Black Mirror Alchemy: The Path of the Digital Hermit

Greetings, dear readers! For my husband and me, and likely many of you, the midpoint of August signals the start of a new academic term. I love this time of year because it offers a chance to plan the projects and goals I want to achieve over the next nine months. Planning is one of my favorite activities, which is probably no surprise given that my sun sign is Virgo. In my day job as a psychology professor, I’ve learned a lot about setting goals and planning. I’ve had some stellar years where I accomplished everything I set out to do, and I’ve had years where nearly everything I touched seemed to fall apart. In addition, I get to watch and teach students how to plan their terms, celebrate their successes, and console them in their setbacks. In the spirit of going back to school, I thought it would be a great idea to explore how tarot can be used as a practical tool—not just for self-actualization and spiritual development, but for organizing our lives and achieving our goals. Ta...

Welcome back to The Hermit's Journey! In this blog post, we will discuss the significance of ritual in our lives and how tarot can aid you in engaging in ritual for psychological benefits. Ritual plays a crucial role in our human experience, allowing us to connect with the hyper-real in a controlled space, keeping us oriented to the real world. So, in this week's post, we will explore the definition of ritual, how tarot can help you establish your own rituals, and some next steps for nurturing your spiritual life. Ritual Rituals can be seen as a series of formalized acts and utterances that create a holistic performance. According to Dr. Matt Rossano, ritual has been instrumental in the development of our social-cognitive functions, helping us understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. Typically, rituals possess four characteristics, which serve as key indicators for creating our own tarot rituals: Rituals are meant to be attention-grabbing to outsiders. Rituals fol...

 Welcome back to the Hermit's Journey!  In today's post, we will explore the theoretical underpinnings of tarot cards to understand how they might work and why your readings tend to be correct.  When I first started to explore tarot cards, I immediately began to notice that my readings tended to be more accurate than not. While this was incredibly affirming to me and helped keep me motivated to learn more about the tarot, it did cause me to question the forces that were at work which made these readings so spot on. Was Satan himself picking the cards out of the deck for me? Was this an elaborate game of self-fulfilling prophesy? Or was there something more mechanistic in the architecture of the deck at work here?  In the past ten years I've tried to answers these questions and find my footing with regards to tarot. Over my life I have found myself in a particularly awkward position where I was raised southern Baptist with all the dogma and superstitions which come al...

Welcome back to the Hermit's Journey series.  Today, we will discuss the Major Arcana cards in your tarot deck in a little more depth. The Major Arcana cards can be thought of as cornerstones in a reading as they take precedence and influence all of the Minor Arcana cards. I liken the Major Arcana to waves in the ocean. They are forces of nature that we cannot control, but we do have the choice of how we deal with them. Will they toss us into the tide and drag us out to sea, or will we choose to ride the wave and see where it takes us? Either way, the Major Arcana will be taking us to our destination, willing or not.  As mentioned briefly in the first Hermit's Journey, there are a few ways to interpret the Major Arcana cards. In this post, we will explore deeper into two of the three methods: archetypes and astrology. However, these methods are not mutually exclusive. In my readings, I often layer the meanings on top of each other to provide a more comprehensive interpretation...

Introduction to the Major Arcana Now that we have an understanding of tarot as a whole, let's take a closer look at the Major Arcana. As mentioned in the previous post, the Major Arcana cards are trump cards. When these cards appear in a reading, they signify the major themes from which you draw your interpretation. Initially, it can be helpful to use key words for each Major Arcana card and approach them similarly to the Minor Arcana. However, as you progress, you'll need to adapt your strategies to enhance your interpretations. With this in mind, let's explore each of the cards that make up the Major Arcana. I will provide you with some basic key words to support your learning. Towards the end of the post, we will discuss three different methods you can use to contemplate and elevate your understanding of tarot. Additionally, I will share the first spread you can start using today.  Major Arcana Key Words The Fool (0) New beginnings, naiv...

Welcome to the First Lesson of Tarot Before we proceed, there are a few initial tasks you should complete: Acquire a tarot deck, preferably the Rider-Waite system, which will be the focus of our discussions. Unwrap the deck and take a moment to familiarize yourself with the cards. Read through the accompanying booklet for a brief overview. Once you have finished these preliminary steps, you are ready to embark on your tarot journey. At first glance, tarot may seem overwhelming due to the various meanings assigned to each card, intricate imagery, and existing assumptions. However, the beauty of tarot lies in its closed system of interpretation, with only a few exceptions to the general rules that govern card meanings. Additionally, tarot is a subjective practice, allowing your personal experiences, meanings, and interpretations to shape your unique tarot journey. Now, let's begin by exploring the structure of tarot. A key aspect is the Major Arcana , consisting of 2...