Category: Tarot

Strength was yesterday’s card, and I used the card from The Shadowscapes Tarot again. This is another card I have difficulty with sometimes (see The Hanged Man) because I don’t see myself as particularly strong. I mean, I’ve battled with mental health issues and gone through labour and childbirth, but I don’t really think of myself as a strong person.

The Strength card in The Shadowscapes Tarot is beautiful to me with all the imagery and elements in the picture. I find in most depictions of the Strength card it’s just the woman and the lion, maybe some trees and grass, but this one is gorgeous. Yes, the woman and the lion are shown, however, there are birds, and clouds, and an orange orb that I’m not too sure about the meaning of.

My eyes are immediately drawn to the little cats hiding behind the lion and its tamer. What can I say—I’m a cat person. The Strength card is showing how strength of spirit can overcome the wildness of the world by gentleness, and I like that the lion has been restrained, but its relatives have retained their sense of playfulness and mischief.

I like the smoke rising from the incense dish because, to me, it shows that there must be thought put into the taming of the problem because if you go in acting first and thinking later, you could wind up making the problem worse than it was to start off. We’re dealing with another Leo card here, so what can I say that I haven’t already written about? It just demonstrates how even the biggest personalities can be tamed through love and dedication.

Peace and balance,

Erin

I still drew a card for yesterday, but it was from a different deck. The deck chosen was The Shadowscapes Tarot; it’s a deck I haven’t used often and I’m trying to become more comfortable with it. The card picked was the 6 of Wands.

This card is a card of success in just about any deck (in the Thoth Tarot it’s even named Victory), and I really like the image in the deck I chose. The figure in the card is still victorious as you can tell from the wreath of laurels on his arm, nevertheless, he is alone in this picture. In many other decks, there is no one else actually pictured, but it appears that the five rods not being held by the victor are being held by other people. In this deck, however, he has clearly achieved something and found it can be lonely at the top. I don’t know why, but this image just speaks to me.

Numerologically, the number six represents the restoration of balance after the five, but this card cannot be seen as the final result because we’re not finished the sequence of numbers! Whether you see the nine or the ten as the ultimate goal, the six appearing means you have made great strides with gains still to be attained. While there is solidity compared to the five, and benefits to be reaped, the journey must continue.

I mentioned in a previous post the Sixes in Tarot are affiliated with Fixed signs in the Zodiac, and because Wands is the Fire suit, the Six of Wands is associated with Leo (also mentioned in a previous post was how much I love the sign of Leo). This sign loves to be the centre of attention and you can see that in the Six of Wands—the person wants to be in the spotlight because of his victory. I wonder, though, if he was victorious because he did something new and innovative or just stuck to the status quo.

Peace and balance,

Erin

The card I was assigned yesterday was the 6 of Cups. When I was younger, this card always made me feel happy as I looked at it. While it still brings me joy to see it, I think I’ve become more aware of the perils that are associated with the 6 of Cups.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a sweet card and it is associated with happy memories and relationships, but I am prone to ruminating on the past. Nostalgia is lovely, but we live in the present. I had a difficult adolescence and regularly found myself looking back on my even younger years wondering what went wrong with me. I think I picked age 6 as the year I would go back to if I could; that, however, is not how time works, and we can spend so much time looking backward (or forward, but this is not the card for that situation) we forget to be in the moment.

To the card… Once again, I’m using the Morgan-Greer Tarot deck which I’m still finding a little less detailed than other decks, but I don’t think I mind that. Often my mind is overwhelmed by the choice of symbolism in Tarot cards.

There are two children on the card as well as six goblets, each goblet holding white flowers. The two children are staring into each other’s eyes and one of the six goblets is held in their joined hands. I don’t know what the relationship between these children is, but I wonder about it. Personally, I think they’re friends rather than siblings because they are sharing the goblet instead of fighting over it.

The white flowers make me think of purity and innocence, and I feel like that’s the lens we apply to the past. Do you ever find yourself looking back on an event and thinking about how perfect it was compared to life now? Even if it wasn’t perfect, the edges of reality blur a little and time softens the memory.

Astrologically, the 6 of Cups is affiliated with Scorpio, the Fixed Water sign of the Zodiac, and I find that interesting. It is interesting to me because the Fixed signs are stalwart, and when they have a task to do, they do it, but they find it easy to become stuck in their ways even if their ways no longer work for them. I think this is a great correlation to the 6 of Cups because you can think back to a time when the ways that no longer work for you did and feel as though it worked successfully then and it can work successfully again.

Peace and balance,

Erin

Yesterday’s card was The Hanged Man. This card has always been a stumbling block for me and I think it’s because, to me, this card represents having inner peace in your situation. I very rarely feel like I have inner peace in my life.

The man on the card is hanging which probably offers a different perspective on his life than to which he is accustomed, but he is hanging by his foot rather than by his neck so I don’t think he’s being hanged to kill him. It’s more as though he is deliberately trying to change his perspective. I also don’t think he’s struggling, he looks like he’s content to stay there and learn what he needs to.

Once again, the card used for this entry is taken from the Morgan-Greer Tarot deck. I love the pictures in the cards of every Tarot deck—that’s why I buy them—but I find that The Hanged Man is too minimalist for my tastes in any deck. If you speak to anyone who knows me you will not hear minimalist listed amongst my traits, so it’s hardly surprising I would feel this way. I like the cards that are full of symbolism to be interpreted, but The Hanged Man is so stark and direct it makes me feel a little like I’m being put on the spot.

There are schools of thought in the Tarot world that are divided on The Hanged Man’s astrological affiliation—its planet can be Neptune or it can be affiliated with the element of Water—they are similar yet distinct. Neptune and Water are very fluid. Neptune is the modern planet affiliated with the sign of Pisces which is a beautiful, artistic sign, however, it has difficulties with boundaries when it comes to people and reality. I won’t write too much about Pisces because it is actually affiliated with the Moon card, but it is the Mutable Water sign of the Zodiac.

My favourite part of the card The Hanged Man is the cloud in the background. It is hard to tell if it’s a massive cloud or a mass of clouds. In Tarot, clouds often symbolize Air (the element associated with thought), and the shape of the clouds gives insight into what kind of thoughts the Querent is dealing with. In this card, the clouds are fluffy over a dark sky, and I see this as having gentle thoughts even if the situation you find yourself in is unclear or strange to you.

Peace and balance,

Erin

Yesterday’s card was The Empress. I think I have already expressed in this blog how much I love The Empress! She speaks to me.

From the time I was twelve, I knew I wanted to be a mother, and The Empress has always looked like a mother to me—she looks fertile and her surroundings do, too. I feel like I have always tried to live up to what I felt she embodies; I want to be nurturing, and attuned to nature, and able to conceive a child (that last part may be a bit TMI, but I’m keeping it). I think I can be nurturing, and I did conceive a child, but being attuned to nature is a work in progress.

The card I used for this write-up is from the Morgan-Greer Tarot and the first thing I notice in this deck is the lack of the sigil for Venus. The ruling planet for The Empress is Venus and I know it shows up on many iterations of this card, but it is something I feel is missing from this card. Not that there isn’t a lot of other symbolism, it’s just what I first picked up on.

Secondly, my eyes are drawn to the water in the background of this card. I like this waterfall more than that of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot because it seems as though there’s more water flowing and water signifies emotions. I am a person who is usually controlled by her emotions, and for me, the connection to emotion is a big part of a card that resonates with me (I’ve spoken about the Queen of Cups I believe). What I like about the water in this card, however, is that it is not in the foreground. If it were in the foreground I would probably think emotions really rule the person. In the background, she knows her feelings are there and she is linked to them, but she is not likely to find herself at their mercy.

The moon has a prominent spot on this card also. I have done some reading into Wicca, but am by no means an expert, so bear with me. There is what is known as the Triple Goddess—Maiden, Mother, Crone—and this is also a theme in Tarot. The Star is the Maiden and affiliated with the waxing moon; The High Priestess is the Crone and affiliated with the waning moon; The Empress is the Mother and she is affiliated with the full moon. I’m not certain why the moon in this card is not full, but I am working on the idea that it is to show it is the moon so it doesn’t look like the Sun.

The final thing I will note about this card is the direction she faces. In my studies, I have come across the importance of which direction the character in the card is looking. Looking straight ahead shows that she is focused on the Present. I need to take that to heart in my desire to be like her because my mind always seems to be flitting between the Past and the Future, but living like that means you miss what’s happening right now.

Peace and balance,

Erin

I know, I’ve been absent for a little while. Some days I received a card I’d already written about, but life has been a little tough this past week or so. Anyway, here we go with tonight’s write-up!

Today’s card is the 7 of Wands, Upright

The sevens in the Tarot are affiliated with Fixed zodiac signs and the suit of Wands is the Fire suit. The Fixed Fire sign is Leo. I’ve always liked the idea of being a Leo! It seems like a fun sign to be even if my Mutable/Cardinal (I was born on a cusp, remember) self finds it difficult to relate to Fixedness. Also, the number seven is a number of mysticism. This card is energy from Fire and spirituality from the number, but it is also routine and stalwartness from the Fixed quality. I see fervent devotion to religion or perhaps any goal with a spiritual connection in this card.

Peace and balance

Erin

Today’s card is the 2 of Swords, Reversed

Upright, this card shows a decision that must be made, and its meaning is similar Reversed, but instead of the choices being clear and not emotionally-charged, both options could be messy. In many decks, there is water in the background behind the blindfolded woman, and the 2 of Wands, Reversed, reminds me of the Ace of Cups, Reversed, in that the water could spill out.

Peace and balance,

Erin

Today’s card is the 3 of Swords, Reversed

The threes in the Tarot are affiliated with Cardinal signs like the twos (as well as the fours). The 3 of Swords is Cardinal Air, so Libra. This card can be scary to look at with the three Swords piercing the heart in the rain. In the case of the card I drew today, however, it’s Reversed. Instead of heartbreak, there can be healing and open communication. Because this is an Air card, however, the healing is not entirely emotional, rather it is a case of the head curing the heart.

Peace and balance,

Erin

Today’s card is the King of Swords, Upright

The Kings in a Tarot deck are affiliated with the element of Air, and Swords is the suit of Air, so this card is a double whammy of mental acuity and wit. This King is sharp and calm. If this card is depicting a situation, decisions will be made with a clear albeit unemotional head. Now is not the time to be ruled by feelings; it is time to cut through the fog of passions and keep a level head.

Peace and balance,

Erin

I know, I missed doing a card of the day yesterday, but my whole household has been sick with a nasty cold this week and I was so tired sleep just had to be prioritized. So, today I’m doing two cards and probably going to bed a little earlier than I have been.

Yesterday’s card was the 2 of Wands, Upright

All cards numbered 2 are affiliated with cardinal signs, and the 2 of Wands’s sign is Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and this attitude shines through in the 2 of Wands. Plans have been made and there is excitement surrounding every aspect. In many cards, the figure in the picture is holding a globe in the palm of his/her hand and this is symbolic of the mindset of one embodying the card. With the feeling of having the world in the palm of your hand, you can do anything.

Today’s card is the 10 of Pentacles, Reversed

Whereas the 10 of Pentacles, Upright, represents riches at the end of your path, the 10 of Pentacles, Reversed, shows those riches are distinctly lacking. The over-the-top feeling of opulence and excess has been replaced with emptiness, and efforts have not been rewarded.

Peace and balance,

Erin