The Star: Sheltering From The Storm

I'd like to clarify something I said yesterday. I suggested that The Star could signify someone leaving their husband or wife. That's not quite right. It's more the period straight after you've left them. Let me explain.

The Star card is part of Life Lessons Tarot, the incredibly profound inner book which traces the significant experiences we all have as human beings. It comes after The Tower card and before The Moon as follows:

 

The Tower is the card which represents the actual break up whereas The Star represents the release and relief and unreality you feel after you have left (or been left, The Tower can cut both ways) before you start to deal with the repercussions. It's like the eye of the storm. You know there's more grief coming but you don't deal with it just yet.

It's the phone call to your girlfriends after you've been dumped and they remind you what a loser he was.

It's shutting yourself in the study after an argument with your wife.

It's the comfort you feel in church.

It's the refuge for battered women.

It's the turning your stereo up loud in your bedroom after a fight with your parents and losing yourself in the music. (However, if you lost yourself in drugs and alcohol that would be The Devil card.)

It's the angels who deliver food to your doorstep or take care of your children when you're ill.

It's the fire truck coming to put out the flames in your house. The cavalry arriving to take the weight off your shoulders.

It's a time when you might not have your head straight but you get some relief from the anguish. You don't deal with whatever the problem may be. That's Moon card territory.

I expect to be clarifying my posts a lot. Because as I've said each Tarot card comes in 50 shades. I'm hoping you'll help clarify them too. How do you shelter from the storm?

This Versus That

To understand Tarot it helps to compare cards with one another. We've met the cards below in previous posts. They both signify that it's time to have a break in some way. Let's explore their similarities and differences shall we?

The Four of Swords is from the Everyday Tarot end of the deck which indicates an event that's common (everyday, get it?) The Star however is a Life Lessons card which suggests a significant event. One you'll definitely notice in the scheme of things. It'll kinda stand out.

The Star is urgent, the Four of Swords is not.

The Star deals with feelings (notice the cups), the Four of Swords with thoughts (that's the sword part).

The Four of Swords comes up when taking a mental break from something will be helpful to you. The Star comes up when you desperately need to take an emotional break from a situation because you just can't take anymore.

And then there's the Hangman. He's taking a break as well, just look at him hanging around.

How does his version of time out differ? Well, he's a Life Lessons card so we know for a start that he points to a significant issue. What's he doing up that tree? He's sitting on something like the Princess and the Pea. Waiting for something in his situation to shift. A process to end. For his world to stop feeling like its upside down.

To sum up:

Four of Pentacles: Taking a mental break.

The Hanged Man: Waiting for some major life change.

The Star: Possibly having an emotional break-down.

Watching TV. Renovating your house. Leaving your husband or wife.

Comprende? Or is it all as clear as mud? What say you teaclubbers?

Five of Pentacles: It's a Beautiful Beautiful Life!

Two people in ragged clothing walk barefoot in the snow looking mighty sore and sorry for themselves, ignoring the lighted window of what looks like a church (stained glass window) in their vicinity. It's all very doom and gloom. As so many singers have sung, 'Oh baby, it's cold outside.'

As I mentioned yesterday this card has been turning up in my readings for years. I was taught to believe it means 'poverty consciousness' i.e. feeling poor. Which I do. All the time. There's never enough is there? Whenever I got this card I felt like I was getting a good hard shake. A reminder to stop being so woe is me. Fair enough. There's always someone worse off.

Anyhow, last night I had a revelation. Every Tarot card has a positive and negative expression and so as I was writing about the Five of Pentacles I began speculating for the first time what its positive expression might be. You know, cause I never pondered that before, cause I always just assumed I was being told off for being pathetic and deservedly so. Yet sometimes I have got this card and haven't been feeling hard done by. So what else could it mean?

I'm thinking it acts as a reminder that there is beauty and light in your life. And just by looking in a different direction, seeing things in a different way, you will find the reassurance you seek. Sometimes you need to hear about your blessings from a third party in order to notice them. This being the FIVE of Pentacles, not one, two, three or four, there must be several things that are bringing you happiness without you noticing. How wonderful is that?

At the moment I'm a mass of food intolerances. It's like the new Western Civilisation disease. And for a few months there I had to give up milky tea, my great love and one bad addiction (I like it very very milky, preferably frothy, you might have heard). But I've discovered a new milk I can drink without digestive repercussions. There's a Five of Pentacles example if ever there was one. I might not be able to eat heaps of food but I can still have my cups of tea. I'm drinking some right now, toasting you beloved readers, who are here giving a new kid on the blog block a go.

Let's toast the Five of Pentacles as well. A reminder that despite our hardships it's a beautiful beautiful life!

Do you have any Five of Pentacles moments you could share?

Tarot: Your Agony Aunt In A Box

Psychics at fetes and fairs read Tarot cards to tell others their future, often in great detail. As I've said before I think this can be both blessing and curse, reassuring but also a map you can feel compelled to follow. It kind of quashes your free will, your freedom to choose another destiny when you feel locked into one already.

The rest of us non-psychic mortals can use Tarot cards for peace of mind. About the little everyday things and occasionally those big scary ones (but I'd stay well away from asking about your entire future if I was you, see note above). It's like keeping an Agony Aunt In A Box. And who wouldn't want one of those around the house? Advice peoples. We all need advice from an impartial third party from time to time. And what's more impartial than a deck of cards? Sometimes friends and family just don't cut it especially when their agendas conflict with yours.

The great thing about Tarot, the amazing incredible thing, is that it stops you lying to yourself. You might be able to tell porkies to your shrink but Tarot will never let you get away with it. You'll find the same cards turning up again and again. And if you meditate on those cards you'll discover things about yourself you never realized. Tarot prevents you from living in denial. As I've discovered for myself...

I cant deny I need a lot of time alone to process things when I regularly see the Two of Swords.

I can't deny I can be a cheapskate when I get the Four of Pentacles looking grouchily at me every couple of months or so.

I can't deny I have strong poverty consciousness when the Five of Pentacles keeps turning up.

I can't deny I have a rich life when the Nine of Pentacles frequently graces me with her lovely presence.

And I can't deny I'm a Love Zombie when The Devil keeps answering the question, 'Will my ex ever come back?'

To paraphrase the Statue of Liberty (really really badly), Tarot says, 'Give me your questions, your problems, your huddled fears yearning to feel peace.'

And if you don't understand what the cards are saying then come here to discuss it and we'll prize out the answer together. That's what this blog is for.

The Celtic Cross Tarot Card Reading

You might have heard of the Celtic Cross. It is the most common type of Tarot card reading. Most common. Most famous. Most comprehensive. And my personal favourite. It looks something like this:

Note: You might need to click on the image to read the numbers and titles which I will explain below.

1. Significator: Who or what the reading is about.

2. Present: What is happening with the situation right now.

3. Helps/Hindrances: What makes the situation easier and harder to deal with.

4. Basis: Reason for the situation.

5. Past: How things have been in the immediate past.

6. Life Lesson: What you need to do to improve the situation.

7. Next: How things will be in the immediate future.

8. Self: How you are acting in the situation.

9. Environment: How people around you are acting.

10. Hopes/Fears: What you hope will happen but are also secretly afraid of. This hope/fear is impinging on the situation in some way.

11. Outcome: What will happen in the long run if you keep reacting in the same way you have been.

Cards A & B: The next two cards from the top of the pack which clarify card 11.

12. Clarifier: Card from the bottom of the deck which gives you an idea of the deeper forces at play.

To do a Celtic Cross reading: Think of a question. Shuffle the deck. Drop into 3 piles. Pick piles up in order they were dropped, putting each one underneath the one before it. Lay out Celtic Cross. Have a go at reading the cards.

IMPORTANT: Don't take them too seriously. They are only a guide. Not the word of God.

Please share your experiences of using the Celtic Cross below.

Fifty Shades Of Tarot

I know, I know. This blog's title is a shameless ploy to hop on someone else's gravy train, isn't it? Well why not I say! It's true. And I'm not talking about Tarot as a whole, no siree, it's bigger than that. Every single card has about 50 different shades, 50 different versions of what it means. So my blog title may be shameless but it's also appropriate.

How's that work you ask? Don't the cards just mean what they mean? Well, the thing is, there's positive interpretations and negative ones (notice the plural 's' here). There are occasions when a small detail in the picture becomes the focus. The message can also be thrown into a whole new light by the situation you are dealing with or the question you have asked.

Confused? That's normal when you start exploring Tarot. It employs a different method of conveying information than we are used to in the western world. But that's what makes it sooo interesting. And after awhile you find you can pick up on the different shades of meaning for yourself.

Let's look at 50 shades (or maybe a few less) of cards we have discussed before.

The Six of Cups can refer to...A situation in the past. Meeting up with someone from your past in the present. Being in love. Living in a fantasy world. Being emotionally unbalanced (This may be me but I just don't trust that guy in the dwarf hat.) Feeling nostalgic or sentimental. Being naive. Shall I go on?

The Four of Pentacles. The cheapskate. The possessive. The scrooge. But also. The budgeter. The family provider. Having good financial reserves to draw on. As well as. Protective. Materialistic. The control freak. And so forth.

The Hanged Man. Making sacrifices. Being pushed out of your comfort zone. Looking for answers. Meditating. Reflection. Suspension of your driver's license. Resignation (both types). Engagement. Pregnancy. Renovations. Having your world turned upside down. Waiting for a sign. Time dragging. Plans being put on hold. Martyrdom. Indecision. Yoga.

Yep. All these possibilities from one little man.

Have you got any more to add to the lists above? Cause there's always more when it comes to Tarot. Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you.

9 Pentacles: Independent Woman!

Here is another card like the Six of Cups with a golden glow. But in this case the glow represents happiness not fantasy. How can you tell? Because the figure in the picture appears human not dwarf-like and the scene looks realistic not fairytale-land-ish.

I love love love love love this card. It's one of the few I get on a regular basis that makes me feel good about myself (sigh, so many faults and only one small lifetime to rectify them all.) This woman has made something of her life. Look at the beautiful garden she has grown, the animal she has tamed. The richness of the vineyard and the large house in the background accentuate her material success. And she looks like a class act in those clothes, right? A wealthy lady of the manor. Whenever I get this card I am reminded to be grateful for all that I have. It's so easy to get caught up in the green grass on the other side of the fence and forget how verdant your own pasture is.

The Nine of Pents can also represent someone who is happy in their own company, who doesn't mind living alone. It can refer to a man as much as a woman of course but women do tend to be the ones who are happier on their own, don't you reckon? Older women usually stay single after their partner passes while many an older man has been known to remarry in haste. I don't have a partner myself. I think that's one of the reasons this card comes up so much for me. It's the Tarot of the single parent ha ha (not that I'm really a single parent, I co-parent with my ex-husband, but you know what I mean.)

Another possibility this card can refer to is contentment with your lot. You can see why I like it, hey. Who doesn't want to feel good about the life they have created?

Ah, so many meanings for just one card. Stay tuned for my post on this topic tomorrow: Fifty Shades of Tarot.

C'mon, fess up. Are you as fond of this lovely lady as I am?

Tarot: Sometimes You Just Don't 'Get It'!

Not all of the Tarot cards speak to me. Some I got straight away, others I have built a relationship with over time and some I might never understand no matter how hard I try. Kinda like people really.

The same goes for Tarot card readings. Some I look at and straight up I get the message whilst on other occasions I can't make head nor tail of the darn thing. I find it helps to sit on it. To keep the cards in front of me and reflect on the meaning of the images. But sometimes it's like trying to read a foreign language and that's all there is to it.

The Six Of Cups has been one of those cards that hasn't sung for me. Which is a pity cause I get it often enough. Can't tell you the number of times it has come up in a reading and I've been like, 'Oh! I'm going to meet up with someone from my past' but then I don't. And I've been left wondering what the card was really trying to say.

However after forcing myself to write a blog about it yesterday I feel clearer. Like we might have connected a bit more. I've always interpreted this card as referring to the past but now I see that it can refer to living in a golden glow in general. And I do get carried away in love affairs. And I can look on the rosy side of life sometimes unrealistically so. (Have I mentioned my so-far thwarted ambition to be a novelist?) I am very glass half-full, maybe over-full at times. Fantasy is my friend.

How about you? Is your relationship with Tarot a work-in-progress like mine? Or do you get each and every card no problemo (and good luck to you I say)?

6 Cups: Living The Fairytale!

The scene portrayed in this card looks kind of unreal. Like a dream. There's all those golden colours for a start. And the lead characters are unusual. Can you see how small they look compared to the cups? And what is that funny hat the boy is wearing? They put me in mind of the Little People of myth and legend. Either that or they're children. The castle guard and thatched cottage in the background only adds to the whole fairytale feel. This card whisks you back to the past, back to childhood.

Now, cups are feelings and here you have a boy and a girl interacting in an intimate manner. Reminds me of first love. When everything has a golden glow. When you look deeply into one another's eyes. When he still gives the girl flowers, lol. Interestingly, The Lovers card is numbered six as well.

I find six a tricky number in Tarot. It seems a bit unsure what it wants to be. A classic case of middle child syndrome. Apparently it's meant to suggest harmony and balance. So you are either feeling balanced in the situation this card is referring to, or not.

Going back to first love, there's a fine line isn't there between being in love and being obsessed. Between wanting to be with your lover all the time and stalking. Between wanting to please your partner and changing who you are to please them. It's easy to tip over into unreality when you're in luuurve.

Remember, only fairytales end with everyone singing and dancing. The rest of us get married or wake up. Either way we move on. You don't want to stay in the Six of Cups forever. It'd be like eating sweets non-stop. In the end you'd feel sick. Very very sick.

If you get this card you are either:

(a) In Love (yes, please)

(b) Walking down memory lane (hmmm, it should be a happy experience, but then again fairytales can be tricky can't they? I'm thinking of high school reunions as a classic example of how this card can bring out both the good and the bad.)

(c) Living in a fantasy world (good luck to you I say)

Any other suggestions?

The Astrology of Tarot

There are four suits in Tarot as in playing cards. They can each be equated with an astrological element.

Wands = Fire Signs i.e. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius

Pentacles = Earth Signs i.e Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn

Swords = Air Signs i.e. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius

Cups = Water Signs i.e. Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces

You can see the correlation. Wands deal with our talents and enthusiasms, the fires that burn within. Pentacles deal with possessions and earthly values. Swords describe our thoughts while Air Signs are thinkers. And both Cups and Water Signs are all about feelings: owning them, using them, being lost in them.

You might find that you relate more to the Everyday Tarot (Minor Arcana) cards that match your astrological sign or they might turn up more often in readings. I notice that so far I have written three blogs about sword cards and none about cups. Maybe that's because I'm an Air Sign.

Some people have matched the star signs to particular cards in Lifelessons Tarot (the Major Arcana). I've seen Libra equated with the Justice card and Gemini with The Lovers. You can see why. Libra and Justice are both pictured as scales, both value reason and The Lovers has a dual aspect like Gemini. But I have my doubts about the usefulness of this allocation. Every card in Lifelessons Tarot is important in the journey of us all.

However I'll keep my mind open for the moment. What about you?

Four of Swords: Let Me Sleep On That!

Three swords hang ominously over a man who is resting or asleep. The fourth lies beneath his bed, he is literally sleeping on it. It's all a bit Princess and the Pea. Remember how that pea kept her awake night after night tossing and turning, well I'm guessing the sword under this dude's mattress plays a similar role. The swords on the wall indicate that there is something hanging over this bloke's head, something he needs to think about, work out. And his hands are raised as if praying for guidance.

What this card is saying is that you need to step away, take some time out, rest awhile. Someplace peaceful, away from the madding crowd, like a church maybe or a tropical island (I'll vote for the latter). It could indicate a holiday or a hospital stay or that you just need to think about something on your own for awhile before making a decision. It might  be holing up at home to work on some creative project like writing a blog (yay!) or being locked away to serve a period in jail (gulp!). In some way you are stepping out of the rush and ebb of daily life. Hence the coffin.

I quite like getting this card. It's always good to be given permission to take a break. And let's face it, most of us who are busy juggling family/work responsibilities need to be given permission to escape, don't you reckon? Although putting down the iPhone and cutting off the laptop internet supply is a big big ask.

How good are you at taking time out when you feel the need?

The Mystery of Tarot History

No one knows who invented Tarot cards or why. That's part of what makes them so much fun. The mystery. They made their first official appearance in 14th century Italy around Bologna way. Interestingly, there is a Taro River not too far from there. It seems likely however that the cards were in use all over Europe for quite a while before that.

The popular belief is that Tarot came out of Egypt with the gypsies. E-gyp-t. Gyp-sies. Get it. Not that the cultural group we know as gypsies are in any way Egyptian. That's just our European ancestors being historically lazy. You can actually trace the linguistic roots of the Romanov people from Egypt back through the Middle East to Ancient India.

Civilisation flowered in the Indus Valley long before anyone had even heard of Sumer or Crete (bet you didn't know that, they don't teach it in school). And the same Aryan people who pushed aboriginal Europeans to the western fringes in BC invaded India pushing  older inhabitants off their home turf. These ancient Indians migrated in many directions. Some to the Middle East. And some to the East Indian coast where today you can find round picture cards that show striking similarities to Tarot cards. Believe it or not.

I find gypsies interesting in that they are basically a hunter-gatherer culture trying to exist in a post-modern world which attests to their ancient cultural roots. And at the same time they have this natural affinity for reading Tarot cards. I have this whole wildcat theory going on that Tarot cards are an artefact from the prehistoric era. Not that I have any hard core proof. But it makes sense that before we wrote books in words we would have written them in pictures. Kids start reading with picture books after all. And as they say, every picture tells a thousand words. Take Egyptian hieroglyphs as exhibit A (and I'll place down Tarot cards one by one in this blog as exhibit B.)

And make no mistake, Tarot is a book. You don't read it left to right or right to left but it is a book all the same.

Anyhoo, just riffing away here, please stop me if I you think I've gone OTT. Feel free to add your own suggestions below.

Details Smetails

It's the little details that are most telling in Tarot. That add nuances to the meanings of each card. Let's check some examples starting with the card we looked at yesterday, the Four Of Pentacles.

Four is a solid number. One you can rely on. Animals stand on four legs after all. The fact that this card is numbered four suggests a solid foundation be it financial or values or whatever. And note the city in the background. People work in cities. This suggests that the man has a job, earns a wage. Both these details point to the functional expression of this card: The Good Provider. Despite the black coat, this man can be someone you can rely on.

Another detail: The coin on the man's head, weighing him down. This points to the burden that possessions or cold hard cash can be for the owner. Points to how money can cloud someone's judgement. Points to other not-so-positive readings of the card.

Now for one of my favorites (I do go on about him alot only 'cause I feel he's so misunderstood).

A lot of people are afraid of The Devil. But there is a key detail in the picture that shows why we don't need to be: The loose chains around the man and woman's necks. Although the devil looms large in this card he is not the one in control. We are. At any stage we can throw off his chains and walk away. It's up to us.

Does this make you feel better about The Devil? Even just a teensy bit?

4 of Pentacles: The Cheapskate! The Scrooge! The Possessive!

This is the Four of Pentacles. The man in the card is surrounded by coins. That and the crown on his head puts me in mind of the rhyme: 'The king was in the counting house counting all his money'. This king is holding onto his coins for grim life. Talk about possessive. And see his black cloak? I think that's meant to represent the ugliness of his soul.

I get this card a lot. Yes it's true, I'm a cheapskate. That's the non-functional expression of this card. Of course you can cling onto other things besides money: possessions, friendships, boyfriends (yes, done that too) or a job you hate. If you get this card somewhere you're holding onto something out of fear. That's the black.

Or else, someone is clinging onto you. Yikes!

What about the functional expression of this card? Well in my case the benefit of being a cheapskate is that in times of need you have good reserves to draw on. My cheapskatedness has been a life-safer for my family over the years. I guess the functional expression of this card is being a good budgeter. That's true of me as well. It's a quality I'm proud of.

So I guess I can relate to both sides of the Four Of Pents. What about you? Can you relate to this card, or not?

Don't Look A (Tarot) Gift Horse In The Mouth!

You know, you can overdose on Tarot. Do so many readings that they all become meaningless. It's a bit addictive. Like having a hotline to The Source Of All Things that you can't stop pumping for information.

I am particularly susceptible to this danger after a relationship break-up and always know I have crossed the line when The Devil card keeps popping up. The Devil is for losers. For those who want someone (i.e. Tarot) to fix their problems rather than doing it themselves. For those who don't want to face reality. (Despite this, I'm quite fond of The Devil card, grateful even, but I'll leave the explanation as to why for another post.)

In my experience the best way to use Tarot is to do readings only when you feel a real need. You'll know when. And if you are doing readings everyday, which is good practice when you start out, just don't expect them to be deeply significant ones.

Have you ever looked a Tarot Gift Horse in the mouth like me?

Can Tarot cards be good and bad at the same time?

I've been thinking about what I said in another post about all Tarot cards having a positive and negative expression and wondering if that is really true. The cards can certainly be expressed in different ways but do they all have a good and a bad side? I thought we might explore this question a little using the Two of Swords which we looked at yesterday.

I subtitled this card: 'I don't want to think about it.' As I explained, it comes up when you're not ready to mentally explore some area of your life which is a bit of a can of worms. When you can't handle thinking about it. I would say that this is a negative expression of this card because in this situation you are being dysfunctional.

And the positive? Maybe it's when the card is trying to tell you that you don't need to deal with something right now. When it's giving you permission to withdraw from a situation because there is too much information for you to process. The problem in this case isn't with you, it's with some outside source. In this case you are the functional one.

Maybe rather than talking about positive and negative it would be better to talk about functional and non-functional expressions of each card.

What do you think?

Two of Swords: I Don't Want To Think About It!

Here is the Two of Swords card. A woman sits with her arms crossed over her chest. Both hands hold upright swords. Behind her, the sea, full of rocks. A blindfold covers her eyes.

She doesn't want to see. The arms crossing her chest protect her heart. Swords represent thoughts i.e. your attitude to a situation. The number two is black & white, yin & yang, opposites: You're in or you're out. The sea is emotions.

When you get this card there is something you don't want to think about. You have deep, rocky feelings about whatever the issue is and you're not ready to face them yet. Not ready to open yourself up emotionally.

I get this card a lot. I'm good at living in denial (it has its advantages!) What about you?

My Tarot Bible

This is the book I have turned to again and again over the last 20 years to help me understand the messages written in the cards. It is easy to read and easy to understand. For those who can't read the small print on the photo the book is called 'The Complete Book of Tarot' and was written by Juliet Sharman-Burke, an English woman. Even though it was published a long time ago (1985) it is the best Tarot reference book I have come across so far.

I found it in one of those New Age shops that proliferate in Melbourne. I feel so lucky to live in a city which caters to many different intellectual interests. Of course, there are those who would scoff at Tarot being seen as food for the intellect but I beg to differ.

I don't necessarily agree with all the interpretations. No one ever gets everything right. (Although Juliet is pretty darn close I reckon.) But that's why I have set up this blog. So that hopefully over time a community of people interested in Tarot will gather here to discuss the cards. It takes a village to do so many things!

So please, join me for a chat. You can ask anything, say anything. You know, Tarot related, let's not get personal. Do you have a Tarot bible? Is it a book, a person or an internet site? Please share.

Two Heads (Cards) Are Better Than One, Don't You Think?

The more Tarot cards you pull out of the pack the more refined the advice will become. But warning warning danger danger don't pull so many that the message gets lost altogether. Start slowly. Try two to begin with.

Let's have a look using cards we've talked about already.

Eight of Wands

The Star

Eight of Wands = Things happening. The Star = Time out. So when you get these two together it might be that the cards are telling you to take a break for a while from all the frenetic activity you've been engaged in i.e. Put down your work tools and read a book or go to the beach or catch up with some friends over dinner.

The Tower

The Star

The Tower = Reaching breaking point. The Star = Time out. This is what I was talking about in my last post. In this case the cards are telling you to retreat to a safe place to lick your wounds because you've been through a really hard time. Take a holiday. Maybe run home to mummy (I've done that even as an adult, lol.) Try not to loose yourself in booze.

Note that in the first reading there is an Everyday and a Lifelesson card whereas in the second both are Lifelesson cards. Thus you would expect the emotions and experiences to be much more intense with the second reading.

Now, what if the cards came out in reverse order? Ah, we'll leave that to a later post. Thoughts?

Why The Star is Underrated!

I've always had a problem with the definitions ascribed to The Star: calm, peace of mind, feeling hopeful. They sound kind of lame. But let's face it, a card that comes after The Tower and before The Moon in the Tarot deck is going be anything but lame.

This card doesn't signify a peaceful calm time in your life. Bollocks to that. Look at the picture. The woman is naked, completely vulnerable. The scene has an unreal air signifying a flight from reality. The Star is the place we go when it all gets too much, when we need time out. It is the fantasy world we retreat to while the storm rages outside. The waters we dip in to renew our spirit. It is sitting in the dark watching a movie bawling your eyes out after a break-up. It is heading to the coast for a surf after a fight with your girlfriend. It is locking yourself in your room to listen to music at top volume after being told off by your parents.

You are not just hopeful, you are holding onto hope with every fibre of your being while you drown in despair.

I've definitely been there. Have you?

Tarot Card Reading 101

There are a lot of 'official' Tarot card spreads you can use. My personal favorite is the 10-card Celtic Cross (I'll explain that in a later post). But you don't need anything fancy the first time you do a reading. Just ask yourself a question, shuffle the cards and when you feel ready pull one from the pack.

In order to understand the card's message you can:

(a) Look up its meaning in books or on the internet. There will be several to choose from.

(b) Meditate on the images in the card. There is lots to ponder in each one. See what pops out for you and focus on what that might symbolize.

Then (c) go with the meaning that 'feels right'. (I never said Tarot card reading was an exact science, lol.)

Have a go and share your experiences below.

Nine of Swords: Everything will come up smelling of roses (eventually)

This is one of three cards that came up for me during the spread I did on my last birthday to represent the overall themes of the year ahead.

I have been taught to believe that this card represents 'needless worry' i.e. It is telling me that I am worrying about nothing. Yet that has not been my experience of it. The problems I have been facing recently have definitely needed my attention. They have not been problems I could ignore. Not been phantoms of my night-time imagination. So 'needless worry' just doesn't cut it for me as the best description for the Nine of Swords.

Just look at the picture. There are a lot of swords hanging over that bed i.e. the problem you are facing with this card is not a little one, it is huge, mega. It is a problem that keeps you awake at night. But the telling detail for me comes in the bedspread which is covered in roses. Despite the incredible difficulty now being faced the person who gets this card can be sure that everything will come up smelling of roses - eventually.

What about you? How do you interpret the Nine of Swords?

Tarot: The one-step do-it-yourself know-thyself kit!

There were 3 sayings written in the stone on the temple walls at Delphi in Ancient Greece and the first and most important was: Know Thyself.

You'd think knowing yourself would be easy, wouldn't you? And maybe when you're a kid it is. You know what makes you happy (ice-cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles mashed together with a spoon, sorry, was that just me?) and what makes you mad (your sister wearing your clothes without asking permission, my daughters in this case). But as you grow you get imprinted with the expectations of others - parents, friends, teachers, boss, the media, husband/wife - and it's easy to get confused about what it is you really really want from life. It's easy to forget what makes you happy (although I highly recommend starting with a good cup of tea).

That's where Tarot comes in. Ask a question and pull a card (or ten, if you know how to do a spread) and it will give you an answer. And whether you believe it's divine guidance or your subconscious or nothing at all guiding the fall of the cards in interpreting the message you are forced to dig into your psyche and thus get to know yourself better.

Tarot: The one-step do-it-yourself know-thyself kit. Have you tried it yet?

Eight of Wands: A Kick Up The Bum!

(If I knew how to turn this image upside down I would have. Can anyone help me with this on Blogger?

Sometimes when you are reading the cards they turn up upside down. There are some Tarot teachers who ascribe a different meaning to the card when it does. Personally, I've never paid much attention to upside down cards but it is certainly interesting to contemplate the possibilities.

If the 8 of Wands means you are about to see progress for your efforts when it's upright maybe when it's upside down it means it's time for you to put in a lot of effort. It's a kick up the bum in other words. You need to shoot those wands (your skills and talents) up into the sky, put them out into the world, if you want to see progress.

What do you think?

Eight of Wands: Christmas for Grown Ups!

I love getting the Eight of Wands but it doesn't happen often. This card means things are going to happen for you quickly. Look at the imagery. Eight wands are flying down to earth. Buds blossom from the wood. The land is green and fertile primed for new growth.

Once you get into your 30s and 40s life becomes pretty dull and routine. Not that this is a bad thing, I love my dull routine. But it's good to have something change every once in a while. Keeps you on your toes. And with the Eight of Wands it's change that you have actually been working towards. The sky suddenly opens up in an area of your life where things have felt stalled. It's like receiving a gift. Like Christmas for grown ups.

I'm working towards publishing novels. That is the Eight of Wands change I am seeking in my life. What about you? What would you like to grow?

Everyday and Lifelessons Tarot

I've never liked the phrases 'Minor Arcana' and 'Major Arcana' which are used to refer to the two types of card you find in Tarot. These terms are meaningless to a modern audience. As a writer I believe strongly that it is important for words to conjure up the things of which they speak. So I've been raking my brain to come up with more contemporary titles.

The Minor Arcana consists of cards that deal with day-to-day situations and don't have so much weight so I've decided to dub it Everyday Tarot.

The Major Arcana was harder to sum up and I'm not sure I'm happy with what I've come up with: Life Lessons Tarot. And should lifelessons be one word or two? These are the heavy cards that encapsulate a major life experience.

What would you call the Minor and Major Arcana if you could rename them?

The Holy Book - Volume 3

And now we come to the scary part. The cards that will shake, rattle and roll your world. The last 7 cards of Tarot's Holy Book are the most intense to live through. But if you can manage these energies in a positive way you get to hit the jackpot: You get The World!

The Devil: Living in denial

The Tower: Reaching breaking point

The Star: Finding sanctuary

The Moon: Revealing hidden depths

The Sun: Being fully yourself

Judgement: Being called into action

The World: Being at peace

Most people are scared of The Devil but it's The Tower that can really crush you IMHO. What do you think?

Hanging Around with The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man doesn’t look comfortable does he? And yet even though he is twisted up in knots he doesn’t seem too bothered by the strange position he finds himself in. There is no struggle, more like resignation. If anything, he looks like he is away with the pixies, meditating maybe. (Might be all that blood rushing to his head!)

There is a myth associated with The Hanged Man. It is the story of Odin. Odin was a North European god who hung himself on a tree in a sacrificial ritual which was meant to revitalize him. As he hung about he noticed some stones with magical writing lying beneath him. With a great deal of effort he managed to grab one and was immediately released from the tree.

What are the themes here?

Being pushed outside your comfort zone

Making sacrifices

Resignation

Reflection

Waiting for a sign

The Hanged Man is that niggling emotional state you can’t shake when you know something in your life has to change, you’re just not always sure what or how. But in your search to discover that something you will need to move out of your comfort zone and make some kind of sacrifice.

It is the card of preparing to move house or leave your partner, pregnancy and home renovations. When everything in your world can be literally turned upside down.

Can you relate?

Share this: