Tag: major arcana

---

Clocks and calendars are arbitrary things.

I like this layout because it takes a big-picture view of the path ahead but applies to any point in time. It starts the path with the ground at your feet, and moves forward step by step, season by season.

I like to read right to left, as with the past-present-future parts of the layouts I learned from Medicine Cards by David Carson and Jamie Sams. That, plus Ted Andrews’ writings, plus Diane Morgan’s Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao have all formed the foundation of my intuitive work and Tarot reading. That foundation has proven utter solid and reliable, every damn day since 1992.

I wrote this layout to follow that right to left pattern and have used it for myself and for clients for I honestly don’t remember how many years now. Starting with the bottom row, the most right hand card is the current season – in our case today, Autumn. Then it goes across in order of the coming year: Winter, Spring then Summer. Each card gives a sense of the energy ahead and its ebbs and flows. Each card is guidance how to best navigate the foreseeable energy of that particular season. Generally, I connect the season to astronomy, using solstice and equinox rather than months. The boundaries of energy aren’t clearly defined and blur and blend one to the other as time passes. Intuition and spirituality doesn’t happen on a schedule.

Just as Neil DeGrasse Tyson once said that “The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you” the universe is under no obligation to happen according to our expectations, clocks or calendars.

You are just as free as the universe.

You are under no obligation to understand or to feel any particular thing at any particular time. The kindness you show (or don’t) is your only accountability. Alan Watts reminds us that “you are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.” Your understanding and experience flows through time, so this kind of reading is not a defined road map

Or as I’ve said for years now – “Tarot doesn’t tell you what will happen in life, tarot helps you figure out what to do when life happens.”

The top card is guidance or some sort of theme for the coming year as a cohesive whole.

I’m going to write this as if it was a private email reading – the only difference would be that private readings get a photo or your unique, individual real world card layout instead of a YouTube short of our collective cards.

Our collective cards today:

• Autumn: Ten of Cups
• Winter: Six of Inking Balls (akin to pentacles, but not quite)
• Spring: Strength
• Summer: The Hanged Man
• Year: The Star

General Pattern

There is a gentle start immediately ahead with two minor arcana cards, but then stress, energy, change and life in general picks up steam with three major arcana cards in a row. Current chaos continues in general but with a steady plateau for a little while during the colder months in the northern hemisphere. Here I get the mental image of ice on the Potomac river in Washington DC…take that how you will. Whatever your politics, there are some pretty parks and places in the district. The sense of cold and still winter air is pleasant and peaceful, more than polar-vortex stressful. I get a sense of melancholy. Honor the feelings of this coming year. Life is enough of a struggle without doing combat with your own emotions. Acknowledge them. Work with them. Let them be what they are while you do what you need to do to take care of yourself and your loved one. You are under no obligation to happy or joyful when you aren’t. Neither are you under any obligation to be sad or stressed when you aren’t. No one can drive away with your happiness. Your emotions are you own. To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, no one can make you feel any particular thing without your consent and cooperation.

Autumn

The Ten of Cups is nothing but good. Think of all the traditional harvest images. Listen to us old people. Those “old fashioned” (albeit over idealized) cost less and didn’t enrich big corporations and the fascist oligarchy that is trying to get us all killed. Revive depression era traditions … or whatever is meaningful. This is the year for sentimentality and authenticity far, far over spending and commercialism. Cue Linus’ speech from the Charlie Brown Christmas special (minus the religious stuff if you are so inclined) Don’t spend a penny on black Friday. And yes, this is promoting my political agenda. Go promote your values in your own way in your own social media or blog or however. This is a season of authenticity and emotion. Be true to yourself and a satisfying holiday season is very possible.

Winter

Like pentacles, this unique card from the “Strange Suit” of the Alleyman’s Tarot deck is focused on career, wealth and the physical realm. It picks up on the thread of authenticity and quiet austerity that begins with the Fall card.

It asks us ‘is it worth it’?

Are you working and achieving, or over-striving to achieve and Pyrrhic victory. Curate your resources carefully. Effort can turn into drowning easily. Take great care not to bite off more than you can chew. Take great care not to pay too high of a personal life price for a tiny financial gain. Curate your time, attention and emotion as carefully as your financial budget.

Spring

I’m rooting for the lion on this card.

Look closely at the picture on the card. Who you identify with or who you feel drawn to says everything.

Are you the wild-eyed judgmental zealot imposing his will on wild nature, or are you the grace and power of your inner nature throwing off the oppressor?

Choose your side.

Summer

The Hanged Man is a classic symbol of slow progress if not outright stagnation. It may be a welcomed rest after the brief but intense skirmish-like if not outright battle-like energy of the spring. This may be the exhaustion (more than calm) after the storm, but also much needed down time to pick up pieces and bind wounds after difficulty. I mentally hear cicadas and see bright blue skies and intense sunshine. I ‘hear’ “August” and “Doldrums” and feel a tense anticipation of some big event to come (the ’26 election?)

Again a vague reference to the great depression. I am reminded of Lange’s famous Migrant Mother photo from the 1930s. John Steinbeck pops to mind. I don’t logically know why the depression era references, and can’t quite pull in what spirit is trying to say. (Personally, this is referencing my Grandmother) so I leave it to you to see if these references have any meaning for you.

Whacky cake comes to mind too – check out Dylan Hollis’ videos about vintage and depression era recipes. Max Miller’s Tasting History too. Great stuff, that.

Year Ahead

The Star is about guidance. It is about finding a fixed navigation point to guide you through this coming year. Before spring, it is CRUCIAL that you find some mental or emotional anchor to keep you oriented and steady as possible. It might be your religion or philosophy. It might be some habit or practice (meditation, yoga, golf, walking, reading, whatever it is that makes the world seem just a little more sane for you). Making and keeping some small routine in your day is important self-care. Craft a bedtime or wake-up ritual and routine for yourself like you are a five year old and stick to it. Create your own stability wherever you can.

Summary

At this point in the reading, I usually give any colors, crystals or aromatherapy that comes to mind. Usually that is very personal to the person I’m reading for. This may be a general reference to the upcoming holidays, but I see pine and pine cones, with that fragrance. Pine and eucalyptus essential oils diffused in a room can help with garden variety head colds and are thought to be very healthful.

I see both clear quartz and rose quartz. That’s not for everyone, but it will resonate with someone.

Now that morphs into sandalwood fragrance and malachite energy. Rose quartz and malachite are heart chakra colors, for whatever that is worth.

I ‘hear’ “heal your heart” – whichever crystal most appeals to you, it can help ease wounded emotions.

And there the energies step back.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a full sized reading in action. It’s for the collective, so it might be on target for some and a total miss for others – but hopefully some piece of it was helpful to you.

If you want a tarot reading that is custom made just for you, click the ko-fi button at the top of the page. From the ko-fi page you can click through to the readings menu or to the membership page.

Members get one free individual, private reading by email per month plus exclusive content on the ko-fi blog that isn’t found on the all-free, no-paywall blog here.

Email readings are affordable ($10, $15 and $30) and get the full benefit of both my writing experience and my 30 years as a Tarot reader.

That’s it. No bells, no whistles, no drama – just me and my cards typing what I would say to you in person. Tell all of your introvert and book loving friends. These readings are perfect for them. And for anyone who wants to try a reading without a lot of cost or effort. This is the perfect Zen, calm, low battery, out of spoons, stress free, relaxing, low key reading for anyone.

Happy Halloween everyone! See you at the next sip!