Tag Archives: Tarot

February: The Tower

The new moon in Pisces is today. A time of darkness, and the perfect time to reflect inward about how to manifest your dreams. I often pull a Tarot card for writing inspiration, and the card that has been coming up lately is The Tower. Yikes! While the Death card in the Tarot is usually what everyone is afraid of, even Death’s impressively transformational energy is small potatoes compared to energy of The Tower.

This card shows a tower perched on top of a mountain. Lightning strikes the top, knocking it off and setting the physical structure on fire. Two people leap desperately from the flaming tower, as fire rains from the sky. This is a card of sudden and massive destruction on a physical level.

When The Tower appears in a reading, you can expect (or perhaps have just experienced) destruction of your sense of comfort and stability. A foundational belief of yours has been or will be suddenly revealed as false. You will likely already be aware of the destruction, but sometimes the foundational shake up is on your subconscious level. Ask yourself, “What in my life is breaking down?” This is a super intense energy and will penetrate your spirit, emotions, and body.

Terrifying, right? Absolutely, but not all is lost! As with everything, with the destruction of old ways of thinking, a better path is revealed.

Think of it like a forest fire: terrifying, sudden, sweeping destruction, but it paves the way for new growth. This dark and powerful card brings with it the fantastic ability to transform. Although often painful, the awakening you’ll experience will bring freedom, inspiration and release you from bondage (the two people leaping from the tower are the same two people chained and bound in The Devil card – more on that later).

In the Tarot, The Fool shows us the naïve childlike version of “leap and the net will appear.” The Fool, trusting what The Universe has shown him, steps off the cliff certain the net will appear. The Tower card shows us being thrown out of a current situation or belief system. When we haven’t been listening to what The Universe has been telling us The Tower will forcibly thrust us out of our comfort zone. This disorienting energy allows us the freedom to grow beyond what we ever thought possible.

At some point in our lives, we all experience the energy of The Tower. Notice though, The Tower is falling not directly due to anything the people did. The Universe has seen it is flawed (notice the top of The Tower is circular, but the actual building is square) and is tearing down this faulty structure. As painful and disorienting as it is, the best way to survive and make it through this time is to take it as an opportunity for freedom and transformation. Whether that transformation is physical, emotional, regarding a relationship, or a test of faith, this is the time to embrace the opportunity forced upon you.

Now my reader, during this time of darkness and reflection, take a moment to look deep and examine what structures within you are not quite right. What is not true? What is not honest? Deception and illusion will be destroyed, allowing you the freedom to see things in a new way. Take the opportunity. Take it now, while The Universe is still whispering. Consider yourself warned. If you don’t, The Universe will throw you out of a burning tower during a firestorm. Figuratively speaking, of course. 🙂

My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pexels or Pinterest. If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it. I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). If you have any topics you’d like to talk about, reach out to me at write2unpack@gmail.com. Oh, hey, and if you sign up to follow me, you’ll never miss a post!

September: Death

September. The time of year when the world transitions from light and abundance to sleep and regeneration. Perfect for a card of transformation, and so this month’s card had to be, Death. Probably the most feared and most misunderstood card of the Tarot. It doesn’t symbolize literal death, that’s only in the movies, but material loss and the clearing away of things that do not serve you. The transformation necessary to make room for the things that do.

In the Rider Waite version of the Tarot, the card shows Death astride a white horse. White is the color of purity, and death is the ultimate purifier. All of humanity is shown – man, woman, and child. Death does not discriminate; he touches all of us. His armor is symbolic of his invincibility – no one has beaten death. Even the sun is seen to be “dying” in the background (between the same towers as in the Moon card – more on that in another post). A card of transformation, the sun will be reborn again fresh and new in the morning. Radiant Rider Waite shown here.

The Death card is a card of major transformation. It symbolizes the end of a major phase of your life and reassures that a new phase is just beginning. It tells you it is time to put the past behind you and be ready to embrace new opportunities. Sometimes we have trouble letting go of the past but, like Death, this is not a choice we get to make. If we refuse to embrace the change, and seek out the positive in it, the transformation can be less than pleasant. Sometimes, for us to learn this lesson, we need to experience the pain to complete the transformation.

Years ago, when I was teaching a self-defense class I would remind my students,

“There are many levels of cooperation. Not all of them voluntary.”

The Death card embodies this sentiment.

This card also indicates it’s time to let go of unhealthy bonds and relationships, so you can make room for relationships that feed your soul. It’s time to let go of old baggage so there’s room for The Universe to bring you what you need.

That rings true in my house this weekend. Daughter-In-Law wanted to have a yard sale at our house (more drive by traffic), and so The Best Husband and I decided we’d add some of our “treasures” to the pile. Well needless to say, it was a long weekend, but we managed to let go of many items that were no longer serving us. We did find some new items too, of course, but we were able to send many things back out into circulation where they will be fully utilized. I hope. At least they’re not in my garage anymore.

It surprised me how many things I’ve held onto for years that seemed significant and important enough to keep, but now, decades later, they’ve lost their hold on me and I was able to let them go. For example: Years ago I bought a large, glossy dark wood kitchen table, with a leaf, for my growing family. It was probably my first really large furniture purchase, and it’s moved with me over the years. I don’t remember the last time we sat at it as a family, but I do know it’s been in my garage for a long time and I’ve been unable to let it go. Now, while I appreciate the significance it holds, I no longer feel like I need to keep it. It’s time to let it go.

Tough love time. Time to deal with what’s preventing the change, so you are free to start your new journey unencumbered. This could be “stuff,” toxic relationships, a stagnant and unfulfilling career, anything – the card is not specific to where the change is needed. It’s up to you to reflect and evaluate your own life.

So, my readers, in this time of transformation, I encourage you reflect on what’s no longer serving you. Are you resisting necessary changes? Are you stuck and unable to take the steps to make the changes? Are you still holding onto a past wrong, or some other baggage that is taking up valuable energy? This card is a reminder that it’s time to reassess the changes you need to make. Change is scary (so is the Death card) but be reassured with the knowledge that not making necessary changes is not a choice you get to make. The change will happen, and it’s up to you choose your level of cooperation.

My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pexels. If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). If you have any topics you’d like to talk about, reach out to me at write2unpack@gmail.com. Oh, hey, and if you sign up to follow me, you’ll never miss a post!

July: Strength

It’s July. The month of The Best Husband Ever’s birth, Shark Week, and also that time of year when it’s a race between me and the garden pests to see who can outlast the heat and claim the harvest. It’s no surprise this month’s card had to be: Strength.

Strength (the deck shown is the Sacred Rose Tarot) depicts a woman riding on the back of a lion (Leo, also the zodiac sign for July). The woman represents our strongest emotional and intuitive natures, and the lion represents our physical world of survival. The symbol of the double nimbus is seen above her head, representing spiritual and physical power fused into one. Both face the reader in direct confrontation, as if ready to charge at any moment. The woman is confident, calm, and in control of the powerful beast beneath her. Their hair intertwined, showing a unification of spiritual and physical power between them.

This is a card of subtle control. The woman does not use force to tame and control the lion. Instead, she gently weaves her fingers into its mane and whispers in its ear. Small and gentle does not mean weak.

We just went to a 4th of July barbeque, where a dear friend of mine hugged my husband and said, “You know, you are my inspiration.” (For those of you who don’t know, he has MS and currently suffers from coordination and mobility issues, among others…). July is hot and on a normal day he struggles to walk, always using a walker or, on bad days, a wheelchair. But he keeps going, always. He approaches this disease as a test of spiritual and physical challenges. In his mind, there is nothing he can’t do – he just has to do it differently. His indomitable spirit is a source of daily inspiration and motivation for me.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”-Mahatma Gandhi

So, what does this have to do with Strength and subtle control? He’s making progress using the Wahls Protocol: walking better, losing weight, is cognitively clearer, and his mindset is noticeably more positive. While changing to the Wahls Protocol may seem like a big change (for those of you who haven’t heard about it, you can read about it here), changing our diet to be healthier really isn’t that big of a deal. Not when it leads to better health, better mobility, better brain function, right? And to me, if a simple diet change can make that big of a difference, why wouldn’t we do it. I’d rather him eat more veggies than take another prescription (he already has so many!), right? (Note: This is not a cure for MS, but a way to manage some of the symptoms.)

Also, his exercise program may seem “subtle” to many. He requires different exercise and stretching than the Regular Joe, and longer rest period to recover. If he attacked exercise with the force and crazed enthusiasm of a “normal” workout, he’d be wiped out and completely unable to walk or function. But approaching exercise with finesse has lead to better strength and shorter recovery times.

So, my readers, what choices are you currently looking at? What, in your life, have you been forcing and attacking, when maybe a softer, gentler approach might be more successful? Where are you “yelling,” when a whisper will lead you to your desired outcome?

In the words of my running coach, “Small changes lead to big changes.”

I encourage you to take some time this month and reflect. Look around you and see ways that little things can lead to big things, good or bad, and then choose wisely.

My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). If you have any topics you’d like to talk about, reach out to me at write2unpack@gmail.com. Oh, hey, and if you sign up to follow me, you’ll never miss a post!