tarot of the week--eight of cups

“Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds' wings.” ― Rumi

This week's Tarot card of the week comes from the suit of Cups. Cups hold the water element, which governs feelings and emotions, love or the lack thereof. The heavy emotions of the Cups bleed into many realms, and it is quite simplistic to just say emotions. Cups govern intuition, artistic pursuits (music, painting, poetry, sculpture), psychic abilities, spiritual pursuits, cycles, ebbs and flows (think the tides). The heart rules over the head with Cups, and thus its issues govern this eternal grappling between logic and emotion.

The Eight of Cups has much going on in its symbolism. We see a man crossing water away from eight cups balanced upon each other. He holds a staff and wears red. He travels toward mountains. In the night sky, a full moon and the waning moon watches him leave. He does not look back or show emotion in the slightest, or if he doesn, we cannot see. He travels onward. 

Eights reign the balance, success and power realms of the Tarot. In the Major Arcana, Strength appears as the Eight Card, showing a woman of infinite wisdom petting a lion, or rather the balance between her emotions and intellect. We see a different kind of balance here, but the same tug of war between what we have and what we desire. Our first indication that balance is out of whack is the placement of the cups in the foreground. We have eight, a balanced, even number, but divided five and three, showing a lack of balance. We need some rearranging for symmetry. Other Tarot writers see this as a missing cup; however you see it, it is about not being balanced, not having all you need for fulfillment. It is no mistake that Pamela Colman Smith chose to present the cups with this imbalance. This is precisely what the man is walking away from. His attempt at balance have failed. He has rearranged the Cups, and cannot find what is missing, or how to balance them. It is the best he can do. Red, symbolizing the material, has not been enough to fulfill him. He wants more. Often this more is emotional, creative, and spiritual. The Cups urge us to that place. So, this man might be leaving his family, or his job, but he is opting for more, and more than likely, it is his soul path. He may have been working a 9a-5p desk job, but he can no longer ignore the fact that he was born to be an artist, or musician. Or his wife and he might have a perfectly civilized relationship, but there has never been a spark of love and intimacy. 

The moon cycles tell us something about his life as well. His life was once full, as the moon was once full, but it is not waning, or decreasing. His material life is not fulfilling him any longer. He is ready for find new purpose, new significance to his pursuits. One thing we have to remember that he is searching for balance. Money often has these bad connotations in spiritual circles, but money is an exchange of energy. The pursuit of the Eight of Cups is to find a balance in the exchange of energy. What he is giving no longer matches what he is getting whether that is with work or his relationship, or a friendship no longer serving his Highest Good. I'm using the pronoun He here, but of course, this is a unisex card. It deals with anyone not fulfilled in some way. 

The Eight of Cups is also a moving card, one of two, that can be pulled to indicate the Seeker might be moving house. (The Six of Wands is the other moving card.) We often say, for both those cards, it is the Moving Card or the Moving On Card. This card often comes after a long grappling on whether this move is right and correct for the Seeker, it is not an insistent or impulsive card. it often comes after much soul searching, it is why the man on the card doesn't have to turn around. He knows exactly what he is leaving and why. When one is ready to move on, this card appears. When this card comes for someone in the Seeker's life, it is important to emphasize that this is not about them, but about the soul searching of the other person. This is a card not to take personally. It is about the individual, not what they are leaving, but what they are walking toward. Mountains always suggest stability--both the situational stability and the stability of the Seeker.

When you pull this card in a romantic question, you can probe deeper. Is the Seeker in a rut? Fulfilled? Thinking about leaving? Is the creative energy stifled? Of course in work situations, the same applies. There is promise here of better horizons if one moves on, so if the Seeker is asking the question if this is the time to move on, then the answer is yes. In the Reversed position, this card indicates enjoying family, friends, parties. it can indicate a new relationship after leaving an emotionally unfulfilling one. It tends to be an extroverted type of card in the Reversed (whereas the upright position suggests solitude for self-contemplation and soul-searching.). There is flirting, fun, dating, new loves and lots of social gatherings. It is the period after moving to moving on and enjoying life again.

Hope you enjoyed this interpretation of the Eight of Cups. Please put any questions in the comment section, or any comments about your interpretation of the Eight of Cups. 

tarot of the week--nine of pentacles

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. ― Theodore Roosevelt

Elegance. Refinement. Restraint. All these qualities appear this week in the Lady of the Nine of Pentacles. But she is far more than her fancy gardens, her estate, and her golden attire. She attained her wealth and good standing.

Let's begin with some of the clues to what is going on in the Nine of Pentacles. Firstly, we know Pentacles rule the roost, so to speak. Pentacles govern career, work, the estate, home and matters of the family. The Nines are cards of completion. We often think of Ten as the end of the Minor Arcana road, but Nines are actually the number of completion (Tens are the number of new beginning after that cycle completion.) So, the Nine is about completion of some kind. We see this in all the Nines, and some Nines are dark, while others are wonderful. The Pentacles and Cups have very abundant completions; whereas the Wands and Swords are about reaching completion because someone is defeated (or in a war of some kind.) This Nine marks abundant attainment. We can see this in the garden m'lady stands in so gracefully. The grapes hang heavy with fruit, but not sloppily. Their cultivation shows much care and hard work. She has trained them on a trellis through thoughtful gardening. The trees stand in the back, also pruned, but stable and steady and mark a symbolic double tower, like the Moon, where she prepares to walk into her next journey. This fertility represents manifestation of her dreams. She has completed a cycle and reaped the fruits of her hard work. 

She stands absolutely gorgeously with a hooded falcon on her arm. It may seem strange that this woman of grace and dignity stands with a predator, trained to hunt and kill, but that is precisely what you are supposed to know about her. She is disciplined and controlled. She has trained her bird and her self in the art of restraint and passion. The Falcon, like other predators featured in the symbolism of the Tarot, shows her Shadow self quite clearly. She works hard, she hunts what she wants. But she doesn't wantonly use this part of her personality. She has trained it, cultivated it much like her grapes. She has earned a fortune and created an estate precisely because she knows when to use her falcon instincts and when to pull back her predatory instincts. Her confidence and self-reliance exudes from every bit of her.

People often remark on her aloneness. This is part of her personality--her independence. This may have defined her attainment, but it does not define her. She is self-reliant, self-assured, and courageous. Others might not see that. Her picture can tell a very different story to an outsider. I've heard many Tarot readers call this woman, a woman of leisure. Or a widow with an inheritance. Or a divorcee with a huge alimony. And perhaps she is now. The Pentacles are below her eyesight now. She doesn't worry about money. She is concerned with the finer things in life now. Concerned, perhaps, isn't the word. Interested is better here. But she is not without money, she has earned this place behind the stone wall. But rest assured, however her money came to her, she worked hard for it.

Birds, particularly this gorgeous one, often represent wisdom, so it would be remiss not to mention her wisdom and self-control again. It makes her intriguing and important. I have seen many interpretations for this card from this card representing stay-at-home mothers or housewives to materialistic, "kept" women to the interpretation I have gave of a self-made woman. I think her abundance, grace and honor keep this card from some of the more insulting or negative interpretations. But she is certainly a woman of fertility and abundance. She wears Gold and Red, both colors of abundance and material wealth.

When I pull this card, I often feel the person is reaping the fruits are their hard work. That hard work cycle is at an end, and they may be entering a new abundant period. Again, this card is just about attainment, achievement and discipline, not necessarily about the next cycle. But it does tell us that these lessons learned in this cycle can be applied to the next cycle easily. I often remind my client to enjoy the fruits are their hard work in some way, and focus on something other than working or money. This is a gift Lady Nine gives us--her hard work affords her this life style. I also think it shows that a new working situation might be upon the person where they are working independently, either as a contractor or business owner. They understand self-sacrifice and are willing to do that for an abundant end. This card is nothing if not a card of measured endeavors. 

Reversed, however, this card is about deprivation, perhaps loss. It can show the opposite of the hardworking, industrial, measured woman, but someone careless with the fertile field they are given to work with. Remember, the field is fertile, but if it is not tended, pruned and worked, it will not produce fruit. This is the message of the reversed Nine of Pentacles. It also shows a lack of wisdom in financial or career moves. A lack of confidence or deferral to someone else might be indicated here. It can also mean that someone's wealth or snobbery is cutting them off from society and the rest of the world. That is the extreme version of that. It can mean that someone is isolating in their home because of fear of their animal or base instincts, or because they feel different than others. This can be indicated for a housewife, or stay-at-home mother who is afraid of her own potential.

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and as always, share your insights with me there too. 

tarot of the week-queen of wands

“You have to be burning with 'an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right.' If you're not passionate enough from the start, you'll never stick it out.” ― Steve Jobs

As we move through humid Summer here in Pennsylvania, it does not surprise me in the least to pull Queen of Wands. She rules the summer heat and the element of Fire. Court cards in Tarot mirror the Court of the playing cards in some ways--as there is a King and Queen, the Knight (or Jack) is the action and power holder for the element, and the Page is the young messenger of the suit, often representing new beginnings, immature energy, or young people, of course. All the Court Cards represent people in the Seeker's life, or some aspect of the Seeker himself. We often find clues of this around the Court Card in a layout. You can read more about Court Cards in this post. Queens hold a special place in the Court--they are the only women in the Court, so they represent women over the age of 18. (Pages represent all young people, regardless of gender.)

Queen of Wands, as I mentioned above, is the ruler of the Element of Fire. She sits on her throne, holding a sunflower and a staff. A black cat sits at her feet, and lions adorn her throne. She wears gold and her throne is orange. Queen of Wands can be a woman of any fire sign--Aries, Leo or Sagittarius, though she does resonate most with Leo. Her lions give her away. But there is more about this Queen that screams LEO! She sits, legs open, facing you. Her strength and confidence oozing through the card. Leos are traditionally strong, inspiring leaders, and this Queen embodies that leadership. Her face is not unkind, though. She is known for her warmth and kindness. And this is why I loved Steve Jobs's quote--Queen of Wands inspires through her passion, creativity, and belief in her cause.

Fire reigns all creative endeavors--art, poetry, writing, sculpture, pottery, music, acting. Fire also rules the creativity needed to navigate a boring job, or a creative approach to a normal problem. Many of my clients don't resonate with this artistic idea of the Wands, because they are not traditional artists, but they do resonate with doing things at work differently, or taking a creative approach to an ordinary problem. Fire inspires and asserts. And this Queen is no different. Her entire approach is dynamic, sexy, ambitious, courageous and independent. These Queens are often performers, or great in front of an audience. They have a certain fiery charisma that draws other to them. I want to say they are extroverted (most of them think they are to an extent), but the black cat at her feet suggests another aspect of her--observant, quiet and private.

Queens of Wands do not wear their heart on their sleeve, even as they are passionate and dynamic. They protect their vulnerability fiercely, yet they are optimistic and positive women on the outside. These Queens can also be quite career-focused. Again, the posture and stance is important here. She takes charge. Her entire demeanor is more like a King than a traditional Queen. This Queen's independence is important to her, and she will ensure that she does not rely on others without a back-up plan. So, if you are in business with a Queen of Wands, create your own back-up plan. They don't often partner up for long. And they don't respect others who are weak or too vulnerable. They expect you to match their own strength.

So, who is the woman you seeing when you pull a Queen of Wands in a layout?

A woman who is warm, spirited, often ambitious and career driven. She is good at convincing others of her plans, and she can be a wonderful politicker or diplomat. In this way, she gets along with all different types of people. She finds people fascinating in a way. People often agree to her way after she convinces them its their way! She has that uncanny knack for reassuring people and having the utmost confidence in herself as a manifestor. She hones her communication skills through private self-expressive avenues like creative journaling, writing, or artistic endeavors. This is highly private part of her--the reflective, spiritual being that ensures her strength through creative outlets. She lets few in, and is quite protective of that inner circle. She will cut you out of it if you show any disloyalty. This private/public aspect of herself makes her very attractive to others, who want to know more, who want into her private club.  She holds a beautiful air of mystery and intrigue. It can even seem like she has a bit of an entourage, but Queens of Wands enjoy networking and bringing people together, so it is not necessarily for show. She just wants everyone who adores her around her! (And who doesn't?)

The Queen of Wands performs beautifully and lights up on stage. She is creative, resourceful and brave with her work. Often people watch her with envy, because her ease in front of others seems magical. The Queen of Wands oozes sex appeal. She is charismatic, sexual, and highly seductive.  She sometimes uses her seductiveness and charisma as a weapon. She likes healthy competition, and it may be one of the things that other women find difficult about her, particularly in regards to her sexuality. Queen of Wands don't see people as couples or units, they see individuals. This is the aspect they most need for themselves and respect in others--independence. So, they don't always see partnerships as their problem, rather it is the partnered person's problem. Queen of Wands will often set a goal and try to achieve it, including the sexual conquest of others. This shows up most prevalently in the reversed aspect of the Queen of Wands, which I will talk more about below. In relationships, Queen of Wands want to be fired up, so they often like to see every day as a choice to be with their partner, husband or wife. They aren't too keen on obligatory relationships. 

The Queen of Wands I have met often get obsessive about their passions, and make others around them interested too. She has an air of authority, whether she is on the PTA or the Senate. Her confidence can be infectious and she is given leadership roles wherever she lands. But her Sunflower holds the power of the Sun, and links her to that optimism and positive outlook. She is happy and sunny, and often doesn't sweat the small stuff. You don't like her? Ah, well, there are three hundred people in her life who do. She doesn't care. That attitude is part of what makes her so damn attractive!

When you pull a Queen of Wands in a reading about yourself, ask where leadership is called for. Where do you need to infuse some creativity and passion? Where can you embody this Queen energy? How can you boost your confidence? I see the Queen of Wand ruling the solar plexus, so if you want to tap into her energy, focus on the Sun aspects of this dynamic Queen. Solar plexus stones that work beautifully in this way are Sunstone, Citrine, Golden Topaz, Golden Apatite, and Pyrite. My friend Kate recently introduced me to Flat Pyrite Suns, which work beautifully on the Solar Plexus. 

When you pull the Queen of Wands reversed, we are looking at some of the darker aspects of these fiery women. You might have someone in your life who is exploiting some of their Queen of Wands aspects. These are seductive people, who turn their sexuality into their greatest weapon. Their goals reign supreme, often before others. She can be ruthless in her competitiveness. Remember when I said, Queen of Wands don't sweat the small stuff? Well, reversed Queen of Wands are all about the small stuff. They are vengeful, arrogant, self-obsessed, and narcissistic. They can be greedy and selfish and wage small wars against people who stand in their way. They cause small character assassinations through their spread of gossip and storytelling. This is the misuse of creative fire and charisma. And with that passionate obsessiveness they get, if they set you in their scope, they will not stop until you are ruined. 

Much more likely is that you will meet a less severe reversed Queen of Wands. She can be forceful to the point of pushy. Egotistical, she can manipulate and become overly domineering. Taking the leadership role without it being given to her. She's the one dominating the conversation, interrupting others, talking of her own accomplishments. She uses her sexuality to her own ends, and often enters a room with a kind of bravado and attention grabbing need. She is good at twisting the truth to craft arguments to her own end. There isn't that happy feeling to her, but rather a more sinister feeling. One that feels like dark magic. 

In general, Queen of Wands are magical people. Dynamic, creative, fiery, and interesting. They are the scholars on the TED talk, and the leaders of the pack. They adorn beautifully and know how to capture your attention. Match their energy, and you dazzle them. Let me know what you think in the comments.

tarot of the week--the tower

“There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.” ― Mary Renault

There aren't many cards that strike fear into the heart of tarot clients as deeply as the Tower. We travel into the Major Arcana to meet this gloomy teacher. Number 16, the Tower follows the Devil in the Fool's Journey. When we begin to "walk" each card as the Fool does, we begin to see the way the cards grow and challenge you. Death, thirteen in the Major Arcana, deals with massive change and transformation. Fourteen, Temperance, balances your talk and your walk, asking you to protect your new transformation with moderation. Attachment marks the Fifteen Devil card. This card lacks balance and autonomy. Powerlessness against one's attachment to another, or addiction, or anything that stands between you and Source. The Tower shows destruction, unexpected challenge, natural disaster, and suffering. Loss of attachment marks the Tower (among other things), but let's start with some background here. 

The Tower's black background informs us immediately that things are rough. Two people fall out of this large tower on a high mountain. Lightning strikes the top of the tower again, as a storm rages around the scene. A crown, or the cornice of the building (at least, that is what I assume that is) falls off the top, exposing the building. Clouds surround the Tower. After 9/11, many people found the Tower to be profounding disturbing and prophetic. I see it as a profound metaphor for our spiritual awakening, but we'll get there.

As I reflect on the entire 78 card Tarot, I cannot recall one other card that functions in the way that the Tower function. It signals an unexpected upset or disaster. The "unexpected" tends to be key here. Many Tarot readers stress that the Tower is not something you can prepare for, which is not quite where I stand on the Tower myself. Interestingly, in Arthur Waite's own Pictorial Key to the Tarot, he tries to dispel this myth. He sees this as not a physical destruction, but a spiritual and emotional one. He says, it is the ""House of the Mind, when evil has prevailed therein." He also used the phrase, the House of Doctrine. He makes it clear (in his usual convoluted language) that these Towers that come down are always the Towers that man himself built, not God. What Arthur Waite intended, and what the modern Tarot reader sees in the Tower are often two different things. But there is much to glean about the card's meaning from Waite's intention.

Most interpretations of this card stick fairly close to the unexpected, or external change coming in the life of the Seeker when the Tower is pulled. It is precisely why the Tower is so feared. We all can handle the changes we control, but what about these unexpected hiccups in life? Or the huge losses we suddenly face. These can be as large as job loss, house fire, or car accident. On the other hand, it can be running into an ex at a restaurant with your best friend. Or suffering a last confrontation with someone who brings down some wall you thought could protect you. This is how I see the Tower--what walls have you built and how will they come down? It is the ultimate wake-up call. Get WITH IT!! Open to your spiritual self. Trust in Great Spirit (or however you conceive of the Source). Know your walls will not protect you from the truth you are locking away. The Tower appears so that you may align spiritually, emotionally, physically (perhaps) and mentally.

We often see that, no? That we become spiritually and emotionally tight. "I'm fine if I just avoid any temptation, human being, or dangerous emotion." As the saying goes, it is easy to be a holy man on top of the mountain. We may only practice daily meditation and prayer, or turn our will over to God when things are rough, but in good times, when we are all locked away in our Tower away from any irritation, emotional pain or upset, we don't plug into the Divine. We play God. We are the almighty self-reliant savior from our own suffering. This is the great lie we tell ourselves--if we just build enough walls, we will be safe from suffering. Further, we can PREVENT suffering. We live in gated communities to protect ourselves from crime. If we just avoid this mean person, that dangerous part of town, or if we stop taking lovers all together, life will be peachy and our heart will never hurt. But this is the great illusion, the mother of untruth. 

All of this is isolation--isolation from other people, from God and most importantly, from our own selves. We are spiritual beings here for a human experience. The human experience includes connection, compassion and suffering. Yes, SUFFERING. It is part of the deal as a human. It is the first noble truth and none of us, not the most prepared, diligent, or type A among us, are immune from suffering. The illusion that goes hand-in-hand with the illusion that we can prevent suffering, if that we ever were in control to begin with. We are powerless against all, even those things we thought we had power over. And so, the quote I chose for the Tower by Mary Renault is, "There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.” Because to me, every day is a day to prepare for an unexpected shock. It is the one thing for which we can prepare--we have no idea what is going to happen. And how do you prepare for the unexpected--prayer, meditation, and being good to all around you, just my humble opinion here.

Marcia Masino says this amazing, beautiful thing about the Tower, "The wake-up call is a blessing bestowed upon the walled up characters in the trump." The Tower? A blessing? She goes on to say, "Spiritual truth directly strikes them, creating a great leveling; they are blasted from their position." She sees the Tower as a dismantling of limiting beliefs.

Remember that this liberation from your self-limiting beliefs often is a painful journey. (Aren't they all?) And the Tower validates that this won't be easy. You don't depict two people falling to their death out of a burning building with no suffering, but it is the catalyst to great emotional and spiritual awakening. The Tarot uses death, not as a punishment or fearful outcome, but as the greatest of awakenings. Death IS enlightenment in the Rider-Waite . The Tower begs you to move into the destruction, rather than away from it. Help the walls come down, rather than build a whole new stronger, more isolating Tower, but rather to look at what illusions you were clinging to, and how you can see the whole truth.

Reversed, the Tower means virtually the same thing, but it is not unexpected. The upset is more gradual, less violent to the soul. And it is usually exactly what the Seeker is thinking when she or he first sees the Tower, tends to be a confrontation with someone, or an already disintegrating relationship. I sometimes talk about using Tarot for energy healing and chakra readings, if you consistently pull the Tower, this is a Root Chakra issue. One that can be beautifully aligned through earthing, grounding, and affirmations about your own safety and security.

This is our practice this week--to embrace our most difficult challenges as our greatest teachers. Our destroyed walls are our spiritual awakenings, and once we throw those bricks to the side, we can be free.

tarot of the week--knight of pentacles

I've discussed court cards a few times on this blog, and Knights in particular. I'll briefly recap, but if you want to read more about Knights, this post might be helpful. If you are interested in just Court Cards, this post might be helpful. 

Knights hold the energy of the suit. They move that energy, the action characters that embody the extremes of the suit's power. Knights in the traditional court give their life for service to their cause, so they believe in their cause. In this case, their cause is their suit. They are the court cards that aren't sitting in wait, or ruling from a throne--they are on the battlefield, protectors, or the messengers of the court. He does the hard work of the suit. And embodies the entire spectrum of the suits attributes from best to middling to worst.

The Knight of Pentacles appears as a man on a Black Steed bearing a pentacle. He is not launching into battle like the Knight of Swords. He comes steadily. Pentacles, for a little refresher, hold the energy of the element of Earth. They are concerned with issues of finances, career, home, money, and marriage. Material things. This Knight embodies the stable, practical, dependable, hardworking aspects of the Pentacles at their best. He achieves goals. Knights tend to be men or women between the ages of 35 and 50, or so. There is no real limit. The idea here is that the Knights are older than Pages and younger than King. The differences between King and Knight energy is the maturity level and energetic level, I think. Knights are about movement, so this person is out there in the world getting shit done. The Kings have gotten their proverbial shit done, and are now reaping the benefits.

I told you that the Knights represent the best and worst of their suit's energy, and reversed would tend to be the worst of the suits attributes. Those tend to be unethical (so think the ends justifies the means, it is something all Earth signs can wrestle with as practical, utilitarian people.) This reversed knight can be scheming, shrewd (in both positive and negative ways), greedy, stingy or miserly. Or he can be horrible with money and irresponsible. But the attribute would be manifest in a way that affects his home/career/family. So this irresponsibility might come out by coming into work late, leaving early, stealing company products, embezzlement, rather than blowing off friends for a drink. Does that make sense?

Knights of Pentacles, as all court cards do, tend to represent people in our lives. They can be validations in a reading about who Spirit means. So Pentacles are earth signs--Taurus, Virgo or Capricorns. They tend to be dark-haired, serious, honest, not overly emotional, but thoughtful and considerate. They tend to have dry senses of humor. They are loyal.

If you have any questions, post it below. 

tarot of the week--seven of pentacles

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” ― Alexander Pope

I'm back from a bit of a hiatus, but I hope you have been keeping up with your Tarot reading and exploring. Today's card of the week takes us right into the daily toil of work. Pentacles, ruling home, career and all concerns earthly, shows up in the Seven. A card by all intents and purpose to be a quite dull and boring card. In fact, the guy on the front embodies that feeling of impatience, boredom, disappointment and defeated attitude.

Let's talk a bit about Sevens as a group. The Sevens have no decisive theme in their imagery, like Aces or Twos. They run the gamut--from the Wands man in defensive posture, the Thief in the Swords, the Indecisive Man in the Cups, and then this hardworking man in the Pentacles. Seven numerologically speaking have some strong attributes associated with it: perfection, imagination, awareness, and understanding. It may be hard to see those attributes in this motley group of cards, but the Tarot pushes us in the Sevens to want more, to be more, to strive for more. Tarot really asks us to reevaluate and reassess our current situation, and helps us open our awareness for our soul's growth.

The Pentacles, dealing specifically about our career and home, deals with our hard work. You can see a man sowing and working in his field. His abundant vines are producing Pentacles, but it isn't enough, or what he expected. Those pentacles are cold hard cash, right?! Then, why oh why the grey sky, and despondent and defeated stance? Something is missing here. His hard work may have yielded something, but it may not be what he thought it would be. Perhaps it isn't yielding enough fast enough. Or perhaps the Seeker's perspective has changed after all the hard work.

When a client pulls this card, I know they have been working hard at their marriage, their career, their college degree, their home or some aspect of their life. Perhaps the person has focused on amassing money, but has allowed the rest of his life to fall apart. Or they may have put years into a project that still is not done. Whatever the situation (sometimes you can get some hints from the cards around the seven), the Seeker is not contented. The hard work is still not done.There is an expectation on the Seeker's behalf that when he achieves this goal, he will be happy. But the Seven acknowledges that the happiness is not here. Not yet. The missing link is the contentment and serenity of the Seeker, which seems intrinsically tied to the hard work. But is it? This is the part of the Seven that challenges the Seeker to go deeper. What makes you happy? What do you want your life to look like? How have you changed from the beginning of your hard work? In what ways have your goals changed? 

When I started this piece, I pulled a quote by Alexander Pope about expectation, "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." This disappointment might be an expectation. As they say, an expectation is a planned resentment, and this card embodies that resentment and disappointment. That isn't to say that the disappointment is always your fault, but rather the disappointment should be an inspiration to change your life, rather than sit in the mire of self-pity. This is the warning with the card--defeat can lead to inaction and defeat, but the Seven urges us forward. Spirit says that if you are not happy with this hard work and your fruits, find the thing that helps you find contentment. Money is not enough. The Pentacles often have a paradoxical relationship with money. On one hand, they govern the materials. On the other, they are constantly urging you to find spiritual riches rather than materials ones. I interpret this card differently for each reading. For some, I urge them to keep toiling, their goal is almost achieved. (And yes, I validate that they might be reevaluating the commitment they have, but that the fruits are almost there.) This is the kind of interpretation I do for someone in the midst of a dissertation. For someone in the midst of a home renovation, I might ask them to reevaluate if they may want to do this work themselves, or hire someone to finish it. Priorities change. So, this card does really tap into that seven energy by asking the Seeker to use that discouragement after such hard work as the impetus to sit and reevaluate what is important, what you really want, and how to achieve it. Pentacles have practical concerns, and we must remember that they also have practical solutions, so I advise my clients to make pro and con lists, to see their decisions on paper, but then to pray and meditate about it.

In health readings, the Seven of Pentacles can be an indication that internal organs or internal systems are affected. The Seeker is usually aware of this, and this is more of a validation for you. Reversed, the feeling of failure is more pronounced. The situation is advised to be left. It can also indicate mortgage or money issues around the home.  

If you have any questions about this card, or any other Tarot card, please put it in the comments. You can always see the past Tarot cards I have covered in the sidebar to the right. I try to list them by card, suit, minor or major arcana, and also by Tarot of the Week.

tarot of the week-death

Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation. ― Alan Cohen

I'm back, loves. And pulled a doozy for this week's Tarot of the Week. When I think of scared and sacred, I envision Death immediately. Ironically, last newsletter (which was a few weeks back now) covered the dark cards of the Tarot. When I say Dark, I mean the ones with the dark backgrounds that inspire fear in the best of us. Death is certainly one of the most iconic images in Tarot. I often have people remark, "I hope I don't get the Death card." And I often retort, "I hope you do!"

Death's symbology fascinates me to no end, so forgive me for going into details. The image of Death personified, or the Grim Reaper, as a skeleton with black robe and scythe has persisted for centuries. Death in the Rider Waite Tarot is a mounted, armored Death carrying a flag rather than a scythe. Death rides through the battlefield carrying his pennan, so to speak, a white Heraldic rose on a black field. I rather think of this as Death's Coat of Arms, so to speak. He is noble, honored, announcing his arrival. I don't know if you know that flags are flown at half-mast to make room for the Flag of Death above it. And perhaps this is the Flag of Death.

The scene is grisly, of course. Death mounted on his steed, while the Hierophant pleads to be spared, but Death spares no man. The Pope and the pauper both die. So we see people of all ages, classes, genders on this card. The Emperor lies dead, his crown off to the side, the Empress on her knees listing to one side, the child between them. There is a flowing river behind them. Life goes on, the boat floating on the surface seems to say. In the background of the XIII Death card, you see the two Towers from the Moon, and the Sun rises between them.

Death in the Rider-Waite imagery is not about physical death. Not usually, though I have pulled it in regards to physical Death when someone is in mourning, or fearing their own mortality. Remember that Tarot readers, like all psychics and intuitives, learn their own unique symbolic language to interpret the cards for their clients. And Death for me is far from physical death.

The key to the Death card is Transformation. We put to death our old ideas, our limiting beliefs, who we thought we once were. We allow relationships to die, or the dreams we once had. The implication with the Death card, like the Tower, is that there is a change that feels like suffering. Divorce, job loss, break-ups, losing one's faith/religion of origin. These are the kinds of crisis of faith that we face around the Death card. And yet, the story does not end at Death. Death is but a beginning in this card.

In the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling writes, "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." This is the energy of the Death card. This card is about rebirth, transformative experiences, liberation.  We often get this after a long period of change and disruption. These changes the Seeker is undergoing are permanent and major. And they are always for the better. Death does not come for someone who is still clinging to old ideas. He comes for those who are ready to abandon all that is not serving the Highest Good. With this card, comes the implicit demand to accept the changes.  Here is the rub in this card--humans often resist change, or find it difficult and suffering. And so we must accept. As they say, accept it now, or accept it later, but with the later, there is a whole lot of suffering in the resistance. As life dismantles, it is important for the Seeker to understand that this is the Highest Good. We adapt, adjust, move on.

Of course, the reversed position of this card is one about resisting change and growth. It is about stagnation and the inability to accept life on life's terms. It is a card of blockage in the Reversed position, and I often think of it as a crown chakra blockage because it is about resisting your soul path.

Let me know what you think of this card and any of the writing on this blog. 

tarot of the week--five of wands

You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star. ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Visiting the first Five of the Minor Arcana on this blog, which again, is so surprising to me. People love to give Fives the stink eye. And perhaps with good reason, these words come to mind with Fives--chaos, upheaval, fear, deceit. The Fives appear quite dramatic in their artwork and symbols. Men fighting, people grieving, battle, and poverty.  Fives of the Major Arcana show the Pope + the Devil. The Fives however reflect one concept-- Change. Change can be terribly upsetting and difficult, and on the other hand, it is the harbinger of grace, enlightenment, wisdom, deepening. The Fives follow the beautiful stability of the Four, so one must think of the Fives as upheaval--overturning the Four stable legs of the balance preceding it. What I always remind my Tarot students is that the Tarot is not punishing, and in my humble opinion, neither is the Divine. It is how we perceive our own attachments that causes our suffering, and nothing reflects that better than Fives.

The only thing that does not change in this world is that things change. Last time I talked about a Five with the Hierophant, I suggested you lay out the five of every suit and the fives of the Major Arcana (Some talk about the XIV as another five, while others include the Devil XV) and place all the five cards in a row. (This is a great exercise when you are learning how to read Tarot.) I also mentioned that one numerology article I read, associates Five with freedom, and the process of how we handle our own freedom. As we move from the Four, a number of stability and balance (the balance of four legs, rather than two), you really begin to understand the Five as the movement from stability to action. Does that make sense? We upset our stability for growth, and in that process, we encounter change, which feels like chaos and upset and upheaval.

So, specifically, let's talk about the Five of Wands. Wands is the suit of Fire, and in this way, the Five of Wands is seen within a creative project, new business, enterprise, romance, or other fiery endeavor. Often, but not always, this can be the creativity it takes to engage with your family of origin--how to creatively tamp the fiery feelings they might inspire in you. The figures on this card are each carrying a huge wand, sparring. Five boys, really. If you look closely, you see the sky is clear and blue, indicating that there is no storm, nothing outside oneself to suggest a force beyond your control. And the boys are dressed as the Fool. By that, I mean, they are not soldiers. They are not warriors. They are not even fighting for a team or an end. Each is trying to win against four. (Our struggle against stability, perhaps.) And so, this Five is sparring, rather than fighting. Play fighting, if you will. One of my Tarot students saw this card and said, "I love this card. It is so high energy and exciting." I loved that comment, because it is true. Blue skies. Sparring. Have you ever sparred? Or play fought? It gets out this aggression without injury. It helps you learn how to defend yourself. It teaches you about moving into a real fight.

The Four of Wands is a card with a graduation or celebration. A rite of passage. A balance of creative energy, ambition, follow-through, and completion. The Five looks like chaos after that stability, but it is actually a form of education too. Breaking out into the adult world of war, practicing with one's weapon and one's independence. Each boy stands with legs wide, balanced. No one is bleeding, or hurt. Yet we have to accept that this is not mock fighting to these boys, or a mere game, they are taking this seriously. Because the suit of Wands is a creative, fiery, passionate suit, you also assume the boys feel this way. They are passionate about winning and gaining advantage. Wands often deal with creative projects, new enterprises, passionate, or romantic conquest.

In a Tarot reading, when the Seeker pulls this card, we are looking at a struggle of some kind. Depending on the cards surrounding this one, it can be an internal struggle, like weighing whether or not to quit your job and start a new business. This kind of mental sparring can be very good for your decision-making. It means you are playing Devil's advocate with yourself and trying to look at all sides of an argument. And yet, it may not feel like a good thing to the Seeker. If the Nine of Swords comes up in the reading, for example, the Seeker may be up all night wrestling with this decision or argument in her head. Other cards that may indicate an internal struggle are the Four of Cups or the Four of Swords (cards with solitary figures).

If this card portends marital struggles, you may see the Two of Cups, the Lovers, or the Five of Pentacles. Or any card with the number Two. Balance between two people expresses itself through the Twos, so think of a one-on-one argument coming up that way. A Court Card might narrow down who that is. We also can see this card when there is family disagreements and struggles. Family of Origin issues often express themselves in the chaos of the Five of Wands. Its symbols lend perfectly to that environment, because our family still loves us, we just spar with them, butt heads, and often practice our independence there first. 

This card often comes when conflict arises at work, or with a project. Maybe you are hitting walls with getting your project funded, or you are having tension and disagreements with your office mates. These kinds of arguments tend to be petty, or more personal in nature, rather than an issue where you are struggling for your job. In-fighting or rather fighting within your own team is a good way to put it. Discord in the ranks, so to speak. You can often get some indication of this through the surrounding cards if they are Pentacles, or Court Cards, when Spirit often tries to point or validate who we are struggling with. Again, Court Cards show us people in our life. And it is not that we don't know who we struggle with, it may just be that Spirit is validating. As always, don't discount the obvious on your cards. I once pulled this for someone in a martial arts competition the following weekend. So if nothing is fitting, ask if the Seeker is a boxer, fighter, martial artist, or practicing a sport where they are sparring. Or any team sport like soccer, football, or hockey.

Reversed this card indicates moving out of this kind of disagreement. Peace after fighting, or arguments, or maybe just the precursor to tell you that this phase of arguing is over. I often see this in marital readings where a couple has stopped bickering over a persistent topic. It can also mean that your Seeker would do well to go out and play some sports with other people, like join a softball league, or play tennis. Spirit takes opportunity to give us all kinds of messages. 

I believe this card, and this is just my interpretation, comes before amazing breakthroughs at work and in your creative projects. It is the struggle of the work, often enough. It is the chaos before, as Nietzsche said,  the artist gives birth to a dancing star. Approach chaos and struggle and fighting differently, more like the passionate fight for truth and beauty to reign, and this card becomes our liberator rather than our oppressor.

tarot of the week--eight of swords

Back into the suit of Swords this week with a doozy, the Eight of Swords imagery often disturbs people new to Tarot. It shows a woman, bound and blindfolded on a jail of Swords. She stands in puddles of water. Behind her is a castle on rocks, rising above the shoreline. What does it all mean?

Let's first talk about the Swords again. The suit of Air, the Swords rule communication, justice and most importantly for this card, Logic, Rationale and PERCEPTION. I boldface and capitalize Perception because the Sword challenge cards deal so often about perception vs. reality. Tarot, so beautifully elegant in its symbology, reminds us that it is often our own perception that is our biggest obstacle. We imprison ourselves, as this card tells us. Often people hear Swords as a suit of Logic, the Mind, Rational Thought, and think that is a victory in and of itself. But the Swords often have this strong meta-text that it is precisely this thing--the Mind--into which we put so much trust and faith that betrays us. Or rather betrays our Highest Good.

This is no more evident than in the Eight. No other people appear on the Eight. There is no prison guard, no torturer. This is us, struggling against our perceptions, struggling against our materialism (by materialism, I mean our attachment to things, ideas, and people rather than our spiritual center.) The latter is symbolized by the red dress, which is often the symbol in Tarot of material gain. 

Now, let's talk of the Eight. Eight, numerologically, is about balance, but a far different balance than others, because this is about the balance of power and success. (I talked some about Eights in this post) This card is about the restriction of power. Obviously you can see she is restricted. But it is far more sinister than that, because we can see the jail in which she is imprisoned is actually a theoretical cell. She could walk out if she would like. Her binds are loosely on her, her blindfold is also loose. She is in this wet muddy sand, a literal quagmire. Her indecision pulls her down, keeps her stuck in this virtual prison. It reminds me of the Matrix. What is the prison? What is real? What we deduce from this imprisoned woman is that this bondage is one of her own making. She has entrapped herself, blinded herself from her own power. This is the KEY to this card. This is a suffering of one's own making, a self-imposed crisis, so to speak.

Further, the Eight of Swords is a card of isolation. This feeling of being trapped and stuck is one that exists in the dark corners of the mind. We are as sick as our secrets, as they say. And this stuck feeling is one that often isn't given a voice. Shame, guilt, and vulnerability often surround the person in this position. They know others think they can escape easily, but they don't see it as simply as all that. (This is often a result of the third eye blockage going on. I talk more about that below.) Sure, it seems obvious they should leave their abusive marriage, but the kids, or the money, or the house, or the partner--no one really understands. The person in this card cuts themselves off from the people around them, because their entrapment is serving a need. I see this card as a card of co-dependency too, as the Devil is a card of addiction, this one is a card of addiction to others. Not to save us, though that is certainly part of the interpretation of this card, as I will talk about later, but the ways in which we need people to remind us that we are not stuck. That we have a choice in our life at every turn. Spirit happily volunteers to do this in Tarot readings, reminding you that this stuckedness is of your own making, even when it seems like it isn't. 

When this card comes, often the Seeker is feeling trapped--in their job, marriage, friendships, home, situation, or caretaking role. Or maybe a combination of those things. And as a reader, it is important not to belittle that entrapment or that feeling of being stuck. It is very real. I often pulled this card for myself when I was caretaking for my father when he lived three hours away. Every weekend, I would drive three hours each way to do his laundry, take him to lunch, pay his bills, then drive three hours back home. Sunday was spent doing my own cleaning, laundry, etc. I was so exhausted. I felt stuck. Unable to break out of this routine. I imposed those rules on myself. What would happen if I did not go? No one else had put this pressure on me, certainly not my father. I was trying to make my father's illness okay by showing up. I felt I was the only one to do all this running and cleaning and caring. My father wanted me happy, and he wanted me to care for myself too. Taking a weekend to breathe and practice self-care was important, but I refused to see it. Rather I talked about how busy and maxed out I was. How hard my life was. How much I needed a break. 

Because this card overexaggerates the power of the individual's restriction of power, this card comes when we are in martyr roles, or in roles where we expect or wait for someone to save us. When it is the latter, you might see some Knight cards in surrounding environment cards, or in obstacle cards, or in the reversed position. Though this card often indicates a perception, Spirit sometimes validates being actually trapped with this card (which makes this slightly awkward for the Reader). Are you actually trapped, or do you have a choice here? Lacking money or job can bring those feelings of being trapped, but changing those situations isn't just about changing one's mind. In those cases, look around at the other cards to offer hope, love, support, and solutions.

I read Tarot for chakra blockages and body work. When talking about chakras, the Eight of Swords blocks her solar plexus, sacral, and third eye. The solar plexus houses our power and will. Our creativity and fire resides in the Sacral chakra. So you might pull this card with someone who, because of their feelings of entrapment, feels the blahs--unable to be passionate about even freeing herself. She has resigned to live half a life, trapped and bound. The Seeker might not be able to see her situation clearly. The blockage in the third eye also feels like a Spiritual abandonment. Or they may be experiencing analysis paralysis, meaning the person is stuck in all the possibilities and thinking everything through, rather than action oriented decisions. Also her hand nadis, the one that bring healing and compassion to others, is blocked. Those chakras connect with others through touching and feeling. The Seeker may be recoiling from receiving help or connecting with others. As a Reiki practitioner and crystal healer, I would work on these chakras to open them. A great stone to bridge the Solar Plexus and Third Eye is Pietersite, which would be a great stone for someone consistently pulling this card.

What do you think of the Eight of Swords? How do you interpret it? What part of this interpretation did you resonate with or not resonate with? Tell me in the comments. I love connecting with my readers, so feel free to send me an email at themoonandstone@gmail.com.

tarot of the week--ace of swords

Swords hold the energy of the element of Air--communication, perception, listening. Swords also swing or defend for justice. Swords symbolize courtrooms and lawyers and power. The last idea, this concept of power, is something we don't often talk about with Swords. Personally, I focus on the idea of Swords as representations of our perceptions--either false, or self-serving. So many of the Swords have difficult images of defeat and suffering, and these are often borne of our wrong perception, or our symbolic defeat by wrong-thinking. But Power is a theme of the Swords, it has to be. Think of the quote, "He would holds the Sword holds the power." The underlying theme, however, remains true power is in one's objective perception. The Swords call for your clarity of mind, your fair judgment, your articulate understanding, and your sound resolution.

So, why all this talk of Swords? Because Aces hold the most pure representation of the suit. You can read more about Aces in this post. The Ace of Sword is adorned with symbols of Victory and Power. The mountainous background always suggests obstacles overcome and strength. The crown represents the victory over those obstacles and the power that comes with conquest. The palm represents triumph, while the olive branch represents peace. It is part of the gift of the Ace of Swords to recognize when to choose peace and when to choose war.

Aces have the same symbols on the front, a hand coming from the sky, handing you the symbol of the suit. In this case, the Sword adorned. This card is seen as a gift. And by that, I mean, the gift is the energy, the universal movement, behind your own action and will. I often see this as God or Spirit pushing you forward, making all the lights green on your roadtrip to your victory, or drafting you, if you are into bicycle racing. They represent the cliche, God will move mountains, but you need to bring a shovel. This is God saying, "I'm opening all the doors for you, give you some good breaks, now take them."

As I mentioned, so much of the Swords energy is mental. It resides in logic, rationale, and measured actions. If there is plotting! Intrigue! Cunning! It is a Sword. So, when we talk about all this Swords with the Ace, we talk about a new start in terms of communication, logic, or justice. I often see this when someone has begun speaking their truth, or recognize their own power and strength.  We see someone getting honest with themselves, ready to see things exactly as they are, and own up to their part in situations. Perception is a powerful ally. And often, the Ace may not mark a physical new beginning, like a new job, or new situation, but rather your perception of an on-going situation is new. You have new optimism, or you are able to really see the potential, where you once didn't. 

I've been reading and listening to Brene Brown's work on Vulnerability lately. So much of what she talks about with vulnerability and shame is really about the courage to own one's fears, perceptions, and limitations. And then do things in spite of one's fears, or wrongful self-perceptions. She equates vulnerability with courage. And the courage to move through fear, rather than let it make your decisions. One quote I love from her is, "If you are not doing vulnerability, then vulnerability is doing you." So much of the Swords show vulnerability doing the Seeker--the Three, the Five, the Seven, the Eight, the Nine, even the Ten. 

For the Ace of Swords reversed, you will see the Ace pointed into the ground--useless, ineffectual. It is not a victory card. This differs in much of the Aces, because they often ask you to align your intentions with the Highest Good of all, rather than self-serving motivations. The Ace of Swords, however, turns the Sword on himself. Then Vulnerability is really doing the Seeker. He is certainly feeling attacked, but much of that is in his head. It is not reality. So, all the justice, clear-thinking and balance is turned upside down. In this case, I always tell someone to consult a mentor, therapist, a sponsor, if they are in a recovery program, someone to "check in" with. We cannot let our crazy run us, we need to run our crazy. The Ace of Swords reversed means the logic needs to be realigned.

With most reversed cards, the energy of the upright card is there, ready to be righted. I always tell my clients this, because it is vitally important. The reversal of this card is just another perception. The energy of the Swords is there, the power of the Ace, but it is misdirected. Pause. Check in. Right it. There is power in checking yourself.

tarot of the week--ten of wands

Just as Aces kick off the suit with all the potential and energy of the suit, Tens complete the suit and carry it into the next phase of the Seeker's life. With the Cups, we see the happy family beginning their "happily every after" time. Swords, ten of which poke out of the back of a man in battle, the new beginning is one of freedom, transformation, whole soul change. With the Pentacles, we see legacy, estate, the passing on of wealth and money. These end cycles are represented by both the most positive images (literally rainbows and dancing, lush gardens and large homes) and the most disturbing one (a man killed with swords in his back). 

The Ten of Wands is one of those cards that people often dismiss with a casual, "Yep, I'm carrying a lot." But the Ten of Wands is so much more than that, deeper we go to uncover the truth here. The Suit of Wands holds the element of Fire--creativity, passion, ambition, enterprise and business. It is an action-oriented suit, one that really speaks to the fire in one's belly. It is charismatic, dynamic, inspiring. Or rather we are charmed by our projects, and we influence others to believe in us. There is a competition here underlying these cards. That is part of the suit of Fire, ask any Leo, Aries or Sagittarius about that wild competitive streak in them. There is vision here, drive, self-motivation. We start businesses under the Ace of Wands, and in the Ten we see the business grow and change.

So, imagine that your Seeker, or you, is watching their inspiration grow through the Wands. Ace is the melding of Divine inspiration, passion and creativity to begin the journey to starting your business. At the Two, you begin achieving, understanding your personal power. In the Three, you contemplate expansion, taking stock. In the Four, there is celebration. In the Five, you have minor competition and struggles. In the Six, you have overcome those struggles for victory. The Seven holds more defense, but you have the upper hand. After all, you have traveled through this far, and you know how your business should be run. In the Eight, all the blockages are removed from the Seven and Five, and it is full speed ahead. The Wands land in the Nine, and we stand at the ready--exhausted from the battles, but not quite having won the war. In the Ten, we see a man carrying ten wands on his back, trudging to town. His wands have sprouted fruit, and he is going to sell the fruits of his labor.

So, where is the growth here? The completion? This is the time when the Seeker needs to expand again and possibly hire some help. We often nod when we get this. It makes sense. We are carrying burdens for our family, for work, for friends, and it is too much to juggle and walk. We do this for success, but what Tarot warns us in this card is that our independence and self-reliance can only get us so far. We may experience success, but we need to share our burdens and hard work to grow into the next phase. So, this is the new phase--delegating.

There is much to acknowledge here as a positive. The sky is clear, the wands have leaves, and the man is moving forward. He keeps going. When the Ten is pulled, you can be sure the person sitting in front of you is working hard, but it can mean he has too much on his plate. When someone owns a business, I see this card as hiring a new person, or delegating to someone who already works there. Often this card comes when someone is a primary caregiver for an elderly or infirm relative. I often suggest self-care, and asking for help, even hiring help. In physical terms, this card sometimes comes with backaches, neck aches, spinal issues.

You can read many interpretations of this card, and most of them are negative, or rather have this warning of failure in the offing. This is not my feeling of this card at all. I see it as a warning, but not of outright failure...the build-up and suit of Wands doesn't lend itself to that interpretation. There is hard work, inspiration, passion, and drive here. In the Ten, the passion gets worn down by hard work, but it is not extinguished. But because of the high standards of Fire signs and the element of Wands, asking for help can be seen a kind of personal failure. It is a fear of vulnerability. Fire signs needs to ask for help. Nearly across the board you can assume that about a Fire sign. They bear their own burdens, secrets, and self-imposed standards. It is difficult for them to rely on others, to trust, or to turn to others for help in any area of their life. The most successful Fire signs are those who master the art of delegation, rely on others and ask for help. That is what this card is about, and it is a lesson for us all.

Wands are leaders and visionaries. They own businesses, create massive projects, (or small ones). They teach others innovative solutions. They run the show. They bring people together, and inspire them. This is their gift. This card asks you to do what you do best, which is create these amazing works and businesses. Let someone answer the phones and carry the large sticks, sell the wares. Let them carry the burden of the daily toil. It is time to free yourself to start new businesses. Put down the bundle and start a new fire.

tarot of the week--the hermit

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher. ― Pema Chödrön

So often I get this glimpse into the Card of the Week in readings I do the days before I write. The Hermit was pulled in one card readings this week, and I felt so strongly I was going to be writing about him today.

The solitary figure on the Hermit remains one of the most mysterious and recognizable archetypes of the Tarot--the Wise Man. He isolates, go into seclusion for Spiritual Awakening. Siddharta joined a good of ascetics to find enlightenment. Christian monks join a silent orders and seclude in a monastery. Some see this figure as the Magician mid-quest, finding answers to the mysteries of the Elements, the Universe, and the Infinite. Others see him as Merlin coming out of his cave, or Moses coming back from the Mountain with his tablets.

Wisdom. Knowledge. Intuition. Spiritual connection. Guides. Teachers. This card represents all that embodies the spiritual quest. But let's take a deeper look at this card. Firstly, the number of the Hermit is IX--nine, the number of completion. So, a phase of this Hermit's searching has come to an end. Whether it is the solitude that ends, or the period of teaching is up to you as the Reader. We often can tell this by the other cards around this card, or we get a kind of clairsentience about it. Most often than not, I find this is about the former.

And as they say, "It is easy to be a Holy Man on top of a mountain." What that means is that connecting with Spirit and the Divine when we are cut off from the distractions and irritants of life is easy. We absorb and learn through meditation, prayer, books, reading, writing, opening to Spirit, but it is when we interact with other messy, imperfect, complicated humans that our true spirituality rises out of us. That is how we measure our spiritual wellness. The Hermit completes his cycle of Solitude. He has learned all he can learn alone in the woods or on the mountain. He must now find a teacher, a community. So much of this card is about humility.

What? You say...humility? Why you just said this is about the Hermit's wisdom?

That's right. Wisdom is having the humility to find a teacher despite your considerable knowledge. This card might say at the bottom, "Listen more than speak today." Or as my friend's grandmother used to say, "Just because you know it, doesn't mean you have to say it." We embrace the curiosity of our Higher Self, Guides, Angels and Masters who are always curious about this human experience. When our anger flares up, our Guides don't say, "Stop being angry." Rather they say, "Get curious about this anger. What is still rising in your attachments? Where are you afraid? Why are you afraid?" 

I love Pema Chodron's quote above, because it epitomizes this card. We cannot always assume our teachers are there to teach us how to do things. Sometimes they are there to teach us how not to do things. Sometimes they provoke a resentment, which teaches us about where we need work. Or we see resistance rise up in us, or our spiritual principles challenged in a way that makes us hot, uncomfortable, unsure...these are all ways of teaching and learning, if we allow ourself to get curious about ourselves. The Hermit is ultimately curious about himself and his Spiritual practice and beliefs. He is ready to challenge them. He is ready to put them to the test. Do they work in real life? Pema Chodron has this wonderful lesson about this very concept called Troublemakers.

So much of the Major Arcana is about our spiritual condition, and no card epitomizes this journey more than the Hermit. It is card of the Seeker, the person on a quest for some empirical truth. The Quest is often the only truth there is. So, I pull this card when my client is  on the crossroads--either they've been working with a teacher and are ready for their own Vision Quest, or time of Solitude, or the opposite--they've been learning at home alone and need to find a mentor or teacher of some kind. This also comes up when someone is ready to go back to school for more education, or begins a spiritual journey. Most often than not, I get this for people who are intuitive who need a mentor or guide to open fully to Spirit. 

What I adore about the Hermit remains this concept of humility and spiritual growth. Funnily, this is my life card, and it is no surprise to me, honestly. I have been spiritually seeking since Catechism, and my life has been marked by my spiritual lessons and teachers. Though the underlying theme of the Hermit is our connection to the Divine, to Spirit, to our own Higher Self, this connection comes out in the humility to allow yourself to be teachable. Every. Single. Person. is a teacher, if we allow them to be. If our Higher Self had a card, this would be it. This Higher Self knows that the expression of enlightenment is service to mankind. By service, I mean, we teach and learn and show by example. the power of compassion and love in all our interaction with others can be the most influential spiritual lesson of their life.

Reversed, this card might mean that humility is lacking in your Spiritual health. You might have wisdom, but are not applying it, or living by your morals or principles. It can also mean that you are lacking connection to your spiritual beliefs and need to reconnect with your Higher Self. A great affirmation for this card is:

I embrace my beginner's mind and allow myself to remain teachable from my guides, angels and all people I encounter.

tarot of the week--ace of pentacles

“Potential," I said, "doesn't mean a thing. You've got to do it. Almost every baby in a crib has more potential than I have.” ― Charles Bukowski

Aces hold the strongest, purest energy of the Suit's attributes, and really they are this beautiful convocation of Universal/Divine energy and personal fire and energy. They are the seed of inspiration, the absolute nugget of potential to be whatever you want to make it. Of course, with each suit, the Ace holds the intent, the Highest manifestation of the element's expression. The Ace of Pentacle represents a new job, with new growth, possibility, achievement, for example. The Ace of Wands might hold a new passion, creative project or dynamic expression--a new fire in one's belly.

Pamela Coleman Smith chose to represent the Ace as a gift from the Divine, depicted on each Ace as a hand coming from Heaven--the Hand of God, so to speak. Marcia Masino sees this hand harkening to Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting of God creating Adam, or rather the representation of the Creative Principle. Still others see this hand as the Magician's hand, as the Magician is the Key number I in the Major Arcana, and his genius and reigning talent is the use of all the Elements for his good. Certainly, most people do see the Aces as bridging the energy of the Major Arcana with the Minor Arcana, and I love the idea of the Magician reaching from Major to Minor, from the heavenly or spiritual concerns of the Major Arcana to the earthly concerns of the Minor Arcana.

So, whether you see this hand as the hand of the Magician or the hand of God, the Universe, Great Spirit, Creator, or Source Energy, this hand endows you with all the potential that the suit carries. Or the Magician (or your Higher Self) manifests it for you, if you want to see it that way. It is the seed. The root. The spark of life. Of course, the responsibility to take action on this energy and exploit it falls on the Seeker.

One must take advantage of this energy. As Margaret Atwood said, "Potential has a shelf life." And thus, this Ace energy also has a shelf life. It is the opening of a door, the beginning of a new phase. The phrase, "God will move mountains, but you need to bring a shovel" comes to mind here. As it holds the energy of the numerological aspects of One--new beginnings, opportunity, potential. The latter idea of potential is where Aces hold their greatest assets--they make all potentials possible. The only limit to their achievement is your failure to dream large enough. You are blessed in a new beginning, but you must work to realize it on the earthly plane.

Aces carry such power in the Minor Arcana suits that some Tarot readers pull them out of the reading and place them above the reading itself. Exalting the Ace, as it is called, is a way to show the amazing influence of this card in terms of every other card in the reading. What was done is the Ace was literally pulled out of the reading and placed above the entire layout, replaced in that position with another card. Much like the Nine of Cups, the Wish card, the Ace kisses the forehead of every card in every position. It is almost as if the Reader must put on Ace colored glasses here and read through the lens of a new beginning, new potential, and manna from heaven.

I'm talking about Aces as a whole here, because the Aces warrant their own discussion. The symbology and character of the Aces are all very similar, though they take on the nuance of their suit/Element. Each of the Ace cards have limited symbology in terms of deeper meanings, myth and archetypes. They simply show the suit's potential. They are always positive, and so the Ace of Pentacles (the reason we are talking about Aces today at all) depicts a lush and fertile garden, representing both the need for hard work to get desired results. The hand is also holding a golden coin, representing the accumulation of wealth or the gift of money.

Sometimes this card appears in a reading when the Seeker has received a small (or large) sum of money--a stipend, a gift, an inheritance (this often comes with the Ten of Pentacles somewhere else in the reading, though), a settlement, a severance package, or something like that. It can be the seed for a new business or project. Most often this comes when someone has just started a new job, or moved to a new home. But truly, above all other distinctive meanings, the Ace of Pentacles is the card of abundance and manifestation of material, if that is what you are going for. When paired with other Aces, you must think of the way the power of Pentacle is expressed with the power of the other element. So, for example, if the Ace of Pentacles appears with the Ace of Wands, it might mean the Seeker is starting a new creative project or career. With the Ace of Swords, it might mean the person is going to be in a successful speaking engagement, using his communication skills to succeed.

Aces reversed are a warning. They still contain the Divine spark, energy and power of the Ace upright, but they warn the Seeker to use this power for good, not for selfish or self-serving ends. Perhaps I should have just left this as a discussion on Aces, but as I delve deeper into this blog, I find myself wanting to draw more connections for you as Readers yourself and explain more of the interconnectedness of the cards, symbols and how to apply these interpretations in full readings.

Please ask any questions below or send me an email. I love connecting with my readers and other Tarot aficionados. We have a lively discussion on my Facebook page, and I often read for my fans. I also do full readings for clients either via Skype, phone or pdf, or in person if you are in Central Pennsylvania. My rates are listed on the Offerings tab hereon this page, and I do offer discounts, 20 minute readings for $25, for example. Full readings are $50, and go for about 40 minutes--sometimes shorter or longer depending on the client. You can reach me at themoonandstone@gmail.com

tarot of the week-queen of pentacles

Ask for Court Cards, and ye shall receive!

Queen of Pentacles sits on her throne surrounded by fertility--flowers and earth, water and greenery--holding in her lap a Pentacle. She governs earthly concerns--the home, the hearth, career, finances, family. On her throne the goat, symbol of the Capricorn, hangs at her arm and the Bull, sign of Taurus, adorns the side of her throne to remind us that she also governs the Astrological Earth signs--Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. As I write this, I lit a candle given to me for my own Capricorn birthday a few weeks ago, and the room is overcome with the smell of roses. It is putting me squarely in the Queen's garden. 

This garden is lush, fertile, nurturing. It harkens to the garden of the Empress, and well it should, they are both the archetypes of the Earth Mother. Key words are nurturing, dependable, warm, generous. She is a web weaver, and not simply for her connection to all living beings, animals, children and even spiders, but because her vision sees the interconnectedness between people, the way personalities mesh and mutually rely on one another. I sometimes see this aspect of her in readings with people, and comment that they should be open to seeing connections between them and all colleagues or acquaintances for deepening their friends or lovers. Because part of this Queen's persona is stability and responsibility. She doesn't often let herself just enjoy. Her idea of enjoying the day is cooking for her family, nurturing them, creating a beautiful home, shopping...it can be the challenge facing her. To be present in the moment, not define her happiness on giving things or possessing things, but rather to just know her gift is her presence.

This Queen can be both a business woman and a mother, and seems to excel at both. In fact, she often needs both of these aspects of herself to feel whole. There are people who absolutely balance home and family with aplomb and grace, and others who struggle mightily with feeling pulled in both directions. This Queen is the former. Her groundedness manifests in a nurturing way, and financially, she craves security, but dislikes relying on others to fulfill those needs. She hates asking for help. And that is one of her greatest downfalls--she needs to accept and own her vulnerability. I see the Queen of Pentacles as someone who has different spheres of her life--social, work and home. She is fiercely protective of home. It is her sanctuary and the sanctuary for her people. So, she rarely allows work to intrude in that space. She is not the person who makes friends with work people. And conversely, her friends are her space away from her responsibilities, and so she rarely brings all these things together. She attends work functions for her career, not to make friends. Not that she isn't friendly, but she protects and guards her spheres as separate entities. Her identity can be wildly different in those different places--at work, she may appear no-nonsense, at home she may appear loyal and nurturing. And the people at work might be surprised at how sappy and maternal she is. 

This Queen is loyal, unpretentious, often serious, sensible. The fertility around her often calls to one's own fertility, so she comes for those wanting to have babies, or who are pregnant. Or in the other aspect of fertility, she comes with creative projects, and visioning. She is nurturing incarnate, so when the Queen of Pentacles appears, you are asked to nurture a business, hobby, your family, or a friend, but often, yourself. When she is reversed, you are asked if you are doing enough self-care.

The reversed aspects of this Queen are co-dependency. When her full expression is blocked, she may be paralyzed by too many choices, not sure of herself, unable to express herself fully (creating a tight-lipped repression that is palpable to behold.) Sometimes the Queen as a blockage can mean that not all aspects of this Queen are being expressed, and thusly, the other aspects are suffering as a result. If she is reliant on others for decision making, she can become bitter and resentful. It actually makes her quite unstable to be vulnerable, so she may be incredibly moody, swinging from pleasant to downright mean and vindictive. She can be a person who relies on the adage, "The ends justifies the means." Or who is materialistically focused, and thus someone who is materialistically competitive. When she is not being fully expressed, she may be creatively blocked, and let things go. You know a Queen of Pentacles is suffering when she just doesn't give a crap about her home's appearance. Or she is buying buying buying obsessively filling the hole within her. This addiction to spending is something to look at in the reversed or challenge position of this card. (The Page of Pentacles often indicates this as well.)

I have been looking at this aspect in myself this year, as I made it part of my goals/visioning this year to examine the way I use material things as a soul sedative. When I feel bad about my weight, or self-esteem, I would buy clothes that I felt made me look beautiful, or nicer, or thinner. But the truth is I need to be comfortable with my body, if this is how it is to be, and so I decided to stop buying clothes for this year to see how I react to learning to love my body in whatever clothes I already own. It has been less than a month, and already I am challenged by it, and in that way, I know it is good for me to do. 

Of course, as always, the Court Cards represent either people in our lives or aspects of ourselves. I don't often talk about reversed cards, because in the reversed position, the card often just lessens its powerful meaning, or comes to represent the opposite (though for that reason, perhaps I should be discussing them more), but with the Court Cards, the reversed often describe the challenging aspects of the people in our life. And these aspects, both of the positive and negative aspects of a person, often come together. We are human, and not all bad or good. Like loyal and stubborn might describe your boss (stubborn is another attribute of the Queen of Pentacles, or rather stuck in her ways, somewhat old-fashioned as she can be, conservative, risk-averse.) Materialistic and nurturing might be another combination. When you are reading for yourself or someone else, ask yourself if this describes you or another person. If it is crossing you, ask if you are being challenged by an aspect of her persona. You might get the Queen of Pentacles crossed if you are having trouble conceiving a child, for example, because  of the elusive identity of Mother is fully expressed. Or you may get it if your Virgo sister-in-law is spreading rumors about you within the family. 

Hopefully this makes sense. Please post any comments or questions in the comment section. I love talking about Tarot and crave doing another Tarot class. I think I need to put that on my Vision board.

tarot of the week--three of cups

“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

This week's Tarot card was my second choice, first I pulled the Three of Swords, then the Three of Cups, and funnily, I was sitting next to three large Lemurian Quartzes. Threes. Threes. THREES! So, before we talk about this beautiful card, let's talk about the numerological meaning of three in the Tarot. Threes are about growth. Three completes the triangle, both in positive and challenging ways. We see that in the Three of Swords, where the love relationship is tested by the perception or reality of a third person. This growth in the Three of Cups is about friendship and expansion of the emotional/vulnerable part of the being. Threes also have a creative and abundant aspect to them, as any concept of growth does. Threes have a mystical connotation of growth as well, For religions with an expression of the Trinity, this growth is the fullest expression of the One God or Goddess, as the manifestation of three aspects of the One. In Christianity, it is Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Wicca has the Triple Goddess, Maiden, Mother and Crone; in Hinduism, the Brahman is one God in three manifestations; Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; even the Ancient Sumerians and Egyptians both had the concept of the Trinity. Pythagoras felt all things were bound by the number three (birth, life, death).

This idea of three as a growth from One (singular, individual power)  through Two (the coupling of power) to Threes (growth and expansion) plays out in their expression in the Tarot. in some ways, you can see it as the fullest expression of the Individual. As they say, it is easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain. It is in our interaction with others that our truest spiritual expression reveals itself. In the Three of Wands, it is a business/creative growth. The man is looking over his accomplishment. Three expresses itself as Past, Present and Future. In the Three of Pentacles, you have the growth of the artist. No longer alone in his studio, he has gone out in the world to sell your work, find a benefactor, get the blessings of the Church. In the Three of Swords, this growth is about transcending one's perception of betrayal and cutting to the heart of the truth. You grow beyond perceived victimization to take the reigns on your heart and vulnerability. The Swords contain the most biting commentary on where we are at, but also allow the most spiritually vital growth. In the Three of Cups, one moves beyond the two, or rather the emotional connection with one person, and grow into the connection with a group, a community. Connections. This card is about connection.

The Three of Cups show women dancing in a circle, drinking. These three are no ordinary revelers; however, they are the Three Graces, or the Charites. The Three Graces (another Trinity, no?) are the children of Zeus and Eurynome. They are minor goddesses from youngest to eldest are Aglaea ("Splendor"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer").  When these three are shown together, they often herald the gifts of beauty, creativity, fertility, and charm. The three were invoked in the beginning of meals or dinners (grace) to herald happiness and health for all present. And so the Graces gather for the Three of Cups, growing from the coupling of the Two of Cups to the fertility and gathering of the Three. 

For me, this card is about the sacredness of our friendships and spiritual community. Circle up, it seems to demand. It is time to find your circle. The lightness of being achieved when we allow ourselves to be present amongst of our friends. I am thinking of the words authentic. Vulnerable. Present. Joyous. Gathering our women together, honoring Splendor, Mirth and Good Cheer as goddesses, as worthy pursuits. Nietzche's quote, for me, is not necessarily about finding friendship with our partner, but rather about friendships around us--other women, ourselves, our community. Marriages and partnerships grow and flourish when our partners are not our all-consuming passion and focus. In particular, when we realize, that our partners simply cannot be every thing to us. We need a network, a circle of people around us. When I pull this card, I often advise my clients to fall into their female friendships, to gather their ladies and go out for drinks. Talk, share, laugh, tell stories, sing, dance, revel in them, and LAUGH a lot. This is the nourishment that you take into the emotional toils of your every day. It strengthens your ability to deal with work, partnerships, family, traffic, all of it. 

Cups are all about emotions, yes. They are about the heavy emotions, but they are also about the light ones. This card heralds levity and friendships. If you have a circle of women, rejoice. Hold hands. Spin. It is the time to allow these women (or men, if you are a man. I believe this card is about same-sex friendships) to carry you into the next stage. This is how love grows, not by simply putting all your love into one person, but into many. In my experience and the messages I get from Spirit, I am told time and again that humans are the conduits of Divine Love, light workers in particular. Our compassion and love is the expression of the Divine compassion and love. And so, when we join circles, we allow ourselves to be channels for Divine love, and in return, we feel that acceptance, non-judgment, forgiveness, and yes, love.

A good affirmation for this card might be:

I accept the splendor, happiness and joy of my friendships. I allow myself to be vulnerable and accepting of the women in my life.

tarot of the week-king of cups

I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

The suit of Cups flows, ebbs, and throws us to the sand. For when we deal with Cups, we deal with water. The element of water rules our tears, our moon cycles, our psychic connection, the blood that runs through our heart, so, romance, and of course, our sense of balance.  The wine runneth over. We drown in our tears. The imagery we use for water so succinctly wrap up what the suit is about. Cups are all about our emotions--the good, the bad, and the ugly. How we use them, as Oscar Wilde so eloquently puts it, how we enjoy them, and how we dominate them. No card more righteously dominates the emotions than the King of Cups. 

This King controls his emotions. He has figured out how to dominate his own impulses, his desires, his natural drive to have his heart dominate the conversation. The imagery on this card bears some examination, as the Cups also rule our own spirituality. We often think of this suit as being one of romance, love and emotional turmoil, but it also governs our spirituality and psychic, intuitive and empathic connections. He wears the golden fish around his neck, and a fish jumps out of the water. Fish harken to Christ and give us a vision into this man as a religious man. He is also on choppy water, reminiscent of the Two of Pentacles--balancing rocky seas with aplomb and grace. This King is one of balance and peace, as is always said. 

When you pull this card about another person, remember Cups rules the astrological signs of Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. This person tends to be romantic. Incredibly passionate with a strong sense of moral justice and extremely ethical. This might not be completely obvious, for the King has learned his emotional lessons well. Unlike the Knight or Page, he doesn't lead with his heart anymore. He knows when to show them, and when to hold them (thank you, Kenny Rogers!) He can be artistic--a painter, poet, musician. And that might be something he doesn't broadcast to the world. He may be a closet guitarist, or a journal writer. He is psychologically astute, so he may be in the field of social work, or psychology. He may be psychic or intuitive. King of Cups are incredibly spiritual people, but that doesn't mean they are religious. In fact, I would say their nature is to see the truth in many things. This King rules the Arts and Sciences, and so he may be a Liberal Arts professor, for example, or someone who teaches. Whatever this King's profession, it tends to be a calling or passion. This is how his emotions get funneled into positive use. Genuine compassion and empathy are the mark of the King of Cups, and his sincerity is obvious. Some say naive, but this King knows better, because he has learned those lessons, and for him, love rules, or rather it trumps cynicism every day.

Before you fall madly in love with this debonair King of Hearts, as he once was in the traditional decks. There are downsides to each card, and person we encounter. We often see the blending of some of the positives and negatives in real live people, right? So, when you are reading for someone and pull the King of Cups, know this person probably has a blending of both the attributes and challenges of the King of Cups. The challenging aspects of the Kings of Cups are that these Kings can sometime try to escape their emotions, specifically because they are overwhelmingly emotional. They feel every piece of life deeply, every careless word, every interaction, every criticism. They can be a bit immature, or emotionally stunted. This comes out with sarcasm, over sensitivity, cynicism or defensiveness. They may put up large barriers to the Spiritual because of this hurt. Emotional turmoil often comes out with patterns of running away or numbing out through booze, drugs, sex, overeating, or any addictive behaviour. It is something you don't often hear discussed in the Tarot, but the suit of Cups has the additional layers of meaning about alcohol and drug abuse. So, when you pull reversed Cups, think about the card in terms of emotional hiding, numbing or burying. If the upright card is the full expression in all its positivity of emotion, the reversed is often the blocking of that emotional expression. The King of Cups reversed can most certainly be alcoholic. Carl Jung noted the intrinsic link between Spirits and the Spiritual. He wrote in a letter to Bill W., founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. "...'alcohol" in Latin is 'spiritus' and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum." This later phrase is often translated as, "Spirit against the effects of spirits."  And so Water signs are most in need of this full dive into the spiritual pool, so to speak, when they are emotionally turmoiled.

When you read for yourself, the King of Cups means coming to a place of dominating your emotional nature. You understand your emotional, psychic, intuitive or spiritual self. You feel fully expressed. It can mean to be right where you are. This King knows when he needs a good cry. He does not suppress his emotions, and likewise, if you are being asked to embrace the energy of the King of Cups, you are asked to begin labeling your emotions with the proper words and really fully embracing your emotional self. Love him or hate him, the King of Cups rules the deep waters of your soul and notices the connections between all living things, so allow his energy to seep into your soul too.

Let me know what you think of the King of Cups, or how you have interpreted him. If you disagree, I'd love to hear about that too. If you have questions about the King of Cups, please do not hesitate to post in the comments section. I try to answer all questions that arise.

the court cards

Since I have been randomly selecting cards since I started this blog, I always go back to check the ones I've written. Today, I selected Two of Swords, but since I already posted about it, I pulled another card. It is incredibly powerful to pull the Two of Swords for me, though, because this week in my newsletter, I am writing about dreamwork, and some tools to help you begin receiving and interpreting messages in your dreams. May be a multi-week series...who knows? But the pull today made me wish I had started from the beginning, then worked my way through the deck. But alas, this seemed more intuitive. (Too much information from my head, eh?) Today's card, the King of Cups surprised me, because it is the first King I have discussed. There is a massive dearth of Court Cards on this blog.  So, I feel like I need to go into a bit of an explanation of the Court Cards before I even start talking about the energy of the King of Cups. So, I have decided to post this piece about the Court Cards, then go into the King of Cups in another post tomorrow as the Tarot of the Week. Hope everyone is cool with that. In this post, I use the word Reader to represent the Tarot Reader, and Seeker, the one seeking answers through Tarot. If you are reading for yourself, then you are both.

The Minor Arcana of the Tarot is set up similarly to a deck of cards--numbered cards one through ten, which correspond traditionally with aspects of numerology in their archetypal meanings. Then what are called the court cards come into play--the page, the knight, the queen and the king. These sixteen court cards come to represent personality types and the people in and around your life. Court Cards are the "Royal" cards of the Minor Arcana suits (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles) and hold the energy of their elemental correspondence--fire, water, air and earth respectively. So, the Court Cards are the human representations of their suit. When we talk about personality archetypes, most of us identify those kind of things by psychological tests, like Myers-Briggs, for example. And I would be surprised if there wasn't someone out there who didn't already correspond the Court Cards to the Myers-Briggs personality types. Certainly, the Major Arcana has come to represent Archetypes as well, but these Court Cards, like all things in the Minor Arcana, are more about the conditions and circumstances of daily life, so you may have a soul path of the Strength card, but be projecting Queen of Cups.

So, one of the roles of the court cards is to help readers identify people in the life of the Seeker. These people that affect our life, and whose lives we affect. They are all around our lives--our co-workers, neighbors, family, bosses, friends. The court cards are often these markers in your reading, helping the Reader validate the present situation. People are often looking for tarot readers or psychics to help validate what they are saying is true for them. So, if I say to someone, there is a dark-haired man in your life, he is mature, stable, financially secure, this helps the person know that the cards are accurate. Court cards are great tools for that, because they can be so literal in that way.  These Court Cards represent the attributes of each suit. Each have both negative and positive qualities. Traditionally, these suits also had physical markers as well. They are ethnocentric and have fallen out of favor by most Tarot readers, but I find them interesting nonetheless. I created this little cheat chart for you, if you are curious about that physical attribute thing.

The other way Court Cards function in a reading is to address a personality the Seeker embodies. And they can help you identify the energy you are bringing to the situation. At work, for example, a Capricorn woman at work may embody the Queen of Wands--dynamic, charismatic, creative, independent; while at home, she may embody her true nature--the Queen of Pentacles energy. We often do that in aspects of our life--shapeshift for survival or to thrivival, so to speak. That shapeshifting is not meant as a criticism; it is what all humans do to grow--adapt to their situation. 

So, in readings, the Court Cards either represent someone in the life, or coming into the life, of the Seeker. OR they represent some aspect of the Seeker. Talking about the latter first, Spirit will bring this aspect of the Seeker to the surface if it is important to 1. validate that personality trait for the Seeker, or 2. to point out a way in which they are acting out and not being true to their nature, or 3. help guide the Seeker to bring a certain energy into the situation at hand. You also may pull two or more of a type of Court Card in a reading. When that happens, reflect on the attributes of the Court card rather than the exact suit of the Court Card. For example, if a woman going for a new job pulls three Knights in a reading, I might tell her that she is being courageous, action-oriented, really "putting herself out there" to get the job, and it will come to fruition. Or if she pulled three Pages, I might ask her if she feels frightened or like a neophyte or apprentice, rather than embodying the King energy of owning her own space. 

So, how do you know if it is another person, or the Seeker? It is the question I get most often with Court Cards. This is where your psychic abilities are very important. Always. Every. Time. I pull a Court Card in either the Approaching or the Outcome position (Future positions), I pull a clarifying card, because in this position, it often means someone else is influencing the situation. Not always, but often. So, I pull a clarifying card by shuffling and saying, "Is this card about the Seeker or someone else? Please give me a clear card." Cards that validate it is about the Seeker tend to resonate with the question, or have a one in it, a solitary figure or someone resonate as the person. You will come to understand your own spiritual validation language. 

Let's talk about the specific cards. The Pages tend to represent someone young, like the Seeker's children or niece/nephews, or for a teacher, her students (of any age). The energy can be immature, so can often embody the negative aspects of the suit. It also means it can represent someone old who is simply immature. So using Wands here, the opposite side of the dynamic, creative, charismatic person is that they can be quick to anger, be passionate to the point of being off-putting, use their sexuality as a means of manipulation. Or it can be the young energy of that suit, meaning a new beginning, starting a new job and still apprenticing. And even more traditional, the pages were the messengers of the Tarot, so they can come when the Seeker has gotten or will get a message regarding the suit in their life, so if they pulled the Page of Wands, they may hear news of a creative project. You can look at the cards around the Page to get a deeper sense of whether this message is positive or negative. I pulled this card the day before hearing my poems had been selected in a new anthology coming out this Spring. So, as you can tell, it can be very subjective how to interpret a court card. You must tap into your intuitive feelings about the Seeker's question.

The Knights have the power of the suit. In the same way that the Ace of the most powerful card of the Minor Arcana suit. Aces hold all the potential, they match the universal energy behind the Seeker with their will. It is like aligning Divine and personal will. The Knights have the most dynamic, powerful energy of the Court Cards. That energy is one of movement and action. The knight, after all, isn't sitting on a throne, or lounging about the castle, his duty in the kingdom is one of protector, warrior, and messenger. He is in defense of the kingdom, or riding off to battle, or off to rescue the princess. He does the hard work of the suit and embodies bravery. So, the knight energy carries with it extremes of each suit from its best attributes to its worse. Only the Reader and Seeker can really figure out whether this extreme can be positive or negative in your life. Often, when you read about knights, there are pair of words to describe the knight energy--reckless/fearless. They are pairs of words that have the energy, but different outcomes. When representing people, they tend to represent men or women between the ages of 18-35. This energy is incredibly dynamic and courageous. It moves. It challenges the status quo of the Seeker's own thoughts, or the status quo of society. And it defends.

The Queen energy tends to represent women over the age of 18, but more likely over 35. Her energy is one of feminine stability, self-knowledge, goddess energy. There is a nurturing element of the Queen that is lacking in the King, so men or women can pull this card when special care to nurture and love is needed in the situation. Often, women get this card about themselves when they have come to embody their power. They are living honestly with themselves. The King energy tends to represent men over the age of 35. This energy is VERY stable. One of achievement, a settled, calm, precise energy. Planning is involved here too, and some high regard. Women will pull this card when they are becoming the boss in their company. Or are independently raising their family. As I said, these court cards can come to represent aspects of our own self, even if we are women and pull male cards. All people have both male and female aspects of their self, and tap into those aspects at different times of their lives. 

I hope this incredibly long post was helpful to you. Please share your experience of the Court cards, and how you use them in your readings, or if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer in the comments of this post.

winter solstice spreads

Last night, I sent this out in my newsletter, which you can subscribe to right here, but I wanted to share it here as well, and celebrate the holidays with a wee giveaway.

An wonderful activity that you can do in your Winter Solstice gatherings as a way to connect with one another and delve deeper into honoring the season of release and renewal is to do readings around Solstice and Yule. Reading Tarot brings so much togetherness to a gathering, and reading cards with the holiday in mind makes it doubly special. I love seeing my people all huddled together discussing cards, letting Spirit speak through them for one person. You can either have one person designated as the Reader, or you can all read together. Or if you are a Tarot Reader, you might want to be the one to offer this to your guests, or as a gift to each person at the gathers. I personally love gifting readings to my friends and family. This is also a great solo activity for those looking for ways to honor the solstice in solitary practice. 

These Winter Solstice layouts I developed focus my attention for my personal ceremonies and spiritual work. During different phases of the moons, and always on solstices/equinoxes, I check-in with Spirit via a reading. This is a great layout to do with Tarot, or ANY Oracle Deck. Oracle Decks have such beautiful messages and really succinctly communicate the energy you have around you. So, if you are not a Tarot reader as such, oracle decks are great tools. Most come with a book with a nice detailed interpretation of each card. Oracle decks are easy to find, inexpensive, and make great hostess gifts too. There are oracle decks that involve Fairies, Angels, Saints, even one that wholly focuses on Mother Mary! Think of the Divine connection that most aligns with your beliefs, and use an Oracle Deck that speaks to that tradition. You'll understand the symbols and resonate with the message much more clearly.

Back to the Winter Solstice Layout, you can use this as a touchstone for your work in circle, or in privately. Then take this work into your 2014 Intention Setting or Power Word of the year. Remember, first is the release, then the welcoming of energy in your next cycle. I would use an crystal like Orange Calcite, Carnelian, Sunstone or Fire Agate as an ally in this reading. It represents the Sun, but more importantly, it represents the clarity that the Sun brings. In this way, using a Clear Quartz is always good if you cannot find a Sun stone. Just place your crystal by your candle and other sacred objects around your reading space. Creating sacred space is a beautiful way to begin your reading. I always blow and knock out the energy, shuffle eight times, then cut the cards three times. And I say my prayer of protection and openness which I learned from Deb Bowen of the Psychic Teachers, "I am a clear and open channel through which Spirit make speak truth and only truth for the Highest Good of All."

I have read and used other Winter Solstice spreads beautifully. If you google Winter Solstice spreads you can find a number of ideas. I prefer my own spreads, becaues I am intimately connected with these questions, and it more succinctly clarifies what I work on for Solstice. Some people suggest pulling out the Sun (XIX) in the center of this spread. I like to use a You Now card as a general check-in with Spirit. One beautiful way to use this spread would be to lay it out in a Winter Solstice crystal grid with a Sun stone as your center, and lay the card out between your crystals. 

I created two spreads, really. The first one is great for groups, more succinct and really draws out clarity. The second is good for those who want to delve deeper for personal work on Solstice. It gives you insights into your releases, and the energy you want to bring in.

For example, I pulled this Spread for myself, pulling out the Sun as my You Now, or my Signifer. 

In the position of my Strengths (position 2), the Judgment speaks to my ability to release judgment and forgive. Pulling this into the New year, I can see that my work with forgiveness--both self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others--is something I may have to draw on, and will be important for my spiritual growth. In the Roots position, or where I draw my strength (position 3), I pulled the World. I draw strength from every aspect of my life--my children, my home, my crystal work, my Tarot and psychic work, teaching, learning, writing, and art. I had wondered for so long which was my path, and have come to accept that all are my path. In the Release position (position 4), or what is no longer serving, I pulled the Four of Swords card, which is a card of retreat and meditation before battle. I believe this means that what I need to release is my over-analysis. My Analysis Paralysis, as they call it, and move forward with my work in this new space. So, I need to release inaction! In my Energy I am Ready to Bring into my Life (position 5), I pulled the Magician. Oh, hellz to the yes! This is the energy I want to bring in--achievement, magic, spiritual work, using all my gifts together. 

In the Second layout, we just expand on the smaller layout to get more in-depth. It involves more reflection and self-examination.

For example, I pulled this second layout without using the Sun as the center, and pulling a card to represent myself.

In this layout, the King in position 1 represents me in the Now, someone who is financially stable and in my Earth sign element. In position 2, my strength is my ability to withstand chaos and massive change. Not that I will be facing it, but just to remember that I can weather any storm with aplomb and grace. In the position 3, where I draw my strength, the King of Wands was pulled, and this is a creative man, my husband, I think, who inspires me and grounds me. In the two position 4 + 5, these are the things that are no longer serving me--Eight of Pentacles and Page of Pentacles. I think the Eight is there to remind me that I am ready to move into a more teacher/owner role, rather than as a student, and the Page of Pentacles is immaturity with money. Financially, I think this means moving into amore mature approach with my business, not taking money from our home account for Moon + Stone, and begin treating it as a mature business. What I need to release position 6 is more of an emotional release for my spiritual growth. I believe this card, the Nine of Wands is any defensiveness, or heart protection. I need to wear my vulnerability, embrace it, accept it, wear it proudly. On the Future side, position 7, the Energy I am ready to Bring in is definitely circles of women. My peeps, where for art thou? Position 8, my meditation position, really is something to sit with, and journal about to achieve my release and renewal. I pulled Temperance, which is a card of purification and balance. Such an important card for me. In the 9th position, Outcome, the Queen of Swords is absolutely the energy I would like to welcome in my new phase. No nonsense. And not taking things personally. Also, nodding to my grief without having to live in it.

I hope reading my albeit brief interpretations of these cards in these new spreads helps you to read your own Winter Solstice cards. And so, in honor of Yule, I'd like to give away a free Winter Solstice reading, in the more in-depth layout, for some lucky reader. We can either do this face-to-face via Skype or Google Hangout, or via pdf, which I would email to you. I am opening this contest up until midnight of the 21st, and will do the reading on the 22nd. The only way to enter is to leave a comment on this post. Tell me what you think of these new layouts, ask me a question, or tell me about your Winter Solstice traditions or plans. Only one entry per person, please. You can create an extra entry for yourself by sharing this post either on your own blog, via Facebook, or other social media platform. When you do, copy the link, and share it in the comment section of this post.  As always, I would love to hear all your experiences with your Winter Solstice gatherings, and your readings, so let me know via the Moon + Stone Facebook page. Go over and "like" the Moon + Stone Healing for another entry (if you haven't already, but don't forget to let me know here, if you did). Throughout the week during random times, I often offer free one card readings and share lots of delicious crystal information, so pop on over and join the conversation.

Blessed Yule, my friends!

tarot of the week-three of swords

“Love has reasons which reason cannot understand." --Blaise Pascal

The Swords never fail to make a dramatic entrance into your reading (and our week), and the Three holds no mysteries to its meaning. One of the few cards with no people portrayed, it is the universal understanding of the heart broken, love triangles, betrayal, love grief, and all matters of love lost. This universal experience of lost love is expressed by the heart pierced thrive by three swords swallowed by a storm. It needs no other symbols or explanations. We know this pain. Under the clouds and rain, we look at three swords--three betrayals--my lover, the other person/thing capturing the attention of the lover, and myself.

As with the Swords,  suit of Air, nothing is this straight forward. Air, the sign of perception, communication and reason, complicates when it interacts with love. As the quote says, "Love has reasons which reasons cannot understand." Yet Air is about reason, logic, and our "unshakeable knowledge" of things, which is why Air is often about perception. I put that in quotes, because can we ever truly KNOW what another is thinking? One of my favorite speakers often says, "It isn't what we don't know that will kill us, but  the things we know with absolutely certainty that just aren't so." And Three of Swords is about that heartbreaking disconnect which resides between our heart and reality. The Threes, numerologically, represent the Trinity, the bringing together of forces. Of course, the Three of Swords circles around that concept by dealing with the issue of betrayal. It questions one's true unity, one's loyalty, the trust so deeply needed. Whether perceived or real, the heartbreak is there. 

Therein lies the real start of the journey with Three of Swords. This betrayal, whether real or perceived, demands you change your relationship. It absolutely insists that things not continue as they are. If there is a love triangle, bow out of it. Cut out all that is no longer serving. If you are lacking in trust, examine that. Is the person unworthy of trust? Or are you in need of healing energy around your root and heart chakras? Often, this card comes when you have to "cut to the truth of the matter." And what I mean by that is when you need to find out whether your perception of betrayal is true or not. You have to put yourself out there, risk pain, to see the reality of your relationship. The Three of Swords cuts the B.S. out, and opens you up to heal. This is the distinction between keeping that heart in your chest and allowing it to be rained upon. You allow the hurt to be exposed to air. You allow it to heal. You allowing those vulnerabilities and secrets to poison your psyche.

Of course, the other option for this card is that you are the one betraying another. You love two equally, or at least, are engaged in two relationships. Perhaps clandestinely, or perhaps everyone knows, this card reminds you that someone will be hurt, and it is time to make a decision. Often this card comes in readings for those going through a separation or divorce, or through a break-up. Sometimes, it just is a symbol for me that the a relationship is in need of healing. Other times, this card indicates grief and loss, even on large scale loss, like where our nation is grieving. 

Less frequently, this can be about heartbreak about career, moving house, familial relationships. I would look at the other cards in the reading to get a better understanding of this heartbreak. I have pulled this card for people having heart issues, or surgery. It often bodes well, rather than negatively. It means the bad is being cut out to make room for the new growth. And therein lies the truth and the meditation for this card--releasing the old to make way for new. Whether it be true love, real heart connection, or new tissue growth, when we let go of a relationship that isn't serving our Highest Good, we open the door for one that is.

Ironically, the Three of Swords asks you to open your heart more to heal heartbreak, to soothe yourself with love. It is the opposite of what Swords energy is, which is to heal the heart with the head, and that is why it is so cloudy in this card. Heal your own perceptions and feelings of vulnerability, before dealing with another. This cannot be done through a new relationship, it must be done through self-compassion and self-love. Rhodocrosite would be an amazing ally in this work. A great meditation for this card might be to work on the heart center with Reiki or other energy healing, or heart chakra crystals.

I forgive and release all those swords that have pierced my heart in the past, in the present and in the future. I align my heart center with the Universal Love, Light, and Compassion. 

Let me know your experience with the Three of Swords. or anything else you would like to discuss about Tarot, crystals and more.

tarot of the week--four of swords

"The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of room, not try to be or do anything whatever.” ― May Sarton

Coming into the restful hibernation of winter, it is no accident that we pull the Four of Swords on such a wintry day. A beautiful card by all rights, it shows a Knight resting, hands in prayer or namaste position at heart center. Three swords on the wall, one underneath him. He is protected by the church, as evinced by the stained glass window. He is protected. Resting before battle, or after. 

Swords are the suit of Air--communication, perception, and all things dealing with the intellect. The Swords are often the most shocking cards to those unfamiliar with the Tarot.  We see the thrice-pierced, bleeding heart in the Three, and jail of self-imposed suffering of the Eight, the Insomnia of the Nine, and the ultimate dark card of the Ten Swords in the back. This card, however, appears innocuous. But it does insinuate a great deal about what we are facing or what we have just faced. All of that baggage comes with this card. War is hell. And so the resting warrior soothes his embattled body, readying himself for his next face-off.

So often people come to see a Reader because they want insight into a difficult period of their life. The Four of Swords often comes as a reminder to step back. There are a few meditation and step-back cards in the Tarot--Four of Cups is one that comes to mind. This Four is about taking time out, resting, but truly meditating, raising one's consciousness to bring a new weapon into battle--the spiritual cunning and centeredness to win any battle. And truly, taking the time to step back and out of a conflict, to reflect, to raise one's consciousness and get heart centered does change the entire battle before you even begin it again. 

If we search the background of this card, let's look at the stained glass window--the element of protection here. It is a scene of a someone kneeling before another in supplication. I believe the standing person is Mother Mary, but that is just my gut-feeling, perhaps because I work so closely with Mother Mary in my meditations. But I think this stained glass window is asking us to plug back into Source Energy. Our true source of power--God or the Creator or the Goddess, or however you conceive of the Divine. We do that through meditation, crystal healing, Reiki, and other forms of energy healing. The card is a solitary card, not one to go to meditation circles with. But that doesn't mean you cannot see a practitioner here for self-care. This card is one of the Tarot's most important cards of self-care. We rest and reenergize for the good of ourselves and all involved. To ready for the next battle in the war. Or to come to realization that the war is unnecessary altogether.

A great affirmation for this card might be:

I let go absolutely. I trust in the Divine.