I’m a skeptic when it comes to things (like that damn Ouija board), but there is a level of me that wants to believe in something — ANYTHING. I look at horoscopes sometimes, and sometimes you sit there and go, “Yeah, right,” and sometimes you actually get something meaningful from it. Of course, it’s all with a grain of salt, and can be taken as anything. But, my argument to that, is so can spirituality, which is why I’m such a skeptic sometimes.

I’ve tried meditation, and it has never worked for me. Either I can’t sit still, I’m too hyper-aware of what is going on around me, or my mind starts wandering because of something the speaker says or that the music invokes.

I have two other techniques that are in my possession, and I thought I would look further into them. One, is Guatemalean Worry People, and the other are your all-around Tarot cards.

First, let’s talk about Worry People.

Guatemalan Worry People, along with authentic carrying bag and background information/instructions.

The first time I heard about Worry People was in the Batman Animated series by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini.

God, I love that series more than any cartoon series out there. It is by far one of the best cartoons known to man.

Okay, I’ll stop ranting about it.

Anyway, the episode was titled, “The Worry Men,” and starred the Mad Hatter as the villain. He manufactured miniature dolls that could be used as headwear, and gave them to wealthy Gothamites in the event that he may control them. Batman saves the day, in usual fashion, but not without being part of Mad Hatter’s plan.

So, as you can tell, I knew about this in high school. I never knew I would come into contact with them.

The picture from earlier shows the dolls, usually less than an inch in size to a few inches tall, and they are usually covered in thread and made with straw or wire to make the body. I’ve seen a lot of these sold over the years, and I’ve even seen some made to look like famous characters. They come four to six to a bag (mine had seven, go figure!), and you whisper into their ear at night your problems and troubles. Some sources say you even rub their belly a few times while telling them your worries. After this, they are placed under your pillow and they take your worries away overnight.

I received these as a gift, and I loved them because of the Batman tie-in (at least for me!), and I have never used these. I also don’t believe in these. Or dream catchers, or anything that supposedly happens to you while you are sleeping. I believe in lucid dreaming, which I learned very quickly at a very young age, and I have quit practicing lucid dreaming because I would prefer to see where my subconscious takes me.

The other thing I have in my possession is this:

  • The “Essential Tarot Book and Card Set” box.
  • A nice box that includes book with history and basic instructions, and the “Hanson-Roberts” Tarot deck.

The tarot. Another function of predicting one’s past, present and future. It gives a story, and is very similar to astrology in some aspects. I bought this at a bookstore, and I wanted it because part of me believes in the tarot cards.

I know it seems crazy, but it is one of the few things that I have a slight belief in. Do I think they are 100% correct? No, because there is a level of skepticism that I have, but in the few readings I have done on myself, it was uncanny how similar things in my life were going that the cards were following in the same order.

Now, I would not use this as a replacement for therapy. My medications keep me stable, and it does help to talk to someone other than my family. But, I draw to it every once in a while to answer hard questions I have about my life.

And, really, you can’t argue that a person can do that. The I Ching has been used for a long time by the Chinese to tell their fate. I’ve been reading “The Man in the High Castle” for a while now, and they mention the I Ching in it frequently. I realized that it is very similar to Tarot in some aspects, but tarot is looked at as occult and I Ching is looked at as tradition.

Like I said, I would not stop my meds and follow the tarot full time. But, it does make me feel better to use it every once in a while, just like some people refer to stones, or dreamcatchers, or Worry People, et cetra.

As I see it, we all have to believe in something, whether it be God, Saints, the Occult, or tradition, or whatever. As long as it makes us feel better, and it isn’t hurting anyone, then it should be okay.