My daily (Thoth) tarot card regimen

Hello!
I started out studying the cards in very random ways during my first months with the Thoth (actually my first encounter with tarot cards in general, before that I couldn't tell a tarot card from a birthday card if my life depended on it ). But since a couple of weeks back I felt it was time to get more organized, so I worked out a "daily tarot card routine" with which I study one card per day, combined with complementary meditation and dream recall excercises. I got the idea mainly from Liber theta, but I adjusted it to be only one day/card (I also skip days when I don't have the time or energy for it) as well as adding my own non-tarot complementary ingredients. (I didn't make them all up myself, I got ideas from various sources). The whole thing takes about an hour per day, half an hour in the evening and half an hour in the morning.

I wanted to share this method with you, perhaps some of it will be inspirational for you and maybe you also have some comments or advice on stuff that you have found out works really well that I can use to improve my method.

So here it is:
"Craxiette's Daily Tarot Regimen"

Evening:

Read and reflect on the description and correspondences of the daily card in Liber theta and/or the Book of Thoth, Snuffin, Duquette or any other preferred book/source.

-If I have extra time, I also go through the relevant posts here on AT

Morning:

Do a dream recall on awakening (still in bed).

-I try to focus on what feelings are present and from there, if possible I try to remember what the contents of my dreams were to give rise to those feelings.

Get out of bed, brush the skin of the whole body with a soft brush.

-I think this is an old hermetic practice actually (?) I use a brush I got really cheap at the pet store that is supposed to be used for brushing the face of a horse . I do this mainly to make myself wake up properly (I’m NOT a morning person). As I brush, I imagine brushing off any mental/emotinal “debris” that might have accumulated during the night, as if I am brushing away dirt from my aura, making it clean and vibrant.

Do five minutes simple gymnastics/yoga.

-Now this may sound somewhat ambitious, it’s not. I mean really simple, as in I roll my hips and arms around a few turns, kick my legs up in the air a few times and do some very simple stretches. The point is to get the blood flowing (again, I’m very drowsy in the mornings), not to perform perfect asanas.

Wash hands and face (or have a shower, if you are thus inclined).

-Again, with the intent of washing away any “impurities” and starting the day with a “clean slate”.

Get your journal, write down the date and the name of the card of the day. If you can still remember the contents of your dreams, start by writing them down.

-If I can’t remember my dreams, I just write down what “mood” I was in on awakening. This alone can be very useful. I am often amazed at how well the contents of my dreams correspond with the card in focus! The dream-recall ingredient in this routine is an excellent bonus. It is a wonderful tool with which to assess how the symbols and cards are received into the deep parts of the unconscious psyche. Reflecting on how the symbols are played out in the dreams is to me the best “tarot-reading” one can have. Also, it is an encouragement for further study, as it becomes more obvious that I am actually achieving results.

Take a few deep breaths to focus the mind, then visualize the “egg of light” with the colour associated with the card (as instructed in Liber theta).

Bring out the card and look at it for about 5 minutes, focusing on whatever symbol catches the curiosity of the mind.

-If something "profound" comes up, I take brief notes.

Do 5 minutes of deeper meditation (no notes) with eyes closed, focused on the card.

Q & A: Ask the card a relevant question and note down whatever (if any) answer comes to mind no matter how “silly” or “obvious” it may sound.

-I often just ask “what do you want to tell me? The point of this step is to practice listening to my intuition or “inner voice”.

Picture the tree of life drawn on the body and try to “feel” the energy of the card on the corresponding path or sephira. For instance The Priestess: Feel her energy going from the top of the head down to the heart.

Finish up with a few moments of stillness, perhaps taking additional notes.

Go on with your day as usual.

-This is one of the hardest steps for me, to actually let it go and think about daily issues and not get stuck in my own dream world, pondering about the card all day. I’m practicing learning to “trust” that my sub-conscious is still working with the card even if I’m consciously not thinking about it. That’s just the way I am, I’m an endless ponderer.

That's it! I would be happy to hear what you think about it (good OR bad).
Happy taroting folks!

Edit: What the bleep is wrong with the Vb-codes??
Edit X2: Thanks Grigori!

Hmm...?
77 people viewed this thread and nobody felt they had anything to add... :sad smiley playing a small violin:

Was this perhaps too off topic? It's hard to tell when I'm new at this forum. Maybe I should have made a separate post about working with dream journaling and the tarot and not bother with the rest?

Or...perhaps I should have just sticked with the classic newbie topics such as "I got the Thoth deck but I don't know if I should use it, is it evil since Crowley was a satanist?" or "Hi, what beginners books do you suggest?" ;-p

Pointers please!

If this works for you I think it's great. It seems very methodical and some people do best with a structure in place. I'm one of them, and if I don't follow mine my whole life falls apart. I think it's great that you are finding your own meanings for the cards and not just taking in book meanings. I have found for myself that I learn much better with a consistent routine of a little time every day than trying to cram it all in at once, and your system allows for that.

Welcome to AT! There is lots to explore and learn and contribute. Newbies make those kind of posts because they are excited. It can get old to read thread number 11,436 about a new deck but it's exciting for someone else to discover tarot. Good post!

Yes,
I am quite chaotic by nature and structure does wonders in my life -when I have the discipline to follow them. I have tried many things and I've come to realize that keeping it simple is what works best in the long run, otherwise I crash and burn, using up all my enthusiasm at once. It is better to start simple and build from there. If the structure is too rigid I become really frustrated and abandon my efforts altogether -hence the allowance to skip days whenever I feel I need to.

Thank you for your reply, Manda!

Nice to see someone actually "walking the walk."

I'm just about to "reboot" my daily tarot study/meditation routine after a number of years away from it. I intend to go all the way back and systematically work my way through the Major Arcana, in conjunction with selected reading from my library. When the majors are finished I will probably make a 1-card daily draw from the balance of the deck and use that random card as the basis for the day's working, until I've worked through all the cards. Eventually I want to get back into path-working but that will take a larger commitment of time.

I did have a technical question for you. When you visualize the Tree of Life drawn on your body, do you see it as if you're standing within the Tree looking out, with the positive pillar (Chokmah, Chesed, Netzach) on your left side and the negative pillar (Binah, Geburah, Hod) on your right, OR as if you're standing in front of it, looking in, and the drawing is seen like a transfer print of the image onto your body, with the positive pillar on your right side and negative on your left?.

I've always visualized standing inside the Tree and looking out, as described in the BOTA/Paul Foster Case writings. This places the Saturn/Mars/Mercury alignment down my right side, and the right arm is classically the "sword arm" (strong,aggressive, forceful), so the planetary attributions fit even if the pillar is considered "negative." I've always found this a curious dichotomy, but I forget now where I read the basis for it.

Hello Barleywine,
thanks for the compliment! And I'm really glad to get some feedback Let's see how long I will keep up the walk and if I ever learn how to run

To answer your question, I do it just the way you described: The pillar of mercy on the left and the pillar of severity on the right. I'm not sure it makes much difference as long as you keep the same system consistently (isn't the whole thing is supposed to spin around anyway, or am I just being confused by the 3D animations I've seen on YouTube??) I've read somewhere that women should do it the other way around and also if you are southpaw (which I am), the tree should be reversed also. To me, it just made more sense to view the tree of life as facing towards me, as with any diagram of the body. Also, it makes sense to me that Chokmah is at the left hemisphere of the brain and Binah at the right, as well as geburah being the right hand or "sword-hand". Maybe the dichotomy is connected to the switch of the left brain corresponding to the right arm and vice versa? This way is harder and more confusing at first, as the diagrams don't match the "body-map", but I figure it's good excersise for the brain (-kinda like juggling!) and hey, why not cram as much benefits as possible into my system? I havent read the "BOTA/Paul Foster Case writings" (what are they? I'll have to google it after I write this!) but I also find the easiest way is to imagine myself taking a walk around the diagram and "walking into it" from behind. I'm glad what made sense to me makes sense to someone else too!

How do (did) you do the pathworking? Maybe that's something I will want to try too? As you might have noticed my "regimen" has many physical elements to it, this might not suit everyone, but for me being a person who easily get's lost with her head up in the clouds, this emphasis is essential...

I'm still doing the majors (did the devil this morning) and I haven't decided how to proceed with the minors -should I do them in order, from wands to discs, by number or randomly, as you? Do you have any ideas on the benefits of different approaches?

Oh, and good luck with your reboot!

@Manda: If you can be bothered, I'd also love to hear some about what routine you have found works best for you!

Craxiette said:

Get out of bed, brush the skin of the whole body with a soft brush.

Click to expand...

That's interesting Craxiette, I do most of the same exercises though conceived of them as independent things rather than part of a larger routine, which is clearly a deficiency on my part! The skin brushing is also good from a health perspective, and best if you work from the extremities towards the centre. One idea is that it will stimulate skin, increase skin hydration in winter, reduce obstruction in summer and stimulate lymphatic drainage. I do this each morning, but will now do with the added intent of energetic cleansing

Grigori said:

That's interesting Craxiette, I do most of the same exercises though conceived of them as independent things rather than part of a larger routine, which is clearly a deficiency on my part! The skin brushing is also good from a health perspective, and best if you work from the extremities towards the centre. One idea is that it will stimulate skin, increase skin hydration in winter, reduce obstruction in summer and stimulate lymphatic drainage. I do this each morning, but will now do with the added intent of energetic cleansing

Click to expand...

Well, that's me, all into one big scatterpot cauldron...you should see what abomination hybrids tend to come out at times, lol!

Wow, I knew about the benefits for the skin, but not the lymphatic drainage, but of course that makes sense...I'm happy you got a bit of inspiration from my regimen!

Craxiette said:

How do (did) you do the pathworking? Maybe that's something I will want to try too?

Click to expand...

I've always viewed it as primarily the province of the "creative imagination" and a robust exercise in "creative visualization" using meditation on the Tarot Trumps as a jumping off place and the Tree of Life as the road to be walked. Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki wrote a nice useful book titled "The Shining Paths," which has its roots at least partially in Gareth Knight's "Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism," which I highly recommend. But a good many magic(k)al traditions and schools have their own guidance in this regard. Here is her "thumbnail" description"

"Pathworking is a fairly new term for what used to be called 'scrying in the spirit,' a term heavily dated and not all that accurate. It is a subjective experience that brings into play a unique talent belonging only to mankind. The ability to project the mind itself into a series of situations, landscapes and events, that can either be run on a mental screen and watched like a film, or, once the mind has been trained, experienced as a participant with full sensory perception."

To me, it's a logical (and highly intuitive) extension of deep meditation on the Atu, and it has the benefit of being wedded to the structure of the Tree, providing a well-blazed trail that brings in additional symbolism. The Paul Foster Case book, "The Book of Tokens" provides a series of tarot meditations and commentary that I can recommend without reservation as a companion on this journey.

Which brings me to your other question. The Builders of the Adytum (founded by Case) used to have a program of exercises that stepped you through all of the preliminary studies leading up to this work. I think it took approximately two years of regular installments sent in the mail to get everything Case put into it, but once it trailed off into Dr. Ann Davies' personal input I dropped out. Case has also written a fine book, "The Tarot, A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages" in the same tradition that is something of a precursor to Robert Wang's "Qabalistic Tarot." Both of these, along with Gareth Knight's work, stood me in good stead as background study material.

Thanks Barleywine, it does sound like pathworking in some form or another might be something for me, eventually! I think it might be wise though to have some more basic understandings first, knowing myself I think this kind of deeper work would otherwise soon overwhelm me! I can see why you wrote that it would take "a larger comittment of time". The tree of life by Regardie is right on the top of my "must read now list", I've skimmed through most of Dion Fortune's The mystical Qabalah, but intend to give it more focused attention when I have got the time. The qabalah never interested me before I got the tarot deck, but now it feels like a very essential foundation for tarot study and a very useful tool in general. Also, reading the Book of Thoth made me wanting to read more of Crowley...ah, so many books, so little time!

Edit: Oh yes, Robert Wang! Thanks for reminding me, I have to put this one on my reading list as well!