Hierophant – Daily Draw
The problem with pulling a Major Arcana card for a daily draw is that the issues it addresses are so huge. The daily draw is meant (for me) as a meditation on the events in a given day. When I am visited by an archetype, I have a hard time rendering it in terms of a twenty-four hour period of minutiae, and making sense of the randomness of life.
Or seeming randomness.
The Hierophant asks me to teach, or to learn something, of a holy nature. He brings with him a moral sensibility, ideas of right and wrong, deeply rooted traditions, and reverence for concepts of Truth and Beauty that are so much larger than our individual selves.
Of course, that must be the message for today.
While I look to the daily draw for the everyday, sometimes the Tarot wants to give me a nudge. Drifting off course can be disastrous. A tiny deviation from a set course can eventually bring you to a place that is miles away from your intended destination. As it is in the physical life, so it is in the spiritual (as above, so below). I have certainly veered away from my spiritual studies, meditations and prayers, due to various stresses and distractions. Today the Tarot tells me, ‘enough excuses’. Truth and Beauty are calling, and it’s time once again to strive to put my feet back on the path that leads to them.
Page of Cups – Daily Draw
From my Daily Card Journal:
Who knows what surprises may arise from your heart?
Do you love yourself? Do you understand how important it is to do so?
Sometimes we are surprised by our own thoughts, actions or desires. What have you been keeping a secret from yourself lately?
Are you denying something inside – some deeply rooted need or idea – that you keep hidden because it doesn’t quite fit within your chosen ‘peer group’; because you fear being judged or laughed at? Are you worried about what others will think?
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Lately I have been trying to determine how much of my inner self is fit to share with others. I think we all go through this. We craft a personality to show the outside world, with varying degrees of honesty depending on how close someone is to you. From intimate friends and family, to close friends, to associates and the general world of potential friends and strangers. It’s not that we are faking anything, it’s that we may fear that what we hold deep inside might not be understood, and we may fear being judged or rejected by those who’s association we seek, and those with whom we must associate on a daily basis.
I believe that’s why these were the thoughts that surfaced today, when I first saw this card on my reading table. My immediate reaction was to give myself a hug and to feel loved and accepted. Then I thought about ways of releasing some of the ideas and feelings that I have been holding inside for some time. There are certainly constructive ways to reveal oneself to the rest of society without fear, and without alienating or angering others. You don’t need to blurt it out, you can just be yourself in the most positive manner available to you. But the important thing is to find ways to be true to yourself, both inside and on the outside. And to always find ways to continue to grow while staying true to who you truly are.
Thought for the Day
You can reach a point in your life when you realize that you need to be exactly who you are, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You have to accept yourself for who and what you are and live with that. You have to do what you love and accept what comes of it.
It’s a good thing. It’s a liberating moment.
All that is truly beautiful and meaningful in this life was created by people who understand this.
Don’t let anybody make you feel guilty, inadequate, stupid or insane for being true to yourself.
If I could think of a way to get this message out to everyone living, I’d do it. Too many lives have been wasted in an attempt to live up to other people’s ideals.
Dammit! Go out and dance in a thunderstorm if that’s what makes you happy. The hell with it. What’s the point of being alive if you can’t truly live?
Do what they say you can’t do. Believe what they say is unbelievable. Perform miracles. Cry, laugh and greet Death, when he comes, with a smile.
Yeah, it’s simple and everyone says they understand this. Then why are so many people not doing it? Myself included.
Seven of Wands
Cranky, headachy, tired, frustrated, sullen…
This has been my day. Little did I know, when I pulled the Seven of Wands this morning, that I would be raising my staff at the world all day today.
Much has been made, in various forums I’ve read through, of the mismatched shoes. Is this an indication that he dressed hurriedly to meet unexpected challenges? Is it a lack of sense? Does it represent uneven and unreliable foundations? Should he go home and change his shoes, hoping that the hordes will take a tea break and wait for him to return?
I have no idea. But when I see this card, I always notice the feet first, and wonder what they might indicate regarding his fate. He is obviously overwhelmed, yet determined. He hasn’t given up, in spite of a slight wardrobe problem. Wardrobe. Now that makes me think this is all an act. A melodramatic chapter in a cheesy play, featuring a bad actor on a flimsy stage.
And so…
I don’t know, really. But I do know that I can relate to this image. We all can, and have, at some point or other in our lives. I suppose the best thing to do, is put on whatever shoes we can find, grab our weapon of choice, and face the challenges head-on. Sometimes you just have to put up a good fight, and hope for the best.
King of Bats
My card this morning was the King of Bats.
I’ve been bats all week this week. I guess I’m living in my head these days.
I don’t know whether this card reflected my day, or is admonishing me about my day. I do know I did a lot of planning, but I don’t feel that I really made much headway with all my plans. It’s as though I made tons of lists in my head, that all seemed perfectly reasonable and necessary, and then simply tossed them all away and made a fairy necklace. I took a walk. I chatted with the ladies in the bead store. Then I bought some beads I really can’t afford, and bought some candy that my body definitely Does Not Need.
So much for behaving logically.
Maybe the King is yelling at me. My husband often comes up in readings as the King of Swords. And he does his share of ‘yelling’ at me to get organized and Get Things Done. He of the logical brain, and me with my head in the clouds.
Okay my husband does not really yell at me. He’s very sweet about it actually, and tries to encourage me in the efficiency department. And I feel bad, and feel like I’ve let him down, when I can’t seem to get my act together. And to be honest, the King does not look like he yells at anybody either. I think maybe he just wants folks to get on with things. Straighten up and fly right and all that. Doesn’t he seem that way sometimes?
Still, I made a very pretty necklace today. Maybe the King can let me off the hook this time. Just this once…
Page of Bats
I had to consult the Halloween Tarot book to learn that those are x-ray specs that she is holding in this artwork.
This one is a trooper. She is ready with her spy gear, her boots on and her scarf against the evening chill. She is on a journey of discovery.
Whenever I see this card in any deck, the illustration from the Robin Wood Tarot always springs to mind. There you see a young woman running fast, sword at the ready and spyglass on her hip. Her eyes fixed on the horizon, she is determined to get to the bottom of things and will let nothing stand in her way.
The Halloween art is not quite so dramatic. Still the message is clear. I should have been more attentive, and perhaps would not have wasted the day trying to force creativity in my workshop, and simply read the book that I have been trying to finish. Some days, you simply cannot compel yourself to do what you think you should be doing. I know I have a lot of work ahead to fill my jewelry store with new designs, and therefore sat myself down at my table and struggled. I accomplished nothing, and felt bitter afterward. Meanwhile, a wonderful book about magic that I have been reading was left on my night table for another day. When I went to bed I saw it there and regretted that I didn’t make time to read it. Sometimes the cards are telling us that we need to do something different than we had planned. I did not pull the Eight of Pentacles (or pumpkins in this case) to encourage me to work with my hands that day. I pulled a card that told me it was time to seek answers, to gather information and knowledge and let nothing stand in my way. A missed opportunity and a wasted energy.
Three of Bats
Yesterday I pulled the Three of Bats as my daily card.
The overall tone and mood of this artwork reflects the artwork of the standard Three of Swords. In the Halloween Tarot, Bats are the ‘Swords’ of the deck and related to mental things and many of the challenges that we face in our lives. The standard artwork of the Three of Swords is very similar. Both cards show a heart suspended in a rainstorm. The feeling is one of gloom and, when the swords are seen piercing the heart, also pain. The ever-present black cat in the Halloween deck is crouching beneath the stormy night sky, glaring balefully out at the reader, conveying discomfort and looking depressed. The bats are holding and surrounding the heart in the sky.
The Card a Day exercise does not usually deal with larger issues, but by it’s very nature, the small mundane events of the ‘every day’. (Unless the card you pull is one of the Major Arcanas, in which case it may portend a life-changing event on a small scale). Yesterday for me was a series of physical ills… headaches, cramps and general irritation at my body. Even though Swords represent the element of air and thought, this card conveys discomforts and pains, which is basically how I felt for the entire day.
When I read, Threes represent the divine, personal power and first foundations. So generally this card doesn’t mean major pains, sadness or illness. It’s bumps and bruises, not broken bones or death. It’s aches and pains, not hospital visits. This aptly described my day, where I was spending more time tending my aching, complaining body than completing the work I had planned.
In this deck, you can see the Bats as the mind overcoming the pains and stresses. Today I see the bats are gathering around the heart in an attempt to shelter it till the storm has passed. Our thoughts have a profound effect on our reality. While we may not be able to eliminate the pains and stresses, we can remain positive and we can think our way through any situation. We can use our mind to overcome small pains (and sometimes larger ones), and to overcome a tendency toward depression or sadness. These bats are the power of the mind protecting and supporting the tender heart from the elements that threaten it.
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Today is a new day. This morning I have pulled the Page of Bats, and we shall see later how this card relates to the coming day.
A Card a Day
Since it seems to be a matter of some difficulty for me to write here lately, I have decided to begin an exercise to not only require me to write on a daily basis, but also to refresh and renew my skills in reading the cards and reacquaint myself with some of my lesser-used decks. I’m hoping also to help to teach others how to learn to interpret the Tarot (and any other Cartomancy system) for themselves.
One of the most basic ways to learn to read Tarot is to pull a card a day, and then review how it relates to the events of that day. Starting today, I am going to pull a card every day from one of my decks, post it here, and then in the evening (or the next day if necessary) write about how it related to my day. Also I will include any insights discovered in a particular card and pretty much anything else that pops into my head. After all, isn’t that the way we learn to read intuitively?
So, today I pulled the Three of Bats (Three of Swords) from my Halloween Tarot. Later today I will post my comments on the day as it relates to this card. Those of you who are regular readers here will probably know that wrote about this card in my Dreaded Card series. There are certainly ways of finding a positive spin on any card, no matter how dire it may appear at first encounter. I may or may not apply those ideas here. It depends on what all happens today.
Whatever else you can say about it, it’s an interesting concept. See you later this evening with my thoughts on the Three of Bats.
On Emerging From the Dark
If you find yourself in a deep dark scary wood, it does no good to sit under a tree and sulk. It does even less good to crawl into a hole and cry. It is much better to keep moving, seek any light that you can find. Remain open to the heat from the sun, seek its light filtering through the trees, and let it guide you to where it is lighter and brighter. Then you can find the sunlit path that will lead you out of the dark wood.
It’s very east to simply allow yourself to wallow in self-pity when things get bad. It’s much easier to stay where you are and suffer. Making changes requires effort. Changes themselves can be scary. Some people resist change to the point of harming themselves. It takes effort, willpower, faith and hope to get up and start moving. I will add love and forgiveness to that list. You need to love yourself enough to do what’s best for yourself. You also need to forgive yourself enough to let go of past mistakes and move on.
Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get moving. Sometimes the universe will give you a push in the direction you keep proclaiming you wish to go, all the while standing still and longing for better things. If you keep “putting out there” that you want something, but make no move to get it, you shouldn’t be surprised if you get a shove in that direction.
If you ever hear yourself saying, “I have to” when you are feeling trapped, stop and reflect on that. Just stop everything and ask yourself why you ‘have to’. There are always options. There are always, always other paths. The other paths may not be easy, but they may be better for you than the one you are treading.
The Tower is still in the process of falling down. The lightening has long since abated, and the smoke will be clearing soon. Soon there will be peace again. A different peace now, but perhaps a better peace for moving forward.
Which Victorian Romantic Card Am I?
I love Baba Prague decks. I have two of them, but I don’t have this one. So I thought I’d try this quiz for fun and to see what deck I might be.
According to the quiz, I am The World
Reaching a state of complete happiness – Rapturous joy – Sheer happiness, dancing through life – Ultimate fulfillment, reaching your life’s goal.
I certainly don’t feel like that. In fact I feel more like the Hanged Man every day. Spinning my wheels and going nowhere fast. This image strikes me as a bit odd. It seems to be a part of a bigger picture, and I wonder why they selected this particular bit to be the World. It looks as though the lady holding the basket of flowers is about to fall over onto her back. While this reflects my natural clumsiness, and tendency to fall down on occasion, I don’t see how it reflects the archetype of the World. It minds me a bit of a drunken revelry, in which this lady has lost her top and is about to fall on her backside. Some party, eh?
At any rate, neither the image nor description (which doesn’t in my opinion reflect the image) relate to me in any way right now. It just goes to show you how useless these online quizzes can be. But they are fun to play with. And sometimes the results, however far off they may be, can bring you to reflect on things. In this case, my general malaise and lack of enthusiasm for just about anything right now. I hadn’t realized I’ve been feeling that way until I took this quiz, and got this card as an answer. Even in a silly online quiz, the Tarot speaks.
