Tag: romance

Today’s Tarot: What Does It Take?

The Ten of Cups is one of the most idyllic cards in the deck. It is about as rainbows and unicorns as it gets. Good news all around, especially if you feel optimistic and forward looking. This is a card you want to drop into your future. This is where you want to be headed. Especially when it involves the love, romance and relationship suit of cards, right?

It is also where you want to be right now. I can see how this card can be a pin prick to people who have suffered losses. The card can be a hopeful sign of where you are headed, or it can be a painful reminder of what you don’t have. As with everything, perception plays a large role.

What is missing? What would it take to make your present moment into a Ten of Cups moment?

Filling a need and getting something you don’t have in order for life to be happy can be both difficult and risky. What will you do if you get your whatever-it-is, but still aren’t happy?

Here is your real challenge: What would it take to turn your present moment into a Ten of Cups moment without adding anything new?

Philosophy

Tarot doesn’t tell you what is going to happen in life; Tarot helps you figure out what to do when life happens.

Today’s post is my philosophy about Tarot in a nutshell.  It’s still kind of a big read, but I hope you will stay with it. By the end you’ll know if I’m the right intuitive Tarot reader for you or not. The full version of TaoCraft Portfolio will cover all of this in detail. The free download version tells you about the practical side of readings (formats and such.) You can get the free download HERE and visit the other links on the “about” page for more details

Predicting The Future

It’s impossible.

I’m not going to hand you a platter of easy answers. I’m not going to blow a lot of feel-good smoke at you. This is advanced Tarot and spiritual work intended to inspire you, to empower you, to expand your horizons or best of all, to validate the things you already know.

If all you want is 100% accurate predictions, then you should find someone else. If you want razzle-dazzle mentalism and someone to fix everything then [Jedi hand wave] I’m not the psychic you are looking for.

BUT if you are ready for growth and self-discovery, if you are ready for imagination and exploration and possibilities, then this style of Tarot can help. I hope we can work together soon.

Related post: 100% accurate predictions and a big cube of jello

Relationship Questions

Your reading will focus on you, and you alone.

Why not? You are paying for it. A reading should be something special just for you.

Tarot can’t read minds or tell what other people will do. Tarot doesn’t know what other people think, feel or want. Out of respect for everyone’s privacy and personal dignity, I never read anyone’s energy without their direct knowledge and consent. So no, my readings can’t tell if you and your ex will get back together. Instead, a reading can explore how you can heal, if that is what you need. It can help you discover the path to being your best and happiest self. Loving life and feeling at ease right here, right now, is the most powerful way to the discover the right relationship for you.

In some very rare and very special times, the other person will lend a little energy to the reading and give us some vague sense of them. Again, it is very rare and a loving gift from them to you. It is a special experience that should always be respected but never expected. If it does happen for you in a reading, please be careful about talking about it with the person who sent the energy. Many times they are unaware of what happened on a conscious level. Finding out about the reading after the fact is a pretty big intrusion. It may make them feel uncomfortable or hurt. Discretion and kindness are always the best way to handle such things.

Medical or Pregnancy Questions

No. Nope. uh-uh. Not happening.

It isn’t about some fancy Tarot “ethics.” Taking medical questions is a big liability in a litigious society like ours, but that is only part of why I won’t touch medical or pregnancy questions. The main reason is that Tarot is wildly ineffective at dealing with medical concerns.

It. Just. Doesn’t. Work.

I’ve worked in mainstream medicine. I’ve worked with holistic and natural health. You have to have the right tool for the right job. You wouldn’t use your cell phone to hammer nails. You wouldn’t use a hammer to make a phone call. By that same token, you don’t use Tarot to deal with health and healing. There are lots of tools in the wellness toolkit: Diet, exercise, Reiki, meditation, aromatherapy, herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, ayervedic medicine, hypnotherapy, physical therapy, art therapy, music therapy, and yes, mainstream medicine too.

Tarot is not one of these health tools. It is true that some physical ailments heal quicker once you discover their emotional or spiritual roots of the disease IF there are any. Tarot might help that process to a limited extent. Sometimes there is no deep spiritual connection. Some health issues are random and out of our control. Medical issues might be a product of injury, environment or genetics. Tarot can help manage the stress these kinds of problems cause, BUT AGAIN, Tarot is not the best option. Reiki and meditation are more effective tools for discovering the spiritual roots of illness and managing the stress health concerns can cause. As for Tarot….

None of the books, blog posts or services offered on TaoCraftTarot.com can diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness whatsoever. Nothing offered here can take the place of professional health or mental health care. I accept no liability of any kind real or implied. Use these books and services entirely at your own risk. Scheduling any session with me indicates that you have read, understood and accept these terms and the policies listed HERE.

All Are Welcome

I want my readings to be comfortable and welcoming for everyone.

To do that, I avoid divisive topics like politics and religion. If anything like that comes up in a reading, I will give the message as I get it. Beyond a few references to religious rituals and practices, I have never had religious or political ideology come up as a message in a reading. I will not allow antagonistic or inappropriate conversation to mar a session. I reserve the right to terminate a reading at any time at my sole discretion with no refund  in order to maintain a safe and respectful reading environment.

I shouldn’t have to say these things, but I want to be very clear about a few things: I am a LGBTQIA+ ally, and all are absolutely welcome with me – as are secular people and those of non-mainstream religions. Like I said, I don’t do religion and politics. I believe humans are wonderfully complex, like a faceted diamond. Many facets coexist just fine, in all of us. I’m atheist, spiritual, Taoist, Buddhist, witchy, and Reiki-y all at the same time. All the parts of you are welcome here too.

Interested? Please visit the home page to order a distance reading or please contact me at TaoCraftTarot@gmail.com to schedule a live phone or skype reading.

YouChoose Interactive Tarot: know, share, flow

Left: The Lovers. Know your real desires, and prioritize them. Some days living your dream and working toward long term goals is the place to put your energy. Other days, the priority is just to make it through the day. Not every day has to be spent chasing lofty goals. Some days are best spent on the basics like food and sleep. I helps to know what your heartfelt desires really are and where you are in the hierarchy of those desires.

Center: Ten of Coins. Even though coins / Pentacles are associated with the element of earth, and the practical physical realm…typically things like career and money / wealth….the ten reminds us that money can’t buy happiness. There a treasures beyond coins. Happiness is a treasure trove that can never be spent…the more you give, the more you have.

Right: Six of Swords. Go with the flow to see where obstacles really exist…and where they are illusions. Swords have to do with air, intellect and mind. Things that seem in front of us (like the swords stuck in the canoe) may not be as much of an obstruction as it seems. In astronomy and science they can infer information from other direct observations. Newton figured out gravity from seeing an apple fall from a tree. Astronomers can get proof of Einstein’s theory by observing the way starlight bends around the sun during an eclipse. They can discover other planets by observing the way other stars appear to dim and brighten. You can do the same. By watching the natural flow of life, you can see where there are really rocks in the stream ahead, and what is just something in your boat blocking your view. Remember Bruce Lee and “Be water my friend.”

 

Vision 2020: Tarot of the Heart

Since we just wrapped up the Valentine season and the “My Tarot Valentine 2020 series” it only makes sense to start the Vision 2020 series with romance and relationship readings.

From my side of the table, relationship and romance readings are some of the trickiest to do. The intuitive part isn’t difficult. The energy is as easy as easy to interpret as any other topic, but delivering the intuitive message requires an extra dose of care and professionalism .

Generally, people don’t turn to Tarot readings when their love life is all rainbows and unicorns. That’s just how the human heart works. When a relationship is good we just celebrate it and forget Tarot, which is as it should be. When people come to the cards for romance guidance, it is for a reason. Usually that reason is not a happy one.

Often the pain of loneliness draws a client to a reading.  However the client words the question, “Will I ever meet my soulmate or am I going to die alone and miserable?” gives you the gist of it. This should never be minimized or trivialized even when it comes from a young person. The pain is very real to them. They are up to their eyes in it, and likely can’t see beyond it the way objective outsiders can.  A desperate longing for a marriage or long term partnership deserves a gentle touch and above all gentle honesty. It’s great to be able to deliver optimistic news and give a sense that a relationship is on the horizon. It is no fun to tell a person who is hurting that their deep desire is not in the cards. Many times they hear “not now” or “such-and-such has to happen first” as a flat “no.” If you are a Tarot reader, expect blow-back in those situations. A few perceptive souls can hear the “not now” kind of message. Others will go straight to anger and defensiveness. They need time beyond the scope of a Tarot session. Either the flare of anger will pass and a relationship will find them in its time and place, or they will repeat the cycle of unlearned lessons that brought them to the reading in the first place. Either way, the Tarot reader’s honesty helps them move along their life path closer to the loved one that they seek. Platitudes, predictions, smoke and mirrors are cold comforts that serve no one.

On the other side of the same coin, there are people who are already in important relationships. They come to Tarot readings when they are having problems or the relationship has ended. A few of these are relieved to be freed from a stressful relationship by a breakup or divorce, but are struggling with “what’s next?” Most are heartbroken. They are looking for ways to heal the relationship before it ends or to “get back together” after it does. This brings us to the trickiest part of a relationship reading: the other person.

There are two main considerations when a reading turns to any person other than the client themselves.

First, it just doesn’t work. It is back to hammers and cell phones. You wouldn’t use a cell phone to pound a nail and you can’t make a phone call with a hammer. Tarot simply can’t read minds. It can’t tell you if your ex still loves you or if you will get back together or why they won’t answer your calls.

The second and equally important consideration is the other person’s privacy and dignity. I find it ethically wrong to try and read anyone, whether it is actually possible or not, without their knowledge and consent. Consider what happens to that person on an energetic level, even if they are unaware that a psychic is reaching out to them. How would you feel if a stranger looked at your heart and mind and told your ex everything they saw, all behind your back?

Given all of that, I think it wisest to just not take any third party questions. Third party means anyone other than the person reading the cards and the person getting the reading. If you are reading for yourself, that means the cards are about you, and you alone.

There are exceptions, even to this rule. In some rare, wonderful circumstances that other person will voluntarily lend their energy to the reading. If that happens, of course I will say what I sense. When that happens, I view it as the third person’s consent on a soul level. Most of all it is a gift  from that third person to the client. I will always say if energy comes in on its own, but never go out and seek it. In other words, the reading always accepts energy that comes in, but never reaches out to read energy without invitation. I always instruct the client to use discretion if they talk about the reading and the energy gift with the person who sent it. The other person may not be consciously aware that their energy touched the reading, and it is impossible to guess how they might react to the idea.

Romance and relationship readings deserve special consideration. They guide as usual, but also deal with some stronger than usual emotions. Tarot respects those emotions at the same time it respects the privacy and consent of everyone involved. Through it all, Tarot has a heart as it guides you through affairs of the heart.

 

My Tarot Valentine 2020: Queen of Pentacles

Heart of Star Tarot by Thom Pham. Used with permission.

There are a million was to show affection.

Sometimes it is a smile to a stranger. Or making a favorite meal. Or not saying anything when it’s not your favorite meal. Or asking if you have your keys and phone. Or putting a little extra salt on the ice by where you park your car. Or sending a random funny meme. Or letting yourself nap. Or giving an extra long hug. Chocolates are nice, but the little everyday sprinkles of love are the best.

My Tarot Valentine 2020: Page of Cups

pagecups

Laugh.

Can you laugh together? Laughter is both a glue and a healing balm.

A loved one’s genuine, happy laughter will delight you to your bones.

Happiness is attracted to laughter, and true love is attracted to happiness.