Daily Tarot Card Draw, February 27, 2010: 8 of Cups (reversed)

Daily Tarot Card Draw, February 27, 2010: 8 of Cups (reversed)
Originally uploaded by j.goreham

AM: This morning afer my run, I pulled the 8 of Cups, reversed. My visual description of the card is that I see a figure (can't tell if it's a man or a woman) crossing a difficult, coastal terrain (kind of like by the wharf in my hometown where we used to play when we were kids). It's night time. It looks like the figure could be sneaking away (I say this because the figure has their back to us, and to the cups in the foreground).

PM: Today I got up and went for a run. I had a pretty healthy lunch, then went to the library to pick up some books. I took the ferry to downtown Halifax, and went to drum group practice. When I got there, I found out that our practice space was damaged in the storm. We decided to practice anyway, until we got kicked out by the lady in charge of the facility. I met my husband, we did some shopping, went for supper, then came home.

Interpretation: The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need tells me that my reversed 8 of Cups means I'm trying to escape from my problems without facing them. It warns that I really ought to give it all a second chance, and if I split without doing that, I could regret it. I'm not really sure what this means to me right now. When I was writing up my day, one thing that struck me as kind of funny was that there's a lot of water depicted in the card, and somebody travelling over it, and I took the ferry today. I don't think that I've experienced what this card is meant for today- so I'm going to keep an open mind over the next couple of days to see what it could mean.

In other news, I've finished up with 2 Hour Tarot Tutor, so today, I went to the library and picked up a few new tarot books to flick through- so soon, I'll post my impressions of 2 Hour Tarot Tutor, and as I get one with these books, I'll post about them, too. I picked up "Fortune Telling with Playing Cards" by Jonathan Dee, "The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present" by Janet Boyer, "21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card" by Mary K. Greer, and a novel called "Little, Big" by John Crowley, as recommended by a thread in the Aeclectic Tarot Forum.

Daily Tarot Card Draw, 26 February: The Fool (reversed)

This morning, I drew the Fool from my RWS deck. I'm still following my tarot blogging template from the Tarot Connection #71 (check yesterday's post for further details). Basically, in the morning, I pull a card and describe it, in the evening I write about my day (like a regular journal) then I check a LWB or other document about tarot to tie it all together.

AM: The Fool depicts a young person, with no home, obligations, on a vast journey. The Fool doesn't notice the dog warning him that he is about to walk off the edge of a cliff. To me, it looks like he's holding a Yorkshire rose delicately in his fingertips.

PM: My day today- pretty typical. We are experiencing a pretty yucky rainy windstorm in Nova Scotia today, and it was very cold at work- I found myself trying to find things to do in other parts of the museum to keep warm, because the part of the facility where my office is kept is cold like whoah. I left work early for an appointment at the bank (they now know my married name- so exciting!). Then I came home and had tex mex for supper with my darling husband. We are now listening to Queen and watching Olympic culing (women's).

Interpretation: Today, I'll be using "A Complete Guide to the Tarot" by Eden Gray. A classic, it's novel-sized, and therefore easy to transport, and was recommended by a friend when he saw on my facebook that I'm learning to read. Let's see what Eden Gray has to say about The Fool in the reversed position.

Well, Eden Gray says a lot of things- this is the first time that I've cracked open this book, actually (I had a library book I wanted to finish first). Gray goes to great lengths to describe the card, and she's pointed out a lot of things that I noticed too (though she calls the rose simply a white rose- I guess I'm projecting my time spent in England onto the Fool). She also points out things I didn't see, like the fact that the Fool's hobo bundle is more of a purse of bag with an emblem of an eagle (I would have said it looks more like a stag!). Gray's divinatory meaning section is quite small, and says a lot of the same old stuff about the Fool, like how the Fool is a dreamer, and how he has the desire to accomplish a great goal but must be careful to make the right choice. In the reverse, the Fool means indiscretion, thoughtlessness, and making the wrong decision.

Hmm! I've definitely had my head in the clouds lately; I'm very preoccupied with money (earlier in the week, my Ace of Pentacles was actually more of a bad omen). I'm short 4 days of my contact this month as I've already worked and been paid for them earlier in the year, I hadn't realized I'd done that much overtime and now this month, I will monetarily suffer for it. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how to make up the difference and I have a couple of aces up my sleeve, I hope. Maybe my drawing of the Fool, at what is the end of my work week and month (though not the calendar month *yet*) means I have to think carefully and keep my eyes open so I don't do something stupid.

Daily Tarot Card Draw, 25 February 2010: 4 of Swords (reversed)

Daily Tarot Card Draw, 25 February 2010: 4 of Swords (reversed)
Originally uploaded by j.goreham

I was listening to a back-episode of the Tarot Connection podcast, #71, "Tarot for Writers". I think I might try to do what the guest said to do in the interview- examine the card, journal that, then at the end of the day, write what happened through the day, then check the little white book (or whatever). So let's do that!

AM: In the 4 of swords, I see a tomb (in a church or cathedral) with a sculpture of the deceased person on the lid. 3 swords are displayed over the tomb/figure, and one lies horizontally with the remains of the person, on the side of the tomb itself and below the sculpture. It is a peaceful scene and it looks to be daytime.

PM: Let's see. Boss was still out sick and it was pretty nutty when I got to work- there were a lot of guys from 'the base' in installing radon detectors (!!!) and HOBO dataloggers for temperature or humidity changes or something (I know why I would use one, I haven't a clue why DND would). I did some paperwork, submitted some paperwork, and assisted a unsavoury character in the gift shop. I went to belly dance class, and my former roomie AM wasn't there (we take classes together) as she was ill. Then I came home and hung out with hubby. I have had a terrible headache since this afternoon.

Interpretation (with help of LWB or other document): I picked up my trust ol' The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need, and of the 4 of Swords, it says that the 4 of Swords is a period of rest after the sorrow of the 3 of Swords (as you may know that's a pretty grim looking card). It represents rest and recuperation and introspective and solitary examination of your problems. It goes on to say that reversed, it means I'm not giving myself the rest I need, and I'll make myself sick if I don't take some downtime.

So how's that all go together? Maybe my headache is indicative of my not taking the rest I need (I'm not going to get it soon- it's already past 11 at night, and tomorrow I have to get up early and shift my working patterns by an hour). Or maybe the card is actually for AM who wisely stayed home tonight- she is suffering with a terrible ear infection and generally feels run down.

3-Card Reading for G.P.

Maybe I should stop bringing my Tarot cards with me to work, my co-workers might be a little too into it! ;) I did a series of 3-card readings for G.P., who works out front in the gift shop. I keep a paper record of most my readings, but I'm only going to post one here because I think its of the most interest to anybody else- the other two, one is about issues of health (I know, I know... we didn't read for a diagnosis, just to know if she would find out from her doctor anytime soon), and the other is about a house sale.

Question: Could (G.P.'s son) see dead people when he was a little kid?
Date: 24 February 2010 Deck: Rider-Waite Tarot

Weird question, huh? I'll elaborate a bit more on information G.P. said after the reading after I've discussed my reading itself. I did a 3-card spread, again my usual past-present-future layout in the interest of fitting in a reading before going back to work after lunch.

Card 1	Card 2	Card 3
The Empress reversed	Knight of Swords	The Sun
Past	Present	Future

In the past position is the Star in the reversed position. I think this indicates that G.P.'s son, when he was young, had a very deep and powerful subconscious, which the people in his life couldn't understand. In the present, we see the Knight of Swords. As confirmed by G.P., her son never speaks of having been able to see "dead people", and will actively deny anything. In the future position is The Sun. The Sun depicts a child riding a horse, with a powerful sun in behind him/her. I think this indicates that discussion of P.G.'s son seeing "dead people" is not buried in the past, but will resurface and be directly addressed when he starts his own family.

G.P. went on to tell me a really amazing story about when her son was young. He had terrible recurring nightmares, which it later turned out were shared with a family friend with a similar birthmark. Her son also saw a forerunner of a family member whom he'd never met when he was about 3 (he called her by name and described her despite having never met her before her death). G.P.'s son will deny any of this if you asked him about it now. Anyhow, this was a really interesting reading to do which inspired great conversation (G.P. left shortly after her reading and I was too freaked out from ghost stories to sit in my office alone and found things to do that made me be around my other co-workers). Initially, I didn't think my standard, 3-card past/present/future spread would work well for this question (which, on the surface, looks like a yes/no question) but ultimately the cards told us some pretty interesting things about it all.

Daily Tarot Card Draw, February 24 2010: 8 of Swords (reversed)

This morning, after a bit of a streak of getting cups and pentacles in my readings, I pulled the 8 of Swords in the reversed position from my Rider-Waite Tarot deck. My gut instinct is that this card looks so freaking lonely. With all those swords around the figure depicted in the card, it looks like it could infer feeling like those around you are strange and faceless. Or perhaps it indicates being put into a tricky or dangerous situation 'blind' to what needs to be done to get a resolution. It's around noon, and nothing seems to be creeping up in my day that strikes a chord with any of this; the only issues I have at hand, I feel confident in how I plan to handle them. The boss is home sick (making the workplace a person lonelier than usual) and it's too cold in my office to spend any great amount of time in there, but those things don't feel as severe to me as I feel the card makes something out to be.

3 Card Spread: A reading for K.C.

Good thing I take my cards with me to work so I can play with them on the bus. My co-worker, K.C., asked me to read her cards before she left this afternoon!

K.C. is an older lady who works in an administrative position. As part of her duties, she edits the newsletter for the museum's 'friends of' type organization. This is a notable year for the Canadian Navy (the centennial year in fact) and many members of this friends of org are former RCN types. I suspect K.C. might be feeling a bit of pressure to put out a really fierce newsletter this quarter, so she wanted to know how well it would be recieved.

Question: Will the newsletter be enjoyed by the membership?
Date: February 23, 2010. Deck: The Rider-Waite Tarot

I laid out a three card spread. Card 1 for the past, Card 2 for the present, Card 3 for the Future.

Card 1	Card 2	Card 3
The Lovers	Ace of Pentacles reversed	King of Pentacles reversed
The Past	The Present	The Future

(First of all, I really like 3 card spreads. Retrospectively, I think I probably would have quantified the three cards laid out for K.C. differently, but while I am still learning to get a whole train of thought out of multiple cards, it's served its purpose.)

The Lovers in the past position, I think, refers to the many choices K.C. has had at hand in general in her experience working with the newsletter; she's seen a lot of material be submitted not only for this issue but for all of the newsletters. The reversed Ace of Pentacles eludes to the 'richness' of material submitted- she might have doubts about some of the stuff (hence its reversal), but there's no doubt that she's spoiled for all those choices she's had in general for past issues, and for this one specifically. The reversed King of Pentacles to me reads like a successful and well-recieved newsletter, though the entheusiasm for it might be a bit conservative. The King of Pentacles could generally be indicative of powerful men who are in a position to provide financial benefit to the friends of organization, or directly to the museum. They might be a little reluctant in the current economy but I think they'll pony up ;)

This was a fun reading- K.C. is a hoot to read for as she is very entheusiastic and usually has a big cheeky grin when she requests a reading, and she likes to talk about the imagery in the cards. She takes her role as newsletter editor very seriously and wants to do right by the readership and the subject material.

Anyhow, that's what I see- how would you have read this spread?

23 February, 2010, Daily Tarot Card Draw: The Ace of Pentacles

23 February, 2010, Daily Tarot Card Draw: The Ace of Pentacles
Originally uploaded by j.goreham

Back on the ball with photo-documenting my tarot card daily draws (maybe literally by the looks of that ace). I've been spending a lot of time with Tell-Me Tarot, which is a deck that I do really like, but I decided to pick up my Rider Waite today since it's gone unused for a few days now. As you can see, I drew the Ace of Pentacles.

To me, the Aces usually indicate a beginning, and I'm sure most folk will agree with pentacles indicating money or wealth. It's nearly income tax time, and it looks like Tarot might already know that? Otherwise, I can't think of a lot that this card could indicate for me, I don't expect a raise or suspect there are any out-of-the-ordinary opportunities for me to make some extra cash.

Weekly and Daily Tarot Card Draw, February 15 2010

Normally I try to pull my weekly card on Sunday evening, but we have a pretty busy Sunday- our nephew was playing Timbit hockey at the metro centre during the Halifax Moosehead's game (between 1st and 2nd period) and he also got picked to dress up in a little Mooseheads uniform and got announced as part of the starting lineup! Let me tell you we went BANANAS. Then when we got home, we crashed we were so tired from all that excitement. So without further adieu, here'smy weekly and daily Tarot card draws!

Weekly Card: Queen of Cups. Pulled from Tell-Me Tarot
This morning, the first thing I did when I got to the office, before I poured a cup of coffee, even, was pull my weekly card (otherwise it wasn't going to get done!). From the Tell-Me Tarot deck, I pulled the Queen of Cups. It reads:

"Queen of Cups= Transformation (+)
"Destruction and transformation take place to allow personal growth. Use your intuition to seek change."

Interesting! I am hopeful that I will have a creative week, and I'm already seeing that might be the case- I'm starting this week with two posts on my Tarot blog (eep!) and today, I worked extensively on a creative project at work. I've picked up some new dance music over the weekend and hope it will inspire me not only in my dancing but other activities as well. I'm also hoping to step up my game in regards to my running. Hopefully, I will be an intuitive runner and get some serious miles in this week like I'm hoping! All in all I'm feeling good about this card- the Queen of Cups seems pretty calm balancing a cup in her hand from her throne, which is bobbing in what looks like a slightly tricky sea state. She doesn't seem worried, so neither am I.

Daily Card: 10 of Pentacles (reversed). Pulled from Tell-Me Tarot.
Hmm, after what felt like ages of only getting swords and occasionally wands, I seem to be getting more pentacles and cups in my (daily) readings. The Ten of Pentacles in the Tell-Me Tarot, like most of the cards, has a lot in common with its counterpart from the Rider-Waite Smith deck. In the foreground is an older gentleman and a couple of dogs, further back in the scene (of a city or town) is a young couple with their child (a son). There are pentacles scattered in the image. The card reads:

"Ten of Pentacles = Success (+)
"Happiness, wealth and joy are inherent and long lasting. Good family life. Success in reference to your question."

Well, that sounds all right, doesn't it? I didn't really have a question other than what does the day bring, and I suppose that retrospectively, I did have a successful day. I got mostly everything I planned to do done, including my blogging here to catch up, I went for a run that went really well, I talked the hubby through marinading some steak and later cooked it without cooking the crap out of it, and got an unexpected task which was harder than I thought it would be completed.

Well, there, I'm back up to date now. Sorry for the walls of text, but it seemed daunting to take that many pictures of myself holding Tarot cards in such a short period of time! I think I might change the format of the blog a little bit. I don't think I'll photograph my Daily card draws *every* day, maybe Mondays, Wednesdays, and maybe Fridays and just write up the rest. I think it's probably worthwhile to photograph the weekly ones every time, because they're only done weekly anyway. I definitely need to put in some more time working with spreads. I find it hard to thing of stuff to ask for myself, so I'll se if my co-workers would like to have their cards read at lunch.

Playing Catch-Up

Eeeep I've been naughty and haven't posted since the 16th!

I was trying out pulling a card in the morning but not blogging about it until the evening, but a lot of my recreational activities are in the evening, and I'm also an "early to bed, early to rise" kinda gal, so obviously it hasn't worked out! Here are my previously-unblogged-about daily draws (though without photos)

17 February: Knight of Swords (reversed). Pulled from RWS
All I remember about this day was that we had a snow day, a lot of snow fell overnight so Wednesday morning, my boss called to say that the base was closed for the day. I played on the internet all morning and watched tv all afternoon, I don't think I pulled my daily card until after noon some time.

18 February: 4 of Pentacles (reversed). Pulled from Tell-Me Tarot
This card didn't mean much to me at the time I pulled it, but later in the day, I conversed with some colleagues who have university and college on the brain. When I thought back to our conversation, I recalled being very bitter about my student loan situation. I need to let go of worrying about this as thinking about it so much causes me nothing but stress and bitterness.

19 February: The Chariot. Pulled from Tell-Me Tarot
Friday evening, I went to a dance workshop. I am a avid belly dancer and runner, and I hope to do well in both (though I think the way I quantify "well" in both disciplines is pretty different- I want to have performance opportunities in my belly dancing, which I don't think is unrealistic, and for running, all I want is to continue running injury free, and run in a variety of different races- I have a 5 year goal to qualify for and run the Boston Marathon, though I certainly don't expect to win it!). I wonder if the two beasts pulling the Chariot's driver is indicative that my two interests are pulling me in two different directions. I hope I don't have to chose one over the other.

20 and 21 February: No Cards. Was lazy and busy over the weekend and didn't pull daily cards. This seems to be the norm.

This week's weekly and today's daily card coming up in the next post!