Tarot meditation

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Foxyangel	02 Apr 2005
I am finding this cropping up more and more in posts I am reading... can anyone give me some good ideas... or places to start... I am pants at meditation as I can't shut my brain off... :( Thanks foxyangel :)

Enchanted	02 Apr 2005
Me too! I'll definitely be following this thread for tips on how to find the 'off' switch! :) Even if just for a few moments peace :laugh: I've tried yoga, bath with relaxing oils and candles. Nadda! Zip! The only thing that worked once is cooking risotto (all that stirring, following the spoon round the pan) but I don't think that counts. :(

psychic sue	02 Apr 2005
I find it hard to switch off. I usually try and meditate on a card by placing it under my pillow and then trying to stretch my aura outwards with my heartbeat. Each beat makes the aura pulse outwards. This works for me. I find doing it when I am tired also helps, as I slip into "trance mode" more easily then. I have also meditated in the bath - lie back with just your face out of the water. Don't go too "deep" in your meditation though, as this could be dangerous. Wouldn't want you to fall asleep in the bath! Before I start any meditation I ask for protection from my guides, to keep out any unwelcome visitors ! Blessings Sue x

HudsonGray	02 Apr 2005
Well, you don't really want to shut your brain off, just funnel it into the background to let the subconscious come through. There are several different sorts of meditations--from the blank "Ohm!" chanting to guided meditations. Try this one: Pick a specific card. Look at it in detail till you have it memorized (color, image, placement, etc.). Read the meaning of the card from the LWB or books, both upright and reversal meanings. Then look at the card hard again. Now close your eyes, enter a relaxed state (don't lay down, do it sitting & plan on 20 minutes of quiet time). Visualize the card in front of you as large as the wall across from you. Now walk INTO the picture so you're inside the card. Look around, turn around, talk to the people & animals (and trees) in the card. Wander around. Do whatever strikes you, to get to know the image on the card as well as you can. When you're done, say goodbye to everyone & step out of the card, take several deep breaths to cleanse, and open your eyes. With the Robin Wood deck, I followed the trail that the Fool had walked down to get back to the village that he'd come from (after talking to him & the dog). It was eye opening. I learned why the others DIDN'T go with him and what the Fool had left behind. The Death card was great! And so was Strength when the WWII bombers came over (long story, it made sense in regards to the reversal meaning). You can learn an awful lot & while some of it will change your impression of the card meanings a bit, believe me when I say it's VERY useful!

psychic sue	03 Apr 2005
Hudson thanks for the tips. I suppose what I was saying is (and this is my personal experience) that I feel I have to go deep to get anything. I am now working on a lighter trance, and I am finding the crystal ball a good tool for meditation. I am at the stage now where I am seeing what I see in meditation, on the ball, whilst fully alert. Thanks again Sue x

Moonbow*	03 Apr 2005
Many people say they cannot meditate, but what you need to know is that it's not something a person can either do or not do. It's something that you work at each time you meditate in order to get better. So most likely, to start of you will find your mind will not settle... but practice. As far as meditation with Tarot goes, I always find that easy just before bed and quite often will dream about the card. Try a meditation sitting position, close your eyes, slow your breathing and relax muscles, surround yourself in a healing light. As you breathe in the light enters you and as you breathe out you can feel it leaving the body and surrounding you. Try to relax and still the mind, let go of any thoughts, sounds and emotions that arise don't let them cling. Open your eyes and study a card, focus on the scene and what it means to you, take in all the detail you can and then close your eyes and picture the card. Sometimes you can enter the scene and walk around noticing far more than if you were simply looking at the picture. If it's a 'person' card' you may find yourself having a conversation with The Empress or Temperance!

WolfSpirit	03 Apr 2005
Enchanted wrote: The only thing that worked once is cooking risotto (all that stirring, following the spoon round the pan) but I don't think that counts. :( I think that does count :) Meditation does not have to be about sitting very quiet, many people meditate while doing a repetitive movement like walking, or knitting or stirring in a pan. You are probably more at ease when you can move a bit rather than having to sit still all the time. I am like that too.

Moonbow*	03 Apr 2005
I agree withSpirit, I have a Japanese friend who is an artist. I asked her once how she meditates, she said her painting is her meditation as when she is doing that she is totally absorbed and lost in it. Others may meditate while jogging or gardening. In fact when I'm gardening I completely forget time and we are forever missing meals while I'm out there! :) time just disappears...

psychic sue	04 Apr 2005
I dabble in watercolour, and I quite understand the concept of meditation whilst painting. Sometimes I lose all sense of time, and can be painting for hours and then suddenly realise the whole day has gone by. I haven't painted for a while, and have an unfinished piece waiting for me. Thanks for the inspiration ! (Sue goes off to dig out her paintbrush). :)

rosyelf	04 Apr 2005
hello, everyone ! HudsonGray, thank you for your detailed suggestion about entering a card. I am going to try that. And Moonbow, I agree with you when you say -I'm paraphrasing- meditation isn't something you get right or wrong, it's just something you can practise at. This is my own experience of meditation. Sometimes I feel like I'm just sitting there like a right lemon. Sometimes my mind's all over the place. (My advice in that situation would be "Just go with the flow. Don't get tangled up in the thoughts, but don't condemn yourself either. It's just part of who you are.") Occasionally, I'm sitting there and I attain real tranquillity, or an insight comes to me, whatever. Of course that is good, but I try not to EXPECT it. I feel all forms of creative work are akin to meditation. You can lose yourself in them, totally focussed. You emerge a different person. Even if no-one else appreciates that poem, that collage, that puppet, whatever, the making of it has changed YOU. I have a Jewish friend ( secular in many ways) who says that her meditation is writing poems. When I first heard her say this, I realized that I am similar. Sometimes sitting in a chair, eyes shut, feels helpful; sometimes losing oneself in the construction and creation of a poem feels helpful. When I meet people who say "To meditate properly, you have to do such-and-such. . ." I switch off. love and blessings to all, rosyelf

graylensman	04 Apr 2005
Enchanted wrote: The only thing that worked once is cooking risotto (all that stirring, following the spoon round the pan) but I don't think that counts. :( I have a page from a "Zen-thought-a-day" calendar in my kitchen that reads: Zen spirituality doesn't mean thinking about God while peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is to just peel the potatoes. The point being, do what you are doing with your whole being - don't think about it, do it - and you are in essence meditating.

Fudugazi	04 Apr 2005
I used to find meditation almost impossible - my mind would just drift into daydream, or I'd start to feel itchy, or stiff. But then I read a Swiss author who described his methods of writing meditation and walking meditation. And best of all - writing meditation following a walk. I gave it a go and it worked wonderfully! My mind focusses, I let go of my hand and write. When I want to apply that to Tarot I pick one or two cards, and go, or else and work through a number, or a specific symbol or set of symbols. If I meditate while walking I draw a card before my walk and take it with me mentally in the mountain, the forest, the park, the beach, wherever I am walking. I let my mind focuss on it lightly, and bring to it all the I see, hear, smell, etc. on the walk.

The Tarot meditation thread was originally posted on 02 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.