78 Magickal Tools: Bringing the Magick of Tarot to your Pagan Path
Tarot is more than a tool of divination; tarot is a book of spiritual wisdom and a set of magickal tools. Explore new ways to use tarot in ritual, magick, meditation, self-discovery and attunement.
Creating Sacred Space with Tarot, for Tarot
Most diviners will tell you that they get better readings, and feel better after their readings, if they perform their readings in sacred space.
‘Sacred Space' is a sort of new-agey catch-all phrase to describe any room or area that has been temporarily consecrated, prayed over, meditated in, or in some other way energetically transformed and prepared for a holy rite such as magick, ceremony, healing or divination.
Each practitioner, and every tradition, has their own ways to create sacred space. I tell my tarot students that I don’t care HOW they go about creating the sacred space that supports their readings, I only care that they DO create it.
I spend a bit of time writing about and teaching ways to use tarot images to create magick, but I’ve yet to talk much about using tarot to create the sacred space in which a tarot reading could be accomplished.
Perhaps I’ve not done this because it isn’t wise? Is it possible that using your tarot deck to create the sacred and protective energy for your tarot reading might create some sort of weird cosmic energetic feedback loop?
As I think about it, I would say the opposite is true – that using tarot to prepare for a tarot reading would only strengthen the energy in positive ways.
Still, if you have an issue with it, using one deck to create sacred space and a different deck for your divination would work, and would allow you to keep cards from your sacred space deck out during your reading as energetic wards.
If you are using only one deck you will have to shuffle your cards back together prior to commencing your reading, of course. Other than that, there should be very little practical difference between using two decks or only one.
When we create sacred space, we are accomplishing several tasks. First is to ground, center and connect with the earth. Next is to raise our energy, move our personal concerns to the side and awaken our own psychic sensitivities. Then, we connect with our spiritual helpers, and invite them in to help with our divination.
In a way, each of these steps offers a bit of protective energy. Grounding protects us physically from the ill effects of energy drain during psychic work. Raising our energy offers healing and protection around us. Moving personal issues to the side creates a healthy boundary that allows the reader to become the oracle and communicate with the divine.
It is when we connect with our spiritual helpers, that is, our angels, guides, guardians, spirit animals, ancestors, deities and loved ones in spirit that we generally take the opportunity to officially ask for protection.
I ask those entities to be present, and to help us establish a wall of energy that will allow no energy present that is not for the highest good of the divination.
Then, I take the energy we have raised and bring it down around us as a shield, keeping us connected to Earth and the Heaven and creating an energetic bubble in which to do the reading.
That’s how I usually create sacred space. As you can see, the focus is on both protection and psychic attunement.
The question is, how could I use tarot cards to strengthen and enhance this process?
It seems easy to choose a card or two that supports the energy of each step of the process we use to create sacred space. We can hold the card high as we focus our energy or place the card as part of an altar or crystal grid. If we are using a separate deck we can leave the cards around us during the reading as a way of holding the sacred energy.
Which cards could we use for each step of creating sacred space? Of course, each practitioner will have their own ideas – there are no right or wrong answers here.
Here are some of some cards I might choose for this process.
For grounding and centering I would choose the Ace of Pentacles, and with it I would make an invocation to the element of Earth, or to an Earth deity, angel or spirit.
To raise energy, I would choose the Ace of Wands, and I would take the card and physically move it up my spine to awaken and raise the fiery kundalini spirit with me.
To detach myself from my own issues I would employ the Eight of Cups. I would imagine myself walking away from those cups filled with my own emotions.
To awaken my psychic ability I would use the High Priestess, the Moon and Judgement as I affirm my role as a seer and knower.
To connect with Spirit in all its helpful forms I would use the Star, and perhaps cards that represented for me individual loved ones or deities.
I will try this method and see how it works for me. If you try it, leave a comment and let me know what cards you used, and how you felt the process enhanced your reading!
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