Tag: tarot reading

A sip of Tarot: magic in many forms

Today’s card is the Magician from the major arcana.

The magician card is traditionally associated with transformation and manifestation. Today’s energy goes along with both. To change things, to transform them, you have to do something differently. To make something, to manifest anything, you first have to first do something.

The broader concept of change would, of course, fall under the Death card. The focus here is cause and effect. The focus here is in the doing. Do nothing and there is no change for the death card to symbolize. The science folks call that inertia.

The magician card often has the symbols of the four minor arcana suits on it. The magician uses all of the elements, all of the concepts from the minor suits and applies them to the concept of transformation and manifestation. The magician incorporates all the ways of doing. All of the suits have various connections to thinking, doing, deciding, withholding, experiencing, all of which are elements of transformation and manifestation.

First decide what you want to change or create. Then do something to start on that new path. Lay the foundation. Do the thing that becomes the cause for the desired effect. Anyone can work that magic.

Thank you for reading and listening to “A sip of Tarot.” on the TaoCraft Tarot blog and Clairvoyant Confessional podcast. Stay tuned for more (almost) daily meditation style Tarot readings in the time it takes to sip from a cup of morning coffee.

Time to make the sausage

Today’s card is the King of Pentacles

It’s Monday.

At least it is as I pulled this card and type this post.

Intuition is weird. It is very Heisenberg uncertainty principle. If you look at a card reading through the lens of a moment in time, it cuts it off from the greater flow of time. Kind of like screen capturing a movie as it plays.

Some readings, like today, are meant for that. They are intended for the moment.

Doing Tarot readings on the internet is weird.

Whatever you read or write can be accessed anywhere at any time by anyone. Tarot, intuition, energy and spirit are good with that. After all, this present moment is a connected, unified part of that big giant wibbly wobbly lump of everything. If you look at a card through the lens of that unified timelessness, it cuts it off from the present moment a little bit.

Like Heisenberg, you can know a particles exact location or you can know how fast it is moving but not both at the same time. Same thing here. You can connect a card to this present moment and hope it resonates with whatever other moment someone stumbles across it, or you can connect it to the larger energy which doesn’t capture the moment of the reading.

This card, here, now today is resonating with a reading for the moment.

It’s Monday.

Be kind to the head of your household, whoever it might be. Mom. Dad. You.

It is one of those pour some coffee, time to make the donuts, this is how the sausage gets made, get to it, get through it, no frills kind of Mondays. Good luck and godspeed *raises mug of coffee*

Speaking of mugs, any support you can spare goes toward creating the Clairvoyant Confessional podcast, the card draw videos, and the blog. A Sip of Tarot (almost) daily meditation nano-episodes are available on multiple platforms. Thank you so much for listening, watching and reading!

Your Turn

Tarot Turnovers flips the script on YouChoose Interactive Tarot readings: I choose the card, YOU give the meaning.

Today’s card is Judgement.

Possible meanings include

  • consequences for your actions
  • karma is coming into play
  • rise from the ashes – a second chance is coming
  • don’t keep punishing yourself. Pay your dues and move on
  • use reason and sound judgement to make the decision
  • Where are you being too lenient or judging too harshly

Few quick reminders:

  • Zombie Cat yes/no Tarot readings by email are $5 off until Halloween 10-31-21. Ask Zombie Cat ANYTHING. The readings are 100% GUARANTEED to contain words, but have a 50% chance of being dead wrong.
  • All tips given to the virtual coffee mug supports this blog, the YouTube videos that show the (almost) daily real-world card draw and the Clairvoyant Confessional podcast.
  • The podcast now features the (almost) daily “Sip of Tarot” nano episodes. Get a one card Tarot meditation in the time it takes to sip from your morning coffee
  • The NEW membership tier, only available on ko-fi is now live. For $5 per month you get a seat at the reading table with a monthly members-only pathway reading, random special offers and giveaways, and a private “year ahead” reading by email when you join.
  • in-person readings are available on a *very limited* basis and face masks are required throughout the reading, no exceptions. No mask = no reading & no refund.
  • Watch for a special new feature to be announced here in the blog on Halloween

A Sip of Tarot: Go to the source

Today’s card is Strength from the major arcana part of the Tarot deck

The strength card is so iconic. It is one of those where the images and symbolism seem pretty consistent across many if not most Waite-Smith based Tarot decks. You almost always see a lion, or some reference to one. Lions have long been a symbol of strength, and yes, I am currently suppressing the urge to imitate the opening line of the “Lion King” movie.

The infinity symbol in the upper left corner of this particular card by Tarot reader and artist Thom Pham is fairly consistent on all Strength and Magician Tarot cards. That is the part that draws my attention this morning.

What is an infinite source of strength?

The answer will, naturally, be different for everyone. It’s the question that matters. Tarot will often ask individual questions rather than give universal answers. There is no universal answer that fits every individual person, but in answering these key questions for yourself, then you will find your way.

In BBC tv show Doctor Who, Clara often says something like “the souffle isn’t in the souffle, it’s in the recipe.” It’s the same idea here. The answer isn’t in the answer, the answer is in the question.

On one hand, Tarot cards asking questions seems evasive and vague and fuel for all of those pedantic skeptical arguments against this kind of spiritual contemplation. On the other hand, asking the just-right question for you to find your own, intimate, individual answer is like a giant flashing neon arrow pointing to exact tree you need in a dark, dense forest. The right question gives as much guidance as the right answer.

Everyone feels tired, injured, fragile or vulnerable sometimes. This card isn’t a pep talk, cheerleader or empty platitude to just go be strong every minute of every day. It’s asking a key question. It’s asking what is your individual source of strength? What is your inspiration, your restorative and your spiritual nourishment? It’s asking you to find it now so it is there when you need it.

Don’t forget: Zombie Cat yes/no Tarot readings by email are $5 off until 31 October 21. “A Sip of Tarot” daily meditation Tarot readings are available here, in even shorter form on YouTube, and wherever you listen to Clairvoyant Confessional podcast.

A Sip of Tarot: For the First Time

Apt title for the renaming fest that always seems to happen in October. I hope you’ll give Clairvoyant Confessional podcast “Confession #8” a listen to hear what this “sip of tarot” thing is about.

Today’s card is the Six of Cups.

It is most often associated with innocence, nostalgia, childhood, simplicity.

As you can guess, the simplicity thing resonates for me.

But today it is the childhood/child-like aspect that is most energy forward.

A long time ago, I read an interview with Luc Bessom, the director and writer for The Fifth Element, one of my favorite movies. When it was released in ’97 I was training and teaching both tai chi and kung fu, so the scene where Leeloo takes out a room full of Mangalores was high on my list of reasons to like the film. The interview with the director was talking about casting and why he chose Mila Jovovich to play Leeloo. He said she captured that sense of innocence, the feeling of seeing things for the very first time. At the same time, the character required that she have a sense of strength and competence and the essence of the “supreme being” that she was. Star Man and Dr. Vanderspeigle from Resident Alien are other fiction characters with this quality.

That is the head space that the six of cups is pointing toward today. A fresh, child LIKE look at a problem or a situation doesn’t have to abandon your hard earned competence and knowledge in the process. Brain bleach doesn’t exist. There are some things you can’t un-see, but you can always re-see for the first time.

Experienced eyes can be innocent eyes again.

Sunday #Short Tarot Turnover: Strength

With these videos, let’s flip the #interactive script. Instead of you choosing the card, and I give you an interpretation, this time I’ll choose the card….but YOU choose the meaning that best fits you: Today’s Card is Strength from the major arcana

  • Be strong – someone around you needs somebody to lean on
  • Be strong – Take the high road. The best way is almost never the easiest
  • Be strong – “just do it” is sometimes the best way to discover just how strong you really are.

LEARN TO READ TAROT

Think of these Sunday videos as a way to strengthen your relationship with your own intuition. If you want to improve your Tarot skills watch these “Tarot Turnovers” every week and practice the techniques and exercises in my ebook PeaceTarot available for download HERE

Reminder

New stuff announced on the equinox includes: “Reiki and Relaxation” (my doctoral dissertation) is available for download is the newest item in my NEW ko-fi shop. Watch form more updates to come. ZOMBIE CAT IS BACK on the home page and yes/no readings are $5 off until Halloween ’21.

YouChoose Interactive Tarot: Making Online Tarot Personal

Well, isn’t this opposite day?!

This time, if you want to hear the more detailed card interpretation, it’s in the video. I’m not telling you which meaning is which card, so I hope you’ll watch at least the first bit of the video to choose your card and see the reveal. If you want to spend a little time and feel it out, just pause the video then restart to see which one you picked.

Nothing in Tarot is 100%. The card might not feel right. That’s OK. Claim one of the others if it feels more helpful. Or find another video / blog post and try again to find guidance that resonates with YOU – here, now, today. It doesn’t matter when the video was made or the post was written. The right message has a way of finding you sooner or later.

I hope you’ll follow the blog if you haven’t already – that way you get ALL the new content, video and print-only, right in your inbox or WordPress reader.

The Heirophant: How are you being too much (or not enough) of a people pleasing rule follower. Thank you to all activists who speak for us whenever we’re not sure what to say.

Nine of Swords: Is the thing that’s keeping you up at night really worth losing sleep over? What are you making bigger than it is? Let go what needs to go and get some real sleep.

Eight of Pentacles: Just do it. Set aside any high minded spirituality or over-intellectualizing and peel the potatoes, chop the wood and carry the water.

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The Equinox announcement list so far:

  • Zombie Cat yes/no Tarot readings by email are $5 off until Halloween. Get yours HERE
  • the ko-fi shop is open with ebooks available for purchase and instant download
  • The virtual tip mug is open, which supports the production of this blog, podcasts and YouTube videos
  • Clairvoyant Confessional season 2 begins soon, such as it is. Evil villian monolog style still applies. Send your questions for a free on-air Tarot reading to ClairvoyantConfessional@gmail.com

Today’s Tarot: Up in the Air

I think the bothersome thing about the 8 of wands is the way it reminds us of how little control we really have sometimes.

The card reminds us that something is up in the air. Something is pending that is beyond our reach.

A classic example is arrows in flight. You do what you can, you control what you are able to control – you aim, you choose how to pull the bow, when to let go – but once you shoot the arrow you can’t control it anymore. You can account for the wind when you aim, but if an unexpected gust comes, you can re-aim mid flight. All you can do is wait for the arrow to land and then react to that outcome, whatever it may be.

If you feel drawn to this card today, wait a little. Whatever is on your mind, cool your jets, let the process play itself out. Something is up in the air and out of your control (which is most things for most of us most days, I’ll grant you)

Today’s Tarot: Two sides of the same sword

It’s interesting.

Try this if you can. I’m guessing that professional readers do this all the time. I do. If you are a Tarot fan, a comparative study of card meanings is a satisfying deep dive.

In the two of swords is today’s case in point. Every reference gives a range of meanings or keywords. As always, use your intuition. I like to take the top level meaning that stands out to instinct and most captures my attention whenever I do one of these comparisons.

Diane Morgan in Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao is one of my favorites with “mystical unity.” Ellen Dugan, in the Witches Tarot points out conflict or incongruities between heart and mind. Ted Andrews, in Animal Wise Tarot, points out the balancing of heart and mind for “right use of power.” In the same vein as this proper use of power, Thom Pham includes impartiality in his Heart of Stars Tarot. In my mind this connects to all the other interpretations in that it hints at disengaging both heart and mind and bringing impartiality to difficult decisions where indecision otherwise reigns.

Although they all have different points of view, artistic styles, themes and philosophical backgrounds, none of the interpretations conflict or are wide outliers. They all fall on a spectrum of meaning and energy. Tarot cards are far more than one meaning. That’s why intuition is important in readings, coequal with memorizing card meanings. Each card has an entire sliding scale spectrum of meanings, connotations and emotions. Memorization isn’t enough. If you think of the card in terms of visual light, then learning Tarot is like learning all the colors of 78 rainbows. Mental effort isn’t enough.

The Two of Swords is the perfect card for today. It shows us the unity along a spectrum that multiple tarot readers can have. They may dial into one color or another, but we all dial into the same spectrum of energy and beauty.

The card reminds us of mind and heart, intellect and intuition, balanced in mystical unity to give us wise, impartial decisions and lead us to the right use of power.

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I bring every bit of knowledge and professionalism that I have to everything I write and every reading that I do. I got my first deck, Carson & James’ Medicine Cards, in 1991. To celebrate, seven card Tarot readings by email are $1 for each year of care reading experience until September 20, 2021 when it returns to the usual $40 (why that day? It’s the last full day of summer. I have other stuff planned for the equinox and after.) Get ’em while they are summer hot!

Your support on ko-fi goes toward creating blog posts, podcasts and the interactive YouChoose videos https://ko-fi.com/taocrafttarot

Thank you so much for reading and watching!

Today’s Tarot: Stand by the Van

There were a lot of things that sprang to mind with this card today. I’d just been watching the news, and the draconian law in Texas was still fresh in mind of course. Young social activists came to mind: Greta Thunberg, Yolanda Renee King, the March for our Lives Rally and more.

But the card isn’t speaking TO them, it is speaking to the rest of us ABOUT them. Listen to them. Help them. Protect them. The king is leadership and sometimes leadership means putting someone else better suited to the job in charge. Sometimes leadership is showing others who to follow by following them.

I’m old.

I’m on the leading edge of the GenX cohort. THAT’s who I want to talk to today, because brothers and sisters, we have fucked up. As we came of age in the Reagan era, we failed to vote. We failed to do what these kids are doing and if we had we might not have eliminated their problem but we certainly could have lessened the desperation that we all now face.

We blew a lot of things on our watch…not that it’s over. There is no hope that I can see of winning the hearts and minds of boomers. All we can do there is to listen to and support the few badasses that generation has left. We may have blew our chance to be the vanguard of real progress, so now is our time to kick down the doors and get out of the way of the kids who are.

The sword on the card speaks of protection. The king image speaks of decision and leadership. It falls to us to protect and facilitate and lend any scrap of wisdom or insight we might posses as a new wave of activism comes crashing in behind us.

You might have thought we were beyond it, but welcome to the bigger Thunderdome, GenX. We aren’t the children of the apocalypse. We are Mad Max now. We don’t need a hero. We need to BE the hero. Our time has come to fly these kids out of the hellscape we allowed to happen.

Be the hero you’ve been waiting for.