I like to tune in to my work in a variety of ways so that I can make sure it is authentic for me and helpful and useful to those who consult me. One interesting way is to use the tarot to illuminate parts of my astrological birth chart. I often use a system of correspondences from the Golden Dawn and Builders of the Adytum that connects certain planets and signs to specific tarot cards. This time, I thought I’d try a different system, so I used the Tarot of the Holy Light by Christine Payne-Towler and Michael Dowers.
My focus was on the 10th House of my chart, the section of the diagram that is related to career, public reputation, what one does consistently in the outer world.
I have Neptune in Scorpio in the Tenth House. According to Payne-Towler’s system, I looked at the Sun (Pisces/Neptune), Temperance (Scorpio) and the Tower (Capricorn/10th House) in order to gain some more insight into my work. Using some of her key words and phrases, I came up with these combinations:
- In my work, the life-giving source teaches people through breakthroughs.
- The revelation of people’s true nature acts as spiritual medicine.
- I guide people through revelatory experiences that reconcile perceived opposites in themselves and in their lives.
- The heart is suddenly released in order to become the primary teacher.
- The true centre breaks through and radiates harmony.
I used three court cards from the Tarot of the Holy Light in the same way. For Payne-Towler, the Knight of Cups is Pisces (Neptune here), the King of Cups is Scorpio, and the Queen of Disks is Capricorn (10th House here). These suggest to me that:
- I’m a poetic and practical guide.
- I’m the tribe’s oracle who gets in touch with primal forces and returns from that experience with stories that evoke others’ practical intuition.
- I’m a shamanic troubadour who guides people to practical advice.
- My work is a hub for a network of intuitive bards.
- My work generously guides people to get in touch with the dwelling place of their heart and soul so that they can tune in expertly to instinctual powers and become excellent administrators of their everyday lives.
I love these ideas! It’s enjoyable to use the tarot and astrology in this creative way to brainstorm possibilities for my work. This activity provides me with more images and phrases to guide me as I offer tarot counselling, circle process, and other wisdom ways in our world.
What’s YOUR special blend of guiding images and words? You can share ideas here AND you and I can explore it together in a personal session or in a workshop setting. Let me know!
Wonderful James! Thank you…..
You’re welcome, Jaimie! How might you apply this to your own offerings to our world?
Just wanted to say–I’ve been using postcards for about five or six years as a special blend–interesting to try. My main postcard collection was a bundle of 200 disparate images from Pomegranate Publishing and I have added postcard books (usually related to artists) and people send me postcards in the mail and I have about 1400 now–great for delving into the soul.
I like this tarot BTW, it reminds me of the Oracle of the Radiant Sun by Caroline Smith & John Astrop.
Postcards, old family photographs, brochures, etc are all great devices if one doesn’t have a deck of cards AND they make a nice change from cards. I can see the resemblance between the two decks that you mention, JJ. I like the Oracle of the Moon, too.
I like change. Much of the art on postcards is archetypal which is why it refreshes between takes of Tarot. Tarot seems to have awakened a delight in finding archetypes for me.
Oh and James, I received the Deena Metzger book you recommended in another post on inter-library loan. Very good, it also makes a refreshing change.