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Tarot & Coaching by Meryl
Through The Tiger’s Mouth: Tarot and Coaching My journey with tarot and coaching is deeply personal and has revealed itself in the most numinous and unexpected ways. It didn’t just enter my life, first, it gently entered my dreams, powerfully directing me before I even knew it existed. Many moons ago, I dreamt of my hand in a tiger’s mouth. At the time, I had no idea what it meant or that tarot even existed. It wasn’t until 2016, during a time of personal upheaval, that someone introduced me to tarot. My very first session felt like an intense secrecy untangling before me. It left me stunned, and the intensity of the experience lingered on, slowly pulling me closer to this antediluvian practice.Not long after this experience, I had another dream: a snake circling me in a courtroom. I much much later realized this image mirrored the Lovers card and my very first dream (hand in a tiger’s mouth) mirrored the Strength card. I had no knowledge of it at the time. That same year, a significant relationship ended, and the person who had appeared in my wild serpent dream became an astonishing source of support. From there, my curiosity intensified. I started exploring tarot through workshops and soon found myself doing readings for friends and acquaintances. Even without fully mastering the theoretical aspects of every card, my intuition would take over every time. It’s, as if, I’ve known tarot all my life. People kept returning for more sessions and I began to understand that this was more than a skill - it was a calling. Well now, 4 years and countless readings later, I’ve come to accept that for me tarot is an intuitive and sacred connection, one that quite often feels like a force far far greater than myself working through me. Those who are drawn to me for a reading always seem to appear when they need to hear something important. In many ways, tarot has never been about me.
I’ve always been both terrified and in awe of the ocean. It’s a place that has given me moments of overpowering peace but also left me feeling submerged in turmoil. Recently, during a drama therapy session, I was asked to create and later embody an image that represented my life since childhood. Almost instinctively, I found myself picturing an ocean. There I was, in the middle of it, with only my head above water, barely breathing, utterly terrified. I was trying to keep the sharks and sea monsters at bay, not making a sound, and learning coping mechanisms that would help me survive. It was an image of struggle, of survival, and it resonated deeply because that’s what much of my life has felt like. Living in this state for so long eventually led to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a condition that has been both crippling and transformative.It’s been a challenging journey, but one that has taught me more than I could have imagined. And though I’m still learning and navigating my way through it, I know it’s still defining me in ways I never expected. If you ask me what brings me joy, I’ll admit I’m still figuring it out. But recently, thanks to a dear friend, I’ve discovered the simple yet intense joy of singing. I’d also add baking and cooking to that list, activities that allow me to create, nourish, and dive into moments of comfort. Every day, for me, is a step forward, some days, I do go backwards but I haven’t given up yet. And while the ocean remains quite vast and sometimes pretty ruthless and daunting, I’m learning to find my calm and joy within its stormy waves.
