I found this 'really' useful Tarot exercise on Mary K. Greer's blog.

After studying the Tarot for nearly 20 years, and telling people for that long that I couldn't read it, I discovered something amazing this summer. I can read the Tarot. Quite well, in fact. I just had teachers (and books and other Tarot readers) tell me I was doing it 'wrong'. Apparently I either didn't lay the cards out in the Celtic Cross which I supposedly 'had' to do, or the meanings I got from the cards didn't agree with the meanings someone else got from the cards, ergo I must be 'wrong'.

And it was that 'ergo' that was 'wrong', not the way I was doing things!

I also find it interesting that as I am exploring Shamanic Astrology and making manifest my shamanic garden and writing about shamanism in classes at the Grey School of Wizardry, now I realize that the Tarot is also speaking to me shamanically, and very vividly, too. Fancy that. I'm seeing all sorts of correlations and correspondences, and the Tarot is not just speaking to me, it is whispering and singing and shouting and dancing and invading my dreams. I don't think I have ever been quite so prolific in my writing since I have started working with the Tarot once again.

When I first realized that I 'could' read the cards -- only I did it 'my' way rather than the way everyone else told me I 'had' to do it (duh moment, I've always done things 'my' way, why should this be any different?!) -- I banged my head on the desk, because I have -- as I mentioned -- spent the last 18 years drooling over Tarot decks then passing them along to someone else because I didn't think I was gelling with them. I took four different Tarot classes from four different instructors; never finished one of them because I was so very frustrated that I wasn't seeing in the images what they told me I was supposed to see.

Maybe I had to spend the last 20 years learning about the Totem Animals and Spirit Guides, working with stones and crystals and herbs in order to get me into a place of receptivity so, that when I did finally start working with the Tarot, I could fly with it like I am doing now. Some nights I don't even want to go to sleep, because I just want to keep writing and studying and working with the archetypal images. (Never fear; this is actually developing into dream work, and another Grey School Class on "Dreaming with the Tarot"!)

The moral of this? Never ever ever let someone tell you that you can't do something, just because you are doing it differently. What is the quote? "Either I will find a way, or I will make one," (Phillip Sydney).

My friend ysabetwordsmith always told me I was a better writer than I thought I was. She helped me with ideas, worked with me when I got stuck, and edited my work to the point that I started to recognize what errors I was making before I made them. She enabled me to want to better myself. Thank you, so very much, dear one.

And now, I have "Astrological Tarot" to write!

PS:

Current 'drool deck' is Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti. Yes it is digital art, but oh my goodness what talent!

Current 'pen and ink' inspiration comes from our own haikujaguar (although she probably doesn't even know I exist *grins*). Seeing her past work has given me the urge to get painting again; something I haven't done in over a year.

Apart from writing, my most recent addiction is knitting tarot card bags. Maybe I should change my name from Rainbow to Tarot....