Tag: minor arcana

Energy Path Tarot for 8/28 – 9/4

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Major arcana energy is right in the middle of it.

You know that moon energy that has been lingering the past few weeks? The same message is here but in a more direct, confrontational way. Major arcana cards tend to be more energetic, urgent, profound, far reaching…you name it.

The literal full moon is in two days. I chalk that up to a good old fashioned Jungian sychronicity – a meaningful coincidence. The Moon card has shifted to the Death card, but the energy of change remains.

As we all know from watching the Simpsons, the death card isn’t literal death…it is a big change. It’s not ‘you are going to get hit by a bus’ death, it is the death of an old view, action, persona…the “old” you that makes way for a new you. This is the ‘natural cycle’ energy from the past few week’s Moon card and the ‘only the empty cup can be filled’ energy we talked about last week but with the volume turned up to 11.

The cup is brimming, and is soon to turn over. The moon is nearly full, it’s time for tides to turn. This week feels like a tipping point of some sort.

Maybe it is the outrageously loud pavement cutting and water line work that is going on in front of my house right now, but I have a twitchy, gut churning ‘bad feeling about this’ worthy of Princess Leia. Something is up somewhere, but I don’t know what and I don’t know when. All I can do is sit here and take my own advice.

Fading energy: Queen of Pentacles, reversed. The Queen of Pentacles in any orientation is about nurturing. Often it is about nurturing yourself to preserve your capacity to help and nurture others. The reversal makes it feel like a reminder to let others nurture you. We all need a little care. If you don’t even have the reserves to care for yourself, allow others to help. Just ask nicely. It’s that simple. The fading energy here may be ours. It doesn’t feel like a go-getter, entrepreneurial kind of week. Astrology might blame it on the Mercury in the microwave phenomenon – it feels like a bigger pattern, more of a tectonic shift than a zippy little optical illusion.

Current Energy: Death. The funky mojo energy reminds me of the beginning of covid to be honest. Maybe we are finally shifting out of that phase of human history. It doesn’t feel quite like impending doom, but a sea change of some sort. Sea change is a good way to put it…it connects with the moon cycle, ebb and flow imagery that has been so prominent lately. The phrase “Brave New World” comes to mind, although it doesn’t feel like an Aldus Huxley reference at all. The unknown can be gut-twistingly frightening. Maybe that is the bell ringing resonant energy that is going on here. We are finally moving out of that storm, cleaned up a little of the mess and are being forced to face facts. Everything has changed and will never be the same again.

I’m going to go put “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Beyond Thunderdome)” on loop. Maybe we are looking at the unknown beyond Thunderdome so to speak. Ah – there it is – “I wonder when we are ever gonna change, change
Living under the fear, ’til nothing else remains.” Is this going to be fear or freedom for us? I suspect it will be whichever we choose.

Growing energy: Five of Pentacles

It’s interesting that the Pentacles are the only minor arcana cards showing this week. It’s right back to that hunker down and be practical vibe from 2020. Maybe this really is the unknown other side. Again, the sense of this card as fearful or freeing is again up to us to our choice.

The card also brings to mind a TikTok I saw yesterday. I forget the creator, it was something survival. It was a very sped up video of someone who dug a hole and built a survival shelter out of branches and dry grass & mud daub. They even dug out a fireplace (about the size of a small cooler) complete with chimney.

I looked like a totally warm, dry Hobbit hole when it was done.

The Five of Pentacles is about seeking shelter in a storm.

You can focus on the storm or you can focus on the sanctuary that is available for you to take. Again, our choice.

I ‘hear’ “wrap your wisdom around you like a cloak.” Sheltering through a storm means gathering in, yin, not pushing, not being ostentatious. But it also means being happy that shelter exists to take.

Sometimes humble but sturdy and reliable is a wonderful thing. Look for those kinds of things and take whatever shelter you need this week.

Thank you for reading! Your support through likes, follows, social media shares, and comments is always appreciated! Nothing on this blog is paywalled anymore, and none of my social media is monetized so YOUR Tarot message always comes first. Your support through private readings, memberships, and virtual coffee tips are what fuels it all.

Next up – Wednesday “Odinsday Oracle” – not because I’m not particularly Norse pagan but I am, however, fond of alliteration and Neil Gaimon novels.

See you at the next sip!

Cartomancy is back

Tarot is cartomancy.

Cartomancy is just a fancy name for an intuitive reading with cards. Any cards. RWS Tarot, Lenormand Tarot, gaming cards, oracle decks, anything. I suppose you could use baseball trading cards or greeting cards if you want. The key part of it all is intuition. The important part is you, your heart, your mind, your imagination and your spirit. Cards in any style are just a tool to help us access our intuition more easily and communicate it better. As Tarot and oracle cards have become more popular and well known, the term cartomancy has become a more specific term. Cartomancy has come to mean a reading with the modern game playing deck in particular.

Tarot and the gaming deck have a long history together, albeit a fuzzy one. Some sources say the modern gaming deck is a pared down poor man’s Tarot that used only the minor arcana ostensibly to make it affordable and portable, especially for soldiers. Other sources say that the gaming deck is far older, and Tarot is an expanded gaming deck embellished to appeal to the wealthy who could afford the more intricate printing, the extra paper and had the leisure time to use it. Over time, it seems both stories carry equal weight, but personally I don’t think either story really matters.

Either way, the real upgrade in Tarot came with the Waite Smith Tarot deck in 1909. Waite Smith is the first, it seems, to put detailed unique images on the numbered cards of minor arcana.

The well-known Tarot de Marseille, dating to the 17th century, didn’t have intricate artwork on the numbered 1 – 10 cards. Instead they only showed the given number of suit symbols. The two of coins had two coins drawn on it and so on. The minor arcana of the Marseille deck is styled just like the pips of the gaming deck. Or vice versa. The “face” cards of the game deck are very akin to the “court” cards of Tarot’s minor arcana.

A modern game playing deck is, basically, an old-style Tarot deck without the major arcana or the knight cards. Do you need the major arcana to do a good reading? Not really. People do major arcana only readings all of the time. In the early days of computers and the webbernet, computerized Tarot programs would often give major-only versions for free or low cost with full price full decks – kind of like in-app purchases.

Major arcana only, minor arcana only, classic Tarot or dollar store playing cards, all cards serve the same purpose. They are just the springboard and projection screen for our innate intuition.

So why do do game-deck cartomancy at all?

Kindness, gentleness, and a light touch.

As silly as it may seem to those of us used to Tarot, the occult, and pagan aesthetic, some people are genuinely nervous about Tarot cards. Usually it stems from some old, long held religious indoctrination. Those are not easy things to overcome. Cartomancy is a kinder gentler way to explore intuition and spiritual exploration and personal growth for those who are nervous about Tarot for whatever reason.

Cartomancy is like intuition training wheels. Gaming decks have been used as a beginner deck, just like the ‘student’ line in musical instrument. Once you’ve learned your art, you can upgrade.

Personally, I think it is the exact opposite. Teaching someone to do readings with playing cards is kind of like teaching someone to swim by throwing them in the deep end of the pool. Having primaily only pips to work from, you have no choice but to rely on pure intuition.

Luckily the deep end is a good way to train in Tarot and intuition even if it isn’t so much for swimming. It’s a little like swinging a weighted bat. To mix sports metaphors, throwing a student in the deep end of the card-reading pool makes reading image laden Tarot cards seem like a breeze by comparison.

If you take Tarot lessons with me, we will learn cartomancy first. Bring your snorkle.

And yes, that is a big tease for the Autumnal Equinox roll-out announcements.

Meanwhile….

I’m bringing cartomancy readings back. If you would like a taste (or if you know someone who is interested in exploring card readings but is worried about Tarot’s oogie boogie reputation) they are available for purchase HERE . Get a three card cartomancy pathway for $10 (instead of $15 for the Tarot three card pathway reading)

An no, it isn’t a cutesy pants promotion. That’s the permanent price.

YouChoose Interactive Tarot: Heads Up Display

Sorry for the slight delay getting this up today. Did a little impromptu website setup for the hubster’s new site PGH Tai Chi.

There are reasons why my Tarot work is named what it is. Taoist philosophy has been a big part of who I am and how I live since I first learned of it in the late 1980s. That in turn lead me to Tai Chi and Wushu, which is where we met and the rest, as they say is history. We taught martial arts together and even owned a martial arts school for a time. Although a medical concern has prompted my retirement from teaching and competition, it is a deep pleasure to return to practice and to see my husbands progress in his martial arts teaching career. I am grateful for all that I’ve received from Chinese culture and how it has enriched my life. I stand in gratitude and solidarity with the AAPI community. Between my southern evangelical upbringing and what I’ve learned from exoteric Taoism, I’ll choose the Way of Virtue every time. Xie Xie.

That being said, back to this week’s cards.

Take a look at the cards in the video. Pause the video if you would like a moment to think. Restart when you are ready to see the card you choose. Or just pick quick and roll with it. Either way, I send all good wishes for your week.

All three cards together: Heads up, pay attention, look for change and be ready to act. I don’t know why, but the word “latchkey” comes through. If that makes any sense to anyone, I’d like to hear what that is about.

Left: The Chariot. This is the jet pilot card. This week life may need a heads-up display. The advice is to pay attention. If you aren’t into jet piloting, maybe a pirate will do…keep a weather eye on the horizon, changes may be coming. Pay attention to subtle signals or synchronicities that can give you valuable information for the path ahead.

Center: Death. Remember the Simpsons episode? You gotta watch out for that happy squirrel card before you have to worry about the death card being a literal thing. It is all about change. Nevermind the horizon, change feels like it is on the doorstep, and the Grim Reaper probably wants some chocolate hobnobs in a nod to Dave Turners most excellent How To Be Dead book series. Read it. You’ll need it this week from the way this card feels. Need it meaning a good laugh. Death means change. My mind is strongly drawn to the humor of the books. Stop, drop and roll with it. A spoonful of humor helps the changing go down in much more palatable way. Not all change is bad. Keep your head – and your sense of humor.

Right: Knight of Swords. Knights are action. Swords denote action – thoughtful, incisive, precise, daring action. In martial arts there is a saying that you fight like you train. If you pay attention, if you don’t fear change, if you put your heart and mind into what you do (especially if it is something you love to do) then when you are thrown into a situation where action is needed quickly, your muscles and reflexes are well trained to act. Practice, prepare, think so that if the unexpected happens you can act quickly, the right thing to do will flow from you.

All in all, heads up – Pay attention to details, prepare for change, prepare for action.

Conspicuous In Its Absence

When I do a reading, the first thing is to talk with you about your question, topic of concern, or you OK for an open reading. Then we shuffle the cards, put them into the layout you ordered (by email, you get a photo of the actual real life cards, by phone I’ll list them out for you, or whenever in-person readings come back, you can see them for your self.

Once the cards are ready, the first part in all formats bigger than a one-card, is what I call the “general pattern” where we look for any clues from the patter of cards taken as a whole. One of the things we look at is the number of major vs minor arcana cards. Of the minor arcana cards, we look at what suits are showing and how many of each suit are there.

“Negative space” is an idea from art and sculpture. The art-thing itself sets shapes and boundaries in and around the space it occupies. Kind of like a paper snowflake where the cut out parts are shapes too. Like the hearts in this one (Found this on a Google search. you can get the pattern at papersnowflakeart.com)

Sometimes, if three of the four minor arcana suits are showing, intuition will pull toward the suit that is missing as if it is being conspicuous in it’s absence and is sending a message by not showing up.

2020 has been a heck of a decade, and hindsight is 20/20 too. When we look back what can we learn? Surprisingly, I found one of those negative space, conspicuous in its absence kinds of messages when I looked back at the broad swath of cards that have shown up in the past year, a couple of patterns emerge. Early in the year, there was a preponderance of Pentacle cards, with their earthy, practical, pragmatic advice. The message was to not judge ourselves too harshly as we did what needed done during the early days of the covid pandemic. If it took pajama days and pandemic snacks to cope, so be it. If it took nuts-and-bolts, one foot in front of the other suiting up and masking up and putting food on the shelves….well, let’s just say the rest of us are very grateful. Then things shifted. Later in the Summer and Fall Cups cards stepped forward with a shift toward the intuitive and the spiritual. Wheels and worlds, Towers and Magicians, even the Devil card (Shadow Side in the Witches Tarot deck) put in an appearance.

But no Death card.

At least not in any prominent, repeating, attention-getting way. Given the profound tragedy the pandemic has brought and continues to bring, it is a wonder that the card didn’t show up every other day. With so many lost, this year has brought profound and permanent change to so, so many families.

Early in the year, there was a lot of zeitgiest, general-culture, general-society energies. If we look at the Death card from that perspective, then its absence makes more sense. Not intending to be callous toward the worst that has happened, if we remove tragedy from the card (as is its actual use and meaning….we all know the card actually isn’t a harbinger of literal death)

The Death card is about permanent change. When permenant change is conspicuously absent, maybe the big scary change isn’t so permenant on a large scale cultural level.

We’ll never regain and never forget those who were lost. There may be permanent scars from all of this. But in the end, in the very very long run, life just might get back to OK.

Today’s Tarot: A Journey Begins

Pro tip from my side of the table: When a message from a minor arcana card mirrors the basic meaning of a major arcana card, it serves to modify the intensity or impact. It can serve as a “major arcana light” sort of meaning.

In this way, the two of wands connects to the major arcana Fool card by suggesting a beginning. No only does it differ in intensity, but in quality too. The beginning or new-thing in question here isn’t the giddy thrill of a totally new project, or new path as is the flavor of the Fool’d kind of new beginning. This is a new beginning within an older, over-arcing journey or project. It doesn’t have the quality of cycles or phases that you might see with a moon card, it is more like a course adjustment, or adaptive change that has the luxury of time. Planning is a strong component of the two of wands as well. Think of it as a new phase, a change in plans, heavy on the plan part.

It connects with the Devil card reading from yesterday, but in energy, not artwork. Remember that storm on the horizen image that has been coming through lately? It’s back. Energy shifts and flows, day by day. The point in time today is slightly different from yesterday, even though that was a short 24 hours ago. On the whole, general energies are turbulent and fast moving these days, even though things may be stagnant or stuck on the individual level. It’s the difference between a general blog reading and individual custom reading. These posts are free, but apply to the group mindset. some days they are like throwing cooked spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks (metaphorically speaking – don’t waste food. Love, mom) A custom, individual reading is like a plate of your favorite dinner made exactly to your taste with your favorite seasonings. Shameless plug aside…back to the devil card yesterday.

Today that storm on the horizon energy has backed off a tiny bit, and seems more horizon-ish again. We are at a point where we can navigate again. Detour, might be a better word. It is still possible to get where we want to go, but we might need to detour around the worst of a storm, like a plane or ship might. That leads right in to the two of wands with planning, a new turn, a new direction, adaptation and newness within an older journey. Like real life hurricane warnings, at least we can try to prepare, with the spiritual equivalent of boarding up windows (define and honor healthy boundaries between self and others, personal emotions and general energies) and gathering supplies (self-care, disengaging from social media or draining relationships, etc.)

Introspection and a spiritual turn are parts of both day’s message, in energy if not in art work. Wands are associated with the element of fire, inner passions, relationship with self.

The Two of Wands has another connection to the major arcana. A globe is a common art element for the card across many decks. Connect that to the World card of the major arcana. That hints at success in the end if the plan/adaptation/new direction is enacted. It also hints that plans and actions need a gestalt, big picture, global aspect to help steer things toward that success.

Not every beginning is giddy and pure. Some beginnings are held within any given journey, project or plan. Sometimes, as now, we begin a new direction and a new plan within the old one.