I was lured into Transformations Beauty and Wellness on Hilton Head Island because the windows advertised: yoga, meditation, belly dancing, spiritual guidance, energy healing, goddess hair, fiber eyelash extensions, massage, salon, and spa. Surely, that sounded like a place I needed to be. After developing an addiction to glitter hair extensions and returning three days in a row, I decided to do a tarot reading with the owner, Lauren Taylor.According to The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult organization based on the teachings of Kabbala and Rosicrucianism, “The most powerful sources of information come from within; the Tarot aids in coming in contact with one’s Higher Self.” Readings are meant to be used as a guide to help you make decisions for yourself, not as an attempt to predict the future. Here are five lessons the tarot cards taught me about graduate school. Sometimes it takes a stranger telling you what you already know, before you can accept it for yourself.
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1. FOCUSShe said, “There’s a big change coming for you. See, you’ve been so confused. You have a lot of things that you want to do. You have a very good imagination and you have all these things that you think about. But, um, uh, you can’t possibly do it all. Try not to daydream so much about the things you wish you could do. Try to pick two to three of things and those can be realistic. Not all of them are realistic. . .at this time.”
For me, growing up means coming to terms with the fact that I will never be a famous painter, prima ballerina, fashion designer, bestselling author, or musician, at least not all at the same time. But the one thing that I have always done and always done well is write. Whether I like it or not, that’s the card I’ve been given and it’s what I came to this school to do. I am not here to make friends. I am not here to have fun. I am here to master my craft.
2. MENTAL MANIFESTATION LEADS TO PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION
“Are you attracted to an older man? A certain professor? The two of sword says: be careful, if you give it much more thought, it could happen because you get what you think about.”
Be mindful of what you put into the universe. If you don’t believe that you will achieve your goals, then you won’t. Mentally manifest your dream until it becomes a reality. Believe that you deserve it.
3. BE FEARLESS
“The only thing holding you back from being on top of the world and being the Emperor right now is fear. You have fear. You’re brazenly bold in a lot of areas, but inside, in your mind, its your mind that sabotages you. . .The cards say your in a great cycle. . .But its almost like you don’t think you deserve it, on some level.”
The only thing worse than not getting your dream internship, is watching one of your peers land it, and knowing that you didn’t even apply. Embrace your inner-goddess. Repeat: I am the emperor. I am the emperor.
4) HAVE FAITH
“You don’t feel very social, you don’t feel like you want to just be with the world, you are more interested in what you want internally, but there is an offer from someone and they can help you. When you run into these brick walls, all you have to do is ask and they can help.”
When she told me that I should be trusting the feminine advice around me, she may have been referring to the advice that she was still in the process of giving me, or to my colleagues in the writing department, which never seems to have more than two male students at a time. I might even have something to learn from all of those writing goddesses who never complain about my bipolar mood swings and social disdain.
5) Stop Spending Borrowed Money
Talyor was spot on with her prediction that there would be “A big chunk of money coming in the 30 day cycle.” A big chunk of borrowed money, that is. My student loan debt grows more formidable every month. Some of my spending is unavoidable, like gas and groceries and booze. But, “Narrow down your choices a little bit, they’re a little bit extreme,” was the best advice I received during our reading. Because, of course, she was right, and in hindsight, paying some lady to hand-tie strands of glitter into my hair, and tell me the obvious from an oversized stack of cards, was a little bit extreme.