Tarot 101, Exercise 2.1

closerwalking

Take a pad of paper and pen and either look out of the nearest window or look around the room you are in. Let your eyes rest on something that stands out-don't change what your eyes have fallen on even it seems silly or inappropriate! Write down in the center of your piece of paper what the item/image is and now spend at least 3 minutes thinking and brainstorming about it.

What does it look like? what color is it? what shape?
Does it remind you of something else in your life?
Does it remind you of a person?
Does it remind you of a story you may have heard as a child?
Does it evoke a particular feeling?
Does it make you think of another item/image?

Now look at your brainstorm? Does anything in particular stand out? The things you have written down are what we call the "meaning" of the symbol. Even if you brainstormed your dog, you may have given him a "meaning of love, loyalty, or companionship-because of the way he interacts with you and the attention he gives you.

Obviously this means that your meaning for the dog and my meaning may be quite different. I may have chased by dogs as a child, and therefore associate them with fear and aggression. This is the nature of symbolism: it does not exist on its own, but only through the eyes of the observer and interpreter. Thus it is entirely subjective.

end of exercise

I thought this might be fun to play with as we go into the new year! and everyone is welcome whether they have the book or not. The book has a lot more info in it, but the exercises are the real gems.
 

closerwalking

right away, my eyes landed on poster in my room, a lush rainforest photo. It is mostly shades of green, with blue waterfall, stream.
What shape: rectangle like a window. or a tarot card.
Does it remind me of something else in my life? perhaps the lush way tarot is enriching my life.
and the waterfall, stream remind me of the beautiful flow of nourishing guidance that is possible to tap into through engaging with the cards. the multidimensional aspect of the cards, that beautiful moment when suddenly it becomes a fluid flow.

Does it remind me of a person? truthfully all of us, all of us are this wonderful lush forest and waterfall/stream of consciousness, mystery. multidimensional complex beings.

Does it remind me of a story I heard as a child? this one does not resonate with me so much.

Does it evoke a particular feeling? Love, joy, gratitude, awe.

Does it make me think of another item/image. I've already said this, tarot, people, all life.

Looking over this, does anything stand out for in particular? Everything I "see" has so much more depth and beauty when i take the time to really "see" it.
 

Snowhunter

I was hoping for something more interesting but my eyes fell upon a simple ceramic mug. It's a freebie my husband received at one of his conferences, so I suppose it's his mug but I'm the only one that actually uses it. It has "Sodexo" printed on the side, the lone adornment, a stark white against the deep blue. I dislike carrying it by its slender handle so I usually just cup it in my hands. I like the weight of it, and the way the gentle slope at the bottom fits snuggly against my palms. Lately though I've been using a different mug my husband got me, so old blue has been relegated to "keeper of old tea bags and dirty teaspoons". When my favored mug is unavailable, and my second choice is nowhere to be found, it's there for me like loose change under the couch cushion. I know it's there, I'm too lazy to get it when I don't need it, but when I do need it oh what a life saver! That reminds me, I need more tea.

Ode to old blue

In the back sits the bluest mug
A mug among many in the cupboards
The sink is full of dirty dishes
and my idle hands refuse them
But tea awaits in the pot
Lo! Old blue in the back remembered
The holy grail, vessel of ambrosia