Reflections on The Tree of Life and Tarot PLUS! a Guided Meditation
As humans we are one miniscule part of the macrocosm known as the universe. We have been taught to believe the universe is motivated to bend to us as humans, our wants, desires, and needs. This is untrue. Our actions and behaviors as a species in the macrocosm make a significant impact on its health and survival. The one force throughout nature and the universe that is absolute and required is balance. When that force is out of alignment, or when we neglect, ignore, resist, and avoid tending to it, nature and the universe very clearly reminds us of our place.
It is our duty to humble ourselves in realization of how truly insignificant we are in the vast and intricate web of life. When we honor and give back with respect and diligence to the web, it responds in kind by working with us in return, by providing us with nourishment and a happy healthy place to exist. The more goodness we contribute to the web in the form of gratitude, love, kindness, awe and wonder, care and respect, the stronger this subtle and delicate interplay of spiritual forces becomes with the grid of the entire universe. The cohesive energy patterns we create with our hearts, minds and actions act as powerful conductors, connecting us to one another and with spiritual forces all around us. This is why prayer circles are so impactful. But we singly as a species, or even as individuals are not more important than any other piece of the web. It is crucial as humanity that we understand this and take right action to restore and maintain that balance always.
While nature and the universe can be chaotic and unforgiving, it is also exhibits phenomenal and systematic ways of consistently organizing itself through natural forces known as cycles. I believe this is nature and the universe’s way of communicating with us how best to respond to and work with it. Whether or not we are aware of it, our ancestors ages ago observed, studied, honored and followed the rhythms and cycles of nature and the universe. They made critical life decisions based on this important partnership. They had nothing but nature and the universe to provide valuable information and clues regarding what the next steps were on the path of survival.
Over the course of thousands of years civilizations have come and gone. We have seen how the universe and nature were deeply cherished, worshiped, and respected through monuments, structures, and temples erected its honor. In addition, great philosophers, spiritual teachers, astrologists, historians, and religious leaders alike have revealed to us through the ages how consistent those cosmic and rhythmic patterns are. When we observe patterns in nature, and on the planet all around us, and in the universe, we can pinpoint distinct rhythms and cycles that are repetitive and appear to operate by some mysterious design.
The Tarot also has influences taken directly from Judaism, present in the symbolism from The Tree of Life. According to the website Labyrinthos, “To put it in somewhat simple terms, the Tree of Life is a diagram that describes the universal laws of reality. Like a fractal, the Tree of Life is an eternal emanation of the divine principle: it is macrocosm and microcosm. It lives and breathes within each and every human being, and together, we all form the branches of its tree. Its echo exists both within us and without. The sinewy pathways woven by its branches and its roots is how spirit and energy travels in order to make itself manifest as matter. If you follow its path downwards, you find the body and our unconscious, and if you follow it upwards, you find the divine source of the soul and our higher selves. It is the blueprint for creation; and it is a metaphor for the richness of our inner lives.”
This poetic quote is precisely how the 22 Major Arcana work with us in sacred ways, as it emanates from within, and without, the cards describing and resembling our internal processes as we engage with the outer world. Echoes of The Tree of Life are found in older versions of the tarot such as the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck.
The symbolism of the tree is significant, as we personally are both the trunk of the tree in our own individual lives, our arms branches reaching us out into the world in service, and we are also part of the greater tree trunk that represents humanity itself, each of us representing a branch connected to that tree. This spiritual symbolism in The Tree of Life is present throughout the Major Arcana, acknowledging a web of interconnectivity and interdependence throughout humanity. It beautifully resembles how the energy of spirit travels through us, through our trunk, into our consciousness, and up through the branches and leaves to connect us to the divine. Not only is it a visual representation of the interconnectivity, it also helps us to further understand the lessons we are here to learn on this spiritual journey. May the tarot cards laid out in front of us on the table remind us of those lessons, as part of how we connect to humanity and heal, as we allow the flow of energy to pulse through the pathways of our soul and our lives, revealing to us inner truths.
THE TREE OF LIFE TAROT MEDITATION
This meditation will assist you in connecting spiritually and physically with the Tree of Life within you. The more you engage with this meditation, the more connected you may feel to web of systems and energy that pulses throughout the tarot.
Stand up and place your feet flat on the floor. For a moment, notice how your body naturally leans, either forward or backward, to one side or the other. Consciously center your posture by balancing squarely on the balls of your feet. Center your weight, and begin to tune into the earth beneath your feet.
Once balanced and comfortable, close your eyes and breathe gently and rhythmically, imagining your body is the trunk of a tree, your feet the roots, your arms the branches. You imagine now you’re a giant tree (choose your favorite), reaching high into the sky, and yet completely hollow on the inside, clear of thought, worry or tension. You are the tree of choice now. You instantly realize your interdependence on the elements, the warmth of the sun, the wind, the rain, and the earth.
Reach now to the sky towards the sunshine with your branches (arms), letting the light shower down on you allowing its warmth and nurturing energy to permeate your entire being. Practice stretching your arms and hands up reaching higher, stretching. Send your thoughts and wishes for connection to The Tree of Life, to understanding more of your connection to it and through it, to the sky and to the heavens. Reach the roots connected to your feet way down through the ground towards the earth, as you firmly ground in the present moment.
As you feel grounded now, simultaneously feel yourself reaching up towards the sky, the light, and soaking up the bright pure light of the sun. Imagine it filling your entire body, your cells, muscles, tissues, and organs with its renewal. Feel the sun greeting you, feel the whispers of the breeze on your skin, imagine the clouds overhead waving to you in recognition of sharing this great big beautiful world.
It is in this moment you are stretched out between sky and earth. Your inner eye takes you now to the middle of a large and beautiful forest. Notice your connection with the other trees around you, with the birds, the air, the sky. Observe the world around you. Allow yourself to become one with everything around you. Continue to breathe, and enjoy the feelings of becoming this tree of life, connected to everything at once, your body and soul and consciousness powerfully balancing between the heavens and the earth. Feel yourself agreeing to the lessons you are here to learn as part of The Tree of Life.
Now shuffle your tarot deck, and ask the question: “how does the wisdom of the tree of life work through me?” Lay down 5-10 cards. Imagine the cards you are laying down being an extension of your own trunk, those cards representing the branches of your inner being, your soul, as this mysterious and beautiful force works through you as it has for so many others for thousands of years. You feel connected to an ancient time and concept, while allowing the energy to flow through you to the cards laid down, and then that energy surges back through you, it’s wisdom imprinting lessons, feelings and thoughts. This is pure soul food. Imagine the energies coursing through your blood stream and body systems, opening you to new phenomena.
Allow this process for a few moments, and use your journal to record anything you would like to recall about the experience. This isn’t an intellectual exercise, it’s a physical and spiritual one. Connecting to the tree of life within you is magical, it’s visceral, it’s a sensation, and a feeling rather than a logical process. This is a wonderful opportunity especially for those who consider themselves more left-brained.