Tarot Cards: thru the lenses of Contemplative Practice, NYC Subway Cave Art & Grateful Dead
- Thomas Tittmann
- 4 minutes ago
- 8 min read
During my recent labyrinth bathing experience, I was introduced to the Tarot. I'm providing this post from the lens of my 50 years of contemplative practice.
Because tarot cards are discouraged in many Christian circles, I looked to see if there are alternative perspectives...
"Picture yourself on a boat in a mirror..."
Before we investigate or use any practice, let's LOOK at ourselves in a mirror and begin by asking,
"WHY do I want to use it?"
...then allow this opening question to raise others...
AND, when you're not sure that your Inner Knower is developed enough to make the decision, seek the counsel of someone you trust.
Brittany Muller - The Contemplative Tarot
Why does tarot have, as you say in the book, a “bad reputation”?
Tarot originated in Renaissance Italy as a card game for Italian nobles and had no association with the occult. It wasn’t used for divination or fortunetelling. It was just a card game. That’s where a lot of the Christian imagery comes from, because obviously Renaissance Italy was a very Catholic culture.
It wasn’t until several hundred years later, during the occult revival in France in the 18th century, that tarot got picked up by occultists who fabricated a history of tarot as the key to this lost ancient wisdom from Egypt. I think that became tarot’s association for a long time, even into the present.
There’s been sort of a revival of tarot just in general in the last five or 10 years, and it’s been really interesting to see the different ways people use tarot now. Even the non-Christians I know who use tarot rarely use it for any sort of divination. Most people I know who read tarot now, even people who are not Christian, use it as a tool for self-reflection.
I would liken it more to therapy than fortunetelling.
That’s very similar to the way that I use tarot. I liken it to Visio Divina, a contemplative prayer practice that translates to “divine seeing.” It involves praying with images — to look at an image, to insert yourself into the image, to spend time with an image in contemplation and to see if God is speaking to you in some way through the image.
This next article from the Theosophical Society is a commentary on the above book.
[This is the complete article from the link below - with my added emphases.]
The last few decades have seen an explosion of books on Tarot, ranging from straightforward guides to divinatory expositions to complex esoteric philosophy. One might wonder if any uncharted territory remains. However, Brittany Muller guides her readers into such a new perspective in this gentle, thoughtful, beautiful book. Muller is a Roman Catholic layperson and approaches the cards as prompts for prayer, reflection, and journaling, deeply informed by Catholic theology and spirituality.
Muller provides a short reflection for each card, illustrated by the well-known Rider-Waite-Smith deck (whose creators were Christians, even if unconventional ones), preceded by a quote from the Bible or a saint, and followed by questions for pondering. These selections are pious in the best sense of that word, and suffused with a wonder-filled devotional spirit. Muller stirs her readers to inwardly enter the mysteries she is describing in an almost sermonic way. Any Christian, Catholic or otherwise, will find much value here, and esoteric students of the Tarot from non-Christian backgrounds will be enriched by a possibly unexpected perspective.
Those who are familiar with traditional Tarot attributions will note Muller’s familiarity with them, but she brings her own unique theological lens to her reflections. For example, in a powerful section on the Justice card, she notes that “to be just is to love our neighbor” and that justice is a virtue “not of retribution but of generosity in all things.” Furthermore, “the paradox of Christian justice is that we do not exact sacrifices for others, but take on the sacrifices ourselves.” Words which deserve a hearing in our difficult times!
To give another example, Muller takes the Wands in the Minor Arcana as representations of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. Thus she writes about the Eight of Wands: “The whole landscape is taken up by God’s terrible grace hurtling through the air, miracle crashing into the dull, cruel sameness of the world—the wands are . . . for us. The mystery is for us. A miracle breaks through, longing to be caught, and to catch it is part of our work in the world.” The book is suffused with Miller’s sense of the joyous strangeness of her religious tradition and of the mysterious yet deeply loving power of God.
The Contemplative Tarot concludes with a section on the court cards. Noting that they represent “a wide variety of personalities,” Muller has chosen a saint which aligns with each. I was surprised at her choices, which align with the cards with a natural grace: Francis of Assisi as the Page of Pentacles, Hildegard of Bingen as Queen of Pentacles, Thérèse of Lisieux as Page of Swords.
Muller should be commended for this lovely, prayerful book, which I will read again and keep on my reference shelf. I hope it will serve as a bridge between Tarot and Christian thought, stimulating further exploration from both sides.
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism
Note: There are several different versions available.
[from the Amazon Review] Published for the first time with an index and Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar’s afterword, this new English publication of Meditations on the Tarot is the landmark edition of one of the most important works of esoteric Christianity.
Written anonymously and published posthumously, as was the author’s wish, the intention of this work is for the reader to find a relationship with the author in the spiritual dimensions of existence. The author wanted not to be thought of as a personality who lived from 1900 to 1973, but as a friend who is communicating with us from beyond the boundaries of ordinary life.
Using the 22 major arcana of the tarot deck as a means to explore some of humanity’s most penetrating spiritual questions, Meditations on the Tarot has attracted an unprecedented range of praise from across the spiritual spectrum.
From the Publisher:
Additional Editorial Reviews:
“This book, in my view, is the greatest contribution to date toward the rediscovery and renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition of the Fathers of the Church and the High Middle Ages.”—Trappist abbot Thomas Keating, OCSO
“Meditations on the Tarot has become instrumental in my thinking….The writer – who calls himself ‘Unknown Friend’ – seems to be speaking to me directly, with endless wisdom and inspiration.” —Gerald Epstein, M.D., author of Healing Visualizations
“The book begs not only to be studied cover to cover, but also to be savored, meditated upon and assimilated into one’s life.” —Richard W. Kropf, National Catholic Reporter
Modern "Cave Art"...TAROT Art on a NYC Subway wall...
This text accompanies all three images:
Hilma’s Ghost, installation view of Abstract Futures, 2025, at 42 St-Grand Central Station, 2025. © Hilma’s Ghost. Photo by Etienne Frossard. Courtesy Hilma’s Ghost and SECRIST | BEACH.
A 600-square-foot mural inspired by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint has been installed in the New York subway. The mosaic, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design, is the first public commission by Hilma’s Ghost, a feminist artist collective co-founded by Sharmistha Ray and Dannielle Tegeder. Titled Abstract Futures (2025), the mosaic is located at the 42nd Street/3rd Avenue entrance to Grand Central Station, serving the 7 train on the Flushing line.
Drawing from tarot iconography and the artists’ ongoing interest in spiritual symbolism, the work is presented in three segments, each depicting a stage in a symbolic commuter journey. The piece reflects on transformation and renewal through abstraction and color, connecting everyday urban life with metaphysical themes.
The first segment features “The Fool,” a tarot archetype that represents risk-taking and new beginnings, expressed through a composition of reds, pinks, and oranges. The second segment, depicting “The Wheel of Fortune,” introduces earthy tones meant to convey grounding and change. The final and largest section, located near the fare array gates, includes celestial imagery such as the moon, the star, and the sun, culminating in “The World”—a tarot symbol for integration and renewal.
[Links and more description at the next link]
Another perspective...
POST LUDE
First, here's why I chose the above modified version of the word postlude...:
Next, as is frequently my custom, I follow the advice of my friend Steve who says, "There's a Grateful Dead song for every occasion." He and I surfed together years ago - on both coasts.
That said, here's my...your fortune:
See, this song features words that help tell our Tarot story...
"I can tell your future
Look what's in your hand"
--"Playing in the Band" - Grateful Dead
FIRST, some background for fans...
It has since become one of the best-known Grateful Dead numbers and a standard part of their repertoire. According to Deadbase X, it ranks fourth on the list of songs played most often in concert by the band with 581 performances.
In the Grateful Dead's live repertoire, all songs featured musical improvisation and many featured extended instrumental solos; but certain key songs were used as starting points for serious collective musical improvisation—the entire band creating spontaneously, all at once. In this regard "Playing in the Band" was of major importance, second only to "Dark Star". During "Playing in the Band" the Grateful Dead would play the planned verses and choruses of the song itself; then they would improvise and explore brand new musical territory, sometimes for twenty minutes or more; and then the chorus would usually be reprised, to bring the song to its end. Sometimes during these extended "jams", the band would even perform other entire songs, before at last coming back around to the final chorus from "Playing in the Band".
Its performance on 21 May 1974 at the Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle has been cited as the longest uninterrupted performance of a single song in the Grateful Dead's history, clocking in at 46 minutes and 32 seconds.
During a Bob Weir and Wolf Bros concert livestream on February 12, 2021, Weir credited David Crosby with the composition of the main riff. Weir stated, "David Crosby came up with the seminal lick... and then he left. We were out at Mickey's barn. So Mickey said, 'Make a song out of that'. Next day, I had it".
Playing In The Band (Live at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY 2/21/1971) [2020 Remaster] Song by Grateful Dead
Some folks trust to reason
Others trust to might
I don't trust to nothing
But I know it come out right
Say it once again now
Oh I hope you understand
When it's done and over
Lord, a man is just a man
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak
Daybreak on the land
Some folks look for answers
Others look for fights
Some folks up in treetops
Just look to see the sights
I can tell your future
Look what's in your hand
But I can't stop for nothing
I'm just playing in the band
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak
Daybreak on the land
Standing on a tower
World at my command
You just keep a turning
While I'm playing in the band
If a man among you
Got no sin upon his hand
Let him cast a stone at me
For playing in the band
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak
Daybreak on the land
Playing
Playing in the band
Daybreak Daybreak on the land
Songwriters: Robert Hunter, Bob Weir, Michael Hart. For non-commercial use only.
