Letting Go With Tarot

The common theme uniting these three archetypes is the dawning awareness of our collective programming. While some of our conditioning predates this life, our upbringing, as symbolized by the mother and father archetypes of the Empress and Emperor and our social and cultural conditioning, as symbolized by the Hierophant, play a significant role. As we feel into the full extent of the guilt, shame and self-blame that can arise here, we clear up space to see the magnificence of our True Self. There is more to us than these stories, no matter how firmly entrenched. And just as we took them on, we can let them go.

The common theme uniting these three cards is a reorientation from the egoic mind to the wisdom of the heart. The Lovers card shows us that it is in giving love that we find our deepest fulfilment. Since love is what we are, we can’t obtain it from the outside, but by releasing any internal barriers we have enacted against it. When we let go of the forceful will of the egoic Chariot, we discover this heart-based power of the Strength card. The biggest stumbling block at this point in our journey is fear. As we let go of fear, we connect more deeply with the wisdom of our heart.

The common theme uniting these three cards is the recognition that our inner and outer worlds are connected. As we deepen our practice of peace and presence with the Hermit, we come to see it reflected outside of us in greater harmony and ease in our lives. The Wheel of Fortune, meanwhile, shows us that our inner state is our greatest contribution to the well-being of the whole. Right action, as symbolized by the Justice card, is predicated on finding this peace and equanimity within. The ego is constantly living in the possibility of future fulfillment, but it never seems to arrive. When we let go of the lust energy that underlies these thoughts, we give ourselves a chance to drop into the quieter but more profound contentment that is available now.

The common truth uniting these three cards is that only by becoming free of all points of view do we create the space to move from wholeness itself. As we embody the effortless effort of the Hanged Man and relinquish our need to define reality through a conditioned lens, we free ourselves to move more and more from our True Nature. This session is dedicated to releasing the anger our egos can generate when confronted with the growing light of our awake presence.

The common theme uniting these three cards is the harmonization and integration of our inner and outer worlds. Finding this state of clear correspondence means owning all of our projected demons and discovering true security in the solid Tower of the heart. As our inner light increases, systems, relationships, careers - in short anything that is not aligned with the light - will break down or fall apart. What we are left with is the bright radiance of our true nature - the Star that we all are. We are already whole and forever seeing through anything which obstructs that knowing. Pride about how far we’ve come only keeps us stuck where we are.

The common theme uniting these four cards is the realization of our simultaneous oneness with Source, others and the world. It is the collapse of all perceived division and the awakening of consciousness as it flows through our body, mind and heart. The drive to continue purifying and letting go, the longing to be utterly free, pushes us forward. And conversely, states that we would normally cling to, such as joy, peace and love, also become harder to hold on to. We begin to see how our grasping at these open, positive states is just the flip side of avoiding contracted, negative ones.

While the 22 cards of the Major Arcana express the archetypal steps on the awakening journey, the 56 cards of the Minor Arcana bring those themes down into the practical realm to show how they operate in our daily lives. Each of the suits correlates to one of the four primary drives. The swords correspond to the drive for control, the cups to approval, the pentacles to security, and the wands to separation. In this session, we will explore these parallels in detail and practice letting go of each of these four core drives.

The Evolutionary Astrology paradigm posits that there are three main stages of evolution on our planet: the consensus, individuated, and spiritual stages, which align with the growing emotional maturity of the court cards: the young pages, the dynamic knights, and the wise and mature king and queen. As the lens of Tarot shows us, resistance or dissatisfaction with the now is the basis of our egoic suffering. Thus, the antidote must be letting go or surrendering. No matter which map we use to elucidate our journey or whichever evolutionary step we’re on, we can benefit from letting go of resistance.