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OCTOBER 2008

Getting to the Root Cause

by Peggy Firth, Certified Tarot Master

Our clients often create panic situations or emotional issues in their lives which drives our business, yet how often do we persist in uncovering the root of the problem? A root cause may exist for years or even decades, buried deep in the subconscious until something happens to unleash it into their conscious mind.

Just as western medicine treats physical symptoms, it rarely treats the cause or provides a cure. For example, a patient may visit the physician for high blood pressure and receive a prescription to chemically lower blood pressure but the lack of exercise and poor diet which led to spiraling high blood pressure is often not addressed. Often the side effects from these prescription drugs cause even more problems.

The same situation may apply to the tarot reader who divines the answers to often troubling questions. As a spiritual counselor I was taught to try to determine the root cause our querents bring to the table based on the primal human needs. Often the root cause may be caused by false beliefs, low self esteem or lack of love.

As readers we often possess the qualities of self-actualization in order to accurately read the tarot. Maslow, a psychiatrist from the nineteen forties, wrote about self-actualizing people who perceive reality more effectively than others. They have an accurate perception of what exists rather than a distortion of perception by one's needs and possess an ability to be objective about their own strengths, possibilities and limitations. They judge experiences, people and things correctly and efficiently, and have an unusual ability to detect the spurious, the fake, and the dishonest. We are not afraid of the unknown and can tolerate doubt, uncertainty, and tentativeness accompanying the perception of the new and unfamiliar. These traits can assist querents more accurately.

When you determine your querent’s place in the “hierarchy of needs” you will be able to spot the underlying problem to guide your querent along the path to self-discovery. The cards can assist you in pin-pointing those areas which will strengthen and heal the situation. For example, if your querent believes that he or she is unworthy of a promotion, chances are that the underlying belief has to be changed no matter what the excuses and situations that exist in the work place. The cards will reveal steps that can be taken to raise the level of self esteem. Searching for steps to be taken rather than focusing on the outer symptoms begins the healing process.

Your querent will then begin the healing process which may take some time, like peeling an onion. Each step may also involve further healings and discoveries as the mind allows.

I find it amazing how the subconscious hides pain, both physical and mental, until it knows just how much to release.

Tarot Deck - CRITIQUE

Tarot of the New Vision

I was initially drawn to Tarot of the New Vision deck by the colorful and beautifully packaged deck depicting an altered perspective of the Fool as he strolls forth among all of the traditional elements of the Rider Waite deck. This international deck describes each card in four languages in a panel above each card surrounded with white margins. The back of each card is handsomely illustrated in blue and white featuring two pentacle aces framed in a very detailed art deco floral designs.

Over time I have built up my mental concepts of all the symbology represented within the Rider Waite cards and realized that I should choose decks based on the familiar. However, as I began to use this deck I was both pleased and horrified with so many familiar images turned completely around with the addition of more people, animals and objects placed into completely different landscapes. Due to the sheer number of symbols I would not recommend this deck for the beginning reader!

In my readings I have a tendency to notice details that pop up upon first inspection which seems to filter into my conscious mind for consideration. Since these details are altered, either in size or perspective, if not replaced with new imagery, I have acknowledge them and respond accordingly. As I struggle to keep my interpretations meaningful and somewhat similar, I enjoy the mental gyrations I have to make in response to these images. The new perspectives encourage me to perform altered readings based upon the original Rider Waite imagery. However, I had to review all of the meanings I had learned for particular animals, flora and landscape. This deck also forces the reader to mentally acknowledge altered sizes and numbers. 

The Major Arcana certainly attempts to offer more clues to each card’s meaning. The Chariot, introduces a man and woman chained to the back of the chariot as they make their way through a crowd of ruffians. These new Chariot images force me to completely change my reading, both upright and reversed. One writer mentioned that the entire deck may seem to provide all reversal meanings. In fact, some readers pair up the original Rider Waite cards with Tarot of the New Vision cards in order to elicit more meaning.

Other Major Arcana cards that blew my mind were the Magician with a monkey in the foreground, the Hierophant with a snake and lamb carved into the throne, the Hanged Man, with his hands tied to the cross before a jeering crowd, and Judgment with birds overhead and expressions of joy on the faces of those ascending.

The artist’s rendering of facial expressions also forced me to alter my interpretations as well as the heightened drama surrounding the main characters. In the Lower Arcana the Knave of Wands introduces a lady holding a torch dressed in black, the nine of Swords has a devilish creature hovering above a grieving woman, the five of Pentacles depicts a ragged peasant mother and child sitting within the building with the stained glass window, the eight of Swords introduce three large black birds hovering over a darker landscape, the five of Swords depicts the aftermath of a battle, complete with smoke and ominous dark roiling clouds, and the three of Swords appear under a much darker and foreboding sky, hovering over the world with all manner of people.

The booklet that comes with the deck is written in four languages which only leaves a dozen pages for the English interpretation. As an artist and student of symbology I would love to know what motivated the artists to render each card so dramatically. Could it be the Italian way of viewing life?

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Successful readings leave the querent empowered.