Dear Collective,
I am writing this month’s Tarot Reading for the Collective in Europe, still full to the brim of tarot-inspired wonder from spending two days at Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in Capalbio, Italy. I have been an ardent admirer of this amazing artist since I first learned about her in high school art class when I was 13 years old. I saw several of her sculptures the first time I visited Europe in 1996, and one of her tarot sculptures (Temperance) flying high in Zurich train station in 2010. This time, after having recommended anyone going to Italy for the last ten years that they should most definitely go to The Tarot Garden, I finally went myself!
My partner and I drove 1.5 hours north of Rome to Capalbio, where we stayed in a beautiful converted barn in an olive grove, and drove to The Tarot Garden which was only a 10 minute drive away. Oh the beauty and the splendour! I hadn’t counted on it being such a spiritual destination for me. I will probably write a whole blog post dedicated solely to my experience there, but for now, here is a Tarot Reading for the Collective made at The Tarot Garden using Niki de Saint Phalle’s sculptures as the archetypes. The questions came to me while I was sitting in The Emperor on the first evening, and I pulled the cards and wrote the outline on the second evening while sitting in The Hierophant.
This month’s questions are:
What do we need to embody right now?
What do we need to study right now?
Who do we need to meet right now?
What can we lay to rest, so that we may move forward?
Let’s begin!
1. What do we need to embody right now?
The Chariot
Psychic Sarah & The Chariot by Niki de Saint Phalle
Let us embody the glorious movement, sustainable momentum, and free-spiritedness that comes with wearing bedazzling bling and riding a chariot in a room full of fractured mirrors and light!
How about some unapologetically eccentric ways of communicating our goals with the world? Whether we walk or roll, hop, crawl or slide, there is a unique way in which we can challenge ourselves and our counterparts to pay attention to the changes that must be heralded. Those changes could well be the things people tell you not to worry about. They may be the changes only you can make, as due to the intimate experience of living in your body – only you will be able to perceive what must be done as the world travels along, sometimes at breakneck speed. Notice who is beside you as you move, knowing they must have a role to play – even if a challenging one.
2. What do we need to study right now?
Judgement
Psychic Sarah & Judgement by Niki de Saint Phalle
Could we study the questions that arose when discovering Judgement as a 2D image on the inner walls of The Empress at The Tarot Garden? Do we need to stop making such a big deal out of judgements and just let them be cocooned by the love and compassion of The Empress?
We could also study how we end things and see how can we do that better. Study how we repeat patterns, and consider how we can break out of our own personal habits that drag us along, so we can better inspire others to emerge from their habitual tendencies that hold them back. Is it possible to ignite growth in others while also acknowledging and being accountable for our own failings? Let us see! How can we better prepare ourselves to face discouraging occurrences so that we don’t slump into despair, but rather rise to affirmative and inclusive action? For what else is there to do? Let us try!
3. Who do we need to meet right now?
The World
Psychic Sarah & The World by Niki de Saint Phalle
We may need to meet with the wonderment that arrives when wandering down a path alone, and happening upon a sculpture of a woman dancing on a cosmic egg being hugged by a snake, that with an abrupt clanging noise, starts to revolve slowly and as we approach!
And, we need to meet with the culmination of all things. Are we able to achieve some sort of completion, acknowledging that we may never again connect with what we are currently participating in? Are we able to be fully in touch with what we are doing right now – not putting it off to “another day”? Be open and real with how you present your findings, and if others are shocked, let them be. Culminations don’t tend to come with fairy floss and security blankets.
And most importantly, if we need to meet The World right now, please can we meet with our glorious Earth? Please can we understand that technology – as wild and wondrous as it is – will never replace the wildness and wondrous nature of the plants, trees, soil, oceans, rivers, marsh lands, waterfalls, sweet fresh air (where it still exists), and of course the birds, fish, all animals and insects?
That to lie on the Earth while the rain falls on our bodies, to wrap our arms around a tree that started growing long before we were born, to feel the sun on our skin and the wind on our faces will always contain more information and nourishment than a device? Can we please properly re-introduce ourselves to this World we live upon?
4. What can we lay to rest, so that we may move forward?
The Devil
Psychic Sarah & The Devil by Niki de Saint Phalle
We may need to lay to rest the enticing pull into the world belonging to a marvellously coloured winged and horned creature, standing alone in a darkened gully with arms spread, extending a beautifully freakish welcome to us.
So for now, lay to rest as many of those anaesthetising doubts as you can. Forget the get-rich-quick schemes, the promised meetings with famous people, the lures and the manipulations. Just let your own wisdom guide you. Gold is more often found in the nooks and crannies as opposed to where the mainstream meets. Ignore those who ask you to exchange your uniqueness in exchange for the faux gift of being recognised or not needing to think for yourself. Move forward in a direction that is revolutionary for you, and notice that from there you can align with others rather than compete with them.
As helpful as the maverick nature of The Devil can be at times, let us lay this archetype to rest for now so that we can move forward in a less troubled way. With The Devil having less of a hold on us, we can more easily recall what we’ve forgotten, and be less enthralled with polished falseness. We can now better understand how clearer and richer life is when we ignore the traps that are designed to enslave us and keep an elite group in control. Lay The Devil to rest and let the next stage be clear, grounded and certain.
© Sarah Barry ~ Tarot Readings with Psychic Sarah 2018
This Tarot Reading for the Collective was done with the magnificent sculptures at Il Giardino Dei Tarocchi – The Tarot Garden created by the late Niki de Saint Phalle. You can visit this garden in Capalbio, Tuscany, Italy. You can also visit it online at nikidesaintphalle.com
It’s also well documented on my Instagram, along with other photos from my travels.
If you want a more personalised reading, go here to make an appointment. To find out more about how I work go to sarahthepsychic.com/about/ and sarahthepsychic.com/faq/
I am currently in Europe, and will be back in Australia and ready to respond to any enquiries and booking requests from October 25 onwards.
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Psychic Sarah in The Hierophant at The Tarot Garden – the reading begins!