I was drawn to Tarot initially, because I knew that, with some adaptations, the system could work for me. Methods like scrying and runes seem almost impossible, while the cards are manageable. Also, it is important for you to realize that I have been blind since birth, so, lacking the visual element of the Tarot isn’t new to me. I just went about it the way I go about everything else: without sight.

First of all, Tarot decks are quite inaccessible, when first purchased. Before I can do anything with them, I have to Braille the cards, along with whatever documentation comes with them. If it’s an actual book, I can put it through a scanner, which speeds up the process, but those little, white books that come with most decks don’t scan well at all, which means that someone has to read them to me, while I copy them out. Needless to say, it’s time-consuming.

I put the card into a Braille typewriter, and write the name of the card. So, for the fool, I would write:

0
Fool

For the four of pentacles, I write:

4P

Once the deck is Brailled, I can begin to use it. When I lay out a spread, I think about the meanings given for each card. I also think about the suit of the card, whether it is reversed or not, and whether it is a major or minor arcana card. I apply all of this information to the question that is being addressed. I then move on to the next card, and do the same thing again, until I’ve interpreted the entire spread.

I know that, for those of you who can see, the pictures on the cards are a great help when it comes to interpretation. Usually, I have no clue what the cards even look like, and so, I rely more on intuition and the meanings I know to be true for the particular card.

I also pay close attention to experiences that people have told me about. On another list, there was a discussion of how to interpret the Moon card, and I gained a lot of insight that way.

Brighid’s Daily Spread

To Explore:

• Things I need to focus on Today?
• What do I need to work on?
• What am I supposed to learn?
• What issues am I dealing with?
• What is key for me today?

Card 1 , Card 2, Card 3

Card 4*

* Shadow Card, (Unknown or Undercurrents) from the Bottom of the Deck

Brighid is a Tarot Reader who practices Feminist Dianic Witchcraft. She currently resides in Texas while completing a social work degree. She shares her apartment with 2 dogs, a cat and a pregnant guinea pig. Brighid has, on occasion, tricked people into reading Tarot books for her. Her favorite decks include the Goddess Tarot, the Medicine Woman Tarot, Goddess Guidance Oracle, Magical Unicorns Oracle and Jamie Sams’ Medicine Cards.

Decks that don’t work as well:

Check out the Braille Spanish Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot.

Titles Only Tarot

It is an interesting exercise to try reading with out pictures. It can be done to test your knowledge and memory of the cards. You can see how you have internalized card meanings and explore what comes to mind when any given card comes up.

One thing to try is to do a reading with the Titles only then pull the same cards from various decks and see how you interpretation changes. You can make your own but writing on 3×5 cards. Here is a pdf of a deck I created for this purpose. It can be printed out on card stock and trimmed to make a set of cards.

For instance, what is the Knight of Wands on its own.

This is a deck I made with the printout on nice paper with golden fish on the back.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Death and the Temperance

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we will be continuing on our journey through the symbols in the Major Arcana. As I noted in the first Pod Cast of this series, that of the Fool, the imagery and symbolism in the Tarot is what connects us to its archetypal qualities and wisdom. It acts as a gateway between our conscious and our unconscious worlds. Each deck carries with it its own unique brand of imagery and symbols. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of Death and Temperance. The major theme for Death is that of transformation and new opportunities. Inherent in a new beginning, or new opportunity, is the leaving behind of that which no longer serves us well.

The skeleton of Death moves from left to right, from unconsciousness towards consciousness. His pink saddle symbolizes that his mission of transformation is based on love.

His black banner shows a five petaled white rose, symbolic of Mars, the five senses, and of life.

In the distance, the Sun is shown between two pillars, symbolizing immortality. A ship, symbolizing the afterlife, is shown sailing towards the Sun.

The four figures in the scene represent the temporal and the spiritual, old and young, male and female … death comes to everyone.

The red plume (as seen in the card of the Fool) represents will and power. The river represents the River Styx (the river that the Greek’s believed led to the underworld), and the constant movement into and out of materialization.

In a reading, Death alerts us that major changes are happening.

The major theme for Temperance is that of balance and control. In “The Heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson refers to this as representing the purification and tempering of our own inner processes.

The crown at the end of the path represents mastery and attainment. The silver cup represents the unconscious, the gold cup consciousness. The water being poured back and forth is the essence of life.

One foot in the emotional world of water, one foot on the physical world of land, we bring balance to our conscious and unconscious selves.

The flower Iris represents the Greek Goddess Iris, Goddess of the rainbow.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Night of the Goddess Part 1 by Paul Averinos from Maya (Magnatune)

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