Tag: tarotprose

#MonthofSpreads Day Twelve: Strength Definer

I’ve never used this deck before this moment. It’s been waiting in the wings for me to finish reading the author’s quartet of books, which are linked to the deck. (I’m on to book two.) But this read called for strength, and immediately, this deck struck me as the strongest deck I own. So here we are.

1. How do I define strength?
Five of Wands
Defending yourself in the face of opposition, sticking to your guns, upholding self-belief in your own choices and ideas

2. Where do I achieve this strength from?
X – Wheel of Fortune
Cyclical change, this too shall pass, comfort in the seasons of life

Thoughts
I define strength as conviction and holding to the decisions and choices I make, and the ideas I have developed about what is best for me, even in the face of scepticism, ridicule or abuse. Strength comes from knowing things will not remain the way that they are, that sun follows rain, or rain comes after baking sun. There are things I cannot avoid, but I can weather them. That is strength.

#MonthofSpreads Day Eleven: Simplify My Life

1. What area of my life needs simplifying?
Three of Wands
Envisioning the future, setting goals, deciding on a direction

2. How can I simplify this area of my life?
Two of Pentacles
Be brave and embrace change, possibilities, balance

3. What first step should I take?
Son of Wands
Boldness, drive, energy to pursue new ideas

4. What will be the outcome of this process?
Nine of Pentacles (Reversed)
Joy and abundance tempered by disclipline, self control, achievement but with work still to be done

Thoughts
To be better off in the future, I need to set my goals, embrace the change, have the bravery and energy to execute them but know that as good as achievign them feels, it’s not an end point and there is always more work to be done to maintain it.

#MonthofSpreads Day Ten: The Court Signifier

Signifier
IX – The Hermit
Solitude, meditation

1. What message and or energy does this card portray?
Eight of Swords
Obstacles, difficulties on all sides, flawed perception, inability to see the way out

2. Which part of my life does this card represent?
Five of Wands
Inner conflict, lack of direction, scattered focus

3. If this card could speak one piece of advice, what would it tell me?
Eight of Pentacles
Skill, craftsmanship, mastery, accomplishment against the odds

Thoughts
I struggle to find inner peace, to find focus and direction in my life where concerns my thoughts, my mental health, and the direction I take to manage and balance my mind. Like the Hermit, I’m naturally introverted and solitary, but balancing that with a world that demands everyone be an extrovert is hard. It puts a strain on things. For me, being the Hermit isn’t that hard part – it’s smoothly transitioning back and forth as needed. I also really struggle with transitioning in general, in switching without a slow adjustment phase. A sudden phone call can leave me reeling. A change in plans can throw me completely. It’s something I know is a part of life, but it’s never pleasant, especially on days when I just want to be left alone in my shell.

#MonthofSpreads Day Nine: The Stalker Card

Stalker card
Daughter of Swords
Insight, knowledge, hypervigilence, anxiety, inability to accept imperfection

1. Is there a particular reason that this card keeps showing up in readings for me?
Four of Swords
Stillness in the face of fear, acceptance, rest, inner quietude

2. What can I do to better understand this card?
Spontenaity, innocence, taking chances, embracing risks, optimism

Thoughts
I am anxious and hypervigilant, all the time. It’s part of my neurological make-up. It’s something I live with. But just because bad things may (and will!) happen, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do things that have a risk of failure or negative outcome. Life isn’t perfect – it’s messy and wonderful, and striving for perfection is ensuring disappointment. I need to breathe, release, and embrace what happens – whether good, bad, or neutral. It’s how to grow and learn.

#MonthofSpreads Day Eight – Book vs Intuition

1. What area of my life needs the most focus right now?
XXI – The World
-Intuition
At first glace, it looks like it’s telling me EVERYTHING, BUD, SERIOUSLY, but I think it’s telling me that what I need is unity, wholeness and balance between all the different areas of my life.
-Book
Wholeness, completion, harmony

2. Is there anything potentially holding me back from succeeding in this area of my life?
Ten of Wands (Reversed)
-Intuition
The image on this card at first glance looks like a cage, but, as it’s reversed, perhaps it’s actually a nest. It’s easy to settle for comfort. The harder choice is to progress, even if it’s hard and uncomfortable.
-Book (biddytarot for reversal)
Moving out of hardship, spring cleaning your life, making positive changes

3. What small step can I take to start improving this area of my life?
Nine of Wands
-Intuition
There are many obstacles in my way, but they aren’t simply a mess of obstruction, they lead upwards. Each thing overcome leads me upwards, takes me further in my journey. Persistance is key.
-Book
Strength, stamina, confidence

Thoughts
On the whole I’m really happy with my intuitive reading. None of the cards I drew are ones I’ve drawn regularly – or at all – since I bought my deck, so they really are pure intuitive reads. And though they varied a little from the book, they were close enough that it’s really gratifying.

#MonthofSpreads Day Seven: The Deck Conversation

1. How are you feeling, buddy?
Ten of Swords (Reversed)
Aftermath of difficulty, clear and balanced perspective, awareness of past errors

2. What is the current foundation of our relationship?
Ten of Pentacles
Abundance, completion, fulfillment

3. How can I become more open to the messages given through your use?
Six of Cups (Reversed)
Focus on the present, moving on, growth and development, learning from others

4. Are there any types of readings you prefer over others?
Queen of Cups (Reversed)
Love, compassion and care for the self, acceptance of circumstances and limitations, taking the time to grow

5. What limitations do you have as a deck?
Six of Pentacles
Sharing with and learning from others, being open to insights

6. How can I improve or better our relationship in the long run?
XVII – The Star
Connecting to inner self, allowing hope and serenity in, accepting the unknowable

Thoughts
Right now, the feeling is that life is on the up and that insights into the past are coming into clarity and balance. The foundation is fulfillment and completion – an overflowing cup of wealth. I can be more open by focussing on the present while accepting the past, and by learning from those around me. Preferred readings are those focussing on self-care, acceptance and allowing time to grow. Limitations are only my ability to be open and to share. I can improve this relationship by connecting with my inner self and allowing positive elements in, and accepting there are some things I cannot know.

#MonthofSpreads Day Six: The Reader’s Journey

1. What are my strengths as a reader/diviner?
Knight of Swords (Reversed)
Attention problems, uncontrolled energy and lack of focus, impulsivity, unrealised goals, burn-out, exhaustion

2. What makes my reading style unique and special?
King of Wands
Long-term goals, vision, living with purpose and intent, enthusiasm and positivity

3. What other skills/knowledge can I develop to help become a better reader/diviner?
XIII – Death (Reversed)
Stagnation, latent potential, a quiet time to regroup and set goals

4. How can I grow futher in my divination journey?
XII – The Hanged Man (Reversed)
Moving from a time of inertia into activity, suspension as a catalyst for change, positive movement

5. How can I become more confident in my divinatory skills?
VII – The Chariot
Balance, control, confidence, self-care, success through assertiveness and self-knowledge.

Thoughts
What seems like my burden – the negative aspects of my anxiety, ADHD, autism, and executive dysfunction – is actually my strength as a reader. My reading style is made unique because of my neurotype and because of my drive and commitment to learn and make tarot a positive tool in my life. I’ve been stagnated for a long time, and that is what it is, but taking the time to learn to use tarot to help me in my life is something I can do in this time. I can grow further by using this momentum to set up a routine, a pattern I can rely on. Though setting up a routine is really hard for me, I can do it. The ability to balance and control my life enough is – though undeveloped – already within me. Establishing and maintaining it will give me the confidence to achieve what I have previously thought was impossible.

iamshadow21:

#MonthofSpreads Day Five – The Money Maker

The Shakespeare Oracle

I didn’t know what deck to use for this spread, and then I remembered The Shakespeare Oracle (actually a Rider Waite style deck, not an oracle at all) had coins as one of the suits, so. I don’t use this deck much because the cards are absolutely massive and incredibly difficult to shuffle.

1. Where do my financial problems reside?
Lord of Sceptres: Richard Plantagenet
Rushing into things, disregarding consequences, impulsiveness linked to excitement, inability so sit still and just be

2. How can I solve this issue?
Two of Coins (Reversed)
Skilled competent execution of tasks that be tiresome but necessary, fluctuating levels of energy, tolerance of indecisiveness or superficiality in others

3. Where should my focus be to start making money?
Five of Chalices (Reversed)
A spark of hope that should be cared for, healing rifts, letting go of the past, new friends or old friends returned

Thoughts
My impulsive behaviour without self-checking results in thoughtless overspending that has an impact on my finances. I can change this pattern of behaviour, but only with long, sometimes unpleasant work. I should focus on dealing with issues in my past and current life to make letting go of this harmful compulsion possible.

tarotprose replied to your photo post

I really like how the five of chalices was a spark of hope in this reading. That interpretation was so unique and I really admire your honesty. Thanks for sharing. 😀

Hey, thanks!
The ‘spark of hope’ reading was thanks to the LWB that comes with this deck. It’s really not one I’ve used more than once or twice – I inherited it, rather than bought it myself, and I’m not more than passingly familiar with Shakespeare, so I use the book a LOT. For the Five of Chalices for the upright reading the book talked a lot about giving up on hopeless situations and moving on, but for the reversal, it talked about there being hope and it was worth persisting. The challenging bit of this read was actually the Lord of Staves, because I struggled to identify if it was related to Wands or Swords, because the description was a bit ambiguous and nowhere could I find a straight up guide to which suits matched which Rider-Waite suit. (It’s Wands, btw.)

And yeah, the reason I took up tarot was as a substitute for therapy, which is a) expensive and b) has been pretty much useless for me since I was about sixteen and came to the conclusion that talking therapy wasn’t benefiting me any more. It wasn’t that I didn’t try therapy for the twenty years that followed – I absolutely did – it’s that it didn’t help me. This is helping me get some clarity that professionals seemed unwilling to help me find. So it’s brutal, and it’s messy, but it’s brilliant, and one of the best things about documenting some of this openly is that I’ve found other people who use tarot for pretty much the same reason I do, which is quite a comfort to know. When I stumbled across Tarot for Sad People, it meant so, so much to me, you have no idea. 🙂

#MonthofSpreads Day Five – The Money Maker

The Shakespeare Oracle

I didn’t know what deck to use for this spread, and then I remembered The Shakespeare Oracle (actually a Rider Waite style deck, not an oracle at all) had coins as one of the suits, so. I don’t use this deck much because the cards are absolutely massive and incredibly difficult to shuffle.

1. Where do my financial problems reside?
Lord of Sceptres: Richard Plantagenet
Rushing into things, disregarding consequences, impulsiveness linked to excitement, inability so sit still and just be

2. How can I solve this issue?
Two of Coins (Reversed)
Skilled competent execution of tasks that be tiresome but necessary, fluctuating levels of energy, tolerance of indecisiveness or superficiality in others

3. Where should my focus be to start making money?
Five of Chalices (Reversed)
A spark of hope that should be cared for, healing rifts, letting go of the past, new friends or old friends returned

Thoughts
My impulsive behaviour without self-checking results in thoughtless overspending that has an impact on my finances. I can change this pattern of behaviour, but only with long, sometimes unpleasant work. I should focus on dealing with issues in my past and current life to make letting go of this harmful compulsion possible.

#MonthofSpreads Day Four: The Intuitive Reading

When I saw the prompt, I thought this one would be really interesting to do with a deck that’s all about intuition and spirit and creativity in a very brilliant and unconventional way, so I chose to use my copy of Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Oracle. I just took out the deck, drew, and formed some vague thoughts about the cards. I did peek at the book afterwards, but what I wrote up reflected what I thought initially.

Keyword: Serenity

14 – The Maiden (Reversed)
The Maiden or infant represents innocence and unknowing, the time before learning and wisdom. Inverted directly would imply that I need to seek out the aspects of the crone, that serentity comes from growing and learning, not from remaining stagnated in a prewisdom state.

62 – The Glanconer
This card at first glance seems very dark at first to me. The figure has a raw power, but that allure seems like it is laced with hidden thorns. I take it that this means that serenity comes from trusting our instincts in situations and around people who have the potential to be dangerous, despite their surface charm.

0 – Faery Guide
This card is blank, and by its very blankness it suggests the unknown and unknowable. Serenity comes from learning and discovery but also from the wisdom to discern what is unable to be known. Otherwise we may strive fruitlessly towards the unreachable, like Ahab for his white whale.

Thoughts
Seek knowledge and learning, but do not neglect wisdom. Use this wisdom to guard against dangerous thoughts, people or situations. Find peace in the fact that some things are just unknowable, and experience is the key to accepting this and finding a measure of serenity.