Wisdom & Healing Tarot Reiki Numerology in Guelph Ontario.

Anna Tasselli Kocher -Tarot Reiki Numerology

Why would I want to learn how to read Tarot?

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Learn Tarot with Anna Tasselli Kocher

Anna Tasselli Kocher owner of Wisdom and Healing in Guelph.

What are the benefits of knowing how to read Tarot? What’s in it for me?

Plenty, I would say.

I never needed a reason. I was fascinated by Tarot cards from a young age, but I understand that we do not all share the same interests.

Let’s say you have no intention of reading cards for people.

Why would you want to learn how to read Tarot?

To gain insight into your personal life.

To develop a skill that helps you shut down external distractions and focus on you, your plans and what is going on in your life.

To strengthen your intuition and your self confidence.

To get creative ideas if you are a writer.

To be able to assess situations in your life from a detached, more objective perspective.

Are you surprised? Are you intrigued a little?

Check the link if you would like to know more. Learn how to read Tarot

Reflecting about family and heritage with the help of Tarot.

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My mom and her long time companion have just gone back to Italy after spending 25 days with me in Canada.

FamilyI was lucky to spend time with both.

While living and travelling with them, I had the opportunity to get reacquainted with my mom.

She looks very good for her age, but time passes for everyone. She has changed a lot. I was not prepared for it.

There is a new fragility about her. She has always been strong like a rock. The queen of Air I know, is now somewhat vulnerable. That changes the dynamics established between us over a life time.

Interacting with her has made me more aware of the changes in both of our lives.

As I reflect about family and heritage, I have decided to pick 7 Tarot cards to help me put into words what I am feeling.

6 of Water, 10 of Earth, 2 of Water, 6 of Earth from Gaian Tarot.The 6 of Water represents my childhood, my memories of growing up. It is a collection of snapshots of moments, feelings and experiences shared with people I once loved.

The 10 of Earth stands for my upbringing, for the times I grew up in, customs, traditions I have learned from my family and my country of origin.

The 2 of Water represents the love, affinity, loyalty and joy that I share with my family, my original pack.

The 6 of Earth is the give and get of every relationship. It changes over time and is different with every person, but at the base there is a common principal of fairness and cooperation.

The Wheel of Fortune reminds me of the inevitable passing of time and of the changes that come with it.
The now vulnerable children  will grow and their strong parents will weaken. As adults they will perhaps have children of their own. If they are lucky, they will be able to depend on them when they too will become old.

 

Wheel , Lovers and The Gardener from the Gaian Tarot deckThe Lovers card speaks to us of love, loyalty and commitment. Of honouring our promises and making important decisions from a place of love and compassion.

 

 

Lastly, the Empress (Gardener) is the nurturing and creative side of life. It is our mother, the one that nurtures, protects us, guides us, encourages us and eventually gives us the courage and the space to spread our wings and become who we want to be.

Never is the circle of life as clear as when several generations gather together for family events.
What about you?  What do you think? Would you pick different cards? If so, what cards and why?

The Judgement card speaking literally.

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The Judgement card from Universal Tarot deck.

The Judgement card from Universal Tarot deck.

The Judgement card speaking literally.

Sometimes the simple answer is the best answer.

Sometimes what you see is exactly what you get.

Sometimes a leaf is just a leaf.

Please bear with me this morning, as I am less sharp than usual having slept very little last night.

The Judgement card has paid me a visit twice in the span of a few days.

Some of my interpretations for the card are the following.

Waking up to a reality that has changed.
Coming to terms with the fact that we have changed.
The realization that a decision has already been made.
Hearing our internal voice prodding us to follow a dream and finally going for it.
Surrender, rebirth, atonement.

I was reflecting on the card this morning while having breakfast when it finally hit me. As I said, my mind is a bit foggy today.

Last night, for the second time in the span of a few days, a car parked on the road woke me up again and again.
The car alarm went on and off for hours from 1:00 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.

Therefore, being woken up is a good literal meaning for the Judgement card.

Mother’s day and mothers in Tarot.

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Celebrating mother's day with my kids.

Celebrating mother’s day with my kids.

Mother’s day and mothers in Tarot.

First of all Happy Mother’s day to all the moms out there.

I was lucky enough to go out for lunch with both my kids and many relatives.
We went to The Penny Whistle in Guelph. I like it because it has a huge menu and there is something for everyone, including vegetarians like me.

Each month I pick a different Tarot deck to work with for personal use. I always let my clients pick the deck they like most for their readings.

This month I am using the The Sacred Rose Tarot deck by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman. It is a great deck. Small and easy to hold in my hands. Very colourful. I love that most of the people in this deck have crazy wild flowing hair just like me. I feel like I belong. I find that the Sacred Rose deck gives powerful and more intuitive readings.

If I were to reflect on motherhood through the eyes of Tarot, the Empress of course, would be the first card to come to my mind.
In this deck she is very pregnant. I would say that she could give birth any minute.
With the Empress I think pregnancy, motherhood, mother nature, creation and nurturing.

The four queens, the Empress and the 6 of cups from The Sacred Rose Tarot deck.

The four queens, the Empress and the 6 of cups from The Sacred Rose Tarot deck.

All the queens could be moms.

The queen of pentacles would be the kind of mom that will always have your back. She is the one that shows her love by doing things. She cooks lovely meals, she keeps the home clean and organized. She is creative in the garden, she is hands on. She is resourceful, she loves company and her home is always busy with friends and animals.

The queen of cups is the mom that always knows how you feel. She picks up your vibes loud and clear. She is the mom that will listen to you, feel and empathise with you, but that will let you fight your own battles. She will teach you to love art, dream and trust your feelings.

The queen of swords is reserved with her emotions and she most likely will not be big on hugs
and kisses and baby talk. She will show her love for you by attempting to always be prepared for every phase of motherhood. Reading books after books about pregnancy and child birth, early years and how to deal with teenagers. She will always try to be a step ahead of you.

The queen of wands will hug you and kiss you and yell at you. She will play with you and she will enroll you in all sorts of sports and she will push you. She is very competitive. She will encourage you to always give your best. She is a busy mom and you will rarely be bored with her.

The 6 of cups to me speaks of childhood. That time in your life were you read fairytales, dream day and night and when everything is possible. A simple time when it was easy to know who was the good guy and who was the villain.

As always, thank you for reading and feel free to share your own reflections on mothers.

Experimenting with Tarot reversals.

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Do you use Tarot reversals?

If you said yes, can you tell me why?

If you answered no, why don’t you?

Through my many years of reading Tarot I have gone back and forth with this.

Actually, when reading for others I have been consistent in not using them.

When reading for myself I am much more adventurous and I have given reversals a try many times, but I always gave up.

I wrote about reversals five years ago. You can check that posting here before we go any farther. Reversed cards. Do you use them or not? Why?

Since then I have read a lot of Tarot books and done many Tarot readings and I have learned a few things along the way.

1) How to randomize a deck when using reversals.

You can divide your deck in two equal piles, turn one up side down and shuffle a few times. Repeat the process 3 times.

Personally I divide the deck in 3 piles. Turn the one in the middle upside down , shuffle the deck for a while. I cut the deck again in 3 piles, turn the one in the middle upside down again and shuffle for a while. Finally I cut the deck again in 3 piles and proceed with the reading.

2) When looking at reversed cards I now think of instability and difficulty expressing the energy indicated by the card.

3) I notice how the reversal affect the dynamic with the surrounding cards.

Let me give you an example.

I have just pulled out five cards at random to illustrate my point.

 

Robin Wood deck

Robin Wood deck

The Tower is the first card I dealt and it is in the central position.

We are dealing with a sudden disruption. A substantial loss is likely. Our client sense of security is shaken.

The 2 of sword is the second card.
He reacts to the shock by freezing. He doesn’t want to look at the big picture right now or listen to people’s opinions. He wants to absorb what happened first, before making any decision.

The ace of pentacles reversed is the third card.
The loss indicated by the tower was most likely financial.
Perhaps the ace reversed suggests the person lost his job or his main source of income.
Something might have happened to him physically that now prevents him from working and providing for himself.

The Knight of pentacles is our fourth card.
It suggests our client is a hard working, reasonable, practical individual.
He is now looking at the situation as calmly as possible. He is attempting to develop a strategy, to make plans to tackle the situation.

Death is our fifth card.
The knight is facing it. Indicating he is ready to make some difficult decisions. He will most likely let go of anything that is not strictly necessary. He will cut all superficial expenses. He will make some drastic, but necessary changes in order to find stability.

Now let’s say that all cards stay the same, with the exception of the Knight of pentacles.

Robin Wood Tarot deck.

Robin Wood Tarot deck.

The knight is now reversed.
The client has lost his usual confidence. He is the kind of person that looks at himself through his achievements. His strength is in his own ability of making money and taking care of business. He is a conservative person that likes his routines and does not like surprises. He is not the most flexible guy out there.
Being reversed the knight is now looking away from the death card and he is concentrating instead on the 2 of swords.

This could indicate that he is not coping too well with the sudden upheaval. He is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his new reality. He is refusing to look ahead and start the downsizing that his new financial situation requires.

What is your view of reversals?
Please let me know.

Telling stories using Tarot cards. Part 2.

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I hope you enjoyed my previous post.

If you have not read it, you can find it here Telling stories using Tarot cards. Part 1.

I am trying to teach those of you who are learning Tarot how to recognize the energy of the cards in everyday living.

In Telling Stories using Tarot cards, I write about my life and then select some cards to tell the same story.

 

In the past couple of months I have had some small health issues.

First, I suddenly developed a pain in my left ankle that quickly got worse, ending up limiting my mobility. The strange thing was that I had not fallen, dropped anything on it. In other words I did not know why I was in pain.
It took me over a couple of months to identify the problem and take the necessary actions, but I am much better now and on my way back to an active lifestyle.

 

As soon as my ankle got better I came down with a very nasty cold, which is not over yet.
Just as I was fighting the cold I started to experience an increase of calls from new potential clients looking to book Reiki sessions.
If you are familiar with energy, you know that you do not want to go in people’s energy field when you are contagious. Needless to say I had to turn clients down. Hopefully I will work with them as soon as I am better.

 

I am going now to quickly select the cards to tell the story.
See if they make sense to you. We could use other cards, but these resonated with me.
Again I am using the Legacy of the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

Telling stories using Tarot cards. Part 2

 

4 of swords. That is me feet up on the couch going nowhere.

Hermit. I finally decide to seek answers and figure out the source of the pain and why I am not getting better.

Queen of pentacles. She is the lovely specialist that explained my arch problem to me in a way that I could understand. She was also very approachable and kind. She generously suggested many practical and cheap strategies to solve my issues.

The Ace of swords is the clear picture and strategy I was offered.

The 6 of swords is me slowly healing and applying the suggestions given to me. I am not fully recovered yet, but I am heading in the right direction.

 

Now let’s look at the second set of cards.

Telling stories using Tarot cards. Part 2.

4 of swords again. The cold sucks the vitality out of me.
Page of swords. I receive calls and messages.
6 of pentacles. The news are about exchange of Energy in the form of Reiki sessions.
Notice how fittingly the scale of the 6 of coins stands between the messages (page) and the 10 of wands, me feeling overwhelmed.
The 7 of wands is me taking the high ground. I am not well. It would not be good for me or my clients to be in very close proximity through a Reiki session.
The lady in the card well shows me denying access to clients and to germs.
The Hanged Man is me asking my clients to wait for their appointments, to give me a chance to heal first.

I hope you enjoyed the process. Feel free to tell me if you would have used different cards and why.

Telling stories using Tarot cards.

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Telling stories using Tarot cards. Part 1.I have not written in a while. Life has been busy.

I am going to update you here in words first and then using cards.

Telling stories using Tarot cards is not new and I have written about it in the past.

It is a fun process and one that can help anyone  familiarize with the cards.

Here I am not spending much time deciding which cards to use. I am not spending time editing the story. I want to go free flow.
A quick mix of key words for the cards or the first impression from the images.

I am going to pace myself.

One update, one story, a sequence of cards.

The deck I am using is Gateway to the Divine Tarot by the very talented Ciro Marchetti.

For the past five weeks we have had a guest in the house. Stella is a beautiful five months old orange cat. The firemen got her out of her home just in time. Another cat in the building was not as lucky. The owner of the cat, a dear friend of my son, found himself suddenly homeless. After bouncing for a while from one place to the other he asked me to keep Stella until he found a permanent place.
I love cats, but I already had a ten year old cat, who at the time was busy adjusting to the new puppy we got in August. My cat, Lovie, is not a fan of other cats.
I said I was going to give it a try.

Well, Stella is a lot of fun, but she is also a trouble maker. She is full of energy, super curious, very agile, a risk taker and if there is a danger she will find it.

Stella is in many ways very similar to my puppy, Misty.
They both are always on the move. They are curious. They are fast. They pounce first and think later. A fun, but tricky combination. They like the same things and they have been stealing each other toys. Misty and Stella are fascinated with each other and want to play together, but I don’t want an injury on my watch and therefore I have been keeping them separate, or I have let them interact under very close supervision.

Stella also wants to play with my cat, by chasing her. Lovie is at least double her size and she hisses at Stella the moment she sees her.

I have been spending time in a room with Stella, on a floor with Lovie and Misty, or in another room supervising the kitten and the puppy.

It has been fun, insightful and time consuming. My attempt to juggle my time among them, keeping harmony in the home is expected to last another couple of weeks.
Now let’s use the cards to tell the story.

The Tower is the unexpected disruption caused by the fire.
The 5 of pentacles is my friend suddenly out of his home and seeking help.
I am the Queen of pentacle, friendly and reliable and able to help.
The Page of wands is Stella, young, curious and full of energy.
The 6 of coins (pentacles) is my attempt to distribute my attention and energy equally among the Page (Stella) and the 10 of cups ( my dog and my cat).
It is funny how the cat in the 10 of cups actually looks a lot like Stella.
The 5 of wands well represents the tension caused by all the animals competing for space, love and attention.
The Emperor is me attempting to set rules of engagement among the pets to keep harmony in the home, 4 of wands.
The Temperance is the way I try to balance fairly the love (ace of cups) and the discipline (9 of pentacles) I give out to help everyone get along and not feel left out or jealous.
The 2 of coins (pentacles) is the juggling, timing and flexibility required to tune in to the needs of all of the animals and keep them living happily with me (Strength).

I hope you enjoyed the process.

Should Tarot be self taught? Is an intuitive approach the best way to go? Part 2.

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Tarot reader Anna Kocher

Tarot reader Anna Kocher

Should Tarot be self taught?
Is an intuitive approach the best way to go?
Part 2.

Victoria writes:

I learned to read Tarot 10 years ago by taking an intuitive approach to the cards. I was encouraged to do this by my then boyfriend, who had been working with Tarot for more than 20 years. Between his help and the help of a close friend, I learned a lot about reading for myself and other people. I eventually bought two reference books that have served as guides throughout the years: Power Tarot by Trish MacGregor & Phyllis Vega and Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis. I’ve found Meet Up groups focused on Tarot and met many fellow Tarot readers whose insights helped me see whole new layers of meaning in the cards. Now when I help someone learn how to read Tarot for themselves, I encourage them to try the intuitive approach: look at the cards, write down any words or ideas that pop up, then use reference books when a card is confusing.

Hi Victoria.

Thank you for your comment.

I love knowing how other readers developed their skills.
There are many paths and that is good because there are many styles of learning.

I have also read Power Tarot and Tarot Plain and Simple. They are both great books.

I also host a Tarot Meet Up group. I find it a great way to share what I know, learn from others, meet kindred spirits and keep each other fired up and motivated on our Tarot journey.

Some of the tips I usually give are in sync with your approach.

Keep a Tarot journal. Pull a few cards each day and write your interpretation.

Write what comes to you first. Read the interpretation from a book, if you like, but only after you have written your own.

At the end of the day, or the following morning, compare what you wrote with what happened.

Were you accurate?

Was the book you consulted accurate?

Did the energy of the cards come true, but in a different way from what you expected?

If you see no relations between what transpired during the day and the cards, write down what happened.

I have found that sometimes the cards are accurate, but it will take a few more days.

Other times I have discovered a pattern, where a certain card will consistently represent something in my life that is not one of the traditional meanings.

The 8 of cups, as an example, warns me of a last minute sleep over for one of my kids, or my husband staying somewhere overnight, usually for a job that took longer than expected.

Once again, thank you Victoria for your comment.

Should Tarot be self taught? Is an intuitive approach the best way to go? Part 1.

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Tarot reader Anna Kocher

Tarot reader Anna Kocher

Should Tarot be self taught?
Is an intuitive approach the best way to go?
Part 1.

Yesterday I received two comments on my web site. Essentially they both stated that approaching Tarot intuitively is better than learning from books or from a teacher.

Ryosuke’ s comment is too long for me to post here.

She writes that she started studying Tarot when she was only eight years old. She states that at that age it was hard for her to understand what the esoteric/ spiritual books written by adults were saying. So, she began interpreting what she saw in the illustrations.

She wrote :”I had the advantage of not being poisoned by traditional meanings early in the learning process.”

She suggests you should go with your own observations of the illustrations first, then the observations of others and finally all the books you can find.

She goes on to explain that any image can be a Tarot card and that everyone’s interpretation of the card will be different, because every person will interpret it according to his/ her own life experience.

Ryosuke unfortunately has had a sad childhood that has left her with a dark vision of life. In her own words, she expects everyone to want to hurt her.

As a reader she says she is better able to help her clients by asking them what they see in a card, rather than what she sees.

She writes that she does not have to read based on traditional meanings alone and that Tarot should always be self taught.

First, I would like to thank Ryosuke for sharing her view with me.

Second, I would like to tell her that I am sorry for the sadness and abuse she endured.
I hope she is working on it with a therapist, because expecting everyone to want to hurt her is not healthy. It must make her life very stressful.

Third. Personally I feel that a reader needs to be emotionally balanced and grounded to do a good job.

I even discourage clients to come to me when they are extremely upset. I suggest they wait a few days to calm down a bit. Clear up their minds and their intentions.

Should Tarot always be self taught?

To an extent it usually is.
Even if you take classes, you will spend a lot of time alone working with the cards. Many readers will also spend a lot of time reading Tarot books and trying to figure out what works for them. I don’t interpret the cards based only on traditional meanings. I believe most readers combine what they know about the card in front of them, with the image they see and what stands out for them at that moment. They also consider the question, the position of the cards, the surrounding cards and what comes intuitively to them.

There is nothing wrong in asking clients what they see in the cards. You get a lot of insight out of that and many readers use that approach. Of course, not all clients want to do that, so the reader has two options.

1) Be clear with potential clients about her/ his reading style.

2) Be able to read the cards without that much input from the clients.

The second point is why I believe there is merit in learning the meaning of symbols, how the elements work and interact and Numerology. In other words,

Tarot contains a lot of wisdom. The cards addresses all experiences we may have. Some people may be able to tune in without much effort, but most need help.

Also, I believe that by approaching Tarot with solid knowledge and not only intuitively, it is easier to stay detached and unbiased with our interpretation.

Thank you Ryosuke for your thought provoking comment.

I will address the other reader comment separately.

The role of intuition in a Tarot reading.

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The moonI am a Tarot reader and  I make no claim of special abilities. In other words, I rely on my hard gained knowledge of the cards to get my interpretation of a reading.

None the less, I have always admitted that each card has a lot of meanings.

The question and the surrounding cards help me decide which meaning applies to a particular reading.

A couple of weeks ago I was reflecting over how much the use of a deck influence a reading. In other words, the same card in the same combination, may be read differently by me depending on the deck I am using.

Why? I believe the artwork, the symbols, influence my interpretation.

What I know about the card does not change, but the symbols present in the card may lead me to go with one meaning over another.

I believe that is one of the many ways that intuition plays a role in a reading.

I  reflected on how sometimes I notice something in a card that I had not noticed earlier. Let me give you some examples. The river and waterfall in the Empress card. It has always been there, but I only started to notice it lately. Now I ask my-self how I could have missed it before.

Another one is the two of cups. I had never noticed how the man is reaching for the hand of the lady.

In the 7 of swords. Have you noticed how dangerously the sneaky guy is holding the swords by the blades? For years I had not!

Let’s take this a step farther.

Lately I have been wondering why the same symbols in a card will at time suggest something to me and at other times will not.

The 4 of cups.

In a reading I  noticed the 3 cups lined up in front of the man. After a moment, it occurred to me that 3 people were involved in the situation. The client confirmed it.

In another reading I noticed the two coins being juggled in the air in the 2 of Pentacles card. It told me the guy had two kids.

Why is it that a symbol will speak loudly one time and stay silent in another occasion? Again, I believe intuition is at work.

What do you think?

By the way, in all the examples mentioned above I was using the RWS deck.

The Fool card is from the Ancestral Path deck.

Reflection on the Tarot Major Arcanum 17, The Star.

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Star Tarot cards

Star Tarot cards

Something strange happened on Thursday. At the end of a Tarot class, one card from my Rider Waite deck went missing. It became apparent on Sunday morning, when I started setting up for another Tarot class. I knew when I had seen it last. I checked the room, along with two other decks I had been using on that day. I checked my notes and my hand outs folder, no Star card anywhere. I asked my students to check their hand outs to see if the card ventured out with them for a field trip. They did, but no luck. I taught the class on Sunday with my R.W.S. deck, but using the Star card from my Universal deck. After searching for days, this morning I decided to reflect on the Star card. I do not believe in coincidences, therefore I suspected the missing card had a message for me. After pulling the Star from two other decks, I felt compelled to look at my R.W.S. deck again. I always put my decks back in order after using them, as a way to cleanse their energy. I was stunned to find The Star card exactly where it was supposed to be, between the Tower and the Moon! I was so happy to see her that I decided to celebrate by pulling the Star card from all my other decks and see what I could learn. I am going to share the experience with you here.

Robin Wood,RWS, Universal, Marseille Tarot deck

Robin Wood,RWS, Universal, Marseille Tarot deck

In my first group I have cards from the Robin Wood, R.W.S. Universal and Marseille. 17 reduces to 8, indicating a new positive perspective. The element is air, thinking, analyzing, researching and communicating. The lady in the picture is naked. What you see is what you get. Simplicity, honesty, vulnerability. A knee is on land, a foot is in water. She is grounded in reality, yet perfectly in tune with emotions and the subconscious. She pours water from two vessels. She is generous, she holds nothing back. She trusts all will be fine. The mountains suggest spiritual growth. As I look at the image from the Marseille deck, I review the book of my first Tarot teacher, Luciana Pedirota. I have not used this deck in over twenty years. I am reminded of some important points. Evolution. The Star is evolving in the angel she is meant to be. Part of her job is to help others evolve also. She does not use words, rather her example. She does the walk instead of the talk. As Luciana points out in her book, the lady in the Star, shares the posture of the individual about to become a Knight. The bent knee is the individuality willing to merge for the good of the higher cause. The other leg shows the individual being alert to synchronicity and ready to take action and to transform as needed.

Ancestral Path, Osho Zen, Anna K, Llewellyn, Gaian, Gendron Tarot deck

Ancestral Path, Osho Zen, Anna K, Llewellyn, Gaian, Gendron Tarot deck

In the second group we have cards from The Ancestral path (Julie Cuccia-Watts), Osho Zen, Anna K, Llewellyn, Gaian (Joanna Powel Colbert) and the Gendron deck. Let’s see, what else can I learn here? Choices are made from a new perspective, with consideration for the well being of future generations. We are moving to a higher spiritual level. Our spirit guides are changing accordingly. In the Osho Zen deck the card is called .. Silence. When we are able to turn off all noises and external distractions, we find peace and we are at one with the Universe. In the Anna K. Deck we see many waterfalls joining in the same river. A bright star illuminates the sky. I get the feeling of Merging. Coming home to wholeness. The river grows stronger with each waterfall. I get a sense of healing, growing strength and hope. In the Llewellyn deck, the message I get is one of freedom and release. In the Gaian deck, I get a sense of grace, inspiration, gratitude and of wishing upon a star. With the Gendron deck, the invitation to silence and meditation is reinforced. I get the message to let my gifts and uniqueness shine. Accept my individuality, while seeking help and direction from a higher source in meditation. Stay open to guidance through synchronicity.

Sacred Rose,Gilded, The Divine Legacy of Tarot, The Druid Craft Tarot deck

Sacred Rose,Gilded, The Divine Legacy of Tarot, The Druid Craft Tarot deck

My last group has cards from The Sacred Rose deck (Gargiulo- Sherman), The Gilded and The Legacy of the Divine Tarot (Ciro Marchetti) and The Druid Craft Tarot. The Sacred Rose whispers “Have faith”, “Tomorrow is another day”, “The sun will rise again”. In the Gilded deck, I notice the shining star in the position of her third eye. Trust that help is available in the form of guidance. Give it time. In The legacy of the Divine Tarot, the lady flies over the destruction, suggesting we can do the same. In the words of Leisa Refalo in the companion book “The Star represents hope and inspiration that can be found both from above (Divine) and within (inner consciousness). With the Druid Craft deck I am reminded that my connection to the water element is healthy and open once again. This is a strong message for me. I have a deep love for the sea. Having moved far away from it, I miss the strength it provides me. As I entered 2014 I had a strong feeling that I needed to engage with the water element more in my everyday life. My tendency is to analyze things (air), find practical approaches (earth) and get things going (fire). I am more of a talker than a listener. It has been a slow process, but drop after drop water is gaining momentum in my life. I see that The Star card had a lot to say. It worked extra hard to get my attention.

May 2017

As I look at the Star from the R.W.S. deck I consider that in Tarot we have two sisters. Temperance is the younger and The Star is the older.

Temperance is careful while pouring liquid from one vessel to the other and she is dressed.

Star is naked. She has more experience and she is more confident. She generously pours from both vessels. She gives her gift spontaneously and with confidence. She is not concerned with how her gift will be received.

Personal reading for the month of June.

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For this month’s reading I have used a three cards spread.

Gift, challenge and advice.

I have used the lovely Gilded deck of Ciro Marchetti.

Position 1) Temperance

Position 2) 8 of swords

Position 3) 9 of pentacles.

First thing I notice is the presence of a lady in each card.  Two of them are turned away from the other cards.

The lady in the 9 of pentacles is facing the lady in the 8 of swords. Given that the 9 of pentacles is the advice card in this         spread, while the  8 of swords   is the challenge, I believe the card suggests I exercise self discipline (bird of prey).

The gift offered by the month is substantial (Major Arcana). It could indicate the possibility of personal growth through change.  I may face challenging people or situations which will require an open mind, flexibility, confidence, moderation          and the ability to compromise.

The challenge is frustration. With the 8 of swords I may feel unable to deal with problems the way I see fit. I may feel restricted in my choices of actions. What is required from me is a new way of thinking (8 + air). Unable to operate the way that comes natural and easy for me, I will have to develop a new strategy.

Advice. The 9 of pentacles here reassures me that I am more than capable to handle what is going to come up. I need to be resourceful, grounded, confident, open to transformation (butterflies) and disciplined.

All in all this is a good straight forward reading.  As always,  feel free to write your comments or suggestions.

Reversed cards. Do you use them or not? Why?

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This one is a hard for me.

I don’t use reversed cards and I never have consistently. I read using spreads. I often make them as I go along and I include positions for challenges, obstacles or weakness . I tend to interpret the cards in those positions as many would read a reversed card. Yet sometimes I still wonder if I am missing something by not using reversals.

I am a bit of a book worm and so I am always reading. Since I love Tarot is no surprise that many of those books relate to Tarot.

Often I find myself loving the interpretation of some reversed cards and that makes me wonder again if I made the right choice.

I am well familiar with the many views on reversed cards.

Some readers look at them as opposite of the upright meaning.

Others see them as the extreme of the energy expressed.

Nurturing when taken too far, as an example, can become smothering.

Another way to interpret reversed cards is as energy about to enter the situation or leaving it.

Either way the energy of that card is not as strong as when upright. I like this way of thinking, but I think it could be problematic when used it reading for others. I guess you could look at the elements to help you decide if that energy is growing or weakening. It sounds a bit complicated to me, particularly for those who may not be familiar with the elements and how they interact.

Last but not least, there are those who see reversed cards just as a scream for attention, look at me, kind of idea.

Therefore such reader would look at the reversed card carefully or first. He or she would give that card more attention.

I don’t know. I think there are pro and cons to read with reversed as well as to reading without them.

One of the reason I have never really taken to reversals is because I was never sure on how to mix them. Do you take the deck, cut it in half and turn one pile upside down? Would that be too much?

How do you decide? I know that some people suggest to spread the deck around and then move the cards all over the place like you were playing with sand. Personally I am not fussy on it, but it may work for you.

To sum it up. I read cards in the upright position. My meaning for them can change depending on where they are in the spread. I will interpret a card that is in a challenge or negative position as weak, or as an extreme of the energy it represents. As an example the Queen of swords , which I usually see as someone smart, brave, decisive and communicating clearly and directly, may become someone who can come out too critical and whose message can leave people hurt. Even when reading cards in regular positions, therefore as upright, I look at the full spectrum of their energies , from light to dark. I come up with my interpretation considering the overall energies present in the reading. Lots of Wands cards will make my interpretation for them strong and bold, much more let’s say than if a wand card was surrounded by many cups.

What about you?

Do you use reversed cards?

Why? What is your approach? What has been your experience with them?

I would love to hear what you think.

For a more recent post on reversals click here Experimenting with Tarot reversals

Tarot tips for beginners.

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I started studying Tarot in 1987. My quest for knowledge has had many ups and downs through the years. I have gone through times of intense growth followed by long breaks, and then intense progress again.That was me, your path may be totally different and that would be fine too.
I have only recently understood this important lesson. We all have different ways of learning and doing and that is fine. Had I known then, what I know now, I would have avoided so much frustration. With this in mind I am going to share with you a few tips.

There are a lot of decks out there, some of them are stunningly beautiful.

To begin I would personally use the Rider Waite deck. It is not the most beautiful, but it is the easier one to use while learning.

There are pictures in every card. The symbols are clear. They are not intimidating and if you carefully look at the cards, you will understand the basic message.

I started with the Marseille deck. The minor arcana have no pictures, just 7 swords or 5 disks and so on. It is no surprise that for over a decade I only used the Major Arcana. A whole new world opened up to me when I switched to the R.W. S. deck and instead of 5 disks I had a homeless couple walking down a snowy street.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Also, most Tarot books refer to the Rider Waite deck in their teaching.

I have read a ton of Tarot books over the years. I own most of them. Public libraries unfortunately do not share my passion for Tarot.

A great book to start with is ” Learning the Tarot” by Joan Bunning. My copy is falling to pieces, but I am still holding to it.

You can even try the free Tarot on line course by the same author and save money.

In my opinion, the best way to learn  Tarot is to truly become familiar with the deck. Don’t just memorize the meaning of the cards. Become familiar with the deck. Look at the cards! Every time you do, you will discover something new, a detail will grab your attention. When you study/ read the meaning of a card, always keep the card handy and look at it.

When you start practicing, come up with your own interpretation first, then compare it to what the book you are reading says.

This is extremely important, or you may, like me, end up dependent on books for years. The longer you use the books as crutches in your interpretation, the harder it becomes to trust your own intuition.

Daily readings are a great way to experience the cards and learn more about them.

Some pick one card a day. Others pick up several.

I believe the number of cards chosen is less important than the reflection over them. When you pick up your cards in the morning it helps to have an intention. You may ask which energy is going to be prevalent during the day.

Or, what is the best way to handle the situations you will encounter that day. Once you have posed your question, draw your card and write it down. Look at it and think about what the card may try to tell you. Write it down.

Leave the card out, if at all possible in a spot where your eyes will wonder often.

At the end of the day, or the following morning, go back to what you wrote. See how much was correct and what you missed.

If you do not see the correlation between the card and the events of the day, I suggest you write down what happened. It may turn out useful the next time you draw the same card.

As you evolve on your path, and you look back to your journal, you may see the connection between the card and the events of the day as clear as light. The journal is a great tool, but only if you write down your thoughts and the events that followed. At least this has been my experience with it.

Finally, the Internet can help you a lot. There are so many great Tarot readers, writers, teachers out there. So many of them have web sites or blogs full of information. Many of them post incredibly informative articles. Not only they are all free, but people write comments, questions and the authors answer them.

Some of the people who post comments are also great experts in the field. The Tarot community all over the world is very friendly. If you have the passion and the dedication now days you can progress on your Tarot path faster and cheaper than I did.

I wish you all the best on your quest for knowledge,  please don’t forget to have fun along the way.

Anna

 

Different decks, different interpretations?

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4 of Pentacles RWSAt present time I own seven Tarot decks. The three I use regularly are the Radiant RWS, the Gilded, and the Sacred Rose. While using them I could not help but notice that my interpretation of the cards change somewhat depending on the deck I use.

Why is that?

I am well aware that I am not the first reader to notice this. There are after all books about comparative Tarot. None the less my curiosity is engaged now.
I understand the symbols portrayed in the cards are responsible for our shift in perception, and subsequent interpretation. I believe this is the reason why some decks speak to me and others do not.

As I look at the two cards in front of me, the 4 of Pentacles from the RWS, and the same card but from the Sacred Rose deck, I wonder…How much does my cards interpretation change from deck to deck? How much stays the same?

After all a four is a four, meaning foundations, stability and attainment. Yet the picture has a strong influence on me.

The RWS shows a well dressed men sitting comfortably with his back to a city. He hugs a pentacle in a way that shields his heart.

One Pentacle stands on top of his crown, and two are under his feet. The man wears red shoes.

I know that several books explain this card as greed and materialistic. I am sure those meaning can apply in the right contest.

When I look at this card I see a man with a peaceful expression. He seems in control and in no rush. To me he is someone who has worked hard for those Pentacles. He is proud of them and protective. He wants to make sure his money goes as far as it can.

The harsher meanings listed above, are in my opinion the extremes of the card.

When I look at the 4 of Pentacles in the Sacred Rose deck I am even less inclined to see the darker meanings.

Here a young person kneels or perhaps stands on top of four Pentacles. He smiles with his hands on his hips in a bold stance. He is on top of the World. I see success, achievement, satisfaction.

I welcome your comments.