Wandering.
For the past five years or so, I’ve been experimenting with what you might think of as a slow-burn approach to tarot— drawing a card and living with it for a period of time.
This practice began as a way to get to know a particular deck (the Dark Goddess Tarot by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince; a gem, imho). At the new moon I would ask for a card to get to know better, and then revisit it once or twice before the lunation was complete. This was a great way to experience different cards, but eventually this practice developed into something a bit deeper.
The shift was subtle, or at least it seemed so at the time. Instead of asking to learn about a card, I started asking for a card to learn from. And the funny thing was, when I started asking for the best guide to accompany me, I began receiving them. As I noticed their presence— their archetypal energy, if you will— I realized that I was encountering a force far beyond my rational comprehension.
This practice is still evolving Recently, I’ve been asking for a companion for entire seasons, and I’ve come to see my year cards as the wise and reliable guides I need most for that particular trip around the sun as well.
This contemplative approach has been incredibly transformational for me, in part because it’s simple and easy to return to. I ask for a card, I reflect, I set it on my altar and I let that be enough.
And it always is enough. Why? Because the magic isn’t in the moment that I receive my guide— it’s in paying attention to what happens in my life once it’s arrived.
I invite you to experience tarot as a story unfolding from the inside-out with rich, complex connections you're meant to notice in your life. Wander: Venture Beyond the Hero’s Journey as a Pilgrim of the World is a 25-page PDF guidebook that offers a simple, adaptable framework for you to do just that.
Today is the equinox (spring in my neck of the woods) and the astrological new year as the sun enters Aries, and it would be the perfect moment to start your own pilgrimage if you feel so inclined! I’d love to have more fellow travelers on this road.
Learn more and grab your copy here if you’d like to join me.
Happy astrological new year and (almost) new moon, friends.
Until next time,
sara