Review by Bonnie Cehovet
I was very interested to see a book come out that
untied two of my interests - Tarot and dream
interpretation. From the forward, speaking of drawing Tarot cards
for each sequence of a dream, Rachel Pollack says:
"... in other words, we match randomly pulled Tarot
cards with the parts of the dream and see how each set
of symbols illuminates the other. The 'private
language' of dreams and the 'public language' of Tarot cards
can learn to speak to each other. Through the two of
them we can learn to speak to ourselves."
Dreams and
Tarot both offer us guidance and counsel in our lives -
they are tools of empowerment for our personal and
spiritual growth. Gillentine does an excellent job of going
into the background of dreams, and the mirror of our
life that dreams present. We look into the the three
basic types of dreams, which are, according to
Gillentine: mental, which deal with aspects left over from our
daily activities; physical, which deal with health
issues or imbalances; and spiritual, which can be
messages from our soul to our conscious selves. Gillentine
also briefly covers subjects such as lucid dreaming;
out of body experiences; collective precognitive
dreams; shared dreams and waking dreams.
The fun really
starts when we get into the subjects of the language an
nature of symbols. (There is quite a good appendix that
covers the area of dream symbols.) From the book: "The
common denominator of Tarot and dreams is transmission of
knowledge and understanding through the agency of
subconsciousness and the mechanism of pictorial symbolism. Symbols
are the language of the subconscious mind, and Tarot
and dreams speak to us in exactly the same way, in the
language of symbolism." 1
Gillentine speaks of three
categories of symbols: universal, cultural and personal. The
last category is what dream interpretation is all about
for me. Universal and cultural symbols can be
interpreted from the "outside" - i.e. they are well known,
documented and understood. Personal symbols are exactly that
- they are personal to the individual. (This is why
the technique of dialoguing, a la Mary Greer, James
Wanless and countless more proponents works so well.) The
role of the Tarot counselor in interpreting dreams,
IMHO, is to act as a bridge so that the client may
connect the dream symbols, the Tarot symbols and their own
feelings about their dreams.
Gillentine shares with us a
wealth of information on actual dreams, and how they were
interpreted. In essence, she gifts us with a template for
interpreting our own (or our clients) dreams. Information is
given on how to ask for dreams, how to prepare for
dreaming, how to best remember our dreams, and what kind of
information we want to bring back from dreamtime (essentially
- everything that we can!). She lists a summary for
working with dream symbols, and presents the following
Tarot and dream spreads for us to work with:
1. Meditation - single card spread
2. Dominant Image(s) - one to four card significator spread
3. The Gift - two card spread
4. State of Being - three card spread
5. Overall Guidance - three card spread
6. Levels of the Mind - three card spread
7. Crossroads - four card spread
8. Four Seasons - five card spread
9. Pyramid of Consciousness - six card spread
Each spread is accompanied by an in
depth sample reading. In the section on cards, each card
is presented with keywords, significator, reversed
meaning, a description of the card and a probable meaning
in a dream spread. From the book:
Fool
Leaping from a height into the unknown.
Keyword: Potential
Significator: A leap of faith is required.
Reversed: The risk of a wrong choice; Look before you leap.
Description:
The Fool is generally portrayed as young and
androgynous, blissfully poised on a precipice. Unencumbered by
material possessions at this stage of the soul's journey,
The Fool carries all he needs in a small pouch, gazing
upwardly expectantly, ready to take the plunge into a new
adventure. Trusting in the support of the universe to guide
and guard is implied here. The Fool represents the
beginning of the Hero's journey.
Astrologically, the Fool
corresponds with the planet Uranus. The color is pale yellow
and the number is zero. Symbols int he card include a
dog, feather, mountains, precipice, wallet and
wand.
Dream Spread:
A choice is before you - choose wisely. A
new direction or a fresh start may soon present
itself. Move forward with confidence and explore you
untapped potential. Where is faith required? Where are you
being foolish? 2
Gillentine, when dealing with the
pips, presents pertinent information on the numbers
themselves. For me, this is just as integral a part of the
interpretation as t he suit represented. Alone - they only tell
half of the story. When dealing with the court cards,
Gillentine presents a fairly standard interpretation of what
type of person (i.e. hair and eye color) they might
represent.
The manner in which Gillentine deals with Aces
and Pages is, at the very least, food for thought.
From the book:
"Aces And Princesses (Pages)
Both aces and pages carry the energy of potential. An ace is the
energy itself, expressing from the world of its
manifestation before combining with the principles of the other
numbers. The Page or Princess is the conceptual vehicle or
container of its ultimate fulfillment in t he world of
form." 3
The Page of Wands is presented as representing
spring; the Page of Cups as representing Summer; the Page
of Swords as representing Autumn; and the Page of
Pentacles as representing Winter.
All in all, Tarot & Dream
Interpretation has a great deal to offer. While you may not agree
with Gillentine's interpretations for each card as they
aspect dream interpretation, at the least she has given
you a place to start on your dream journey. Each
person will take what they will from this book - I
recommend it as good reference material for dreamwork and
Tarot.
Footnotes: 1. ibid. page 12. 2. ibid. pare 84. 3. ibid. page
151.
Bonnie Cehovet is a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and is certified as a Tarot Educator with the American Board For Tarot Certification. Bonnie has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, is co-founder of the World Tarot Network, and Vice President (as well as Director of Certification) for the American Board For Tarot Certification. She has had articles appear in the 2004 and 2005 Llewellyn Tarot Reader.
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