You may recall a few years ago I did a series of posts about my use of Sanskrit mantras with tarot majors. I will be posting them again in the form of posters. I hope you enjoy. Namaste.
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Thursday Thoughts #2
You may recall a few years ago I did a series of posts about my use of Sanskrit mantras with tarot majors. I will be posting them again in the form of posters. I hope you enjoy. Namaste.
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Let yourself be that guy and see what happens -- Knight of Cups
I must admit my attitude to the Knight of Cups has been a little harsh. He always strikes me as a moony adolescent. But you know, he does have qualities that would help us shine our lights more.
He throws his whole heart into things.
He holds nothing back.
He is completely open in expressing how he feels in the moment, and does not balk from expressing how he feels in the next moment, even if he's changed his heart entirely (much like Romeo's sudden change of allegiance from Rosaline to Juliet.)
He doesn't care what people think about his devotion and passion.
He allows himself to be vulnerable.
He is willing to take tremendous risks in pursuit of what he wants.
He believes that persistence will win out.
His balloon never lands. :)
I can see how his qualities could help us shine a light in our lives. Being the Knight of Cups for a while will help us reconnect with what is really important to us, and fill us with the love and devotion to commit ourselves fully to those things, not out of obligation, but because we adore them.
Allow yourself to be a bit Knight of Cups this week, and let's see what happens.
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Monday, 4 August 2014
What is success? A Wisdom Reading
Sometimes it's good to do a reading on something really big-- to ask the tarot huge, audacious questions. Why shouldn't we? Why not ask the tarot questions that are huge to the point of impertinence? Rachel Pollack calls these 'wisdom readings', and they can be an illuminating tool for self-development and growth.
I've decided today to do a simple wisdom reading about success.
We all have times when we feel like there's a bit of a cloud hanging over our heads. We feel like we haven't quite got things right. A bit like we're a let down. Like we just aren't quite up to scratch. Like we are not 'successful'. Why? And what is success, anyway?
Success is defined as the achievement of something desired, planned or attempted, favourable outcome, financial gain associated with such outcome, the gaining of fame or prosperity.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in these dictionary definitions of success that we lose all perspective. We start scrabbling and grasping for a measure of ourselves, trying to figure out if we're good enough. This can be very unsettling!
I decided to ask three simple but profound questions:
What is success?
What is the key to success?
What will success feel like, to me?
Success is not an outcome or an end result, regardless of dictionary definitions, this draw tells me. Success is a process and a feeling. It's actually more of a fundamental drive.
Success itself is represented by the Ace of Wands. It is in the inception of action -- the untapped and limitless potential of it. Success is knowing you have that potential within you, success is acknowledging it and feeling it and accessing it. The card shows a wand with angel wings, floating over a green expanse. In the background is a mass that wavers, to my eyes, as a circle of standing stones one minute, a castle-fortress the next. Both are monuments to vision and fire and drive -- the human drive to do, to move, to create. It is this primitive fire that is success itself. The mass on the right side of the card is a wood, a small forest, a stand of tress. This always represent mystery to me -- who knows what lies at the heart of the forest, in the darkness of the forest floor. And who knows where this divine spark comes from, why we have it, why we, amongst all creatures, seem to have this deep need to make our marks on life. The question is, what is the mark that will satisfy this primitive drive in you? Because it is different for all of us. Some of us need to have a powerful job. Some of us need to write a book. Some of us need to cook dinner for our family every night and get the kids off to school every morning. All of these are ways to make a mark on the world. All of these are manifestations of success.
The key to success is the Two of Swords. This really is key! The sky and the water merge; only a few bits of land jut above the surface. This is the fathomless depths of the psyche. The figure is blindfolded, swords crossed before her. She has her face turned slightly, in that way we do when we are tuning inward to something. What is she tuning in to? What is she shielding herself from with that blindfold and those swords? She is tuning in to her depths -- something deep inside her that knows what her success is. Is it power? Is it fame? Is it attention? Is it a family? Is it art? Is it dance? Is it the rustling leaves on the trees in the wind and birdsong? She can never find the key to her success if she is always looking out at others, always allowing the thoughts and opinions of the world invade her heart and mind. The key to success is to go deep within, very deep. Deeper than maybe you've ever been, because you've been too busy throwing your efforts into going for what is sparkly, what is perhaps satisfying to some, but possibly not to you.
To me, success will feel like the 10 of Pentacles. The card is lovely, a rose window -- literally. It's pink, a colour that always makes me think of happiness. Everything in this card points to feeling secure, provided for, and stable. The card is very symmetrical, perfectly balanced. There are fruits, roses in red and white, speaking of purity and passion, there are banners and a shield and the ten pentacles overarching all. The 10 of Pentacles is about legacy. And so we return to the first card -- the driving need to make our mark, a mark that will last. My mark, according to this card, is not power, or artistic expression, or even deep Hermit-like insight. It's a legacy of feeling that 'This is enough. This is plenty. The world is beautiful and safe and there is enough to go around -- enough love, enough joy, enough life. We don't have to fight for our piece of it or worry that others have more than their share, leaving no chance for ourselves. This is wholeness.' Success for me is not only nurturing this 10 of Pentacles feeling in myself -- it is helping others to find it as well. It is giving it to them through my thoughts and words and actions, and through my readings. This is why I read tarot -- that is my tool for achieving 'All is well, and all shall be well,and all manner of things shall be well.' It helps bring me back to this over and over; tarot is the gift and the tool that allows me to help others find theirs, too.
The wisdom reading is a beautiful thing. I believe it taps into the true power of the tarot -- the power to plumb the depths of the insight dwelling within each of us.
True understanding of success, itself a mysterious fire, flows deep. Feel like diving in today? Why not try your own wisdom reading, on success or the topic of your choice.
I would love to hear about your wisdom readings!
Sometimes we can get so caught up in these dictionary definitions of success that we lose all perspective. We start scrabbling and grasping for a measure of ourselves, trying to figure out if we're good enough. This can be very unsettling!
I decided to ask three simple but profound questions:
What is success?
What is the key to success?
What will success feel like, to me?
Success itself is represented by the Ace of Wands. It is in the inception of action -- the untapped and limitless potential of it. Success is knowing you have that potential within you, success is acknowledging it and feeling it and accessing it. The card shows a wand with angel wings, floating over a green expanse. In the background is a mass that wavers, to my eyes, as a circle of standing stones one minute, a castle-fortress the next. Both are monuments to vision and fire and drive -- the human drive to do, to move, to create. It is this primitive fire that is success itself. The mass on the right side of the card is a wood, a small forest, a stand of tress. This always represent mystery to me -- who knows what lies at the heart of the forest, in the darkness of the forest floor. And who knows where this divine spark comes from, why we have it, why we, amongst all creatures, seem to have this deep need to make our marks on life. The question is, what is the mark that will satisfy this primitive drive in you? Because it is different for all of us. Some of us need to have a powerful job. Some of us need to write a book. Some of us need to cook dinner for our family every night and get the kids off to school every morning. All of these are ways to make a mark on the world. All of these are manifestations of success.
The key to success is the Two of Swords. This really is key! The sky and the water merge; only a few bits of land jut above the surface. This is the fathomless depths of the psyche. The figure is blindfolded, swords crossed before her. She has her face turned slightly, in that way we do when we are tuning inward to something. What is she tuning in to? What is she shielding herself from with that blindfold and those swords? She is tuning in to her depths -- something deep inside her that knows what her success is. Is it power? Is it fame? Is it attention? Is it a family? Is it art? Is it dance? Is it the rustling leaves on the trees in the wind and birdsong? She can never find the key to her success if she is always looking out at others, always allowing the thoughts and opinions of the world invade her heart and mind. The key to success is to go deep within, very deep. Deeper than maybe you've ever been, because you've been too busy throwing your efforts into going for what is sparkly, what is perhaps satisfying to some, but possibly not to you.
To me, success will feel like the 10 of Pentacles. The card is lovely, a rose window -- literally. It's pink, a colour that always makes me think of happiness. Everything in this card points to feeling secure, provided for, and stable. The card is very symmetrical, perfectly balanced. There are fruits, roses in red and white, speaking of purity and passion, there are banners and a shield and the ten pentacles overarching all. The 10 of Pentacles is about legacy. And so we return to the first card -- the driving need to make our mark, a mark that will last. My mark, according to this card, is not power, or artistic expression, or even deep Hermit-like insight. It's a legacy of feeling that 'This is enough. This is plenty. The world is beautiful and safe and there is enough to go around -- enough love, enough joy, enough life. We don't have to fight for our piece of it or worry that others have more than their share, leaving no chance for ourselves. This is wholeness.' Success for me is not only nurturing this 10 of Pentacles feeling in myself -- it is helping others to find it as well. It is giving it to them through my thoughts and words and actions, and through my readings. This is why I read tarot -- that is my tool for achieving 'All is well, and all shall be well,and all manner of things shall be well.' It helps bring me back to this over and over; tarot is the gift and the tool that allows me to help others find theirs, too.
The wisdom reading is a beautiful thing. I believe it taps into the true power of the tarot -- the power to plumb the depths of the insight dwelling within each of us.
True understanding of success, itself a mysterious fire, flows deep. Feel like diving in today? Why not try your own wisdom reading, on success or the topic of your choice.
I would love to hear about your wisdom readings!
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Off we're gonna shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo!
You wouldn't think people would get hung up on something as simple as how to randomize the order of tarot cards before drawing them -- but when it comes to tarot, details seem to matter. A lot.
To me, the act of riffling and bridging a deck is wonderfully soothing. I love the way the cards feel and I love the sounds they make as I put them through these motions. Some people object because they say it damages the cards, but I find it helps me develop a rapport with a deck. It's a very tactile thing.
After the shuffle, whichever method used, I stack the deck and cut it once, restack it, and the cards on top are the cards in the draw.
There are so many myths, legends, superstitions and just plain misinformation out there about tarot, and one them is the 'correct' way to shuffle the cards. Some people have it in their heads that there is an acceptable or proper way to shuffle the cards, but there really isn't. People actually have asked me how I shuffle -- here's how I do it.
Riffle and Bridge
This is my absolute favourite shuffle, and I use it for every deck that I can fit into my hands and has card stock that is flexible enough to bend. You've probably seen this shuffle before. You divide the pack into two halves, then bend the card slightly and allow them to 'riffle' from your thumbs so that they interlace:
Then you can either 'smoosh' the cards together and tap them on the table to even them up, or you can bridge, which is to pick them up, bend them the other way, and place slight pressure on the outer edges, allowing the shower or fall back into place:
 |
| Riffle shuffle |
 |
| Bridge |
Hand over Hand
This is the shuffling method that I use with cards that are either too large for me to get my hands around, or that are too stiff to bend. You just hold the cards in one hand, hold the other hand beneath it, and let a few of the cards at a time drop into your hand. You can alternate dropping the cards in front and back of the stack in the receiving hand.
 |
| Hand over Hand |
'Washing' the Cards
Sometimes there's a deck you can't riffle and you can't do hand over hand -- like a round deck! For these cards, I push them out across a flat surface face down, and then carefully and lightly start moving them around to mix them up, in a 'washing' motion. A lot of people prefer the washing shuffle to the riffle, saying it does less damage to the cards, but it's been my experience that the edges of my cards seem more in peril of nicks from washing than riffling. I guess it's all in the technique.
 |
| 'Washing' |
After the shuffle, whichever method used, I stack the deck and cut it once, restack it, and the cards on top are the cards in the draw.
If I'm giving a reading in person, I do all the shuffling. I might ask the client to put their hands on the deck before I start, and I always ask them to make the cut. But the shuffling I do myself. It is an important part of how I connect to the energies of the question, the cards and the customer.
How many times to shuffle
Personally, I tend to shuffle in sets of 3. I'll either shuffle 3 times, or 6 times or 9 times...I have no idea why. It just feels right. Sometimes I shuffle so many times I lose count. I just keep going until something inside tells me to stop. :)
What shuffling methods do you use?
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