Tarot Spreads: A New Year And Tools For Looking Ahead

Happy New Year everyone and I thought I would share some of my rituals for ending the year. I have two spreads which I usually do for the upcoming year and one for January and every month.


The first spread is a Horoscope Spread with three cards drawn for each house 1 to 12 and one overall category. This is drawn for each quarter of the year ahead: January to March, April to June, July to September, October to December. 


Method:
I shuffle the deck and cut twice and put the piles back together. I draw one card for each house. I then shuffle again and do the same for a second card for each house and then a third. This allows specific cards to come up more than once in each house and this adds to the emphasis.


The meanings of each house are taken from the astrological associations. See the following link for detailed explanations of each one.


House 1: Physical body, Self, beginnings
House 2: Money, income, finances
House 3: Siblings, neighbours, short trips, communications
House 4: Home, family
House 5: Children, games, romance
House 6: Illness, work, duty, daily routine, pets
House 7: Spouse, committed relationships, law suits, open enemies,
House 8: Sex, death, taxes, other people’s money
House 9: Long distance travel, religion, the law, higher education, philosophy
House 10: Mother, career, profession, public standing
House 11: Friends, groups,  social activities, societies
House 12: Solitude, hospitalization, sacrifice, hidden matters, secret liaisons, secrets
Overall:


The second spread is a three card reading for each month of the year ahead: January, February, March and on to December. 

Method:

I shuffle the deck and cut twice and put the piles back together. I draw one card for each month. I then shuffle again and do the same for a second card for each month and then a third. This allows specific cards to come up more than once and this adds to the emphasis.

I give my three card readings the following positions - 1 - current situation; 2 - base of the matter; 3 - atmosphere or feel of the situation.


January: 
February: 
March: 
April: 
May: 
June: 
July: 
August: 
September:
October:
November:
December:


I will save the monthly spread for the future. Good luck everyone and I wish you the most wonderful 2011.

Tarot Reading Sale At '78 Notes To Self'

There are only a few days left now for the tarot reading sale on 78 Notes To Self. Prices have been reduced by 25% meaning you pay $30 instead of $40. You can also purchase a gift voucher at the $30 price but all of this is only available until 1 January.

http://78notes.blogspot.com/2010/12/holiday-reading-sale.html

Note: Tarot Talk is not affiliated with the 78 Notes To Self website, we gain no money or any kind of exchange for this post. This is not an advertisement but merely a heads up.

Books: Eight of Swords by David Skibbins

Tarot Talk does its best to feature all things tarot related and this post is part of our Tarot Book series.


Eight of Swords by David Skibbins won the 2004 Malice Domestic/St. Martin's Press contest for Best First Traditional Mystery and was recently republished in 2006 by Minotaur Books.


As with all the books featured on our blog, there is a tarot connection. See what you think of the plot:

Warren Ritter, a former leader in the Weather Underground, changed his identity 30 years ago; but now he's on the run, both from the Feds and from some of his former associates. Working as a tarot reader in Berkeley, Ritter finds nothing good in teenager Heather Wellington's cards, and she is promptly kidnapped. Soon Warren is being framed for the murder of Heather's mother. With the help of a computer expert, he sets out to solve the murder and escape the frame. (His future on the lam is also in jeopardy after his sister recognizes him.) Ritter's past gives his character some depth, as does his bipolar condition. The first-person narration draws the reader into this likable hero's underground life, and the well-drawn Berkeley setting effectively sets the counterculture tone. Winner of the St. Martin's Minotaur/Malice Domestic Contest for Best First Traditional Mystery. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association.

Books: Solange by Rodric Cascio

This is an intricate suspense novel that flits between 1932 and the present day. This is a time-travelling, tarot card-reading thriller with the evil Solange doing readings in New Orleans and somehow finding her salvation lies in the story between the main characters.

Solange by Dr. Rodric Cascio is the first in a series of novels featuring Madam Solange Deshotel.

Resource: #5 Cafe Astrology Website

You will find interpretations for transits, progressions and natal aspects plus resources for free charts and solar returns on one of the most useful astrology sites on the web. Cafe Astrology has collection of information that is coherent, well written and consistent.


The site provides a series of articles and information on a range of astrologically relevant topics such as different types of Astrology Reports, Birth Chart Interpretations, all types of Astrology Articles and 
relevant work with a romantic focus such as love and relationships. These include interpretations 
on Synastry/Relationships and the Relationships Blog.


This recommendation is not specific to Tarot but I was reminded of how well the two arts - tarot / astrology - worked together recently. I have a Pluto opposition Jupiter transit coming exact on 29 December and once I added some notes about the houses affected I also drew some cards for any more detailed information. This could also work the way around. You may have a reading that you can't quite grasp and find that a glance at which transits are currently activated may let you focus on any potential solution.

Day cards for 6 November and Daily Spread

Normal Influences
Tower - 6 of Wands - Ace of Pentacles
       Ace of Swords


Best Potential
Fool - High Priestess - 2 of Cups
         Page of Cups (10 of Wands)


Morning - Starting afresh, planting some seeds (literally, my housemate has gone gardening)
Best - Enjoying each others company and then happy to be apart again
Midday - Success in a venture in which you've put some energy
Best - Keeping quiet while something is revealed, staying away.
Afternoon - Unexpectedly having to leave the house
Best - An excitement and enthusiasm for doing something new
Evening - A new idea arises from difficulties
Best - One more invitation would really be exhausting

If you would like your own personalised daily reading then please let me know. The cost is £5 a month.

Day cards for 20 October 2010 and daily spread

Everyday I draw four cards for my day and four for the best potential. I use my own spread and count out the numbers in my birthday or the client's birthday. If the date is the 27 of February I would shuffle then count out the 1st card on the top right, 2nd card for February next to it, then 3rd up to 26th below in a stack and finally the 27th card on the far left edge.

From right to left the cards indicate morning, midday, afternoon and the bottom of the stack below is evening. All placed face down initially.

27 - 2 - 1
3 (bottom of stack)

I settled on this spread after years of testing it out and seeing how the cards reflected my day.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Daily Cards
7 of wands - The Lovers - Death
10 of Wands

Best Potential
8 of wands - 7 of Swords - 9 of Pentacles
Emperor


Morning - Something comes to an end
Best - Taking things slowly and doing it on my own
Midday - Should I, Shouldn't I? Back and forth trying to decide
Best - getting away from it all, putting myself first
Afternoon - Putting the effort in and making it work
Best - Lots of interaction and fast paced work
Evening - Finally exhausted from the burden you let it go.
Best - Taking charge and doing things my way.

Some context for the reading: I was recovering from a cold but today feel worse than ever so I can't go to work. I have a dinner to attend tonight so may need to cancel. At the moment I'm trying to consume as much honey and tea as possible to ease the pain in my throat. The usual cards for illness are 4 of swords and the Devil. Neither has come up in today's reading so it looks interesting.

If you would like a personalised daily tarot reading then please let me know. The cost is £5 a month.

Resource: #8 Practical Tarot Blog

The Practical Tarot Blog is run and written by Barbara Moore and is full of useful advice and tips.

She posts on tarot spreads such as the Harvest Spread and Tarot and Meditation. Her 'create a meditation spread' blends tarot and meditation. It also uses candles, incense, or essential oils as an accompaniment. All of these elements should help to create a nice atmosphere to enhance the visualisation.

There is also a Harvest Spread that is fitting for this season. As she says, "you can use this to analyze a harvest you're about to bring in. Or you can use it to forecast the results of possible seeds." There are eight cards in the spread so do take a look and leave some feedback if you like.

Resource: #6 James Ricklef's Tarot Blog

James Ricklef's Tarot Blog has many useful resources for tarot enthusiasts at all levels. The man himself is a tarot reader, lecturer, and writer. He has been a frequent workshop presenter at the annual Los Angeles Tarot Symposium as well as a guest presenter at the New York Tarot Reader’s Studio and the San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium. He is the author of the award-winning book Tarot Tells the Tale: Explore Three Card Readings Through Familiar Stories and the follow-up book, Tarot: Get the Whole Story: Use, Create & Interpret Tarot Spreads. He is also the creator of the Tarot of the Masters deck.


If you have a Tarot subject you would like him to discuss then you can get in touch with him. His latest post answers a question sent in by a reader: What do I need to know about myself to restore passion in my life?


There is a monthly tarot article and the September 2010 one is The Empress and the Emperor –Wholeness through a marriage of opposites. A little excerpt provides an example of the kind of information available:

Duality is a recurrent theme throughout the Tarot’s Major Arcana cards, which emphasizes the fact that understanding how to balance and integrate the complementary energies symbolized by the cards is an essential part of our spiritual journey. For example, the Empress and the Emperor form a dualistic pair, representing (among other things) the archetypal mother and the archetypal father.

There are also links to Tarot Reviews. See his blog or contact him via his Twitter feed at @AskKnightHawk for more information.

Resource:#5 Aeclectic Tarot

The Aeclectic Tarot site does a great job of providing a lot of relevant information in a simple package. It has been around since 1996 and features information on tarot decks, over a thousand are listed, information is available to help you learn the 78 tarot card meanings, and you can get a free tarot reading, read tarot eBooks, and much, much more.

The two most useful aspects of the site for me are the following: 1) tarot deck information because there are pictures of the cards and I can explore before I purchase; and 2) the forum and section on tarot card spreads. As a reader, new or slightly less new, the most useful skill you will have is your ability to find the answer to a question. There are hundreds if not thousands of tarot spreads which will help you achieve this. They range from the classic Celtic Cross to the simple three card spread and the yes or no spreads that you may be already using. Somewhere past these are the myriad variations and enhancements which feature looking for love, money, lost pets and many more.

Card image from the Vampire Tarot

Resource: #4 Mary K. Greer's Blog

Whether you are a new enthusiast to Tarot or have been indulging the subject for years, there are many things of benefit and interest to Mary K. Greer's blog. Greer is a published author on the Tarot and has been in print for over 20 years.


Mary Greer's books on Amazon

Her writing ranges from texts that deal with further understanding of the tarot cards and helping people learn tarot spreads and how to use the deck. There is something for everyone and I recommend you investigate what she has to offer.

Resource: #3 Tarot Discussion Group

One of the best ways to learn about tarot is to use it in everyday life and to interact with others who are experienced and interested in the same thing.

Classic Tarot is a group hosted by the Yahoo Groups and anyone can sign up at the following link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClassicTarot/.

As they say in their introduction, Classic Tarot is a group designed for the beginner, the intermediate and the advanced student. It addresses not only how to use Tarot for divination but also how to use Tarot for self discovery.

They discuss the history and symbolism of tarot and how to use it. There is discussion about designing your own spreads and developing your intuition. Other subjects that come up are Astrology, Numerology, the Qabalah Connection, and Rituals. If it’s Tarot related, it’s of interest. And, of course, they do real Readings, Daily Card Weaving Exercises, and address questions, questions and more questions.

All members of any skill are welcome so join in to learn, participate or just enjoy the atmosphere.

Resource: #2 'Learning the Tarot' course

A free 12-week course on learning the tarot is available from Lotus Tarot. 12 lessons are made available alongside 12 tests for each one. They suggest you need your own deck of cards and a book or two for reference.

How does the course work

There is a weekly schedule of lessons but you can go at your own pace as the lessons are all on the website already.

The lessons consist of study material, practical exercises and a few multiple-choice questions at the end of each, so you can test your understanding and retention of the lesson before moving on to the next one.

http://www.free-tarot-reading.net/learn/

Resource: #1 Learning Tarot

I will be posting some information about learning the tarot and hopefully help you find the resources that can help you.

One of the most useful sites I have encountered is 'Learning the Tarot'. The website contains Lessons about learning to use the tarot, individual pages of descriptions and keywords about each card, a version of the course you can download and a list of decks you can browse through.

The first card of the Major Arcana is the Fool and the following keywords are provided: BEGINNING, SPONTANEITY, FAITH, and APPARENT FOLLY.

There are actions associated with the Fool and some of them are as follows:

beginning
entering a new phase
striking out on a new path
expanding horizons
starting something new
beginning an adventure
going on a journey
heading into the unknown

Opposing cards are suggested such as the Hierophant which means: following convention, routine.

A description is provided and suggestions about how to use the card.



See Learning the Tarot for further information.

Tarot News: Cheryl Cole Seek's Advice

The demise of Cheryl Cole's love life was publicly documented in the press. From the first date to filing for divorce, the cameras and journalists' notepads have been on scene. We have been provided with information about what has been going on but there must have been some secret moments.

Chery Cole is known to have been visiting clairvoyants for advice and it's a good thing that what they told her has been kept secret. However, we can use her case to help out others so I've drawn three cards for advice on what she should do.

I drew the 3 of cups - 6 of cups - 5 of wands.

The 3 of cups suggest she should be out celebrating with her female friends because she's had too much time on her own (6 of cups). The trouble has been the lack of interaction and fun and dealing with troubles that came up (5 of wands). The cards add up to 14 which is the major arcana card Temperance. This card suggests finding a balance between what you love and what you do. Ideally she should find an outlet in her professional life so we may see a new album on the way. The time on her own may be draining her from the fun she could be having.