Balancing Body, Mind and Spirit
Through letter writing, creative play and tarot divination; this workshop will bring equilibrium to your mind, body and spirit, balancing these different aspects of yourself. You will be using the sword cards to represent your mind, pentacles as your body and wands as your spirit. Swords, element of air, are about clarity, using your intellect and cutting through clouded thinking. Pentacles represent all things earthy and physical, both your own body and the things you do with it. Wands are the fiery element of your personality, passions and spirituality.
Supplies
- A tarot deck.
- A journal – I suggest using a sturdy multi-media sketchbook (I use Stathmore Visual Journal) or three pieces of paper.
- Three envelopes and three pieces of writing paper
- Art supplies such as pens and pencils, tape, paint, decorative paper, colored pencils, collage pictures, rubber stamps etc. You don’t need to purchase these just use what you have.
- Tarot images. You can print photocopies of the cards you pull or use a tarot deck that you no longer use for readings. You can also create your own tarot cards using collage, drawing or painting
Play video for instructions: Click here
Tarot Spread for Balancing Mind, Body and Spirit
Before doing this spread make sure you will be undisturbed, light a candle or what ever might enhance the sacredness of this time.
Select all the sword, pentacle and wand cards in your tarot deck. Make separate piles of each of the three suits including their court cards.
Take a few deep breaths and ground yourself.
While shuffling the sword cards, ask this question:
What will bring me peace of mind?
Select a card from the swords and trust.
Shuffle the pentacles and ask this question:
What does my body need?
Select a card from the pentacles and trust.
Shuffling the wand cards, ask this question:
What is my spirit calling for?
Select a card from the wands and trust.
For more information on the swords, pentacles and wands: click here
Writing
On a piece of the writing paper, write from the sword card you pulled to yourself, giving instruction on what you might do to bring peace of mind. At first just look at the image on the card and see what clues are there. Allow your writing to be thoughtful but also to flow without judgement or doubt. Give voice to your card, trust in the process.
Once you have completed the letter from the sword card, write from the pentacle card you pulled to yourself, directing you what your body needs.
Write from the wand card in your spread, telling you what your spirit is calling for.
Art Project
If you are working in a journal tear out a blank page and tape it onto the side of the first page so that you have three pages to work on.
Fold your letters and place them in each of the three envelopes. Bend the flap on the envelopes back and adhere them by the glue strip to your journal pages. Flip the envelope back with the opening facing out, so you can see your letters.
You can paint or decorated the background of the pages before or after you add the envelopes.
Add photo copies of the tarot cards to the envelopes or make your own images to depict the cards you chose.
Print out or hand letter the questions and place them on the page, as well as Mind/Swords, Body/Pentacles and Spirit/Wands.
Embellish the pages, have fun being creative…. anything goes.
Responding to the directives
Re-read the letters.
There are a few options on how you might respond:
Write as yourself reflecting on each of the three cards you selected, what you are thinking, what action you might take and what it inspires in you.
On the rest of the page you can use collage or your favorite art supplies to make images of what you envision a balanced mind, body and spirit looks like.
Another option would be to select three cards – a sword, a pentacle and a wand, that will help you achieve balance. These would be cards that you choose by looking through each pile. Don’t think too much, just go with the feeling of the card, let the image speak to you. Decide creatively how to depict these cards such as photo copies, actual tarot cards or making them. Attach or draw the card on the other side of the envelopes.
Write about these new cards and what they mean to you. Write your intentions on what to do to bring harmony between the different parts of yourself.
You can also leave some blank areas and come back later and add writing or imagery. Keeping the pages active and alive adds to the power of this project.
Click this link to download a PDF of this workshop: eWorkshop 5
Sharing
If you would like to share your pages or just your thoughts please join the Facebook Tarot Visual Journaling Group
I hope this workshop will bring balance and harmony to your life,
Lisa de St. Croix