Tarot Thursday Three: Everywhere Synchronicity

It's been a while, but here is another round of Tarot Thursday Three, hosted by Julia at Spiral Sea Tarot! Feel free to create a post of your own with the same questions, or comment below with your own thoughts....

1. What is the greatest lesson tarot has so far taught you?

I suppose that I'd say that working with Tarot - and divination as a whole - has taught me that synchronicity is an intrinsic and ever-present aspect of the essence of the universe. People often discuss the "mystery" behind why the cards are accurate - after all, aren't they "just" paper and ink? Yes, yes they are. But that's the funny thing about synchronicity - it touches everything, and that includes the cards (and even apps!). Tarot is evidence of synchronicity on a micro-scale.

Jodorowski-Camoin Tarot de Marseille

2. What is the biggest way tarot has so far changed your life or added to it?

Tarot has been an amazing tool for self-development and personal growth. I can't count the number of times that I have worried about [insert topic here], and found incredible, practical, sensible, and deeply helpful advice in the cards. Tarot has helped show me the best way to approach challenging situations, has encouraged me when I've been wrapped up in self-doubt, and has given me the hard truth when that's exactly what I needed to hear (even if I didn't want to).

3. What keeps tarot interesting and fresh through the years (or months if you're a newer reader)?

On some level Tarot becomes part of the regular life routine. I often pull a card in the morning, or throw some when I'm feeling confused or anxious or curious or excited. I sometimes read for others, which never gets old. But I can say that Instagram has been a wonderful forum for engaging with other readers, glimpsing new decks, seeing how others read or relate to the cards. And then, of course, there are the never-ending supply of monthly divination challenges which provide a reading focus for each day. In fact, Tarot brought me to Instagram to begin with!

Tarot Thursday Three: Card Readers Aren't Mind Readers

I'm jumping in for another round of Tarot Thursday Three, hosted by Julia from Spiral Sea Tarot! As usual, feel free to answer these questions for yourself and share your answers in the comments (or create a blog post of your own!). Here we go:

1. Scenario: You're reading for another, but your mind goes blank. None of the cards seem to "match" the inquiry and you're having a hard time interpreting what you're seeing - tips or strategies to overcome the situation?

I don't typically have this problem (the feeling that the cards don't "match" the question). That's not to say that there aren't times when I need a moment or two to reflect and consider, because that certainly happens. But this question reminds me of the faulty assumption that somehow a love question must involve Cups, or money queries have to relate to Coins, etc. Tarot is far too nuanced to be that compartmentalized. That said, if you ever feel at a loss for how to correlate a card to a specific circumstance, be willing to explore the card's facets and to create a dialogue with the client. Tarot readers aren't mind readers - we can (and should) ask questions.

Also, if blanking out during a reading is something that a reader struggles with, or worries about, a simple practice would be to take time out to sit quietly and pull a random card from the deck. How would you apply this to a romantic relationship? What if the question was related to employment? What might you say if this same card appeared in response to a query about a vacation?

Pagan Otherworlds Tarot - Uusi 

2. If you were going to get a Tarot inspired tattoo, what would it be? Bonus points if you know where you'd get it!

Hmm.... interestingly, my husband has a Tarot card tattooed on his forearm: the Lovers from the Mary-El deck by Marie White! Does that count? Maybe not. Um.... since I prefer symbols to pictures, I could imagine getting runes or Hebrew letters that have been correlated to particular cards (for example in the Haindl Tarot). I am already planning a rune tattoo, albeit not connected to Tarot, for my left forearm!

3. What are your thoughts on PIPs or scene-less suit cards? Love them, hate them - I want to know what and why!

My thoughts are that they are just fine. I learned Tarot on a Marseille-style deck, and my all-time favorite go-to deck is the Pagan Otherworlds, which features very lightly illustrated minor cards that many people categorize as "pips" (it's debatable, really, but I would say that while they tend not to be "peopled," they are definitely scenic). I'm currently craving Le Tarot Noir, a beautiful and OOP Marseille deck that would be a total pleasure to read with.

Tarot Thursday Three: Spellwork and Ritual

Here's another round of Tarot Thursday Three, hosted by Julia from Spiral Sea Tarot. Feel free to participate on your own blog, or answer the questions in the comments below!

1. Does spell work have a place in your practice and if so, how?

Sort of. I don't necessarily connect Tarot with it, and I don't do it as often as I used to, but it is something that I practice from time to time. In fact when I was first starting to read for others years ago I didn't know how to market myself (I still don't like it!), so for a handful of months as a new reader I didn't see any movement at all in terms of reading requests. One day I decided to do a candle spell to invite fresh business, and within the next few days I suddenly had three new clients! I was pretty surprised (happily so).

I have a bóveda, or ancestor/spiritist altar, which has become my central focus/tool for setting intentions on, or doing workings around, particular areas of my life, or to support people who are struggling.

When my kids were very sick a month or so ago I used galdr and traced runes onto their backs and tummies, and over their tea, to help support their healing. I found it startlingly helpful.

So perhaps I use "spell work" more than I thought ;)

Celtic Tree Oracle

2. What is the element you most identify with and/or enjoy working with and why?

I've always been an earthy woman - the kind to smear mud on my face, and sit for long hours watching the tree branches bend and sway in the wind. But then there is something deeply healing and soothing about water, and while I've always loved lakes and rivers, this past year I've become much more attached to the sea. I wrote this after a recent beachside stay:

I spent a lot of time visualizing, 

last weekend at the sea. 

As I gazed, 

I leapt into not the waves 

but the deep green depths, 

far beyond the fisherman's pier. 

I felt the water wash over me, 

I dove and soared and leapt and breathed. 

Then, in the early hours of morning, 

a quiet in and out of tides, 

a bird call, 

a hush, 

a dance of sunrise. 

Peace, it was.

And I've also been thoroughly enjoying working with fire. I love lighting candles, and do so almost daily, but last month's celebration of Biakendai/Biikebrennen was particularly beautiful and cathartic. 

3. Besides the cards, what are your favourite tools for divination and/or ritual?

I work with the runes daily, though I rarely post about it. I'm currently facilitating a slow-paced study of the Elder Futhark for a group of Heathen women on Facebook. I read Lenormand for almost two years, and studied it voraciously. I still enjoy it but find myself rarely pulling out a Lennie deck of late.

As for ritual: candles, altar space, cards, incense, and my thoughts.

Tarot Thursday Three: Worst Deck Ever

Here is another round of questions for Tarot Thursday Three, hosted by Julia from Spiral Sea Tarot!

1. If you could have your likeness immortalized on any one of the 78 cards, which would it be and why?

Hmm...... I suppose I'd like to be the Hermit. I like to be alone, enjoy reading and studying and thinking and contemplating, and the number 9 is pretty awesome! Plus, so many Hermit cards feature men, which can be rather limiting!

2. When reading for yourself, are you able to remain unbiased and if so, what tips can you share for others?

Yes, I think that generally speaking I'm able to be unbiased in my own readings, and I'm sure that I do a much better job at that than I used to. One tip is to consider how you would read that same spread for someone else. Pretend the layout is for a dear friend. What would you tell her or him? How would you phrase things?

3. What is your least favourite deck in your collection and why?

I have the Pirate Tarot by Schiffer, and it's just awful. It's meant to look like images carved onto wood, and perhaps wouldn't be quite as bad if it didn't have grotesque and totally unnecessary borders that extend unevenly out behind the main image. The sole purpose of those borders is to allow for the word PIRATE to be typed along the left side of the cards. It almost looks like a prototype deck...except that it's not. It's really tacky. And since the border itself is uneven, if you were to trim the cards, the design on the backs would be off-center. So yeah.

Tarot Thursday Three: to Reverse, or Not to Reverse?

Here is another round of #tarotthursdaythree, hosted by Julia at Spiral Sea Tarot. Feel free to answer these on your own blog, and let me know so I can read your responses!

1) Reversals or nah?

Reversals (usually). I started to use them at the same time that I started doing email readings for strangers years ago. I found the added nuances that reversals provide to be indispensable.

Wild Unknown Tarot

2. If you could go back in time and give your novice self one piece of wisdom to fast track your tarot learning, what would it be?

I'm not sure that I believe in "fast tracking" the learning process. It's a process for a reason - the trips and stumbles are valuable teachers. The biggest hurdle for me was to come to trust the messages that I was seeing in the cards, without second-guessing myself or overthinking things. The root of that is fear, and that takes time, practice, and experience to overcome.

3. What is your go-to spread?

I don't actually have one! I like to keep readings small (1-3 cards), and when reading for myself I typically draw a single card. Three card reading positions are often: Issue/Do This/Don't Do This; Challenge/Advice/Outcome. Whether reading for myself or for others, I tend to craft spread positions to fit the situation and query, so it varies quite a bit.

Tarot Thursday Three: You Can't Please Em All

Here is another round of #tarotthursdaythree, hosted by Julia at Spiral Sea Tarot. Feel free to answer these on your own blog, and let me know so I can read your responses!

Question One

What was your first time like giving an in-person reading? Where were you? How did you feel? Spill the deets!

Hmmm... the first time I ever gave an in-person reading was when I was 14, to my sister, using my mother's Medicine Cards. And I won't count that, for all of those reasons! As an adult, I started to read for strangers online before I read for them in person, and the two contexts are quite different. Reading online offers the opportunity to conduct the reading in your own personal, quiet space, to ponder the cards at your leisure, and to compose your thoughts at your own pace, without the pressure of having to perform on the spot. That said, it takes a lot of time to write a reading up; sometimes it's nice to just be able to tell someone what you see instead. Email readings don't allow for that, and also limit the ability to engage with a client. That said, email readings are what I do most!

I was terrified when I did my first email reading. That's actually when I started using reversals. I laid the cards out and was immediately struck with desire for what I felt were the critically valuable subtleties of meaning that reversed cards provide. At any rate, the feedback was very positive, and I was so relieved. I will say, however, that despite all of the positive responses I received from clients over the many months following that initial reading, it took me ages to start to overcome the fear.

I was anxious (not terrified) the first time I did a "proper" in-person reading for someone, but it was a great experience, and I left feeling exhilarated. I was sitting at the person's kitchen table in Miami, and they had just discovered that I was a card reader. They were excited, and it was entirely unplanned (which probably augmented my nerves, but also prevented a deeper sort of fear from setting in!), but it went very well. It was also the first time that I read Lenormand for others. One of the questions I was asked was if a certain individual would have to go to jail for probation violation, and if so, if it would be less than a 6-month stint in jail. Talk about pressure. I pulled the cards, and I said, yes, and yes. And that is indeed what happened. That was as educational for me as it was informational for them. I started to think that perhaps I preferred face-to-face readings because it's quite lovely to interact with a client, to discuss the cards together, etc. But in the end, I just don't have the time for it, so my mainstay continues to be email readings, which are still deeply rewarding.

Wild Unknown Tarot

Question Two

Have you ever had a negative client response to one of your readings? How did they react and why? How did you respond back?

Of course! I don't believe that many card readers who have read for broad and diverse audiences have ever entirely escaped the occasional "difficult" client response (yes, that's a euphemism). Fortunately, out of the thousands of readings I've done, I can count the negative reactions on one hand - well, two fingers, to be precise. Interestingly, they were very similar people, despite being from opposite sides of the planet. I will preface this by saying that I approach all clients respectfully and kindly, and even when the cards are "rough," I never leave a reading on a negative note. No matter what the cards say, there is always room for growth, and there are always blessings to be found (Christiana Gaudet just wrote a great post about this).

The first of these experiences occurred toward the start of my "reading for strangers" career, and it left me utterly devastated. It was also a free reading that I offered for practice. The woman had been essentially rejected by her family members, was single and lonely, and having a hard time finding work. She wanted to know if she'd find employment soon. The cards reflected her difficulties with finding a job where she could apply her skill-set, and suggested that she try to cast a wider net, to consider options that weren't necessarily in her chosen field, and to look into short-term certificate programs that might help increase her prospects. She was not happy with that, and accused me of giving her entirely worthless advice. She also said that she really wanted to know "when" a job would fall into her lap, and I hadn't answered that at all. I felt really bad, and told her that while I believed time predictions to be hard to accurately pin down, I could try to give her that. She calmed a bit, and agreed. I interpreted the card that came up to mean that she would locate work within a 3-month window of time. She came back with even more vitriol than before, and said that I had robbed her of all hope, and that she might as well just kill herself already. Yes, she did say that. And she ended with telling me never to communicate with her again. It's probably no surprise that I sobbed for hours, and felt the weight of that experience for many days to come. I knew I had not done anything wrong, and that she was in a "dark" place, but it wasn't a huge comfort. However it was a good growing experience. You can try your hardest, have the purest of intentions and the kindest disposition, and you still can't please em all (also - it's not always about you).

The second was a woman who was lonely, and similarly had been pushed away by close family members. She had asked about the future of an internet relationship she was developing with a fellow quite a number of years her junior. The cards suggested that she was carrying some pain from the past that needed to be released, and that the relationship was likely to be a bit unstable - though not without potential. The cards were mainly about self-healing, and encouraged her to find small ways to focus on exploring joy in her day-to-day life (taking a short vacation, or even a staycation, rearranging her furniture, getting a haircut, etc.) Honestly, I knew from the moment I sent the reading that it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She needed me to say that this was the man of her dreams, that her life would be saved by the relationship. She didn't want to hear about healing. I anxiously awaited her reply, which, when it finally came, was far worse than I had ever imagined. She berated me. She told me that I was a terrible reader. She accused me of being trite and even condescending. She used several choice swear words. She said she had never been more remorseful at having spent money before, and that she wished she had never ordered the reading. She said that she was too miserable to find joy. The thing is, as hard as it was to read her words, I actually "got" that. And because of my previous experience a couple of years before, I was more able to detach myself from her tirade, and be compassionate. To be too miserable to find joy. That is heartbreaking. And I could understand, in that light, how she might read my words as being trite, despite that not being my intention. I wasn't able to help her in the way that she needed. I replied and told her that I was extremely sorry that she didn't find any value in what I had offered her. I told her that contrary to what she had expressed, I was indeed very sincere in wanting to help and support her. And I offered her a refund. She became immediately calm and said, "Yes, please." I sent her money back immediately, and later I offered up some prayers for her. Her email to me was unfair and unnecessarily disrespectful, yes, but I recognized that she was truly and deeply unhappy, and I didn't take it personally.

Question Three

Have you ever been challenged by a skeptic regarding tarot? What was your experience like?

No. The closest I've come was once when I was taking an "intuitive Tarot" class and the instructor had invited in some acquaintances for us to practice with. I read for a woman's partner, and he was a total stone wall. The woman told me that he was generally pretty critical of all things divinatory (which I thought was ironic and probably not entirely true since he had volunteered to be there), but that she felt the readings were helpful for him anyway. It was a pretty powerful experience. The reading was potent and lovely, and the man never once uttered a peep! (But his lady sent me some smiles and deep nods along the way!).

Tarot Thursday Three: I Love the Celtic Cross

Here I am with another round of Tarot Thursday Three, hosted by Julia from Spiral Sea Tarot! Well, okay, I'm a day late. But late is better than never!

Question One

If you could design your own Tarot deck and have it mass-produced, what theme would it have and what would it look like overall? 

Oh, this is an interesting question. First, I don't think I would want my deck to be mass-produced. My own favorite decks tend to be either self-published or produced by small, independent publishing companies or art collectives. If I created my own, I'd prefer to take that route. That said, I have thought quite a lot about what sort of deck I would create, and I can say that I have yet to decide on the "perfect" theme or design. Perhaps this is why I don't have anything in the works!

I've thought about creating an oracle deck based on Santería/Ifá. I've thought about making a full, traditional-style deck and associating stanzas of the Hávamál with each card (I even have a partial list of card-stanza pairings). I've thought about doing a deck based on my artistic reinterpretations of my husband's photography. But to be honest, nothing feels quite right.

As far as thematic decks go, I'm actually not a huge fan. I do own a few that are particularly well-done and very dear to me: New Orleans Voodoo Tarot, Dark Goddess Tarot, Mythic Tarot, even the Giants Tarot, I suppose. But in most cases I feel that it is too challenging to jam a theme neatly into the Tarot structure, and most thematic decks have weak spots where it seems that the creator had to stretch a bit too much to make a correlation. Examples of this are: the Hobbit Tarot, the Ring Cycle Tarot, and to an extent the Vikings Tarot. So for my own deck I'd probably steer toward a more traditional style, with earthy and simple-yet-clear symbolism. And in terms of media, I'm a fan of painting.

New Orleans Voodoo Tarot

Question Two

How do you feel about the Celtic Cross spread?

Is this a trick question? I have heard many readers gripe about the Celtic Cross, but to be honest, I'm not really sure why. I don't generally like to do large spreads because there is so much meaning to be found in even a single Tarot card that anything more than five seems like overkill. But the Celtic Cross is wonderful when I want to understand the breadth and depth of energies surrounding a person or situation. I am so intimately familiar with the layout that I usually have a clear and immediate impression of what's going on over and under the surface, and for that reason I find it indispensable. There are so many versions out there, but the one I use is laid out thus (minus the significator, which I don't use):

The positions I use are:

1) Heart of the matter
2) Crossing card (elements blocking or strongly influencing the matter)
3) Above (what is on the querent's mind, what is known)
4) Below (energies flowing under the surface of the matter)
5) Past (previous issues impacting the present)
6) Immediate future (where things are heading)
7) Querent (what energies the querent brings to the situation)
8) Environment (people or circumstances influencing the matter)
9) Hopes/Fears (may or may not not be based in reality)
10) Outcome (what to be aware of 3-6 months down the line)

Question Three

If you could have any deck in the whole world (that you do not have already), which one would you pick and why?

If I had been asked this question a year ago, I would have said hands-down, "The Greenwood!!" The artwork is primal and beautiful, and of course it's out of print and nearly impossible to find... such that when you can find it, it's always set at exorbitant prices. It's actually stupid. I think that if I did own it, I probably wouldn't read with it very often, and I'd end up feeling like an idiot for spending the money. I don't long for the Greenwood anymore. Probably (aside from my distaste related to the price gouging) it is because I have grown into a better understanding of how I interact with decks, and what I really like to read with. Nowadays what deck would I love to have? I think Le Tarot Noir, perhaps. I don't own any true Marseilles decks, and the art style is intriguing - reminds me a bit of illustrations in a haunting and captivating fantasy book that doesn't actually exist.

Le Tarot Noir

Tarot Thursday Three: New Decks

Tarot Thursday Three is a set of weekly prompts for "mystical" bloggers begun by Julia from Spiral Sea Tarot and I thought I would participate today for the first time!

Question 1

What do you do with a deck you don't connect with?

"Connecting" with a deck is a rather mysterious process. For the decks I don't keep reaching for, they tend to collect on a divination bookshelf that I have in the living room. All decks have interesting perspectives to offer via their arrangement, artwork, themes, etc. I have yet to acquire a deck that I don't like, but I do have a lot that don't inspire me to work with them very often. One such deck - the Raven's Prophecy - has become my glove compartment deck, in case of emergency. Sometimes, if I feel like I need a divinatory "breath of fresh air," I'll pull one out to read with. And it's worth mentioning that I don't always read with the decks I like a lot. For instance, the Dark Goddess Tarot is spectacular, but I only pull it out from time to time.

The Raven's Prophecy Tarot lives in my glove compartment

Question 2

How long do you give yourself to connect with a new deck?

I don't time the process. If I find myself called to use a deck over and over, then I know there is something special there. That said, usually I know how it's going to go if after a week or two the deck is gathering dust. To date there is only one deck that I've used with great consistency over a relatively long period of time, and that is the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, by Uusi. (I reviewed the deck in this post). That doesn't mean it's the only deck that I connect with, but I would say that perhaps it's my "the one." ;)

Question 3

What consecration ritual(s) do you use with new divination tools?

Nuttin'. I think fondly back to my early divination days when I would smudge every single card of a new deck in sage smoke, and "charge them with my intentions." Perhaps I'm old and crotchety now, but saging them (or not) doesn't impact my readings for better or for worse, doesn't help me focus more deeply, and doesn't open my intuition to more profound messages. So I don't bother!