Tarot Strategies for Life Change

The Tarot Court Cards - Who is the Queen of Swords?

The Tarot court cards often personify people - or at least some aspect of their personality. 

And the four suits of the Tarot go far to encompass various types of personalities. The simple joy of the Page of Cups is a big contrast to the more somber Knight of Pentacles. The Knight of Cups truly is the 'knight in shining armor' while the Queen of Pentacles is nothing if not level headed.

Do you ever find yourself looking at a person in the news and thinking they personify a certain court card?

I cannot look at the Queen of Swords without thinking of Hillary Clinton. Like the Queen, her mind is razor sharp. Her presidential run in 2008 showed her to be a woman unafraid to fight for her convictions. 

And like the Queen of Swords, her public persona is not one of warmth, although she is said to be far different in private.

Another Queen of Swords is Nancy Pelosi, another razor sharp woman who, by the use of her wit and smart strategy was largely responsible for shepherding the health care reform package through the House. Last night Diane Sawyer referred to her as the most powerful speaker of the House in the last 100 years.

What do you think? And do you have favorite cards for other people in the news? Please comment.

 

Tarot Card Nick-Names

Does anyone else do this?

I have nick-names for many of my Tarot cards. 

I use the Universal Waite deck and as an artist I enjoy their imagery. And some images suggest names. 

For example, the 9 of Swords is "the Worry Card." The image of a figure sitting upright in bed with a black background and nine swords behind her (although not touching her) depicts power of anxiety and fear to keep a person up at night.

 

The Seven of Pentacles is the "Cost/Benefit Card." It depicts a man bent over his hoe surveying what looks to be his crop of pentacles. One pentacle lays on his hoe between his feet. The others are still on the vine. 

To me, it seems he is asking a question: Was it worth it? Was the outlay of effort worth the result?

The Six of Wands is the "Victory" card. What else can you say when you see the warrior holding his wreath of victory in the air as he rides triumphantly with his troops.

Not all cards lend themselves to nick-names. Many have meanings that are too complex to encapsulate in a phrase or have too many possible interpretations. 

And while it makes it easier to name the cards, there is the temptation to stay with the glib nick-names and refrain from looking for deeper significance.

Have you ever named your cards? If so, please share.

Tarot - When the Answer is Obvious

It is too easy to get mired in the complexity of the Tarot's symbols and the sheer amount of different images in the deck. So newbies, and sometimes, not-so-newbies, get confused when attempting to read the cards.

The good news is sometimes the answer is glaringly obvious. 

Consider this answer to the question "has this person put my check in the mail?"

What do you think?

 

Tarot - A Practical Tool for Everyday Life

One way to save yourself a lot of grief just by running things by your Tarot cards.

There is no need to make a big production. Often you can find out what you need by picking a card or two, or, in my case, generally three.

I'll usually assign the first card to represent me, the second card to represent the other party and the third to represent the matter at-hand. 

The results are pretty amazing and quite eye-opening. 

Sometimes the spread will reconfirm my impression. Like a friend telling me, "that's what you thought you saw and you really did see it." And sometimes I will get a heads up. 

Oftentimes, the images are very clear and so literal that it takes my breath away.

Like the time I was searching for someone to help me move stuff sitting way too long in a storage locker. When I saw the upright Magician as his card, I knew the move would go smoothly. And it did. And I learned he had other skills that can come in handy (The Magician is versatile and manifests what he sets his mind to do).

Sometimes when I need to hire someone to do some work around the house and I am considering several candidates, I'll pull a Tarot card for each. The results can be revealing. You probably would not want to hire, let us say, a reversed Page of Wands if you are looking for someone dependable with a lot of experience. 

Your Page of Wands fellow might be strong, but probably young or inexperienced with a quick temper. 

Clearly you will do your normal due diligence such as checking references. But the Tarot cards can guide you on questions to ask and help you hone in on likely candidates.

I have used the Tarot cards to help me with decisions such as whether or not to take a pricy course. If The Devil card comes up, you may want to take a second look to make sure you are not falling for a good sales pitch. The Devil can lure you in by seducing you, like the proverbial salesman that is so good that he sells ice to eskimos.

Sometimes a card's meaning is not always clear in the context of your question. In that case, write the question and the names of the cards and their positions and file it away. The meaning may come to you as a flash when you are thinking about something else. Or as the situation develops the card's meaning will reveal itself.