I follow neither of these three schools. I believe tradition has great value and I have paid my dues by studying Golden Dawn correspondences and Jungian Tarot archetypes… But it was when I started studying the Tarot de Marseille while simultaneously reconnecting with my Christian faith, that the Tarot finally started making sense as a complete system for holistic healing (which I always knew it could be). Now I was able to begin connecting the dots between the cards, my faith, and what they are actually trying to teach us about living in the world.
Studying the lives and writings of two phenomenal devout women, Hildegard von Bingen and Julian of Norwich also helped get me inside the minds of Medieval people, which is the key to understanding the ethos under which the Tarot was created. (My husband got me the Hildegard t-shirt I’m wearing in the picture above for Christmas, by the way :)) As Janina Ramirez, author of Julian of Norwich – A Very Brief History says:
The ideas of heaven, hell, purgatory and the Last Judgement were not something medieval people chose to believe in or not – there was no alternative.
The Christian model of the world ruled the day, and as much as some would like to claim that the Tarot is Pagan, essentially what it shows us it the redemption story, through to the Last Judgement and with the grand finale of the World card, where the Dancer is flanked by the four evangelists: Luke is the Bull, Mark the Lion, Matthew the Water Bearer and John the Eagle.
This said I would not deny there is more than one way to read the Tarot. I know some who successfully choose to ‘read like the Devil.’ I guess what we need to ask ourselves is what kind of usage ultimately benefits our soul the most. Do we look at the virtues found in the Major Arcana and try to make our lives better, more a reflection of divine light and love… or do we simply use the Tarot to satisfy the base desires of our ego. The latter is the kind of Tarot usage the Devil most assuredly applauds, whether you believe that the term devil is just a pseudonym for the ego or something rather more sinister.
To be quite blunt, my own usage of the Tarot has been crooked at times and sometimes even deplorable. New Year, New Tarot Journey for me (and in the Year of the Star) means that I will seek to align my Tarot Practice with my newly refound faith. ‘So what does this mean in practical terms for the blog, Lisa?’ I hear you asking. Well… here are some of the things I won’t be blogging about this year (unless explicitly directed by the Holy Spirit to do so):
- New Age-y type angel stuff (I find the New Age angel industry fuelled by greed and I’m ashamed I fell for some of it too in the past. New Age angel teachers seem more interested in stroking people’s egos than in inspiring faith in God. Because let’s face it the New Age ‘because you’re worth it’ marketing BS works! In New Age lala-land Angels obey our every command because they like to support our sense of entitlement.) Angels are the messengers of God. Remove God from the equation and what you have is a perversion.
- crystals (This one is even worse in terms of New Age ka-ching) Except, I might share some stuff Hildegard wrote about crystal healing.
- magick other than divine magick which is nifty ways of manifesting more of the Kingdom here on Earth.
- Tarot spreads or articles to help you ‘manifest your desires’ (anyone who has studied the smallest smidge of Buddhism knows that desire is the root cause of all evil)
- other inane shit that I sometimes posted because I knew it would generate page views.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Instead, I will seek to inspire you, dear readers to journey deep within, using the Tarot to bring back treasures of faith, hope and love. I call this new journey with the Sacred Mysteries ‘Tarot for the Way.’ My Tarot work is for the journey of life and for him who referred to himself as ‘The Way.’ Early followers of his teachings were simply known as ‘followers of the Way.’
This doesn’t mean I’ll be bashing people over the head with the Bible. While I have zero doubt about Christ being the Son of God or in the redemption offered through his sacrifice on the cross, I do doubt the veracity of chunks of the Bible. I have studied the canonisation of scripture and realised that it was a political process. Unfortunately, where there are politics, there are also lies.
I will share spiritual wisdom from the Bible though, as well as from other holy books because I believe God moves in mysterious ways and divine wisdom is not found exclusively in any one book.
Let me finish by sharing three quotes by great Christian teachers to illustrate how I feel about faith, hope and love:
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
― C.S. Lewis
This is why faith will always trump other ‘spiritual’ practices. True faith is the lens through which we see our world. Learning to read the Tarot or how to use crystals for healing
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
― Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Tarot doesn’t shy away from life’s adversity but if accept the truth behind the ethos under which it was created, we will always have hope. The Tarot teaches us that there is grace for the journey.
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.”
― Thomas Merton
The Tarot teaches us about this journey to love.
I hope you will enjoy following along on this new journey and no hard feelings if not.
Comments 12
Very much looking forward to hearing more of what you’ve gleaned about holistic healing through the cards! I’m interested in everything. There appears to be threads of “truth” running through most things that speak to me which I’m weaving together for my journey. If the angel cards are a entry point for some people then great but they make my toes curl
Happy new year!
Lynne
Author
Thanks, Lynne! I’ve written loads about using the Tarot holistically already and have gathered some of it in two eBooks which you can download for free here: http://lisafrideborg.com/tarot-ebooks/ Enjoy and many blessings for 2017!
Thanks Lisa for replying to my comment! I wish I had the ability to have visions as well, it would be easier, I think, to trust and have faith. Love the ethimology of the word “sin”! I will check the link, thanks for the tip. I’m Asti, btw, we had an email reading once, and I follow you on FB, one of the oldies who stayed
Author
Hi Asti, visions happen when they happen… they are a gift from God. I wouldn’t say to myself ‘I have this gift’ or ‘I don’t have this gift’ – stay open… and ask. Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. The Bible also says “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” All of nature is his sign. Love and Blessings, Lisa
I don’t have your kind of faith, but I admire your honesty and sincerity. I was brought up as Catholic, but later I was with an Indian guru, whom I love and respect, though his not alive anymore. I find it difficult to embrace wholeheartedly the Christian tradition since there’s too much focus on sin, guilt and sacrifice, and also because I do believe in reincarnation. But I love Christ as well, although much violence, greed, manipulation and money have been and still is done in his name. I totally agree with you regarding all the New Age money-making machine. I’ve been following you here and on FB for two years or so, and I have learned a lot from you, in many levels. I am really grateful to you! Have a wonderful 2017, Lisa!
Author
Thanks! I believe in reincarnation too. I couldn’t NOT since I have memories from some of my own. Many early Christians believe in reincarnation too. You may find some interesting facts about it here: http://www.near-death.com/reincarnation/history/early-christianity.html – It is easy to chime in with Gandhi who said ‘I like your Christ but I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike Christ.’ Many atrocities have indeed been acted out in the name of the one who came to bring peace to the world. As for sin, I don’t have a problem with the world. We still use the term ‘He without sin throw the first stone’ – and with good reason since none of us are ‘hitting the mark’ ALL the time. To sin (etymologically) means to ‘miss the mark.’ Because we keep missing the mark, God sent Christ to show us the Way… Christ literally *is* the Way and we who follow him are Followers of the Way. I don’t like the word Christian because of the bad connotations and according to most Christian denominations, I’m not one. Because I have an interest in the occult, for one, and also because I believe in incarnation. But that doesn’t deter me from following the Way. He is real to me. I have had visions. I walk with him and I’m safe with him. Blessed Be!
Lisa, I don’t agree with everything but I find your honesty and authenticity refreshing and beautiful. 🙂
I am sooo glad you are also fed up with the greed of the crystal/angel industry as well as the horrible “manifestation philosophy” that is becoming more and more accepted every day. I am disappointed seeing so many people in the spiritual community embracing greed in that way, sucking people into their 1000 dollar courses by promising them their dream life manifested. Sigh… :/
Blessings and happy new year!
Author
Thanks, Ania. I don’t need people to agree – I just need them to think and I’m glad you’re doing just that 🙂 Blessings in return and best wishes for the year ahead!
I will read and learn as always! I’ve learned a lot from you during the years and I know you often have answers or part of answers for me, synchronized so many times that I can’t count it. I will follow you <3
Author
Thanks Jess, lovely to have you onboard! 🙂 <3
In 2017, I so look forward to reading your blog. I enjoyed this article immensly and chuckled here and there. I can’t wait to read your other blog posts throughout the year.
Author
Thanks Maggie, knowing that even just one person wants to read makes it worth my while 🙂