Tarot and the New Consciousness
I bought my first tarot deck when I was in junior high, probably around 12 years old. I was naturally into the occult at the time as it was prevalent in pop culture, like in that awesome movie The Craft. I felt the power of the tarot from the beginning, and although I did not have any "philosophy" or "doctrine" or even a statement about why I believed in the tarot
or what I thought it could do for me- I knew my readings were accurate and helpful to me. I never seriously studied the cards, just pulled a few when I had the urge and looked up the meanings in a book. I would do this mostly for myself and rarely for a friend, until a couple of years ago when I once again decided I would LEARN MORE. I started studying online, doing daily draws, and seeking out the tarot community on the internet.
I figured that one day, when I was retired from being a librarian and was ready to offer my wisdom to the world, I would start a tarot reading business. I imagined I'd be around 82 years old, very wrinkly and white-haired and wise, and people would naturally listen to me. Plus, that would be like 70 years of learning the tarot, so I would kick ass at it by then. This seemed like a very sound retirement plan to me, and actually still does. But, now I already have my business up and running 50 years early. What happened? Well, let me tell you!
Some very real life circumstances happened that motivated me to take action on this business idea half a century before planned. I developed a relationship with an amazing girl who is a touring musician, out on the road making music for the people for weeks and months at a time. I felt stuck at home working in an office while she was out on the road living her dream. I'm an adamant traveler and wanted to be out on the road as well, having adventures and being together. But how to make money? There are not a lot of traveling librarian jobs (if you think of any LET ME KNOW), so I searched the internet for ways to make money on the road. The first search I ever did lead me to a site that suggested becoming an online tarot reader.
Well, wait just a minute! I had tarot reader aspirations already in my imagination, so why not pursue that dream right away? So, I spent the last year, creating and manifesting The Willow Path Tarot. Aptly, I was in an Empress birth card year, meaning it was an amazing time to create, labor, and give birth to something new in my life. I was fortunate to have a lot of down time at work when I just had to be physically present in the office, and could otherwise be off in la la tarot land on the internet at the same time. The gestation of ideas and the eventual launching of this website were incredibly powerful and meaningful experiences for me. Yay Empress energy!
So these life circumstances encouraged me to become a tarot reader much ahead of "schedule", but was it also something more in the Universe? It seems to me like everything is speeding up lately. I mean, imagine trying to always have the latest technology or read all the information that is available through these technologies. Things are happening so fast, and at least in my field of vision, this manifests as tons of new and amazing tarot readers out there. If I had the time, I could probably find a newly practicing tarot reader on the web every day. And the great thing about most of these readers is that they are conscious, spiritual, and insightful. Their readings are empowering, transformational, encouraging, and aware. It's not a bunch of people predicting when a tall dark stranger will pop into your life, it's real and moving readings that are on offer to anyone willing to search the web. Are people becoming more aware in general then? Is consciousness speeding up as well? Ahhhh, I hope so!
As I mentioned in my last post, I've been reading (or rather listening on tape as we drive) a lot of Eckhart Tolle these days. He seems pretty convinced that we are indeed heading to an increased human consciousness that is basically going to be fucking awesome. Image more people living intentionally, making conscious choices, not ruled by their thoughts or emotions but by their inner being. Is there an epic battle of good vs evil going on that has to be fought first? More and more enlighted people on one hand, and more and more violence and hatred on the other hand? Who am I to say?! But I do love to remain optimist and hopeful. One of the things that really fills me with light are all the tarot people coming out of the woodwork! I see us as a community of High Priestesses, taking on that tarot archetype.
The High Priestess represents the sacred feminine, something that has been repressed and obliterated from normal society. The High Priestess also stands at the veil that hangs before the unconscious. She is a guardian of the unconscious, but in the sense that she is ready to guide us into that unconscious and make us conscious. I see so many amazing female tarot readers (and, of course a small representation of consciously living men as well), ready to bring the scared feminine back into our society. This means bringing balance and equality into a lopsized and capsizing civilization. We help people peer behind the veil in order to acknowledge, accept, and work with the obsessive and destructive mental and emotional patterns of unconsciousness. The tarot pulls aside the veil behind The High Priestess, letting the light in, opening our eyes, allowing us to access our inner beings. I love being a part of that!