Understanding Ayurveda
To understand Polarity Therapy and then to understand Tarot & the Chakras it is helpful to begin with Ayurveda. Here is a very brief overview.
Ayurvedic Doshas to Elements to Tarot Suits
AYURVEDA is the ancient holistic science of healing from India. Ayurveda translates as knowing daily life. Ayurvedic belief is that each individual comes into the world with a specific constitution made up of a unique predominate balance of universal elements. Constitutional types are known as doshas. Each dosha has a particular set of qualities that are expressed in the body by physical features, skin and hair qualities, attitudes and personality types.
There are three main doshas:
Vata - a combination of Ether and Air Elements
Pitta – a combination of Fire and Water Elements
Kapha – a combination of Water and Earth Elements
We are never just one dosha. We usually have a predominance of one or two doshas.
In Tarot terms, doshas could translate like this:
Vata - Ether & Air - Major Arcana & Swords
Pitta - Fire & Water- Wands & Cups
Kapha - Water & Earth - Cups & Pentacles
To find balance, we are always attempting to get back to the dosha combination we came into this life with, which represents our natural, primary, optimally balanced state. This is achieved mainly through the digestive system through recommended dietary changes.
Foods, including herbs and spices, have elemental qualities that affect the doshas. Life style changes such as exercise, meditations, receiving bodywork and self-administered cleansing processes may also be included. Only a trained practitioner of Ayurveda or related practices can really make an accurate assessment.
In recent times, the concept of different body types needing different treatments has become very popular. Ayurveda practices represent the most comprehensive methods for making these assessments.
Polarity Therapy distills Ayurveda teachings into accessible terms, making them easier to understand. This essential distillation of teachings was evident in the methods by which Polarity Therapy developer Dr. Randolph Stone (1890-1981) first introduced Polarity to his students in the States.
The influence of dietary changes is seen throughout Stone’s work, especially in his Health Building discussions. These distillations can be translated into correspondence aspects of the Tarot and the traditional suits of elements.
“Tarot and the Chakras: Opening New Dimensions to Healers” pg 12-13