Q&A:Spiritual Dictionary

You might find this one to be a little controversial...read at your own risk.

Q. In a tweet a few days ago, you described yourself as "secular".  Isn't that the same thing as an atheist? How can you be "secular" and say you give "spiritual guidance" with your readings?

A. Fair question. You make a good point.This is kind of hard to explain, so be patient with me for a few minutes.

As I see it, "spiritual" and "secular" aren't exact opposites. They don't cancel each other out, and you can have both happening at the same time. I haven't talked about any of that for a while, so someone new to the blog or the @modernoracle twitter feed might not have seen the older, spirituality-oriented posts.

The key is in the words "secular" and "spiritual".

Since we are going there, we might have to talk about the big emotional words "religion" and "atheist" too. They are all emotionally charged words, that carry a LOT of connotations, reflex reactions, defensiveness, fear, anger ...you name it. It is hard to talk about these things without emotions getting in the way, so I'm going to try and take this step by step,  as logically as I can, ok?

To my way of thinking, "secular" simply means not-religion. It doesn't necessarily mean atheist. An atheist is someone who doesn't believe in any god. If you don't believe in a god, you don't need a religion, so atheists are, by definition, secular. But "secular" by itself doesn't say anything one way or the other about a belief in god or not. It is possible to believe in a god or gods, and not participate in religion -  like the free-thinking Diests in the 1700s and the Age of Reason. Theism and religion, atheism and secularism seem to pair up most of the time, but they aren't the exact same thing. That's why I like the term secular...it is actually god/atheist neutral.

"Spiritual" is different from both religion and atheism as I use it. When I say "spiritual" I mean a person's individual understanding of how life works. Spirituality is an internal, individual relationship with the subtle, mysterious parts of life. It is our personal individual understanding of truth. It is how we, each alone, makes sense of life, the universe and everything (to borrow a phrase from Douglas Adams). It is based exclusively on our internal sense of truth, ethics, morality, philosophy and so on.

Religion on the other hand, is an outward, group, social construct. Religion is codified, external definitions of truth, morality, ethics, philosophy and so on. Religion is often expressed through rituals, writings, lifestyle, and is taught one generation to another in ways that personal spirituality often is not. Religion is external, a shared, group experience. Spirituality is internal, an individual experience.

For some people, their inward spirituality and their outward religion is the same thing. For others, like me, the two are entirely separate. I do not practice or teach any religion...so I'm secular.

Through tarot and such, I think about and interact with the intangible ideas in life. I share what I've learned, and how I've used tarot symbolism (among other things) to learn them...thus "spiritual guidance".

Tarot readings are spiritual, not theological in my experience. The ideas and symbols are helpful, no matter what your religion or beliefs might be.

Readings are all about one person coming to an individual, internal understanding of their situation. Readings are a way for an individual to navigate through a portion of life, and a tool to help with individual choices. Some people use their religion for that guidance. Others don't. Whether you use a religious or secular guidance-tool, the essence of this kind of guidance is internal, individual and spiritual.

From that point of view, religion offers spiritual guidance, but so does intuitive readings. It is all about how an individual uses the reading/religion, not the reading/religion itself.

Your question is a good example - it is essentially spiritual. We aren't primarily talking about religion...so this is mainly a secular post. We are talking about individual understanding, individual life-philosophy - so this is also a spiritual post.

There are even Tarot cards for this kind of conversation. The Pope or Hierophant card from the major arcana talks about the intersections of social convention, religion, and individuality. The Moon talks about our internal, intuitive, spiritual journey.

And before you even ask...I don't talk about whether I am atheist or not. I won't talk about religion except in very very general terms like this, and even then only when it is brought up by a question or a card. Like Bella said in Twilight..."I'm Switzerland". I'm a religion-neutral, religion-free zone. I'm secular, and I help people find spiritual guidance through tarot-symbolism and intuition-development. In my mind, "secular" and "spiritual" live side by side just fine.


www.ModernOracleTarot.com

The Empress and the Language of Flowers

Of all the Tarot cards, when I think of spring, I think of the Empress card.

The Rider-Waite Empress card is predominantly yellow, a spring color. There are images of grass and trees...lots of association with spring-like ideas - abundance, nature, fertility are just a few examples.

Although few Empress cards explicitly show flowers, I tend to associate The Empress with flowers, not unlike the way Mary is associated with Roses and Quan Yin is sometimes associated with violets.

Which begs the question what other associations are there with flowers? I vaguely remember my Grandmother talking about it, but apparently there really is a long tradition of certain flowers symbolizing certain things. That kind of wordless, symbolic communication is very tarot-like, and very appropriate for springtime.

Hurray for the Internet! Here are a few Victorian era inspired flower meanings...a longer list is available at http://www.almanac.com/content/meaning-flowers

Black eye susan - justice

daisy - innocence

holly - hope

lavender - devotion and virtue

red rose - love and desire

violet - loyalty

zinnia - thoughts of absent friends

also:

lotus - spiritual awakening (buddhist)

chrysanthemum - yang energy and good luck (Chinese)

Pansy - thoughtfulness, freethinking

daffodil - honesty and truth


Happy Springtime!


www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Q&A: Does my spirit guide have a message for me?

The short answer for this question is usually yes.


If spirit guides and messages and such are on your mind enough to ask the question, then my  hunch is they are using that feeling to get your attention. It is a little like the beeps on the tv when there is a weather warning...it is to get your attention before the message itself comes through.


Sometimes when I do a reading, I get a sense of 'someone' giving advice or some sort of message. Usually it is validation or reassurance. The messages that come through me are the beepy, "can I have your attention please" type or just a friendly "hello - I'm really here" type.


The language of spirit is so symbolic, and so personal sometimes it is hard to get a more specific message than that. "Spirit" and "spirit guides" speak in many, very personal ways. I like to compare it to dream interpretations. Sure, there are those general "dream dictionary" kinds of meanings that anyone can use as a start-point, but the real, specific understanding of a dream (or a spirit-guide message) comes from within ourselves. Context and past associations can have a big influence. If you think it refers to something, that is the message...not what the dream dictionary or the psychic says.


Symbolism and Synchronicity are the language of spirit. Spirit talks to us through tiny hints, subtle coincidences that are easy to miss if we aren't paying attention. When I say "spirit", I mean the widest possible definition of the concept:  crossed over loved ones, spirit guides, our "higher selves", our intuition, our imagination, the whole gambit.


Of course, talking about "spirit" as if it is a distinct thing, somehow separate or outside of ourselves is arbitrary, and a trick of language. It is part of living in a three dimensional world. The cosmos is a unified whole. For example, if we talk about last summer, we aren't talking about something separate from all time, we are just specifying a particular point in infinity. Say you want to meet a friend at a coffee shop that is at the corner of 5th Avenue and Main Street in Anytown. The coffee shop isn't separate from the city...it is still a part of good old "Anytown"...you are just using the language of street names to specify a particular place. 


The same is true of "spirit" or "spirit guides". They are part of you, you are part of them, and we are all part of the entirety of everything-that-is. But the me, them, you, us, spirit, intuition designations make it easier to understand things - just like "fifth and main" makes it easier to find your favorite cup of coffee in Anytown.


So does your spirit guide have a message for you? - yes. Can I tell you what it is? -maybe, let's see...no promises though. Can you get the message for yourself? Absolutely! 


Wishing you a day of good coffee and being in tune with the spirit side of life.






Modern Oracle Tarot

Card Care

Tarot cards aren't magical or special. They are just pieces of cardboard with pretty pictures on them.
The magic happens within the human mind, heart and spirit. The special part lies in our interaction with our environment: how we feel, how we perceive, how we react.

Tarot cards are a tool to help us access the intuition that we all have. It is a strategy for accessing non-linear logic, and symbolic thinking. That's all.

So there is no real reason to be superstitious about the cards, or afraid of them. Some people are un-nerved by the TV and movie generated occult mythos surrounding tarot cards. Sometimes they aren't comfortable because of their religious indoctrination. I respect that. People who avoid tarot readings because of religious beliefs are only doing what they think is right.

The key is that there is a difference between superstition and symbolism.

How you interact with Tarot cards symbolizes your attitudes toward your intuition, and your attitude toward the person for whom you are doing the Tarot reading...even if that person is yourself.
Blind faith in rituals, cards or something outside yourself without recognizing your part in the process is nothing more than primitive superstition. NOT all ritual or belief is superstitious. Just the mindless kind. Ritual is a tool, a symbol and a help, just like the cards themselves.

So on one hand, there is no real, concrete reason to treat the cards in any special way. There are some practical concerns. Not bending them is one. I'm not talking about the natural curve that comes from shuffling. I mean sharp creases that get in the way of shuffling. It isn't fair to the sitter (person getting the reading) if the shuffle is interrupted.  It only seems fair to give the process every best chance to be truly random, and to be responsive to the needs of the sitter. The second thing is just plain keeping them clean. Not because of some voodoo hex that will get you if you don't - because smudges and dirt are distracting, can also disrupt the way the cards slide when shuffling. Messy cards interfere with the intuitive process for those reasons.

On the other hand, intuition is a symbolic, subtle energy, even spiritual process. Looking at it from this perspective, how you interact with your cards is important...not in a literal way, but from what that interaction symbolizes. If you choose to work with tarot cards, how you handle the cards becomes a symbol for how you feel about the intuitive process and how you feel about your intuition.  If you do readings for others, how you respect the "process" of working with your own intuition is also a reflection of how you feel about them, about their life, and the sensitive issuesthey bring to you for help.

This reminds me a little of those fruit drink commercials on TV. Instead of "the pouch", respect the process...respect it!

Let's go back to that analogy of Tarot cards as a tool for accessing your intuitive knowing. Tools need a little maintenance every now and then. A little cleaning, a little oil, nothing obsessive (dare I say ritualistic?) but important just the same to prevent rust and keep the tools working well.

Tarot cards don't need that kind of work, obviously. All it takes to keep them clean and un-bent is a box. The box you bought them in is just fine. If they do become damaged, there is no hard and fast rules about how to discard them. My inclination is to recycyle them - giving them second life and usefulness is more respectful than sending them to the landfill by all means. After investing so much time and energy in a deck, it is hard to retire them, a little like giving up your woobie as a kid. If a ritual helps, they by all means use something. But there is no real imperitive to burn them like the flag, or bury them under a full moon or anything either. It is up to you and your, you know, intuition to decide what is best for you.

Here is where the Venn diagram of subtle energy and superstition get close enough to overlap a little. ANY object that comes in contact with a lot of people can imprint a little bit of energy...positive and negative. After a while, the object can become out of balance and take on more of one charge than the other. Very positive-charge objects "feel" good, "feel" magical and helpful. By the same token, negative accumulations can "feel" sluggish, off-putting, even toxic.

There are ways to keep cards as energy-clean, just like the storage box keeps them physically clean.
Which method you use is, of course, up to you. Being Reiki attuned, I'll just give Reiki to the deck after a series of readings or if a reading was particularly difficult or negative-feeling. Another way is to give a very light mist of a few drops of  lemon oil and a pinch of salt dissolved in a perfume atomizer of water. Shaking it first mixes the oil and energizes this purifying mist.

Some people will leave the deck under the light of a full moon since the moon is strongly associated with intuition. Though less common, I suspect sunlight would work well too...it is touted as the best antiseptic. Blowing gently on the deck with the intent of clearing it can help. Smuding your deck and work area might be the right thing for you. It is ok to experiment, as long as you hold a clear intention in mind i.e. clearing negative energy and holding a space of compassion and truth.

However you do it: scents, salt, smudging, scheduled ritual or just going with the flow of you instinct...a little card care is a good thing. As you care for your cards, you symbolically care for own spirit .

Wishing you a day of positive energy.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

www.RondaSnow.com