthquake. In total I think this adds depth to our readings because it helps us understand how things accrete. Waiting and staring out the window at the lake... was that a small peaceful moment, even though tired and somewhat bored?

tarotbear	25 Apr 2005
I sometimes think that people approach a Tarot deck because they have big, bad doings and have to have a life-or-death kind of 'sink or swim' answer. Tarot is only as complicated as you make it out to be. Tarot is not something to be used when you are so despirate that you can't think anymore. While the Titanic is sinking is not the time to pull out your deck and ask if you are going to survive! I use tarot every single day. I am not threatened by 'do or die' every day. Sometimes tarot tells me nothing of earth-shattering importance, not all daily occurrances need to be earth-shattering. Mundane things count, too. How was the melon, by the way?

Cascade	27 Apr 2005
And there lies the point of the question. The melon was neither fragrant nor fruity. It was solid as a rock and no juice or taste even. Had I waited 3 or 4 more days...

MeeWah	27 Apr 2005
Cascade: I took your card to indicate patience; wait a few days more. Is not Tarot in such instances so right on the coin :)

WalesWoman	27 Apr 2005
Tarot can definately give practical advice. The one I really remember is a freind having trouble with her plumbing and bad odors coming from the sinks, she did a reading and got the Sun. Which was also the label on her bottle of bleach... not sure if bleach down a drain is really a good thing to do, but it worked for her.

tarotbear	27 Apr 2005
Cascade wrote: And there lies the point of the question. The melon was neither fragrant nor fruity. It was solid as a rock and no juice or taste even. Had I waited 3 or 4 more days... As Meewah did, I, too, took the card as a reminder that waiting a few more days would have given the melon time to ripen more and made the long wait worth it. Next time, wrap the slices with proscuitto! YUM!

tmgrl2	27 Apr 2005
You gotta love it! Pents...material world... Sevens...changes but.....those that involve waiting and patience....LOL. I agree ...why couldn't it apply to the melon?? terri

The Does Tarot always have to give a spiritual lesson/message? thread was originally posted on 23 Apr 2005 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.