Twin Flames Podcast

Leah & Laura do a deep dive into dream analysis and give you 9 practical guidelines for interpreting your own dreams. Check out Episode 5 for Part I of this miniseries. Below are the 9 interpretation guidelines: 

1. YOU are the expert on yourself. 
2. Dreams can be interpreted in more than one way.
3. Stay open-minded.
4. Keep in mind that dreams communicate in symbols. 
5. Focus on the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of the dream. 
6. Every detail is important!
7. Take note of emotions/feelings/sensations. 
8. Focus on important symbols or images. 
9. Pay attention to what is going on in your life at the time of the dream 

For more info on dream interpretation, check out these dream experts:

• Rubin Naiman, PhD, FAASM (Psychologist, University of Arizona)
• Murray Stein, PhD (Psychoanalyst and author, International School of Analytical Psychology in Switzerland)
• Arthur Bernard, MFT, PhD (Dream specialist, author, radio/podcast host)
• Carl Gustav Jung (Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, father of modern dream interpretation, b.1875 - d.1961)
• Theresa Cheung, M.A. (Dream specialist and bestselling author)

In Part I of this miniseries, Leah & Laura discuss how personality disorders (PDs) show up and develop in adolescence using the reversed Pages cards in the Tarot. They explain 1. what a personality disorder is and how it relates to denial, avoidance, and repression; 2. how and why individuals with PDs and the Tarot Pages operate almost exclusively from the ego; and 3. how the 4 suits of the Tarot offer us clues into PD challenges in four domains of functioning: 

• Wands: Impulse control and risk-taking 
• Cups: Interpersonal relationships, emotion regulation, and trust 
• Swords: Cognitive functioning, perception, and reality contact
• Pentacles: Behavior modulation and adaptability 

Leah & Laura wrap-up the episode by offering reflections and suggestions to try when pulling reversed Pages during a Tarot reading. 

Leah and Laura continue their discussion of the Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana of the Tarot from a psychological perspective.

They provide an overview of cards 8 (Strength) to 14 (Temperance) of the Major Arcana, in which the Fool (the client) shifts from working through the challenges of everyday life (cards 1-7) to doing more internal and spiritual work (cards 8-14). In other words, the Fool moves from the first leg of the therapeutic journey to the second leg -- the more introspective phase of therapy -- in which the client learns to draw on strength, solitude, resilience, fairness, and acceptance (cards 8-12) and perfects the art of letting go (card 13) to make room for more complex, non-dualistic thinking (card 14). 

Books referenced:

• “WTF Is Tarot…& How Do I Do It?” by Bakara Wintner (Wintner, 2017).
• “Tarot Fundamentals” by Giordano Berti, Tali Goodwin, Sasha Grahm, Marcus Katz, Mark McElroy, Riccardo Minetti, and Barbara Moore (Berti et al., 2018).
• “The Complete Beginners Guide to Tarot: How to read tarot cards for self-discovery and spiritual practice made easy and intuitive” by Misty J. Kinsman (Kinsman, 2021).

Leah and Laura discuss the Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana of the Tarot from a psychological perspective. 

They provide an overview of cards 0 (The Fool) to 7 (The Chariot) of the Major Arcana, in which the Fool (the client) learns to face the challenges of everyday life (i.e., cards 3 to 7) with the help of the Magician/High Priestess (the therapist) in the first leg of the Fool’s journey (i.e., initiating therapy and moving through its beginning stages).

The first few therapeutic phases and their Tarot counterparts are analyzed as follows:

• Card 1: The Magician - Initiation, therapeutic assessment, clinical interview
• Card 2: The High Priestess - Psychodynamic psychotherapy; early life experiences; the client’s inner world
• Card 3: The Empress - Nature (vs. Nurture); biological influences; temperament; rewiring and soothing the nervous system; embodiment practices and somatic experiencing
• Card 4: The Emperor - Nurture (vs. Nature); environmental influences; attachment styles; limits and boundaries; parenting styles and home life
• Card 5: The Hierophant - Multicultural counseling; narrative therapy; cultural, societal, and institutional influences; social norms and expectations; diversity factors; power, privilege, and disenfranchisement
• Card 6: The Lovers - Relational psychotherapy; interpersonal/relational patterns; interpersonal trauma; the therapeutic relationship as a vehicle for change; corrective emotional experiences; self-compassion; interpersonal vs. intrapersonal relationships
• Card 7: The Chariot - Solution-focused psychotherapy; behavioral activation; parallel processes; transference and countertransference; nonlinear healing; progress and treatment plan review

Books referenced:

• “The Complete Beginners Guide to Tarot: How to read tarot cards for self-discovery and spiritual practice made easy and intuitive” by Misty J. Kinsman (Kinsman, 2021).
• “The Shining Tribe Tarot” by Rachel Pollack (Pollack, 2001).
• “Tarot and the Archetypal Journey” by Sallie Nichols (Nichols, 2019).
• “The Fool’s Journey Through the Tarot Major Arcana” by Noel Eastwood (Eastwood, 2017).
• “The Pictorial Key to the Tarot” by A.E. Waite (Waite, 1911).

Leah & Laura provide a brief history of dream analysis and dive into Freudian, Jungian, Gestalt, and contemporary approaches to therapeutic dreamwork. They also discuss tips for recalling dreams and walk you through 6 basic steps of dream interpretation. 

Books consulted for this episode: 

"The Secret Language of Dreams: A Visual Key to Dreams and Their Meanings" by David Fontana

"Dreams: Unlock Inner Wisdom, Discover Meaning, and Refocus Your Life" by Rosie March-Smith 

Do you have a dream you'd like interpreted on the podcast? Email us at twin.flames.inc22@gmail.com

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On this episode of the Twin Flames Podcast, Leah and Laura debunk five myths about the Tarot:  

Myth #1: Tarot is fortune telling  

Myth #2: Tarot is magic and to be used by psychics or occultists only  

Myth #3: Tarot is evil, scary, or demonic  

Myth #4: Tarot is incompatible with most world religions; and 

Myth #5: Tarot is not practical, ethical, and cannot be used in psychotherapy  

Resources referenced/used in this episode: 

New York Times Article: Now Therapists Have to Figure Out Astrology, Tarot and Psychedelics  

Mental Floss Article: Tarot Mythology: The Surprising Origins of the World's Most Misunderstood Cards  

New Humanist Article: Atheists can embrace the power of Tarot  

Shondaland Article: It's All in the Cards: Why a Tarot Reading Might Improve Your Mental Health  

PsychCentral Article: Using Tarot in Psychotherapy  

oldest.org: 9 Oldest Tarot Card Decks in the World  

religionnews.com: A new aspect of the Tarot boom: Diversity in the deck  

Definition of "occult" from dictionary.com: "of or relating to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies; beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or understanding; mysterious secret; disclosed or communicated only to the initiated."