Tarot Cards in Rituals

April 22 was the full moon, called a Pink Moon in this month. After reading about this spring moon ritual at the Moody Moon, I was inspired to try my own take. I'm not officially pagan or Wiccan, but I find great value in ritual and in marking the changing seasons.

Below you will see the small altar I came up with; I have a small votive candle, some plants from the woods behind my house (harvest responsibly!), and some rainwater instead of dew (you'll also notice I left out the charcoal part of the Moody Moon's version).  I thought I would bring some of my own creativity and make the ritual more personal to me, so I circled the altar in pink sea salt (for the Pink Moon!), using the little bird candle holder as a vessel. I also recited an Emily Dickinson poem, because alternating speech and silence is a big part of how I practice my faith.

Ok, but this is Down Home Tarot, not Down Home Approximation of Pagan Rites. Well, as I gathered my materials, I just really felt like something was missing.  I realized that I needed some tarot cards to complete my altar and make it my own. 

I went to my Tarot of the Magical Forest, because it has a great whimsical and slightly creepy Hieronymous-Bosch-meets-Sesame-Street feel that fit perfectly with a springtime moon.  I chose the Moon, to help focus the ritual on the full moon.  I also selected the Three of Pentacles.  This card holds my hopes for the coming lunar cycle; I'm job searching and feeling optimistic but guarded, and I'm hoping for progress on that front in one form or another.  Finally, I thought the Ace of Cups was a great way to represent the spring, and the soft pink coloring in the illustration truly created the feel of a Pink Moon. 

My ritual was simple, and probably didn't take much longer than five minutes, but it still left me feeling grounded, more peaceful, and more connected to the things I find important. 

This is an example of using tarot cards with intention, as opposed to shuffling and pulling cards to see what they have to say.  It is a way of dedicating your intentions, or clarifying and stating your purpose for yourself.  Maybe you are not into putting together a ritual, per se (we can't all be hedge witches), but you may find that meditating on cards you select purposely is rewarding in of itself.  Selecting and meditating on specific cards is a great way to get to know a new deck, too.  

Are there any individual cards that you have been drawn to?  Have you tried meditating on a card yet?  How was the experience?  Share your insight in comments!