Wisdom & Healing Tarot Reiki Numerology in Guelph Ontario.

Anna Tasselli Kocher -Tarot Reiki Numerology

My review of Awaken Tarot.

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Edited image of the six of Pentacles from Awaken Tarot

Cropped image of the six of Pentacles from Awaken Tarot

My review of Awaken Tarot.

Let me start with what I like about this deck.
Nice size, meaning the cards fit comfortably in my hands.
Bright colours.
Nice, simple back that works well even if you are using reversals.
Modern looking people wearing more contemporary clothes.
Better representation. The deck shows more females and people of different races and ethnicities.
Two Lovers card options.
One showing a male and a female, the other showing a same sex couple.
The deck is based very closely on the R.W.S. therefore anyone familiar with it should be able to use this deck right away.
The deck comes in a beautiful and sturdy box, and with an upgrade of the Little white book. This one has coloured images for each card and a little bit more information than usual.
What I don’t like about the deck is that the cards tend to stick to each other. I have been using the cards for about ten days and the shuffling is getting better.
All in all, I am glad I bought this deck.

My review of Advanced Tarot by Paul Fenton-Smith

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Here is my review of Advanced Tarot

An in- depth guide to practical and intuitive tarot reading by Paul Fenton -Smith.

Paul Fenton – Smith is a well known Clairvoyant, Tarot reader, writer and teacher in Australia.

This is a massive book, 556 pages!

Surprisingly it is a nice, easy and entertaining read, full with valuable information.
The author explains the cards by dividing them in groups of the same number, then the Court cards divided by ranks, and finally the Major Arcana.

I agree with the method as it makes it easier to remember the information when you can lean on a basic understanding of Numerology and Elements.

Something else I like about Fenton- Smith style is that it is relaxed and cordial , as he teaches symbols, numbers , suits, and ranks. He gives plenty of examples.

He also provides several Tarot spreads, my favourite being The Seven-Card Layout.
I have now used it many times and it has proven to be a very reliable spread for prediction.

Something I appreciate is that the author, who has a Diploma in counselling, doesn’t shy away from divination.

In the book he explains Tarot reversals very well.

I have already endorsed this book with former Tarot students and I believe that anyone passionate about Tarot would benefit from reading it.

I am truly enjoying my copy.

Reading for oneself.

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Reading for oneself.

Reading for oneself.

I often hear that reading for oneself should be avoided.
I would like to know why.

If you are a dress maker should you not make your own clothes and alterations?

If you are a painter should you hire someone else to paint the walls in your house?

I personally don’t think so.

I read for myself all the time because I appreciate the wisdom I get from the cards.

Also, reading for myself regularly gives me accurate and reliable feed back.
By comparing the cards and my interpretation of them with what actually happened is extremely helpful.
It goes well beyond bolstering my confidence when I got it right, it helps me learn from my mistakes. There are times when in retrospect I can see how the cards were spot on, but their message was lost in translation.

Tarot readers know that each card has many meanings and that we have to find the one that correctly applies to the question, and in the contest of the surrounding cards. It is not an easy job.
Consider that what is taught about the cards is often very spiritual, but what we ask of them is often quite mundane.

It is by regular practice and feed back that we become more accurate at interpreting the everyday wisdom we seek.

I always encourage and appreciate clients feed back, but I cannot learn from it to the same degree. I am happy when I hear a client say that I helped them assess a situation wisely, but by then I have forgotten the cards, and the ideas and feelings that accompanied them.

There are times when I seek the advice of another reader.
When my questions are about situations that will affect me or my family in a profound way and for a long time, I book an appointment with someone who has no knowledge of my personal situation, and has no skin in the game. In other words, I look for someone who can be objective.

Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that in those situations reading for oneself is wrong. I simply suggest you seek a second opinion.

Three of Wands

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The Three of Wands is the card guiding us through the week of February 17th to the 23rd 2020.

Three of Wands from Spell Caster’s Tarot

As I look at the image I cannot help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Three birds of prey are flying.
The first one looks to me like it has just been released by the lady. The other two are arriving. The closest one is carrying something.

The lady is standing up high, like she is seeking to look far into the distance.

I suspect this will be a week of important developments.

Some will receive important news and /or feed back.

We are approaching the next phase.

We see the first results of something started in the past.
We are waiting with trepidation to see how our efforts were received. Did we do well?

Will the results meet our expectations?

The lady in the card is alone. She ventured out of her comfort zone. She is a pioneer.

The Three of Wands invites us to be courageous and explore the world around us.

Try new approaches, launch your projects, expand, believe in your creative ideas, beliefs, and desires.

In the days ahead some will travel or even relocate.

Some will be applying for new jobs, others may land interviews or new positions.

What ever your situation is, the presence of this card invites you to expand your horizons.

Go after what you want, if you have already done that, take a big breath and welcome the wind of change.

Ten of cups

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We have a beautiful card guiding us through the week of January 27 to February 2nd 2020.

Ten of cups from Anna K Tarot

The ten of cups speaks of harmony, being well grounded, love, peace and joy.

This week there could be family celebrations.

Estranged people reunite.

Relations grow as in engagements, weddings, welcoming pregnancies or births.

We work toward harmony and serenity and we often find it.

The ten of cups invites us to open our hearts, to love and appreciate who we are, recognize we are good people.

Once we are happy, loving and at peace with ourselves it becomes easy to extend the same feelings to others.

Take time to appreciate all that is good in your life.

Be grateful.

The Hermit

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The Hermit from the Spell Caster’s tarot deck.

The Hermit is guiding us through the week of October 7 to 13 2019.

This is a Major Arcana. There are 22 Majors and 56 Minors in a Tarot deck.

A Major is like a power player. When one shows up we pay close attention. What we do with the opportunities or the challenges that it represents will affect us deeply and for a longer period of time than with a Minor.

When you see the Hermit think of :

alone time,
introspection,
learning or teaching,
reflecting on the past,
life experience,
wisdom,
people from our past,
shining a light,
discovery or rediscovery of sexuality,
travel related to teaching or learning.

What does this mean for you?

You may travel to attend a workshop, a conference or to do research.

You may feel a need to spend more time alone.

You might reconnect with someone from your past.

You may give or receive good advice.

The appearance of this card suggests you would benefit from turning away from distractions and seriously deal with whatever needs your full attention.

Do you have the knowledge and the skills you require?

If you don’t, do your homework, dig deep and if you still struggle, seek the help of someone who has more knowledge or experience in the area that is troubling you.

He or she could be a teacher, a counsellor, a professional, or someone who has already dealt with the issue you are facing.

King of Pentacles

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The King of Pentacles guides us through the week of September 16 to 22 2019.

King of Pentacles from the Everyday Witch deck.

Kings stand for management, resolutions and culminations.

Pentacles is associated with the element of Earth, the most grounded and practical of all.

This week should bring peace of mind, money, health, comfort and stability.

Reasonable, long term solutions are at hand.

There could be a raise, or the signing of a good, long term, profitable contract.

There is money in the bank. The fridge and pantry are well stoked with food.

We feel like we have roots and we are in the mood to celebrate and share our good fortune.

Here is an opportunity to learn from this king experience.

Hard work and persistence pay off.

Always go for quality over quantity.

When you build something , do it right the first time.

Think long term.

Use quality products and hire skilled people.

Excellent work requires time, don’t rush through it.

Take pride in a job well done, what ever that is.

Things that last require time and effort to build, may that be a home, a career or a relationship.

Know what you want , have a plan and communicate clearly and reasonably with those around you.

Be approachable, responsible, reliable, appreciate and reward loyalty.

Work hard, but keep in mind that we work for a living, we don’t live to work.

Take time to rest, to pursue what brings you joy and treasure the time you spend with family and friends.

Take care of your health and your body. They are key components to success and to the enjoyment of life.

Ace of Cups

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Ace of Cups from Everyday Witch.

The Ace of Cups guides us through the week of August 19th to 25th 2019.

All aces are gifts taking the form expressed by their element.

The suit of Cups corresponds to the element of water.

The primary concern of Water are matters of the heart;
meaning love, friendship, compassion, empathy and intuition.

Water is passive, gentle. It prefers to go around obstacles.
Water invites you to go with the flow, find common ground, observe, listen, reflect and always listen to your heart.

In Numerology the ace is a 1, as such the ace is like a seed that with proper care will grow strong and produce abundantly.

What can you expect from this week?

You could make new friends.

You could start a new romantic relationship.

You may fall in love.

You may deepen your commitment to a loved one.

You may find yourself happier, more intuitive and in tune with those around you.

It is a good time for artistic expression.

What does the Ace of Cups suggest?

Avoid conflict.

Be compassionate.

Be aware about how you feel about a situation, but imagine how others are feeling about it too.

Open your heart to love, friendship, peace and to the beauty around you.

This ace invites you to be kind, gentle, to go with the flow, to embrace each moment as it comes along.

Is your heart open?

Can you give and receive love?

Are you at peace with yourself?

Can you forgive someone?

Can you make peace with what you cannot change?

To sum it up, the Ace of Cups is a beautiful omen for the week.

Be open to love, friendship, peace and joy.

Three of Swords.

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Three of Swords from the Spell Caster’s deck.

The Three of Swords is the card of the week of May 6 to 12 2019.

I will be straight with you. It is not an easy card, not one I hope to see often.

The number 3 indicates group situations, developments and expansion.

With Swords we are in the element of Air, which deals with identity, thinking, communicating and challenges.

The picture in the card is raw sorrow.

The week could bring sad news, difficult developments, arguments and misunderstandings.

It is a card of loss of all kinds.

It can represent betrayal of some kind, as well as negative thinking and a need to release pain.

When the Three of Swords appear, we are reminded that disappointments and grief are part of life.

Be extremely careful how you communicate this week.

Think before you speak.

Weigh your words.

Edit your thoughts.

Say what needs to be said.

Avoid misunderstandings.

Say only what you mean and say it kindly.

Speak clearly.

Listen carefully to what others are saying.

Avoid assumptions.

If you are not clear about something, ask questions.

Let the pain out. You need to release it in order to heal.

Reflecting on ten years in business.

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In January 2019 Wisdom and Healing reached the important milestone of ten years in business.

Mind you, I had been on the Tarot path for twenty two years before I felt ready to read for strangers and charge them for my interpretation.

What can I say? I am a Virgo. I was a perfectionist and the last thing I wanted to do was to embarrass myself.

True to be told, I was young when I took my first Tarot course.
At the time I was busy living, exploring and having fun.
My deck followed me wherever I went, but I was perfectly fine not touching the cards for months.

It was somewhere around the mid 1990’s that I became serious in my Tarot studies.

By January 2009 I had recently moved to my current home and I was finally ready to call myself a Tarot reader.

I remember how nervous I was reading for my first paying client.

He was a total stranger. I remember trying to put a positive spin on the 10 of Swords. I was not ready yet to give bad news.
I am fairly positive I did not answer correctly that specific question, but I believe the reading overall was good and helpful.
Of course I have changed and grown a lot over the last ten years.

I used to read only for specific questions. Now I can and do general readings also.

I now use reversals. I struggled with them for a very long time.

I am happy to have been brave enough to embrace my passion for Tarot.

I have met many wonderful people along the way and I have grown a lot.

Now I do my best to share what I know and I remain open to learn more each and every day.

I am very grateful to my clients and students.

Thank you.

King of Pentacles.

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Elder of Earth from the Gaian Tarot deck

The card for the week of January 14 to 20 2019 is the King of Pentacles.

In the deck I am using, Gaian Tarot, that corresponds to the Elder of Earth.

With the Elder (king) of Earth (Pentacles) guiding us this week, we are in good hands.

We will be dealing well with practical matters.

The King of Pentacles is about:

good management,
reliability,
good health,
skills,
abundance,
prosperity.

All kings are about:

culmination,
resolution,
authority,
experience,
leadership,
directing,
ruling.

With Pentacles we are in the element of earth, which is about:

health,
the body,
work,
steady effort,
stability,
skills,
money,
property.

This week we will efficiently and wisely take care of business.

There could be important resolutions concerning savings, real estate and other big financial decisions.

There is a sense of peace of mind in the area of health, studies, work, finance and stability in general.

The advice for the week is :

avoid procrastination,
do what you can each day,
think long term,
understand that quality takes time,
take your responsibilities seriously,
take good care of your self and of those who depend on you,
set a good example,
be open, constructive and reasonable,
appreciate what you have.

Relax a bit and enjoy each day. You are doing your best and you know what you are doing.

The Emperor reversed.

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The Emperor reversed from the Spell Caster’s tarot deck

The Emperor reversed

is the card guiding us through December 17 to the 23 2018.

This card upright is all about

stability,
control,
order,
discipline,
clear rules and expectations,
passion.

It is about

power,
will,
confidence,
good management.

By being reversed,
I suspect this week will feel a bit out of control.

We might deal with delays.

Living up to expectations may be a struggle.

Watch out for anger and temper tantrums.

Let’s try to respect boundaries, ours and those of others as well.

Christmas holidays are often busy times.

Routines are broken by schools being closed, some people taking time off work, while others work over time.

Lot’s of travel . Being a guest or having guests.

The Emperor reversed
is asking us to control our impulses.

Let’s keep our impatience in check.

Let’s avoid pushing ourselves, or others, too far or too hard.

Not everything has to go our way.

Let’s give ourselves and others some space and more time to get things done.

This week we can relax the rules a bit and accept that others might do the same.

Live and let live.

What I think of the Anna K. Tarot deck.

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I bought my Anna K. Tarot deck many years ago directly from Anna Klaffinger.

I understand that some small changes have been made to the deck later on.

Anyway, I am not writing a formal review, I am just sharing my experience with it.

The deck came in a small, sturdy box with a nice companion book.

The cards are not big. They are thick, well rounded and easy to handle. I truly appreciate that.

I find the deck easy to read as it does not stray far from the R.W.S.
Said that, the Anna K.Tarot deck is in my opinion prettier and a bit more modern.

The artist has her own vision of the cards, but it resonated well with me and I was able to use it confidence in a short time.

I love how she illustrated the court cards!

Only one of the king is portrayed sitting down, the king of cups. He smiles while reading a book. Poetry would be my guess.

The king of Pentacles is standing still holding, perhaps showing a huge coin.

The king of Wands is walking fast, his right hand clenched in a fist, his focus is intense and forward.

The king of Swords stands at a table. He is playing chess and he is totally focussed on his next move.The portrayal of the queens is just as good.

The queen of Swords look serious. She stands in the snow holding her sword with both hands.

The queen of Wands is smiling and moving. She is outdoors and I get a feeling of heat, like full Summer.

The queen of Cups is sitting on some rocks. It is night. Her feet and her left hand are in the water. In her right hand she is holding a cup to her third eye. She is tuning in to the energy of water, to the moon, to feelings and to her intuition.

The queen of Pentacles looks pregnant. She is standing among baskets full of fruit and pentacles. It looks like a great harvest.

The Anna K. Tarot deck has many cards expressing traditional meanings but with a twist I like.

Let me give you a few more examples.

In the Lovers we see an old couple snuggling together on a bench. There is a beautiful mature climbing plant in full blossom and a dog rests at their feet. I get the idea of loyalty and long term commitment.

The Devil card shows excess, greed and indulgence. The card is over crowded with at least ten people below the Devil. An orgy is going on, there is drinking, tons of money laying around and a bloody sword is held by someone.

Death looks like an angel with black wings. He looks peaceful, but he is clearly blocking the path ahead.

In the 3 of Swords we see a woman and a man. They stand on a snowy hill. They both look distraught. There is red flower on the snow at the man’s feet, but the lady is walking away from him. I get the feeling they walked together the long path behind them, but the flower cannot make up for the sorrow experienced along the way. The lady is moving on without him.

 

The 8 of Swords shows a well put together lady looking into a mirror that reflects the image of a woman out of control. Her hair is flowing wild, but there is a blindfold on her eyes and she is all tied up.

In the 10 of Cups we do not see a family, rather a radiant lady who seems to be at peace with in and emanating that harmony all around her.

All in all I find the Anna K. Tarot deck lovely. It offers the comfort of familiarity as well as some fresh new ideas.

As always, feel free to comment and please if you liked my post, share it.

Compassion through the eyes of Tarot.

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What is compassion?

The Collins English Dictionary explains it as :
Feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another.

The Thesaurus gives us :
Charity, clemency, humanity, kindness and mercy.

Although I can understand and respect those definitions I feel something is still missing, so I am going to look at compassion through the eyes of Tarot.

To be compassionate you need to feel.

Cups court cards from Anna K Tarot deck.

Cups, representing the element of water, can teach us a lot about compassion.

Water goes with the flow.
It reminds us to observe, listen, absorb.

The members of the water family (page, knight , queen and King) find their way through life following their hearts and by being aware of feelings and views.

Awareness is a blessing and a curse!

The 5 of pentacles (earth) sometimes well expresses the strong bond that ties together people who have shared the same hardship.

5 and 6 of pentacles from Anna K Tarot deck

The 6 of pentacles expresses compassion in a practical way, by helping out physically or by providing funds.

 

The Empress is another example of healthy compassion.
She provides the love and nurturing that helps people blossom to their full potential.

The Lovers card offers good intention, love, loyalty, commitment, all extremely important tools to someone in distress.

The Hermit is the guidance available , but he does not do house calls. The person in need must look within first, realize he or she needs help and

go look for it.

Empress, Lovers and Hermit from Anna K Tarot deck.

Temperance, Star and Strength from Anna K Tarot deck.

Temperance offers healing through change, modification, prudence, moderation and compromise.

The Star offers hope. It is the light in the darkness. Without hope there is no healing.

Strength to me is the card that best represents compassion.
As you may know, Strength is Major Arcanum 8 in some decks and 11 in others. Personally I think the 8 energy better suits the card, anyway the image in the Anna K deck is beautiful.

The power of strength comes from awareness.
From understanding our own power as well as our own weakness. Strength recognizes the struggle between thinking and feeling. Between talking and doing. Between theory and practice.

The lady (mind) gently holds the roaring beast (instinctual urges).
The lady and the beast are looking into each other eyes, understanding where each is coming from.
In my humble opinion that is where true compassion originates.

Please feel free to express your thought on compassion.