Tag: meaning

Todays Tarot: Every Little Thing

 

“We can “read” anything in our world as an answer to an issue or question. The answer is in our heart and the world reflects it back to us. If you asked a question and your eyes caught a spider web, this web would reflect the truth that was within and be an answer to your question.” – Joy Star

One contemporary way of understanding the four minor arcana suits in is terms of relationships: how we related to the physical realm, to our inner selves, to society at large and when it comes to cups, our relationship with relationships or our innermost circle of loves, friends and family. In a nutshell, all of the king cards symbolize leadership. Cups also relate to the alchemical element water. Water in general relates to intuition (think of the fish in a cup, mysteries from the depths of our psyche connotations from the Page of Cups card.)

Stir all of that together and it eventually boils down to intuition leading you, or leading through a deep trust in your intuition. One of my favorite interpretations for this card over the years is the king of cups as pointing to a spirit guide. A more literal spin is that of a mentor who guides your development in a specific area but in more connected, long term, developmental way than you would associate with a teacher or manager or organizer.

For now, I’d like to focus more on the spirit guide side of it. If you feel drawn to the mentoring side (either as mentor or mentee) I strongly suggest reading Chunliang Al Huang’s excellent book Mentoring: The Tao of Giving and Receiving Wisdom.

Spirit guides are a fascinating subject. Books could, and have been, written about them. My absolute go-to favorite is Ted Andrews’ How to Meet and Work With Spirit Guides. Some people think of them as something very separate from themselves like a patron saint sort of figure. Some see them closer, like a guardian angle or the one to one spirit guide described by Andrews, Bach and others. Still others see a “spirit guide” as a reflection of our spiritual side, our “higher selves.” This is the kind of guidance that Joy was hinting at when she wrote about the world reflecting our truth. Things like Tarot cards, planets, stars, runestones, I Ching lines….whatever it is…don’t give answers in and of themselves. They are the carrier signal, the pipeline, that lets the message come through. Oracles deliver the message from our inner wisdom and higher selves through the noise of everyday living to our everyday consciousness. The cool thing is every little thing can be an oracle. Remember that lyric from the song by the Police “every little thing she does is magic” ? It is just as true that every little thing is magic. Anything can be a tiny little validation, or an itsy nudge toward the way you should go. Every little thing is magic when you look with intuitive eyes.

YouChoose Interactive Tarot Reading 10-16 May 2020: Learn, Roll, Laugh

 

If you need more time to choose a card, pause the video then restart for the reveal and see your reading below.

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Left: Page of Wands. This is the Witches Tarot deck by Ellen Dougan with artwork by Mark Evans. To be honest, the artwork is what makes this one of my favorite decks. This particular Page of Wands captures the happy, good news, almost playful quality that a lot of readers associate with the card. Pages have to do with learning, Wands with the inner world. Rather than predicting an external message that makes you happy (which could happen, not saying it won’t) but today’s impression is more like an internal happy message, where dots connect, and the lightbulb goes on over your head, and there is a sense of happy relief as pieces fall into place and something suddenly, delightfully makes sense. Don’t expect to happen by noon on Monday. Sometimes this is a slow process, like a good stew in you slow cooker. Sometimes, the less you try the better the dot-connecting works. Sleep on things a day or two and let the thought drop in at 2 am or during your shower or however these things happen for you.

Center: Eight of Wands. Be patient. This card classically signifies something up in the air, something that is in process and out of our hands, like an arrow in flight. I always think of that scene from Doctor Who where Melody says “Penny in the air” as Amy takes a while to process a thought. Then when she connects the dots and has her realization (like the Page of Wands above) Melody says “and the penny drops.” This card is the penny in the air part. Something is in the air, so you might as well roll with your situation this week until the penny drops. 

Right: Page of Cups. One of my favorite cards. Don’t take life so seriously. Yeah, I know the fish in the cup is supposed to mean deep and hidden mysteries coming to light. Sometimes that is exactly the message. Not this week. Life can be absurd, like a fish in a cup. Yes, mysteries and deep thoughts are warranted, but don’t let that process become to ponderous this week. Here my thoughts go to “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman, when Socrates speaks about “the laughter of an enlightened man.” Spirituality, mysteries, insights, enlightenment – none of it has to be dour or ponderous or unpleasant. The enlightened man laughs. Lighten up and let yourself laugh this week.

Today’s Tarot: Worth the Wait

After 25…no, wait…more like 27 years of doing Tarot readings (good grief) if I’ve learned anything it’s been to honor the process. It is what it is…roll with it.

The energy is still focused on the Pandemic, rightfully so I supposed. Again with the pentacle cards. Personally I’ve got some other ideas brewing….stay tuned for that…but these daily readings are always intended for the highest and best message for the most people, or at least somebody somewhere out there in cyberspace. The “Today’s Tarot” readings go where the bulk of the energy is flowing right now, at least regionally here in the Eastern U.S. Sometimes these readings touch on universal truths, sometimes they are like the local weather forecast. Either way, Tarot readings are a little like Neo’s (Alice’s) White Rabbit. If you follow it, it will lead you someplace really interesting.

Things are happening, but not fast. Like yesterday, I get the sense we are in the second half or our little time in the hurricane’s eye, and are headed toward the second eyewall. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Dr. Fauchi and the public health folks that have been doing infectious disease longer than I’ve been doing Tarot. There is going to be a second wave, and it ain’t going to be pretty. Limit your time out, maintain your personal space, wear a mask in public, and wash your dang hands

Despite the dramatic change in pace from what we were accustomed to in the before-time, things ARE going to happen. In my mind’s eye, winds are blowing pretty hard on the other side of the storm, but that isn’t the energy for right now (meaning it may never happen – here and now is what counts)

Right now, we wait. If you are in an area that is re-opening, we wait to see what impact that has on public health and infection / death rates. If you are still in a locked down red zone, we wait. Today’s card begs the question…what seeds are you planting now that will be worth the wait later?

The Seven of Pentacles is typically associated with the idea of “you reap what you sow” which is both a threat and a promise. Do bad things, they come back to haunt you. What goes around will come around, yes, but it also gives the hope and promise that there will indeed be a harvest, and something will come of our better efforts too.

That’s the basics of what will happen and how it works, but rather than if and quantity, what about quality? What is it you can plant now that will be worth the wait later? What will your future-self thank you for starting now? THAT is the place to put your attention and intentions today.

If you are going to be waiting anyway, use today to start something that will, sooner or later, be worth that wait.

YouChoose Interactive Tarot for May 3 – 9

 

You Choose: Pick a card. If you want more time, pause the video and restart it for the reveal.

You Choose: read the interpretation below or use PeaceTarot ebook (download from the Etsy shop)  Use it along with the card draw videos to learn to do DIY one card Tarot meditations, even if you don’t have a Tarot deck!

Left: King of Wands. Being the leader of your internal kingdom is a big responsibility. The buck stops with you for the things you say and do whether you own up to that responsibility or not. At the same time, it is good to be the king. You don’t have to have every answer at every moment. You are perfectly allowed to make yourself comfortable within that internal space, within your own skin. Being who you are, where you are and engaged with this moment of living is leadership enough. 

Center: Three of Wands. Every moment is a new horizon. Watch for your chance. Watch for your moment. A fresh start is always at hand. Wait and watch for the perfect one for you. There is a positive, optimistic energy around the card, like watching the sunrise. Watch for good things.

Rignt: Four of Wands. Solid and stable, the four of wands is associated with family foundations, and a celebration of the things that keep you grounded. “Put down roots” comes to mind. What makes you feel grounded, balanced, solid and stable? Look for those kinds of people and things. It’s been a weird couple of months. This is a good week to steady yourself.

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Apart But Not Alone

We are all connected. Emerson tells us that the greatest gift one can give is a portion of ourselves. With that piece of generosity, through the interconnectedness of everything, if we give that piece of ourselves we discover the Cosmos – and it is us.

Today’s Tarot: Grind

 

The Five of Wands has long been associated with conflict and challenge – but it is not insurmountable. I don’t know of any Tarot cards that are hopeless. There are “change course”, or “cut it loose and move on” types of  messages, but never an “give up it’s over” kind of message. This may seem close. It isn’t going to be easy. Life seldom is. The message from the Five of Wands isn’t give up. It’s quite the opposite. It is a call to persist. We’ve made it to the point where now we know what to do (stay the heck at home, etc.) Now is the time to do it. And keep doing it. Then do it some more. It’s time to grind.

Yes, things are inside out and upside down. In an ideal world, our future selves will look back, figure out just what went wrong, and try to figure out what we need to do to stay out of this particular sh*tstorm. But how is that going to help here and now that everything has hit the fan and we are right in the middle of it?

Grind.

Just do it. Fake it until you make it. “Don’t think yourself into a new way of doing, do yourself into a new way of thinking.

On that big, gestalt, general energy, zeitgeist level, it feels to me like there has been another shift in the wind. The past several days have been a pleasant respite. That was the eye of the hurricane. Now we are headed back into it for the second half of the initial storm. There are more waves on the horizon, but we’ll cross that energy bridge when we get to it. 

For now, do what needs done without over thinking it. Persistence will overcome.

It may not be a good time for spirituality. There may not be energy to spare for that. If that is where you mind, heart and energy lies, this card suggests a present moment attention, like a minor arcana echo to the Chariot card. This card suggests that Zen is a good spiritual approach to take in the challenges to come. Think Shaolin Monk. Think Samurai. Whatever level of potato peeling you may be doing, the idea is as Alan Watts said:

“Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is to just peel the potatoes.”

– Alan Watts

 

Today’s Tarot: The Art of Art

The Knight of Cups is typically about chivalry, and romance, and that Arthurian kind of knight-in-shiney-armour kind of thing. It is sometimes related to art and artists.

As always these days, it is relatable to those of us staying at home. The art piece of this is getting my attention today. When we look back on the social media of these months, I hope everyone remembers the museum at home art challenge thing. I have no idea how it started. I think ultimately it came from museaums posting pictures of pieces from their collection (something MOMA, Musee D’Orsay and others do all the time anyway) on Instagram. When the shutdow happened, other museums became more visible, sharing famous works with the hash #museumfromhome. From there it evolved to people replicating famous artworks with whatever they have on hand during quarantine. It is nothing short of amazing. Please, please, please check it out. The ones that work in a roll of toilet paper or a few are my favorites because that was such a thing and a source of giggles early on in this.

Someone once said that art is something that exists only for its own sake. I don’t 100% agree. I’m fond of art that has usefulness. Tarot for example. It is ephemeral folk performance art of sorts, but has psychological, stress relieving, diversion and entertainment utility.

I define art as that which evokes emotion.

Other than that, no rules about aesthetics or utility. A hand knit sweater can be art because it evokes feeling of comfort, warmth, or associations with the person who created it if it was a gift and so on. The Dada movement appreciated art that was provokative, confronting unpleasant emotions. Even if your response is “eeeww” or “pfft – I could do that” it is still a response, it is still engaging with the artwork, and it is still art. True enough, not all emotion eliciting art has a practical use. If one of Bob Ross’ trees make you happy, then that is more than enough.

And there you have it folks…my college art minor put to good use.

Which brings us back to the Knight of Cups. It is a good reminder that not everything musst have a purpose, and that we can emotionally engage with anything.

Interestingly enough, this also reinforces the message from yesterday about simple pleasures. If you want to re-create a painting and post it online because it amuses you, then that is reason enough to do it. I you want to wear your rattiest old sweater because it makes you feel comfortable, that is reason enough. If you want to gaze out the window at a dandilion in the grass because it is so bright yellow in the sun and it takes your mind off other things for a split second…that is reason enough. That dandilion become art. Life is art and art is life, connected, engaged, and mindful.

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Today’s Tarot: When life hands you unbranded gelatin dessert

I dunno who writes them, but their kind of a comic genius, whoever they are.

I don’t know if they still make them, but Hallmark had a series of cards featuring the lovably salty Maxine. That is exactly the flavor of the advice that is coming through the Ten of Swords today.

Like Maxine says, when life hands you lemons, stuff ’em in your bra. Knowing how to deal with adversity can be, as she said, as “easy as nailing Jell-o to a tree”

Sometimes life sucks. The beautiful thing about Tarot is it has that covered, too. Not everything is all sparkly rainbows and ice cream cones. Cards like the Ten of Swords can be a pep talk about getting up the eighth time after being knocked down seven, or it can validate how you really feel. It is a card that gives permission to take a little time and space when you need it. It’s for when you just want to forget the get-ups and math lesson, and just stay down there a minute. You don’t heal, emotionally or physically by neglecting a wound.

When you get knocked down you don’t have to hop right up and nail gelatin dessert to the nearest shrubbery. Just don’t stay down there stuffing citrus in your underwear forever and it’ll be ok.

Today’s Tarot: It’s OK to be OK

“There is no problem without a gift for you in its hands” – Richard Bach

“If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, then you probably haven’t checked with your answering service lately” – Hawkeye Peirce

Energies are starting to shift.

Pentacles have been in our face the past month or so, with good reason, calling our attention to the physical realm and asking us to be practical. It was time to “work the problem” and do what needs done, even if what needs done is to stay the heck at home.

The Ten is different this time. The ten, being the largest of the number cards, not only symbolizes a good ending or a good outcome (and reassures us that better times are ahead) but also points to intangible things more than the other numbered pentacle cards. The ten reminds us of a good outcome that is made of all the things that money can never buy. Health, happiness, love, family, peace, contentment and all of the abstract things essential to the human spirit.

There is nothing wrong with experiencing those things, even in the middle of chaos, boredom or isolation. We aren’t a victim of circumstance if we deal with our circumstances and move on to value the important things beyond it. It is OK to be OK in spite of it all. It’s OK to give up diversions for a while when the important things are still there. It is OK to adapt to circumstances, especially when weird circumstances are teaching us what our important things are.

Update: The $5 off email readings has been extended to May 8 to match our local stay at home orders. I’ve tweeked the website just a little bit in spots to make it a little more useable on phones and tablets. Mobile or not, feel free to browse around, check out the new organization on the pages and menu. Eyes open! The free one card digital  InkMagick Tarot reading by email is still available, so look for the free Tarot and special offer links.

Today’s Tarot: Lingering Winter

The Five of Penticals still points very strongly to the physical realm. When I do these readings, it is with the intent of reading the general energies and hopefully giving a reading that is thought provoking or in some way helpful to the broadest audience possible.

Today there is a sense of a three way split, with a slightly different idea for each group.

Again, at least here in the U.S. the pandemic is the top of mind issue and the dominant energy. All three, however, reming of long winters. We are in the late January equivalent of this energy wave. We are in the dark heart of a long and lingering winter, do to speak.

Some may feel cautiously optimistic. You are right, this will end, but for a long while and not with rainbows and unicorns you might think. Nurture that optimism, it is like a flower poking up through the snow. But don’t get too carried away just yet. Temper and balance that optimism with realism and practicality. This isn’t over yet. Don’t panic, things will change, but at their pace, not ours. Plan in case scarcity last longer than you think.

Others may feel just plain terrible, and the bleak imagery on most five of coins cards captures that feeling. You are totally justified in feeling that way. Things are terrible in a lot of ways for a lot of people. The initial zinging panic energy has already changed, even if it has changed into the low level him of persistent existential dread. There’s no easy remedy for that kind of mental and emotional headspace. I’m not talking about real depression or genuine mental health need, which is far outside the scope of this kind of this kind of blog. It speaks to the normal funk of a person put in a funky situation beyond their control. Here I get the mental image and sound of “it can’t rain all the time” from the movie “The Crow.” In 1816, a volcanic eruption in the south Pacific caused an ash cloud so severe that it caused crop failures in Europe. Even in that “year without a summer” Yes, things suck. Don’t deny or minimize how you feel about it, but at the same time don’t let it affect what DO about it. Persist. Keep plodding on through the deep snow drifts. It might be along winter, but it isn’t a forever winter. You aren’t in this alone. To continue the analogy with winter, we are all freezing our buns off together to one extent or another. You might be in an isolated cabin by yourself, but you are not in the storm alone.

The third group has pretty much just snapped. Cabin fever has boiled over. Whether they have carried an enormous burdon or were just fragile to start, some have been pushed beyond their means to cope and are operating from a place of fear and anger. That person isn’t reading this and probably couldn’t hear anything the card might suggest anyway.

It falls to the rest of us to protect ourselves from lingering in a place like that and from those who do. Whether you are walking around harboring a glimmer of hope, like sunshine on a freezing afternoon or if you are sitting in fully overcast gloom, we got this. Yes, mind your resources. Yes, honor your genuine feelings. Winter can sometimes linger, but it never lasts forever.