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4 Elements Self Care With Tarot

Hi friends 😃, welcome back to my self care with tarot series. Last time I did a spiritual self-care exercise involving the elements from Minerva Siegel’s Tarot For Self Care. I planned to do the next exercise for this post but it just so happens that the lovely Jenn from @notsomystical tarot on Instagram has been posting tarot exercises involving elements this week on her channel. I do almost all of Jenn’s spreads so I decided to keep the elemental theme going here. One of the bad things about mankind’s development is that it has taken many of us away from nature. I’m trying to reset my own bond by celebrating the Wheel of the Year.

What’s The Wheel of The Year?

It’s part of paganism, mostly Wicca. I a not a Wiccan but as an eclectic practitioner I take the bits that I like from lots of traditions. The wheel of the year splits the year into eight pieces, and the start of each season is marked by a sabbath. Each sabbath celebrates the time of year and has activities, foods, crystals etc associated with it. It helps me take notice of the changes in nature.

Elements

I feel the elements are a key part of connecting with nature too. As a Gemini I am naturally connected to the Air element and I tend to be very in my own head. Air is the element of thought and my brain frequently moves as fast as the wind. It can be hard for me to STOP thinking, which is a pain when I need to get to sleep, I’m sure you can all relate!

Sometimes when life is moving too quickly we need to reconnect with the earth. Sitting in the grass and feeling the ground beneath us can remind us to slow down. In tarot this element concerns runs the material plane, money, work, health, etc.

The water element deals with emotions. Anyone who has ever seen a stormy sea can see how it’s a metaphor for the emotions that can rage inside us.

Lastly the element of fire links us to our passions and dreams, everything we want to achieve.

Where am I going with this? Simple, if there’s a part of our lives where we feel unfulfilled maybe following the example of nature can help. If we feel stuck, like we’re not doing what we’re meant to be then we can stare into the flame of a candle. Witness its light, its heat. How it burns without thinking about anything else. Try to still your mind and imagine your dream life. Don’t filter, don’t let “impossible” creep in. Write it all down and now you have a plan. Try to write down a step for each thing you want. A way, no matter how small, to move towards it.

Self Care With Tarot And The Elements

Now let’s get down to the spreads. The first one is fire. This is how Jenn laid out the spread:

My Strength – Four of Wands. Two meanings of this cards are milestones and homecoming. I do look for and celebrate the good in my life and any milestones I reach. My depression makes me look on the bleak side so practising gratitude has been a big help. I also value the close relationship I have with my husband and sister. I love being at home with them, cooking tasty food, watching movies and chatting.

My Challenge – Three of Wands. This card represents embarkation, starting on a journey. I am a next-level procrastinator so getting started is a big challenge for me. I play it safe out of fear of messing up and so I find it hard to get going with anything new. I need to realise that things will not always go wrong. In fact, a lot of the time they will go right or at least ok. Also, there has been a fair bit of bad in my life and if it’s had any positive effect it’s knowing that I can cope when things go sideways.

Advice – Page of Wands, Queen of Wands and Two of Wands. Page of Wands represent the beginning of an idea. Not ready to move yet, but making all the plans.I need to give thought to my ideas and sparks of inspiration. I don’t have to move immediately but when I do i need to do it with the fire and confidence of a true Queen of Wands. The Queen is bold, courageous and a social butterfly. I’m not that much of a socialiser but I can dig deep and find my bravery and passion.

The Two of Wads is all about planning so i need to remember that once I have started moving it’s not the end. I can always come back to the planning stage and refine my plans, things move in cycles. For now though I should see the world as my oyster and be unafraid to dream big.

Do I Feel A Breeze?

It’s time to move on to the air element. I love the swords suit as thoughts have always been where I feel most at home. I was known from school onwards as a daydreamer. I found it far easier when times got rough to create my own world in my head. That’s not always the most helpful coping mechanism as sometimes we need to face reality, but it got me through some tough times.

Another benefit is that if you’ve got a rich inner life you can visualise what you really want. The more clearly you can see it, the easier it is to get there. Seriously, Olympic athletes do it all the time. They visualise every second of their performance, imagine it going perfectly. It does make a surprising difference in life.

Strength – Queen of Swords. Admittedly she can be a bit of a bitch, but the Queen of Swords is fiercely intelligent and a truth seeker. She rules with her head and not her heart. She assimilates all the data and comes to the most logical conclusion. I am a woman who knows her own mind, is intelligent and can think her way through any topic. It gives me a sense of control and a way to achieve my goals.

Challenge – Two of Swords. The coin of stalemate, of feeling blind, paralysed by indecision. Oh yes, I can gather and weigh up all the data, it’s when we come to making a choice I struggle! I need to remember that no decision is irretrievable and I can always course-correct. It’s time to take the blindfold off, take a good long look and make a choice.

Advice – Ace of Wands, The Hierophant, The Fool. As I found out in my fire spread I need to start thinking about what I really want and what lights me up inside. That is the essence of the Ace of Wands. I may not always know everything I need to make my ideas a reality so I need to conduct my own studies and also look for mentors who can guide and support me, my own Hierophant. Then, once I’ve thought it all through it’s time to dive in with all the innocence and enthusiasm of The Fool. No holding back!

Earth and Water Next Time

Please join me next time when I’ll share my earth and water spreads. If you have your own interpretations of my cards please pop them in the comments. I’d also love for you to share your own self care with tarot tips. See you next time!