MEDITATING ON THE MAJORS
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| Sacred Rose Tarot @Johanna Sherman |
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| Sacred Rose Tarot @Johanna Sherman |
When I researched the artist of this deck, Johanna Sherman I read how she was a meditator. This deck for her had been an awakening of her own psychic abilities and at the time I was using it for the same thing myself.and at the time I was using it for the same thing myself.(interview Aecletic Tarot in 2005 marking the 25th anniversary of the Sacred Rose Tarot)
Beautiful art work is a great aid to meditating.
Learning tarot means the reader has to spend many hours looking deeply into the cards and working with them to decipher the messages held within. Meditating into the card is a great way to learn and hear what is latent within them. The cards that lend themselves mostly to meditation are the Major Arcana. These are the wisdom cards of the deck; the cards that hold the concepts of life, in all its glory, be it celebratory and glorious or ugly and difficult.The cast of the Major Arcana has some wonderful characters which become like a family to the reader. To approach the major journey is a process that carries on throughout your whole working life with the tarot there is always more to know. Whether you begin at card 0 and work your way through all twenty two cards or whether you begin with the ones that are appearing in your readings at any given time is your choice. I always worked with them as they arose in readings as I felt that they were the cards that were trying to talk to me at that moment.
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| Daughters of the Moon @Ffiona Morgan |
MEDITATION ON WITCH
I imagined myself as a Medicine Woman. I was old and heavy. Dressed heavily in furs. I set my tools out in front of me. My stone, my pipe, my arrow, my bowl. I cast a circle of stones around me. I sang and sat for many hours. A bear came to me. The bear was my power animal. My name was Huni Bear.Extract from meditation 2/1/1990, Lyndall McQuinn
The Major Arcana is always divided up into various groups of cards for learning purposes. Many writers have differing ways of doing this offering a range of philosophies on who partners who and what levels or octaves of each other these characters create. This is fun to explore.
In the Druidcraft Tarot by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, the cards are laid out in three rows of seven.
The first row is from the Magician to the Chariot is about character building and developing awareness of the self and the feminine and the masculine.
The second row of seven is opening the powers of the subconscious exploring the Underworld and the integration between the conscious and subconscious. These cards involve the Strength to Temperance.
The third row of seven speaks about illumination and the journey to renewal. The cards in this path are the Devil to the World.
The Motherpeace Tarot Playbook sets them out in the same pattern. Notice the Fool floats freely.
Mary K Greer uses the Motherpeace to create a wonderful flower like spread with the Majors. p112 Tarot for Yourself. Notice the numerology of this layout. These exercises are opening us more to exploring the meanings within these Major cards. In a later book Tarot Constellations, Mary K Greer developed a whole way of reading tarot around the constellations of the major arcana.
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| Motherpeace Tarot p112 Tarot for Yourself Mary K Greer. |
In a fabulous workbook by Carol Bridges called the Medicine Woman Inner Guidebook the approach to the Majors is so complete.
Carol's approach to learning each card begins with the Affirmation
Followed by the card speaks, then Self Questioning, Exercise, Meditation and Visualisation to suggested reading, Astrological Sign, Foods, Music and Colours.
This is a thorough way to learn the Majors and one I followed for many years. I chose a card a week and worked through the process. Carol's path throughout the Mystery of the Majors was laid out as
1. Survival Basic corresponding to red level root chakra
Fool, Magician and High Priestess renamed as the Seed, Resources and Seeker
2. Kinship Bond- orange level, pelvic chakra
Empress, Emperor, Heirophant but in her deck they became Bounty, Command and Peacemaker
3. Personal power- yellow level, solar plexus
Lovers, Charoit , Strength renamed as Ecstasy, Warrior and Healing
4. Harmony - green level, heart chakra
Hermit, Wheel of Fortune and Justice renamed as Guide, Harvest and Balance
5. Creative - blue level throat chakra
Hanged Man, Death, Temperance renamed Vision, Sunset, Blend
6. Imagination -indigo level, third eye chakra
15. Devil, Tower, the Star renamed as Trickster, Pierced Shield and Grandfathers
7. Renewal - violet level, crown chakra
Moon, Sun, Judgement renamed as Grandmothers, Rebirth and Discernment
8. Bliss white level merges with eternal
World renamed as the dancer
This is a truely complete and wonderful earthly connected approach to learning the Major Arcana.
As you can see it can take many years.
I worked this approach using the Daughters of the Moon Deck.
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| Sacred Rose Tarot |
I and my High Self are one. I stand alone in perfect ease and confidence lighting the way for others who come behind me.
SELF QUESTIONING
Do I now seek the Spirit with my whole heart?
EXERCISES:
For one day, drink only juices; eat not food.
For one day, do not speak.
Be alone for 24 hours.
These may all be done on one day if you wish.
(Carol Bridges- The Medicine Woman Inner Guide Book p76, 77)
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| Sacred Rose Tarot @Johanna Sherman |
See Death as a person, coming to speak about you life purpose. Follow Death riding into the sunset until you get the message.
The Card Speaks:
Like the setting sun, I am Death to that which has been of this day; yet, I promise renewal. When there is no other way out, I come. I am kind. Only I can offer the opportunity to leave behind unsolvable problems. I am firm. There is no return to what has been. Through me you are called to the Creator. You are called to listen once more to the Great Plan and the part you must play in it. I am the end of life as you have known it. I am the beginning of what you have yet to imagine.
(Carol Bridges - The Medicine Woman Inner Guide Book p100/101)
I am using the 1987 edition.
OF INTEREST
View Carol Bridges Courses: http://www.earthnationlifeceremonies.com/live-like-a-goddess
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