Meet Your Tarot Mentor:
A Tarot Guided Meditation
By Geraldine Amaral
IN THE LAST two issues of Pathways, we looked at the images of the 78 Tarot cards as powerful tools for creative visualization. Creative visualization is a technique that assists you in energizing yourself to attract some experience, event or person. By mentally picturing what you seek, you draw it to you. The Tarot’s images are particularly useful for visualization since they portray universal life experiences. These ancient images are able to bypass the every-day mind and retrieve those pure archetypal experiences that they portray. As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
We also discussed various techniques for working with a particular Tarot image that depicts your goal or desire. These included activities such as carrying the card around with you, placing it in your daily organizer, or even placing under your pillow at night -- any strategic place in which the card will "impregnate" your unconscious mind. The final method for using the Tarot's imagery allows you to receive guidance in a quiet "guided" meditation. You may want to tape this meditation in your own voice and replay it back when you are ready to meditate. As with any meditation, choose a place where there are minimal distractions. You may want to darken a room and light a candle to symbolize that you are seeking to transform the energy that is locked up inside yourself. The purpose of this guided meditation is to attune yourself to the spiritual forces operating in your life and to help you let go of anything that blocks Spirit from speaking to you and through you.
Begin by selecting one of the Major Arcana cards, either at random or by consciously selecting a card with which you feel a special rapport. For example, if you are feeling confused about something, you might choose The Hermit card. The lantern that The Hermit holds can symbolically shed some light for you, showing you the path that you need to take at this time. The Hermit's light brings illumination, wisdom and guidance. Before beginning the meditation, you may want to spend a few minutes gazing at the figure on the Tarot card that you have selected. Take a few deep breaths, and then begin:
Begin this meditation by simply observing your the breath, the gentle flowing in and out of your breath. Now take several slow, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and gently exhaling through your mouth. Allow your breathing to help you feel more and more relaxed. Now visualize a beautiful warm, healing light gently shining down on you. It could be any color you choose. Feel and see this light at the top of your head, feel its gentle warmth. Allow it to slowly begin flowing through and around you, to your eyes, nose, mouth, chin. Notice that whatever part of you it touches becomes relaxed. Now it is moving down your neck, shoulders, upper arms, your entire upper body. Wherever the light travels, it removes tension and replaces it with peace and relaxation. This healing light also removes any fear or anxiety and replaces it with serenity, tranquillity. Now feel it moving down through the rest of your body. It is gently replacing negativity, fear, pain, depression, unhappiness, distress of any kind with love, peace and gentle kindness. This healing light is assisting you in letting go of anything that might be standing in the way of hearing the inner voice. As the light continues through the rest of your entire body, all those negatives, such as stress, worry, self-degradation, fear--all are being washed away by love, light, peace, security. You are now letting go of any self-doubt, any anger or guilt, any blame or shame that you may be feeling, replacing any such thoughts with thoughts of forgiveness and belief in yourself, the true self within.
Now visualize yourself in a quiet, restful place, such as a lush, peaceful and serene garden. As you stroll through this garden, in the warm sunlight, you encounter the same being on the Tarot card whom you selected at the beginning of the meditation. This being is your spiritual advisor, an evolved teacher, a true master whose soul is very old and wise and who can advise you on any and all aspects of your life. Take a few moments to connect with the being, allowing his or her unconditional love and acceptance to enfold you. Yes, this special being radiates great love and support for you.
Allow yourself to sit quietly with your Tarot mentor who now offers you a unique gift such as a special insight, or other powerful wisdom that is of great benefit to you at this time. Allow the gift to come forth in whatever form the teacher chooses -- it may be verbal such as an idea or advice about your life; it may be a picture, a gesture or even an object. Whatever it is, even if it doesn’t make sense at this moment, accept it with a grateful heart. Now quietly sit in the peaceful silence. Contemplate your gift for a few moments in this silence.
When you feel ready, you may bid farewell to your Tarot mentor and gently start walking back through the garden, back to where you started. Take a nice deep breath, rub your hands together and come back into your fully awakened state. As the meditation comes to a close, you will be fully awake and alert, but the feeling of peace and tranquillity will remain with you. You will remember the peaceful garden and the loving being who waits there for you and who is always available to you.
This meditation can be quite powerful. It is a good idea to record your impressions from this meditation in your journal. Remember, you can always go to that peaceful garden within and find your spiritual center of light and wisdom.