3 Card Daily Spread – Partnerships

This is a 3 card daily spread I’m enjoying lately. It’s from the Tarot Bible.

Card of the Day: 2 of Cups

Interferences: The Moon

Positive Results: Death

This spread feels very apt for today. The theme of this spread is partnerships, as indicated by the appearance of the 2 of Cups. I have recently been seeing someone new, and when I woke up this morning, I was thinking about what a strange thing it is to re-learn how to be a duo, rather than looking out for numero uno. In the past, I quite often lost my sense of self by throwing myself into relationships and absorbing the energy of my partner. I couldn’t help it. Now that I have been dabbling in single life for longer, I feel that I have finally had the chance to nurture my own unique energy. I am still not naturally good at projecting it though. As an introvert at heart, I find it much easier to sing to someone’s tune.

A relationship with someone is like a story that you write together. I am learning how to write that story while still retaining my sense of self. I bungled this up very recently and incurred the unhappiness of my love interest by acting in ways that could be considered selfish. At the least, I did not communicate clearly enough. And it was his birthday. So partnerships was a theme already in the forefront of my mind.

The Moon represents interferences. It’s a mysterious card – I kind of love it, even though I suppose it has rather negative connotations. The moon’s dim light casts as much shadow as it reveals. The card tells me that all is not what it seems. I don’t know the full picture. This card can represent betrayal or lies. The Moon’s appearance here tells me to proceed with caution. As a person in the early stages of getting to know another person, there is much I don’t know. I love the mystery of the Moon, the thought of worlds unexplored.

The appearance of Death is powerful in any reading. It speaks of inevitable endings. Here, it asks me to let go of something, to make way for something new. Is it an ill omen for this budding partnership of mine? It could be. Perhaps it is asking me to let go of a preconceived notion, or my ego? These are the questions I ponder as I go through my day. All will be revealed as time pans out.

Daily card: The Star

Today’s card is The Star.

This is the second time I’ve pulled this card recently. The first was in a spread with this card in the position representing key to the matter. It’s become one of my recent favourite cards.

There’s a lot of mystery to this card. The image is redolent with symbolism, which I have read a little about, but won’t go into here. The Star tells me that the universe has got my back. It’s a symbol of hope after a period of struggle. It’s a light in the darkness.

The message of the Star is one of faith rather than a call to action. The idea of trusting that peace and happiness will come to me, rather than me actively manifesting a positive future, requires a mental leap of faith which doesn’t come easily to me. But despite this, I feel comfort in receiving the Star’s message. It’s like getting a hug from a friend, and a reassurance that it’s all going to be all right. Even when it’s not going to be all right, it feels good to be reassured. And maybe it’s exactly what I need to hear.

 

A 3 card spread with 2 pages and 1 knight

L to R: Attend to this, card for the day, watch out for this

A quick three card daily draw with my new Morgan Greer tarot deck resulted in this spread. 3 court cards! 2 of them Pages. I have trouble enough as it is when one court card comes up, so this is a good opportunity for some research and reflection.

The thing to decide, is whether the court card in question represents a person, personality traits, or a situation.

If representing a person, the court card could be myself or someone else. Because there are three court cards in this spread, they cannot all be me – unless they each represent aspects of myself, and if we choose to follow that path then we are moving more into personality traits territory (see below).

If each card represents a person other than myself, then here is a possible interpretation: Today I will feel the influence of a charismatic, creative person (Page of Rods). A truth-slinging youthful person need attending to (Page of Swords), while an emotional, caring and perhaps melodramatic young man will make an appearance (Knight of Cups). Hm. Interesting, but my unlikely.

If representing personality traits, then we look to the aspects of the suit. A possible interpretation would be this: Today, I will feed into my creative side (Page of Rods). I should make sure I use my logical thought (Page of Swords). I need to watch out for my emotional side (Knight of Cups). I find this interpretation highlights the inadequacies of the spread, because “attend to this” is very similar to “watch out for this”. When interpreted as personality traits, they both seem to issue a warning to me about keeping aspects of my personality in check. I feel that the Page of Swords interpretation here has a ring of truth much more so than the other cards.

If we interpret each card as a situation, then the Pages could be messages and the Knight could be news. Does two pages mean very important messages, or two separate messages? The Knight could represent news of the heart, perhaps I should watch out for news of someone important to me. A possible interpretation using situation could be: Today, I will have a new, creative idea (Page of Rods). I should feel confident that my venture will be successful (Page of Swords). Romance and imagination are coming my way (Knight of Cups).

I think it likely that the best interpretation is a combination of all three, and I have to listen to my intuition to find which interpretation rings the most true.

How about this: The Page of Rods tells me that today will be a day that I harness my creative energy, I will be motivated to make the most of the day. The Page of Swords tells me to pay attention to my words, as my logical reasoning and unapologetic speaking of the truth could land me in trouble. The Knight of Cups tells me to stay open to romance and imagination as I go about the day, and also warns me of my tendency to become moody, especially when the weather is dreary like today (true fact). The two Pages together could indicate that I will receive a message (or messages), or it could mean education – perhaps I might learn something significant today.

As always, the process of writing these thoughts out helps me a lot. I find myself in a much clearer place than I was when I sat down to write this post.

As an end note, I will just add that I got these Morgan Greer tarot cards yesterday, and I already feel very comfortable with them. The design and colours sit very well with me, as does the quality of the deck.

 

Daily card: 10 of Wands

The 10 of Wands depicts a man bent over by the weight of his burden, a bundle of wands. This card indicates that you may be feeling overburdened and weighed down.

As I ponder this card today, I wonder how often we impose this state upon ourselves. The tens in each suit represent the full fruition of the characteristics of its suit. The spark of fiery creativity represented in the Ace of Wands incites one to action, and here we see what happens when we continue to act and act. We take on too much and overburden ourselves.

I used to be a “yes” person. Challenges did not faze me, in fact I welcomed them. I would say yes to every request. And I always got it all done. But in time I learned that to keep a good balance for myself, I had to say “no” sometimes and to just CHILL.

The feeling of being overburdened can be mainly mental too. I think we all know someone in our lives who is a “stresser”. Someone for whom life just seems too hard most of the time. Someone who is constantly stressed out, seemingly over nothing sometimes. Such people remind me that your attitude and mind space does a lot. If you act like everything is difficult, then everything becomes difficult for you. The 10 of Wands says that perhaps you need to mentally reorganise your thinking. The man in the picture is holding the bundle of wands in what looks like the most impractical way ever, his task would be easier if he simplified his approach. We too, need reminders to simplify our approach.

Are you feeling overburdened? What can you let go of? Think about what is really important and what is simply taking up precious time and energy. Or perhaps you need to mentally de-stress by practising mindfulness, or just getting it all off your chest with a big old gossip session with a friend. The 10 of Wands recognises your burden and asks you to recognise it too, and then, let it go.

 

Daily card: The Hanged Man

This is a complex and fascinating card. The Hanged Man is suspended from the gallows by one foot, while his other leg is cocked at a jaunty angle. Actually, I would say his whole pose is rather jaunty. And… is he smiling? At any rate he does not seem unhappy with his present situation. From his upside-down vantage point he sees the world from an entirely different perspective.

I love the paradoxical nature of this card. The Hanged Man tells us to surrender, to let go, to sacrifice yourself. To take one step back in order to take two steps forward. To stop struggling. To adopt a new perspective.

I enjoy the message of this card because I look on change with optimism, I like gaining new perspectives and I like being surprised.

 

Tarot reading: What I need to learn

A new (to me) spread. The cards can be read individually or combined with other cards in the row.

Top: What I need to learn about love

Middle: What I need to learn about life

Bottom: What I need to learn about my vocation

Top: The World, Knight of Swords, The Empress. I should watch my tendency to rush into new relationships. I need to remember that my words can sting and I need to temper my truthfulness with my more nurturing qualities. Balancing these qualities will help me to experience fulfilling relationships.

Middle: 4 of Cups, King of Pentacles, Page of Cups. In life, I often become discontent. I should enjoy and relish the the riches that I have. I need to learn to be in touch with my intuition, and to let myself express my emotions sometimes.

Bottom: 3 of Wands, The Fool, 8 of Swords. In my teaching career, I need to keep a fresh approach as it is all too easy to become set in one’s ways. Remembering to look at my teaching practice with fresh eyes and then making sure I put into ideas into action will prevent me from feeling stuck and bored.

Daily card: 7 of Cups & deck comparison

7 of Cups from The Wild Unknown Tarot

The 7 of Cups is, by its very nature, confusing. The meaning behind the card is multifaceted, even more so than most cards.

Some key words that spring to mind when thinking of the 7 of Cups are: choices, confusion, illusion, wishes. To examine further, I decided to compare the same card among 5 different tarot decks.

I first drew this card at random from The Wild Unknown. You can see that the image is quite minimalist, which is what spurred me to squirrel out all the other 7 of Cups from my other decks for comparison. The picture of the moon is reminiscent of the Moon card from the Major Arcana, it alludes to deception and illusion, things being not what they seem, dimly illuminated in the moonlight.

The one upside down cup speaks of imbalance. The sun at the bottom gives me pause for thought. Is it that the upside down cup is poised to catch the sun, showing that the right choice is not the obvious one? Or do we look at the sun as being upside down from the moon, illustrating confusion and illusion. Or perhaps the moon is in the sky, it is night time, a time of darkness, but soon the sun will rise and it will be day. The more I examine the imagery on this card the more I find.

 

Clockwise from left: Rider Waite Smith, The Fountain, Oliver Hibert, Spirit Speak Reversed

As expected, the Rider Waite Smith imagery contains lots of clues. The figure in the card seems almost taken aback by the cups before him. Each cup contains a wish. I am reminded of the paradox of choice and analysis paralysis. When we are faced with too many choices we can get stuck trying to make a decision.

The Oliver Hibert card is basically a clone of the RWS, but its psychedelic colouring reminds me of how I love to have options. I am not one of those people who get bewildered by all the options. When I go shopping, I look at everything, I read all the labels. This depiction of the 7 of Cups brings to mind the childlike wonder and excitement of being able to choose out of ALL the things.

The Spirit Speak card draws on the imagery of the RWS with the clouds and the cups with wishes inside. Some of the wishes are changed. There is a rose to represent beauty, a heart for love, a wand for action, a yinyang for balance. The tower, snake and jewels remain. Perhaps this version of the 7 of Cups represents the artist’s take on temptation and desire.

The card from The Fountain tarot deck is the most minimal. The light and airy colouring alludes to things not of the material realm, it seems to say that the issue at hand is mental and/or spiritual. The woman in the card is surrounded by cups, highlighting the aspect of choice. She is looking straight ahead, rather than at the cups. Perhaps she is avoiding having to make a decision? Her expression is not a happy one. I struggle to pin down an emotion. Is she determined? Slightly stunned? Thoughtful? The Fountain tarot often raises more questions than it answers.

Finally, here is one last picture of all five cards together.

 

 

 

Daily Card: 9 of Wands

The 9 of Wands depicts a character in a strong position, defending what they have worked so hard to gain. Nines are near the completion of the journey through the suit numbers. The figure in this card is no longer striving towards his goal. Now he is defending what he has earned.

On the one hand, this card shows that you are in a position of strength. It recognises your achievements. But on the other hand, and what resonates most strongly with me, is the defensive elements of this card.

The wall of wands behind him keeps out those who seek to take what he has. But at the same time, it contains him. It traps him. While he stands and guards what is his, he is unable to be free.

As I examine my own feelings towards this card, I recognise that my response reflects what is important to me. To be free is one of the things I value most. Freedom, to me, means having the ability to live my life as I choose. It also means talking and behaving in the way that I choose. Being free to be me.

I once had a relationship with a man who had been hurt badly in the past, and as a result of that (and other factors) was constantly on the defence. He was so scared of being hurt again that he couldn’t allow himself to just be himself around me, or anyone. Very rarely did he let his walls come down. His persona was fake, like a mask he put on. This is the opposite of my concept of freedom.

While the 9 of Wands reminds me of these values, it also reminds me to be grateful for what I have. Too often, I lunge ahead towards the next goal, with little consideration for appreciating what I have already achieved.

A Strange Exchange: My first reading for a stranger

Yesterday I did my first tarot reading for a stranger.

It came about like this. Recently, I have been thinking that I would like to read for others, so I put an ad up on Gumtree offering to do tarot readings in exchange for some small service or gift. I don’t feel comfortable with charging money for readings, and I’m not sure I ever will, even if I become much more experienced. I feel like I get more out of it than the querent.

So yesterday, a guy came around to have his cards read, and in exchange, he read my cards and my palm.

It was a strange exchange. I didn’t get a good vibe from him for a number of reasons. And when I laid down his cards, the 5 of Pentacles and the 9 of Swords appeared in future and outcome positions. I couldn’t bring myself to say what I was really thinking, and I played down the negative connotations and gave it all a positive spin. Afterwards, he spoke of things that were happening in his world which confirmed the interpretation I had in my head.

In my reading I gave what I felt was some pretty solid advice. But, he was not prepared to take it on board. And he didn’t like that I didn’t allow him to shuffle the cards.

The agreed exchange was that he would read my tarot. He brought his own cards. He laid them out in a spread with lots of cards and proceeded to make guesses. Some of his statements were way off. The cards he laid were all familiar to me, and he didn’t use any of the meanings, or refer to the imagery. And then he lectured me on not letting him shuffle, and that I have to use my intuition and “read” the person.

I was basically waiting for him to stop talking, the reading was excruciatingly bad, and I was too polite to call him out. I wondered why he came, what he had wanted to get out of having his cards read. It seems he wanted me to bullshit to him, just as he did to me, with no real reference to the cards at all. When he talked about the difficulties he was facing, I thought “Ah, this is why you’re here”. But he didn’t ask anything that pertained to the subject before I did the reading. And he was resistant to the things I said. Perhaps he just wanted someone to talk to, and he wanted to hear what he wanted to hear, nothing else, nothing contradictory. Is this what everybody wants?

It’s given me lots of food for thought. What do people want when they come to a reading? What am I prepared to offer?

Mary K. Greer talks about different approaches to tarot reading, differentiating between psychic, intuitive and therapeutic tarot:

Self-styled ‘tarot counselors’ (when eliminating the intuitive and psychic words) seem to have an altogether different vibe. They use tarot “as a therapeutic method and means for self-realization,” “for drawing out information lying deep inside,” and “for helping someone to clearly see a particular present situation.” Sessions are “designed to bring personal fulfillment . . . to assist and guide, to empower and uplift.”

When I read this, I thought, “YES!” This really resonates with me. I have been trying to define my approach to tarot, steering clear of associations with psychic claims. I think tarot therapy or tarot counselling is the description I was looking for without knowing I was looking.

This is something I am going to give more thought to, and develop as I continue my journey. However, thinking back to yesterday’s reading, I don’t think he wanted tarot counselling. How can I attract querents to my style of reading? How can I even develop my style without querents to practice on? If everyone is only after psychic and intuitive tarot readers, then I’m pretty sure I will only ever read for myself.

3 Card Spread & Introducing the Spirit Speak Tarot Deck

A quick three card general draw featuring one of two new decks which arrived yesterday – the Spirit Speak (reversed) deck.

Past – Page of Wands: Recognise that I have tackled challenges head on recently, this period of challenge is moving away into the past.

Present – 6 of Wands: Enjoy the recognition I receive for work well done. I feel that this card’s appearance is a little spiritual “big up” – thanks, deck!

Future – The Hierophant: Watch out for the arrival of a mentor or guide. Perhaps someone with advice worth listening to will rock up in my life soon. I recently drew the Hierophant in the “outcome” position of a reading for myself, perhaps today’s draw reinforces the previous one?

Now some first impressions of the Spirit Speak tarot deck. The cards are a lot smaller than I expected, although I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly. I measure them at about 6cm across and almost 9cm long. They are a pretty cute size! This makes them very portable, and the fact that the included guidebook also fits into the box means that the whole package can be easily toted around in a handbag.

The cards are glossy with a fair amount of slip to them. I find the thickness to size ratio makes them a little hard to shuffle in my preferred shuffling method (I use the card-players method, riffling the two halves of the deck together with my thumbs), but I can still get by well enough to not have to resort to shuffling any other way.

The guidebook contains succinct descriptions of the meanings of each card. I have found the descriptions very handy. Although the creator of the deck has stated that she designed the imagery to be easy to read, as I am finding with any deck, it takes some time to “tune in” to the unique vibe and language of the deck. For example, on the Hierophant card, the guidebook states that the cactus is a saguaro, which has “spiritual significance” and is “sharp and unbending in its ways”. There’s no way I would have picked up on the meaning behind the image without a little help.

This is the “reversed” deck, the images are white on black. There is a non-reversed deck available (the original deck) which is black imagery on a white background, but I was completely not interested in that. I think the style of the illustrations really suit the reversed colouring. The white on black really pops  and combined with the hand lettering and line drawings, I find myself wanting to use more bombastic, action-oriented words to describe the readings when I use this deck.

It’s funny how a tarot deck has a character all of its own. It’s like 78 characters comprising one whole story, and the story has its own vibe, just like how a book or a movie does. To me, this is really cool, and I can see myself using this as justification to fuel my growing obsession with buying different decks. As I mentioned above, I received 2 new decks in the mail yesterday. One was the Spirit Speak deck, and the other was the Fountain, which I plan to write about later. Both decks were bought from Two Sides Tarot, which is a web shop I would recommend, especially if you live in Australia as they have free shipping.

Til the future!