As Tarot readers, our responsibility is to guide clients to help themselves, not tell them what to do but expose them to new paradigms so they have a richer understanding of situations in which they seek clarity. To celebrate the spookier rituals of this magical time of fall, let’s take a deep dive into the more sepulchral meanings of Tarot and increase our understanding of the story the cards narrate.
Any card can be positive or negative, but there are certain cards that ignite a more ominous experience.
We fear what we don’t know and let’s be honest this is a motivating factor to request a Tarot Reading. Who doesn’t want the DL on any surprises coming our way? However, what we dread is closer than we think. There is a common enemy we all share that is so dark, so sinister most people deny its existence.
The most frightening characteristic of this monstrous energy is the ability to insert its ugliness into our world without detection and begin eroding us from the inside out. The most alarming fact about this creature, is we all have one lurking, it is referred to as our shadow side.
Like it or not, we each have demons, the part of our psyche that not only harms others but enjoys it. We can’t help but crack a smile when someone who has done us wrong finds out they received their karma in a bad way. We strive to be high vibe but sometimes it’s rewarding to go slumming now and then.
Some of us never want to wrestle with our devil, and we isolate it, refusing to acknowledge that it lives in the dark place between the conscience and unconscious. Plato described this concept as “forms”, Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, properly introduced our dark twin into modern psychology as our “shadow side”. One of the many archetypes identified by Jung.
If you compare the Major Arcana of Tarot to that of the Jung Archetypes, you can identify similarities between
the Fools Journey in Tarot and Jung’s archetypes, “exploration of self.”
Our shadow side develops during childhood when an aspect of our personality emerges as undesirable by those around us, typically our caregivers (not that I am passing blame or shaming parents).
For example, a male child who shows signs of being highly sensitive will be encouraged to “toughen up.” Similarly, a girl who displays assertiveness may be prompted to act more “ladylike.” As we progress into adulthood, we suppress these behaviors and conceal these emotions, but they follow us like a shadow, secretly influencing how we relate to others.
The bad boy of Tarot, the Devil card is the epitome of conflict, it is associated with addiction, toxic relations, and dysfunctional dependencies. Moving beyond the surface level translation, the Devil represents what our subconscious protects us from refusing to acknowledge the monsters within ourselves. This raises the question, is avoiding the dark side really shielding us or maintaining a holding pattern, so we don’t have to change? A requirement for change is to engage in honest conversation with our shadow.
Socrates once said to know thy self is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is knowing when to unleash the beast and when to let it be dormant but first, you must admit there is a beast.
Life is all about looking for answers because what we don’t know is far more important than what we do know. Answers are illuminated through conflict. Battling between what the conscious mind does not want to accept versus what the unconscious is trying to bring to light.
The struggle between light and dark or unconscious and conscious can be indicated by the Chariot Card represented by the black and white horse. Which direction do you choose? Do you feed your shadow negativity, or do you accept it? Understand its presence and work towards tempering your triggers?
We all have internal struggles, and we become unhinged at certain times until we allow the secrets to rise up from the unconscious and illuminate themselves in the light. When this happens, it feels as if the weight of the world has been lifted.
We are not Peace and Light 100% of the time. We have to accept our demons and learn how to dance with them.
One card that prompts you to examine the hidden messages in your soul is when Death knocks on your door. How will you receive the Grimm Reaper? You have a choice, either remain as you are and walk among the dead or pierce the veil, transform and awaken to a new perspective. Free-will allows us to choose how far we want to evolve.
The author William S. Burrows wrote, “When you stop learning you start dying.” It is our responsibility to learn about the monster that lives inside and decide if we let our shadow control us or we control our shadow.
Comments