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NOVEMBER 2008

The Nature of Symbols

by Peggy Firth, Certified Tarot Master

Have you ever looked around and noticed what you have collected or amassed? What is your work environment like and what kind of friends and family do you have? Such things are symbolic of your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about life. The same can be said for the images that you notice when you read the cards for yourself and others. Most people look outward or blame circumstances or others for their problems and have never learned about their creative powers. They may also allow others to create for them, such as taking on cast-offs or saying "yes" when they mean no. I feel it is our job to teach some of these lessons as we read for others.

You may be able to communicate more freely with your subconscious mind if you are aware of its symbolic meanings. Inner thoughts, beliefs and feelings are fluid and these inner events translate spontaneously into physical reality, often as symbols. In this reality we live in a chronological world of events which may take time to change and resolve. However, there also may be instant feedback when the inner mind is called upon. When you understand and use the nature of physical reality and its symbolic meanings you may no longer feel trapped in a rigid lifestyle.  This process is a life long learning process and may take years of peeling away beliefs that may block your creative nature. Your physical maladies are also symbolic of your mind and perhaps your karmic nature. Louise Hay speaks of maladies that reflect certain aspects of your being. For example, if you are afraid to move forward you may experience problems with your lower extremities. We have all heard of traumatic wake-up calls such as an automobile accident, when spirit is sending an important message that we fail to respond to.

It is now known that personal problems are considered physical manifestations of the inner mind as well how karma, the entire makeup of the persona, plays out in our life experience. The Bible verse “know thyself” demands that we explore our inner drama before embarking or planning major changes. For example, if we hold the belief that we are powerless to make a change, such as leaving a mate, we may not be able to immediately arrange such a move. We have to consider the beliefs we have been taught by our parents, school and the media. It’s possible to change our beliefs if we are aware of them.

Popular books and New Thought teachers speak of creating with your thoughts and underlying emotions but often fail to mention how one’s inner life affects the outcome. Taking charge of your thoughts, and manifesting them may create changes if your inner work has freed up the process. A woman on Oprah who had tried unsuccessfully to use the power of her mind to defeat breast cancer was told that a healing comes in many forms. Perhaps cancer is her way of coming to terms with her past and may be symbolic of an inner feeling or belief. She can also decide to allow medical professionals to help cure her disease. Breast cancer may even be a socially acceptable way of leaving a bad marriage or life. Such limiting beliefs cause untold suffering.

Material things, events, and so-called problems help construct the framework of our lives. They are the symbols that translate into meaning, just as the written or spoken word is used to represent meanings, feelings or things. Images, words, symbols, emotions, and physical problems all represent symbols in our lives since we live in a material world. If we pay attention to these symbols as clues to our nature, beliefs and feelings about life, we not only benefit but can also help others through the images we notice in the cards.

Healing ourselves first enables us to become better, more sensitive readers.

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