Embodying The Tarot

Over the past year I have been working on a series of classes all about embodying the energy of certain tarot cards.  This has brought about a lot of questions, like how do you do that, and what does embodiment even mean.

Today let’s talk about tarot, how to embody a certain card and bring its energy into your life, and why this is helpful.

Starting off, I wanted to talk a little bit about why tarot.  Tarot cards are a tool for divination and reflection. Traditional decks contain 78 cards, each one representing experiences we all go through as humans.

My perspective on reading tarot, which is different than a lot of other readers, is that the cards provide a valuable reflection of our internal landscape.  I see the cards as an intuitive tool for guidance. Reading for me becomes less about the cards themselves and more about what they bring up when you reflect on them. 

Personally, I can read people without the cards. A fellow reader looked at me during a reading a few months ago and remarked, “you don’t need the cards.”

I know this but i also know that it helps people to see a visual representation of what they are going through or struggling with.  The cards provide that touchpoint for people. (I also find it freaks people out less when the cards tell me something. People need a reason why or how a reader knows things.)

The cards can give a glance at what is in store as well but that information is usually less relevant than the reflection.

So what about embodiment?  

Embodiment of a card is a way for us to bring that energy into our life in a more tangible fashion.  When we think about a certain card we can come up with some ideas of how to get inspired by the energy or feeling of that card, but it can be hard to actually make it feel real to us.

In the embodiment classes I have been teaching, we use discussion to get familiar with the energy of the card.  Then we talk about how that applies to everyday life. Then to really embody the card, we do a yoga flow inspired by the energy of that card, we take some time for meditation on some questions around this card and how we can bring it into our everyday life in a more present way.

And why would we want to do this?  

There are a whole myriad of reasons.

I will use the High Priestess card as an example. The High Priestess card represents our ability to tap into our own inner knowing and guidance. The card teaches us about our connection to our intuition and how to trust that what we are hearing is right for us.  

Talking about the card is great and can be so helpful to bring new ideas to mind, but the embodiment piece is where it really starts to shift from just an idea into a practice.  When we start to look at moving intuitively, we start to feel our own internal guidance system switch on. When we meditate on where in our body we feel it when we feel aligned and guided by our intuition versus where we might feel our ego trying to lead us astray, we start to physically recognize the signals our body provides.

The whole experience helps bring the energy of each card to life. Instead of just hearing an idea, it gives you ways to bring it into your daily life.

There are lots of ways to embody the energy of a card. Maybe you’re feeling unstable while moving or starting a new job; you can work with the strength and fortitude of the Emperor card. Perhaps you’re trying to cultivate more patience and understanding your family; you could work with the Temperance card. You could even use The Star Card to help you move through trauma and start to heal.

You can meditate on each of these cards and start to feel in your body.  So with the Emperor card,you would bring to mind moments where you felt confident and strong, and then bring that feeling into your body.  How did you feel physically when you felt confident and strong? Where do you notice that feeling in your body? How long can you sit with that feeling?  Maybe over time you can hold on to that feeling longer.

You can even combine cards and say something like, “I really want to cultivate patience with the Temperance card but I also want to put people in their place when they need it”; maybe by using the Strength card.

The possibilities are endless.

I am very pleased to say that next week, I will be releasing my High Priestess Tarot Embodiment class as an online workshop that you can take at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home. This class offers the opportunity to learn all about intuition. We cover how to embody the High Priestess card, how to notice the physical cues that intuition brings up in our bodies, and how to strengthen intuition with practical exercises.

This class has been one of my passion projects over the past year and I am overjoyed to be bringing it to life in a new format. All the exercises and lessons in this workshop are tools I use in my own practice and development and my goal is to give everyone a playbook for working with their own intuitive talents.

I am very excited to add this option to my offerings after a lot of requests to bring back  this offering for people who missed them the first time around.  

You can join my email list here to be the first to get the deets about the release. Keep an eye on social media over the next week for a sneak peek.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved