Daily Draw- King of Swords, The Fool, The World

I had a jumper today.  A jumper is a card that falls out while you are shuffling, and while sometimes it is just clumsy handling of the cards.  This one was pretty insistent, though, so I am adding it!

It's late in the day or me, and I am probably in for the day, although The Man and I are blessed with another night all to ourselves.  We may go out later.  Or we may stay in and go to sleep early.  We have been so busy that we have deeply enjoyed these couple relaxing days.  These cards probably talk about what has already happened, since all that is on my agenda for the evening is writing a couple reviews and reading City Magick by Christopher Penczak in preparation for Tuesday evening's Unearthly Encounters show.  I might make some lotion.  Exciting times.

Tarot of the Tattoo Age- King of Swords, The Fool, The World

While my handsome husband tends to show up as the King of Pentacles in my readings I think in this deck he is the King of Swords, at least while he is standing by, stoic but amused, not saying a word but just observing what goes on.  We went to the Denver Tarot Meetup Saturday Social Today, which is usually full of gentlemen as well as women, but today my man was the only man.  He is also happy to indulge me in my card fancies, but really at these things he is just keeping me company.  What a sweetie!  We met at DB Beanery in Castle Rock, which I was happily surprised to see is owned and run by a former coworker of mine.  I was delighted to see how well she is doing, and I hope she was delighted to see how I have progressed since I left Castle Rock.  That is both The Fool, and The World.  I walked away from that city a sad, broken hearted mess.  I went back today a strong, accomplished woman.

Tarot of the Tattoo Age- Wheel of Fortune

We had a small financial windfall today, always good news, and The Wheel of Fortune kept jumping out today to remind me that the Wheel goes up, but it goes down, too, and doesn't always buy you a drink before giving it to you, either.  I am always happy to see The Wheel of Fortune, as it is a beneficent card, but I am always happy to save a little money, too.  Circumstances beyond our control are keeping us from using that windfall, for the moment, and that is also all of these cards.  In this case, I am the cool King of Swords, pragmatic, and The Man is The Fool.  I am a Taurus, and he is a Sagittarius.  I want to save, he wants to spend.  We see money in totally different ways, and these are big cards for a Daily Draw.  I think that pulling them signifies that we will eventually be glad we (forcibly) saved the money, and they are such big cards I believe that it may make the difference between getting what we really need and want and not.  They are that intense.

Tarot of the Tattoo Age Queen of Swords

The Shadow Card of the reading is The Queen of Swords, which is me being kinda bitchy and raining on my husband's parade, although this one is rather immature looking, because believe me, there are tarot decks and Christmas gifts I really want to buy, some wrongs I want to right, and I am easily swayed by him, so I could have easily backed down from my position.  She is not the strongest Queen of Swords I have ever seen, and neither would I have been today, if The World had not conspired against, or as I rather think we shall see for, us to keep the money safe but untouchable for now.  I don't want to save the money more than I want to see him happy, and honestly, as solicitous as he is to me, he is still going to do what he wants to anyway, and he should.  He is a grown man and I am his wife, not his keeper.  Her appearance, though, shows that the King of Swords cool, thoughtful attitude was the right one to embrace, she being as close as possible to the already being used King to convey that message.

The King of Swords is by artist Tia Janitch.

The Fool is by artist Tim Lehi.

The World is by artist Mike Dorsey.

The Wheel of Fortune is by artist Brian Bruno.
The Queen of Swords is by artist William Thidemann.

These cards are from Tarot of the Tattoo Age, a collaborative project self published by Flaco Productions, LLC.

Daily Draw- The Wheel of Fortune, Queen of Cups, Strength

Right now, at this moment in my life, my days look much the same.  I sleep, on good days I shower, I try (but not too hard) not to take pain meds, I am reading The Diviners by Libba Bray, I shuffle, I shuffle.  That's okay.  Two good solid weeks of not doing much is what the doctor ordered, and the fear that I caused the re-herniation of my own disk certainly keeps me listening to those orders.

Silver Era Tarot- Wheel of Fortune, Queen of Cups, Strength

Inspirations for Survivors

I see myself, riding the Wheel as it goes up and down, as the Queen of Cups.  I am never without a book and even less so now that it is my only escape into the world.  I like the Strength card, with one of the four cats joining me in bed.  It's a treat for me to have a furry love to pet, but they expect it as part of their divine catness.  There is just not a lot to talk about right now.

Silver Era Tarot- Five of Swords

We had the boys for Halloween, which in her typical fashion, their mother waited until the very last moment to make arrangements for, which she thinks bothers us.  We can see this in the Shadow Card, the Five of Swords, like she is getting something over on my husband.  The only people she hurts with this behavior is her kids, because we make sure to not make plans around her whims.  We are delighted when the boys can join us; we love them and our family is not complete without them, but we don't let the other kids be hurt or affected by their mothers' flightiness.  We work hard to make sure no one is hurt by her, but it's hard to watch the other two go through this.

That is where the Inspirations for Survivors Card comes in, "In the darkness there is always hope."  It won't always be this way.

These cards are from Silver Era Tarot and Inspirations for Survivors by Aunia Kahn and Russell J. Moon, published by Schiffer Books.

Making Luck

Tarot of the Mystic Spiral- Wheel of Fortune, Seven of Swords

Luck is not always going to be a lady now is she, and even when she is, she is fickle at best.  That is when we have to put on our game face and make our luck, right?  I think this is beautifully portrayed in this card combo, with the particulars of this depiction of the Seven of Swords.

 The Wheel of Fortune is ruled by Jupiter, a planet that is so expansive and so beneficent that wherever he may end up he brings good fortune.  For this reason, unless the card is particularly badly aspected I almost always read it as extremely positive.  In this card combination, the Seven of Swords is an Air card, combined with the Fire of the Wheel, and since Fire needs Air to burn and continue, I read these cards as strengthening each other significantly.
The Seven of Swords is an oft-maligned card that many people see as sneaking, thievery, dishonesty, and generally a poor character quality, but like all cards it has a range of meaning, and the way an artist chooses to portray that can greatly impact the possibilities in its' reading.  I often see the Seven of Swords as thinking outside the box, finding a way when the first one is barred, and using ones' wiles to emerge victorious.  I have considered the Seven of Swords two different times this week, and have found myself sympathetic to two of three characters at different times.  Given enough opportunities, I could probably relate to each one in turn.  In this portrayal, Theseus, assisted by Ariadne, has made his way deep into the labyrinth, and is in the process of slaying the monster within.  Left to own devices, his chances at success for his mission were slim.  However, with the help of Ariadne, another fickle lady, he was able to find his way both in and out, defeat the monster, and save the Athenians.  By enlisting the help of the weaver, he was able to make his own luck, and save the Athenians as well as himself.  This is a great example of luck coming to those who are willing to be responsible for making their own, and as Kenny Loggins reminds us, "Heaven helps the man who fights his fear."





These cards are from Tarot of the Mystic Spiral by Giovanni Pelosini and Giuseppe Palumbo, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Daily Draw - Wheel of Fortune, Four of Pentacles, World

Crystal Visions Tarot- Wheel of Fortune, Four of Pentacles, World

This set of cards today speak to me about changing fortunes, and a good way to cope with those changes.

The Wheel goes up, the Wheel comes down, and that is just a part of life.  I waited tables for years, and a trick I had to learn to keep myself together was that of saving when times were good.  Some shifts brought in a couple hundred dollars; some I would have made more if I worked at McDonald's.  It's good to remember to save when we have money, and to spend judiciously at all times.  This isn't always easy for me, I know it's not easy for most people.  We have a few dollars in our pockets and after all, we deserve it, right?  Commercials tell us we're worth it and we want to believe it.

The World urges that we garner our worth from inner contentment.  The Wheel and the World are similar images, the spheres resting upon the lotus leaf.  There is nothing wrong with wanting abundance and prosperity, and even when we do not covet material things we all have to eat.  The bloom in the Wheel looks a bit trodden upon, though, while the World's sparkles.  I am reminded that even when I decide that groceries are a better use of my money than new boots, I am a very rich woman- children I adore, a man who is better than my wildest fantasies, a home to care for, talents to nurture, friends and family, and the beautiful blend when the two become one.

The combination of the two Majors bookcasing the Four of Pentacles also brings to mind the thought of hoarding time, which is the most precious resource we all have.  More money is findable, things can be replaced, but time is gone forever once its been squandered, and squandering time is one of my worst habits.  I lose it everywhere!  I have so many interests, and so many people pulling at me, but seeing the central figure demonstrates to me how important it is that I put the brakes on and make priorities, and then stick to them.  My family is first and foremost, then my art and business, and everything else has to fall in behind those things.

Crystal Visions Tarot- Three of Swords

 

 

The shadow card today is the Three of Swords, a tangible reminder to look at things as they really are, and not as I might wish they were.  This card shows me when I need to grieve, but remind me not to get stuck in grief.  I have made mistakes, with time, with money, with my business, with my relationships, but they are not the sum total of who I am and what I have to offer.  They a just one piece, and making mistakes paves the way for success as we learn what doesn't work.




These cards are from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Daily Draw - High Priestess, The Devil , Wheel of Fortune

This is what I started to write when I drew these cards this morning-  What these cards make me think about is the private face we all keep hidden, the ways we can't expose ourselves, but what would like to, and the public face we show to the world.  The Devil card looks to me like the metamorphosis of the High Priestess, who has donned her armor.  That was about as far as I got.

The way these cards played out in my day today was thus- Instead of speaking my truth, I tried to make nice, and I was miserable, which made my honey miserable, and we were all miserable.  I did not want to lay myself bare, and it was not simple protection, more like wanting to come across like better than I am.  The Wheel goes round and round, but sometimes we do get to decide where we are on it.  Today I learned that speaking truth will always put me on the right turn of the Wheel, but denying it is the biggest dice roll of all, and the odds are on the house.

These cards are from the Victorian Romantic Tarot by Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov at Baba Studio.

Daily Draw - Six of Swords, Wheel of Fortune, Ace of Swords

My cards for today are the Six of Swords, Wheel of Fortune, and the Ace of Swords.  Check this out, the Six of Swords sails blithely towards the Wheel of Fortune, with the Ace of Swords leaning into it.  Some cuts are beneficial.

They combine in a way that lets me know that the way things are unfolding is part of a plan.

The Six of Swords is a journey, whether of the mind or in actuality.  The kidlettes and I have just physically moved house.  The Six of Swords is moving to a safe place from a tumultuous one.  In my case, often I don't want to move.  I would often rather being comfortably miserable than make necessary change, which is probably a large part of why I seem to have so many Tower moments.  I am making an effort to make choices before they are made for me, though, and this move was one of them.  This is where we are supposed to be.

Heeding the call that has brought us here is freeing.  That Ace of Swords is poised, ready to slice away at old thought patterns, relationships, habits we no longer need.

So, we have moved here, because we were supposed to, and now something new is about to begin for us.


 


These cards are from the Transparent Tarot by Emily Carding for Schiifer Books.

Is It Just Me? (Adult Content)

Is it just me or do these cards seem to be advising a hot hook up?  By which I mean, casual, random sex.  Or maybe it is just my hormones talking?  This has never been my habit, but that was the first thing I thought of when I saw these cards.

The Wheel - changing fortunes, getting lucky, randomness

The Devil - lust, baser instincts, bondage  ( I have had the Devil come up in a positive way for people as advice to cut loose a little, to go ahead and be a little selfish.)

Ace of Wands - raw, fiery energy, burning passion.  I think the imagery speaks for itself as to why I thought it might allude to sex, and if you don't see it, maybe I am not the one who needs to get a little.  *grin*

Maybe the Politically Incorrect Tarot Readings are seeping a little too far into my psyche, or maybe I am comfortable with my cards and they can tell me these kinds of things.  Or maybe this was just funny.

Oh, the question was, what can I best do to distract myself from my heartache?  And was asked last week.

I hope you all laughed as much as I did.

PS - I didn't do it!





These images are from the Illuminated Tarot.  This one is the medium, with glitter, beautifully produced by Carol Herzer.

Daily Draw - The Hanged Man (Again)

Nope, nothing to see here, just your blogger still learning this lesson, apparently.





These cards that want to be sure their point is made are from the Hezicos Tarot by Mary Griffin.

Daily Draw - The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man.  This is another card that to me signifies waiting around, and not necessarily enjoying the wait.  Lots of deck creators and tarot authors try to put a more positive spin on this card, calling it a divine sacrifice, or making the choice to retreat into oneself for quiet contemplation.  That does not entirely jive with me, because while that might all be true, I would still never willingly put myself into this position.

Of course, that may be why I seem to have so many Tower moments.

So, the Hanged Man is here today to tell me that I have to "hang out" a little longer, take things as they are in this moment, and know that it's not forever.  I am a Taurus, but I have a fire grand trine, and patience is NOT my strong suit.

This message is reinforced by the Wheel of Fortune showing up as the Lesson card.  Things never stay the same, and just because I am here now, kinda stuck in an uncomfortable position at best, painful even at times, does not mean I am going to stay there.

These cards are in juxtaposition, the Hanged Man lacking in color and any element at all, simply being the person in stasis.  The Wheel is colorful, and bright, and all the elements are represented, showing definite movement and probably for them better.







These  cards are from the Hezicos Tarot by Mary Griffin.

Daily Draw - Wheel of Fortune

Usually, when I draw this card in the morning, it is an indication of a good, prosperous day at work. I'll take it!

The sentiment expressed in the snippet of poetry is a powerful one - become your own fortune.

The larger context of the poem is thus:

When, O spiritual one, you have become your own fortune, then being yourself your fortune you will never lose it. How, O fortunate one, can you ever lose yourself when your real self is your treasure and your kingdom?

Value of self is a difficult concept for me, but I am not doing myself any favors by not taking care of myself.

Update- It was a great night at work, indeed quite profitable and I was pleased!

This card is from the Rumi tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - King of Pentacles & The Wheel of Fortune

I think it is going to be a good day at work, where I will feel comfortable and in my element, in control, and good money to be made as I head out to my required one Sunday a month shift! I am lucky because it is a Sunday when I don't have kidkins to cope with.

As usual with my court cards, I had to pull a clarifier. Stinky courts *grin*

Update: It was exactly that kind of day, which surprised me for Sunday! So thankful!

These cards are from the Anna K tarot.