The Hanged Man Tarot

Based on the Norse god Odin, this card is a card of inaction. The myth describes Odin hanging upside down in a tree for nine days in an effort to understand the meaning of the runes. Strange? Perhaps, however his stillness and inverted perspective accomplished his goal.

This card's energy counsels you to do the opposite of what you want Don't act in the world and do the apparently obvious solution, but wait, go inside and consider a completely different way. Great happiness can be at hand if you are willing to let go of something the small self feels is necessary.

The images found on this card are of the god Odin riding his horse, a woman, hanged upside down, bound by old ways of doing things, a baby, vulnerable; this is how it feels to be in the energy of this card, but also having great potential. The runes, representing the understanding being sought, and finally the hand letting go. The Norse cross, representing sacrifice in our Judeo-Christian infused minds.

A Course In Miracles Perspective.

The Course teaches us that the ego does not have your best interests at heart, and that although its voice is heard first and loudest, it must be over ruled. When learning to listen to Spirit's guidance what we often have to do is wait, be patient and at times do the exact opposite of what our egos want us to go. A truly difficult task that takes great faith and trust.

"I do not know what anything, including this means. And so I do not know how to respond to it. And I will not use my own past learning as the light to guide me now.

By this refusal to attempt to teach yourself what you do not know, the Guide Whom God has given you will speak to you. He will take His rightful place in your awareness the instant you abandon it, and offer it to Him."

Ch 14, Xl, 6, ACIM

Death tarot

The appearance of the Death card strikes fear into most people - it symbolizes the ultimate unknown and consequently terrifies people.

Our bodies and minds die all the time, shedding old beliefs and forming new, more intelligent paradigms. Billions of cells in our bodies die every day, your literally are not the same person you were a year ago! The body is not solid - it is not real!

The soul lives on, and the pain of Death is caused by resistance and fear. The Death card when picked in a reading can mean spiritual transformation, letting go, new beginnings and even progress. This can indeed feel forced upon you, but ultimately it works for the good of all concerned.

The images seen in this card are the spectre riding a dark horse, our old vision of Death, the creation of Adam, if we are created, are we abandoned at death? the clock; believe in time, you make death real. The snuffed out candle; when the light comes, snuffing out the candle is the logical thing to do. The butterfly and the chrysalis; nature shows us miraculous transformation all the time; why do we believe we are exempt?

A Course in Miracles Perspective.

The Course offers perhaps one of its most radical theories on the body and therefore death, that birth and death are but part of a dream and that the life that seems to be in the body is but mind ...and eternal. Read this a few times, and think about it.

Who punishes the body is insane. For here the little gap [separation] is seen, and yet it is not here. It has not judged itself, nor made itself to be what it is not. It does not seek to make of pain a joy and look for lasting pleasure in the dust. It does not tell you what its purpose is and cannot understand what it is for. It does not victimize, because it has no will, no preferences and no doubts. It does not wonder what it is. And so it has no need to be competitive. It can be victimized, but cannot feel itself as victim. It accepts no role, but does what it is told [by the mind), without attack.

It is ... a thing that cannot see... [and] cannot hear.... it has no feeling. It behaves in ways you [the decision maker in the mind] want, but never makes the choice. It is not born and does not die. It can but follow aimlessly the path on which it has been set (T-28.VI.1:1-2:5; italics ours).

The Empress tarot

The Empress represents the physical body and the material world, the pleasure of the senses and the abundance of life. The world of he Empress is beautiful and ideal - she is beautiful like the flowers, fertile like the soil. She can be seen as Mother Earth. She possesses the power of creation - the archetypal mother. She loves her creations. She practices unconditional love; loving everything equally.

If this card appears in a reading, open yourself up to unconditional love, become more gentle and affectionate, see all beings as your brothers and sisters.

A Course In Miracles perspective.

The Course teaches that you must first love someone, and then you can know them. Judgement of any kind will keep you separate from your brothers and sisters on this journey, and it is only through communion with each other that we find the Truth - Love.. like the Empress!

"Can you imagine how beautiful those you forgive will look to you? In no fantasy have you seen anything so lovely.Nothing you see here, sleeping or waking, comes near to such loveliness."

Ch17, ll, 1, ACIM

The Emperor tarot

This card represent the ultimate power of the mind to shape the world, especially through the spoken or written world. The ruler of the regulated world, the Emperor balances mind and body, male and female. He knows how to live in the world with a strong and powerful heart, he orders his world and those in it.He teaches that rules exist for a reason, and he will not be corrupted by power! He may well listen to the counsel of others, but the final decision is his.

Picking this card in a reading means that power of some kind is at play, and that the best outcome will be to use mind over raw emotion. Forge ahead and do what must be done - courageously.

In this image we see the strength of the tiger, fierce but not cruel, King Arthur, the legend of a benevolent king who brought together equality and justice through communication. The liquid heart, symbolizing emotions driven by love.

A Course In Miracles perspective.

We are all teachers; we all teach all the time by our words and deeds. No though is idle, every word is creative. This is where the need for discipline and learning arise. We must all be aware of what we are teaching because it is from what we teach, that we learn. It takes great strength to do this, the strength of the Emperor!

"Spirit need not be taught, but the ego must be. Learning is ultimately perceived as frightening because it leads to the relinquishment, not the destruction of of the ego to the light of Spirit."

Ch4, l, 3, ACIM

The Hierophant tarot

The Hierophant represents the archetype of the spiritual world, it is the card of beliefs, religious and otherwise. The Hierophant hides secret or hidden knowledge, but he insists that you follow his rules to access it. If you pick this card in a reading, it often refers to groups, convention or tradition - it carries the concept that the good of the group is more important than the good of the individual. Restrictive? Perhaps, but sometimes restriction and discipline lead to order, peace and knowledge, whilst individuality run wild can lead to anarchy.

On this card the images of Christ and Buddha represent spiritual teachings and traditions, the group of men, a secret society with hidden knowledge, the hands, prayer and the symbols of all religions, that knowledge is not restricted to one group.

A Course In Miracles perspective.

The Course teaches that it is indeed through the discipline of mind training that peace and true freedom come. It is the ego that insists on individual identity, but that it lacks an understanding of how the world works. What we do to others we feel, what we give is what we receive. The secret knowledge is that judgement separates us from one another, and it is in communion that our peace lies.

"The ego values only what it takes." Ch 25, ll, 9, ACIM

The Tower tarot

Sometimes Divine wisdom is blocked by our beliefs and thoughts. eventually however, the wisdom will make itself known in a flood of energy and apparent destruction, flattening everything in it's path. This is the energy of the Tower! When old energies are outdated and no longer serve you, they will have to be let go of - whether you want to or not. We cling on like a child with a security blanket, and scream just as vociferously when it is removed. Listen to the whispers of the Universal Mind before it starts to shout at you!

In this card we see images of fear, a rising phoenix, coming up from the ashes, a tug of war between the old and the new, the unlocking of secrets and of course , the towers falling, signalling the end of an era.

A Course In Miracles perspective.

The Course teaches that conflicting beliefs will be felt as discomfort and negative emotion, but that we must look at these feelings to discern where the conflict lies. Don't shy away from them, but see them as a gift, a red flag that pin points exactly where healing is needed. As we heal beliefs that are untrue, we will achieve more and more peace, waking up to the Truth.

"The memory of God comes to the quiet mind. It cannot come where there is conflict, for a mind at war against itself remembers not eternal gentleness." Ch 25, 1,1, ACIM

The Sun tarot

The Sun is always there after a long, dark and lonely night, promising light, warmth and growth. Neither a blinding flash, nor a subtle glow, the Sun is warm enough to give life, and brings us pleasure, just to sit in it. The spiritual traveller must find balance between extremes, creating a state of balance and calm. In a chaotic world the Sun predictable, reliable a still point of assurance.

In this image we see the sheer joy of warm and freedom found in the sun's rays, the woman riding. We see the timeless reverence for the sun's eternal presence, Stonehenge and the Indian god, The beauty and life created by the light it gives, the sunflowers.

A course In Miracles perspective,

The ego is insane and out of balance, fluctuating between littleness and grandiosity, self righteous attack and depression or disillusionment. Sanity is calm balance, never attacking, always forgiving.. if not immediately, eventually.

"Where could your peace arise but from forgiveness." Ch 24, 5, 3 ACIM