The Guru

The Guru Tarot Card Description

The Guru tarot card is sometimes an additional card in some tarot card decks. In other instances, some decks may use the Guru tarot card to replace the world card at the end of the major arcana.

This Guru Card reference the Indian god, Shiva, who channeled the goddess, Ganga, into the world. In other words, this is a creation story of the Ganges river. Ganga came from Heaven as a favor to a friend. However, Ganga did not consent to all the life changes Shiva had in mind for her. She did not appreciate that Siva had trapped her. So, she tried to overwhelm Shiva by pressing him into the center of the Earth. However, Shiva stayed strong. He ran Ganga’s energy through his beautiful locks of hair. Shiva’s hair split her into seven sources and then gathered her together again as the Ganges river.

This may sound like a crazy story. However, remember that we are working with a poetic license to explain massive and potentially destructive forces. As the earth changed all those years ago and a glacier started to melt. This created vast changes and also created a gorgeous clear, pure river that had the power to shape Indian civilization and faith for many centuries to come.

It is a shame that more modern Indians don’t treat her waters as divine anymore. It would solve a lot of modern problems.  But, I digress…

The Guru Tarot Card Meaning

In permaculture, the treatment of water or earthworks is central to the whole study of agriculture. They have a saying about water on your land which is slow it, spread it, sink it.

Permaculture is the art of slowing down water and rehydrating the land beneath you so that you will recharge the water table. It seeks to stop the draining of sweet water from artesian sources and letting them run off of the land and into the sea. Water table restoration is the first step toward abundance and climate resiliency.

Water is a huge, powerful, elemental force in our world and is essential to life and civilization.

It seems the problems that we face today were being faced by the people of India back when they told this story. They just found a more poetic way to frame it than we have.

The Guru tarot Card is not just a card of enlightenment (whatever that means). It is the card of someone who understands the forces that are at work in their life and is able to stay strong and stay grounded rather than being overwhelmed when life throws things at them.

The guru taro card is the polar opposite of the Tower Card. 

On the Guru tarot card, lightning cracks and monsoon rains fall but the tower is still standing after the deluge. Because the Guru has stood against the elemental forces. Suddenly the water is replenishing the land rather than destroying it.

We pull this guru tarot card when we have been tested by life and remained in our seat of power. We have figured out solutions to the overwhelming forces that have come against us.

That might entitle us to a smug smile or two. However, don’t let this card go to your head.  The only thing constant in life is change.

This card may be calling you to go back to the basics of engineering and consider simple solutions to complex problems.  

Archimedes once said, “If you give me a long enough lever and a place to stand, I can lift the world.”  The Guru Tarot Card encourages you to stand in your power within the peace that meditation brings and use simple tools to withstand the forces working against you.