Graham - 365 tarot spreads : revealing the magic in each day

Introduction

S ometimes an author chooses the subject; other times the subject chooses the author. 365 Tarot Spreads was a case of the latter; this book chose me.

Youll discover, as I did, a plethora of 365 books if you look for them. Daily books of spells, goddesses, simple advice, daily living, sexual positions, creativity guides, meditations, journaling suggestions, recipes, happiness boosters, motivations, and ideas ad infinitum for each day of the year.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover no tarot book for each day of the year existed, especially since for many cartomancers (a fancy name for tarot lovers), tarot is a hallowed daily practice. Pulling daily cards is not only an excellent tarot learning tool but a ritual for what Id imagine are hundreds of thousands of readers.

Even my sister, director of a large drug addiction rehabilitation facility in the healing airs of Malibu, California, pulls a card from her mermaid deck for guidance and inspiration before important meetings. She wouldnt describe herself as a tarotist, but she understands the importance of a clear, concise message or theme when one is needed and the usefulness of a card as a focal point when focus is called for.

This is the sublime nature of tarot: tarot pulls focus. It gives your attention a resting point. The dialogue a reader has with their cards is a rapid-fire, emotion-filled experience leading to informed decision-making and change. Why? Because we tend to live in our heads and in the experience of our brains. Tarot brings us out of ourselves. It moves our perception outwards and onto the cards before us. Rather than living with the possibility imagined in our minds eye, the possibility is spread on the table before us. This small bit of spacethis foot or two of distance between reader and cardsallows us perspective. Like the value of age and wisdom, tarot spreads allow us to step back, reevaluate, and consider motives, actions, and outcomes from a different vantage point. In this space intuition leaps to life and we actively listen for guidance.

For many of us, this is done on a daily basis. So why not create a tarot spread for each and every day of the year?

On Questioning

The root of a question is a questa journey, act, or instance of seeking or pursuing something. A tarot reading is a search, a journey, a quest for truth. Tarot decks lie in wait for your questions: What do I want to know, see, meditate on? The first thing a tarot reader asks the client is, What do you want to know? To come to tarot is to come with a curious mind. A tarot spread can alter the course of your lifeor not; it is entirely up to you. Will you sit on the information gathered or will you act on it?

At some point in the process of writing this book, it occurred to me that there must be a set number of questions someone could ask about themselves and their life. While each individuals journey is infinite, the language surrounding the journey, the articulation of those questions, must have a set limit. The questions wouldnt include the likes of What makes volcanoes erupt? though you can ask tarot anything you want. This book is concerned with questions in regard to ones life: Does he love me? Am I making the right choice? What should I do? There are small differences in how questions are phrased, but the essential quest, search, desire, and intended or hoped for outcome is essentially a set number. This is why most tarot readings come down to the same few subjects: love, money, career, and life path.

Interestingly, the relatively small number of questions one could ask doesnt make the experience of life feel small; its quite the opposite. Magic and uniqueness occur in the way we color our existence. We are far from robots operating in a factory line of mindless repetition. A simple description of the human body states two arms, two legs, one heart, one brain. On the surface, this appears simple, set, and staid. But the way we inhabit our bodies is unique. Therein lies infinity. And if you dont believe me, look at the bodies ambling down Forty- Second Street in New York City. Gaze at ballet dancers leaping across the stage. Watch toddlers move. Infinity exists amidst essentials.

Small, finite sets of human existence are apparent everywhere. The twelve signs of the zodiac cover the fundamental qualities indicative of the human psyche, thus millions of people look at the same horoscope and say, Yes. This is me! Shakespeares thirty-seven plays comprise the essential dramatic narrative of human existence. Hes told all of our stories. The Heros Journey is apparent in cross-cultural mythology. Its narrative arc is rife through the major arcana and resonates with every person on earth. All religious dogma boils down to a handful of essential truths. Our life ultimately contains a few vital themes, issues, and problems. We find ourselves continually working out these same issues over and over again. Even sacred geometry tells us nature is made of repetitive patterns. The tiny spiral of a black snail in morning sunlight is the same shape of spiral galaxies light years away in outer space. Everything repeats.