By Marcia Bender
I have been working with the Tarot Cards to counsel clients for more than 45 years. Until recently, those seeking knowledge from Spirit were focused primarily on three areas of life. In order of importance, they are: love, money, and health. People are human, and when in body the physical/material areas of life seem to be of the greatest concern. However, today we are seeing a profound shift, and now I find many people asking other questions FIRST—and on a more and more regular basis. The questions are: Why am I here? What is my purpose? What should I being doing spiritually? Why do I exist? Who am I? What is the purpose for horrible events that humanity faces?
While I find comfort and joy in the fact that people are becoming less concerned about self and more concerned about the “mysteries of life,” ultimately looking at existence from a higher level of consciousness, I realize that these wonderful people expect me to provide the answers! No teacher can provide all of the answers, as they lie deep within us all. However, a good teacher can try to lead a person toward those answers. That is the purpose of this month’s column.
Life is and always has been a bit like a big puzzle, with many pieces that don’t always fit together smoothly. Life’s meaning and purpose is very much a mystery, and in the Western world there have always been two dominant sources for answers to these mysteries: Science and Religion.
Science explains things on observable, substantiated data. Science is centered on what we can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. Science is the pursuit of knowledge and believes that we must investigate, study, and test. Understanding then will come when we can prove something with logic and reason.
Religion relies on faith and is built upon centuries of human beliefs, feelings, and thoughts. These ideas do not have to be tested and are accepted as true because the people that adhere to the religion believe them to be so. The major motivation behind religion is the need to make sense out of death and suffering and to aid the individual into finding happiness and a meaning to life.
Where science seeks knowledge, religion seeks faithfulness. Where science investigates, religion inspires. Where science uses reason and observation to find truth, religion uses emotion and “signs.” Science tells us we are born, we live, we die, and that is all there is. Religion tells us that there is more to life, and that the way we live our lives will be important at the time of our leaving the physical body.
Science and religion are important in our lives and each answers some of the questions that we ask about the eternal cycle of life and death. However, many people are now realizing that there are too many questions that seem to have no answers, and we want someone to provide those answers to us.
Now we come to a third source for answers to the questions we have about life. It is not as well organized or as well defined as science and religion, but those of us who have studied and delved into this third source know that it should be seriously considered. There is no name for this body of knowledge, and its principles and concepts have been scattered throughout different cultures and counties since the beginning of time. It is also true that these ideas have been closely guarded and kept “secret” from the masses for all these many years, as it is believed that this power can be used for harm in the wrong hands.
These Secret Teachings can be called “metaphysical,” meaning beyond the known laws and observations of physics. These things are beyond the physical reality, beyond what we can see, touch, taste, smell, and feel. Science says they do not exist and religion calls them “mystical,” which means that they belong to something too mysterious to even consider. I believe that when one can combine the knowledge from Science, Religion, AND Metaphysics, the answers to our questions about self, purpose, and life become more clear.
How does one begin to understand that which seems so impossible to ever understand? Well, I can tell you that it does not happen overnight!
The first thing that needs to be cultivated is an open mind, and to have an open mind one must eliminate ego and preconceived thought patterns. When I was a young seeker, there was much less information and material available than there is today. In the twenty-first century there is a wealth of information on the metaphysical. A good place to begin is with books, remembering that not all books will resonate with each reader, and to attend lectures, schedule “sessions” with legitimate practitioners (and check this out carefully!), read this column and others like it, and find out what feels “right” to you.
William Shakespeare said, “…and this above all, to thine own self be true.” Trust your intuitions, and I promise that you will find the answers to your questions. As the old television show X-Files reminds us: “The Truth is Out There.” It takes time and effort and a real desire to know, to find the answers within and that is where they are, within each and every one of us. Dig deep, delve into the mysteries of life, and you will find your answers.
The nature of this column leads me to remind you that I will be glad to discuss the metaphysical subjects that you are curious about. All you need to do is email your questions and watch this column for a focus on the questions that you would like to see addressed.
And remember, Knowledge is the Greatest Power, so Walk in the Light!
Marcia began her career as a school teacher, working with preschool through inner city high school students. She has worked with all aspects of Metaphysics for over 40 years and specializes in Tarot and Numerology. Marcia’s clients and students are in every state and throughout Europe. Marcia has taught over 400 students to “read” the Tarot for the purpose of self-guidance and to use the powerful symbolism of the Tarot to reach higher levels of spirituality. Her column, Spiritually Speaking, originally ran for 8 years in Attitudes Magazine. Email marlou2000@aol.com