This has been the week of trying new daily spreads! I do my readings at night, right before bedtime. My original intent was to use a 3 card spread I discovered on Aeclectic, but when I looked it up this morning, it appears that I made up my own spread last night. That’s the beauty of Tarot; you can use what works best for you. This is what I came up with:

Reflections Spread

(Left) What can I take from the day?
(Center) What can I take into tomorrow?
(Right) What can I take from today into tomorrow?

The last card helps clarify how you can take the experience from the day into tomorrow. It’s a summary card in many ways, but also takes into account what the focus was for today (position 1) and the focus for the tomorrow (position 2).

(Left) What can I take from the day? – Prince of Swords

Element: Air
Associations: Thought processes; conflict

The centered sword–or gun as it is depicted in the Victoria Regina Tarot–and the bird (a vulture perhaps) along with the stoic facial expression indicate that there is a strong message that requires much thought. I have the inner strength to deal with this issue, but I just need to stay focused. For the past few weeks, I have been mulling over something that I know has to be dealt with, and I need to be strong and confront it.

(Center) What can I take into tomorrow? – Princess of Swords

Element: Air
Associations: Thought processes; conflict

Instead of staying focused on what needs to be dealt with, I am digressing and avoiding the issue. The book in the card shows how the message is in plain writing (literally), but instead of paying attention and understanding that, my thoughts are elsewhere. I would much rather focus on the butterfly and daydream in hopes of coming up a solution. It’s important to not deceive myself. The butterfly could be a metaphor for cycles and what is to come.

(Right) What can I take from today into tomorrow? – 5 of Coins (Pentacles)

Element: Earth
Associations: Possessions; financial growth; status

Due to the potential lack of focus, there is a sense of sorrow. And, in this case, the issues are of a monetary one.

Summary:

I am going to be strong and tackle this issue. There’s no sense in having my heads in the clouds. I know what I have to do.  The 5 of Coins (Pentacles) resonates on many levels, as it is the cause of the issue at hand as well as the general sentiment. Regardless, I know I will feel better afterwords. Really.

© 2010, aurarcana – A Tarot Blog | Tarot Journaling & Tarot Cards. All rights reserved.

Deck: Morgan-Greer Tarot

Cards: 9 of Pentacles; 4 of Swords; 2 of Rods (Wands)

I drew the 9 of Pentacles last Monday. However this week, shows that the card needed further clarification or is calling out to be noticed. In this three card spread, the path to enjoy the fruits of labor, is laid out quite clearly.

Pentacles is indeed the focus and the outcome of this spread when I view all of the cards together. The 2 of Rods (Wands) shows the desire to seek for more. The man holds his wand in his left hand, denoting action, and an orb in his right hand, symbolic of his unconscious desires. His shield is decorated ornately with red roses and lilies, symbolic of his passion and will to grow. A comrade holds the other wand.

However, to in order to reach these goals–in addition to taking action–he must learn the full meaning of what he wishes for by retreating and seeking the answers from within. A time of rest and reconciliation of affairs is in need. In the middle position of the spread is the 4 of Swords. A knight lays at rest with four swords suspended above him. The sky is stormy, but this will pass and it will soon be sunny. Like the change of weather, we too, will experience that moment of clarity of thought. And, when that happens, we will know what we need to do to reach our goal or goals. The outcome is what is denoted in the 9 Pentacles.

The 9 of Pentacles represents the celebration of fruitful gains through hard work or inherited riches, if a person is in a position to acquire such things. I am drawn to the color purple used in the card, which is symbolic of victory, riches and royalty. But, the tone here is not that of greed. While the woman wears her pentacle necklace indicative of her earthly possessions, she puts a sprig of grapes into a bowl; she is giving back what she has earned.

Summary:

It’s great to set goals and set out to achieve them, but in order to focus, we have to clear our thoughts of any potential doubts that may be lingering. If we can pass that hurdle, we can set out to achieve what we desire, and in the process, we can reap in the rewards and give back to others.

Image: Morgan-Greer Tarot © US Games Systems, Inc.

© 2009, aurarcana – A Tarot Blog | Tarot Journaling & Tarot Cards. All rights reserved.

Three Card Spread – October 13, 2009
7 of Wands; Knight of Swords – Reversed; The Hermit – Reversed

I drew this three card spread last night and it shed light on the current state of affairs regarding a situation in my life right now. As soon as I drew the cards, I quickly jotted down my interpretations in my journal.

My first observation was the flow of cards from left to right, which seemed like the obvious way for me to read them, as opposed to the center card being the focal point. However, I see the Knight of Swords reversed as the focus card and the 7/Wands and the Hermit Reversed as responses to it.

The Seven of Wands shows a man standing his ground on a fertile cliff. Wands represent the element of fire and are associated with passions, urge, creativity and growth. Holding his wand, he fights off or hold off the other six wands held by people that we cannot see. He may be on edge, but the sky is clear. This card tells me that I am on edge, and may feel like I have to defend myself when there really may not be an issue or a cause for concern.

He points his wand at the Knight of Swords Reversed. Perhaps he is battling the knight who will eventually fall off of his horse in this reversed position of the card. The knight in it’s upright position represents a person on a mission, a go-getter who let’s nothing stand in their way when trying to get to the bottom of things. Wands represent the element of air which is associated with thought. In the reversed position, chaos ensues. The knight’s position changes and he is no longer strong and truthful; he isn’t fighting for us and is now mentally weak or exhausted, even potentially deceitful. His red cape which symbolizes passion and urge cannot protect him from falling this time. The barren cliff that he stood upon in the upright position is at the top of the card in the reversed position.

Perhaps the battle shown in the 7 of Wands is in defense of a mentally draining situation that seems to have no solution in sight. The element of air fuels the element of fire.

The Hermit Reversed stands to the right and has turned away from the Knight of Swords Reversed. He is now in a weakened state since he is now slipping off of the ice-capped mountain, symbolic of goals and aspirations. The Hermit in he upright position represents the need to fain insight and inner peace through seclusion, either on our own or through another person who is a spiritual guide. The Hermit Reversed denotes blockage, the refusal to seek from within or disregard for the advice given by others.

Having turned his back to The Knight of Swords, The Hermit has dissociated himself from the battles that are taking place, but he is still fighting his own. One hopes that by walking off in the opposite direction, he can gain the inner strength to stay in tune with the goal/s at hand. This is needed to reach the next step.

In conclusion, there is obviously some physical and mental noise that is disturbing the normal flow of things. This series of cards is a wake up call to be attentive to have confidence and take charge of the situation and how it relates to actual events and how I deal with them. I may need to withdraw and find the answer within, but if I trust myself, I’ll overcome these hurdles in the end.

Image: Universal Waite Tarot © US Games Systems, Inc.

© 2009, aurarcana – A Tarot Blog | Tarot Journaling & Tarot Cards. All rights reserved.

Deck: Universal Waite Tarot

I saw my mother yesterday for the first time in one-and-a-half years. After various setbacks over this course of time, the time was finally right. Sure we had not seen each other and had only spoken intermittently during this period. But, the love had never stopped. She is my mother and I, her daughter. By will of nature, nothing can change that and by will of nurture, she raised me well and I have become who I am today based on these experiences.

When I drew The Empress card last night, I had shuffled the deck for quite some time. I divided the deck into three smaller decks and selected a card from the middle one. My intent was to do a free association exercise for the drawn card for my Tarot Card of the Day post.

I attempted to jot down what immediately came to mind: my mother, love, duality of emotion and passion, emotion flowing like the waterfall in the card’s scenery, warmth, caretaker, bounty, role model, inspiration, purity, life cycles, and letting go.

But, this card invoked too much emotion for me to proceed. I started to cry. The outpouring of passion that I felt was real and hit at the core. Sure, it’s only a card, a piece of paper. However, the symbolism in the card and the time at which I drew it was not coincidental. Out of a full deck of Tarot cards, why did this particular one come up when it did?

This leads me to another drawing that shed some light. The night before I saw my mother, I drew my first three card spread and asked, How will my day go with my mother?

I originally drew The Page of Swords (Left), the 5 of Swords (Center) and The Magician (Right).

I immediately observed the middle card. I have yet to read the actual LWB (Little White Book) meaning of the card–only the basic theme of the suit, which corresponds with thoughts and the element of air. It appears as if a battle has been won, but the victor has a snide remark on his face. There are mountains in the distance, rough waters and a cloudy sky. The defeated have dropped their swords to the ground–we see our victor holding three of them and the other two swords lay at his feet symbolic of all that has not been won. There are still issues at hand that can be provoked at any time. I must look look for a message. The man in the 5 of Swords card is literally looking to the left at a messenger–Page of Swords, who appears to represent a bearer of good news. He is standing light-footed on a green meadow and there is an element of movement–also represented by the flock of birds in the sky and his blowing hair. The message is one of change–in my case–the fruits of a positive relationship that has been strained in the past. To the right of the 5 of Swords, is The Magician. The Magician stands over a table with items representative of the five Tarot Suits. With his wand in his left hand, he seems to be implying that the tools are presented and that we need to find the power to make use of them.

When interpreting all three cards together, they lead me to believe that I  had the power to control the outcome of the day. I may have had doubts that the positive outcome would be short-lived, but in reality, it was the start of something wonderful and new.

I drew The Chariot for further clarification of the 5 of Swords and placed it above. The Chariot further confirmed that I must trust my intuition and sense of will, much like the charioteer who has to remain mentally in control of a Chariot and prevent both polar sphinxes–who are not attached to it–from going in opposite directions. I must remember to focus on the positive.

At 33, I can boldly say that I don’t want us to experience another time  when we are apart. We have the power and will to work problems out. Like many other mothers and daughters, we have had to go through ups and downs, and times I have had to let her go and she the same. We just need to be conscious of that and not let ourselves get hung up in small, petty worries. Our relationship and love is much stronger than that.

Image: Universal Waite Tarot © US Games Systems, Inc.

© 2009 – 2010, aurarcana – A Tarot Blog | Tarot Journaling & Tarot Cards. All rights reserved.