The Herbal Tarot

A Review of The Herbal Tarot and The Spirit of Herbs by Michael Tierra with artwork by Candis Cantin.

“What Does This Card Look Like It Means?”

Michael walks ahead of us through the thicket at a fast clip, the only one keeping pace is my 10 year old son Caleb. At every turn of the forest path Michael encounters another “friend” and says “Thank you” as he plucks a leaf. He turns to Caleb and says “What does this taste like”, mind you that this is my child who is “allergic to green food”, Caleb takes it and gobbles it up. Caleb has complete trust in Michael and is so consumed with this game that he doesn’t stop to note that he is eating “green” things. Michael turns to his students, the last group that he himself would personally teach his entire Planetary Herbology course to, and proclaims “What does this herb look like it does?”. We are learning the ancient art of “simpling”, the ability to determine the likely use of an herb by it’s look and where it chooses to grow. He would place the herb in our hands and ask us “What does this feel like?”. We are constantly challenged to understand the “spiritual properties” of the energy of each herb. We are asked to meditate on the herbs.

To start with the cards themselves, painted by Candace Caitlin, are beautiful representations of the world of herbs. The back of the cards have a beautiful border of rosemary, for protection and purification, with some cute little lady bugs standing guard to make sure that the rosemary remain untainted by aphids! The lady bug may be small but in the plant world she is a powerful protector. I like that Michael states “She (ladybug) will watch over you to see to it that the seeds planted in the readings are allowed to reach their full maturation”. The four mandalas on the back represents Michael’s amazing ability to bring his understanding of the planets cultures to us. To him they represent the seasons, elements and stages of our life.

The Major Arcana cards have all the images from traditional tarot decks. The names remain the same for each card except that the Devil is now Pan, the Wheel of Fortune becomes the Medicine Wheel, and the Hanged Man becomes the Suspended Person. I am assuming that these differences are an homage to Michael’s shamanic training. Just as with all the Minor Arcana the Majors each have an herb associated with them. The herbs chosen for the Majors though are all considered “Chi” herbs, or the enhancers of life’s energy represented in the human body . They are there for  us to facilitate, and integrate, the energies represented by the traditional meanings of  each of the cards.

The herbs for each of the Minor Arcana have been chosen to match the element associated with each suit. Swords represents air, as usual, so the herbs chosen are those that support the nervous system/mind/lungs. The Fire element, suit of wands, includes herbs which support/control blood and harness/release energy. The Suit of Cups, the water element, display herbs that heal the urinary and reproductive systems of the body. The Earth element, Suit of Pentacles, herbs all focus on the “process of nourishment, digestion, assimilation, and elimination.”

Michael’s book “The Spirit of Herbs: A Guide to the Herbal Tarot” does give us the general meaning of each card but goes further then most books when, similar to a hike into the forest with Michael, he asks us to ponder the herbs spiritual and medicinal properties, both of which give such a greater meaning to my readings. Like an herbal manual Michael cannot resist but give us his instructions on how to prepare and dose the herb in question along with it’s medicinal properties. I sometimes find this information a great addition to the application of the meaning of the reading for the individual. Not in the form of “medical advise” but for spiritual healing. He also provides us with key words for each card and the herb on the cards “herbal allies” (herbs which assist the herb in question). It is good to note these allies as they can provide further /deeper meaning to the querent’s concerns or the actions that they may wish to take to manifest the energy of the card/reading. There are affirmations listed for each card which beautifully match the cards. All this makes it a wonderful book for the Tarot enthusiast who wishes to learn about herbs.

There are several wonderful spreads suggested in the book by his wonderful wife Lesley. They include the “Medicine Wheel”, the “Inner Teacher’s Moon”, the “Conscious Moon”, “Time Line Moon”, “Overview Moon”, “Medicine Wheel Sun Spread”. There are also bonus meditation techniques for using the cards/herbs. He also explains their use as talismans.

This is really the book from which I launched my Tarot studies. Just like a walk with Michael in a lush garden I was encouraged to use  a combination of knowledge, intuition, and spirit to determine the meanings which the cards held for for my querent, in order to bring about the healing of mind, body, and spirit. I will end here with my beloved teacher Michael’s words:

“...the tarot is a tool not for fortune telling but for taking responsibility for our own lives and creations. Through it’s symbols, inner-knowledge and understanding are revealed and we see how we are children and co-creators of the Divine life force.”

Namaste,

Beth