Let's see if I can get this straight

I've been trying to get some things straight in my head for the last few days because I think it's 

important. Why do we read cards a certain way and who were the first people to do things the way we do? Why did they make those choices? Who says we have to keep doing it that way? Stuff like that. 

I'm no tarot historian and most likely never will be. My eyes glaze over when I try to read theories about the Astro-Alpha-Numeric correspondences of pre-de Gebelin cartomancy...and stuff like that. But several comments read in rapid succession at Aeclectic Tarot which made a strong implication that the Thoth Tarot was somehow superior to the Rider Waite Smith deck made me start to squint and wonder. And it's so rare lately that my cerebral gears try to kick into motion, I had to follow up on it. 

Okay, I know both Uncle Al and dear old Arthur were Golden Dawn. The thinking is, if I've got it right, that Waite illustrated Golden Dawn meanings, but did so in an obscure way because of his vows of secrecy, whereas Crowley put it all out there on the deck, trusting that we were all big boys and girls enough to learn the system and could handle it. Right, okay, I'm fine with that. But where, I suddenly began to wonder, did these Golden Dawn meanings come from? It sounded to me like they'd 'always' been the tarot meanings, and that only a few people knew them, that the meanings were closely guarded esoteric secrets that had only been released to us, the great unwashed, sometime near the turn of the 19th century. Could that be right? I had a few questions that needed answering. 

What's coming for me in the next quarter?

It seems like a good time of year to do a reading taking stock of things. So I drew cards for a Celtic Cross this morning, just asking in general what the state of things are in my life and what general trends I can expect in the next three months or so, from Ostara onwards. (I like to celebrate Ostara at the nearest full moon after the Vernal Equinox.) 

Celtic Tarot Davis, Aquarian 1990

Overall, the spread contains a lot of majors, which surprises me as I thought the next few months would be a quieter time in 'grand scheme' of my life, given all I've been through in the last year with my job being in jeopardy. But we have here four major cards! And four court cards suggest both some important interactions with other people and also some character development within myself. 

The draw shows my recent past very clearly indeed. The thing that has been foremost in my mind has been my source of income (Ace of Coins), and after a long, drawn-out process, I have finally received the news that I will be keeping my job (Judgement). Yes, I have been deemed suitable by the powers that be, to continue doing the job I've done for the last seven years. 

It's true as well, that my highest aspiration in recent times (and still today) is to strike a balance in all areas of my life, to find some Temperance in my habits and my thoughts and my approach to my life. I have the tools to achieve this available to me in the Knight of Coins aspect of my character, as I do like to take things slowly, think things over, make informed decisions, develop some good reasons for following through on something. So while it may take me longer to accomplish a goal, it generally stays accomplished. That's true. 

Ostara Blessings to Everyone!

Druid Animal Oracle Worthington /Carr-Gomm 1995

HAPPY OSTARA  AND A BLESSED FULL MOON

The Hare from the Druid Animal Oracle (Will Worthington & Phillip Carr-Gomm, Touchstone 1995) is the card for today, in honour of the Easter holidays. 

'As representative of the Corn Spirit and the two equinoxes, the hare brings the excitement of rebirth, fertile abundance and willing release as each creative cycle comes to an end,' Carr-Gomm writes, in the guidebook to the deck. 'With the hare as your ally, you will be able to draw on your intuition to guide you through life.'

April Giveaway: Free Tarot Card Reading

FREE READING OFFER!

Open to all followers of this blog who leave comments during the month of April. 

The winner's reading will be featured on this blog in May. 

Though commenting on my blog automatically includes you in the draw, the prize is optional. If the winner doesn't want the reading, I will draw another name. 

I'm looking forward to my very first giveaway and to seeing you all here during the month of April. Thanks for visiting me at Rowan Tarot!

An Oracle for a Change: Mystical Lenormand

In the last few years, I've put on ten pounds of the 70-odd I lost in 2004. It's finally hit home to me hard this year, because I finally have moved up a size in clothing. This makes me unhappy! I've not been very successful so far this year in changing my habits, and I was having a look at the Mystical Lenormand (AG Muller, 2005) and decided to do a quick draw about it. 


I'm new to Lenormand cards, so had a look through the LWB and found 'The Runway Layout', in which you are to select your significator (The Lady if you're female, The Man if you're male) and a card that represents your goal and place it away from the significator, then shuffle and draw some cards to place between to show what will get you from A to B. The instructions suggest to start by drawing three cards, up to seven, but no more than seven. 


So my question was: 'What should I do in order to achieve my goals of losing this weight and achieving vibrant health?' I selected The Sun as my goal, as it represents success, energy, will-power and optimism. 

Lady, Ship, Tower, Tree and Sun from Mystical Lenormand,  Urban Trosch, AG 2005