Back in college, a dorm mate interested in the tarot offered readings to anyone who was curious. I wanted a reading, but I was terrified of getting the “Death” card thinking that it meant literal physical death. My fear blocked the experience.
Years later when I was on my spiritual path, a friend who had done readings for many years offered to teach me. We laughed together about the scorch marks on one of her cards from when she propped it against a candle on her altar and a red wine stain on another of the cards.
In my thirties, I could relax into the experience because by then I realized that the “Death” card represents an archetypal energy of change and rebirth. Everything eventually dies so it can be reborn – chapters of our life, vocation, and even projects.
There are two kinds of cards in the tarot deck. The minor arcana represent the more mundane aspects of life. They are broken into four suits: coins (earth/physicality), cups (water/emotions), wands (fire/energy), and swords (air/thoughts). Minor arcana follow the concept of playing cards, and indeed some readers use a deck of standard playing cards.
The major arcana are special cards added to the deck. They represent universal patterns of energy in the human existence, such as the Hermit (contemplation), the Star (rejuvenation), and the High Priestess (mystery). When any of the major arcana show up in a reading, they get extra weight because their message is more meaningful.
Shamanic healing is a bit like reading tarot. We watch for and track big universal patterns of energy that may be influencing the client. We also notice connection to the elements and the balance of energies in the client’s life.
In my years as a shamanic practitioner, I’ve also realized that some healings are like the major arcana. A session may be particularly powerful and get directly to the root of a pattern or unhealed wound the client is in complete alignment with shifting. These may be around a core issue, and the shifts that happen may be so profound that they ripple out and affect every area of the client’s life. They are forever changed because of the session.
Other healings are like the minor arcana and may relate more to mundane issues. These healings might move the client into a place of readiness for a big piece of work that’s coming. Other healings take care of some necessary bit of energetic housekeeping, such as clearing a suffering being that’s causing interference before being able to move deeper into a core issue.
(My original shamanic teacher used to say that shamanic healing is like being a janitor for the gods. I used to think of this with a smile on my face when I vacuumed or cleaned the toilet at my office.)
Clients who resonate with shamanic healing and do sessions on a regular basis learn to recognize the ebb and flow of shamanic healing. All sessions are helpful and exactly what is needed at the moment, guided by Spirit. When the especially powerful healings happen, they recognize them for the gift they are and step into that moment of grace.
This work is real, and it matters.
September 22, 2021