Advanced Tarot Techniques – Light & Shadow

There’s so much to learn with the Tarot and so many levels to the cards. This is the reason I love the Tarot – it represents a gateway to higher levels of consciousness. Many Tarot readers will tell you they use the cards as a key to access these higher levels. If we are to place the Tarot cards into the perspective of Einstein’s theory of time – that past, present and future exist simultaneously, the Tarot can be seen as a means to receive messages from this Quantum field about what has, is or will happen.

Likewise, the Tarot is created from archetypal images – universal symbols that our subconscious mind can interpret.

Obviously a popular question from Tarot students is how to up-skill their abilities so they can access this ‘hidden’ information from the cards. One way to start opening up to this level of reading is to approach the Tarot cards from a different perspective to the purely interpretive method. I call this the ‘Light and Shadow’ approach.

We all know that every card in the Tarot has both a positive and a negative side. For example, while The Lovers card indicates a new romance which is on the face of it a very positive event, its darker interpretation is of a love affair with a trial or choice attached to it – you may be entering a triangle situation for example!  The Three of Swords card which traditionally is interpreted as a negative card of wounding, heartbreak and mourning carries a positive healing message. Although you may be going through a painful event, the situation can be likened to lancing a boil. Although this is painful it allows healing to take place which is what inevitably follows as depicted in the Four of Swords.

As usual with many of the exercises designed to help you improve your Tarot skills, when doing this let go of the traditional interpretation of the cards to begin with. You can do this exercise on your own or with a friend. Think of a question or situation and shuffle your cards. Lay them out in a spread that feels right for you. Now – look at the colours of the cards not their images or meaning. Are they primarily light or dark or roughly 50/50? Look at the bright, vibrant cards. Can you find any darker undercurrents? If so, what does this say to you? Now turn to the ‘darker’ cards. Do they contain glimpses of light trying to break through anywhere? For example, the 10 of Swords while showing an ending or defeat, also depicts dawn and a new day. Or, does the darkness they contain turn out not to be threatening at all but peaceful now you enter into it?

How does exploring the ‘shades of the Tarot’ affect your interpretation of the question you asked? Write down your impressions in your Tarot journal. Very often you will be amazed at the additional information you are able to receive by using this technique to enhance your usual way of interpreting the cards. It allows your subconscious mind free-reign to connect to the possibilities that exist out there. Remember also – the universe doesn’t place judgements like ‘good’ or ‘bad’ on events – there are only experiences, in the same way there are no good or bad cards – only our interpretation of them.

Our gifted readers are always here to help you if you require additional insight but in the interim, enjoy your exploration of the Tarot.