I have some Tarot hijinks in the Merciless King of Moore High. Still on revisions on this book, I found myself stepping out the tarot reading scene, and really asking myself what tarot means to me.
Tarot depends on both the universality of human experience, and our ability to personalize everything, much like literature. A tarot reading is writing on the fly: one person leads the other through an interplay of archetypes and conflicts, one person pours their personal associations and imagination into what is being told, together they create a transcendent experience that feels like truth. Tarot, like stories, like dreams, is a way to access the things our subconscious already knows.
I am most fascinated by the Three of Swords card. The image resonated with me, of all the tarot cards its the most graphically and conceptually pure:
Here is what it means, according to the mystics over at BiddyTarot.com:
"The Three of Swords shows a heart pierced by three swords, representing the pain inflicted by words, actions and intent on the emotional and physical self. The dark clouds gathering in the background mirror this pain but offer the hope that, just as the storm clouds will disappear, so too will the pain and hurt you are experiencing."
I have no tattoos. But I am seriously considering getting this on me somewhere. Feels like it fits.