Finding your Inner Diva – or Divo!

The King of Swords by Linda Sutton from The Opera Tarot

Let me share with you an exercise I developed for The Opera Tarot, which has recently been published.
All you need is a deck of cards – preferably The Opera Tarot, available from lindasutton.com –  a sound system to play Nessun Dorma on full blast, and complete privacy!

For the Diva or Divo Within

The term for a celebrated opera singer is Diva, from the Italian for Goddess. More rarely the male equivalent is used – Divo – for prominent tenors such as Caruso & Gigli. By connecting it to the God/dess we can sense how the term refers to the divine inner core of the ego: its positive connotations referring to the highly accomplished artist who fulfils their purpose, their mission in the world. But the word has its shadow too, its reversed meaning: a Diva/Divo as well as being loved, admired and respected is often considered temperamental, self-important, difficult to please – the ego in its most negative light.

The perfect piece of music to explore the Diva/Divo in us is the aria ‘Nessun Dorma’. It conveys a feeling of absolute success, finishing as it does with the statement “I will win!” repeated three times.

Eight of Swords by Linda Sutton from The Opera Tarot

In the privacy of your home, allow yourself to completely surrender to this music. Imagine you’re out on the stage of the World, the Universe, your Life, and you are singing out loud. Wave your arms about as triumphantly and operatically as possible as you join in the singing. When the aria finishes, stay with the feelings of elation and victory the aria has brought, and pick a card from a shuffled deck for your strength – your gift to the world: a card that represents or gives an insight into all that can make your proud. Now pick a card for your weakness – your flaw: a card that represents or gives an insight into the mystery of your shame and its hidden gift. Finally, pick a card for the gift this moment can give you.

Look at all three cards now and interpret freely and with generosity to yourself.