First of all, when you are lowkey depressed or in a funk, you need to acknowledge and accept it. It’s actually a valuable sign from your subconscious mind that you have been pushing too hard for too long. Underneath that willpower to get ahead, there is an unresolved issue or some kind of developmental arrest that you need to revisit. The latter especially applies to trauma survivors who like to cover up their unhealed pain by overworking. Once you have this initial step out of the way, you can start applying the Tarot process. This process is one that I have found to be the quickest way to get myself out of a funk. Let me know if it worked for you too!
Step 1 – Tune into Your Subconscious Mind with the Tarot
The reason that you are in a funk, is usually not immediately apparent and this is where the Tarot excels. The Tarot can act as a mind between your subconscious mind and your conscious awareness. This works thanks to the symbolic imagery in the Tarot. Symbolism is how our subconscious mind communicates.
Begin by setting the intent to uncover the root cause of your funk. Next, allow yourself to release any tension using three deep breaths, letting go of the tension on the exhale. Then just shuffle, cut, and pick one card face down.
Step 2 – Use Your Tarot Card as a Journaling Prompt
Next, spend about a minute looking at the card image. Then write down your thoughts and impressions. Do not overthink this step and don’t push to make it meaningful. Allow your feeling-self to guide you. Allow the emotional responses that surface thanks to the Tarot imagery to guide your pen. Take as long as you need to vent. Allow the writing to NOT make sense… until it does. The process of allowing it to not make sense is part of untying the knot you have tied yourself into. It loosens the knot until you can grip the end that unravels the frozen/unmotivated inner state.
Look at this process as howling on paper, if you will. Your wild self needs to teach you right from wrong because your funk is the result of your rational self pushing too hard. In the process, you have been bulldozing over your feelings and inner guidance.
Step 3 – Move
Finally, once you are done journaling, choose an area where your motivation has been lacking lately. It can be anything from exercise to creative pursuits to household chores to booking yourself in for a hairdresser’s appointment. It really doesn’t matter which area you pick because this step is just about building momentum again.
Whatever it is you picked, you need to realise that you can choose to do this or not to do it. You are not obliged to do anything. You are a free human being. But since you picked it, you might as well choose to do it in conscious awareness right? State out loud: I choose to ___________ for the next two minutes.
Then do the thing for two minutes only. Ask Siri to set a timer. Chances are you may wish to continue after the original inertia has been conquered… and that’s fine. But it’s equally fine if you do not wish to continue. Just keep practicing the awareness that you have the freedom to choose everything that you do.
Love,
Lisa Frideborg
The card in the image at the top of the post is from the Frideborg Tarot (OOP).