Face Value
In Tarot reading, as in life, it’s important not to accept anything at face value.
For instance, at first glance Death brings up only negative connotations, but if your thinking ends there you’ll miss the deeper, more joyous meaning of rebirth and hope for the future.
I’ll use the princesses from the Hermetic Tarot as another example. If you see their bare chested forms and find them offensive, ask yourself, ‘Why?' Did you know that they are the most powerful cards in the deck? And rightfully so, because there is nothing more powerful than a woman with dominion over her own body.
Too often people dismiss things at face value because they don't fit the mold of their ideals at first glance. This reactionary way of thinking can be very harmful. There are a lot of problematic things in this world, but labeling things as such that don’t deserve it takes focus from real issues and obscures the true meaning of that which is being misunderstood. It is really disheartening to me not only as an artist who strives to create work with depth of meaning, but also as a consumer because I enjoy being challenged by the media I enjoy. The fear of being misunderstood can be creatively stifling and our culture suffers for it.
It’s so important to question your own perceptions and be open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Your life will be so much richer if you don’t limit yourself by settling for ignorance, but instead choose to put forth the effort to understand the things that make you uncomfortable or vex you.
The Tarot invites you to look deeper. Those of us who sit down with the cards do so to seek out the truth when we are struggling to find an answer on our own. With practice, it can be a great tool to sharpen your skills of perception.
No matter how much you think you understand something there is always more beneath the surface. After years of study I thought I knew the cards well, but the process of creating them from scratch has really allowed me to find more within them, and within myself, than I ever knew was there.
The search for meaning is endless. It’s one of the many burdens of human existence—but if you open your mind, it can also be a joy.
