Ho-Hum mood and tarot readings

Lately, I have been feeling withdrawn from things. Not too happy and neither too sad. I am not feeling like meeting up people too much and am happy to curl up with my book. Between all this, a friend called up yesterday asking if I could do a tarot reading for her. I told her I wasn't too sure this was a right time but I would try.

First thing I noticed when I was deciding on the deck was that I simply did not want to read with Shadowscape or Thoth (bought recently in the last few months). I kept aside the RWS and reached straight for Mythic and started shuffling. Strangely, I felt quite confident with the cards in my hand and as I laid up the cards for the spread, ideas seemed to pop and pop in my head. For example when I looked at the Four of pentacles, rather than control I got the feeling of someone being suspicious and insecure about a junior's great work. The Fool and Magician together had to mean that this person had grand new plans and is determined to make them a success and will. Within a span five minutes I had a comprehensive reading I was sure of. I called up my friend and relayed the whole thing to her. She told me how close it all was.

All in all interesting experience. I think the distance I was feeling from everything kind of translated into a reading with no preconceived notions and a greater intuition.  

Who is your Queen of Swords?

I recently met a lady at a meeting in our office. She is probably aroud 40 and working at a high profile post with the Government as an advisor. As I heard her speak, I was impressed. She seemed to know so much about every possible subject and spoke in an effortless manner. And she was very very confident. Most men I could see were in awe of her. And I thought..she is exactly a Queen of Swords. Sharp, intelligent, witty and confident.

Most of us struggle with court cards. I am no exception. Since a couple of months, I have been trying the method of associating someone I know to a Court Card. And I find that works very well as I now have a real life 3-D persona to relate the card to. Most people i find are a mix of cards. However, there are some which seem to totally fit a card like a frame. Similar to the lady I mention above.

Is there someone you know who fits a Court Card to the T?

Another, thing I felt was that Court Card personalities vary amongst decks. For example...

When I look at the Queen of Cups in the Rider Waite deck, I feel she is someone who is ofcourse emotional but even a wee bit nostalgic or sad from inside. Someone like...Jennifer Aniston ? (from what I read from the gossip magazines!).

But if I take the Shadowscape Queen of Cups, I think of someone who though emotional is a free spirit, filled with joy for life. Someone like...Goldie Hawn?

 

Cher Green has a post on Court Cards which I found quite interesting.

Objectivity, Objectvity, Objectivity

I find I am quite objective about my own readings, even if they are important questions. BUT, I find at times that it is difficult to be objective and rational about reading for people very close to me. Maybe because we all are very uneasy to see our nearest and dearest sad or hurt. So we tend to hope for the best for them.

I recently did a reading for someone very close to me, and at that time decided the outcome would be positive (ignoring the niggling at the back of my head). In retrospect, I can clearly see a very different story coming out of the cards. Clearly, I should have read the cards differently before. I would have done so for anyone else.

A career reading. Will firm X make an offer?

My interpretation before: They see you have the qualifications and are seriously considering your candidature. They will make you an offer, though it might not be exactly what you want.

In retrospect: They see you have the qualifications and are seriously considering your candidature. However, someone else will get the position (even though you might be the better candidate). You will receive an empathic reply but not an offer.

I feel..."Six of Wands"

I was feeling a bit low. Just a bit. So i decided I would pull one card and just write what it makes me feel now. I pulled....

I feel the time has come for talents to be recognized. To move forward. The old of of life just isn't good enough anymore. I think we are ready and set for the next leap. Its due now. The man in the card for me represents my better half. The green color prosperity. This card, I suppose is both our wish and hope for now.

The Chariot from Bhagvad Gita

I have been reading some extracts from the Bhagvad Gita lately. The Bhagvad Gita is essentially a discourse given by Lord Krishna to his friend and disciple Arjun who is about to go to war with his cousins and he extremely upset about it.

This picture reminded me of the Chariot card in the Tarot. More so, the description of the above picture.

The chariot in itself represents our body, the rider us, the horses are our senses and the bridle our mind with which we control our senses. The battleground is our heart. Also, here Krishna is telling Arjun (the rider) that he must not be emotional and do the duty of a warrior, fight for victory.

Picture and its explanation: Bhagvad Gita, Its Feeling and Philosophy

Are second thoughts = hedging ?

Intution and gut feeling is what we should go by in tarot readings. Most of agree on that. But arn't there times when you look into the card for a few more seconds a tiny frown appears on your face? The card could mean the other way round too. And when we do that are we just trying to balance and be on the safe side? Let me take an example from a recent reading I just did.

I am practicing one card readings. So I did one last night on whether it was going to rain today? It had been raining since the last two days. (ok, I know this is not earth shattering stuff). My card?

Two of wands from the Thoth deck.

My immediate reaction: Nopes, it is going to be scorchingly sunny
My second thoughts: Peering more into the card, the tiny blue specks in the middle somehow caught my fancy and I figured , yeah maybe a bit
Third thoughts (and last): I decided I was just trying to hedge my bets here and I should go with my first reading. So I firmly wrote in my notebook "nopes, it is going to be scorching".

So did it rain? It was terribly hot till 5 in the evening and then a shower which lasted for precisely 10 minutes.

What did I learn? Go with your first thoughts, but its not like they are end all. Practice some more... ;)

Shadowscape tarot: I really want my own deck but I think I will wait

Oh! was my first reaction as I saw the cards on the artist's website. Breathtakingly beautiful and full of detail. It feels as if I can touch the figures or maybe enter their world? And when I look at the 2 of cups card above I know seem to know exactly what the characters are feeling. The way they are looking at each other tells it all. I sigh. I am determined to have my own deck. I research the web. I read the reviews at amazon. Maybe I can order the special edition. But the reviews on the small cards and thin card stock play back at me. I know I want these cards to be large when I read them. And I know I will just have to wait until the publisher decides to re-print these better. They will! 

A reader at the Aelectic forum posted a link to the Shadowscape tarot. Though it has been published in 2010, it is quite well known amongst most readers as the artist Stephanie Pui-Mun Law the has been uploading the cards as they finish on her website. The official website with large images of the cards and the artist's blog are below.

Shadowscape tarot
Stephanaie's blog

Is my future predetermined?

XXXX

Do I shape my future or is it all predetermined destiny?

I have been struggling with this question for long now. I inherently am of the belief that we through our actions and thoughts shape our future. We cannot control all of it, of course, due to the many factors which are beyond us. It is extremely difficult for me to digest the fact that I am just a "cog in the wheel of the universe" and "que se ra se ra" (what will be will be). But am I being too egoistical here?
I found some explanation in an article " The Maya World of Quantum Physics". An extract...

" Are we capable of controlling our future. When our mind connects to the universal mind which we call Chitta in Hinduism, we are actually capable of controlling our future. This is because this chitta or zero point field provides a holographic blueprint of the world for all time, past and future. So one who can tap this field can well predict the future. Thus we can conclude as our scriptures tell us that everything in the future already exists at some bottom rung level in the realm of pure potential and when we look into the future or the past we help to shape it and bring it into being just as we do with a quantum entity in the present, by the simple act of observation. "

I find the latter half a little contradictory or am probably unable to understand it.

What do you believe? Is your life predestined or can you influence it?

Back to being a beginner

XXXX
I have been reading a lot of Douglas Gibb lately and am looking back at all the Tarot I have practiced from an entirely different angle now. More than anything, I feel the need to start anew. To first unlearn and then begin with a fresh and more open mind.

Why? I think what I have done until now is to know my cards on a basic level (a little superficial if I may be entirely truthful to myself, ugh that hurts). While reading spreads, I need to connect a lot more between the cards and maybe also try some new spreads. I have also been a bit shy of doing larger spreads lately (to avoid taxing myself?) and am sticking to the comfort zone of doing spreads with 3-5 cards (justfying it by saying these are more to-the-point).

It might be just the right time to start with my Thoth deck. A deck which draws and fascinates me but I am yet to begin to understand. I hope to start soon and will record my exciting new journey. Wish me luck!

Exercise 2: My Tarot Profile

XXXXX

If I try and make a list of all the profile types (like my personality card, hidden card, soul card, year card, zodiac card…) I find there are just too many to deal with. Well, so as my exercise I calculated my favourite 3 profile cards. My personality card is 7 (Chariot), hidden factor card is 16 (Tower) and my year card is 8 (Adjustment).

My personality card: Chariot

If I were to look at the card as a person what would I read as its positive and negatives aspects? The Chariot stands for moving forward and the human will to go on in life. I always look for on how I can move ahead in life, no matter what. To keep doing what is required and what I think is right. But do I become too rational in the process? Do I build a wall around myself to maintain this composure. Do I need to learn to care a little more about how others might feel?

My hidden factor/teacher card: Tower

Break down the fortress of thine Individual Self, that thy

Truth may spring free from the ruins.

 What can I learn from the tower? Am I scared of change? Do I cling on too what I am comfortable with?  More than that is the combination of Chariot and the Tower telling me that I need to break away from bonds I have created for myself. Am I standing in the way of my own happiness?

My year card: Adjustment

The Adjustment is a symbol for the balance of contrasts, complementing one another and also the realization of cause and effect.

This year maybe I need to balance my actions and realize that what I do has consequences on other people too. I need to be honest with myself and see life in 3-D rather than my own glasses and act based on all I gather.

My new deck: Thoth Tarot

XXXXXX
I received my new Thoth tarot deck through mail yesterday. I could barely wait to open the packaging and look at the cards! I have been trying to locate them since over a year now. I spent some time with the deck yesterday, going over the cards and illustrations. I love the images and I know I will enjoy working with these. It will, however, take some time to get a feel for the decks and be able to differentiate it from the others.

Its strange how my quest began for the Thoth deck. The first time I looked at the deck at a store, I did not like them. In fact I quite disliked them, I thought the images were dark and of the sinister kind! I soon forgot all about the Thoth deck. But, about two years back, I started reading about the Kaballah and the Tree of life. The more I read, the more fascinating the theories became. And slowly the illustrations of the Thoth tarot did not seem that dark. And after some time they began to look quite interesting! About a year back, I knew I just had to have the deck, but, I could not find it on any of the stores. Amazon said it was out of stock! I just found this available on Amazon and Flipkart (Indian site which lets you order books etc.) and managed to get it. The deck is out of stock again.

Reference: Most interesting tarot decks and books are not available in India. However, you can order them through Flipkart

I was quite apprehensive on the service but was pleasantly surprised. The site told me upfront that since my product was an imported edition, it would take 14-21 business days to reach me. I got it in 16 days through Bluedart and in good condition. I plan to order a couple of books too and will update as I received them.