Emily Duddy

Towards the end of 2006 I had a lot of things going on in my life, positive and negative. After graduating from the University of California Santa Cruz  in June of 2006, I began managing Campbell Billiards fulltime, working as a trainer and training employees at a Curves in Campbell, playing in every local tournament I could, and traveling to different regions of the US to play in WPBA qualifiers. Pushing myself to the max, I began to feel very drained physically and mentally.

During this time I had a good friend who isvery intuitive and  into using the Tarot for clarity. The tarot, pronounced /ˈtɑːroʊ/, is a pack of cards (most commonly numbering seventy-eight), used from the mid fifteenth century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot. From the late 18th century, until the present time, the tarot has also found use by mystics and occultists in efforts at divination or as a map of mental and sspiritual pathways. I’m not sure how to scientifically explain the way tarot readings work: however, I believe it is possible a person’s energy is transfered into the cards while shuffling. The cards are then laid out into different patterns, each card representing a different aspect of the situation/question/issue in discussion. With each new reading my friend would give me, I would gain a little more insight into my life. I would be provided with advice and guidance, but most importantly I would always release some mental pressure. Right before New Year’s Eve 2007, I decided to buy my own deck. Today I currently own 5 different decks which I use regularly to give myself readings , as well as others in my life. Sometimes they help me make sense of things, sometimes they help inspire, sometimes they help forewarn.  I am grateful to have a force in my life that creates spiritual guidance.

Lately my primary deck is one my boyfriend gave me for Christmas, the Osho Zen Tarot. All of the cards of this deck have beautiful, colorful, and powerful artwork and embody Zen philosophy. On occasion I would like to share different cards and their meanings from this deck with you. I hope the meanings of these cards may help to inspire you. May give you some guidance or new ideas that you can apply to your own life. Whether you believe in the power of tarot or not, the strength and the peace connected to Zen can be used as a tool towards happiness and enlightenment. Zen is about being in the moment, about going with the flow, about taking life as it comes. 

With so much stimulus all around us peaceful and intelligent thoughts are important.  Modern day life comes with too much technology, with too many bills, with a variety of errands, with a slew of schedules and appointments. As a result, its easy to become overwhelmed, sometimes without even being aware of it. Many people are overwhelmed unconsciously, they manifest this blockage in anxiety, in depression, in physical ailments, and other problems.

The first card I would like to share is: III CREATIVITY. This card helps open me up to the beauty all around me and reminds me to enjoy all my activities and hobbies as a creative outlet that help me express myself.

COMMENTARY:

From the alchemy of fire and water below to the divine light entering from above, the figure in this card is literally ‘possessed by’ the creative force. Really, the experience of creativity is an entry into the mysterious. Technique, expertise and knowledge are just tools; the key is to abandon oneself to the energy that fuels the birth of all things. This energy has no form or structure, yet all the forms and structures come out of it.

It makes no difference what particular form your creativity takes – it can be painting or singing, planting a garden or making a meal. The important thing is to be open to what wants to be expressed through you. Remember that we don’t possess our creations; they don’t belong to us. True creativity arises from a union with the divine, with the mystical and the unknowable. Then it is a joy for the creator and a blessing to others.

THE MEANING OF THE CARD:

Creativity is the quality that you bring to the activity that you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach- to how you look at things….   Not everybody can be a painter – and there is no need also. If everybody is a painter the world will be very ugly; it will be difficult to live. And not everybody can be a dancer, and there is no need. But everybody can be creative.

Whatsoever you do, if you do it joyfully, if you do it lovingly, if your act of doing is not purely economical, then it is creative. If you have something growing out of it within you, if it gives you growth, it is spiritual, it is creative, it is divine.

You become move divine as you become more creative. All the religions of the world have said God is the creator. I don’t know whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I know; the more creative you become, the more godly you become. When your creativity comes to a climax, when your whole life becomes creative, you live in God. So he must be the creator because people who have been creative have been closest to him.

Love what you do. Be meditative while you are doing it – whatever it is!