Tarot For Grown Ups: Beyond Good and Evil – by Richard Abbot

I spend a lot of time exhibiting at Mind Body Spirit Fairs up and down the UK, and they still give me the chance to meet lots of interesting people in a short space of time.

During these events I am often asked ‘What is the difference between Angel cards and Tarot cards?’ My answer ignores what the cards look like and goes something like this:

Angel Cards focus wholly and exclusively on one area of life – the positive. Angel cards speak of harmony, optimism, growth, light, love, luck and blessings. This unbalanced view is perfectly appropriate in certain areas, but it stands in sharp contrast to the purpose of the Tarot. This is the point where people recoil in horror. ‘So you mean Tarot are evil?’ they say, staring at me intently, waiting for me to reaffirm their prejudice. Nothing could be further from the truth, for Tarot delivers a balanced perspective, by looking at the totality of life - the good and the bad. It shows us the good so we can take advantage of it, and it shows us the bad so we can be forewarned and forearmed.

Some devoted souls then ask me ‘But who’s to say what’s good and what’s bad anyway?’ And then my answers delve a little deeper.

Observe the Ying Yang symbol, a reflection of Life, the Universe and Everything. It contains light and dark – positive and negative, good and bad, night and day, male and female. Within the heart of the darkness, rests the seed of the light, and within the brightness of the light rests the kernel of the dark. That’s the way life is and the Tarot simply reflects that.

Cards such as Death, the Tower, 10 Swords and The Devil are the ones that often scare peoples witless, but why? Life is here for us to learn, develop and grow, and difficult or painful learning is as much a part of life as joy and happiness. Indeed, when did we humans ever learn anything except when we really had to? And consider the happiest card there is – The Sun – the giver of life, warmth and hope. What happens if we remain in the Sun too long? Would we not be burned and scorched and dehydrated if we basked in its life force unendingly? Even the planet spins so that we have a rest from its bountiful power.

So, I ask those well meaning seekers of love and light to consider this - if the good can sometimes be bad for us, maybe the bad can sometimes be good for us? And maybe the experiences reflected by those cards – Death, Tower, 10 Swords and the Devil – are a natural part of life, and simply there to learn from?
As always, The Tarot lays it out for those that wish to see.

By Richard Abbot www.yourwayforward.co.uk