A MESSAGE FROM THE SHINING TRIBE
Cards from THE SHINING TRIBE TAROT - RACHEL POLLACK
Several days ago our dear and distinguished Mary K. Greer mentioned online that August 17th is Rachel Pollack’s birthday and that it would be a good day to pull a card from the tarot deck that Rachel created, The Shining Tribe, to have a moment of communion with Rachel. So I set aside my deck with the intention of doing just that. Of course, I am a geek for companion tarot books and with the cerebral and mystical Rachel, much of the magic is in her words, so the book comes out, too. I center myself, shuffle, draw three cards, and I receive the following:
KNOWER OF RIVERS – PLACE OF BIRDS – EIGHT OF STONES
I have drawn three cards from the Minor Arcana. The message I get, however, is no less profound for so being. What helps in deciphering this message is a look at Rachel’s assignment of the four suits of the minor arcana to natural aspects of the world that pre-date things created by humans, like swords and cups and so on. She has done this because, according to her words in the preface to the book, she deems The Shining Tribe to be a ‘sacred tarot rather than an esoteric one’.
In her words, tarot decks “include the Major Arcana as a map of the soul’s journey from birth to enlightenment’, and the four suits of the Minor Arcana as a kaleidoscope of human experience in all its varied forms.” But in this deck, her intention is to use the minors as stepping stones to the soul’s journey as well. She has taken the Minor Arcana and imbued it more directly with innate spiritual wisdom as exemplified by the four elements; fire, water, air, and earth – trees, rivers, birds, and stones. Thus we have:
Trees – Fire – Wands
Rivers – Water – Cups
Birds – Air – Swords
Stones – Earth – Pentacles
(Before I delve any further into my little mini-reading for today, the thought occurred to me that one could read a tarot simply by taking a walk in the woods, without a paper deck in hand using these symbols!)
Anyway, back to my cards. Two of the three are Vision Cards. They replace the Court Cards (rather than corresponding to them) and they have their own logical sequence. My first card, the Knower of Rivers, tells me I need to be aware of an energy of deep emotion. How does one ‘know’ a river? Well, you’ve obviously got to go ‘deep’! This is an energetic pursuit of the deep waters within one’s soul. I feel the cards are confirming work I’ve been doing in this area lately, but they are also calling for a need to go deeper.
The Place of Birds connects us with the energy of the mind. The intention of the Place cards is to prepare one for the energy of the corresponding element. This card is telling the story of someone that arrived at the Place of Birds and become inspired by its appearance in such a way as to create a labyrinth; thus this card honors the capacity of humans to ‘bring into reality an image that only the mind could have perceived as already existing’. The Place of Birds prepares me for creative thought. This is exactly what I have been concentrating on. Again, I feel there is more work to come, but I can take this as validation that I am on the right track.
The final card is the Eight of Stones. I feel it combines a deep-dive into my emotions and intuition from the first card and the visionary skill from the second card. The card depicts a flying horse that has been carved out of stone, thus taking a material object (stone) and applying one’s vision to it and creating something magical and new. It’s liberation through fresh ideas and creation and by working hard to make dreams come true. That is exactly where I’m at!
Overall, this reading feels to me like a validation of the work I’m doing and encouragement to keep it up. And just maybe, it’s a thumbs-up from Rachel? Thank you and Happy Birthday, Rachel! We miss you, but we will never forget you.
