October 16th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink
Here are a few more cards I found on a recent TarotSpotting outing – the Ace of Disks, the Hierophant, and the Devil.
I’m not sure if they’ll end up being part of my Graffiti Tarot or not, but I like them all.
September 16th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink
#15 The Devil
Sunday, September 16, 2012
#15 – The Devil
Don’t be frightened by the Devil but certainly take him seriously. He’s no lightweight. He is earth – the deepest and darkest part of it and he plays hard.
He is physicality, materiality, reality. He’s in the world of the senses unhindered by the spirit or the mind. He is what we can see, hear, smell, touch and taste and when he’s around it’s hard to get enough.
Obsessive behaviour is highlighted today – what’s yours? You’re probably fixated on something – good or bad?
Sex, drugs and wild living might be obvious places to look, but could your obsession be something you don’t even notice because it’s an ‘acceptable’ addiction. Maybe too much study, work, an unrelenting compulsion to make money, an obsession with being ‘right’?
Once you’ve found your mania, take a look to see if it’s a problem or not. It’s up to you to decide when you’ve had or done enough. Sometimes you need to obsess for things to really happen. Or are you just making excuses?
Watch for a feeling of disjointedness within yourself. Does it feel like your spirit is in sync with your conscious behaviour or are you wrestling your ideals to fit with what you’re actually doing?
Love, live and laugh hard today but pay attention to whether or not you’re actually doing what you need to be doing. You’re the only one who can chain or unchain yourself to anything.
November 3rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
In the clips below, Professor Dean Radin talks about taboos, which at first glance might seem an unusual topic for a scientist to tackle.
But as one of the leading researchers into consciousness and psychic phenomena, he knows quite a bit about them.
Radin is the author of the book The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena.
He’s been studying such things as clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and telepathy from a strictly scientific perspective for years.
And he’s certainly not the only one, as evidenced by the literally thousands of experiments he reviews in his books.
What makes him different is that he’s not afraid to say out loud that he’s seriously interested in such a ‘woo woo’ topic. A topic he describes as ‘taboo’ within the scientific community.
It’s not because there’s a lack of interest. As he points out, studies have consistently shown that there’s plenty, in both the general population, and that of college professors.
Radin believes it comes down to the culture of science itself, where concepts of religion and spirituality are considered completely irrational, and if not useless, potentially harmful to the search for truth.
Radin thinks otherwise, having found in his own work that there’s plenty of worthwhile research to be done in the consciousness and psychic fields. Not to mention, it’s very very interesting.
#15 The Devil
For me, this discussion brought to mind the Devil card from the Tarot deck. It’s the card I most associate with taboos, and with the breaking of them.
The Devil is very physical, maybe not so rational, but very concerned with the material, with what’s in the ‘real’ world.
His biggest challenge is to connect with the spirit and to avoid becoming so obsessed with the sensations around him that he misses the subtler energies that are also there.
When we’re unable to look beyond the purely physical, we risk getting caught up in the Devil’s trap. He convinces us that what we see is all there is, and that it’s dangerous to check for ourselves to make sure he’s right.
It’s a shame if scientists, known for their intelligence and objectivity, tie themselves to this devil-like attitude. It builds taboos around what can and cannot be explored, and does nothing more than hold us all back.
I’ve posted the 1st, 3rd, and 4th clips from Radin’s talk. It was part of the ‘Conversations from the Edge’ 2006 series in San Francisco.
The first part defines what is a taboo, while the second two discuss the scientific taboos around psychic research.
October 14th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
For almost a month now, thousands of people have been involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Protests have been spreading rapidly, with many more rallies planned for tomorrow.
It’s an important story that seems to be growing, and I thought it would be a good topic for Tarot Views the News.
This is not meant to be a predictive reading, but rather a quick look at the energies surrounding the situation.
Using the Rider Waite Smith deck, the card I pulled was #15, the Devil.
A winged beast with horns and the feet of a bird sits on something solid looking. Chained to it are a man and a woman.
It’s the chains around the necks of the naked couple that drew my attention first.
In this context they might represent being chained to a desk, kept down by ‘the man’, or bound to the vicious circle of materialism with its spending highs and austerity lows.
People are feeling stripped bare and tied up. They’re calling for change to the financial structures, and freedom from oppression and economic bondage.
Looking at the picture though, it seems that the chains aren’t very tight. Have they maybe become comfortable, or is the couple just too afraid to try to make a run for it?
It’s also interesting to note that the couple have horns, and each has a tail. They’re not all that different from the beast, though they’re much smaller, and apparently dependent on his good will.
The card speaks of obsessions, intensity, and roadblocks. It focuses on the physical, and in its more challenging aspect, can represent materiality gone mad, greed, and addictive-like imbalance.
There are pit falls here for everyone involved.
For the protestors, the Devil might be reminding them to be careful not to get so caught up in the fight that they lose sight of the spirit in which they first began.
It’s important that everyone recognize the Devil in themselves, as well as the humanity in their adversaries.
With respect to law enforcement, the Devil could be pointing to the danger of heavy handedness or the imposition of unjust sanctions and/or arrests. Hopefully, they’ll avoid this trap.
And for those being protested against, Wall Street and the corporate decision makers, the card might be asking them to examine their own shadows.
Where might the Devil be managing more of their affairs than they intended or were even aware of?
July 10th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink
#15 The Devil
Sunday, July 10, 2011
#15 – The Devil
Don’t be frightened by the Devil but certainly take him seriously. He’s no lightweight. He is earth – the deepest and darkest part of it and he plays hard.
He is physicality, materiality, reality. He’s in the world of the senses unhindered by the spirit or the mind. He is what we can see, hear, smell, touch and taste and when he’s around it’s hard to get enough.
Obsessive behaviour is highlighted today – what’s yours? You’re probably fixated on something – good or bad?
Sex, drugs and wild living might be obvious places to look, but could your obsession be something you don’t even notice because it’s an ‘acceptable’ addiction. Maybe too much study, work, an unrelenting compulsion to make money, an obsession with being ‘right’?
Once you’ve found your mania, take a look to see if it’s a problem or not. It’s up to you to decide when you’ve had or done enough. Sometimes you need to obsess for things to really happen. Or are you just making excuses?
Watch for a feeling of disjointedness within yourself. Does it feel like your spirit is in sync with your conscious behaviour or are you wrestling your ideals to fit with what you’re actually doing?
Love, live and laugh hard today but pay attention to whether or not you’re actually doing what you need to be doing. You’re the only one who can chain or unchain yourself to anything.
November 6th, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink
#15 The Devil
Saturday, November 6, 2010
#15 – The Devil
Don’t be frightened by the Devil but certainly take him seriously. He’s no lightweight. He is earth – the deepest and darkest part of it and he plays hard. He is physicality, materiality, reality. He’s in the world of the senses unhindered by the spirit or the mind. He is what we can see, hear, smell, touch and taste and when he’s around it’s hard to get enough.
Obsessive behaviour is highlighted today – what’s yours? You’re probably fixated on something – good or bad? Sex, drugs and wild living might be obvious places to look, but could your obsession be something you don’t even notice because it’s an ‘acceptable’ addiction. Maybe too much study, work, an unrelenting compulsion to make money, an obsession with being ‘right’?
Once you’ve found your mania, take a look to see if it’s a problem or not. It’s up to you to decide when you’ve had or done enough. Sometimes you need to obsess for things to really happen. Or are you just making excuses? Watch for a feeling of disjointedness within yourself. Does it feel like your spirit is in sync with your conscious behaviour or are you wrestling your ideals to fit with what you’re actually doing?
Love, live and laugh hard today but pay attention to whether or not you’re actually doing what you need to be doing. You’re the only one who can chain or unchain yourself to anything.