Learning Tarot: Meditation

When I first began learning Tarot cards, I didn’t quite know what to do with the pages and pages of information and differing interpretations for each card. I have a pretty good memory, so I could easily match the meanings to the cards, but it still seemed like a “thin”, uninteresting way to read. Plus, cards generally carry more than one traditional meaning (at least!), and it seemed like a crapshoot as to which meaning applied to any particular situation. Of course, I later learned more about the importance of card position and of intuition (I’ll have articles about both issues soon!), but my  first step in really learning the cards beyond rote was using them in meditation.

Basically, meditation means putting your attention on something. In the traditional meditation practiced by most Buddhist traditions, the attention is on the breath–the mind may wander, but you are continually putting your attention back on the breath. Meditating with tarot cards uses a similar principle–you put your focus on one particular card and try to keep it there. Tarot meditation usually involves visualization. Instead of just looking at the card, you imagine yourself inside the card, interacting with the characters and objects, and even going beyond the “borders” of the card.

I first began with the Major Arcana, from Magician to World with the Fool as Zero, that represent major spiritual trials or experiences in any person’s life. Then, I moved on to each suit (wands, swords, cups, coins) in order from Ace through King. By doing the cards in order, I was better able to see the progression of a narrative in each suit from number-to-number and to see each card as a part of a process.

Here is the process I used (and still use, particularly when I find myself drawing a blank with certain cards), gleaned from authors such as Mary K. Greer and from my own meditation practice in the Buddhist tradition. This method works best with cards that are rich with imagery and objects and with cards that have illustrated pips (numbered suit cards):

1. Make sure you are in a quiet, relatively clean room. Try to avoid lots of external noise and avoid doing this exercise with other people in the room–it makes it much harder to fully concentrate. The room should be well-lit enough for you to be able to see the card clearly but not too bright.

2. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths in and out. Try to make your breathing in and breathing out equal in time. Spend some time looking at the card. Notice even small details, such as textures and background scenes. Determine the season of the card and the setting. Try to sweep your eye from top to bottom of the card, taking in each detail. Allow yourself to dwell on any details that particularly catch your eye. Do this until you can close your eyes and get a clear, detailed view of the card.

3. Close your eyes and if possible, lie down. Continue breathing deeply and imagine yourself stepping into the scene of the card. Breathe the air in deeply once you are in the card–how does it differ from the air in your home? Are you outdoors? Can you smell grass, leaves, or water? Before you interact with the characters or items in the card, spend some time soaking in the general atmosphere.

4. Don’t worry if your mind wavers or your surroundings sometimes distract–just bring your mind back to the scene in the card gently, without beating yourself up about it

5. Once you have fully taken in the atmosphere of the card, let yourself walk around and interact with the objects or characters in the card. Speak to the figures and ask them what you’d like to know about the card. For example, with the five of wands card, you might want to pull aside one of the people in the fray and ask them why they are fighting–you might be surprised by the answers!

6. After you have explored the scene in the card, allow yourself to go beyond the borders of the card. Go for as long as you can, exploring the greater landscape of the card.

7. When you are done, take 5 to 10 deep breaths. Open your eyes. You might want to write down your experience with the card–it can be enlightening to come back to these visualizations and read them again.