Tarot Practical: June 28, 2012

A few days ago, friend of mine auditioned for an exciting project.  He is very, very good at the skill involved, and being chosen at the audition would have resulted in travel and good pay.  Needless to say, he was very hopeful, and had resolved to do his best at the audition.

After we got off the phone, I drew the following cards to see if they would tell me anything about the audition:

The Chariot     5 of Disks     4 of Cups     8 of Swords     Princess of Disks

The first thing I noticed is that there were no Wands, which usually signify creative endeavors.  There were material Disks, an emotional Cup, a foreboding Sword, and a single Trump.  Hmmm.

Position One: The Chariot.  This card represents my friend going into the audition, which was for a spot in an improvisation project.  Improvisation requires paramount mental agility and the ability to metamorphose on a second's notice, represented in this card by the four multiform sphinxes which draw my friend's chariot.  In life, they have drawn him back and forth across America and to foreign countries, where he has been invited to perform.  Draw him though the sphinxes do, it is he who commands the chariot and he who holds the Grail--his talent.  Talent is inborn, but he has worked hard to master it, to take the reigns of what he's been given and direct it according to his will.

Position Two: 5 of Disks.  This card is indicative of past developments that influence my friend's motivation in this situation, mainly his material security.  In the Thoth deck, this card is named "Worry," and follows naturally the powerful success that precedes in the 4 of Disks.  It is natural to be nervous before an audition, but this card also usually represents material paucity, from which my friend has not been able to remove himself for many years.  Because I try to relate each card in a spread to the others, I thought it likely that he might be filled with too much nervous energy to fully reign in his chariot and audition at his best.  I also, fleetingly, thought of a "fifth wheel" mucking up his chariot's ability to move forward, which in this case would represent another person whose involvement would interfere with his ability to focus.   

Position Three: 4 of Cups.  Called "Luxury" in the Thoth deck, this card is a bit of a tough nut to crack.  In other decks, it represents self-absorption and the inability to see what's being offered.  In this form and situation, I believe it may instead be the inability to enjoy what's being offered.  When I look at this card, I get a sense of being overstimulated by the gushing waters and the beams of light pouring forth from the source.  At this point I began to feel that the audition would not go as my friend desired; that he was being offered something truly wonderful and luxurious, but that he would not be able to enjoy it for some reason.

Position Four: 8 of Swords.  I can't help but cringe when this card comes up in a spread.  It is blockage, formidable obstacles, isolation from desires and even imprisonment.  Because swords are often associated with the intellectual, I sometimes associate this card with writer's block (especially poignant here because it is ruled by Mercury, the wily patron of writers and those who must think on their feet).  I felt that my friend would either be hindered by something major, or would for some reason not be as mentally agile as the audition would require.

Position Five: Princess of Disks.  When I laid down the cards, I designated this position as the final outcome.  So when she appeared here, I felt a surge of hope thinking that my friend might get good news that he had won the spot despite all the worry and obstacles.  But the trees behind the Princess reminded me too much of the 8 of Swords, and in the Thoth deck she is the manifestation of the earthy part of Earth.  Earth can be practical, fertile, and materially successful, but it can also be plodding, slow, and stuck.  I suddenly saw the Princess as an actual person who had planted herself as an additional obstacle to my friend, the Disk of success firmly in hand, her staff pointed downward as if to say, "It is done." 

Sad to say, after reading the cards, I feared that my friend would not succeed at the audition, which has been partially confirmed by the fact that he has not yet called me to share any good news, which he would have done almost immediately.

How do you see the Princess of Disks here?

The Lunar Week: June 25 - July 1, 2012

Buck Moon:  Waxing Gibbous

This week sees the burgeoning moon slide through four signs on its journey to next week's fullness.  The week starts out in earthy, practical Virgo; sublimes to airy, measuring Libra; condenses to watery, brooding Scorpio; and transmutes to fiery, expansive Sagittarius.

This moon is also sometimes called the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are common in many areas during the month of June.  I wish we'd see more here.  We've had a lot of promising clouds and skyward rumbling to tease us, but no rainfall, alas.




The Lunar Week, Daily:


Monday, June 25: Moon in Virgo.  Our yard is overtaken by ants at this time of year, some of which venture into the house.  As much as I hate to begrudge a living thing a place to dwell, I will likely do some purging of anthills today.  If pests are encroaching upon your living space, today is a great day  to discourage their presence.

Tuesday, June 26:  Moon in Virgo/Libra.  Use the last vestiges of nitpicky Virgo's energy to organize your closet or wardrobe.  If you found any clothes or accessories that you no longer wear, take them to a resale or consignment shop this afternoon.  While you're there, let fashion-loving Libra help you decide on one unique piece to add to your newly organized closet!

Wednesday, June 27: Moon in Libra.  If you're growing your hair out, today and tomorrow are the best of the month for a trim.

Thursday, June 28: Moon in Libra/Scorpio.  If you've been intending to have a positive, meaningful conversation with someone, today might be a great day for it.  The waxing moon as it flows from Libra to Scorpio emphasizes the transition from a mind that weighs options dispassionately to a mind that listens more to intuition and deep emotions.  If someone you love is carrying a burden, offer a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on.

Friday, June 29:  Moon in Scorpio.  Today and tomorrow are excellent days to get late season above-ground crops in the soil, if you live in a climate that is temperate and receives adequate rainfall.  I'm in Zone 8, in a place with scanty rainfall and "soil" that laughs in the face of our puny little sprinklers, so today I will instead watch a movie that makes me cry like a big old baby, so as to purge some of the emotional stuff that gets stuck inside from time to time.

Saturday, June 30:  Moon in Scorpio/Sagittarius.  The movement of the waxing moon from Scorpio to Sagittarius can help us to ease up on brooding over particulars and instead take a positive view of the big picture. Shake off the last of Scorpio's intensity with a physical activity that you enjoy.  Make a playlist with all your most guilty pleasures (if it doesn't already exist), hit play, and blast off!

Sunday, July 1:  Moon in Sagittarius.  Jupiter rules, among many other areas, higher education and intellectual expansion.  Is there a class you've been wanting to sign up for, or a new interest that's been piquing your brain lately?  Pursue it today, whether it means walking into your local craft guild, community college, or bookstore.  Learning is something that we have the chance to do every day, for our whole entire lives--let today's energy be the fire in your engine that puts you on a path to a new perspective!

Tarot Practical: June 23, 2012

Join me in a Tarot Practical!

Today I decided to stick to the Morning/Afternoon/Evening spread that we tried yesterday.  This is not a customary spread for me, but I want to work with it a bit more to see if it has promise.

Today, I will post my thoughts on the cards before the rest of the day plays out.

Please feel free to join in by posting in the comments!

Update
The day's events have been added!

Morning
7 of Wands:  My son has his martial arts class this morning; something important might happen there today.  He came home with a form for his first belt test!  In addition to demonstrating his physical skill, he must answer some questions in short answer form.

The Hierophant:  Looks a little like my grandfather, whom we are going to see today.  The kids were very happy to see their grandfather, whom they worship.

High Priestess, rev:  Hmm...two days in a row.  I guess I'm more prone than usual to ignore my inner voice this week?

Afternoon
10 of Cups:  Bigger kid also has a baseball game, so there will be lots of friends and family getting together this afternoon to cheer the kids on.  Maybe they'll win!  The baseball game was great fun, and our team did win.  Afterward, we had a big family late lunch.

King of Cups, rev:  This card usually represents a friend of mine who is an actor, who is having a hard time with a business partner; as a result, he often hides his true feelings and opinions from her.  Maybe I'll hear from him this afternoon.  I didn't hear from him during the afternoon, but he did have yet another issue with his partner which he filled me in on later.  Whenever this card comes up in a spread, I call and ask if he wants to go out for beers and talk.  He always says yes, and has much to vent about.

4 of Pentacles:  I am trying to keep us on a budget.  I will likely have to put my foot down about something money-related this afternoon.  Papa went for his second hair cut in the same month.  For the sake of our budget, I had to put the kibosh on that.  He agreed to have his hair cut shorter, once a month.

Evening
Ace of Swords:  Not a negative card, but I'm thinking this may herald an argument.  I assumed an argument because lately swords in my spreads, even upright, have warned of squabbles.  This one however was letting me know that we would have some alone time this evening for intellectual pursuits.  

7 of Cups, rev:  I'll get a chance to dump out all the things I've been thinking about and turn my mental machinations into something concrete...for this to happen, both kids would have to be out of the house. Both kids did leave the house with the grandparents after lunchtime.  I did some writing, and decided to pick up a silversmithing project I'd put down a few weeks ago.

The Sun, rev:  Again, this card.  More problems with the littlest kid?  If the Ace of Swords represents an argument, the day could end on a disappointing note, especially if the kids do spend the night out of the house.  My silver project did not come out the way it was supposed to.  I got the entire thing made and went to set the stone, only to find that the bezel no longer fit the stone.  I was extremely disappointed.

Tarot Practical: June 22, 2012

Join me in a Tarot Practical!  
It's fun, anyone can join, and everyone can pick up something new.

Most mornings I pull a few cards and ask what to look out for during the day, specifically people I will come across and the day's events.  It's a purposefully mundane spread, and very useful.


This morning I decided to divide my reading into the three times of day: morning, afternoon, and evening.  I drew three cards for each time of day, and laid them out horizontally with the morning at the top.


What do you see here?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section, and I'll post my interpretation later along with the day's events!




Morning
2 of Swords   Ace of Wands   The Moon, reversed

Afternoon
The Sun, reversed   The High Priestess, reversed   10 of swords, reversed

Evening
2 of wands, reversed   3 of Wands, reversed   3 of Pentacles

UPDATE

Okay, folks.  Here are my thoughts from yesterday, and the day's actual events.  Let's see how this all pans out!


Morning
2 of Swords:  I saw the woman as myself, stuck between two undesirable choices.  My two children spent the entire morning quarreling, which I had constantly to arbitrate.


Ace of Wands:  I would have a sudden inspiration...  I suddenly realized...


The Moon, reversed: ...that would change my perspective on the matter represented by the 2 of Swords.   ...that I needed a break from my two little howling wolves, and left the house for a bit.

Afternoon
The Sun, reversed:  The cherub looks like my youngest, who has been very fiery of temper lately; I figured he would have a rough afternoon.  My youngest had a rough afternoon with temper tantrums.

The High Priestess, reversed:  I saw this as a warning not to ignore my intuition regarding the littlest one's tantrums.  I arranged the afternoon to allow for an early dinner and bath, if necessary.

10 of swords, reversed:  If I listened to my inner warnings, the pain and annoyance would pass faster than otherwise.  My preparation was not wasted; he ended up going to bed much earlier than usual.

Evening
2 of wands, reversed:  This made me think of my kids waiting for their father to come home...  Papa promised to come home early; the kids were very expectant. 

3 of Wands, reversed:  I figured he would not be home when he had originally planned.  Papa was running late, the three of us were still expecting him.


3 of Pentacles:  It seemed like we would finish off the day by doing something together.  Mama, Papa, and bigger kid fell asleep together in the big carved bed after reading a few pages of Harry Potter.