Tackling the Tower

Where to even begin with this card, I feel like I should be writing this blog post from a basement lair with thunder clapping outside but alas today is a complete contrast with the sun shining and the birds singing. I suppose even on sunny days we can see The Tower looming in the background as a constant reminder that at any time everything we have worked for could fall to pieces- I know, I am a real ray of sunshine with that last statement. I don’t think I have ever done a reading for anyone ever where they looked happy to see this card; on the other hand, I also have people in my life who have come to expect the Tower as it loves to make an ongoing appearance in their lives- the Tarot does have a sense of humor after all. Personally, I have don’t connect with The Tower even though I connect with other darker cards in the deck, I can read the card, but I just don’t jive with it. I will do my best, because I love you dear readers, to explain this card.

As you can see above, we have two figures being forced out of their Tower by a bolt of lightning that is causing a fire. One figure looks to be falling on their head, forced out of the Tower, while the other person is clearly jumping out likely saying, “Aint nobody got time for this! FREEDOM!” or something of that nature. If you look closely, the person who refused to jump is going to land on some jagged rocks with no blessings (the little yellow orbs) while our jumper is going to land on a nice fluffy cloud and they are surrounded by blessings. The moral of this little story is that if you think you are in a situation you can’t get out of- you are never stuck, you can always find a way out. I know, easier said than done, but it can be done, it just takes a lot of work and some BIG lady or man balls to do so. I always try to tell my clients that if they find themselves in a situation where they feel like they are putting too much effort into a relationship, project, friendship etc. it might be time to jump out of that tower. If this card comes up, whatever it is that has been eating up all of your time and energy is going to come falling down anyways, so why stick it out and fall with the rubble? The blessing that I see in this card is that often once we learn the lesson of the Tower we do not need to revisit it and know for the future when to let things go or when to move on.

The Tower, has a way to ripping our blinders off and making us see the situation for what it truly is. Sometimes this card is a hard pill to swallow, it can come up at the worst of times, especially if you find yourself trying to see the positive in a truly negative situation. I did a reading once for a lady who had her own business. The business wasn’t doing too good and she was wondering if she should keep putting money into it or if it would be better to move on. When I turned this card over, I knew immediately her answer was to move on, it was difficult for me to deliver this message, but it is important none-the-less if you are reading the cards to be honest regarding their messages. After spending some time going over her options, she decided that it was indeed time to move on- opting to be our jumping friend instead of our person who waits for everything to crumble. I understand it can be brutal seeing this card, but I do believe in the end, it has your best interests in mind- or if nothing else, it might scare you into doing what is right or at least give you a heads up for what could come in it’s wake.

Keywords when thinking about The Tower are: endings, change, everything falling apart- eek, expecting the worst, get out while you can!

Getting to know The Tower

Get out your journal or a notebook and think about The Tower. What impressions do you get from this card? What do you think caused each of the figures in this card to either take action or not take any actions? What outcome do you see for these two people?

To better get to know yourself through this card, make a list of the projects, tasks or even people who are eating up all of your time and try to decide what or who you can cross off your list. Do you have a Tower that is going to crumble in your life? What can you do to start distancing yourself from your life’s Tower? How do you think your life would improve if you demolished your Tower before it could demolish you?

Wow… I feel like a Debbie Downer after that post! Jeeze! Remember, if you see this card in a reading it is likely a heads up or a lesson you have already learnt, nothing is static in our lives and our fates are always changing, sometimes it just takes a big ol’ strike of lightning to get our asses in gear!

Until next time dear readers, all my love!

Dealing with Devils

The Devil XV

Warning- this is going to be a long post, I can feel it now before the words have even been written, so grab a drink, a comfy place to sit and let’s talk, it’s been a while and we have some catching up to do.

To anyone out there in the vast web of the internet, who enjoyed reading my posts, my apologies to you dear reader for my disappearance. I have always been a believer in being honest and open about my life, so I am going to begin this post with a little explanation for my disappearance from this humble Tarot blog.

It’s really funny you know, back in the Spring when I made my last post, I had so many plans. Plans for this blog, plans for my career (both my day job as well as Tarot), and it all went straight to Hell- which just so happens to be the most perfect word for this post. I went through a harassment ordeal at an old work place, which just so happened to be a counseling service to help people cope with the same issues I was being harassed with there. Due to what happened, I completely lost control of my depression. I spent my summer months navigating the treacherous waters of my mental health. I left the job and decided to take the month of August off from both working full time and my beloved Tarot. I needed to unwind, unplug and re-energize. With the support of my husband, I went to see my doctor and finally found a medication that would help me with my depression. Please if you are reading this and suffer from mental health issues, please do not be afraid to reach out for help. It is nothing to be ashamed of and IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. It has been six months since I saw the doctor and enough time has passed between now and when I worked there, that I feel healed/mentally balanced and back to my usual Tarot loving Goddess-self (yes, I am tooting my own horn- Toot-Toot!)

There have been so many positive changes that have also took place during the time of my disappearance: I have reconnected with my witchy sister Jenn; Paul and I had an amazing vacation to Prince Edward Island and I now have a day job that I love. I had a very busy Fall and Winter filled with many Tarot adventures. I have been working hard growing the “Tarot with Tasha” Facebook group and it is awesome to get to connect with so many wonderful people on a daily basis. I have had the pleasure of meeting some truly wonderful people over the past few months since the last post and have had many chances to use the power of Tarot to help heal and transform the lives of others. I think that the Tarot has also had a BIG impact on my own personal well being too. Our lives are filled with so many highs and lows and I am happy to finally be on an upswing. Now that I have bored you with my personal life, let’s talk about the man of the hour, The Devil. Que Spooky Music

The Devil card is one of my favourite cards in the deck, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. This card can be both concerning and a breath of fresh air (sulfur air?) depending on the nature of the reading. Traditionally, this card can indicate temptations and addictions or a need for selfishness. On the Rider Waite Smith card, there are two people shown chained to the Devil, to me they represent being chained to your addictions. There is a fine line between indulgence and over-indulgence. This card can come up when someone is trying to recover from addiction and may be feeling a relapse. In a love reading our horned furry friend can indicate codependency issues. Another example with this card in a love reading is that it can indicate unfaithfulness and temptation. There are other times when The Devil shows up to offer a positive message as well. In the love reading where infidelity is a non issue he could be making an appearance to advise you to start spicing up your sex life. If your client is getting a health reading, Old Nick might be showing up to urge them to think about themselves by putting their needs first. We are often taught that if you only think about yourself it is selfish behavior, which in my opinion is bullshit- sometimes we NEED to put ourselves first and that’s the bottom line. The Devil might be urging you to make what YOU want for supper, or to go out and spend that last $10 on yourself instead of your kids etc. He wants you to be a little bad and have some fun. Of course, everything needs to be in moderation, when you find yourself taking advice from The Devil, it’s important to remember there is nothing wrong with having some fun, but you must be cautious with that fun! When you see this card in a reading, try to keep an open mind. There is nothing wrong with flirting with the darkness from time to time.

Devilish Activities

In order to get to know The Devil card a little better, I would recommend taking one day out of your busy week or month and just do something for yourself. Be a little bad- again moderation. If you enjoy wine, have a glass; if you have been craving a certain type of food that everyone else in your house doesn’t like- make it anyways! Put yourself first. Be your number one, even if for a couple of hours.

To understand more about the temptation aspect of the card think about what temptations or addictions you are currently dealing with. What are some temptations you would like to remove from your life? My list would include midnight snacks as well as a million other things. Once you have your list written down, make a promise to yourself on how you are going to try to stop allowing temptation into your life. Then light that list of tempting things on fire to symbolically give yourself a fresh slate. Plus fire is FUN and The Devil really can be a fun card if you keep that fabulous mind open.

As my favourite singer of all time Dax Riggs once said, “Have mercy on the Devil, he’s a friend of mine.”

Until we talk again many blessings to you dear reader!

Depression and Temperance

Temperance XIV



Next on our Tarot card learning adventure we are going to talk about, Temperance. I wanted to do something a little different this time and use the card as a platform to talk about a slightly more serious topic, depression. If I were to pick a card to represent depression, it would be Temperance. If you look up the definition of Temperance it talks about moderation and abstinence (it also talks about abstaining from food and alcohol, which isn't really my thing because I love both alas, moderation is key). With depression, sometimes you do everything you can to abstain from it. Some of us fight until we have no fight left. What would happen if we stopped fighting our demons? What if we found a way to find some form of sacred balance between our light and dark self? Stick with me, because I think we can use the Tarot as a tool to achieve this almost impossible task. 

A little bit about me and how I relate to this topic: I have had depression since I was a kid. I have struggled with trying to find balance within myself for many years and continue to struggle, but am getting much better at it. I like to think I am at a point now where most days are better than others, but I still feel depression's claws fogging up my mind on a fairly regular basis. Right before I get depressed, I find myself unable to make the simplest of decisions, like 'what to make for supper' or the question 'what do you want to do' almost always gives me hives at the thought. Then I start to feel cold both mentally and physically. I am not sure about you, but to me it literally feels like you're sitting at the beach having a fabulous time, you're getting some sun (or if you are me, hiding the the shade to protect your corpse like pallor), eating some delicious picnic snacks, checking out all the hot people at the beach, they're checking you out, its fabulous and BAM the fog is rolling in to ruin a perfect Summer's day. That's what my depression feels like. I am always curious how others can feel their depression coming on and how they cope. 

A couple of things help me cope: First and foremost my husband, friends and family. I am lucky because I have some wonderful people in my life that I can rely on when I need a pick me up, support or simply a hug. Most of us are blessed with having some pretty wonderful people in our lives. We shouldn't be afraid to talk to them about our problems. Another big thing for me, especially where I feel like getting slightly personal tonight is the Occult. It has always been a big part of my life. Studying Tarot, Magick, etc. is a wonderful distraction from reality, plus if you are serious and can find some virgins to throw in a volcano, the Occult will also give you magick powers!- I joke. Or do I? ;) Last but not least I have had some pretty great counselors along the way.  I am a bit of a pusher of the whole idea of talking to someone about your illness. Believe me, I know its really hard to put it out there, but if you get lucky with a good counselor or doctor, they might just give you some great coping advice. They probably wont cure you or make rainbows come out of your butthole, but they could give you a key to help live a better life. To me that is worth all the butthole rainbows in the world.

Possible butthole rainbow.

Now, what does all of this have to do with our most beloved, most fantastic and mystical Tarot? If you look at the Temperance card above, you will see an Angel (cool fact: this Angel is the child of Aphrodite and Hermes and is a hermaphrodite, again we have that balance between male and female) balancing between water and land. That's kind of what living with depression is like. We balance between what we feel inside and how we must conduct ourselves on the outside. The trick to balance is to not fight and pull between both sides. Find yourself somewhere in the middle. The Tarot is FULL of imagery to help you get yourself in that comfy middle . There are pillars, dual sided beasts, figures balancing between water and land, people hanging balanced from trees, you get the picture, its like gymnastics, if it had a flair for the mystical. If I really feel like I need a distraction, I will go through my deck and pull every card I can find that shows me balance. Then I meditate on them, write about them, telling their stories in my journals. Its surprising how a mood can change when you are constantly looking at images that foster a healthier mind. I believe anyone can use Tarot to help them cope with the different things life likes to throw our way. Here are a couple of ways you can use Tarot to help you with depression (it should never be in place of professional assistance):

• Journal prompts- need to get something out of your brain and on to paper? Pull a card and write about how it relates to how you are feeling.
• Need something to meditate on? Check out the High Priestess, The Star, Temperance, The Chariot or the Hierophant (just a few- see if you can find some more) to put the image of balance into your mind. Remember it is 100% okay to feel shitty. Own those dark feelings just like you do the good ones!
• Use it like a picture book. Go through the cards one at a time and use them as distraction.
• Play a Tarot version of Where's Waldo as a way to get your mind off a panic attack- I use this one a lot! Take each card and see if you can find little hidden symbols. The Tarot is ripe with all kinds of hidden imagery. I have been doing this for years and still find new things each time.  This is great because it helps get my anxiety at bay and I am learn something new about Tarot. Win, win baby and I am all about that! 
• Find a card that makes your heart feel happy and one that upsets you. Focus on the polarizing feelings and how each card makes you feel. Write about it in a journal or book of shadows about how your body reacts to the positive card and why it reacts to the negative image. Do you think you could figure out why you are reacting that way?
  
  

Where we have some exercises on how to use the Tarot to find balance, I thought I would do a little meditation on the Temperance card as our exercise for this specific card.

Temperance's Lesson: A Meditation

Get comfy. Relax. Breathe. All that good stuff. 

Picture yourself walking along a beautiful seaside path. The sun is shining and it's rays feel just right on your skin. The air smells salty and the wind is warm against your face. You can hear the waves crashing on the beach. You are walking along a trail weaving you around giant sand dunes. You can hear gulls in the distance but no people. You are alone but find company in the gulls. As you walk you are thinking of all the happy moments in life. Your family, loved ones, your pets. You are blissfully counting your blessings. You get a little extra pep in your step and are feeling excited and happy for the future. At this time you feel that nothing could go wrong in the world. 

Then as quickly as that thought crosses your mind, the air turns cold. Your friend and guide, the sun hides behind large dark storm clouds. Suddenly the sound of the sea goes from a calming rhythm to a menacing reminder that there are forces so much bigger than you. The gulls disappear and now you feel very alone. You continue along your path as fog rolls in off the now black water that you catch glimpses of between the dunes. The dunes are no longer gentle mounds of sand, now they are large mountains, impossible to climb. You begin to hurry. You want away from this place. 

In your hurry you reach a stream that cuts between the path. In the middle of the stream stands a beautiful, glowing angel. He is huge. His wings are bright red and feathered like a cardinal. He has a golden aura that shines brilliantly from around the crown of his head. One of his perfect feet is resting in the stream while the other is sitting comfortably on the land. Between his hands he is pouring water from one cup into another. He stops and looks at you. Never losing his footing or spilling the contents the chalices. He is surprised by your panic and need to get away from the stormy water. He does not speak but in your mind you hear him. He asks you why you are so keen to run away. Why you will not stay at the beach. It is still a Summer's day, is it not? He asks you. Through your mind's eye he shows you that without the dark days we would never appreciate the light. You must love your darkness. You must find comfort within it. Otherwise he says, you will never truly appreciate the brilliant glow of the light when you do not know what the darkest night feels like. The angel motions for you to join him in the water. You put one foot into the cool streaming water, he hands you two chalices of your own. You hold them high to the rainclouds. Urging them to fill your cups, so you too can balance between the light and the dark. 

When you are ready, bring yourself out of the meditation and back into real life. 

That ends our little adventure into Temperance. I feel that I have gotten more personal than I ever had planned too but I must admit, I feel much better. Take some time to get to know Temperance. I think you will like this card! Until our next adventure I bid us Northern Hem. folks happy Spring and you fine Southern Hem. folks a happy Fall! I celebrated Ostara this year by planting some pumpkin, corn and cucumber seeds. I planted these on March 21st and took this picture yesterday on the 27th. Look at those little buddies grow!