How I use tarot to stay on the meditation cushion

An honest peek into my practice

Happy Sunday,

Tarot is often associated with finding a partner, working out a career path or help with decision making. This is only a small part of a much bigger picture, a bit like saying bakeries sell donuts without mentioning the iced buns and cheese straws.

A completely different way of using tarot is as a support to meditation. During my 15 years or so of meditating I’ve experienced both deep engagement and sustained periods of practice and in equal measure some pretty epic dry spells where I couldn’t face it at all. In an attempt to stay playful, I’ve started to investigate my resistance to meditation with tarot. Here's three ways I use tarot to help me stay on the cushion.

When I'd rather be in bed. From the duvet to the divine.

Picture this! The alarm goes off at 6am and I press snooze at least 3 times. It's cold and dark and only the promise of tea can get me up. I sit in front of my shrine but I hear the call of the duvet.

When the “can't be bothered” voice turns up, rather than rolling back into bed, naively promising myself “I’ll do it later” I've started pulling cards to connect with my intention for meditating.

Finding the answers to all this within my own heart isn’t impossible, in fact everything I've ever read about meditation says it's good to sit with the questions, but why struggle when the cards can shift my perspective.

Ask the cards

• Why meditate?

• How can meditation be of benefit?

• Why do I feel demotivated?

• How can I stay with my intention in this meditation?

When I’m not feeling it. From meh to magic

Some days I simply don't feel it. I find it almost impossible to sit still if there isn't at least a glimmer of… let's call it magic. So, I've been drawing a card before meditating asking for an image to open my heart.

Over the years I've experimented with lots of ways of warming myself up to the meditation. Reading a poem, listening to my favourite song, chanting, walking. You name it. More recently I ask the cards for a bit of help.

Of course I can't make it happen. I can't force anything. I am learning to accept the more fallow periods where it seems like nothing is happening, but there's something to be said for giving yourself a fighting chance and that's where the cards come in.

Ask the cards

• Show me a card to open the heart

• What does my heart need?

• Why do I feel disconnected?

• What's this dry spell about? How is it serving me?

When my mind is full of crap. From rumination to reflection

There are times when knots pop up in my meditation. Thinking about whether to have toast or porridge for breakfast is one thing but planning what I am going to say in an argument is another. And yes, these are real life examples. I’m human!

Having thoughts is utterly normal and in truth it’s an unkindness to call what goes on in my mind “crap”. If it is crap then it is sacred crap because it has a lot to teach me.

The mind thinks just as the heart beats or rivers flow. It’s not about getting rid of thinking, its about noticing thought and coming into a more spacious and kind relationship to it. So for anyone out there crying the words “I can’t meditate because I can’t stop thinking”, I see you and I invite you to think of meditation differently.

There are ways of working with thought in the meditation itself as any decent meditation teacher will tell you. What I’m suggesting here though is using the tarot to reflect back on the meditation as a way to understand oneself more fully.

Here are some questions to ask.

Ask the cards -

• Why does this thought pattern keep arising?

• What is underneath it?

• How can I give this space & understanding?

• What is this trying to tell me?

• How can I work with this in meditation?

  

Thanks so much for reading this. I have wanted to write it for so long. This is the kind of thing that makes me happy and somehow

Substack

rather than other platforms is the place to do it. Thanks substack.

I’m wondering, do you meditate? Have you ever used tarot as a support? Did you know tarot could be used like this?

Do comment below!

Lotsa love Claire/Amritavani