Contacting Spirit Guides with the Tarot

Farzon

Tanga said:
I can answer the 1st bit of your question by sharing my own experience. The rest I cannot comment on - as I've never conversed with my guides using a Tarot deck (and only just got the idea from joining this forum I'll get around to trying it when it fits...). In-fact the rest of your question could be my own - so I shall be watching this thread closely.

So - here goes:

Spirit guides first "appeared" to me (or I decided to have some - I'm never quite sure which) when I began exploring/learning forms of "alternative" therapy, or esoteric practice.
In every case - I was not deliberately looking to find one. It just seemed that I repeatedly began "seeing" them like a sort of vision, or "idea" that followed me around - and after a while I figured they must be what everyone described as guides.
It is possible to deliberately sit through a guided meditation to "find your spirit guide" - and indeed, in Shamanic practice (neo-practice I think - I know very little) I believe one goes on a guided pathworking to a specific plane, to find one's personal spirit guide/s.

My 1st two "appeared" to me, during my Reiki 1 attunement many years ago.
Whilst lying there with my eyes closed having the attunement - I saw and heard a number of things. I saw a guide in the form of an Arctic fox sitting at my feet, and one as a man at my side - sort-of Mongolian looking.
The image and characteristics of the guides (together with what I know and have since researched) unfolded over time. And they come and go. The fox, I usually "see" when I'm struggling with baggage from my past or shadow self (and possibly past lives too - though I've never gone much into that). The Mongolian, I see him less often. He reminds me of my strength - and I rarely need reminding these days.

Another guide appeared whilst I was at a psychic awareness class, at The College of Psychic Studies (London). I just had an impression of a symbol drawn in the sand, and a rather angelic sounding name popped into my head (we were doing a focussing exercise with sand that night).
[Things often 'pop' into my head - or I sort of "hear" them - apparently, this is called clairaudience. More Lol. ...Perhaps.]

And I have one that "appears" whilst I practice meditation. She feels like someone is looking over my shoulder - listening to my chanting. Perhaps she's tut-tutting at my pronunciation? (Sanskrit).

So, like ideas, pictures and sounds that come to you all of a sudden? It´s like, you just know they are there, do I get this right? As if you had a dream and knew that it was something more?
Thanks for sharing!

Padma said:
Farzon, perhaps meditating with one card, a different one each day, would help. I used the Majors for this exercise. I would light a candle, hold a crystal, and stare at the card in an unfocused way, allowing myself to enter the card so to speak, and walk around in it, and see if the subject of the card wished to speak to me.

If I felt a connection, or heard something from the archetype in the card, I would then go further, asking for a name or for discussion of some kind. Some cards I felt nothing, and no one spoke; other cards I would feel a welcoming, I would get messages from the card, in my mind, and I would begin to hear names and the like *after* my meditation was done. Which I found interesting. I would normally end the evening by thanking the guides, and blowing out the candle doorway.

From this, I got two names, and impressions of two gents - one from the Medieval period, another from the Georgian period. And one primary, a woman who speaks to me in soothing tones, usually telling me that all shall be well I think it is Saint Julian of Norwich. It appears she is one of my guides

The animal ones find me, simply by appearing continuously almost everywhere I look, or calling me to paint them. Rabbit has been with me for years.

Anyways, worth a try! If nothing else, you will get to know your cards really well!

That´s a great suggestion! Actually, I already have some cards in mind that could be helpful for me.

danieljuk said:
I think you get a lot from spirit guides and info about them from meditation and there is specific meditations where you can talk to them. I think you have the most contact when you are the most quiet and relaxed and contemplative. But to keep it on the tarot topic, I haven't personally tried to use tarot with mine. I think I will one day and see what I get from it.

There is some amazing spirit guide spreads in the spread index here.
here is some links to a few of them to try and get in touch with them....

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=23957
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=131097
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=70796
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=70794

I think I will have a go with one of those spreads and see what comes up

These spreads surely look interesting! I once tried the Spirit Guide Spread from Barbara Moore´s book "Tarot Spreads" when a querent asked me to ask her Spirit Guides for advice. I got a sequence of cards for the spirits and it was completely impossible that this came from bad shuffling. With these cards, the querent was in fact able to determine that it was really the Spirit Guides she knew about, that were answering the reading. But she knew of them beforehand. What I´m wondering is, if Tarot is useful in establishing the first contact, or if this should rather be made in meditation or come naturally in visions or dreams.

Chrystella said:
I know of my ancestor and other spirit guides through years of mediumship work. The Afro-Cuban religion that I practice, Lucumi, has a lot of Spiritism in it. Honouring your ancestors and learning to communicate with spirits are important parts of the religion.

Of all the professional tarot readings I've ever had, I've only had four excellent, dead on ones. Two were by Mary K. Greer at PantheaCon. The other two were by women in orisha traditions who communicate messages from ancestor and spirit guides. One of them didn't use cards at all. She just set down a glass of water and tuned in. The other used Spanish playing cards (typical of old Cuban ladies). She also put down a glass of water, said a prayer and asked to speak with my ancestor and spirit guides, and just tuned in. The water is said to act like a conduit between the worlds and is also refreshing and nourishing to spirits.

I think it's worth exploring how you think tarot works, where you think the answers come from. For these two women, the messages that come from the cards come from spirit guides.

I´m also thinking a lot about this last point... is it possible to get one reading from Spirit Guides and the next one from your higher self? Depending on what kind of contact and contemplation you desire to use? To give an answer to that myself, I think yes.

Thanks for all your answers so far! To all those who read with their Spirit Guides: Is it possible that they "interfere" with your reading, i.e., you don´t ask them for advice but a certain card combo or other details in the reading make it clear it was them answering your question (because they had some important statement to make)?

Tanga

Farzon said:
So, like ideas, pictures and sounds that come to you all of a sudden? It´s like, you just know they are there, do I get this right? As if you had a dream and knew that it was something more?

Yes. To pick-up on the dream part - I dream lucidly and in colour all-the-time, and have past long practice of recording and working with them. Now, if I wake up remembering my dream without effort (as If I've just come out of the movies) - I know I need to pay attention to it. My subconscious is trying to tell me something.
With guides, in my experience, it's like this - they are just there - present even when your mind is focussed on something that doesn't encourage a wondering of the imagination.

Farzon said:
What I'm wondering is, if Tarot is useful in establishing the first contact, or if this should rather be made in meditation or come naturally in visions or dreams.

I think the format will be unique to each individual. And just as, for some people things just flow "naturally", for others - they have to really "work" to find or figure things out.
If you are "looking" - try both, practicing over a period of time. You will eventually know for yourself - which "fits". I suspect that as you have been so interested in the tarot aspect - this may just 'fit' for you.

Farzon said:
I´m also thinking a lot about this last point... is it possible to get one reading from Spirit Guides and the next one from your higher self? Depending on what kind of contact and contemplation you desire to use? To give an answer to that myself, I think yes.

Some would argue that they are one-and-the-same depending on what they think a guide actually is.
I would say yes.

Farzon said:
To all those who read with their Spirit Guides: Is it possible that they "interfere" with your reading, i.e., you don´t ask them for advice but a certain card combo or other details in the reading make it clear it was them answering your question (because they had some important statement to make)?

Yes.
I don't deliberately read with my Spirit guides. And in-fact - mostly don't even think of them when I start a reading for someone else (apart from my automatically recited Tarot invokation - which covers everything). I'm just openly "listening" for whatever I can pick up/work out - that will be helpful.
What happens is as I'm reading - I may get a repeating message in the form of a thought or picture that interrupts what I'm doing:
e.g. - card one means bla bla bla and now, that links to card 2 ["Arctic fox's paw is on this card!]... in order to then...

etc.

I am excited! - reading through this thread, I went away thinking... "Well I wonder if I have a specific "communication with my guides" deck. And I have.

(I invent ways to use all the decks that I have. Don't want them sitting around idle).
I'll be using the Golden Tarot (Kat Black) to try out some of the aforementioned spirit guide spreads etc. and further explore.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/golden/

Thankyou all.

Farzon

Tanga said:
Yes. To pick-up on the dream part - I dream lucidly and in colour all-the-time, and have past long practice of recording and working with them. Now, if I wake up remembering my dream without effort (as If I've just come out of the movies) - I know I need to pay attention to it. My subconscious is trying to tell me something.

I think the format will be unique to each individual. And just as, for some people things just flow "naturally", for others - they have to really "work" to find or figure things out.
If you are "looking" - try both, practicing over a period of time. You will eventually know for yourself - which "fits". I suspect that as you have been so interested in the tarot aspect - this may just 'fit' for you.

Funnily enough, I don't think I would like the first contact via Tarot. I'm just very interested in combining Tarot and Spirit Guides since a member here asked me to contact her guides - and I succeeded (the spread allowed an identification).

I think, I have met two Spirit Guides years ago, in a dream. Back then, I was not that interested in spirituality as I am now, but I was more open minded. I did not wonder about evil spirits of any sort, I'd just believe in Spirit Guides and that they are good. The dream struck me as very special back then, especially when I learned that one of the animals showed up in a heraldic sign that I never had seen before in exactly the way as in my dream. But only recently I also learned that the dream was a typical shamanistic dream in it's structure.

Now I'm trying to find out if and how Tarot can be helpful in reestablishing this contact.

Tanga

Farzon said:
Funnily enough, I don't think I would like the first contact via Tarot. I'm just very interested in combining Tarot and Spirit Guides since a member here asked me to contact her guides - and I succeeded (the spread allowed an identification).

Oh - pardon my assumption.
Could you post or direct us to thread for Barbara Moore's Spread that you used?
I am most curious.

Farzon said:
I think, I have met two Spirit Guides years ago, in a dream.

The dream struck me as very special back then, especially when I learned that one of the animals showed up in a heraldic sign that I never had seen before in exactly the way as in my dream. But only recently I also learned that the dream was a typical shamanistic dream in it's structure.

Now I'm trying to find out if and how Tarot can be helpful in reestablishing this contact.

I have had the "showing up later in exactly the same way as the dream" experience -
But not about guides - about a place that I lived in a past life. Totally weird!

seedcake

Farzon said:
Now I'm trying to find out if and how Tarot can be helpful in reestablishing this contact.

Just do a spread.

My very first approach to contact my Spirit Guides was through a spread found here. I got the message which was pretty relevant for the situation but... I didn't know who was contacting me. I think Tarot is the best to find messages from them but to identify? I'm not so sure. I made few spread to connect with my main Spirit Guide but I was able to know who or what he was, after my meditations. Or he told me/showed me this 'cause he decided to not be in "disguise".

Anyway, you should experiment and combine few elements - Tarot, meditations and what you would like to try. And one day, you'll talk with your Spirit Guides while driving a car

2dogs

ellpi said:
You could shuffle and ask for assistance to connect to your guides.
You could use a 3 card spread and consider each revealed card as a part of the process of what you need to know.
For instance, you could lay your first card and ask what you need to know about connecting with your guides, then what will be your challenge to overcome (for instance, you might need to release your ego) the third card could reveal the connection into the future.

Hope that makes sense.

Your guides are always with you, you can connect with them anytime, its usually just our mind that gets in the way.

Thank you ellpi, I tried this spread and the advice was positive although it seems my challenge is to make good practical sense out of any messages I might receive :thumbsup:

.

nord_drache

Thanks everyone for these ideas, timely that I discovered it . . .
Now I'm going to the spirituality section.

Jim

SunChariot

Farzon said:
Actually I have two questions I am interested in, both closely connected. But maybe answering the first would be better off in another part of the forum... nevertheless:

How do you know about your spirit guides in the first place? Their presence, character and appearance? And then my main interest, how does the contact via Tarot work? How do you establish it and when you have done the reading, how do you know it is from the respective spirit? Is it simply a matter of believing?

For me, I came to know about one of my spirit guides when someone else saw them in a reading for me. I was told that she saw him as a Native American and drew his image. Years later, I had a reading done where the reader drew an image of your spirit guide for you. She saw him very clearly as a Native American Male. And even was able to tell me his name this time. It happened one other time too. Three independant readers saw the exact same things years apart. None knowing what the others had said. That convinced me. :grin:

If you scry, I find I have also SEEN my angel and spirit guide myself in my crystal balls. Often quite clearly.

But back to Tarot. You just ask and turn off your thoughts and FEEL. The answer can only come through your intuition. You have to FEEL the connection between you, what they want you to know...

While the cards are the starting point, they are not the ending point. Tarot is a tool that improves you intution and psychic abilties over time. The more they open and improve, the more you can sense your spirit guides and when you sense the connection strongly enough you know it's real.

Maybe at the start it is a matter of believing that the cards know what they are doing and the right accurate answer will always come up. But after a time you can sense beyond the cards and feel the connection and hear the messages in words, You develope more clairaudience (hearing the answers), claircognizance (an inner knowing)...and you just know. But at the start it is believing.

For me, a lot of this voyage started when I got Brian Froud's deck The Faeries' Oracle. The book with it gives exercises to do if you want the faeries to contact you. I tend to be pretty open minded and willing to suspend disbelief and experiment. I did all the exercises and yep I started experiencing contact from faeries with all my 5 senses. OFTEN. I later learnt faeries are a form of angel, nature angels, and I have been pretty strongly connected to angels and that level of energy since that time. But that deck is what opened me up to it.

Babs.

SunChariot

Also, it is my belief that ALL the things I see in the cards are answers from my spirit guides. So all that I pick up intuitively in the cards is from them.

Babs

Farzon

SunChariot said:
For me, I came to know about one of my spirit guides when someone else saw them in a reading for me. I was told that she saw him as a Native American and drew his image. Years later, I had a reading done where the reader drew an image of your spirit guide for you. She saw him very clearly as a Native American Male. And even was able to tell me his name this time. It happened one other time too. Three independant readers saw the exact same things years apart. None knowing what the others had said. That convinced me.

If you scry, I find I have also SEEN my angel and spirit guide myself in my crystal balls. Often quite clearly.

But back to Tarot. You just ask and turn off your thoughts and FEEL. The answer can only come through your intuition. You have to FEEL the connection between you, what they want you to know...

While the cards are the starting point, they are not the ending point. Tarot is a tool that improves you intution and psychic abilties over time. The more they open and improve, the more you can sense your spirit guides and when you sense the connection strongly enough you know it's real.

Maybe at the start it is a matter of believing that the cards know what they are doing and the right accurate answer will always come up. But after a time you can sense beyond the cards and feel the connection and hear the messages in words, You develope more clairaudience (hearing the answers), claircognizance (an inner knowing)...and you just know. But at the start it is believing.

For me, a lot of this voyage started when I got Brian Froud's deck The Faeries' Oracle. The book with it gives exercises to do if you want the faeries to contact you. I tend to be pretty open minded and willing to suspend disbelief and experiment. I did all the exercises and yep I started experiencing contact from faeries with all my 5 senses. OFTEN. I later learnt faeries are a form of angel, nature angels, and I have been pretty strongly connected to angels and that level of energy since that time. But that deck is what opened me up to it.

Babs.

SunChariot said:
Also, it is my belief that ALL the things I see in the cards are answers from my spirit guides. So all that I pick up intuitively in the cards is from them.

Babs

Thanks for sharing! And sorry for my late reply, I'm so busy these days [emoji58]

I perfectly agree with you, the cards are simply a tool. And for myself, I came to the conclusion (for now) that in fact it is a matter of believing and believing where the answers come from. When I want to contact my spirit guides, I visualize them, sometimes the exact dream in which I saw them first. Sometimes other pictures pop up and they don't guide me through a natural environment but through my street.

I also have started speaking with them sometimes.

Then I do the reading as usually. In the end, before picking up the cards, I thank them for their guidance.
And as Tanga asked, I'll take the time to share Barbara Moore's spread the next few days. I made some modifications which I feel are useful to contact spirit guides you already know.

Contacting Spirit Guides with the Tarot

Farzon

Tanga

Farzon

Tanga

seedcake

2dogs

nord_drache

SunChariot

SunChariot

Farzon