Religion and Tarot

[boxxleman]

Originally Posted by greenbeans

boxxleman-there is really no right or wrong way to shuffle. Personally, I'm dead clumsy, so I shuffle slowly and for a long time, turning my question over in my mind. I stop when it 'feels right' (because somehow at some point, it does), cut the deck and take the top cards.

as for being a 'fool', aren't we all? Not just the literal fool (although I'm often that!) but the 'fool' of new beginnings, chances taken, innocence etc...

I tried the shuffle slow method! My readings are back to normal now! Thanks! Great Method. You can really feel out the cards.

[Silaria]

There really is no one right way to shuffle the cards. Here is a thread on shuffling the cards that may help.

As for the cards drawing a blank... I don't know how often you are using them or if you are asking different questions each time or variations on the same question. In my experience, when the cards are coming up unreadable either (1) the question you asked wasn't clear or too complex; (2) it is something you've asked over and over again in a short time frame and nothing has changed; or (3) it is simply something you aren't supposed to know at this point.

If you are loosing confidence in yourself, that will also play into the cards not "talking" to you. Sometimes you have to take a break and walk away from them for a little while.

[Alta]

To get back to the topic, for me tarot cards are tied up with a complete sense of spirituality. While a Christian, I find that I cannot divide myself into neat boxes but it all has to flow together.

[Sulis]

I'm not very religious at all but I do consider tarot to be an integral part of my own spiritual path.

My beliefs are nearer to those of Paganism than anything else but I don't really like to label myself or box myself into one particular belief system.

I use magic and tarot and I would say that my 'religion' is nature based.

[Nevada]

Originally Posted by boxxleman

I have been being called "a fool" (that card constantly comes up in readings now). I feel as if I am a fool.

The Fool has many positive qualities, such as fearlessness and a childlike sense of wonder and zest for life. In Zen they talk about Beginner's Mind, and that's just The Fool dressed up another way. There is nothing at all wrong with that. But the negative fool can step right off the cliff, or can be afraid to step at all (been there myself, many times). Perhaps the Fool is coming up a lot so that you'll study every aspect of the card and the archetype that you possibly can, for a while. I find when I do that with repeating cards, I get a lot from them, and then . . . they stop appearing quite so frequently.

Originally Posted by boxxleman

It also seems I have lost some kind of faith in the cards, and it feels I have to pray more in my alone time. Any advice?

Well, I don't think we should have faith in the cards. That's like having faith in the paper that scriptures are printed on, or in the key that opens a treasure chest -- when it's the wisdom or the treasure inside that we seek. As a Christian (as with any religion) one's faith is supposed to be in God, isn't it? But perhaps the real problem is faith in yourself, and if God can send you aid in the form of readings, then perhaps it's your ablity to interpret the readings that you're having trouble with, and that certainly explains your fear of being the Fool.

My suggestion is to let yourself be The Fool, for a while. Just RELAX about it! We're all fools to some degree, being imperfect humans. We are also all perfect humans on another level that we're mostly unaware of, here in earthly existence. But we are here in earthly existence right now, so what's so bad about being a fool? Do you honestly know anyone who isn't? Behind all their posturing and pretension? (We all put on a good show as much as we can for others.)

In creative work, I find that the best way to approach any delusions of a need for perfection is to just let it rip -- allow myself to make mistakes, to write the worst, or paint the worst thing I possibly can. That loosens up and shakes out all my projections and expectations, and lets my true self (my inner Child or Fool) come out to play. Treat the Tarot like a game for a while, and have fun with it! Don't take it so seriously.

Originally Posted by boxxleman

One last question. How does one go about "shuffling" the cards?

Here too I would play a little. Rearrange and sort your cards in different orders. By numbers, by suits, by colors, by feelings or first impressions. The physical act of shuffling for me depends on the cards. You might want to practice shuffling with a deck of playing cards so you don't feel too serious about how to do it. Shuffle, shuffle, and shuffle. Try new ways you come up with on your own, and don't be afraid of being awkward at first. Every new skill we learn feels strange and awkward at first.

If you have a deck that is fragile or inflexible, you'll have to come up with a different way of shuffling it. For my Motherpeace, which just won't shuffle evenly in the usual riffle fashion, I start pulling cards off into first two piles, then three, and if two or more cards come off at a time now and then I don't worry about it. That's part of the randomness of the process.

I wish you well with regaining faith in yourself and your play/work with the cards.

Nevada

[Honda Civic]

I like your thoughts about the play/work, Nevada, and the flexibility of the Fool, and that we don't put faith in the cards, but rather God and ourselves.

I'd like to add, Boxxleman, that faith is sort of a walking in darkness, at least to me, anyways. You're always somewhere between God's world and your own-- floating between the mystery and the concrete. Don't panic

[splitdog]

i do not put so much importance on believing in something, as it is so easy for humans to make themselves or be made to believe. i have been attracted to lots of different belief systems in the past and eventually become equally repelled by them. although i dont believe in god or gods this doesnt mean they dont exists, it just means i havent been convinced yet. if there is a god worth believing in its the god who doesnt mind that you dont believe in him.

having said that however, ive seen how amazingly powerful the human mind is and i believe strongly in the human power to do anything. this is why i use tarot. the subconscious holds the understanding to many things but it can be a difficult thing access and tarot is an excellent tool for doing just that.

[satine]

Originally Posted by Nevada

The Fool has many positive qualities, such as fearlessness and a childlike sense of wonder and zest for life. In Zen they talk about Beginner's Mind, and that's just The Fool dressed up another way. There is nothing at all wrong with that. But the negative fool can step right off the cliff, or can be afraid to step at all (been there myself, many times). Perhaps the Fool is coming up a lot so that you'll study every aspect of the card and the archetype that you possibly can, for a while. I find when I do that with repeating cards, I get a lot from them, and then . . . they stop appearing quite so frequently.

I agree with Nevada, but I would also add that it may not be until much later that you figure out what the Fool (or whatever card keeps coming up for you at a given time) was really saying. You'll look back, and then all of a sudden it will occur to you why the Fool was significant to you at this time.

[satine]

Originally Posted by Marion

To get back to the topic, for me tarot cards are tied up with a complete sense of spirituality. While a Christian, I find that I cannot divide myself into neat boxes but it all has to flow together.

This is how I look at it as well. In fact, finding tarot for me was like finding a missing piece of a much-larger puzzle, and I definitely don't view is as completely separate to my overall spirituality. My ultimate goal would be to somehow gain the kind of insight I get from tarot without using the cards at all.

[Briar Rose]

I think I read somewhere that divination of any type was against God's principles because you are suppose to use your mind (by itself) and not rely on any oracle's.

I have a hard time buying into good & evil, heaven & hell, because if everything was made by God then evil would stem from God.

I don't feel Tarot cards are in any way evil, and I don't think they are bad either.

I was bought up Catholic but my parents never influenced any beliefs on me. Although I did go to church as a kid, and we wore hats, gloves...and it was cute. I got thrown out of Catechism for throwing spitballs at the nun. I never made my Confirmation.

You might find the writings of Peter Abelard (12th century philosopher,and theologian and monk) very interesting. He always went against the grain of the Catholic church, and they declaired him a hieratic and burned some of his books.