If ever there was a “bummer” card in the tarot - this would be it. Anyone who works with tarot can probably relate to the deeply unsatisfying feeling that comes with drawing this one. I know I often describe cards in our “Challenging” series by the physical gestures or vocal expressions I make upon pulling them - but seriously, this is eye rolls and “ughs” every single time.

You’d think it would be difficult to write a full piece about this card because it’s just so damn uninspiring! The main character sits under a tree - seemingly over it, bored and full of indifference. Their arms and legs are crossed, indicating they are likely rejecting or ignoring the offering in front of them. Woe is them!

I don’t know anyone who goes into a tarot reading hoping to turn over the 5 of Pentacles. It’s one of the most miserable cards in tarot and rarely does it find itself a good spin. Of course, readers will often point out the light emanating from the window as a source of hope or something of a safe haven. But, when you’re confronted with the prospect of whatever’s happening in the 5, this barely lifts the tone.

So then, what else might we be able to glean from this sorry (on the surface) scene? We’ll get to that, but first, let’s get clear on everything that’s terrible about this card.

You know we love to play “link the cards” over here (see 78 Connections). The other day we were exploring a reading and we were reminded of a certain little detail that pops up in 4 of the 78 cards, 3 of which are majors. We touched on this briefly in a post we did sometime back exploring the symbolism of The Fool. The detail in question is, of course, the red feather.

The red feather can be seen on the heads of The Fool, Death and the child in The Sun. It can also be seen on the Page of Wands, and likely carries many of the same themes that we’ll be looking at, but for the purpose of this post, we’ll be sticking to just the Majors.

We don't talk a lot about shadow work in this space, though it is an important part of our practice, both personally and professionally. It can be a difficult thing to try to convey, teach on, or talk about though as it’s a very personal and inward affair. Despite that, we’ve wanted to broach it for sometime, we just hadn’t quite figured out how to do that. But, we also think it’s due time we explore it deeper, especially as we head into October; colder nights and darker days.

In light of all this, we have put something together that we hope will serve those looking to immerse themselves in a shadow work journey, with the aid of tarot. It’s formatted a bit like a tarot challenge, but we aren't actually challenging anyone to do this work in a month, or share it for that matter. We’ve structured it in this way because it allows us to offer complex topics in bite-sized packages, mixed with our own musings and brought to life with the aid of prompts for further integration.

Did you know you can read and receive messages from tarot without any cards?

As you engage with, learn more about and integrate the system of tarot, more happens than simply becoming a competent reader. You also become at one with its keys and the universal language of symbolism. And the more you notice, the more this system speaks, and the deeper your connection with it grows.

Tim and I were reflecting recently on aspects of our spiritual/personal journey that for whatever reason, tripped us up along the way. These may have been things we read that we took to heart, other opinions that we too easily absorbed, or ideologies we over-invested in. Now, I don’t believe we can ever go totally off course, and there are usually lessons that can be gained from any detour. What we’re mainly talking about are things that ultimately proved unhelpful that we then had to work to unravel. Things that didn’t add to our experience or understanding of ourselves, except in the discarding of them. Which, I suppose, is also valuable, even if in reverse!

I remember when I first began really noticing synchronicities. It was, like it is for many, through repeated numbers showing up for me every day, in all manner of ways.

Through the years, the type of synchronicity I receive and the frequency at which I receive them has evolved. Along with that too, with much contemplation on the subject, has my relationship with them. Do I have all the answers? Never will I ever (on anything), but this is what I’ve come to realize for myself where these little signposts are concerned.

This subject is so dear to me, but it’s been a long time since I’ve written about it formally. I think the reason is I could sense I was experiencing a shift in terms of what these concepts meant to me, and out of respect for it and out of respect for my own growth too, I needed to just sit with it.

As a little historical overview, I became interested in the subject of spirit guides in 2014 when I had, what I consider to be, the first of many wake-up calls. I read books, practiced communication, had lots of personal experiences, and even explored workshops on the topic. In 2016, I was working heavily with tarot and had this epiphany that the two elements would go beautifully together. That was when I devised a system to connect with guides with the aid of tarot. I went as far as to designate certain cards to represent different guide types, and then I took that concept and created an online challenge, inviting others to participate and get to know their spiritual teams too.

Following that, I continued to share my learnings with others, provide resources, and even ran a second version of the challenge at the beginning of 2019. Even at that time, I found it more and more difficult to put my understanding of these ideas into words. I became very aware of the inclination to “over-form” these connections and I began to consider that communication with “the unseen” may be more vast than what I’d so far been able to conceptualize.

So I began to reconsider what it all meant and how I’d describe it now, which is the culmination of lots of contemplation, direct experience, inspired insights, the work I do in conjunction with my partner, and other such things. One night as I was considering this specific post, I set the intention to receive some information in my dreams that could help me. That night I woke up around 2 am from a dream that, while technically fuzzy, left me with a more fulsome understanding of the spectrum I will soon describe, and even gave me the title for this article. It conveyed that rather than referring to this phenomena as “Spirit Guides” in sum, it would be clearer to separate the words. In this way, we are dealing with Spirit as a whole, messages or entities we perceive as being guiding forces, and then the “beyond” (that which remains ineffable and intangible).

I think words and precision are important when it comes to these concepts. This is also why I have removed older pieces, taken down resources, and added addendums to that which remains. I simply found myself in a situation where I believed in something so deeply, but no longer knew how to adequately talk about it.

I am hoping this explanation will prove helpful or at least interesting to those who come across it. The remainder of this post will be formatted as follows: A list of general principles that I uphold as it relates to my understanding of this subject, an overview of the “spectrum of spirit communication”, and then responses to the FAQs I receive on this topic.

I have written a bit on tips and tricks to learning the tarot, but I’ve been having so much discussion around the idea of other aspects of life influencing our ability to read the cards well, so I wanted to add to those posts.

It is my perspective that our spiritual growth moves in tandem with our development in all other areas of life. I also believe that tarot is a tool that works through us as much as we work with it. This is why, for as many books as we read or people we consult, we can only go as far as our inner guide is able to take us.

For example, I can learn what the cards mean, but I also recognize that there is much more happening in these scenes than just the basic definitions that we find floating around. To see how the cards play off each other, to grasp the symbolic and visual significance, to be confident in your intuition to know which bits are relevant…well, that’s more an art that evolves over time.

With that in mind, I wanted to present a few ideas with the following concept in mind: It is one thing to read a definition and it is another to have lived it. In this way, I am placing emphasis on integration over memorization (though both are important) and Inner Guide over “must-do” advice.

Maybe you've been reading the cards awhile or perhaps you just started - whatever the case, you’ve probably thought to yourself at some point, “how exactly do these things work? or “why do they work?”

The truth is, no one can tell you for certain, but, it’s fun to play with theories. Below I’ve shared 5 ideas that may explain how or why tarot works. In terms of my own belief system, I don’t think one idea is more true than any other and I tend to think they all play a role and factor in.

These theories may ring true for you or you may have your own ideas which are just as valid (I’d also love to hear them, so please leave a comment if you’re up to sharing). 

As for my totally inconclusive list of reasons why tarot works, here it is!