I Read Dead People

My dear 94 year old father (pictured above) passed away recently. It wasn’t a total shock due to his advanced age and he had been struggling with his health for a few months. My younger brother, his wife and I were Dad’s main caretakers in his last few years and we had all received “signs” that the end was near in the last weeks before he died. Most of this came in the form of dreams (I RARELY dream but when I do, it usually is either prophetic, silly or about dead relatives). I had dreamt that Betty White was the “Angel Of Death” and came to have a beer with Dad (Yeah, I know it seems rather stupid but trust me, the dream was quite vivid!). My brother, who considers himself to be logical and not psychic in the least had a dream that my late mother visited him and told him that “Dad would be okay”. We come from a superstitious family so we watched Dad very closely as we knew this was not going to be long. About 2 weeks after my brother’s dream, Dad passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loved ones.

Since then, I have had 3 dreams with Dad and in each one, I was taking care of him. He was frail but happy. Unlike my mother, who delivered intense and very personal messages to me when she died (she still does to this day), Dad didn’t seem to have anything relevant to say. Perhaps it is not his time yet or maybe I am not ready to receive a message. Sometimes a person has to be “settled in” before they can find a way to connect with us. And then, there are times when the deceased simply don’t have anything to say. While that may seem like a bummer, I usually take it as a good sign that the person is in a comfortable place and has no desire to bother with us earthly beings.

A few months ago, one of my favorite tarot bloggers, Bonnie Cehovet, was looking for an idea for a tarot post. I suggested she write about doing tarot readings for people who have passed over to the other side and she wrote a fabulous article. (I hope you read it – she was kind enough to include a story I shared with her from one of my experiences with this subject.) So many people wish to connect with their deceased loved ones and the tarot can be a good resource. I decided to do a reading about my Dad to show you how this can be done.

When you are doing a reading for a dead person, you can use any type of spread you like. I’ll use the Horseshoe Spread in most cases (see an example of this spread at Tarot Elements) but to keep things simple, I have decided to use a Three Card Spread, with no positions defined. My question was “How is Dad doing on the other side?”

Notice the 5 of Swords reversed on the left. Fives represent change and the Swords suit indicates struggle. When this card is right side up in a reading, it can suggest a battle and a rather negative one at that. Seeing this card reversed gave me a sigh of relief as I interpreted it as a fight that is over – no more pain, no more strife. This is a good indicator that Dad is no longer in any distress – he has released himself from the earthly battlefield and has crossed over strongly. I also see this card as a good sign that Dad was really ready to make this transition and didn’t want to “fight” any longer. This makes sense as a few days before he died, Dad told me that he “just wanted this to end”.

The next two cards are from the Major Arcana and this indicates strong spiritual energy at work. Major Arcana can represent karma and the path towards enlightenment. The presence of these two shows me that Dad is well on his journey and exactly where he needs to be. The High Priestess is a gatherer of knowledge – Dad may be actively trying to understand the role he played here. If he had trouble understanding his earthly path, it seems as if he is now able to look within and discover the karmic lessons and make peace with them. Self knowledge and intuition vibrate very strongly with this card – but The High Priestess tends to store this knowledge deep within – a sign that Dad is definitely not ready to share his experiences with me or anyone else. Perhaps he has not found the right way to communicate with us yet – or he may be too busy discovering his own way on the other side.

The Chariot is a very strong card, suggesting a “triumph” and a “great victory”. This card also speaks of spiritual maturity. Dad seems to be handling his new role on the other side well. He is in the driver’s seat and following the correct course. If there was ever a card to represent “going in the right direction”, this would be it. He seems to be coming to terms with the former life as well as his new life in a mature and polished manner – a sign of a man moving forward towards a higher mission. He has found the vehicle for enlightenment and is taking the reigns firmly in his hands. He is well on his way and not looking back at all. (Interestingly, the High Priestess is attributed to the Moon and the Chariot is connected with Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon – these two cards seem to complement each other very well and also imply positive energy at work.)

So it appears to me that Dad was not only ready to go but he is speeding off in the otherworld, following his personal karmic mission towards the next level. He has achieved a perfect transition and most likely, will not be popping in to visit with me anytime soon. I wish him well on his journey.

Blessings!

Theresa

PS I’d LOVE to hear your stories about doing readings for loved ones who have passed on. Please share them in the comments section below.