Ash Wednesday – A Tarot Spread for Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday and the start of the season of Lent. Lent is a time of spiritual renewal and a change of perspective from the outer to the inner. In English, we use the word poorly translated word repentance but a better word is the Greek word from which we get the word repentance, i.e. metanoia which simply means a change of mind and sounds a lot less ‘judgy’ and ‘churchy.’

In the Tarot, the card most resembling metanoia is The Hanged Man. When you hang upside down, you can’t help but receive a new perspective. Other themes for this card that fit well with Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent are sacrifice (giving something up for lent) and surrender (to more deeply align with our calling).

Christian Holy Days in a Pagan World

Oh, and by the way, you may have come across the Tammuz/Ishtar meme that’s usually doing the rounds this time of year, claiming that Christians simply usurped a Pagan tradition which is forbidden according to the Bible. Ignore the trolls! Look up the meaning of ‘logos spermatikus‘ as written about by Justin the Martyr and you will understand that it is inevitable that the Gospel stories will have been repeated many times and in many ways, even before the actual birth of Jesus Christ.

‘Lift a stone and I am there.’ 
– Jesus (Gospel of Thomas)

We get the same BS thrown at us at Christmas every year too (but then with reference to Mithra, aka the Pagan Christ), so you may want to hold on to this piece of information, not so much for throwing it in the face of taunting Pagans but for your own peace of mind. Live and let live… and as always, fact-check everything. ‘Keep only that which is good.’

A Tarot Spread for Lent

So here is the Tarot spread, I created for anyone on a Gnostic Christian or ChristoPagan Path to use…

1. Main spiritual lesson in focus for lent
2. Area of life most affected by this lesson
3. What new perspective I need (Metanoia)
4. Something that is dying from my life now (what to give up for Lent)
5. What will be resurrected at Easter