Yesterday: None of that happened. Pretty much a dull-ass day.
Today's cards:
1. 8 of Wands- Things start moving quickly, new info arrives, everything goes fast, lots of communication, shift towards advancement. Change for the better.
2. 3 of Wands- Strong business, smarts, opportunities, being stable and securely positioned, living up to your highest potential. Fruits of your labors come. Being offered help. Good partnerships.
3. Chariot- Willpower, fortitude, success and victory, triumph.
Well, let's hope...
Okay, I at least brought along my cards this weekend.
1. Ace of Swords R- This didn't apply for me today all that much. Was snappish at Dave for awhile, but that was about it. Not nearly so bad as one would expect for a parental weekend.
2. Fool R- As far as I know, didn't do anything foolish.
3. Nine of Cups R- Well, parents bought me food and I stayed at their house, so yes, I'm a pampered spoiled ass!
Saturday's cards and analysis:
1. Father (King) of Wands R- Lack of confidence in ability to follow through, low self-esteem, lack of focus. Pessimism, doubt, insecure, temperamental. Nothing works out right.
Well, that's my usual issues in life, yes, but this card wasn't particularly relevant for today. Saturday was actually mondo-spankin' good and this stuff wasn't on my mind. May be representing my dad, though, as according to Mom he wasn't in a good mood in the morning.
2. 3 of Wands R- Talents and skills aren't as fine-tuned as they should be. Energy being wasted, too busy/preoccupied. Being out of harmony of life. Not knowing who you really are. Hidden motives. Bad choices. Doubts, being forced to cooperate.
I was preoccupied with shopping.
3. Nine of Stones (Pentacles) R- Upset with present home environment. Low income causes anxiety, not happy with present financial situation, fear of losing. You are misusing your wealth. You crave more and more.
Okay, this seems to be the only card relevant for today, as I got to go to a craft fair and thought "Uh, maybe I shouldn't be spending this much" a bit too late. Definitely my card of the day, eh.
Interesting how I got this card upright a few days ago.
Sunday's cards and analysis: incidentally, first short reading I've done here that has actually made sense with my life.
1. Daughter (Page) of Wands R- Someone who asks you questions about your decisions and actions- why did you do that. Brings you a message you don't want to hear, warnings. Be on the alert for disappointing news. Depression, moodiness, "when she gives you news, it will always make you feel bad. There is no win-win situation; she wins and you lose. She will break your heart because her heart is already broken." (Quest Tarot)
This is SOOOOOOOOO my mother today. Sunday was horrible. She constantly was asking me questions about things I don't want to speak with her about and why I don't do things, told me all kinds of horrible warnings and things I didn't want to hear, and that last quote is dead on.
2. 7 Swords R- Will be finding out the truth about what people have been deceiving you about. Getting started on new plans, opportunitiy to think clearly about the situation.
This card sounds like it'd be positive, but it didn't play out that way so much today. "I didn't tell you this earlier because I knew it'd upset you, but...."
3. 4 of Swords- You need to rest.
Uh yeah, that's obvious (as my SO points out, I am incredibly crabby the week after I've been home), but I won't be having an opportunity for a vacation and rest and such for a few days.
Reading for tomorrow:
1. 7 Stones- I'm confused, because my books give conflicting readings of this: Quest says: feeling of inertia, deteriorating relationships, bankruptcy, major depression. (After today has gone, this is no surprise to hear.) Complete Idiot's says this is a return on your investment, good accomplishments card. Hm. A difference between decks, I suppose.
2. Lovers- Love, beauty, support, emotional fulfillment, happy happy joy joy. I could use this.
3. Mother (Queen) of Stones (Pentacles)- Agents of change, prosperity, generosity, good friend, someone who's serene.
I sure seem to be getting a LOT of stones/pentacles, wands, and swords of late. This is making me wonder.
I probably won't be doing tarot readings on weekends, as I am usually not at home and busy to boot.
Comparing yesterday's entry:
1. Hierophant- well, I was a good girl and did what I was told at work. Plus, I'm not remotely into drugs! Does that count?
2. Strength- well, lord knows I have ended up needing it tonight during some arguments.
3. Nine of Stones/Pentacles: well, I went shopping and ate out a few times. Not so good.
Today's reading for tomorrow:
1. Ace of Swords R- Bad temper, intellect that gets in the way of finding solutions, misusing your mental powers against others, foggy thinking, bad ideas. Don't apply pressure to a situation.
2. Fool R- Reckless action, not trusting your instincts, wasting energy and time, can't finish anything, leaps without looking. Your path will have delays and troubles or you'll make unwise choices.
3. Nine of Cups R- Overspending, abusing others and their hospitality, being a pampered spoiled ass. Won't get what you want at this time.
In short, tomorrow is going to SUCK SUCK SUCK about pretty much everything. Coincidentally, I'm going home to my smothering, still-living-in-the-1950's parents for the weekend. Figures, eh?
God, I hate readings when I get them all reversed. I'm somewhat tempted to do what tarot teacher Rob does and just ignore them and read them all right side up no matter what, except I get more accurate readings with reading reverses *sigh*
At first, this implies that it is illegal to foretell the future, and I was all, "Huh? How do you stop that?" Turns out it's just illegal to charge for it. Well, not gonna argue you on that one.
Before I get to the layout for tomorrow, let's check yesterday's, shall we?
Honestly, none of that stuff happened. Nothing bad at all. Very happily dull day, and even the lone cop in the lobby at work was bored. In short, one of those days when one doubts that the tarot does work. Then again, I usually seem to get more accurate results with longer readings than short ones. I guess I'll be doing a comparison here, eh?
Anyway, today's reading for tomorrow:
1. Hierophant- Social approval, conforming to a given situation, knowledge, tradition
2. Strength- unconditional love and understanding, inner strength.
3. Nine of Stones (Pentacles)- Self-sufficiency, independence, mastery of your money.
In other words, do what everyone else is doing, stay strong, and don't spend money? Or that I'm finally being good with my money?
Create Your Own Collage Tarot Deck. I was working on one of these last year and came out with some cool designs, but this is harder to do than it looks. I got most of the major arcana done, but trying to find pictures that go with the number cards can be a lot harder.
The same site also goes into spreads and readings in an interesting way.
Free online tarot class. I've looked at this one off and on. I so love the Internet, I can't even tell ya.
The tarot journal that gave me the idea to start this one. Cool, eh?
* Do a daily pull- pull one card in the morning. During the day, see how the day relates to that card. (Which is something I really should be doing here with this journal, eh?)
* If you have a lot of a particular suit come up in your reading, that's a red flag- something to watch out for. If one card comes up a lot in a reading, that usually represents a particular person. (My SO, for example, always comes up as the King of Cups in my readings, even though if I were picking the card I'd put him down for the Knight of Cups, personality-wise. Whatever, I am not the one who picks that significance, eh?)
* If you do a reading for someone and they come back later saying that something didn't happen, it might happen later. You may want to try doing another reading for them to see if something new has come up.
* Reversed (upside-down) cards mean the opposite of what they would mean upright.
* When a lot of Major Arcana cards come up, those are major influences that will happen.
* Court cards usually represent people in your life.
* Look for the connections of numbers, like if there are a lot of 3's or something.
(Note: I had to miss the day he gave extra definitions of wands and cups. Dammit. I did hear later that the 4 of Wands is the "marriage card.")
Ace of Pentacles: Basic of elements- a gift coming to you, related to money and/or goods.
2 of Pentacles: Balance.
3 of Pentacles: Maturity, appreciation, he's doing a good job, positive card.
4 of Pentacles: Stability, not letting money go.
5 of Pentacles: Loss, conflict, people in trouble, dire situation.
6 of Pentacles: Idealism, ideal situation, have money, help others out.
7 of Pentacles: Abundance, victory of your efforts.
8 of Pentacles: Mastery of your work, pays off.
9 of Pentacles: One person enjoying success.
10 of Pentacles: Many people enjoying success.
Ace of Swords: New beginnings, mental energy going on.
2 of Swords: Balance, balancing the thinking, overthinking, ignoring life around you.
3 of Swords: Loss of love? Overcoming feeling, overthinking again.
4 of Swords: Stability. The guy is only sleeping! Keep your mind stable, quieting your thoughts, contemplating the situation- life is in turmoil.
5 of Swords: Loss and conflict- a battle that's been lost.
6 of Swords: Idealistic mental- people turned away/going from a bad situation.
7 of Swords: Mistrust, watch out/watching your back, you feel like you're getting away with something, leaving past behind- running away from home.
8 of Swords: Blockage, not knowing, being restricted, don't know which way to go. The way in front of you is completely open, your legs are unbound. You feel trapped, but it's not the restriction that you think it is.
9 of Swords: Person very upset- so much hanging over us- worry, anxiety, maximum mental intensity card.
10 of Swords: Thoughts take you over- hope is still there even if temporarily defeated.
Each suit represents a kind of energy.
Wands: Fire, movement, action.
Cups: Water, emotions, feelings.
Swords: Air, thinking, movement.
Pentacles: Earth, possessions, money.
Each card number tends to represent certain meanings too, though the swords are uh, kinda strange compared to the rest and usually represent the opposite of the others together.
Aces: Basic quality of the suit, beginnings.
Twos: Balance, things being in balance.
Threes: Your maturity, fulfillment.
Fours: Stability, status quo.
Fives: Loss and conflict (this number is depressing).
Sixes: Communication, idealism, need for perfection.
Sevens: Victory over element, new awareness.
Eights: Movement or a mastery of the element.
Nines: Maximum intensity of that suit. The 9 of Cups is the "wish fulfillment" card. In all suits but swords, this number represents success for one person.
Tens: Completion, go beyond that completion. In all suits but swords, this number represents many people's success.
Rob grouped the cards by their numbers more than suites, so I'll go with that here.
Aces:
Wands: Creative force, enthusiasm, confidence, courage.
Cups: Emotional force, intuition, intimacy, love.
Swords: Mental force, truth, justice, fortitude.
Pentacles: Material force, prosperity, practicality, trust.
Twos:
Wands: Personal power, boldness, originality.
Cups: Connection, truce, attraction.
Swords: Blocked emotions, avoidance, stalemate.
Pentacles: Juggling, flexibility, fun.
Threes:
Wands: Exploration, foresight, leadership.
Cups: Exuberance, friendship, community.
Swords: Heartbreak, loneliness, betrayal.
Pentacles: Teamwork, planning, competence.
Fours:
Wands: Celebration, freedom, excitement.
Cups: Self-absorption, apathy, going within.
Swords: Rest, contemplation, quiet preparation.
Pentacles: Possessiveness, control, blocked change.
Fives:
Wands: Disagreement, competition, hassles.
Cups: Loss, bereavement, regret.
Swords: Self-interest, discord, open dishonor.
Pentacles: Hard times, ill health, rejection.
Sixes:
Wands: Triumph, acclaim, pride.
Cups: Good will, innocence, childhood.
Swords: The blues, recovery, travel.
Pentacles: Having/not having, resources, knowledge, power.
Sevens:
Wands: Aggression, defiance, conviction.
Cups: Wishful thinking, options, dissipation.
Swords: Running away, lone-wolf style, hidden dishonor.
Pentacles: Assessment, reward, direction challenge.
Eights:
Wands: Quick action, conclusion, news.
Cups: Deeper meaning, moving on, weariness.
Swords: Restriction, confusion, powerlessness.
Pentacles: Diligence, knowledge, detail.
Nines:
Wands: Defensiveness, perserverance, stamina.
Cups: Wish fulfillment, satisfaction, sensual pleasure.
Swords: Worry, guilt, anguish.
Pentacles: Discipline, self-reliance, refinement.
Tens:
Wands: Overextending, burdens, struggle.
Cups: Joy, peace, family.
Swords: Bottoming out, victim mentality, martyrdom.
Pentacles: Affluence, permanence, convention.
Pages:
Wands: Be creative, enthusiastic, courageous, confident.
Cups: Be emotional, intuitive, intimate, loving.
Swords: Use your mind, have fortitutde, be truthful, just.
Pentacles: Have an effect, be practical, prosperous, trusting/trustworthy.
Knights (positive and negative aspects):
Wands: Charming, self-confident, daring, adventurous, passionate/superficial, cocky, foolhardy, restless, hot-tempered.
Cups: Romantic, imaginative, sensitive, refined, introspective/overemotional, fanciful, temperamental, overrefined, introverted.
Swords: Direct, authoritative, incisive, knowledgeable, logical/Blunt, overbearing, cutting. opinionated, unfeeling.
Pentacles: Unwavering, cautious, thorough, realistic, hardworking/stubborn, unadventurous, obsessive, pessimistic, grinding.
Queens:
Wands: Attractive, wholehearted, energetic, cheerful, self-assured.
Cups: Loving, tenderhearted, intuitive, psychic, spiritual.
Swords: Honest, astute, forthright, witty, experienced.
Pentacles: Nurturing, bighearted, down-to-earth, resourceful, trustworthy.
Kings:
Wands: Creative, inspiring, forceful, charismatic, bold.
Cups: Wise, calm, diplomatic, caring, tolerant.
Swords: Intellectual, analytical, articulate, just, ethical.
Pentacles: Enterprising, adept, reliable, supporting, steady.
Just to make things a little more interesting around here, I thought I'd type up my notes from my tarot class this spring. The instructor was Rob Wallis, should anyone know him and want to say hi or something ;)
Keywords for the Major Arcana:
Fool: Beginning, spontaneity, faith, apparent folly.
Magician: Action, conscious, awareness, concentration, power.
High Priestess: Non-action, unconscious action, potential, mystery.
Empress: Motherhood, abundance, senses, nature.
Emperor: Fatherhood, structure, authority, regulation.
Hierophant: Education, belief systems, conformity, group identification.
Lovers: Relationship, sexuality, personal beliefs, values.
Chariot: Victory, will, self-assertion, hard control.
Strength: Strength, patience, compassion, soft control.
Hermit: Introspection, searching, guidance, solitude.
Wheel of Fortune: Destiny, turning point, movement, personal vision.
Justice: Justice, responsibility, decision, cause and effect.
Hanged Man: Letting go, reversal, suspension, sacrifice.
Death: Ending, transition, elimination, inexorable forces.
Temperance: Temperance, balance, health, combination.
Devil: Bondage, materialism, ignorance, hopelessness.
Tower: Sudden change, release, downfall, revelation.
Star: Hope, inspiration, generosity, serenity.
Moon: Fear, illusion, imagination, bewilderment.
Sun: Enlightenment, greatness, vitality, assurance.
Judgement: Judgement, rebirth, inner calling, absolution.
World: Integration, accomplishment, involvement, fulfillment.
My first practice daily reading... How is my day going to go tomorrow?
(Quest deck- note that some of the cards are different from Rider-Waite standard.)
1. Alchemy (equates to Temperance) Reversed: Extreme actions and conditions present, action is taking place now. Seeker may go to extremes in a situation and is reckless. Drama, drama, drama. "Be warned, especially when other dangerous cards are present." (QT) Impatience, intolerance, lack of good judgement.
2. Devil Reversed: Facing the truth, breaking free of chains, turning one's back on illusion and lies. Putting others ahead of yourself(? This doesn't seem likely for me.). Letting go of fears and addictions.
3. 3 of Swords: Heartbreak, hurt, bad omens, separation, mourning, life sucks, sucks, sucks.
I really shouldn't get out of bed tomorrow, huh? Especially since I already know that the day is going to involve the police being in my workplace and drama, drama, drama.
Okay, I've created this site to force myself to do readings more often, and have a place to refer to them later.
Books and references I use for this site:
* The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot and Fortune-Telling. Excellent for beginners.
* The Quest Tarot. I use these cards as my main cards (the ones I have an affinity for), and they come with this book.
* Tarots of the Renaissance. Don't have the book, do have the cards, my "reserve" deck since the pictures don't always go with the supposed meanings of the cards.
* The traditional Rider-Waite deck.
* Class notes from a course I took on tarot in spring 2003.