TAROT TUESDAY

Welcome to Tarot Tuesday, a new series for the month of October. I have four very different and interesting authors sharing their knowledge and story telling about the cryptic and centuries old ability of card reading.

To start off the series is my friend and fellow author Maya Cointreau. With many years of experience with Tarot, who better to explain the mystery and
​falsehoods of the more somber cards.

​Without further ado - Maya...

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Since we’ve just entered October and had a rare Black Moon last week, I thought we would keep it spooky and talk about some of the darker cards in the Tarot. You know the ones. The cards that make people gasp or cringe in movies. The cards that make you shiver in your boots and rethink that whim you followed to get a reading. The ones with images of death, fire and horned gods emblazoned upon them – the stuff that nightmares are made of.

Yeah, we’re gonna start with them. Because you know what? They really aren’t so bad. In fact, more often than not, they can indicate a very positive change coming your way. So let’s start with the top offender.

(Drum Roll Please)

​The Death Card.
The thirteenth card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, Death represents complete and total transfiguration. Everything is changing. Usually, this is a good thing, a positive transmutation. Ties with old patterns are being cut – time to turn over a new leaf!

In numerology, the number thirteen with its lunar associations is connected to the divine feminine, both the divine creator and the destroyer. It is a number signifying change and transformation, and is generally considered positive.
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Sometimes, rarely, it indicates actual physical death, the most final and irrevocable of changes. In over thirty years of readings, I can count on one hand the times the Death card has come up in one of my readings and actually indicated a real, physical death. So if you pull this card, look at the cards around it. Do you see illness? Do you see danger? Do you see endings? Now check in with your gut, you intuition. Ask yourself, is this card about something physical or something more positive? Trust your intuition, and know that even if the card is about a real death, death is simply a new beginning. Where one door closes, another always opens.

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Next, I’d like to talk about the Tower, the sixteenth card in the Major Arcana. Most people, when the Tower is drawn, they see the cracked building, fire and lightning and they tend to get nervous.
Understandably so!

The Tower heralds sudden, often shocking, change. It often brings with it a breakdown of entire belief systems and lifestyles. Sometimes, whatever you thought you knew, you were wrong. This can be unpleasant. Most of us don’t really like change, or thinking we made a mistake.

In numerology, the number sixteen is about the destruction of physical reality. It is the fall of pride, of logic, of vanity. It removes the veil of illusion from over our eyes, falls dreams crumbling away, so that we can view the world with fresh eyes. It allows us to connect with our higher self and really see the right path for us.
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The changes the Tower brings always (and I do mean always) usher in new opportunities for incredible growth. It’s the Universe’s way of answering your prayers, and giving you a chance at really reaching for everything you want. Instead of cowering in fear, be brave and go for it! You will be rewarded, I promise.

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Finally, let’s talk about everybody’s favorite demon in the room. That’s right, the Devil, fifteenth card in the Major Arcana. He looks pretty scary in most decks, I’ll give you that. But the Devil isn’t really about Satan, or any biblical sort of figure. The Devil is a card of darkness and shadow, and it really refers to our own inner demons. The fears and beliefs that hold us hostage, snaring us, keeping us bound in chains, unable to act for our own highest good.

Sometimes, it may simply indicate a need to examine our hidden desires, our subconscious or shadow selves. What tempts you? Do you feel the need to break free from something, or someone?

In numerology, the number fifteen speaks to our destiny, and the fear that holds us back. If you allow fear to control you, you will miss opportunities – those fated, serendipitous moments that guide us towards the best life has to offer. Break your chains, and follow your heart. It’s the only way to find your true path.
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Still nervous? Do you need a deck that puts kinder faces on these cards? My favorites in this regard are “The Wizards Tarot” and “The Gilded Tarot.”

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Bio: Maya Cointreau has almost three decades of experience with the tarot. She is the author of “Tarot - A Complete Course in Basic Tarot Meanings and Techniques.” Available here on Amazon 

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