What is this weird divination method I do? (Intro post #2)

You’ve probably noticed that I keep referring to an Archetype/Tarot post in my list of “what you get when you subscribe”. This is a little bit different from other divination methods that you might be more familiar with, so I wanted to write up a brief explanation.

If you spend any amount of time with me here at Spirit Connections (and I hope you do!), you’re going to see me use the following phrase A LOT:

In my opinion, one of the most fulfilling aspects of life is learning some of these languages. There’s no shortage of ways to do this. In fact, every single being has its own unique language with the Divine. The important thing to know is that spirit is always speaking to us. Always.

Divination methods of any sort are simply some of the ways Spirit talks to us.

Many, many moons ago, I began learning from the one and only Caroline Myss. I can’t remember exactly what my first interaction was with her, but I do clearly remember that suddenly there I was, enveloped in the teachings of this spitfire of a woman with a Midwestern accent and an attitude the size of the Pacific Ocean. From the first words she spoke, it was clear that this was a woman who wasn’t going to coddle or take shit from anyone. I was in love. Back then I was all about authenticity. It was my biggest priority. My motto was: If you’re an asshole, be an asshole. I was magnetized to people who were unashamedly themselves. Caroline fit the bill. (OMG, no I didn’t just call Caroline Myss an asshole. I was saying that she fit the bill of being unashamedly herself. Geez!)

She transformed my life with her teachings. I learned from her the language of archetypes. The archetypes that Caroline teaches are largely based on those developed by Carl Jung with a whole lot of new ones thrown in.

What exactly are archetypes?

Archetypes are one of the ways the Divine speaks to us of power (aka magic). They are universal patterns of power. We actually recognize these in other people all the time, even if we don’t realize it. As we go about our days, passing by strangers, we are subconsciously labeling them. The Mother, The Hoodlum, The Victim, The Entrepreneur, The Influencer, etc. It’s not as judgmental as it sounds. It only becomes a judgment or criticism when we are unaware of the inherently neutral quality of each archetype. In other words, it’s only judgmental if WE think the archetype is in some way inferior.

Archetypes are neutral patterns of power. They are dualistic in nature, however, each having a light side and a shadow. If we’re feeling like an archetype label is a criticism, we are probably only seeing the shadow side of it.

So how is this language of archetypes useful?

By coming to know them, we get to reclaim an aspect of power and magic in our lives. That’s a pretty great reason. 

An archetype is a pattern that has power over us until we are conscious enough of it that we can reclaim our power of choice from it. This pattern of power will act for us until we see it for what it is and learn its language. It is then that we can come into a conscious relationship with it.

We all have every one of the archetypal patterns within us, though some are usually more obvious. For me, The Hermit is way more noticeable and familiar than The Socialite, but both do exist within me (somewhere, maybe buried deep in a tiny corner of an underground cavern far, far away). 

Another way I like to look at this is as though we put on archetypal glasses and view the world through that lens. This is a super potent form of clarity. When we realize, “Oh, I’m viewing this situation through my Prostitute glasses,” we have instantly reclaimed our power of choice in that moment. In that specific example, we can continue to sell our integrity for a sense of safety, or we can choose something else. In either case we have made a choice and are no longer at the mercy of circumstance. This feels like magic, doesn’t it?!

How does tarot fit into this?

Well, about ten years ago, I began facilitating a group of people through a year-long transformation process involving the archetypes. I kept hearing from people that they wished there was a way to clarify the specific message the archetype was trying to teach them. In a flash of inspiration, it occurred to me: the tarot can help!

The tarot is all archetypes too—a very specific deck of archetypes. When I began combining the two, however, it was like sitting down at a table with the Goddess herself and having her show me a treasure map to find the golden nugget of information.

And now I want to share this gift with all of you.

Here’s how it works:

For the week ahead, I ask spirit to guide me to the archetype card that is most helpful to all of us right now. Then I ask to be guided to the tarot card that best informs that archetype for this moment in time. From there, I write up a post chock full of guidance for our upcoming week. Through this process we will explore a few of the things the Divine wants to tell us. We will be learning a magical language.

With each Archetype & Tarot post you’ll also find a mini-ritual attached to help implement the week’s guidance.

This will be fun and enlightening, I promise! As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.