Emma Toynbee - Modern Day Tarot Play - Know yourself, shape your life

Table of Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Why This Book?

Thorsons

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by Thorsons 2018

FIRST EDITION

© Emma Toynbee 2018

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018

Cover illustration © Shutterstock.com

Illustrator: Nica Galvez, under the art direction of the author

Quotations from Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo from Cave in the Snow by Vicki Mackenzie © Vicki Mackenzie, 1999, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Emma Toynbee asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at

www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

Source ISBN: 9780008286002

Ebook Edition © July 2018 ISBN: 9780008286019

Version: 2018-06-20

To my divinely driven mum, whose ever-present, affirmatory and expansive approach subsequently shaped the life of her firstborn grandchild: cradled close and speaking their first words in our tending reader’s hands

Cover

Title Page Table of Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Why This Book?

Copyright Copyright Table of Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Why This Book? Thorsons An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published by Thorsons 2018 FIRST EDITION © Emma Toynbee 2018 Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018 Cover illustration © Shutterstock.com Illustrator: Nica Galvez, under the art direction of the author Quotations from Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo from Cave in the Snow by Vicki Mackenzie © Vicki Mackenzie, 1999, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library Emma Toynbee asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green Source ISBN: 9780008286002 Ebook Edition © July 2018 ISBN: 9780008286019 Version: 2018-06-20

Dedication Dedication Table of Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Why This Book? To my divinely driven mum, whose ever-present, affirmatory and expansive approach subsequently shaped the life of her firstborn grandchild: cradled close and speaking their first words in our tending reader’s hands

Why This Book?

The Power of Symbols and Imagery

Tarot Reading

The Major Arcana

The Minor Arcana

Time-Efficient Tarot Card Layouts

About the Publisher

The tarot has traditionally been used as an esoteric tool for divination purposes, but in the modern day it can be so much more. Anyone and everyone can benefit from reading the tarot, from business professionals to stay-at-home parents. We all need help from time to time to navigate the ups and downs of life, whether it comes from friends, partners, family, teachers, therapists, counsellors, life coaches, preachers or a guru. But no matter to whom we look for higher wisdom and guidance, rarely can they match the complete honesty and instant availability of the tarot. A session with a professional life coach or therapist can be invaluable at any time in life, whether we are in a crisis or simply needing some regular time dedicated to our own personal evolution and development. Yet that session can’t always be perfectly aligned with our impulse to seek out reassurance. The tarot is available day and night, at whatever time and place is most convenient for us to absorb its lessons; all we have to be is ready and willing to improve the quality of our thoughts, and subsequently our life.

Tarot pushes the black-hole button in the brain. It prompts the rational mind to relinquish control and instantly grant access to previously inaccessible information – and knowledge empowers. In life and business, the tarot can be a go-to device, taking our mind to places it never would otherwise have entered and enabling us to crack any impedimental imbalances or stalemates and move forward. Tarot is about seeing meaning and connections and finding purpose, but also, now more than ever, reworking the mind so that it functions naturally, organically and healthily. We now know what the information age looks and feels like and are starting to realize the impact the rapid advance of technology can have on our personal lives, business and society. The rapid processing power of computerized devices is becoming a substitute for our own judgement, intuition and deeper understanding through direct experience. In short, the computerized world has many benefits, but has also become a kind of mind-crutch, allowing the cognitive brain to call less and less on the limbic intuitive centre.

One of the effects of the ubiquitous information overload is a sort of analytical paralysis; the sheer amount of information available to us is so overwhelming that we tend to give up the chase and select only the information that confirms a pre-existing condition or belief. It’s time to rise up and reclaim the brain. Rather than being pigeonholed by our usual ‘online’ preferences, we will find that tarot gives our mind a chance to completely refresh itself and avoid getting stuck in automated algorithmic thought ruts.

Tarot is the point when art and science meet, where we can see the workings of the subconscious mind in material reality. I believe that the most profound and modern application of the tarot is as an inner emotional or psychological mind map, showing where and how our current frame of mind is driving our life. When following any map, as we know, even the smallest degree of adjustment to our planned trajectory can take us miles off-course. Using the tarot as a mind map, we are able to backtrack, fast-track and pinpoint how our behavioural responses, reactions or non-reactions can either lead us back to the start or down a new and exciting life path.

All becomes possible with the tarot deck as our mobile future tap, including predicting the outcome of a meeting, how a particularly tricky client, or the markets, will react, and whether a stock or project is worth a punt. We can also be poised and prepared when something is about to have its moment, and foresee financial, business or fashion trends – and so, in a sense, make them. The liquid modern world often requires an ultra-open and fluid response, and tarot reading helps generate new neural pathways and allows us to be continually reassessing and reinventing. In today’s fast-moving and ever-changing world, in this era of quick-fixes and information, the tarot can keep us ahead of the ever-pacier game.