Tarot Study – How Do I Heal? A Tarot Reading for Healing, Grief, and Resilience

Blessings, beautiful souls —

It seems I am extending my blog into a little bit of a Tarot Journal. It just feels like the appropriate space to write about what I am uncovering through the readings, as not only may it reflect to the Collective in a way that may also speak to them and mirror what they are navigating, but it extends as a little bit of a Tarot study. It’s a study of the decks I’m working with, and a helping hand for others when learning to unravel the meanings of the cards as well. It also allows me to solidify the reading in a personal space – my lifeofcloud blog – so that I can return to it when I need it. While I do hand-journal, of course (a passion), this feels like the kind of reading I’d like to deep-dive into through typing it up.

Today, I asked my Herbcrafter’s Tarot and Seasons of the Witch (Ostara) oracle (because I don’t have Lammas and am waiting on my Mabon deck to arrive!): How do I heal? What came through did not disappoint (in fact, it made me emotional). As I was doing this reading for myself, two friends messaged me at the same time, both navigating their own challenges that cried out for healing. To me, this synchronicity is no mere coincidence; I decided to post the reading here, because it’s clear it is not mine alone.

Let me first write out all that you are seeing, in case it is difficult to read:
– TEN OF EARTH (Pentacles) – Horsetail
– 19. THE SUN – St. John’s Wort
– NINE OF AIR (Swords) – Pomegranate
– TEN OF WATER (Cups) – Red Clover
– 25. Mushrooms – resilience through grief, growth through mud

When I first started reading with this deck, it told me it would help me heal, and it certainly wasn’t lying. I cried when I saw these cards for good reason. Let’s dive into what the cards are telling me, using my knowledge of the tarot but also using the guidebooks, as, for this particular deck (Herbcrafter’s Tarot), it’s profoundly wise and adds an abundant layer to what comes through.

Ten of Earth (Pentacles) – Horsetail
This is the foundation of the reading, the start of it all, and it’s no coincidence that it tells me the most important message: root myself in where I want to live. It’s calling me to build the structure I want to live inside myself, create the foundation of healing I am searching for. The guidebook tells me “Find strength deep within,” “You are safe and secure,” and “This has all taken place before.” There is truth in that. The card reminds me to gather from resources that have carried generations before me; that I must learn to build the future on the strengths of the past. Horsetail is ancient magic and modern medicine.

The Sun – St. John’s Wort
This card showed up for my daily pull today, as well, from another deck. She sits between earth and air, now – between what grounds me and being in my own head. She reminds me that I’m allowed to live a life that feels good, and this doesn’t mean the pain didn’t happen. It just means I am turning my head towards The Sun – what nourishes me – as a way to heal. The guidebook says, “The peak of summer’s power wards off every ill,” which is absolutely accurate for my story, right now. It reminds me, “Seek vibrant people and healing experiences that build good energy and boost your power.”

Nine of Air (Swords) – Pomegranate
This is the card of mental anguish, of rumination, of being in your head so much that it keeps you up at night. It’s the card that signifies the battle continuing even after people have left the room, the pain radiating even after a door is closed. But it’s the card of the mind, and I am being reminded that I need to bring myself back into the light even when my mind tries to drag me back into the fight. The guidebook says, “Know love, know grief,” and, “You are the sky, everything else is the weather.” It reminds me to let go of what I cannot control and, like Persephone, I must eat the pomegranate and seal my own fate. It states, “As a hike through the desert will prove, pain is one path to wisdom. When heartache enters your life, do not turn away. In The Prophet Kahlil Gibran says, “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” Do not hurry your grief. […] You will live through shattering experiences and still stand proud. When you are ready, quench the thirst of guilt, regret, and worry. Invite in forgiveness.” Absolutely spot on, truly fitting, truly healing…

Ten of Water (Cups) – Red Clover
After the pain of nine comes the waters of relief with ten… This is the card of emotional belonging; I am healed by learning what safe connection feels like. I am healed by receiving the love that I deserve during this time, from those who will hold me in a space of true compassion and care. I am healed by knowing I am loved, knowing where I belong, and allowing myself to drink from those cups. The guidebook extends this message by saying, “Taste the nectar of deep nourishment. […] Serenity is born from deep nourishment of the soul.” It writes that red clover restores the soil underground so that flowers above may flourish; I am being restored when I allow myself to be loved during this time. It encourages me to continue radiating peace and abundance and, “The road to well-being can be filled with harmony. It can be this good.” It also says to drink red clover tea to find contentment (which I have at home and will do, after writing this post).

This deck is beyond…

Finally, 25. Mushrooms
The guidebook tells me, “Your resilience is unwavering in the pursuit of anything that may come your way. […] [Mushrooms] are resilient in nature and use the harshness of their environment to grow stronger and spread wider. […] they have the strength to make it where others have not. Challenges can arise unexpectedly regardless of the cycle you’re in and such obstacles test your strength, shaking your sense of security and serenity and leaving behind a feeling of uncertainty for what’s to come. Receiving this card is not a sign that your troubles are over; instead, it’s a reminder that you have all the strength required to face your circumstances and come out of them stronger than ever before. […] While your situation may be difficult, know that you are protected from anything that is beyond your capability. Your challenges will become the catalyst for your evolution.”

This card is the perfect way to summarize the totality of the message in this reading: You don’t heal by becoming less sensitive to what happened; you heal by becoming more deeply rooted in what is true now. I have the capacity to move through this. I have what I need already within me, around me. I don’t need to be strong in this moment; I need to surrender and allow myself to receive love, to feel what I need to feel, but to get out of my head about it and choose light.

The entire spread reminds me that I will grow through what happens next. I can take what happened to me and let it be the catalyst to greater spiritual evolution, not let it define me or control my mind. I will not allow this grief to make me small; I will continue to grow up to The Sun that calls me. I deserve a life of joy; I will not let any pain take that away from me. The battle is done – the only remaining battle is in my mind, and I will choose Light, I will choose Love. I will not fight a war that has already been lost. I will move forward to the healing waters that await me.

My troubles might not be over, but I am a person transformed through them. As I have written in other posts, a new Cloud emerges from the ashes of the battle.

If this reading has found you during your own season of grief, conflict, uncertainty, or healing, let it be a reminder that you do not have to fight your way through everything alone. Root yourself in what is true now. Let yourself be loved. Feel what needs to be felt, then turn your face toward the light. The challenges we move through do not get to define us; they can become part of the soil from which we grow. For my own reminder, and for anyone reading who sees this reading as mirroring something within their own life: You already are strong, so use that strength to grow wider rather than simply endure more.

If you wish to support my work further, have a look at all my books, journals, and decks, available here. If you want to work with me as a spiritual healer, check out my services through Seeking Celestial Grace and Awakened Little Souls. And: What if the wisdom you need could be found in the spirit of flowers – in a 78-card oracle deck? Have a look at fleurs célestes – a Flower Essence Oracle & Tarot Deck created by yours truly.

xx C