Wednesday 27 November 2013

Spiritual Sat Nav

Grail Tarot, 2007
Oh, I am very happy to see this card today, the 10 of Cups (or 10 of Vessels, as it's called here) from The Grail Tarot by John Matthews. This card depicts the Seeker as Grand Master of the Order and Guardian of the Grail, having fulfilled his life's mission of achieving the Grail and then gone on to teach others about its mysteries. He has come full circle and thus the card represents wholeness, perfection, contentment. The Grail Tarot companion book says, 'We have come home after a long journey. Esteem and honours await us. We feel a sense of deep contentment and security in the knowledge of a job well done. The Seeker stands at last before the Grail.'

How can I draw a card that shows the beginning of a turning point one day (Seven of Swords) and then a card that shows the end of a journey the next, with nothing in between? Sometimes the same level of contentment associated with finishing something comes just from knowing you've turned in the right direction.

The Guardian of the Grail here is not finished with his journey. If he were, he would be dead, and even then it could be argued by some that his journey would still not be finished. But being on the path you're on now, and knowing why you're on it, can be a sort of homecoming. It can be type of finish line, in some ways. Like when you're lost, then you recognize a landmark and suddenly all the landscape that had been whirling around you while you trotted along on a treadmill in the middle stops spinning and sinks back to the ground, settling in place. You find yourself moving forward again with confidence. That's the kind of homecoming I'm thinking of with this card.

Yesterday I took a big black marker pen and wrote huge numbers in my diaries (2013 and my new 2014 one), starting at 100 on 26th Nov. I numbered each day 100, 99, 98, 97, 96, in huge writing. The point is to remind myself that time passes whether I'm on the right track or not, so it's to my advantage to stay on the right track. It's a countdown. I look forward to seeing where I will be by the time I get to Day 1. The big, bold numbers, taking up most of the page and seeping through to the other side of the page, cannot be ignored. I like clear signposts for the journey. The Guardian of the Grail is providing those to his listeners. He's also providing them to himself.

Knowing where you are and what you are working toward, that's a 10 of Cups feeling.

3 comments:

  1. For me this card is always the result of a big learning - he became the Grand Master because of all the things he learnt during his journeys in the suit. It's because of those past pains and glories that he can stand before people and talk about the mysteries... without the arrogance, the aggressiveness and the fear of a younger seeker. The greatest thing, in my opinion, that is achieved in this card is maturity.

    So maybe there's an area in your life that you are about to reach a greater understanding of, or that you'll be able to face with greater maturity. Maybe it'll come as an 'a-ha' moment, wow, suddenly that which was difficult is easier, or suddenly you come into terms with a fact that used to aggravate you.

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  2. Hm, that is an intriguing thought. I wonder what it is! I rarely have a-ha moments. I usually have to learn lessons the hard way. :)

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  3. I like the idea of spiritual sat nav, could definitely do with some of that :D Good luck with your countdown...

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