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February 8, 2022February 17, 2022

Yes, I’m Still Writing About Tarot

Hello! Wonderful to see you again! I know I haven’t published any blog posts about tarot in a long while. The pandemic and the craziness of 2020-2021 kind of threw me for a loop, and my writing became very sporadic.

However, my goal for 2022 is to write more consistently.. I had thought that I would move my writing to Medium but have since had a change of heart. So without further ado …

Shalini’s New Year Tarot Spread

My tarot buddy, Shalini, and I got together a week ago for our annual, holiday hookup. We originally met at the Washington DC Tarot Society (now known as the Capitol Tarot Society) when I was still in DC. We now meet during the holidays when she comes home for a visit. She shared a cool spread with me that’s designed to provide a taste of what’s coming in the year ahead.

While we used this spread to read for each other, I decided to do one for myself a few days later with the deck I love to use use when I’m reading for myself. Carrie-Anne’s Lightseer’s Tarot always gives me deeply meaningful guidance. And I love the colorful, modern imagery and the diversity she brings to the cards.

The Spread

I like that this spread divides the year into quarters instead of months. I get a flavor for the most dominant energy that will be present during the three months of each quarter, based on where I am right now. The information from seven cards instead of 12 will be a lot easier to manage and keep in mind as each quarter unfolds.

As I shuffled the cards, I quieted my mind by focusing on my breath and then asked the cards for insight into what I can expect to be the predominant theme of each quarter of 2022, as well as the main lessons learned and to be learned in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

In the spread below, the card at the top, far right fell out of the deck as I was shuffling, so I included it with the other seven.

The Reading

Honestly, when I saw those reversals come up for the four quarters, I wanted to trash the spread and start over. In numerology, this is a “1” year for me, one of births and new beginnings, not obstacles and delays.

But I knew I needed to keep the spread because, with this deck, I usually get significant guidance that I didn’t expect when first viewing the cards. In addition, reversals aren’t necessarily “bad.” They can point to energy that is latent, present but not fully expressed, either because it needs more time to develop or something is blocking or interfering with its smooth expression.

First Quarter — The Fool reversed

This is the “new me” who is coming into being since I lost 30 pounds over the last two years. I’m trying to figure out who this new person is and what adventures she wants to undertake. Perhaps, I’m still holding back a bit on fully embracing this “1” year that will officially begin in May, my birth month.

There are lots of unknowns before me, so I’ll need to sustain as much as possible a positive attitude and belief that this year will unfold “perfectly,” however that turns out, and the that the “new me” will begin to blossom in earnest.

Second Quarter -The Hierophant reversed

April is when I’m supposed to begin “practice teaching” as part of my Mindfulness Meditation Teacher certification training that I began last July. One of the roles of the Hierophant is to dispense wisdom as a teacher or mentor. The reversal tells me that I still have some work to do before I can teach mindfulness meditation (I’m only half way through the certification program).

There may also be some lingering “old me” doubt that I’ll actually be able to do this. I can use the second quarter as an opportunity to let go of the doubt and replace it with a sense of confidence and “can do.”

Third Quarter — The Lovers reversed

Oooh, boy! Looks like there’s a possibility for an important romantic relationship developing. I know I’m being cautious in that department, given that I’ve been single for a while now. But I’ve been thinking recently about dipping my toe back into the relationship waters and trying to imagine the kind of relationship and man I would be happy with at this stage of my life.

I’ll either be working on figuring that out in the third quarter, or I might be given the opportunity to “cautiously” ease my little toe into the shallow end of the dating pool. We shall see.

Fourth Quarter — 10 of Swords reversed

I may experience some difficulty, or even reluctance, in letting go of some aspect(s) of the “old me” as the year winds to a close. At least I don’t have swords sticking out of my back in this version of the 10 of Swords!

And the figure in this card is the only one in the spread looking at the center card, the Empress, representing me now, pregnant with possibility (will have more to say about Her in a minute).

Perhaps keeping at the forefront of my mind the abundant future the pregnant Empress symbolizes will imbue me with a sense of excitement that allows the “new me” to unfold and makes it easier to let go of old energy and beliefs that no longer serve me.

The Previous Year’s Lesson (2021) — 9 of Cups

This depiction of the 9 of Cups is pretty accurate. I received monthly pandemic unemployment benefits as a self-employed person from March 2020 to September 2021, in addition to the two big checks everybody got.

It was also at the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic hit, that I made the decision to consciously and deliberately focus more on abundance and prosperity instead of lack and limitation. The pandemic aid, I believe, was a manifestation of that intense focus. It has given me a sense of freedom from the stress of worrying about finances.

Indeed, it felt like I had received a treasure chest full of jewels and gold, shouting hallelujah from the rooftops! And if I can manifest abundance like that once, I can do it again.

This Year’s Lesson (2022) — The Empress

The Empress is the other factor that helped me have a less worrisome view of the four reversed cards. As I said, she’s pregnant with possibility, and each quarter of the year represents one of those possibilities (she’s having quadruplets!). In fact, it looks like she’s about ready to give birth. In which case the reversals could symbolize the baby’s head, correctly positioned to move down and through the birth canal.

I therefore see 2022 as a transition year during which I have the opportunity to fully let go of the “old me” and embrace the “new me” who is just about ready to be born.

Next Year’s Lesson (2023) — King of Wands

Hmmm … looks like the work I do in the third quarter to turn the reversed Lovers upright may very well bear fruit in 2023. See the gray in his beard? He’s even around my age!

OR, this card could refer to me stepping into my power and becoming a confident leader in some capacity. And yes, I AM a cat person.

The Card That Fell Out of the Deck — 4 of Pentacles reversed

Even with the generous amount of money I received in pandemic aid, I try to be frugal in how I spend it. Doesn’t always work, but for the most part, I’ve done a good job. But the “old me” worried a lot about money, with a rather persistent focus on lack. Perhaps the reversal symbolizes the loosening of the tight grip around my purse, allowing more “9 of cups” energy and opportunities into my life.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, I don’t need to make exact predictions about the new year (e.g. the man of your dreams will show up on February 14, 2023 at 1:45 pm) to get a solid feel for the main issues I need to pay attention to in the coming months.

It will be interesting to see what unfolds. Maybe I’ll do an update six months from now to report how the first two quarters turned out.

In the meantime, try the spread yourself to see what the year holds for you.

February 1, 2020September 11, 2020

Death and the Current News Cycle

Death tarot card — Death from the Radiant Tarot

The current news cycle had me thinking about the Death card today, one of the 22 major arcana cards in the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) tarot deck. It had me asking myself, what does it mean when it appears that democracy or at least the country as we’ve known it heretofore is dying?

I know I said in a previous post that I’m not a “political” tarot card reader. Although I admit, I am a bit of a news junkie. Next thing I know, this card’s image pops up on my inner movie screen as I am reading today’s headlines. Then, all of these thoughts started bubbling up, and I had to capture them in writing. I’m calling this piece, a “tarot op-ed.”

Despite the fact that this is one of the so-called “scary cards” that the media love to include in tarot card reading scenes as a portent of doom and gloom, it’s one of my favorites. Well, what do you expect with Scorpio rising, Pluto conjunct the midheaven, and an 8th house Moon?

The Death card is said to capture, in pictorial terms, what happened to the Knights Templar back in the day when the King of France had them wiped out on Friday the 13th. So now we have a Templar, in the form of Death riding a pale horse, coming for EVERYONE, from babies and their families to the King and the Pope!

And in the background, we see a sun, rising behind two pillars. Some may see the sun as setting, but that would suggest that nothing new emerges from the ashes. A quick look at all the Nature that surrounds us clearly demonstrates that this isn’t true. Life is cyclical. A new beginning always follows death. Even scientists know that energy can’t be created or destroyed; it can only change form.

This is why I haven’t given up hope on this country. I know that a new dawn will follow the death and transformation that we are currently undergoing. Which means — we are at a critical choice point. Do we give up hope and allow the current administration and the Republicans to destroy what we fought so hard to create in the days of the American Revolution? Or do we vote their asses out in November so that we can rise from the ashes and create something even better?

Yeah, I hear some of you saying that the election itself is under threat and they’ll subvert it and do anything to keep this administration in office. But if we sit back in defeat, throw up our hands, and decide that voting won’t do any good, that nothing will — then that outcome is a distinct possibility. The other possibility is that people — you and me — take to the streets and vote in numbers so great, the outcome of the election is obvious.

And keep in mind, more information is going to come out about how criminal this administration has been and continues to be. Whoever the Democratic nominee is, she can use this negative publicity against 45 and, at the same time, put forth a platform that the majority of Americans are hungering for.

ANYTHING is possible. What eventually happens is based entirely, both individually and collectively, on what we give our attention to.

November 2, 2019September 11, 2020

Will The Senate Convict Donald Trump?

I don’t usually do “predictions” where I ask the cards to predict a future event. But as I was watching one of the “talking heads” shows discussing the impeachment inquiry, I decided to give it another try.

Let me say before I begin that I’m not a “political” tarot card reader. My main goal in doing readings is to provide insight and guidance to help people make decisions that empower them.

But the times we are living in are so momentous that I couldn’t resist taking a peak into the future to see how the impeachment trial will turn out.

And of course, my interpretation is going to be filtered through my personal political beliefs, so someone else may come up with a different interpretation.

The 2016 Presidential Election

Back in 2016, I did a predictive spread on the Presidential election, using the Spiral Tarot Deck . You can read my prediction in the November 2016 edition of Tarot Reflections, the newsletter of the American Tarot Association. In this spread, Card 1 is Clinton, Card 2 is Trump, and Card 3 is A Deciding Factor.

While it was pretty clear from the cards that Trump was going to win (note especially the fourth card), I didn’t want to believe it. So my prediction was wrong.

That experience decided me against doing any more predictive spreads, especially since I understand that the future is not set in stone.

Yes, there are “future” positions in tarot spreads, but these typically refer to the most “probable future” (among an infinite number of probable futures) that will unfold based on the “present” vibrational frequency of one’s energy field. And, as a probable future, it can be changed.

Will the Senate Convict Donald Trump?

I decided on a simple Past-Present-Future spread to answer this question. I always include a fourth card in my three-card spreads. It represents additional insights based on factors that are currently unknown or that haven’t percolated to the surface yet but can still be felt.

My question, “Will the Senate convict Donald Trump?”, is actually a Yes/No question (another type of question that I typically don’t answer), but the answer is something that will occur in the future.

I used the New Era Elements Tarot, a multicultural deck created by Eleonore F. Piper. It’s an updated version of the 78-card deck, based on Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) and Crowley-Harris (Thoth) symbolism.

I usually read reversals, but for this reading, I kept the cards upright because I’m using a new deck that I’m not that familiar with.

Okay, let’s take a look at each card in turn.

The Judgment card in the past position represents Trump, either being judged or judging himself. Actually, now that I look more closely at the card, the man reflected in the mirror looks a bit like Vladimir Putin. It’s almost as if he has banged his head against the mirror, causing it to crack. Piper says the card is about, among other things, “being judged [on the basis of] one’s deeds.”

I LOVE the present card, Father of Air, depicting a Chinese elder in thoughtful contemplation, as he considers the behavior of the man in the mirror. It’s the King of Swords in the traditional RWS deck, and I interpret it as the Senate carefully reviewing the evidence before coming to a decision.

The future position, the one that is supposed to answer my question, doesn’t. This is the 7 of Cups, a card that, in RWS symbolism, represents the difficulty we often have choosing the best option among several, many of which are illusory or that don’t represent one’s best interests . This deck calls the card “Illusion,” in line with Crowley’s interpretation of it.

So there could be some attempt at obfuscation of the facts or simply that the Senate’s decision at present is still up in the air.

I decided to pull a “clarifying card” for this position to see if I could nudge an answer out of the Universe.

What do I get? – the Wheel of Fortune. I interpret this card to mean that the answer will be revealed at the appropriate time. Plus, Father of Air has his back to the future. The main focus right now is to consider the evidence. So I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

But, the Fool in the fourth position is very encouraging based on my understanding of the card – namely, it symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle of major growth and development.

In this deck, instead of a guy getting ready to step off a cliff, a baby within an egg is about to be born. I’m an optimist so am seeing it as signaling a new start for the country and even the planet, regardless of the outcome of the trial in the Senate.

It may be a shaky start, as the baby is surrounded by animals ready to eat her up. But, she represents huge potential. Therefore, we must protect her, focusing our positive energy and attention on her to ensure that she survives and flourishes.

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August 22, 2019August 22, 2019

The Spacious Present Spread Using the Osho Zen Tarot

THE DECK

I bought the Osho Zen tarot deck back in 1997 when I was in a deck-collecting frenzy. I even used this one for a while, unlike many of the other decks I’ve collected over the years. At the time, I was very active in the American Tarot Association, attended many conferences, and, like many others, was always on the lookout for the “next great deck” to collect.

It was also during this time that I did a lot of tarot readings for myself, so much so that I finally had to stop. I was asking too many questions and not really listening to the answers. Or I was getting answers that I didn’t want to hear.

Fast forward 20 years later, and I have picked up the cards again (well, I never really put them down completely). Not only am I doing readings for myself AGAIN (not too often though), I’m also reading for others and writing about tarot.

The Osho Zen tarot is a 78-card deck (+1 – The Master, unnumbered) based on Zen Buddhist philosophy. According to the guide that comes with the deck, this philosophy is all about awakening the inner Buddha or higher self wisdom and focuses on building awareness of and attention to the present moment in order to allow that wisdom to come through.

So while it uses the Rider-Waite-Smith structure of major and minor arcana, the card images (which are absolutely stunning!) and delineations are more reflective of the teachings of the Indian sage, Osho, as interpreted for the deck by one of his disciples, Ma Deva Padma.

THE SPREAD

The “spacious present” is a concept used in nondualistic philosophies like Buddhism and Vedanta and the science of quantum physics in which past, present, and future occur simultaneously.

So even though the reading appears to move in a straight line from past, through the present, and into future, it actually reflects what’s going on in the querant’s (the person getting the reading) life right now.

It can be used to answer just about any question you might have about yourself and what’s currently going on in your life. For my reading, the focus was on how to unblock the flow of money coming into my life.

In the above pictured spread, the cards read past, present, and future from left to right like a typical “PPF” spread. However, this isn’t a predictive spread. As I said, its focus is on what’s going on in your life RIGHT NOW, what recent past influence has lead you to where you are in the present, and what’s the most likely outcome you’ll experience in the near future.

The central card of the spread is the “Present” card (although the two majors are pretty powerful influences), with the Past and Future cards providing more information on what brought me to where I am and where I’m headed respectively.

I typically draw an additional card from the bottom of the deck for insights based on subconscious knowledge that I’m not aware of (card on the right below the main spread).

And thanks to a suggestion from @seedsofshakti on Instagram, I added the card on the bottom left, chosen from the middle of the deck. I interpret it as subconscious knowledge moving towards the surface of consciousness. It’s what I’m slowly becoming aware of or what I already know but perhaps haven’t been paying enough attention to.

THE READING

The message for me is that I need to pay more attention to my inner guidance which I haven’t trusted enough in the past.

I also need to stop living my life burdened by the guilt of past mistakes and failures. I also need to stop basing what I do on other people’s “shoulds,” “shouldn’ts,” and expectations. That only brings exhaustion and stress which can lead to illness (I had a flu-like cold in July along with weird neuromuscular pain and muscle cramps in my legs and feet).

Even though the card symbolizing my letting go of others’ expectations is in the future position, I’ve already started doing this (hence the reversal – those suckers are falling off my back!). But clearly, there’s more I need to release because I am starting to recognize how damaging stress is to my immune system.

This letting go will be therapeutic, enabling me to regain clarity via intuitive guidance, strengthen my immune system, and allow my creativity to flow, all of which will lead to more financial security.

READING SPECIAL

I’m currently offering email readings based on my Spacious Present spread, using the Osho Zen tarot deck. My 5-card spread readings are usually priced at $67.

But I’m offering this spread (and all other 5-card spreads) for the special price of $49. I’ll even throw in some astrological insights based on your natal chart and current transits (I’ll need your birth data for this).

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January 3, 2019January 3, 2019

My 2019 Happy New Year Spread

Here we are at the beginning of another year – 2019! Time to do my annual “New Year” reading. By the way, that’s my neighborhood, on fire last night, as Hawaii welcomed the new year. The display “wowed” me, as you can tell by my comments.

I have several spreads I can choose from to do a reading, all of them providing excellent information about what worked on in the year coming to an end and what I can expect the new year to bring based on where I am right now.

The information these spreads provide isn’t set in stone, however. They offer a look at the most probable reality we can experience based on what we are thinking, believing, feeling, imagining, and doing in the present. If you change any of these factors consistently, a new probability will begin to emerge that can manifest as your reality.

The Hourglass Spread

With that said, I decided to do the “Hourglass Spread” from one of my favorite tarot books, Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads by Teresa Michelsen.

Hourglass Spread, by Teresa Michelsen in Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads

Looks like the book is out of print, but Amazon has some used copies at reasonable prices. You can tell when an out-of-print book is REALLY good by the price to purchase a new copy, in this case, $82!

The spread starts off by providing information on the past year – what you accomplished or what you started and still need to work on.

It then moves into a more fluid realm, focusing on what will be leaving your experience soon or what you need to let go of. “Soon” in my experience is typically pretty soon, like within the first few weeks of the new year.

The middle of the hourglass represents the present moment, where you are right now. As I said earlier, the present moment is where your power lies; it’s the place where you are able to change your current reality to something you prefer. So this card will tell you where your energy (i.e. beliefs, thoughts, feelings, imagination, and behavior) is right now, how well it is supporting you, and whether you need to make any changes.

The next tier of the hourglass, another fluid realm, represents what you will soon be experiencing, again within a few weeks of the beginning of the new year.

Finally, the top row of the spread is all about the potential the new year holds. Right now, it’s just potential, so if there’s something there that’s upsetting or problematic, you can take steps NOW to change it or at least prepare for it in ways that will support your well being.

My 2019 New Year Spread

Okay, now for a look at my spread.

Happy New year to me! My hourglass spread

2018 In Review

2018 was actually a pretty good year for me, primarily because I did a lot of work on my emotional reaction to circumstances because it wasn’t supporting me.

I learned a new way of thinking and feeling that was a lot less stressful. Towards the end of the year, I was actually feeling pretty good, and some problematic circumstances started shifting toward a more positive expression.

I also published this site in the spring, a project that took me two years to accomplish. I still have lots of work to do on it, but the hard work is mostly behind me.

Finally, I was able to stop so much struggle, strain, and “efforting” as a means of goal accomplishment, instead trusting more in knowing that Universe “has my back.”

What’s Leaving or What I Need to Let Go Of

All the worrying I used to do is definitely diminishing; I just need to keep practicing the new skills I learned in 2018 so it continues to diminish. And that’s basically –

Being aware of when it occurs
Stepping back and not allowing myself to be sucked into it
Then deciding to think, feel, imagine, and behave in ways that support me.

The worry behavior also often kept me from acting, moving forward, and striking while the iron was hot. So if I want to accomplish the goals I’ve set for myself in 2019, the worry has got to go. This will be an on-going focus in the new year.

Where I Am NOW

I’m celebrating the successes I achieved in 2018. I’ve laid a strong foundation that I can build upon in 2019. Maintaining a positive state of mind and practicing gratitude regularly will be something I’ll need to keep at the forefront of my mind in order to have more to celebrate in 2019.

Coming Soon

It’s not as bad as it might look. The lack of progress in some areas of my life that I experienced early on in 2018 has ended, and it’s time for me to move forward.

And it appears that I’m going to be working hard as I begin a new copy writing project this month, and at the same time, do tarot readings, and continue to build content for this site and my crochet site . It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds; I may need to make some adjustments so I don’t burn myself out.

Potential for 2019

Thankfully, I’m heading away from “troubled waters,” probably because of all of the “mental/emotional” work I did in 2018.

However, it looks like I may experience some conflict in a relationship in 2019. I have a few ideas as to where this conflict might be coming from, but forewarned is forearmed. My goal will be to remain calm and centered (thanks, Temperance!) regardless of what transpires.

I think the final card might have something to do with the writing project I’m about to begin, and may even grow out of the conflict the middle card symbolizes. Again, I’ll have to wait and see what happens. It could very well be that the Universe has something even better in store for me. Time will definitely tell.

And it’s okay that I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. That’s where trust and having a positive mindset in the present moment come in. It’s just as easy to expect the best possible outcomes as it is to see the direst of circumstances unfolding.

A “Seven” Year

I also like to take a look at the year from the perspective of numerology. I added up the numbers of my birth month – 5, birth date – 17, and current year – 2019 – to get 34. Adding those digits – 3 + 4 – gives me 7.

Seven is all about going within, seeking to understand through contemplation and reflection more about who I am – both my strengths and areas that need improvement.

This syncs well with the information the Hourglass spread has provided, given all those swords, representing mental energy, and the major arcana card, Temperance, both reminding me that the inner control of my thoughts and emotions is what will keep me balanced, calm, and centered throughout 2019.

What Does the New Year Has In Store for You?

I’m offering to do email readings using this spread at a reduced price of $67 (regularly $97). In addition to the tarot card reading, I provide insights into your numerological year, as well any major astrological transits that might be impacting you in 2019. The discount will run through the end of January 2019.

Order your reading HERE (scroll down to the “Deep Diving” Spreads).