The Tarot card of the day this morning was the Page of Swords. In The Contemplative Tarot, Brittany Muller associates this card with St Thérèse of Lisieux, aka Little Flower. Little Flower pioneered the ‘Little Way,’ a lifestyle of making little sacrifices of love. She firmly believed that you don’t have to achieve great miracles to become a saint. Clearly, she was right because she is one of the most popular Catholic Saints in modern times. The Basilica of Lisieux is the second most popular pilgrimage destination after Lourdes in France.
We tend to think that the little things do not matter so much. We do not really feel bad about the smaller sins. But it is those little habitual thoughts and habits that eventually form our lives. And before we know it, we have let selfishness taint much of what we do. If we can become aware of our thoughts and habits and offer them up to God as prayers and acts of love, we too can set ourselves on the path to sainthood. And no, you don’t have to be a Catholic to aspire to become a saint. All of us who follow the Way have this same calling.
The Little Flower Tarot Spread is intended as a tool for daily examen, to help us stay on track and become more aware of any habits that we need to offer up as sacrifices of love.
The Little Flower Tarot Spread
“Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.”
~ St Thérèse of Lisieux
Meditate for a moment on the quote above by the Little Flower and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you before laying the cards out.
- Something to give thanks for
- Something I am holding back from God
- How to offer it up with love
- Fresh flowers to scatter (ideas for more little sacrifices)
- Something I am likely to need grace for in the near future
Journal your reading so that you can keep track of your progress. This is especially important if you do not have a spiritual director and most of us don’t these days. I encourage you to complete the examen with prayer.
