Daily Draw - A Story with an Ending

Once upon there was a pair of sisters.  Times were hard, but they were hard for everyone, so the sisters did not feel especially persecuted.  Their father had left before they were born to seek his fortune on one of the shipping vessels that came in and out of the port, kissing their mother on the nose and promising to come back rich and make all of her dreams come true.  The seas were cruel that season, and Maiden's Glory proved to be the maiden's downfall in truth as she spilled her cargo and crew into the gaping maw of a black storm.  Their mother grew as salty as the sea she gazed into for hours on end, and by the time the girls were born, one squalling and red, the other mewling like a white kitten, she was so lost in her grief even her newborn babes could not call her back from it.  The twilight haze of the opium dens, where she could chase the half formed memories of her lost love, were more appealing to her than the drudgery of raising the children who were the only legacy of that love.  The man with the yellow eyes would provide the opium as long as the coin flowed, and with the last one left to their mother, she ordered a black mushroom as well.  The man with the yellow eyes never hesitated as he slid the pipe and the fungi across the counter to their mother, and as she chewed, the taste of salt and earth and her lovers' seed filled her senses, and as she drifted into her opium dreams to find her smiling young sailor, she felt herself transform once again into his laughing girl.  So lost in her reverie, she never thought once of the girls she was leaving behind and she never felt the black bile rise in her throat, nor did she turn to spill it onto the ground, but rather let it smother her, her long and desperate grief made manifest after all this time.

Nicoletta Ceccoli Tarot - The Devil, Five of Swords, Five of Cups

The girls were young, but they were clever, and they knew how to sew, and how to garden, and they could read and they could write, so they lived quietly and comfortably in their cottage, sad for the loss of the mother they never really had and sad for the father they wished they had known, but taking comfort in each other.  Celine, the mewling kitten who had grown into a soft and sweet young lady, was prone to fits of melancholy, which Celeste, the fiercer and more sturdy of the twins, was forever pulling her out of.

One year after their mothers' death Celine was in a particularly melancholy mood, feeling the waves of sadness wash over her as she made her way home from her position as a nanny to a rich family.  Lost in her thoughts of her mother, her dreams of her father, and wishing she could be braver and stronger like her sister, she nearly stumbled into the man with the yellow eyes as he stepped from the dark doorway.  Tobacco smoke curled from his lips as he smiled a smile that did not quite reach his yellow eyes.  "Careful there," he said, as his hand gripped her elbow to hold her up.  She smiled timidly and tried to take her arm away, but he only strengthened his grip.  Not knowing what to do, Celine stood frozen.  "Would you like to step inside?  It's warm and it's comfortable, and I have exactly what you need."  Celine nodded mutely, and the man with the yellow eyes wasted no time pulling her into his den.

As the twilight mellowed into evening and then true night, Celeste became frantic.  Neither girl came home late as a rule, and she threw on her cloak and stepped out into the night air to walk the route she knew her sister must have taken.  She strode through the dark with purpose, with her head held high, her eyes meeting those of the few people she encountered so that they would know she was not afraid.  She walked all the way to the home of her sisters' employer, where she noted the dark windows, and she turned around to retrace her steps.  When she reached the street where the man with the yellow eyes kept his den, she turned down it, even though both sisters usually avoided the place, finding the memory of their mothers' death too sad.  She slowed as she approached the opium den, and stopped.  She wouldn't go in there, she thought, and even as she made up her mind to continue on, the door swung open.  A dead eyed man slunk out, stumbled briefly, and slumped against the side of the building.  A pretty girl, too skinny and just as dead eyed, nearly fell out the door but an arm, hairy and rippling with muscles, reached out, further than seemed possible without revealing the body it would be attached to.  Meaty fingers grasped at her collar, and she reversed her falling motion to return unceremoniously from whence she came.  As the door swung closed again, Celeste caught the barest hint of a gleam of golden hair in the shadows, and she gasped.  Without another thought, she steeled herself and marched through the doors of the opium den.

Sweet smoke mingled with the acrid odor of unwashed bodies and dimmed her vision.  The room was dark, with bodies strewn across faded cushions.  As her eyes adjusted, she moved further in, gingerly sidestepping piles of sick and perilously cast pipes.  "Celine," she whispered through her teeth, but she was answered with more dead eyed stares.  A grasping hand tangled itself in her billowing skirt, and as she yanked the fabric from between the ragged fingernails, she turned to see her sister, lank in the arms of the man with the yellow eyes, who had scooped her up and was turning down an even darker hall with her.  "Stop," she cried, and the man with the yellow eyes turned to face her.

"Yes?" he asked, lazily arching his brow as he stroked the pale skin of her sisters exposed neck.

"You have my sister," Celeste stated calmly.  "I see that she is unwell, so I will take her home with me.  Thank you for caring for her but now it is time we leave"

"Oh, will you?" he asked, still bemused.

"I will," Celeste nodded as she started to move forward.  With a single motion of his finger, two thugs appeared from the shadows. With an arm in each thugs firm embrace, Celeste glared at the man with the yellow eyes.  "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"This slut partook of my product but she did not have the coin to pay for it.  So she will earn her comfort with her body." the man with the yellow eyes explained in a level voice.

"That is my sister and she is not a slut!" Celeste proclaimed.

"Well she will be when I am done with her.  Please remove this creature," he said to the thugs.  "She is too loud for our patrons comfort."  To Celeste he said, "You are not as pretty as your sister.  If you wish to pay her debt, you must do four times the work I expect from her this night.  If you return I will take that as your consent to the bargain."  The man with the yellow eyes continued down the hall.  Celine moaned softly as he ungraciously bumped her head against the wall, but she did not wake.

Celeste drove her sharp heel into the shin of the thug to her left, and with an "Oof!" he let go of her arm.  The thug to her right reacted swiftly, pulling her in, but Celeste was quicker, bringing her knee to squarely meet his crotch.  He doubled over in pain, and the thug to her left grabbed her from behind.  She used all her strength to shove her elbow into his gut, then into his nose as he bent over in pain.  She felt the crunch of the nose break as blood gushed from his face.  She grabbed a pipe from a prostrate patron, who only protested weakly in his stupor, and held the misting end up to the left side thugs nose.  As he breathed in he relaxed, and as he drifted away into the opium dream, she did the same to the right side thug.  When he was also soundly in his cups, she smashed the pipe against the floor, leaving herself a deadly sliver of the sharpest glass.  She jumped to her feet and followed the man with the yellow eyes.

A flickering light under the doorway led her to her sister, who was laying prone on a filthy mattress, without even a tattered sheet or dirty blanket to cover her.  The man with the yellow eyes had his back to the door, and so he did not see Celeste as she sprang upon him, sliver flashing in the candlelight.  She struck at his face, but he turned away, and so she slashed a jagged line through it, where blood welled and began to spill like tears.  The man's yellow eyes bulged, and he brought his fist back to hit Celeste.  She rolled away, and his momentum caused him to stumble.  She reached for his ankle, slashed wildly, and crippled him neatly with her makeshift dagger.  He rolled over as she crept forward, and when she slid the silvered pipe between his ribs, he closed his yellow eyes, never to open them again.

"Celine, Celine, wake, please wake," Celeste cried as she shook her sister, but it was no use.  Celine's chest rose and fell, barely perceptible, but she was lost to this world.  Defeated at last, Celeste curled up next to her sister on the filthy mattress, wrapped her arms around her, and spoke her softly, "Celine, I love you, you are my sister, I love you.  Please come back to me.  You are all I have, and I need you."

The night wore on, and the sisters continued to breathe in tandem, Celine's breath shallow and soft, Celeste's ragged and tear filled.  As morning broke and the dingy room began to grow light, Celine's eyelids began to flicker.  They opened in confusion, and Celeste cried out, "Oh, sister!  You are awake!  Are you well?  Let's go home, let's leave this place."

It took Celine but a moment to take in the horror of the room, the man with his closed yellow eyes in a dark pool of blood, the filthy bed, her torn clothes on the floor, and she screamed in horror.  "Shh, shh, sweet sister, shh," Celeste tried to soothe her, but the girl was inconsolable.  She tore at her hair and she tore at her skin and she sobbed.

"What have I done, I am ruined, I will have his baby, and he's not even alive anymore to claim it even if he would," she wept into her sisters' arms.

"No, Celine, no, he never touched you, he never did.  I got here before he could do the evil deed, he never did touch you," Celeste assured her, but Celine was beyond her reach.  "Let's go home, sister," Celeste pleaded.  "Let's go home and you will rest and you will heal and it smells good there."  Celine nodded her acquiescence, and Celeste jumped to gather her clothing.  "These are torn, they will not do.  I will grab something to cover you and I will be right back," Celeste promised, and she darted into the dark hallway.  Cloaks of many colors and conditions lined the hall, remnants of opiate filled patrons who neither remembered nor cared that they had a cloak when they arrived, and she snatched the first one her fingers met.  She turned back to the door and entered it with the cloak in her hand.  Celine had fallen back asleep, which surprised Celeste given the vehemence of her tears only moments before and the horror of the man with the yellow eyes laying dead on the floor.  Celeste rushed to her sisters side and shook her, crying, "Celine, Celine!"  She was answered with a trickle of black bile leaking from her sisters mouth, and as Celeste pulled her upright, Celine's hand fell open, dropping a black mushroom with one dainty bite taken from it onto the dirty floor.

And so the man with the yellow eyes had his price, though he also paid a steep one, and so Celeste lost her one true love to sadness, to despair, to grief.  Celine fell prey to the temptation of easy escape, and Celeste fought hard to save them both.  Her best efforts were not enough to convince her sister to live, yet Celeste had a spine of steel and she went on to live a full and happy life.  She slayed her sisters, and her own, demon, but she did not get to keep her sister.  Celeste thought of Celine every day, and though she had tears in her eyes when she did, she also smiled, because even though it was unbearably sad, the love never left her at all.

These cards are from the Nicoletta Ceccoli Tarot, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Daily Draw - No Means No

My name is Ludy and the publisher asked me to write something about myself and about this deck.

So begins the text in the Little White Book included with this deck, the Ludy Lescot Tarot.  The deck purports to follow a young lady in turn of the century New Orleans.  It's a fun romp through an imagined gothic landscape of a privileged and unusual young woman, and the facade never cracks. If you enjoy period pieces and the version of Dracula with Winona Ryder, this deck is probably right up your alley, and you will hear the clicking of heels on the cobblestones behind you as the heady scent of the sea air mingles with the heavy scent of gardenia and the jangle of the jazz music plays in the distance.

Ludy Lescot Tarot- Seven of Pentacles, King of Swords, The Lovers

The cards I have drawn today tell a story of jealousy, cruelty, and revenge taken.  The Little White Book is rather bleak in its' descriptions, and while I do not happen to agree with them or find them particularly useful for reading or working with, they do make an excellent story!

The Seven of Pentacles reads, "Your body is like a garden that grows according to your desires.  Don't let it run wild, but cultivate it."

The King of Swords, "Even the smallest man has the right  to justice, but beware: the justice of a king with no throne is often revenge."

And The Lovers, "Passion is born of blood.  Kindness is born of the soul.  Love is cruel and, if it is authentic, you will not be able to escape it."

This sounds an awful like the pure drivel we are sometimes expected to accept when people want to excuse rape and rape culture.  The girl is asking for it by virtue of being sexy, whether that is an image she cultivates or not, the man is unable to control himself, and who are we to expect him to anyway, and the inevitable conclusion is consumption, regardless of her will in the matter.

And that disgusts me.

As a mom to four young men and a young lady, this hits hard.  As a human being, this hits hard.  I am tired of my daughter being held to a standard of dress that is designed to keep males from getting sexually excited, when the truth is boys of her age usually get that way if the wind blows just so, and because she has been blessed with physical beauty, she could wear a potato sack and that would still appeal some some fetish or another.  Not to mention that the bottom line is that we need to focus on teaching people of all genders some self control instead of telling people they have to present themselves a certain way in order to avoid being assaulted.  I worry for my young men, not that they would cause any harm, but that the world we live in seems to accept a certain amount of sexual assault as collateral damage.

Usually I try to spin these darker cards into a positive message, or at least a reading that is relevant to my life right now, but all I really have to say about them today is, "Don't rape."

And if you are a victim of a sexual crime, don't excuse it or let the blame fall on you.  And please, please get some help. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network is available to help at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).  You are worthy of respect, dignity, compassion, and anyone who tells you differently with their words or their actions is a filthy liar.

I am including some handy infographics if anyone has a question about when it's consent and when it's not.

And most of all-

These images are from the Ludy Lescot Tarot by Patrizio Evangelisti, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Waning Moon Tarot Spread

To keep rhythm with the moon today I am doing the Waning Moon Tarot Spread, courtesy of Ethony on Tumblr.  I am using the Archeon Tarot by Timothy Lantz.  I have trimmed the large borders and titles from my working deck to free the dreamy landscape to flow over and through the images.

Waning Moon Tarot Spread: Archeon Tarot- Death, The Chariot, Ace of Cups, Five of Cups

Card One: Waning- What do I need to release?  Death.
 I tend to have a scorched earth attitude towards things I leave behind.  I am often all or nothing, and I don't need to be that way.  I can exercise a little moderation, and I don't have to turn away from a thing altogether in order to move forward.  In regards to my back injury, I keep hoping for the day I wake up and I am remade, a whole new person, and that simply is not going to happen.

Card Two: Reverse- What can I reverse to help me or my situation?  The Chariot.
 I tend to have a rather bullish attitude about things, believing I can power through the unsavory parts of life, or see hard things through with sheer tenacity.  Although this has served me well in many cases, some situations need a little more finesse.  Sometimes I can (and should) hold on loosely.  I cannot force my healing through my usual means of getting things done.

Card Three: Hecate- What path is in line with my highest self?  Ace of Cups.
Love.  Love is always the appropriate response.  This was the clear message in the single card reading I did for my October project, being documented on Instagram, #ShadowWorkOctober.  Let love flow, let it fill me, let it spill over, stop putting restrictions on what it looks like, what it feels like, besides good, and what it can accomplish.  I need to focus on the love in my life.

Card Four: Guidance- What guidance can the waning moon show me? Five of Cups.
I am not a great multitasker, which means when I focus on what I don't have, I do not have the attention span to really feel, enjoy, and appreciate all the things I do have.  I think it's a normal and natural response to remember the things and the people that are no longer in our lives as better, or smoother, than they really were.  There's no use crying over spilled perfume, and since I am lucky, I have the memory of the scent to see me through, but my focus needs to be here and now in this place.  I can feel sorry for myself forever, I really could, but there is nothing to be accomplished with that attitude.

Do you like to do spreads based on the cycles of the Moon?  Please share if you do!

These cards are from the Archeon Tarot by Timothy Lantz, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Daily Draw - XIII Tarot

Today the Hierophant makes another appearance, which is not really surprising to me since I have often observed cards continue to repeat until I have really heard all they have to say to me.

XIII Tarot by Nekro - The Hierophant, The Hermit, Eight of Swords

The rising mists gently part for this Hierophant as her haughty gaze falls coolly to mine.  She offers no comfort, but neither does judgment flash in that steady stare.  Her hands steepled together in prayer, her perch on a pedestal, all of it speaks to a grace and stillness alien to me.

The Hermit is another solitary figure, as befits a Hermit, and her prayer is active, bringing the fire of desire and knowledge to share with those who are willing to brave the heat and gain the wisdom to handle it without fear.

The Eight of Swords in this pip deck shows a perfect balance of the deadly sharp tools.  They are dangerous and so must be handled with the greatest of care. In this arrangement, they are impotent, and without rearranging them into a suitable pattern, or condensing them down to a suitable number, they cannot benefit the user.

From this reading I take the idea that both blind adherence to man made religion and reckless refusal to look to God for anything are dangerous ideas which lead me to dangerous places, at best rendering me powerless to act, and at worst setting myself a booby trap in my own mind.  The Eights are always in perfect balance, although being in the suit of Swords renders this one ill dignified, and balance is what I must continue to reach for.

These cards are from XIII Tarot by Nekro, published by Fournier.

Daily Draw - Tempering the Mask

Book of Azathoth Tarot- Two of Pentacles

Today the October dark deck fest continues with an independently published Book of Azathoth Tarot.  The images in this deck do contain nudity, so if that's not your jam here is your opportunity to not have your eyes defiled.

The Two of Pentacles is not part of this reading.  He is just here to provide a little balance, to give my readers the chance to decide if they want to see a penis in the next set of cards or not.  Just like the rest of life, it's perfectly acceptable to play with the Pentacles a little before committing to the whole thing, and you can change your mind at any time.

I pulled a threesome of Major Arcana, which is always slightly alarming, and I don't find the images in this deck to be comforting and warm.  They are non-offensive, to me, but I am notoriously hard to offend, so don't let that be your guide post.

I have an incredibly difficult time trusting God, which sounds audacious to me even in my own mind.  It's not because I think I am not blessed, because I know I am.  Just by being born in America I am in a better situation than most of the world, and there are things every day that I am grateful for and know speak the presence of the Divine in my life.  It's not because I think I am owed more, because I know that God truly does help those who help themselves, and I need to do a little more for myself before I start telling God to do for me, too.  And it's not because I think I am not loved, because I do think God loves me, but in an impersonal way, the way all of humanity is loved, the way I love all animals, a lot, but the way the Zoe dog and those fatty ratties actually hold my heart, no I don't think I am loved like that.

The Book of Azathoth Tarot - The Hierophant, The Devil, Temperance

When we are little, our parents wear the mask of God for us.  They teach us about dependability, unconditional, and sometimes conditional, love, trust, grace, and the Divine.  But when our parents do not have a good grasp of those things themselves they cannot pass them along to us, and I, like a lot of people, have struggled to separate God from my fear of my tempestuous mother, the total absence of my father, and the judgment of the grandfather who undeniably loved me, and was undeniably disappointed by me on the regular.  I see this in the Hierophant, the representative of God here on earth,  wearing a mask and sitting on a throne, untouchable and unknowable.

And in our quest for something we can touch and know, somewhere we can feel safe, loved, accepted, we often find it easier and quicker to turn to excess- shopping, food, sex, alcohol, pills, escapism through video games, books, television, gossip, marijuana, and even harder drugs.  These things do not judge us, they do not condemn us, they can take the place of broken families and broken images of God, but they ultimately destroy us.  None of those things is wrong when not given a place above our own well being in our lives, but if we are using them as crutches rather than healing the broken pieces of ourselves, the Devil has truly taken root.  Anything that controls our lives and covers our hurt is an addiction, and it's the easiest thing in the world to stay in bondage to those things until we die.

Temperance is the great healer.  When we are tempered, we can enjoy a glass of wine without entering a binge.  We can eat a slice of cheesecake and enjoy it instead of needing to devour the whole cake in an effort to fill a vast hole.  If we partake, we can enjoy a mellow high without needing to get high to enjoy life.  We can have sex out of love and desire for closeness, or even just for fun, without feeling it turn into a desperate plea for validation, a distraction from our lives.  We shop for things we need and will enjoy, but we are not under a compulsion to buy, buy, buy, fill fill fill.

But the kicker is I cannot tell you about your path to Temperance, to being healed.  I cannot even tell you mine, because I don't know it, at least not the whole of it, and so much of it is discovered by the way the road feels beneath our feet.  The thing that stands out to me about this trio of cards, though, is that the Hierophant is both observing and being observed, and the Devil is a vignette of horrors to watch, but the angel of Temperance is actually doing.  And so I know that if I want to move forward, I too must actually do, not just wish and hope and think and despair and talk, but put one foot in front of the other, one word after the other, one digit after the other in making phone calls to people who can help, and actively work on healing myself rather than waiting for it to simply happen.

I am finding these dark decks to be thought provoking too, which I suppose is a by product of exploring the darker aspects of the psyche.  This reading is part of a series I am doing in the month of October featuring dark, spooky, creepy, and Halloween themed decks.  I am sure some of them will yield lighter reading.  Please share your favorites with me!

These cards are from The Book of Azathoth Tarot available at Nemo's Locker.

Daily Draw - Focus on the Solution, Not the Problem

I would find it impossible to begin the season of Halloween, of all things dark and spooky, quirky and mysterious, without the Deviant Moon tarot deck.  This was the first deck I instantly connected to, the images reflecting back to me a half realized piece of my own inner landscape.  The deck was gifted to me, and at this point I find it impossible to separate the love of the deck from the love of the person, which is a blessing, although a bit of a mixed one, but the best things in life often are.  Dark decks in particular reflect back to me the tangled and twisted parts of myself, which are not ugly or shameful, but may not often see the light of day.

Deviant Moon Tarot - Two of Pentacles, The Hanged Man, Four of Pentacles

This reading begins with what is perhaps the most iconic image of the deck, the belly dancing two of Pentacles (who also graces my living room wall as a beautiful print).  Belly dancing is one of those mysteries, wherein the tight discipline of the physical body leads to beautiful expression of the soul.  Pentacles deal with physical aspects of life, often money, possessions, our bodies.  She is displaying her back to us, which strikes me in a particularly soft spot as I am several surgeries and countless procedures into treatment for a back injury that is not vastly improving.  At this point treatment has moved from the attempt to make a full recovery to simply trying to keep me in as little pain as possible.  This has affected every aspect of my life, and my family's lives, and honestly, it sucks.  It's a terrible thing to have happened to a fairly young person, but I need to focus on the fact that I am able to get treatment and that my quality of life has changed, but whether it is diminished or not is up to me.  I have many blessings and just this one cross to bear, which in the cosmic equation puts me squarely on the positive side of things.

The intrepid belly dancer is turned away from The Hanged Man and the Four of Pentacles, who are in turn focused on each other and ignoring her, too.  She doesn't have time to deal with them when she is so focused on her intricate dance and keeping her own Pentacles carefully balanced.  She is focused on the solution.

The Hanged Man is one of the most neutral cards in the deck for me, taking his spectrum of meaning from where I see him in a spread and the cards nearby, as well as the feeling it evokes in me.  By the nature of his situation, The Hanged Man is in limbo.  Sometimes limbo is a good place to be, offering us a safe harbor to rest, to heal, to assess, but sometimes it becomes a place to hide, to avoid making hard choices, and to keep from facing the next phase of the journey.

The Four of Pentacles features a man with a fearful expression, facing towards The Hanged Man, and not paying any attention at all to the real problem, which is the demon whispering terrible things in his ear as she leads him towards the fire.  This is me.  I fear staying in limbo, and I fear the fire of the pain I am in.  Sometimes I focus on the problems in life, instead of the solutions, and the Two of Pentacles, with her cool serenity and intense focus, reminds me that the way out of all my issues is to focus on the solution and not get bogged down in worrying over the problem.  I can't instantly fix my back, and I can't go back in time to prevent the injury, which was probably inevitable anyway, but I can focus on doing what makes me feel better, I can focus on all the beautiful things in my life, and I can focus on the other areas of life, like writing and enjoying my family, which can be altered but not ruined by this back injury.

It is my intention to share Halloween themed decks throughout the month of October.  If you have a favorite one I would love to hear about it, or if there is one in particular you would like to see, please tell me so I can check my collection to see if I can share it, or track it down.  This is my favorite time of the year, and I love to share the fun!

The images in this post are from the Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.  Mine has been lovingly altered by removing the borders, but it is now available in a borderless edition.  An eagerly awaited companion book is forthcoming.

Not Bad For a Monday - The Empress

Sacred Isle Tarot - The Empress

Summer is in full bloom here in the Rocky Mountains, and thanks to El Niño it has been mild, leaving us with lush grass and gorgeous sunsets.  Much like this card.

The Empress is a card of grace and abundance, or rampant growth and creative expression with tangible results.  For me, I have to remember that all my ideas are only as good as the effort which I put behind them in order to to see them grow.  The Empress does al of what she does from a place of love and surety that growth is inevitable.

My boy recently looked through some shaky amateur footage of his basketball games, and while he found plenty of great things to feature in his video, he lamented the lack of the things he wished he could showcase that were not there.  "If you want to see it on film, you have to do it.  I can only film what you do," I told him in the semi-sarcastic way I sometimes have, and the same is true for me.  If I want to see my garden grow, I have to plant the seeds.  If I want to see my dreams bloom in the full glory of their potential, I have to nurture them and take the steps.  It's that simple.  And that hard.

This image is from The Sacred Isle Tarot, available from the creators' site here.  I waited years for the full deck to be finished and I enjoy the deck in my collection a great deal.  This image, however, is courtesy of The Fool's Dog Sacred Isle Tarot App.  Please visit them here and know they make unparallelled apps for iOs.  I can't recommend them enough for beautiful, functional and well priced apps!

Daily Draw - When Strength Isn't Enough

Fenestra Tarot - Two of Cups, Strength, King of Cups

For this week I have picked a deck that is easy, in that it is largely a Waite Smith clone deck, meaning that it almost perfectly mirrors the art of Pamela Colman Smith under the instruction of Arthur Waite, done in one artists' particular style.  The earth tone colors and androgynous figures of the Fenestra Tarot by Thai artist Chatriya Hemharnvibul and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. is just what I need to kick off a new year of blogging.  Familiar enough to be comforting, but with a fresh set of eyes for me.  I have had this deck for quite a few years, but have rarely done more than glance at it.  Let's get to know it together.

Today I am using a Daily Spread which I attribute to a member of a forum I no longer frequent, Thorhammer.  It is an introspective spread which allows for examination of the day just passed rather than making a prediction of the future, and this is one of the best uses of reading tarot for myself.  The positions are "What I did well today"  "What I need to leave behind from today" and "What I need to carry forward into tomorrow".

What I Did Well Today - Two of Cups.  I'm very lucky.  I know what I am supposed to be doing with my life, at least most of it.  This family first and foremost.  Writing.  Tarot.  I am also very lucky because this is a quiet moment of life which allows for time for all those things.  I made a deal with myself, which was that if I was given this time I would honor and I would do my work.  The Two of Cups is a card that signifies sacred contracts to me.  Sometimes that includes a lover, and it becomes a miniature Lovers card.  In this case, for me today, it is the sacred contract I made with myself and the one I have with God.  I'm doing my work.

What I Need To Leave Behind From Today - Strength.  This fiery card nestled between two Cups has been weakened, and with the positional meaning of the spread I can see that I am reading the shadow energy of this card.  I am Taurus, through and through, and most of us are not known for our subtlety and nuance.  I power through most issues, demanding that everything be on the table.  I expect me to pull my own bootstraps up, hitch up my big girl pants, and buckle down to make things happen, and by and large that is what I expect from my family and loved ones, too.  Some situations call for a little more finesse and a finer eye to the shifting shades of grey that exist in life.  There are some things that cannot be powered through, and as I do my work, internal and external, I need to be more sensitive to the particular energy of the situation rather than having a one size fits all mentality.

What I Need To Carry Forward Into Tomorrow - King of Cups.  Again, we are looking at a softness of attitude that I sometimes lack.  Like the figures that populate our dreams, Court Cards often indicate aspects of our own personalities, and in this spread I see no other options for this tender and compassionate King.  I need to be gentle with myself and with my loved ones tomorrow too, because that will get results where the bullheaded stubbornness I am prone to will only cause damage.  And wine.  I should definitely have a glass of wine.

Fenestra Tarot - The Star

Shadow Card energy - The Star.  I read the bottom card of my shuffle as a little extra tidbit of knowledge, something that will add to the spread or that I need to know in my reading.  The Star is so many things- Hope, most of all, wishes granted, healing, a promise of dawn soon coming.  I often read The Star as a Sun-ish energy, bright and bringing great blessings, because our Sun is also a Star, but The Star is further away.  It's still a wish unfulfilled, but it is a promise that the Sun always rises.  We just have to hold on.  For me today, I relate to the healing energy of the water bearer, and I see myself in the card, with the keys to my own healing, as long as I accept the flow and not try to impose my own will and understanding.  It can be so hard to let go and just let things happen as they are meant to, but the struggle for control is an even bigger illusion anyway.

Bonefire Tarot- Judgement

Bonefire Tarot- Judgment

Today's card comes an exquisitely rendered and self published deck, Bonefire Tarot, self published by Gabrielle West.

Whenever I see the Judgment card I have to decide quickly if I feel it is referring to the biblical Day of Judgment, a concept which can span any theology or none at all when we consider it a day of reckoning, or a second chance, or if I feel it referring to literal meaning of the word- to judge.

Tarot cards never fail to entrance and delight me by managing to convey so many nuances of life and love, and so as I look through this card as the lends for my week I know I am likely to see both, and even more, meanings emerge from the card.

I am immediately struck by the ticking clock, which is on fire, adding to the urgency of the situation.  Judgment Day is coming, and no one can stop it, and neither can we know for sure the time it will arrive.  This is a distinctly Christian idea, but we can all apply to our lives and our journeys because the truth is the time we have to act on Earth will end for all of us, regardless of religious beliefs, and we aren't given to know when.  We just have to do the best we can with our finite time and make it all count.  I feel that especially lately, as my kids have grown to the point they do not need constant care and attention but still a good deal of it.

The golden hammer and gavel speak to a judgment being passed, possibly from an impossible position, as the richness of the tool places firmly out of my (current) reach.

The tattoos across the face remind me of the song lyrics by Jordin Sparks- "You're still a part of everything I do, just like a tattoo."  We end relationships of all types for myriad reasons, and many of them are just because it was right, but many people leave their stamps on our souls and they remain there.  I have dreamt this past week of a former lover, which is exquisite in both the memory of the immense love and the pain it causes.  We couldn't stay together, not least because I belong where I am now, married to my handsome man and taking this family where we are all meant to be, but in that time and that place I believe utterly that we needed to be together, too.  I have to, or all the tears and the constant undertone of love that never leaves, even when physical presence does, were in vain.

Do you tend to read the Judgment card as a kind of phoenix, or do you feel the discomfort of being judged, or maybe the righteous smugness of doing the judging?






This card is from Bonefire Tarot, self published by Gabrielle West, who you can contact at her site- http://www.bonefiretarot.com/

Daily Draw- The Tower, The Lovers, King of Swords

Knives abound in this reading.  They frame The Lovers and their perfect visions for each other.  The cute little kidney is warding off junk food, which is cute but deadly, with one.  Not all cute things are innocuous.

The Healing Tarot- The Tower, The Lovers, King of Swords

This deck is specifically geared towards physical health, which is every professional readers' bane.  I am not a doctor or a nurse.  I have intuitive feelings about what may be going on with you and when you should consult one, but that is never a substitute for health care.  There are often rigorous debates among readers about the morality of doing these kinds of readings at all.  But people want to know about love, money, their health, their kids, and their careers, generally.  It's important.

Because The Lovers are the middle of this reading, I immediately think to The Man, who has suffered from kidney stones with alarming frequency.  The last ultrasound he had revealed there were many, and much like childbirth, there is really only one way out of that situation.  I do not want him to suffer, and him getting sick right now could very well produce a Tower moment for us, because it is just not a good time.  Not that there ever is a good time to experience The Tower.

The King of Swords there shows me that there is a consequence to each choice we make, and the food we eat can be a great source of healing for our bodies, or it can poison us in increments.  I get frustrated with him, and with myself, reflected in The Lovers, because it is so simple to achieve and maintain health, but we still make poor choices.

The other thing this preponderance of cutting instruments makes me think of is that another surgery may loom on my horizon.  I desperately do not want that, because I thought I might be dying after I had the spinal fusion in March, but there is very little to be done with backs, and even with surgery it seems very much like you roll the dice and take your chances.  My surgeon has shown up as the King of Swords many times in the past year, and The Tower can certainly look like a spine. 

The best thing about readings like these is that forewarned is forearmed.  The future is never set in stone, and with this not so subtle reminder I can help The Man to eat better by cooking and providing that food.  We reflect ourselves to each other, and we can help each other be the best version of ourselves.  We also strive to be the best partner for each the other, and there is power in that, too.  We have to make positive change for our own good, but love often makes you place the good of someone else over your own.

The Healing Tarot- Three of Cups

The Shadow Card is the Three of Cups.  This card speaks to some underlying issues I have with food, health, love and body image.  My mom was a broken person, and I feel mostly sorry for her, but she had some clear lack when it came to parenting.  She called me Moo Moo Mandy until I was old enough to simply not talk to her at all anymore, and my handsome, adult cousin chimed right in, with a cruel song he made up about Mandy being a pig, a big pig, to the Davy Crockett television show theme.  To this day I will cry when hearing those words, and that is no longer their fault.  As an adult 30 years removed from the start of this, I should be able to process this in a healthy way.

I have some very entrenched ideas of food, and I feel immense guilt about eating foods I consider unholy, that add to my weight or (small) health issues.  This is also expressed in The Lovers, with the reflection of her just a little more perfect than the reality, although the reality is lovely.  I feel I cannot be worthy of love, as my name means, if I am fat, and that idea is so ridiculous I would snatch up and hug anyone else who expressed it to me.  We have to treat ourselves as well as we treat other people.

If there are some things in your life that need to be cut away, or that you need to cleave to, a tarot reading can help you get that clarity and offer advice.  If you don't know you are worthy of love, the tarot can show you different.  I'd love it if you booked one with me here.


These cards are from The Healing Tarot by Juno Lucina and Monica Knighton, published by Schiffer Books.

The Only Way Through It

Today's spread brings me three Major Arcana cards, which does not really surprise me, but I do think it is interesting to note.  Today I am asking about the state of this little blog.

The first card shows my relationship with the blog, the second is the way to get from where I am to where I want to be with it, and the third card is the result.  It is a basic three card spread meant to cast a picture and offer advice.

The Healing Tarot- The Sun, The World, The Empress

The Sun shows the joy I take in writing, in tarot, and in connecting with people who are interested in the same kinds of things.  I love it!  I feel good, and it is a happy place for me, or at least it always had been.  That is where the darker side of The Sun comes into play.  It is such a positive card that I generally read it as still pretty darn good, even when it falls in a difficult aspect, so I know that what has happened was still to the greater good, but that doesn't always feel good in the moment.  The Sun shines a light on everything, all of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and putting oneself on display in a public blog is a choice.  For the most part I do not mind, because I think tarot is the most intensely personal thing there is, and I strive to live my life in such a way that I do not feel any shame at my actions or words.  But the shining light Sun has left me feeling exposed at times.  My little bit of success, for which I am beyond grateful, seems to leave me a target for hangers on and moochers, not to mention the people in my personal life who do not wish me well (who are few and far between but incredibly tenacious).  I have been feeling tender and raw, and especially with the parenting time issue with The Man's kids, and his exes odd (to me) obsession with what I do online, I have not wanted to be so exposed.

But, as I said, I generally read The Sun as good, good, good, so it's still good.  The love is still there.  The Sun endures, and so does my delight in what I get to do in this space.  I firmly believe that where we feel joy is where we are meant to dwell.

The advice for getting through this difficult time is The World, and the skeleton inside the circle makes me believe the time has come to die to what anyone else may think and be self contained in my own little World.  I am whole just the way I am, and no one can take bits of me if I do not let them cross my boundaries.  I gotta do me, whole heartedly and with no regard for haters, clingers on, or the judgmental attitudes of other people, because what others think of me is really none of my business.

The result of successfully implementing the advice of The World is The Empress, a loving, wild card of abundant expression and joy!  Her beautiful world is sacrosanct, and her expression is inviting but does not invite ugliness into her precious creation.

From the companion book- "The Empress beautifies and sweetens everything she touches: health, happiness, success, pleasure, luxury, artistic value, finances."  That is a value I hold sacred, and to get there from here means living fully in my purpose.

I would be deeply remiss in not pointing out that this reading resonates so deeply with the reading I received from Mandy Flint of Greeneyedgypsy last week that I could have almost pulled the cards face up to reinforce her words.  She is tough, but in a way that makes you know you are loved.  Thank you, +Mandy Flint!

The Healing Tarot- Five of Cups

The Shadow Card is the Five of Cups.  The book describes it as "loss of pleasure or desperate avoidance of pain" which shows exactly how I reacted to having my personal space invaded.  I lost my pleasure in it and I avoided it in order to avoid more pain.  Well, the Five of Cups shows your spilled ones, and there is no sucking liquid back up off the ground to put back in the Cups.  It is immeasurably sad.  But there are two more perfectly good Cups, and my intention is to stop mourning what was lost and turn to what remains.

This fits in eerily well with the Daily Card I pulled and posted at the 78 Whispers Facebook Page and the Google+ Community Page, which was the Page of Cups from this same deck.  I tend to record these at Tumblr as well.  If you enjoy the blog posts you may like what you get over there, which tends to be shorter, pithier, and more frequent, at least as of late.  There is also a newsletter that comes straight to your email inbox, full of new content, and no spam, which you can sign up for here.

Have you lost your pleasure or engaged in a desperate avoidance of pain?  A tarot reading can help you find your way out again, and I would love to help you do it.  If you would like to work together please contact me.




These cards are from The Healing Tarot by Juno Lucina and Monica Knighton, published by Schiffer Books.

Daily Draw- Emperor, Four of Wands

Another pair from the Fairy Lights Tarot graces the blog today, this one led by the faithful Emperor.

Fairy Lights Tarot Pairs- Emperor, Four of Wands

How do you feel about setting boundaries for yourself?  Boundaries can be a word that puts people off.  They sound constraining, because they, well, they set bounds.  The Emperor is the master of this, right?  Here's the thing, though.  We aren't free to chase seagulls without having protection in place.  It can be a mark of immaturity to balk at the protections in place.  We have this amazing freedom to practically fly down the highway, and most of us have vehicles to do so in, yet we must obey the speed limit.  We must get licenses, insurance, and tags on those cars.  All of those are restrictions which are for our own good and serve us well, when we allow it, but it sure can feel like unwelcome restriction at times.

There are many opinions on the wars being waged, and none of them encompass the whole truth, because I doubt any of us know it to share.  Most of us, though, have freedom to dissent, freedom to disagree with our government, freedom to say anything we like (though that should not be mistaken as freedom from the consequences of that speech) and we owe those freedoms to the brave women and men who serve to preserve them.  An ugly example of lashing out at authority can be seen when our service people and soldiers take criticism and sometimes even bear the brunt of hate because of their service.  They deserve respect, even when we can't support what they have been ordered to do.

Are you the protector, the keeper of the bounds, or are you frolicking carefree on the beach?  Are you able to switch in and out of those roles as appropriate to your situation, or do you struggle with taking either of them on?


These cards are from Fairy Lights Tarot by Lucia Mattioli, published by Lo Scarabeo.

My Lens For the Week- The Hierophant

Fairy Lights Tarot- The Hierophant

The Hierophant can be one of those weird cards, and with so many people who read tarot feeling so conflicted about the church, traditions, and being asked to conform (or not feeling conflicted at all but just straight up not caring for any of it) it can be a difficult card for some readers.

I'm not one of them.  It might be that The Hierophant, with his structure and his love of doing things "just so" relates to my sun sign, Taurus.  It might be that I am not too angry with God so when this card strikes me as a mediator between earth and heaven I am not offended.  I think the most likely answer, though, is that in true Taurean form, I take a page from Robert Downey Jr's book, most days-

Maybe it is my Libra ascendant that makes this so easy for me, but I really just don't care what anyone thinks, and while this should never be mistaken for a lack of compassion, neither should my general good nature be mistaken for door mat-y-ness.  So, I respect traditions.  I even follow some.  But I have always understood that I could discard the ones that don't work for me while embracing the ones that do.  The same with all things concerning the Divine- I am absolutely comfortable with taking all of what works for me from different teachings, while leaving what just doesn't.

This requires a measure of integrity, to be sure I am not just leaving behind something because I just don't feel like it.  For example, I really believe that stealing shows a lack of trust in the Universe to provide, and a lack of faith in self to get what is needed and wanted, but it would be very easy to pretend that "Thou shalt not steal" didn't resonate with me.  Of course, I am pretty sure the authorities do not give a flying yahoo what resonates as long as we follow the laws.

The Little White Book addresses the issue of integrity when it comes to belief and imparting knowledge like this, "The Hierophant connects to ancient cosmic knowledge and passes it to those who seek his guidance.  The teachings you offer must be imparted with integrity and truth."

Fairy Lights Tarot pairs- Ten of Wands, The Hierophant

This deck has a unique slant, in which each card is part of a larger image which were cut in half and became a card in their own right.  As I examine the pairs, I believe this must have been a great work because the artist seems to have given a great deal of thought as to how to incorporate each card in both its' own meaning and in its' paired meaning.

In this case, the Ten of Wands and The Hierophant make up two halves of the whole.  The passage from the Ten of Wands is poignant- "Your essence has been scattered through too much outward activity.  Find a place of sanctuary where you can gather yourself together again."  When we want to approach the Divine, whether we feel strong, or we feel scattered and thin, we hope to meet kindness, integrity and truth.  I would put forth that whenever we don't find those things, we have to examine whether it is a false idol we are bowing to.

So, for this week, I am, as usual, going to listen, smile, agree, and then, well you know.  Anyone who treats me like a jackass is probably doing a little too much projection for us to be comfortable together, and likewise, when it is my turn to teach, I will remember to do so with integrity and kindness, just as I wish to receive.

I will strive to remember to run, not walk, to my sacred spaces when I feel heavy and world worn, because those healing waters never dry up.


These cards are from Fairy Lights Tarot by Lucia Mattioloi, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Journey, Stillness, Joy

The Major Arcana I have pulled to show me the most prevalent energy for my week ahead is Trump XIII, Death.

Dream Raven Tarot- Death

My eyes are immediately drawn to the gravestones that spell out the sometimes ominous RIP, Rest In Peace.  However, the stylized lettering resembles the runic alphabet, and sure enough, when I looked it up in the companion booklet, that was Beth's intention.  Raido, Isa, Wunjo, which like tarot cards have many shades of meaning and nuances for each reading, are here to represent each headstone.  Journey, Stillness, Joy, promising that this moment is but an interlude in a larger story, and while good storytelling dictates the loose ends be tied up, there is still more to come, and it will be pleasing.

The landscape is a barren desert, and even the trees in the distant oasis have given p their foliage for lack of water.  We may die of thirst here, but the eclipsed moon at the crown chakra points the direction to the cool mountains in the distance.  We can't know what is there, but we do know we can't stay here.  We must go on.

It is said in dreams we play each character, each a piece of our personality we may not feel comfortable meeting during our waking hours, and the raven is an aspect of self in this card, today at least.  I want to stay where I am because I am not sure what comes next, but I know that I cannot.  It is time to go forward.

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life." ~Virginia Woolf


This card is from Dream Raven Tarot by Beth Seilonen, published by Schiffer Books.

Our New Home!

When we think about the big things that happen in life, buying a new home is right up there with the biggest.  We did not really intend to move just now, but opportunity has knocked and we have flung the door open.  We are onward to bigger and better, and I am excited, if not a little nervous for the logistics of a move while I am nearly incapacitated.

Like anyone, I am eager to know how we will fare in our new home, and I asked my cards to tell me the deal.  My previous readings when contemplating the move were all in favor, which surprised me as I would have thought they would argue for staying put as I heal, but I saw happiness, financial growth, and an ease of energy I was not expecting.  I do not make my decisions based on the cards alone, but they sure do offer clarity in times of confusion!

Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012- Five of Swords, The Fool, Two of Swords

The Five of Swords is related directly to the Shadow Card, which we will look at shortly, and also my  reading of yesterday, which talked about leaving some things behind, and doing so willingly or not, it is still going to happen.  Here I see a man who has made a stand.  He has dropped some Swords but is keeping some, and he is no longer running.  He stops here, and he looks boldly at us from his solid position.  That is indicative of my husband and myself.  We have compromised.  We have done what we were "supposed" to do, and here is where we find ourselves.  It doesn't matter, because we are triumphant, and in this card, there are no retreating figures, so there is no worry about being triumphant over a particular person or integrity issues in that triumph.  We just win in the situation, against the odds.  The housing market is in the toilet.  We feared being able to sell our home for what we paid for it, but we have managed not only to do that but even better and to find another home we can afford that will suit us even better than this one has.

In my three card free form Daily Draw readings I am inclined to give the central card the most weight, and The Fool as a Major Arcana would be the most important card in this reading by its' nature of being a Major Arcana.  A new home is a new journey!  The Sun in the upper right hand corner and the Moon just below show our optimism and our emotions are riding high right now and of course our pets, like the Fool's dog, will be going along with us.  This rendition of the Fool shows him crossing a bridge that I see as made of a Wand, symbolizing spirit and passion, to another cliff.  He is not simply walking off, and neither are we.  It would be nerve wracking to cross a chasm on a small log, but if you are confident and careful it is easily done.  It is nervous right now as we prepare for this move but it is good too.  We have a plan and as long as we stick to it we are gonna be just fine.  The owl at his head equals wisdom to me, so despite the name, he is not foolish, and neither are we.  It is exciting, and we are jovial, but our eyes our wide open as we make this move.

The Two of Swords specifically indicates me to me, and that has to do with the placement of the Moon symbolism, which I see as femininity and emotions, right there at the root chakra, having to do with sex, money, and power.  When I see the strong symbols for emotions in the Moon and the water in the background, this card really does hold it all, and the woman is bursting through into that.  I see this as my home to own, to shine in, to build upon, and I see it as a place where all aspects of ourselves are safe to express.  I am blindfolded, which reinforces the energy of The Fool, especially as they look in towards each other, because we can't know everything that will happen, but just have to have faith that we have all the tools to deal spectacularly with whatever may come.

I moved into this house with my husband, but it has never felt exactly like home to me, through no fault of my handsome man.  The new home, though, already feels like just that, home.  I can see that I have a lot of high hopes for this move to push some stuck energy, but I have to be honest with myself that while the move will help, it is not the solution to all my problems.

Daniloff Tarot- The Emperor

The Shadow Card is The Emperor, and I am so happy to see him appear.  Home is sacred, home deserves protection, and he shows up here in his commanding glory to remind us to place our boundaries strong, because good fences do make for good neighbors.  He is strong, and he reminds us to be strong and protective of the things that matter most in life, which for me are my family and their sense of who they are.

He also reminds me to be disciplined, an issue I have in every aspect of my life.  A little organization and thrust will go far towards making this home a great one, and if the chuckleheads need some firm reminders of what home means, I will have to be willing to give them.

So excited!





These cards are from Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012, self published by the artist.

Soul Mates and Twin Flames- The Difference?

Tonight on Unearthly Encounters Live! with +Mackenzie Knight was a fascinating show with Dr. Georgina Cannon, whose website is so interesting, too!

My favorite question of the evening, because I love love, and all interactions between people fascinate me, was to explain the difference between Soul Mates and Twin Flames.  In my tarot practice, I spend a lot of time with my clients explaining how I do not believe there is only one soul mate for everyone, that if the person they think is it is not behaving as if they are, that does not mean they have used up all their chances for love, and so on.  These are important questions, and I do not mind answering them over and over, because people need love and if it is important to my clients it is important to me.

Dr. Cannon explained that in her view, a Soul Mate is any person with whom we have a karmic bond, and whom we learn lessons with.  She was clear that not all Soul Mate relationships feel good and not all interactions between soul mates are positive ones.

A Twin Flame, on the other hand, is a Soul that has been split into two and inhabits two bodies.  They are drawn to each other.

Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery- Justice

I am fascinated by this concept, and I want to know what my cards have to say on the matter.  So I asked, because what else would I do?

What is the essence of a Soul Mate relationship?  Justice...  Oh you funny, ironic, cards.  Justice is inextricably bound with karma, reaping what we have sown, an equal and opposite reaction to our actions.  This certainly backs up Dr. Cannon's words, that Soul Mates are here for reapings, lessons, and to play out on a karmic stage.

The creator describes this card as "VIII.  Justice- the Cardinal Virtue- balances the Soul of Reason.  She is impartial, uses her scales to find truth, and is obligated to put truth into action.  She hands her sword to her champion, the knight, who is sworn by the code of chivalry to serve Lady Justice, defend virtue, and the honor of women.  She teaches that might does not make right but that might must serve truth and virtue."

These are qualities that can be found in romantic relationships, but they are not the primary ones most of us are seeking from our partners, on a conscious level at least, so I think the cards are supporting Dr. Cannon's theories.

Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery- Strength

What is the essence of a Twin Flames relationship?  Strength... Again, you funny, ironic cards- Robert M. Place has decided to use European numbering for his Trumps, where Justice occupies Trump VIII and Strength Trump XI.  In most decks we use in America, besides the Thoth based ones, Justice is found at Trump XI and Strength at Trump VIII.  The cards are playing with us a bit here, demonstrating that Justice and Strength are so similar, with similar virtues, and the concepts of Soul Mates and Twin Flames share that similarity.  They seem interchangeable to us at times, and sometimes the distinction is not important.

"XI.  Strength- the Cardinal Virtue- balances the Soul of Will.  She represents discipline and power.  The lion has muscular strength, yet Lady Strength guides him with the touch of her finger, as she guides the other domesticated animals.  Her power comes from self-control, love, and the lemniscate that is beyond time.  She guides the Lion because the Lion loves her.  She is the virtue of the heart."

Now, for a card we are expecting to describe romantic love, we might be looking for the Lovers, the Two of Cups, the Ace of the same suit, and Strength might seem out of place, except for that one symbol, the lemniscate, the symbol for eternity, never ending cycle, over the Lady's head.  This card demonstrates a love that is untouched by time or distance, one that is a mutually compassionate relationship, that each partner grows in and needs to be whole.  Because of the nature of the Strength card, there is no co-dependency here, no needy clingy, just pure, unadulterated love.  And the dogs.  IS there any purer love than a dog for its' master?

Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery- Temperance

What is the difference between Soul Mates and Twin Flames?  Temperance- I am not sure this card is so much explaining the difference, because really, I may have asked a dumb question, so I am getting a dumb answer, which is my fault, but explaining that we need both to function, to thrive, to grow, to become who we are truly meant to be.  Passions and emotions, love, loathing, light, dark- all of it is part of a giant cocktail and all of our lives are made up of each component.  No choices about what exactly we get, but infinite choices about how we mix those core ingredients around.

Because this reading is all Major Arcana, I believe I am working with archetypal energies, things that are certain and true about the Universe, that I may not be able to really change (not that I want to).  I think it is fully possible that Dr. Cannon's words are fresh in my head so I helped draw the cards that would support her theories, but I also think there is strong evidence that the cards are agreeing with her.  I do not know Dr. Cannon's work well, but I do know my cards, and I trust them, which is really trusting the benevolent, loving Source that powers their placement and answers, and I trust my intuition, which is really just trusting my highest self.





These cards are from The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, self published by Robert M. Place, available here.

Monday Luna's Day

Mondays are Moon days for me, as you probably know if you have read for long at all.  I draw The Moon every Monday, and I almost think it is a cosmic joke, or something I am unconsciously doing because I just expect to now.  There are worse things that can happen, so for now I just take it that the Moon has some powerful messages for me that I am sifting through, and that is just all right with me.

Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery- Luna (The Moon)

This is a Moon card that gives me something to hold onto, unlike most Moon cards which are all silvery light, slinking shadows, and ethereal hopes that can be glimpsed, but never really held.

I want to share creator Robert M. Place's thoughts on this card because he is such a good writer, why should I try to explain it better?  "Luna- the Moon- attempts to connect the depths of the sea with the sky.  The sea is the unconscious mind, and the sky is the superconscious mind.  Luna is a mermaid, a figure at home in both water and air.  She is Venus, Diana, and the Soul of Reason.  The lower souls have become her merhounds and she brings them with her.  This card represents the night, rest, retreat, preparation, and dreams."

I think it is staggeringly important to realize that the Soul of Reason, the connection between conscious and unconscious, has brought the lower souls of Appetite and Will with her.  She has not drowned them.  She has taught them to exist in her element, under her rule.  In my mind, this is such an important idea because I believe so strongly that those shadow parts of ourselves, what we want to pretend isn't there, what we are not proud of, are things that need to be loved, integrated, skeletons in the closet that should be taught to dance.

In this rendition, she is both Water and Air, deep emotions and deep clarity about those emotions.  So many times we want to put ourselves into a box- "I'm a thinker" "I'm a feeler" when really we are everything at every moment and our job is to ride the waves wherever they take us and let our expressions flow freely.





This card is from The Tarot of The Sevenfold Mystery self published by Robert M. Place and available here.

Tarot Foundations by Brigit Esselmont- Day 28

Keep your eyes on this space for an exciting giveaway courtesy of Brigit Esselmont, author of two great tarot eBooks The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings and her newest- Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence, and the brilliant creator of the Biddy Tarot website.  Click here to visit Biddy Tarot.

I have been working with Tarot Foundations and have found each Lesson and Activity to be useful, easy, and illuminating.  You can catch up on all the happenings with the book here, including a special guest post from my husband, a tarot newbie.  This will be my last example of how to use the book, and next week we will have the ultimate review as well as that giveaway I mentioned.

Today I am using the methods Brigit outlined to tackle one of the most difficult questions any reader will ever be faced with, whether for themselves or others- When?

Day 28: Discover Timing Through the Tarot

In this section of the book, Brigit shares several different methods to use to divine timing through the cards.  The reader is not bound to any method she considers "right" but is encouraged to try them all out and decide for themselves what works and what doesn't work.  Some of the methods explored are using the divinatory meanings, the suits and elements, astrology, and of course, the context of the cards in the reading.

I love to do readings that glimpse possible futures for people, but even more I enjoy using tarot to delve deep into the psyche and see how the cards suggest living the best, most authentic life.  To that end, I intend to use the spread Brigit included in this section, which answers many important questions and should help me make decisions with confidence.

Activity 28.1 Conduct a Timing Tarot Card Reading

The spread is as follows:

The desired event will happen when...

• Card 1 You realise...
• Card 2 You accept...
• Card 3 You acknowledge...
• Card 4 You do...

For my timing question, I would like to know when I can expect peace in my home.  When I say peace, I mean people outside our home no longer influence it, when kids and pets and schedules and the careful balance between love and money are all in harmony.  That is a tall order, but not impossible, and I expect some great advice from the cards!

For my answers I have this reading-

Card 1: Six of Pentacles- I will have peace in my home when I realize that every thing I am doing is keeping me from doing something else.  There needs to be a balance because when I am spending time doing the dishes I am not creating.  When I am driving kids around I am not with my husband.  When I am zoning out in front of the tv I am not engaged with the kids.  When I am playing games with the kidtauplets I am not doing laundry.  Taking one client means that time is not available to another.  For this reason it is unbelievably important that every way I spend my time is either getting me closer to my goals, enhancing my family, or taking care of myself or others that depend on me.

The imagery of the card with the scales in perfect balance, the figures in different positions, is striking to me. Sometimes I am doling out my resources, and sometimes I am asking for help.  I am not comfortable with asking, and I need to realize that for balance there has to be both giving and taking.

Card 2: Queen of Pentacles- I will have peace in my home when I accept that I just need to be me.  I often see myself as the Queen of Pentacles, so I see this card encouraging me not to try to change my own nature but rather allow myself to grow the way I am so inclined and stop judging it.

On a practical note, because the Queen of Pentacles is ever practical, I will have peace in my home when I accept that I am ultimately responsible for creating that peace, through both attitude and action.  I need to think peacefully, act peacefully, and I need to get my home better organized.  With five kids, everything needs a place and needs to be in its' place.  I also need to organize my time better, and come at every issue with a plan so that I am prepared.

Card 3: The Sun- I will have peace in my home when I acknowledge how precious this time is, and how blessed our lives are.  The imagery of the baby on a horse makes me nostalgic for when I had toddlers instead of teenagers, and it does not seem like all that long ago!  They really do grow fast, and Gretchen Rubin notes in The Happiness Project the days sometimes drag but the years fly by.

Because of the positive connotations The Sun always brings, I feel I am being encouraged to express gratitude because we really have so much, each other being the biggest of those treasures.  I will have peace in my home when I acknowledge that being a positive mother, wife, pet caregiver, and person in general truly has the power to bring peace and joy.  However, I look back to the Queen of Pentacles, and I know that while I need to let myself be light I also have to stay grounded and keep it real, or I will feel inauthentic and despise myself.  This returns to the first card about balance, give and take.

Card 4: Eight of Pentacles- I will have peace in my home when I do the work.  This card has me chuckling, because it so often comes up for me when I should be working, either at my craft, business, or home, and what I am actually doing is procrastinating by watching whatever Bravo! tells me to.  I can meditate, pray, journey through tarot cards, beg, plead, imagine, envision all day long, but I have to back that up with actually doing things that will improve the situation.  As someone who works at home I often have issues with distinguishing between At Work and At Home.  Returning to the first card, I know that I have to strike a balance, and actually do the work for both things but at different times.  I am easily distracted by dishes in the sink, and when I get up to do them I usually have a brilliant (I think anyway) idea that needs to be jotted don right away.  I need time for work, time for home, time for me, time for my family, time for my husband, and I need to distinguish between those times and fully dedicate myself to whichever task is at hand instead of being distracted.

The Shadow Card of this reading is the Two of Pentacles, which is not surprising at all to me.  The Shadow Card, at the bottom of the deck when I lay out a reading, gives me some insight, usually something I am placing as far away from myself as possible.  I struggle with balancing all of life's details, like many people, and I often feel overwhelmed yet terrified of dropping any of the balls I have in the air.

So many Pentacles tell me that this truly is a valid reading about my home, and give practical advice to reach my goal.

I chose to do a spread basically says when I do x, y will happen.  I like the kinds of spreads and questions that put the power in my hands, and I am truthfully not very good at nailing down timing in reading the cards anyway, so I played to my strengths.  However, there are techniques included for divining if not exact, pretty close timing, so you can explore and experiment with those, too.  One of the greatest lessons I ever learned about reading tarot is that each reader should take what works for them and discard the rest.

If you are intrigued by Brigit Esselmont's quick and simple way to learn tarot, I encourage you to Click here to visit Biddy Tarot.







These cards are from Radiant Rider Waite Tarot published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.  The original art was done by Pamela Colman Smith, and mine have been lovingly released from their white borders.