Update ~ In the Hot Seat: More Live Readings!

Question (repeated): How is my daughter's surgery going to go?

First, a summary of my interpretation, which I gave in person at a small group reading that I did yesterday, at the request of my friends who now know I read the cards. Gulp! I've been thoroughly outed, thanks to my daughter, LOL. I actually thanked her for putting me in the hot seat, which was probably the only thing that was ever going to get me to do in-person readings!

The question was asked this time by the father of the girl going for brain surgery tomorrow. I said that the Three of Swords indicates that the surgery is going to be emotionally difficult and painful. It's going to feel like a knife in the heart to see his daughter in that situation. The Five of Batons shows the struggle that he and his family are going to go through over the weeks as she heals. I like to see the center card as the main card, modified by the two outer cards, so in the end, according to the Queen of Pentacles, his daughter is going to achieve the physical comfort that she seeks. The surgery itself and the recover will not be easy, which is to be expected for anyone who has surgery, but ultimately I see another positive message of hope and successful achievement in these cards.

*~*~*

I gave the Lo Scarabeo deck as a gift yesterday to my daughter's friend, whose sister will be going in for the surgery tomorrow. He wanted a deck after seeing my daughter's the other night, and I thought learning the tarot might be a good thing to help get his mind off the fact that his sister and parents will be away at the hospital over the next few days, while he stays at home with his grandmother. So of course I got roped into using it! I did at least six readings, one or more for each of the adults present, and for the teenager who is having the surgery. It was nerve-wracking, and the family was understandably a little obsessed about asking about the surgery! If I did it again, I think I would strongly discourage asking the same question over and over -- even if it's asked by different people -- and I plan to have a TdM deck stashed in my purse, or in my car. Rather than trying to explain why disturbing cards mean good things -- because I don't believe in giving disturbing readings, especially when someone is already disturbed enough by his or her circumstances -- I still prefer the openness of "blank" pips. That's a hurdle for another day, to see whether TdM "eye rhyme" readings will be received as well as the RWS readings!

*~*~*

Update (11/23): Reading in hindsight can be just as much fun as reading the present or the future. I see new things in these cards now that some time has passed. During the brain surgery, the surgeon nicked our friend's spinal cord, which has made recovery very painful and difficult for her. She has been leaking spinal fluid and has been confined to her bed ever since. I look at the Three of Swords and the Queen of Pentacles now and I can see these issues. We've also had personal disagreements with the family and we are not sure where our friendship stands at the moment -- the Five of Wands. It makes me want to do a reading on the future of our friendship, if I weren't taking a much needed tarot break, and I also don't have access to the Lo Scarabeo deck right now. I bought it for my daughter for Christmas, so I won't be able to open it until then (or SHE won't be able to open it, LOL). I bought my younger daughter the Magical Forest deck months ago. I'm very much looking forward to that one, too!

Updated: Workplace Issues

Question: What do you see happening with my issues in the workplace?

First line: What I see happening.
Second line: What she can do about it.

She is being blocked from what she wants to achieve at work, perhaps even getting in her own way due to cross purposes. The two Batons that she carries as the Fool -- someone who has just started a new job, or who has a new goal that she'd like to achieve at her job -- cross over each other in the Nine of Batons, and cover the center Baton -- her goal-- whic is seen in the final card, the Ace of Batons. She is unable to reach this goal because of the gate or wall formed by the nine Batons that stand in her way.

In order to change her situation, she needs to change her direction or goal, as shown in the Two of Coins. She needs to somehow get around what stands in her way, perhaps merely by stepping around it. In the Five of Coins, however, we see a center coin surrounded by four others. Perhaps the answer is to embrace the situation that she doesn't want, like the vines embrace the center coin, rather than than reject it. Then it becomes no longer an obstacle, but a path. In the Queen, I see someone who wants to be master of her own fate and seeks a place of recognition. These cards say that this cannot be achieved by fighting her fate, but by embracing and accepting it.
________
Note: This will be my last reading for a while. I'll be taking a much needed tarot break in order to concentrate on other areas of my life.

But Wait ... There Were More Cards

The question was: How will my daughter's surgery go?

There were more cards in the reading that my daughter did the other night when she called me in to help her, and I haven't been able to get them out of my head. Here's what I would have said, if I were better at thinking on the spot. (I'm going to email this reading to the person who drew the cards because she and her family could use the positive message.)

The Knight of Rods represents the mother's passionate quest to relieve her 15-year-old daughter of the suffering depicted in the Nine of Swords. Knights represent movement and Batons represent passion, and we can see that the Knight is moving away from the Nine of Swords. The daughter has been suffering for several years, and the family has taken her to many doctors, none of whom could give the family a satisfying diagnosis. In all that time, the mother has followed her intuition -- the Page of Cups -- that there was something more going on than the doctors were finding.

A few weeks ago, they finally found their diagnosis: A Chiari Malformation at the base of the skull. (Mystery Diagnosis actually ran an episode about a teenage girl with a very similar story.) This Friday, Halloween, the daughter will be going in for surgery to correct the malformation. As you can imagine, her family is both hopeful and afraid. The daughter is afraid that she will die, which is of course a risk with any surgery, and she is having surgery on her brain, very close to her spinal chord. The Ten of Swords, then, was a frightening card for my friend to draw right now, but she did not draw the Death card (although that wouldn't necessarily mean death either). I see the Ten of Swords as representing the surgery itself (a person lying on her stomach, knives in her back). It also represents the fact that the mystery has been solved, the illness has been discovered, and the daughter's discomfort is finally going to come to an absolute end.

The Ace of Cups tells the outcome because Aces, of course, represent new beginnings. The streams of water can be seen as tears of joy and happiness. Everything is going to be all right. The surgery is going to be successful and it is going to provide the relief that the daughter and her family have been seeking all these years.

(Deck: Hanson-Roberts. Both this reading -- related to a real-life issue that is close to me -- and the experience of seeing a reading party in action, renew my appreciation for scenic pips ... a little bit :-).)

I'm a Proud and Happy Mamma

My amazing 12-year-old daughter just did her first party last night, a Halloween party -- for pay. She decided on her own that she wanted to do it, she talked to the hostess beforehand, and they arranged the details. She read for at least two hours, using the Hanson-Roberts deck, for her friends and anyone who wanted readings. The amazing thing is that she did this with no instruction. She's read no tarot books, and I have done only a handful of readings for her over the years. She came up with her own spreads, her own shuffling methods, and her own meanings for the cards. And people loved it! (I must admit that people really do love "scenic" decks.) A couple of her friends also did a reading or two, and now they want their own decks. Of course, my daughter now wants to start a tarot reading business doing parties.

I am so wowed, I just wanted to share. She only called me in to help with one reading, when a mom had a real life-and-death question about the impending spinal surgery of her 15-year-old daughter and she got a little freaked out when she drew the Nine of Swords and the Ten of Swords. I had to explain that the Ten of Swords card doesn't necessarily mean death, only that "something is coming to a definite end," but also that the swords in the back could point to the surgery itself. The mom didn't feel comfortable ending with that card, so she drew another one, which thankfully was the Ace of Cups. I could tell her that all would be well -- the surgery would be successful and her daughter's suffering would soon end -- and she left satisfied.

My daughter just surpassed me. I've rarely done in-person readings, let alone a whole party. I'm cheering for her!

Update: Who Am I, What Do I Need, and How Do I Get It?

First line: Who am I?
Second line: What do I need?
Third line: How do I get it?

1) Who you are: Nine of Swords, The Sun, Nine of Batons

There is balance -- lots of nines -- and duality in these three cards, and a meeting in the center. Perhaps there are two sides to your self, one open (the Nine of Swords, open like a circle) and the other closed (the Nine of Batons, closed like an X). The wall in The Sun card creates a horizontal line or a bridge between the two outer cards. It reconciles the halves and connects them. Both sides exist within you on equal footing because both are Nines, while the Sun card is Nineteen, a higher octave of Nine. I think this is saying that it is better to see all sides at once, without trying to choose between them. You are good at this, not feeling a need to divide. You are very diplomatic and good at accepting that everyone is doing what's right for them. You do not see differences as a division, but as a way for people to meet from where they are individually, without necessarily feeling threatened.

On the other hand, one of the children in the Sun card seems to be trying to get the attention of (or appeal to) the other. The Nine of Swords child rests his hand on the shoulder of the Nine of Batons child, and there appear to be three hands coming out of the first child's body. Perhaps you need to remind yourself now and then to see the world from the open side and not get too caught up in the closed one. The Nine of Batons, "closed" child is stepping on some toes. You prefer to come from a place of positivity and being open, and sometimes you need to consciously remind yourself of that.

2) What you need: Force (Strength), Queen of Cups, Six of Cups

On the most literal level, you need to have the strength to ask for what you need! You have a lot of cups that you need to fill. The Queen sits holding out a cup, like a beggar waiting to receive the roar of the lion. Sometimes you may try too hard to do everything on your own. Do you have trouble asking for help? Do your needs and desires keep you awake at night? The Queen looks a little bleary eyed, like her needs and her fear of asking for help keep her from sleeping. With the wand that she holds on her shoulder, she lists and counts them over and over (the Six of Cups). The Six Cups have been divided into two columns sitting on either side of a flowering baton. You're a perfectionist who needs to be sure of exactly what you need before you feel ready to ask for it.

3) How you get it: Ten of Cups, Knight of Cups, Hermit

In the final three cards, the Knight and the Hermit are literally moving toward something, and the Knight is seeking to fill his needs. The cup in the Ten of Cups is pouring into the cup that he holds aloft to be filled. This is different than the Queen who is sitting and waiting. The Knight is going after what he wants. I keep thinking of your signature: "Follow your dreams -- transform your life!" I love it! That seems to be what these final three cards are saying -- follow your desires and you will find all that you need. Behind the Knight is the Hermit, as if the Knight feels haunted by the looming of old age, and he knows that he only has so much time to fulfill his needs and desires. "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." (Marcus Aurelius).

In summary: Who are you? Bright and sunny! What do you need? The strength to ask for what you need. And how do you get it? By following your dreams, knowing that they will be provided (your cup will be filled), and remaining aware that time is limited: Now is the time.

Update: Coffee Shop Gig

Question: "Let's explore how my new Friday-night gig doing tarot readings at a coffee shop will go."

Seven Swords, Four Batons, Judgment

The rhythm begins generally with a close-up on the mundane implements and then zooms out and up toward the spirit. There is an opening in the Seven Swords, a closing in the Four Batons, and then an opening again in Judgment. A wound is stabbed with a sword (7 Swords), the sword is removed and the wound is healed and closed up (4 Batons), and the people rise up out of the confinement of their boxes and find spiritual meaning (Judgment).

In greater detail, the Seven of Swords looks to me like a fresh wound with a knife still stuck inside. The next card, the Four of Batons, cuts out the knife and closes the wound. In the final card, a person feels freed from the wound by an angel who calls him to move "outside the box" of his pain. The angel helps him to see that the world is bigger and has more possibility than he ever knew.

I see wings in all of these cards. They begin closed in on each other in the first card, open up in the second card, and then take flight in the third. The roundness of the wound also matches the roundness of the cloud out of which the angel comes. Sometimes our pain can become our salvation, leading us to places we would not otherwise have gone.

This is a promising metaphor for a successful coffee shop gig! You will be the angel who helps people heal their wounds and break free of the boundaries of pain in which they feel imprisoned. The Judgment card shows a crowd gathering. I think you will be a hit, but most of all you will enjoy it and feel good helping others.

Update: New Pet

Question
First row: How will things go with this person's new puppy?
Second row: What can he do to make the relationship a happy one?

I drew six cards, three for each part of your question.

1) How Things Will Go: King of Swords, Nine Batons, Emperor
In the first line, two outer characters look toward each other. There is a steady horizontal rhythm or focus, along with a zooming in on the center card. There seems to be a conversation or a dialog going on, perhaps even a bit of disagreement. Were you unsure that you were ready for a puppy, or part of you liked the idea and another part of you was hesitant? In the first card, the King of Swords has no animal at his feet and he holds one sword upright while another points toward the floor, as if he's divided, both up and down on the issue. His body is also slightly turned away from the other cards, while his head looks toward them.

The King looks at Nine Batons. The odd Baton cards often look to me like bounding dogs, legs and tail flying! The "eight" legs make me think Cody has LOTS of energy! He's a blur of constant movement. This card could also represent a gate -- for keeping little doggies confined -- or a shield. The image mirrors that of the bird on the shield in the next card, wings and legs splayed outward, head up, and tail down.

Vertically oriented symbols repeat themselves across these cards. The Sword becomes a Baton with eight other Batons splayed across it, becomes a scepter with a splayed cross at its top, becomes a bird with splayed wings and feet. This bird sits at the feet of the Emperor, who seems to be protecting it. Is Cody a shelter dog? Or did you rescue him from the poor conditions of a pet store? Anyway, what was once an empty floor with cold a knife hanging menacingly over it is now a rolling yard, with the touch of a man's warm hand above an animal's head.

You have much to offer Cody, and he'll be a perfect and happy "man's best friend." He will accept you as his "pack leader", provide protection for your family, and become a comfortable member in your home.

2) How You Can Make the Relationship a Happy One: Lover, Temperance, Servant (Knave) of Coins
This is easy: Love your puppy, and provide plenty of water and treats. LOL. This is the kind of "exchange" (the Coin) that your dog will understand. I also think of pee and poo accidents when I look at the last two cards, the "dirty work" of loving a puppy. They are messy, but the mess reminds you that they are there to be loved. Life is too precious -- including that of pets -- to spend time being upset about the little things. The Temperance card says to "let it go" and the Servant of Coins says to "keep on giving." Enjoy your pup!

Exercise: I Spy Meaning

I thought one fun exercise to do on days when I don't have much time would be to draw a couple cards and make a list of the meanings that I have seen in them in the past (compiled from my posts on this site), or that others may have seen and expressed in their comments, in order to illustrate the versatility of the Tarot de Marseille. Today I drew the Five of Cups and the Wheel of Fortune.

Five of Cups
I've drawn this card twice, both times seeing it as:

• people cut off from one another, living in their own little worlds or boxes. (These readings were done within days of each other and the meanings obviously colored one another.)

Wheel of Fortune
I've drawn this card four times. I've seen it as:

• Riding the ups and downs of life.
• The "typical" or mainstream wheel of most people's lives, and our individual freedom to choose our own way of riding the wheel.
• A spinning wheel, chance, a jackpot, playing roulette.
• Gaining experience through living life.
• Going in circles, and the cycles of life (Phine).

As I go through my day, I'll keep these cards in mind, with thoughts toward new meaning, and how their meanings are affected when the cards fall next to each other.

Update: I am a little shocked sometimes to go back and look at my readings for myself and see how negative, dark, and frightened they can be. That's how I felt this morning when I went back to revisit my past interpretations of the Five of Cups card. I do not have this problem when I read for others; only for myself. I am in the process of learning to be more positive with myself. (In that endeavor, I don't think I can go at all wrong with the Spanish Tarot. It's so bright, and I might even call it "chipper." If I had been using this deck on those days, perhaps I might have seen brighter things.) I don't believe that the cards ever give limiting readings. At their best, they should expand our view of the world. I must concentrate on giving myself the same benefit of positive readings that I strive to give to others.

In this deck, the central plant in the Five of Cups grows right up out of the central cup. A vine extends upward from the bottom two cups to surround and support this center cup. In turn, its vines hold the two upper cups. I am blessed in my life by being surrounded by positive people. I didn't grow up with this blessing. I am slowly learning now from them "how the other half lives" simply by being in their presence many days out of every week. In turn, my children will benefit from what I learn from these friends, and my children will also learn from them themselves.

I look at these two cards today and I look with new eyes on the Five of Cups and the Wheel of Fortune. In his e-book, EE states that "to perceive is to create." I think I'm finally getting the full meaning of that statement, in tarot and in life. If you grow to see life as beautiful, no matter your fate, you will live a beautiful life.

Update: Should She Read for Others?

This is a reading done for someone else (although the question always fits me!). I used the spread shown below, drawing at least three cards for each position, except for the first position, which ended up having six cards after using the gaze method. There seemed to be two distinct narratives within the six cards, so I split them into two lines (also to fit better on my scanner).

Question: Should I read for others?

***1***
***2***
***3***

1. Where I am Now
2. Where I am Heading
3. Another Direction to Consider

(Reading shared with permission.)

1a. Where you are now: The Fool, The Star, Temperance, Death
The Fool shows you setting off on a new path. He conveys the excitement, and perhaps a little bit of fear, of walking into the unknown of reading for others. You may not know exactly where you're going, but you know where you'd like to go. You have a goal or a dream -- you'd like to read for others, perhaps for money. You look toward The Star and Temperance.

These two cards next to each other are interesting because there are a lot of similarities between them. In the first card, a woman kneels on the ground and pours water from two jugs. This is not unlike your method of reading. A little bird whispers messages from the stars in your ear, and you nakedly pour them all out without editing. [This was a reading exchange in which she also did a reading for me.] In the next card, the scene shifts. The woman stands up, sprouts wings, and begins to pour the water from one jar to another. In standing up, she "stands on her own two feet" and her head "touches the sky." The first card is a picture of what you are doing, "where you are now," and the second is "where you'd like to be." The woman in the Temperance card has learned to share her knowledge -- she shares the water between two jugs -- and she has obtained the ability to stand and fly, and to be "an angel" for others, to help them using her connection to higher knowledge. The stars have become wings and she has become the bird.

On the other side of her, however, is the Death card. This is your fear, and your temptation to cut off your dreams because of your fears. The scythe threatens to cut down your dreams and sweep them away. The cat in The Fool is also ready to pounce on the bird in The Star, to keep you from becoming the angel in Temperance. Your fears about reading for others close in on the dream from both sides and keep it confined to being just a dream. You want to move outside of the box that your fears confine you to, and we see this in the next two cards.

1b. Knight of Coins, Three of Coins
Perhaps your desire to make money will motivate you to move beyond your comfort and transcend your fears. But I think the Knight's Coin also represents the dream. The Knight focuses on the Coin and follows its direction. He follows it toward the Three of Coins. I don't give set meanings to the cards -- I read shapes -- so in the Three of Coins I see a support system, a heart, and an embracing. The two legs of the vine support two coins on their knees, while two arms reach up to embrace and shelter a third coin, forming the shape of a heart. You'd like to be able to contribute financial support to your family, as well as find the confidence to provide spiritual support to others. The theme of grounded feet is continued from the Temperance card, and the two halves of the heart also look like sprouted wings. You'd really like to grow and fly, and feel anchored enough on the ground to do so.

2. Where You are Heading: Judgment, The Pope, Five of Coins
The message in next few cards couldn't be more plain! You come out of the closet, start reading for others, and increase your riches. In the Judgement card, you answer your calling (perhaps with a little nervous sweating!), become a "minister" who points others toward higher spirituality in The Pope card (I don't use the "High Priest" title because it isn't historically accurate for the time of the TdM decks), and the three coins increase to five. I also see a centering in the Five of Coins. One coin sits in the center between four others. By doing readings, you become a more centered person, you will feel more like a contributor in the center of your family, as well as helping others outside your family to center themselves. Each coin in this card is embraced by the surrounding vines, receiving shelter, warmth, protection, and love. The image reminds me of a group hug -- the togetherness of a family or community, people giving, receiving, and sharing support.

3. Another Direction to Consider: Two of Coins, Ten of Cups, Ten of Swords
What if you don't read for others? The Two of Coins literally shows a change in direction, or a turning around and looking at the situation from the other side. In the Ten of Cups, we have another pouring cup. It shares its liquid with nine other cups. Perhaps you are concerned with spreading your energy too thin? You already give so much to your family -- to your husband and to your children -- you wonder how you are going to find the time and energy to give more to others. In the Ten of Swords, there is a crossing or a blocking, the putting up of a barrier. It says, "Now isn't the time." You don't feel confident, you feel afraid, you're spread too thin.

The rest of the cards point to the opposite picture! They say that you have the ability and that you should follow your inclinations. The only thing that is stopping you is fear, but you can move beyond that if you refuse to focus on what holds you back. The Two of Coins shows how powerful intension can be. If you make up your mind to go in a certain direction, no matter what might want to pull you in the opposite direction, you will get where you want to go. A positive, single-minded focus is what you need. See the Ten of Swords as a barrier to any fear, negativity, and insecurity. See the Nine of Cups as an image of plenty, an echo of the water in the Star and Temperance cards. No matter how much you pour out, there's always more available. The source of the water is infinite. The more water you pour, the more you are able to give and receive.

Exercise: Five Card Narrative

JMD's 30 Weeks Course is well into its second session. We are now on week twelve and studying The Chariot card. Last week's lesson was on virtue and one of the exercises was to create a five-card narrative. The directions are as follows:

Develop a one-page outline for a story using five cards....

A couple (let's say they are at least fifteen years either younger or older than yourself, but decide before going ahead) has recently moved into rented accommodation in a city some distance from their family, both having obtained professional work there. The accommodation is relatively small, but manageable.

Each card drawn will form the basis of a chapter -- some notes of only a paragraph long.... [Allow] the personalities of the couple to emerge as cards are drawn, pausing after each card, allowing a whole episode to arise and be noted prior to the ensuing card being drawn.

Chapter One: The Fool
A newly married couple sets out together to start a new chapter in their lives. This is an exciting time for them. They have no children and not many belongings, except for a crazy cat who sometimes bites and scratches without provocation. They both have obtained new jobs in the fields of their professional expertise, and life looks good and hopeful. The man works for an advertising company and the woman works from home in the health care field.





Chapter Two: Knight of Coins
The husband's job requires that he travel a couple times a month for several days, so he often leaves home on business trips. He is very focussed on financial success and moving up in the company for which he works. So focused in fact, that sometimes he forgets to pay enough attention to his new wife. He dreams of buying a home of their own and achieving a material picture of success.





Chapter Three: The Four of Batons
The woman, on the other hand, very soon begins to feel that she and her husband are living at cross purposes. When he travels, she can feel the distance between them, and she fears that they are moving in opposite directions. She enjoys her job at home, but she has never lived in the city before, and she misses the fresh air and quiet of country life. In her spare time, she plants container gardens and places them in the sunny spots of their small apartment. When her husband comes home, he complains about having to walk around so many overflowing containers, and how the cat chews on the leaves of the plants and digs in them, flinging dirt on the floors.


Chapter Four: Four of Coins
The couple lives their separate lives and their separate dreams. The woman wants to buy a house in the country -- where their cat can go outside, eat grass, and dig -- and the man dreams of buying a large condo in a wealthy section of the city. He tells her that if he just works hard enough and is able to succeed at his job quickly enough, perhaps they will be able to do both. Just give him some time to earn some more bonuses and he believes he'll be able to buy happiness for both of them.

Chapter Five: Death
With the final card drawn, I can now view the entire narrative, rather than reading card by card. When I do, I see the story from the husband's point of view. He goes off on his own journey and turns his focus away from his marriage, following the money because that's the type of success that he thinks he needs to achieve. He's seeking material rather than spiritual happiness and we can see that the ground on which he walks goes from a rich purple to a barren brown as soon as he does that.

In the Four of Batons, the two sticks that he carried freely and that helped his travel as The Fool have become crossed and now form a barrier to his goals. He's living his life at crossed purposes, his work life conflicting with his married life, and this conflict is standing in the way of the Four of Coins and his picture of bliss. (Notice the bright, shining, green picture hanging on the wall of his vision.) The two Four cards next to each other show a stagnation. In the final card, Death, we see that he needs to change direction and give up his present idea of success. The ground is now green, fertilized by the pieces of his life that he needs to pick up and put back together.

(This is only the first part of a four-part exercise. The second part, which I haven't completed, involves examining the virtues of each of the characters. It's interesting to note that I drew several of the same cards for my last post in the reading I did for someone else on whether she should read for others. Here is another narrative that begins with The Fool and ends with Death, and also contains the Knight of Coins.)