The World from The Goddess Tarot

My friend Tara, has been reading Tarot since she was a child.  She has been a professional reader for probably 15 years now that I know of and she is really amazingly good at reading cards, people and all types of energy. 

Reading psychic Tarot is Tara's day job.  If you want to see her locally you will get an appointment months out or maybe not at all.  She doesn't charge a lot (even though she could) because she wants to be affordable for the average person which is just incredibly nice in my opinion.

She has wonderful energy and I don't say that about a lot of people.  She is a creative person as well and does lots of different things - something I notice in a lot of high vibration type people.  She channels her own great vibe  into everything she does.

Her shop (GypsySky) on etsy is always worth visiting.  Great oils, candles, incense, and reading combinations!  

I consider myself lucky to be friends with Tara on so many levels.  She is the only person I know well (as in face to face) who has a strong interest in angels, or numbers, or sacred texts, or Kabbalah and it's wonderful to have somebody to talk to about these things and have a friend who makes you think.  I love that Tara pulls these kinds of references into her readings as well!  

Tara opened the reading by suggesting I make an effort to protect my ideas from negativity.  She was pretty emphatic about that. I have known her to be crazy accurate with warnings - big and small - but I put myself out to be harpooned the following day anyway by sharing a brand new idea with the wrong person!  Usually people are relatively nice to me  so this was out of the ordinary - luckily.  Tara was absolutely on target.

Tara also made a very specific reference to a family health issue.  She was aware of the health issue in general but not the cause or specifics.   In this reading she was able to pin point the causative factor which is always surprising.  She went on to answer questions about  my career, saying that I would have many projects (something echoed by Theresa, Dax and Sandy, please see vblog entry). She  also saw me doing a lot of networking and this has grown over the last several weeks.  Very accurate and detailed.

A possible business partnership, was predicted, in this reading (and in the one I got from Dax).  I work best alone usually (Sun in Leo,  Moon in Cancer, Scorpio Rising) so this has got me thinking.  Who could that possible be?  Will comment back when I know.

Tara went on to talk about the elements, angels, Kabbalah, and said that these topics would continue to be of ongoing interest to me and it is always good to be reminded of these things.   One of the strengths of Tara's readings for me, is that she is able to weave such a sense of magic into the information she gives and I never get tired of this!    

I was also given specific recommendations.  Some overlapped Sandy's and Theresa's, others relate to things I have put into effect just recently.  Tara talked about crystals, bath salts, meditation, light and color therapy, starlight, rest, and kundalini energy specifically.  While I have not done all of that - though I'm pretty sure I would be better off if I did - I am becoming increasingly interested in crystals. Color, which has always been highly symbolic for me, is becoming more of an environmental factor as I switch things up for Spring.  The kundalini reference relates, I think, to yoga which I have taken up again after an injury.

Tara was positive about the blog (best cards) and business (also really good cards) as well as very encouraging in regard to the manuscript - which I do so appreciate.  We ended up with the World card, more or less, and that's another correlation with a later reading.  It's a good correlation to make! 

I will probably not get another reading from Tara or anyone for some time to come.  Everyone has their own sense of timing in this regard and I tend to let things cycle wide, if that makes sense to anyone.  Spiritual material takes time to manifest in my experience and I pull my own cards and like to exercise my own intuition so this works out well for me.  Frequent readings aren't wrong but I don't think they are enormously effective for me personally.

Readers used to say, "after this happens [meaning the specifics of the reading] - come back" - an old-fashioned expression, when you think about it, of a really quite profound spiritual truth!

Update:  It is now possible to get a free reading from Tara during the course of her wonderful radio show Beyond the Veil on BlogTalkRadio Fridays at 11PM EST.

I'm currently reading Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's wonderful book The Thirteen Petalled Rose.  Steinsaltz is a Talmudic scholar with a real knack for rendering complex Kabbalistic concepts understandable.  Although I have really just begun this study, I recommend his work, among with that of others such as Daniel Matt, to anyone with an interest in Kabbalah.

The Thirteen Petalled Rose is a relatively short book of just under 200 pages.  It's content is divided into ten sections:  Worlds, Divine Manifestation, The Soul Man, Holiness, Torah, The Way of Choice, The Human Image, Repentance, The Search for Oneself, and Mitzvot (commandments).  It is the author's presentation of the so-called four worlds of Kabbalah or spiritual and non-spiritual worlds and the nature of the beings which inhabit them that I want to address in this post.

Traditional Kabbalistic sources describe four known spiritual realms called, from higher to lower, Atzilut (emanation), Beriah (creation), Yetzirah (formation) and Assiyah (action).  Steinsaltz expands on these traditional divisions quite clearly noting that there are many levels within each of the known spiritual realms as well as other lower realms not thought of as part of the four worlds as listed above. 

Steinsaltz begins with our world, the world of action, explaining that this observed world is a part of a vast array of worlds, most of which are spiritual.  He points out that these worlds do not exist somewhere else but in another dimension and describes a dynamic relationship between worlds with a very real exchange of influence occurring.  A point he makes quite clearly is that occurrences in our world impact on other worlds and can affect significant change in the spiritual realms.  This is an important point for anyone concerned with the state of our current reality in my opinion.

The terms higher and lower worlds are explained in terms of nearer and farther or degrees of transparency to the divine light.  According to Steinsaltz, as one descends through the worlds materiality becomes greater and with it a sense of independence is felt with an increasing intensity.  This blocks the divine light and obscures, per the author, the unchanging essence that lurks beneath the personality.

In the world of emanation (Atzilut or the uppermost world) Steinsaltz describes a condition of absolute clarity and transparency where no concealment is possible.  There are no separate selves in this world.  Unity with divinity is complete.  This is what Steinsaltz and others call the Godhead and is ultimately indescribable.  Time, space and the soul do not exist in this world in the same way that they exist in our world or subsequent worlds if they can exist at all in the face of the eternal.

The second world, Beriah or the world of creation, is called by the author, the world of pure mind, though I think in this case the use of the word mind can be misleading.  The mind is  here defined here as creator as well as that which registers and absorbs the knowledge.  It is also a world of feeling and emotion though not human emotion.  This is the abode of the higher angels or seraphs and the realm of Ezekiel's vision.  There is a separation of souls in this world but not in the sense of the lower worlds.  Time is an abstraction.  Space is not place (as it is in our world) and I wonder if this makes it possible for spiritual beings to appear in multiple places simultaneously.

The third world is called Yetzirah or the world of formation.  Time remains abstract in this world and there is a greater distinction between beings. This is the domain of angels and the author does a wonderful job of describing these divine beings saying that the fundamental quality of an angel is not spatial separation but an impulse or drive such as an inclination toward love or pity, what I would term a quality.  There are many divisions of these qualities as expressed by a multitude of angelic beings but each angel individually possesses only one quality implying a sort of single-mindedness, if you will, not found in humans. 

While existing as whole integral spiritual beings, says Saltzman, an angel is a total manifestation of a single emotion.  He explains the difference between men and angels, not as a physical difference but as a spiritual one - on the level of the soul.  An angel as defined by author and per my own experience is a pure, undivided being of light (though angels of darkness exist as well) while man is complex and diverse, possessing both a divine spark, the ability to distinguish between good and evil and the ability to both backslide and rise to great heights.

According to Steinsaltz, an angel may be revealed both to a person on the highest level (a seer, prophet or holy man) or to an ordinary person privileged to receive an isolated act of apprehension.  He also relates that an angel may appear in an ordinary form manifesting as normal phenomena subject to the laws of this world or operating in a sort of vacuum between the worlds. 

It is Steinsaltz's explanation of the fourth world, our world, Assiyah, the world of action that is perhaps most interesting.  The author contends that this world contains not only a physical world but a large number of spiritual worlds.  He describes domains of spirit that issue from wisdom and creativity (such as philosophy, mathematics or art) as well as domains with "a certain gnostic significance" and different value system having the potential for a positive or negative spirituality.  Space is defined here in terms of place and time is essentially movement which is not the case in the higher realms.

When discussing the worlds the author also discusses mitzvot (commandments of God) at length.  There are many mitzvot listed in the Hebrew bible bible in addition to the ten well known commandments, including not only acts of charity but sacred study and prayer. The act of performing a mitzvah, per Steinsaltz, extends beyond this world and influences the world above creating primary and significant transformation.  He here explains the peculiarly Kabbalaist concept of angels as a by-product of human actions which is something which is not quite understandable to me personally.

The author goes on to say that just as there is the potential for physical and spirit functioning which raises man and the world to higher levels there is also the potential for descent and he describes these lower realms not only as evil but as fundamentally inward and spiritual, saying that they can be revealed by way of vision.  These worlds are the realm of subversive angels.

I find Steinsaltz's understanding of divinity, angels, humans and the reality we inhabit fascinating.  I imagine a reality of not four but almost innumerable levels with good deeds and sacred actions radiating upward and outward, expanding and elevating, and ultimately touching  the divinity to which we are all connected.   I also feel that I have come away from this reading with a clearer understanding of the nature of spiritual beings and the very fundamental differences between angels and man. Additionally I found the text validating on a personal level as it is my deep-seated belief that there are many largely imperceptible dimensions beyond our own limited understanding of what is.  To a degree I believe that some of this may someday be confirmed in a scientific sense but we are not there yet in my opinion.

I hope I have done a fair summary here of this small part of Steinsaltz's book and would encourage anyone interested in this topic to read The Thirteen Petalled Rose (afiliate link) as well.  I hope to address other sections of the book at some point in the future.

UPDATE: I no longer study Kabbalah but I still like Rabbi Steinsaltz's book.

The Four of Cups has always been a special card to me.  It is also, in my readings, quite straightforward.  While many cards in Tarot have multiple meanings or layers of meaning, the Four of Cups is, in my interpretation, a pure and relatively simple card with a very consistent message.  That does not mean however that it does not have spiritual depth.  Indeed this card is to me quite deep.

I was reminded of this in last night's ongoing Tarot teleconference given by Paul Nagy of Tarot Hermeneutics.*  The course works from two texts - Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack and Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot.  During this class we utilized Pollack's book, focusing on the author's section on the minor arcana which includes information on history of Tarot, the elements and numerology.

For every class Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman, creator of the Sacred Rose Tarot, draws cards for that night's study using her wonderful layout, The Elemental Power Spread.*  Participants in the conference analyze this array and reflect on the relationship between the texts and the cards.  In last night's class some very interesting correlations between Pollack's numerology - specifically her section on Kabbalah - were made. 

I read for myself for insight mostly but I like to think that some things are knowable as well.  It follows, of course, that if some things are knowable, others are not.  Today's reading was about the things that are not.

I do very little in the way of ritual when I read.  I keep an old silk scarf with a crazy pattern, a small crocheted Tarot bag with a clear quartz crystal and a polished amethyst heart tucked inside, and the deck I use the most on my nightstand or inside of my book tote.

Most of the time I sit on  my bed read but I can read anywhere reasonably quiet.  The scarf creates the space.  When I want to re-energize it, I hang it out on the line and in a good wind.  The crystals hang out on the window sill for a few days each month around the new and full moons.  Sometimes I take them outside.  (For more about crystals please see tags in topic list, right.)

I'm not an occultist or even particularity witchy but I believe in energy and it's my perception that these little rituals make a difference.  As do decks.  My new favorite reading deck is a used deck - not new to me.  The RWS pink backed University Press deck.  I like the saturated colors and the backs and the energy of the deck.  I find it accurate, if edgy.

I drew a lot of different cards this morning - trying to chase down an answer that just isn't there right now.  I don't believe in predestination or even precognition per se but I do believe that there are currents and cycles and openings.  Right now in my life there are probably too many to sort out in a single reading.

The danger in reading for yourself is that the reader is emotionally invested in the result which can influence the reading on a couple of different levels.  It can be as simple as pulling too many cards which in my experience is more likely to create confusion then it is clarity or as complicated as denial. 

In my case right now as of today.  Clarity was not in the cards but I kept pulling them anyway.  Until I got the 2 of Swords.  My stop card.  So I did stop.  The future isn't decided and I can't see for sure where its going or even how much control I have over it.  I asked instead, what do I do need to do?

Queen of Wands.  The Hierophant.  Queen of Swords.  Page of Wands.  4 of Pentacles.  7 Pentacles.  4 of Cups / Ace of Cups (Ace was to clarify 4 - have been getting this Ace a lot lately).  Be strong.  Keep your foundation in faith.  Be smart.  Keep writing.  Hang on.  Work hard.  Don't miss any offer from spirit.  Sometimes I think that no matter how chaotic and uncertain our lives seem, it is still really that simple.

For some reason the 4 of cups made me think, just now, of scent.  Probably because tonight is candle night!  Also because there has been an association for me recently between spirit and scent.

About the Mystic Faery Tarot (Ace of Cup pictured above):

Last week was an okay week in a retail sense and I have earned a gift.  I picked the lovely Moore & Ravenscroft Mystic Faery Tarot deck (also the book and 09 calendar).   The deck is only available second-hand but the book and calendar can still be found on amazon.  The artwork is lovely and I could not resist the calendar.

The Mystic Faery Tarot will be my second fairy Tarot.  The other is the Fey which is a keeper for me, though not a deck I use for reading.  I do hope to read with the Mystic Faery however and am quite curious about the book.