“If you love it, set it free”, “if it’s meant to be it will be”, “que sera sera” - just a sample of quotes that capture the essence of letting go for the greater good. This themes crops up many times across the tarot. Think, the 6 of Swords, the 8 of Cups, the dreaded Tower or even worse Death…to name but a few.
But the 4 of Pentacles gets a bit lost in this conversation, and I think is a generally speaking more difficult translation. But all we need to do is mind our protagonist’s body language to get to the heart of this card’s message. Sitting down, looking straight on, closed off, arms folded, tight grip - what can we conclude? The Pentacles in this case do not occupy negative space, they sit close to the body. This is the posturing of someone who is desperately afraid to lose what they’ve already acquired. But why? Maybe they don’t believe they deserve it? Maybe they fear that if it does slip away, they’ll never gain it back? Perhaps they’re not even sure if it’s theirs to begin with. It is both the depiction of someone who is protective and greedy. Someone who has placed great value on material possession, but understand that value may come from a place of fear and not superficiality.
A year ago I made a post comparing the Wisdom of the Oracle cards to tarot cards as a way to better commit them to my memory bank. It worked well and I know that article has reached plenty of people, so I challenged myself to do the same with the Animal Spirit oracle.
I do this because as many of you know, I’m a much bigger fan of tarot than I am of oracle. And while I think these oracle decks can completely stand on their own and need no association to be used thoroughly, I can’t help but always look at things (oracle or otherwise) through a tarot-centric lens.
So please honour the deck as it was intended, but also use some of this insight to help you further understand and assimilate those meanings!
I also want to note that I am absolutely in LOVE with the animal spirit oracle deck by Kim Krans - author of the Wild Unknown. And I’ll even go on record to say that I avoided this deck for a long time because I didn’t actually think we’d get along. It was only one day when I was itching for a new deck and found myself in Indigo that I reached for the package and let’s just say, I’ve basically not put it down since.
And with that, let me share with you how I’ve compared each card. Perhaps if you’re more familiar with this deck than you are with tarot, this list may even help you understand tarot cards in a new way! Some of the associations were very obvious to me and some of them took some flexing on my part. Have a look after the cut and see what you think!
Welcome to my first ever (but hopefully now annual) Holiday Gift Guide for mystics, seekers and lovers of all things metaphysical! In this post, I’ve going to share with you some incredible, unique, beautiful and affordable offerings from around the web and throughout the globe. I know it’s still pretty early, but the holidays do tend to sneak up on us every year. And now that Halloween is officially wrapped, it’s time to start shifting gears.
I want to waste no time, so let’s get to it. Some of the features in this list are very specific products, some are links to full stores or an artist’s larger body of work, but all are pure magick. Please enjoy the selection below which focuses specifically on small business as opposed to big box - hopefully it will inspire you for the upcoming holiday season!
This is part three of the Delivering A Memorable Email Reading series. You can also go back and read Part One and Part Two if you wish. In the first installment, we focused on tools and techniques to ensure your clients get the most of the reading. In the second installment, we turned the tables to examine practices that will help you get the most of your services as a reader. Today, we'll be talking about ways to sustain your practice and ensure you're maximizing your time and energy. This is critical to examine because if you're not being mindful of your own reserves, your product and ability to deliver will inevitably suffer.
Similar to the advice in Part 2, I learned a lot of this through trial and error. For this reason, I am hopeful I can condense what took me years to sort through in such a way that we can shorten your learning curve and give you some food for thought.
P.S. This post has been updated to include a more complete worksheet. All links to the older worksheet have updated below to include the new material.
This post includes a downloadable resource: Flexing Your Cards - Exercise Sheet.
No, this isn't a post about how to get the most of your workout routine with the aid of tarot - though I'm sure it wouldn't be above their ability to assist with this either! When I talk about flexing, what I'm describing is a method of reading that allows you to bend and mold the card's standard meaning to fit the specific question being asked. Whether it be love, career, personal development, passion projects or anything else, a single tarot card can and should be able to provide suitable guidance, if you can adjust your lens ever so slightly.
Of course, there are some cards that seem to speak fluent love or finances, but even if not; even if the card seems to be themed in an entirely different direction, doesn't mean it can't give you the answer you're looking for. You just need to know how to look at the card.
The other day, I was playing around with my method for reading probability, when I found myself asking not if something would or wouldn't happen, but what the pros and cons would be, should it occur. In that moment, I began contemplating methods to simply construct a spread that would tackle this sort of inquiry, and that was when this method for weighing pros and cons was born. It is inspired both by my "yes/no/maybe so" system and decision making method for reading the cards.
The idea behind weighing the pros and cons is that with most of what we experience and pursue in life, there are ups and downs. Sometimes those ups and downs are of equal impact, and many times the situation skews one way or another. If you're trying to determine the ups and downs or pros and cons or something, whether that be embarking on a new path, leaving a current relationship or having a difficult conversation - keep reading; this method is for you.
Preface: If you've found this article (or others) helpful, or have enjoyed the resources that I create, please consider joining me on Patreon. Even at $1 a month you are helping me sustain my work here while also unlocking access to content that has never been and will never be published in this space. Thanks!
Full disclosure - I am of the camp that believes Justice has found it's proper place as the 11th Arcana, though I know there are many who prefer it as the 8th and I am sure there are plenty of valid reasons why that makes sense. However, I'm here to discuss one of the reasons why the latter resonates more with me, and that is because in the 11th spot, based on numerology, it vibrates in line with The High Priestess.
While on the surface, Justice and The High Priestess appear to have little in common, I actually consider these cards to be two sides of the same coin and the secret to reading the tarot. A bit of a bold claim I suppose, but stay with me and we'll get to that...before we do though, let's explore the visual similarities and differences.
If you've been in the tarot world for awhile, and unless you've been living under a rock, you've undoubtedly stumbled upon a widely known and regarded deck called The Enchanted Tarot, illustrated by Amy Zerner and written by Monte Farber. Now I don't mean you've owned it or even worked with it, but you've probably come across some of its images in your travels at one point or another.
It's now been 25 years since its initial release and to commemorate, the deck has been repackaged with a few tweaks to breath it new life. I'm in the camp that certainly knew of this deck and had seen it through the years, but never actually worked with it. So when I came into the opportunity to receive it for prospective review, I was thrilled to dive into without any prior knowledge and to provide, truly, my first impressions of this modern classic.
Tarot has many uses, and one day I intend to write a blog post detailing the ones I go to most commonly, but today, I want to tackle just one - communicating with spirit.
Before we get into techniques, I first want to distinguish this method of using tarot from regular spirit-chat when it comes to divination or reflective readings. When I'm doing a reading, especially for others, I often refer to the messages received as having "come from spirit". So, when I send email reports out, I'll have lines that read "spirit says..." or "spirit wants you to know...". This is not me specifically communicating with a deceased loved one, for example, but simply put, I use the word "spirit" to describe a large body of otherworldlyness - i.e. your spirit guide team, your higher self, the divine source etc.
How Does Tarot Work? I Don't Know, But I Have 4 Theories!
Maybe you've been reading the cards awhile or perhaps you just started - whatever boat you're in, have you ever stopped to consider why or how the cards work? The truth is, no one can tell you for certain, but I have a few theories which we'll get to in a moment! In fact, I believe all of the following ideas to be contributing factors as to why/how a tarot reading works. This means that there doesn't have to be just one answer and it also means that this is in no way a conclusive list. These theories may ring true for you or you may have your own ideas that explain how tarot works and that is all perfectly acceptable and valid.
So, without further ado, I'll now present you with 4 reasons that may explain why/how tarot works.
Obviously no one *needs* a tarot reading, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get one anyway. We don't need lots of things, but there are still ways in which we will benefit immensely from certain "non-essentials". Ways that promote personal growth, provide clarity and give guidance at any juncture. I'm definitely not of the mindset that you need to check in with tarot for every curious little thought that crosses your mind, but here are 5 really good reasons for consulting a reader if you want to get the most of this powerful tool.
Post Edit: I came back and revised this to add a bonus 6th really REALLY good reason. Check it out after the cut!
I've been working with the Wisdom of the Oracle for awhile now and truthfully, it is the only oracle deck that I really consistently use - especially when I'm reading for others. While the aesthetic doesn't sing to my soul, what this deck does deliver for me is no-nonsense practical guidance and cards that are easy to interpret no matter what the question or situation. I don't think this deck is particularly hard to grasp, though the thing with oracle cards (unlike tarot) is that each deck is like a brand new system needing to be learned and that can feel daunting.
Yesterday I posted a photo on Instagram as a sort of "reading in the flow" exercise. I asked other readers what similarities the cards had and what they felt it meant when reading the three cards holistically. The point of the exercise was to step back from standard text book definitions and let the imagery tell the tale. I also refer to this type of reading as taking a bird's eye view and it's a process that can really allow our intuition to swoop in and take over.
It never ceases to amaze me the projects that pop up on Kickstarter, and it seems that this really is the go to method to get an indie deck published these days. I can certainly see the appeal of wanting to test a market before putting something to print. In addition, raising extra money in theory will help you up the quality and features of said product, so that's a nice added bonus for the campaigns that get that far.
The Lost Tarot is another such deck that's hit my radar and that really instantly appealed to my sense of aesthetics. It is both rich in design and story and appears to leave no detail unturned. To give you an idea, after the cut is the image of the world and the card backs which I absolutely love - look at that gold!
When I originally wrote this post, the New Moon in Gemini had just occurred a couple days past, and so it was fitting at that time to introduce this 7th segment, as Gemini is the sign which occupies this arcana. I selected a song then, but the other day driving home I was reminded of another love song that I can't believe I didn't think of first.
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