Mary K. Greer - Tarot for Your Self

This edition first published in 2019 by Weiser Books, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

65 Parker Street, Suite 7

Newburyport, MA 01950

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2002, 2019 by Mary K. Greer

Foreword copyright 2019 Benebell Wen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Previously published in 2002 by New Page Books, ISBN: 978-1-56414-588-8.

Six of Cups copyright 1962 by Diane Wakoski from the book Inside the Blood Factory by Diane Wakoski. Reprinted by permission of Doubleday and Co., Inc. The Empress #8 from Smudging by Diane Wakoski. Published by Black Sparrow Press, Los Angeles, copyright 1972. Reprinted by permission of the author. Excerpt from The Queen of Wands from the book The Queen of Wands by Judy Grahn. Published by The Crossing Press, copyright 1982. Reprinted by permission of the author. The back fence/the ancient Celtic Cross from A Passage of Saint Devil by Duncan McNaughton. Published by Talonbooks, Ltd., copyright 1976. Reprinted by permission of the author. What Made Tarot Cards and Fleurs de Lis from Selected Poems 1943-1966 by Philip Lamantia, copyright 1967. Reprinted by permission of City Lights Books. Excerpt from Zero: The Fool in Pieces by Robert Creeley, copyright 1969. Reprinted by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. Excerpt from The Greater Trumps by Charles Williams. Copyright 1950 by Pellegrini and Cudahy. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc. Princess of Disks, a previously unpublished poem by Diane di Prima, copyright 1983 by Diane di Prima. Printed by permission of the author. A Tarot Story, a previously unpublished short story by LiAnne Graves, copyright 1984 by Lianne Graves. Printed by permission of the author. Tarot processes developed and taught by Angeles Arrien in her classes used by her permission. Adaptation from Images of Interpersonal Intuition from the book Awakening lntuition by Frances E. Vaughan. Published by Anchor Books, copyright 1979. Used by permission of the author. Reproductions of the Aquarian Tarot deck, copyright 1970, and the Morgan-Greer Tarot deck, copyright 1979. Used by permission of Morgan Press, Inc. Reproductions of the Church of Light Egyptian Tarot deck, copyright 1936, 1964. Used by permission of the Church of Light. Reproductions of the Motherpeace Tarot deck, copyright 1981. Used by permission of Vicki Noble. Reproductions of the Moon and Sybil cards from the Amazon Tarot deck, copyright 1980 by Elf and Dragon Press. Used by permission of the artist, Billie Ports. Reproduction of the Sage card from the Amazon Tarot deck, copyright 1980 by Elf and Dragon Press. Used by permission of the artist, Prairie Jackson. Reproductions of the Voyager Tarot deck, copyright 1984. Used by permission of Jim Wanless. Reproductions of the Xultun Tarot deck, copyright 1976. Used by permission of the artist, Peter Balin. Tarot cards reproduced by permission of U. S. Games Systems, Inc. from the following decks: Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot deck, copyright 1978 by U. S. Games Sys-tems, Inc. and Samuel Weiser, Inc. Native American Tarot deck, copyright 1982

ISBN: 978-1-57863-679-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Edited by Nicole DeFelice

Typeset by Eileen Dow Munson

Cover design by Kathryn Sky-Peck

Printed in the United States of America

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To Ed Buryn

And

Casimira Greer Buryn

cknowledgments

I would first like to thank Tristine Rainer for her book, The New Diary: How to Use a Journal for Self-Guidance and Expanded Creativity. It was through reading and working with her book that I realized what was to me of most importance in the Tarot: the personal search for self-understanding. Her book was the key that made all the pieces fit, and she demonstrated through her way of writingas if she were talking to me as a close friendthe way in which I too wanted to reach my readers. Any similarities between her book and mine are due to my admiration for her writing and the inspiration of her ideas.

There are many readers, artists, teachers, counselors, healers, thinkers, magicians, and movers of Tarot, especially in the San Francisco Bay area, that I have been privileged to know and study with. I have used what they have taught me, along with my 15 years of independent study, to the extent that their ideas have blended and merged with mine. I have tried to acknowledge their seed ideas and creations throughout the book, and I want to give special thanks to: Angeles Arrien, Vicky Noble, Suzanne Judith, Diane di Prima, Dori Gombold, Joanne Kowalski, Jim Wanless, Hilary Anderson, Ed Hoscoe, Tracey Hoover, Jean Samiljan, Gail Fairfield, and Luna Mothall practitioners of the art of Tarot. For what I have learned from them in the fields of psychic development, astrology, healing, and crystals, I would like to thank: Tamara Diagilev, Oh Shinnah, Merlyn, Dale Walker, Aaron Greenberg, and Yana Breeze. And to my best teachers of all, my students of the last eight years, I offer this book in gratitude.

Special thanks go to four people who were my coaches and midwives as I gave birth to this work: foremost to Ed Buryn, who inspired, encouraged, edited, cooked, washed dishes, and made this whole book possible. To my friends: artist and astrologer Susan St. Thomas, whose illustrations grace these pages; to Tarot and past-life counselor Dori Gombold, whose writing skills and knowledge of Tarot smoothed many an awkward passage; and to Howard Fallon, who introduced me to the wonders of word processing and provided the computer support.

I've dedicated this book to Ed, who knew I could do it and without whom it would have taken many more years, and to our daughter Casimira, born at the time the book was first conceptualized and who has grown with it.

ontents

ubject Directory

SPREADS

The Celtic Cross Permutations

CHARTS

(You may want to photocopy these before using for your continued use.)

EXERCISES

MANDALAS

ACTIVE IMAGINATION AND VISUALIZATIONS

RITUALS

INTERPRETING THE CARDS AND SPECIAL USES

oreword

When Tarot for Your Self was first published, it caused a paradigm shift. The book set a milestone in the development of Tarot reading as an independent study tool, inspiring people from every walk of life to work with the cards for self-realized introspection. More than three decades later, and passing the test of time, Tarot for Your Self continues to be on the oft-recommended shortlist of books that Tarot novices learn their craft from. This new edition comes at the most critical period of human history, in an era when people are seeking personal sovereignty and are filled with a desire to connect directly with Divinity rather than seek out an intermediary.