By Allan Ritchie
Tarot cards are used for many different purposes. Tarot has the ability to bring clarity to our questions. It helps to survey an area of life we want to explore. People turn to Tarot for a simple reason. Life on this planet is hard. Trials and struggles are part of our existence. While the Tarot can be used to explore the hidden for answers but often what we need more are coping strategies. A Tarot deck that is a stranger to the novice becomes a steadfast companion to an adept reader. Then in dark moments when we need solace a quiet practice Tarot can bring a sense of peace and relief.
One for the first personal practices I learned when I got serious with Tarot was when I picked up the now out of print U.S. Games Tarot Affirmations by Sue Hill. It helped me see how I didn’t have to have questions to use the Tarot for healing and support. A practice of positive affirmations strengthens our inner fortitude. Positive affirmations are statements of worth that are used to reinforce a truth about oneself and embolden our resolve to move forward. Affirmations are most often spoken in the first-person active voice. “I am brave.” “I will endure.” “I am special, unique, and valuable.” “I will be kind.” First-person affirmations are the most popular but we are not limited to those. Affirmations are normally in the present tense but there are in future tense as well. All types of affirmations have value and they work differently so this is something to explore. You want to find the affirmations that empower you.
The Tarot is a wonderful tool to establish a focus for positive affirmations. You may choose to use the esoteric meaning of a card or the imagery to create an affirmation. Either way works in this exercise. Each of the seventy-eight Tarot cards gives us an affirmation. For practice, pull out your favorite card and just spend a moment looking at it. Then after a moment of reflection write out an affirmation that you get from the card. This year I am focusing on the Hermit card. There are several affirmations that I take from this card. “I am a source of light and truth.” “I pursue what is true.” “Truth wants to be found.” “Wisdom calls out to me.” “I am responsible for my soul.”
While there is something to be said for pulling a card randomly for an affirmation, I do not do this. I put my intention in the choice. When I need an affirmation I want to pick it out. In my practice, I am a bit ego-centric. I have full faith that when I pull a card from a deck it will give me a message. I can say the same as speaking with my mother. Sometimes I am open to supportive criticism but there are times when self-care has to come first for myself and from my inner spirit’s need. Melissa Cynova, in her wonderful book Kitchen Table Tarot, speaks of how Tarot will give you homework. Affirmations may not be the time for homework. It is a time when I dig deep in myself for strength and repair.
Taking affirmations taken to the next level working with an intentional collection of cards and working with them daily or for a week can help to find a sense of calm in a day or a week that is stressful or challenging. Being intentional to this selection of cards give you a chance to work with a card and energy that you want to promote or strengthen. For some, this will look a bit like Pathworking but I see it as a bit more casual. Pathworking to me falls in the homework category. Creating a collection of cards for an affirmation is more similar to a mandala of support. Set it out, keep it out for a couple of days, a week, or months and use it as long as it gives you support. While every deck can be used for this practice, I pick from my pretty decks. I choose what some have started to call my “Hug Decks”. This are the decks that bring me good feels. I recommend that you keep this in mind too.
In a year that has pressed on us from multiple fronts and we all need to take care of ourselves in a physical, mental, and spiritual sense. It is okay to take the time to ourselves to care for ourselves. In this time I hope that you will find the strength to see how special you are and more importantly that you would be aware of how special you are. We can better face the challenges we have when we know what we are able to accomplish and the worth that we have to the world and those around us. Repeat after me: “We are in this together and I am not alone.”