Let’s be clear here, I’m not going to talk about full-blown clinical depression. If you are experiencing anything other than a few days of sadness, then you must seek medical help: first stop, your General Practitioner who can advise you on your next step and refer you to a professional.

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However, if you occasionally get those days where you feel less-than-good, tired, bored and lacklustre, this short tarot exercise might help. It’s a cross between a tarot reading and a tarot spell. Get yourself comfortable and make sure you are undisturbed. Grab your favourite deck and your journal… yes, you have work to do.
Firstly select the following three cards:

1. The Hanged Man 12
2. The Star 17
3. Temperance 14.

I’m using the Robin Wood. Apologies for its battered appearance — I’ve been using it for centuries.

These represent the steps from feeling blah to feeling ‘normal’. You may find you prefer other cards, if so, go ahead, choose those instead. For example, you might select the Four of Cups, Six of Swords and Three of Cups. Whatever resonates with you.

Place them down, face up. Shuffle the rest of the deck and draw three random cards to lay below the first three.

Mine are:

4. King of Swords
5. Three of Pentacles
6. Six of Pentacles.

It’s odd but I can see direct correlations between these pairs. The King of Swords seems to mirror the Hanged Man, the Three of Pentacles with his blue shirt, starry disks and focus is quite star-like. Temperance and the Six of Pentacles are both concerned with give and take, and balance. Try to see the connections between your three pairs. It might be that your card one is very obviously connected to your card six.

For a moment, allow yourself to feel the emotions of the first card. It might be deep sadness, frustration, boredom, tiredness or whatever it is that is keeping you from being your usual bouncy self. Really feel the crappiness. I’m looking at the Hanged Man and feeling drained, incapable of movement and generally dispirited. As I look at the card, I sigh and let my shoulders drop. Release resistance. It’s okay to feel down. Focus on your out breath, letting tension seep away.

Move your gaze to the next card, The Star. Don’t try to feel anything. Just allow yourself to imagine being there. The crisp and invigorating mountain air. The sound of the cool water flowing. The sweet-smelling grass beneath you. The rustling of the leaves above. Breathe evenly and deeply. Don’t think. Be.

Now move on to Temperance, who might be standing in the same stream. This time, the sun is coming up and warming your back. It feels like you are coming back to life. Focus on the in-breath. Everything is sun-scented. The water is silky, not freezing cold. Feel your energy levels rising – ever so slightly.

That was nice, wasn’t it? I bet you feel a little better already. Get your journal and pen. Work to do.

Look at your card four, underneath card one. Note down any similarities, whether it be symbols, imagery, meanings or thoughts that bubble up. Note down the most obvious differences.

“The King of Swords almost looks like a mirror image of the Hanged Man with the vertical trees and sword. The Hanged Man looks quite relaxed. The King is upright and in control. The sky behind both figures is grey but in the King of Swords it is somehow  more lively with clouds and birds.”

Do the same with the other two pairs.

“The Star-woman is very focused on her task, as is the man in the Three of Pentacles. She is out in the open, whereas he is in an enclosed space. I see seven stars in the Star and three stars on the Pentacles. The blue of the sky and water is the same blue on the man’s tunic. Those feathers seem to be mirror images of the mountains above.”

“The wings of the Temperance angel are mirrored by the background trees in the Six of Pentacles (never, ever noticed that before). The sky is the same color in both cards. Temperance is juggling and keeping his balance. The man below is weighing and balancing his coins ready to distribute them to the poor.”

My comparisons are very short, but you can write for as long as you want to. The more you see, the better.

Now ask yourself these questions:

Look at the Hanged Man: What feelings do I want to release?
Look at the Star: Could I release them?
Look at Temperance: When could I release them?

Of course, the answer to Qu 3. is ‘now’. If your answer is different, go back and start again (you don’t have to write out the similarities/differences; simply read through them and add more if they occur to you.

Look at the bottom three cards. Do any of them suggest actions you might take? What small physical action might you do in the next 15 minutes or so? Wash the dishes, shower, walk the dog, sort some laundry, phone someone you love, clean your computer screen, brush your hair.

My three say to me: Get some fresh air, clean the bathroom and perform some random act of kindness.

Go to it. I bet your depression is well gone by now.

Oh… and take a decent vitamin supplement; you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel in a few days.

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