Tarot Card Reading: Remembering Joy
By Gina Rabbin
Several years ago, I took a class on “Manifesting”. I wanted to learn how to manifest what I desired in life. The first task the teacher assigned to us was making a “joy” list. We were instructed to write 100 things that brought us joy. I thought it would be an easy list to make. I was so wrong.
I managed to come up with about 15 activities that brought me joy. Mostly they were simple things, like reading a good book, watching an old movie (preferably starring Cary Grant), or sharing a laugh with a friend. I was astonished that I couldn’t find more things to put on my list. When had I stopped allowing into my life those things that brought me joy? Where, and why, had I allowed myself to forget those simple pleasures? If I didn’t know anymore what gave me joy, why was I learning how to manifest? Wasn’t it the desire to manifest a life of joy that had led me to take the class? So, what did I think I was going to manifest, if I didn’t know what brought me joy?
As the class progressed, I learned how to delve deeper into my soul, deep into the place where I could once again remember joy. And as I searched the depths of my inner being, my joy list expanded. There were many more of the simple things that were added, but beyond those simple things I also found the joy of purpose, the joy of service, the joy of listening to my heart. In remembering joy, I found my sense of separation from Self slowing, dissolving, being replaced by a feeling of Oneness, of wholeness, of balance. That assignment made me realize, as nothing else had, the importance of joy in my life.
And it has never been so important as it is today. As I look at the events unfolding in the world today — the never-ending wars, famine, disease, deception — it is no wonder that so many of my clients are struggling with a lack of joy in their own lives. It is hard not to fall prey to despair and grief. It is hard not to feel guilty for wanting to experience joy in your own life when so many are suffering. It is easier to disconnect from your heart, to avoid feeling anything, than to endure despair, grief, and guilt. Yet, is building a wall around your heart the truest expression of your higher Self? Does it help to bring healing to the world? Does denying yourself joy bring an end to suffering in the world?
Of course, you know the answer. Intellectually, you know that shielding your heart only serves to numb rather than heal. Yet, even as you know this, the struggle with how to overcome the sense of hopelessness continues. As always, guidance and clarity can be found by connecting to that higher source, which we can access through tarot.
The Queen of Swords stands straight and tall, with a regal air about her. She holds upright in her hands a sword, held between her heart and the rest of her world. The energy of the Queen represents that part of you that is shielding yourself from the suffering and the sorrow that exists all around. It is meant to protect you from the pain, to make life easier to bear. The Queen’s perceived strength and control only hides emptiness and feelings of loss. By holding that sword in front of her heart, the Queen only serves to create more pain, reflected in the Nine of Swords.
The Nine of Swords is like living in a bad dream, one from which you cannot awaken. By guarding your heart, you are not only shutting out the feelings of pain, but the joy as well. Life becomes a struggle fueled by emptiness. Without a connection to your heart, there is nothing. No pain, perhaps, but no joy, no understanding, no awareness, no healing. The very thing you seek to protect yourself from is the place where you now live.
It is time to unlock your heart. It is time to face the pain and sorrow and suffering, your own and the world’s. Your suffering is the world’s, and the world’s is yours. This is the message of Judgement. It is time to call up the pain, to face it, to come to terms with it. Only in this way can you rise above it. The truth that Judgement wants you to know is that by building a wall around your heart, you have not kept the pain and sorrow out, you’ve only sealed it in. You haven’t kept yourself from feeling the pain, because you’ve been living in it.
Finally, The Hermit steps forward. This energy holds the lantern high, so all can see its light. It is the light of knowing, of awareness, of understanding and healing. The Hermit holds this light to illuminate the path of healing. But first, says The Hermit, you must heal yourself. You must allow the light to shine within, to bring life back to your heart, for this is where the healing begins. To bring healing to the world, you must bring it to yourself. You and the world are one.
Where does this lead us? Back to joy. Remembering joy and allowing it into your life, every day, in both simple and profound ways, no matter what is unfolding in the world, will bring you closer to your heart. The feelings of separation will slowly dissolve, and in its place will be the connection to your higher Self. And from this place, you can begin to manifest healing in the world.
I welcome reader questions! If there is an issue you would like to see addressed in a future column, please email me at (Please note that real names of clients are never used in this column.)
Gina Rabbin is a life-long intuitive and catalyst for clarity. She helps people clarify and resolve their personal and professional issues in order to create more fulfilling and meaningful lives. Currently residing in San Francisco, CA, Gina is available for tarot card readings in person or by telephone. For more information, please visit http://www.ginarabbin.com..
