Bringing the World of Tarot to You ~ my "Ultimate Tarot Guide"

 

The following is an excerpt from my great big chunky Tarot Book... "The Ultimate Tarot Guide: for Your Personal Tarot Journey".  This book is available in Kindle or Print at This Amazon Page.

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This excerpt was taken from the section all about "Paying Clients".  You have to learn how to deal with people in a relatively unusual situation, with a myriad of emotions and mentalities emitting from them.  When you do this professionally, you really have to learn how to handle people, when to allow them to vent and talk, and when to instinctively know they are trying to manipulate a reading to get the outcome they desire, or even when a client may be mentally "off" -- just a wee bit.  And the following client and my experience with her is a good example of that...

[excerpt]

But we want to be real here. Just like individuals who work retail and deal with the public up close and personal on a daily level, you will need to dig deep within yourself for patience and perseverance. You’ll have to know when to listen and allow your client to vent and get something off their chest; but at the same time, you’ll have to know when a client is going too far, when a client may be a bit off mentally, when a client may be trying to manipulate you and the reading.

My case-in-point is The Saga of Evil Gloria ~ I often do telephone consultations with clients. Usually these sessions go remarkably well and everyone comes away with a warm and fuzzy feeling and hopefully a few answers, if not a solution, to their issues. Usually this is the way it goes.

Then one day I had a telephone consultation with “Lilly”. I knew which direction this was going to go the moment that I answered the phone, because she started talking and she didn’t stop. Lilly spent the better part of a half hour trying to convince me that she was completely, totally, so over her ex-boyfriend “John”, who was stolen from her by Evil Gloria, a woman whom Lilly claimed used black magic to wrench John from her. Damn Gloria.

Here is where I tried to interrupt Lilly so that I could begin the reading. I was abruptly cut off by Lilly’s voice saying, with only slightly veiled disdain: “I’m paying you to listen to me.”

“Well, no”, I replied, “You’re paying me to read for you, and without some quiet, I can’t do this.” I thought this was a remarkably diplomatic way of telling Lilly to shut up.

Anyway, it didn’t matter. Lilly started off on another ten minute tangent of how Evil Gloria stole John with her tremendous powerful utterly awful black magic. About this time, she also started listing off all the psychics that she’s went to and how they’ve all told her that she would be happily reunited with John and Evil Gloria would meet a guy named Karma. Lilly went on to talk about all the money that she’s spent on magic spells that she paid other people to do for her regarding this situation. Her speech was interspersed for some reason with lot’s of “I would never try to convert you…” and “I don’t mean to be rude– but…”. Lilly also kept referring to John as her Twin Soul, but from the look of the tarot cards that I kept laying, I’d say that John was getting comfortable with Evil Gloria, and maybe he was seriously considering a restraining order against Lilly. And I thought to myself, if he wasn’t, he should be.

Time was passing, the clock was ticking, and this conversation was going no where fast.

I tried interrupting Lilly once more, just barging in and beginning the reading by identifying the cards I laid and touching base with them before jumping through the intuitive hoop. I no more than said one sentence when Lilly’s by now very irritating voice cut in saying, “I don’t want to hear the book meanings of the cards, I can look that up myself.” Well, that’s true, but I was just identifying the cards for her (because she couldn’t see them) and laying a foundation before allowing intuition to take over. Most telephone clients appreciate this, and this is the first time I’ve ever gotten a negative response. But by now, I realized that Lily wasn’t exactly on an even keel.

I’m beginning to get fed up with Lilly and am losing what patience I have left. I’d rather refund Lilly for the reading and hang up on her.

I begin talking over her, telling her what I see: John is happy, John and Evil Gloria are established in a relationship. It doesn’t matter how Evil Gloria got him, the fact is that they are together now. But Lilly is just not ready to let it go, and the energy from this entire situation is so toxic that I suggested she back away and have no contact with either of these people. I also advised her to smudge her living space of negative energy and to take a cleansing bath.

There was a very small and surprised, “Oh” from Lilly. A period of about three seconds of blessed silence was suddenly broken by a new barrage. Lilly began to indignantly point out that all these psychics she’s been going to have all told her that she will get back with John. I cut her off saying, “I don’t care about the psychics that you’ve seen. There’s no way for me to know if they are legitimate, or if they are just telling you what you want to hear.”

Once more I told her what the cards were telling me, emphasizing the fact that no, she is not over losing John, far from over it, that there were issues she was going to have to deal with, negative energy she was going to have to clear, and ways to move on that were going to have to be found. And that was the end of the consultation.

It literally took me the rest of the day to rid myself of Lilly’s intense overbearing disturbing energy. As for Evil Gloria…I don’t believe that Evil Gloria stole John with witchcraft. I have a feeling that Evil Gloria doesn’t talk much.

Book Trailer

Table of Contents

• Introduction… 9

Personal Essay

Let’s get Started

The Deck

Major Arcana

Minor Arcana

Reversals

Shuffling the Deck

Care & Cleansing

Seasoning Your Tarot Deck

Reading for Friends & Family

Paying Clients

Reading at Public Events

• The Major Arcana Cards… 26

• The Minor Arcana Cards/The Suits… 136

Pentacles

Swords

Wands

Cups

• The Sets… 146

• The Court Cards… 225

The Kings

The Queens

The Knights

The Pages

• Magickal Connections, Correspondences, Charts, & Other Info:

Crystals & Stones… 257

Health… 259

Kabbalistic Health Correspondences… 260

Astrological Sun Signs… 261

Gods & Goddesses… 266

The Numbers… 269

The Planets… 273

The Elements… 281

• Tarot Spreads

The Medium Spread...283

My Best Opinion… 289

The Horoscope Spread… 293

The Chakra Spread… 316

Romeo & Juliet Spread… 324

Past, Present, & Future… 335

Connecting with My Higher Self… 340

Decisions… 345

The Key… 350

*Note - in this section, I'll do a reading for each of these spreads so that you can see exactly how it can go when you connect with it.  Then I set each spread up for you to do yourself, everything all lined out, spaces ready to fill in the cards, and plenty of writing room for you to interpret the spread and record it. 

• Tarot Lessons 

Lesson 1: Card a Day… 360

Lesson 2: Interpreting a Three-Card Spread… 363

Lesson 3: Expanding the Tarot Connection… 366

Lesson 4: Court Cards/Familiar Personalities...369

Lesson 5: Tarot Meditation… 372

Lesson 6: Categorizing the Cards… 377

Click on images to make them Larger

"Tarot for Grownups" ~ an irreverent look at grownups and life, through Tarot

 

"Tarot for Grownups"... meaning this book is not for kids or the 'tweens' who are playing with their first tarot decks: Tarot for Grownups is a no-nonsense book written to tell it like it is in a black and white, cut-and-dried way. This book is written for grownups, and it looks at their world through the magick and mystery of the tarot, addressing adult issues with unabashed candor and a healthy dose of sarcasm.

This book is deliciously irreverent.

 
If you don't have a copy, you can purchase one at Amazon by clicking HERE

The following is an excerpt.  It's a short and sweet list of the Major Arcana cards with an adult twist to the meanings.  In the book, this will be followed up with an up close and more personal look at these cards and what they may imply...

The Major Arcana:
Life in a Shot Glass

0 The Fool: Road sign…“Idiot’s Cross Here”…drive slowly.

1 The Magician: The hand is quicker than the eye.

2 The High Priestess: Use your fricken’head!

3 The Empress: Life is preggers.

4 The Emperor: All man, and don‘t you forget it.

5 The Hierophant: Get a life, for Christ’s sake.

6 The Lovers: Hooking up.

7 The Chariot: Run baby, and don’t look back.

8 Strength: Get a spine.

9 The Hermit: “I ‘vant to be alone.”(Greta Garbo)

10 Wheel of Fortune: Don‘t bet on it.

11 Justice: Holier than thou.

12 The Hanged Man: Pity party.

13 Death: Your mother warned you, and you didn’t listen.

14 Temperance: How dull can it be?

15 The Devil: What you do when no one’s looking.

16 The Tower: Shit happens.

17 The Star: The glass is half full, if you squint.

18 The Moon: Liar, liar, pants on fire.

19 The Sun: Everybody smile…say ‘cheese’.

20 Judgment: I told you so.

21 The World: What goes around comes around.

Tarot Flirts with Astrology ~ The Planets

 
I'm BACK!!  If anyone has noticed my absence and lack of new posts or social media activity, I've been sick with my second bout of Covid, from around August 17th to now, October 3rd.  This is just my third day in a row of consistently feeling "normal".  The symptoms of this virus tend to hang on, and I was beginning to think I might be a "long hauler".  It's hideous.  Get vaccinated, and wear a mask in public places.  Believe me, you don't want my experience.  Here's a link to my Facebook post update:  click  HERE

To purchase your copy of this book @ Amazon

click  HERE

The following blog post is an excerpt from the book above.  This book will help the newbie to tarot lay solid ground work for a successful connection with the cards; and this book will open vistas to ideas, connections, and intuitive inspiration for those more experienced with tarot reading.

Throughout this book, you'll find plenty of empty pages so you can write your own notes at the end of various sections.  When you get ready to lay the ground work for tarot spreads, you'll find a reading all set up for you and space to write your own interpretation. 

The Ultimate Tarot Guide: For Your Personal Tarot Journey highlights intuitive reading, unique and personal interpretations, and the ability to think outside the box.

• Sun

The Sun is filled with healing and hope, warmth and the promise of growth. It’s imbued with masculine energy and is closely connected to the god.

As it pertains to tarot ~ for clients male issues often come to the forefront, their health, happiness, fulfillment, optimism for the future. But it’s energy is also all encompassing for everyone. You’ll find an abundance of strength, unwavering support, and ridiculous amounts of in-your-face positive energy. The future can only be looking up, and if healing is needed in some aspect of your life, you’ll know it’s coming up with the Sun.

1. Day of the Week: Sunday
2. Color: yellow, gold
3. Herbs: angelica, bay, carnation, cedar, chamomile, eyebright, frankincense, ginseng, goldenseal, juniper, marigold mistletoe, peony pineapple, rosemary, St. John’s Wort, sandalwood, sunflower, tea, witch hazel
4. Stones: amber, carnelian, diamond, sunstone, tiger’s-eye, topaz (yellow)
5. Element: Fire
6. Energies: magick for the god, male health issues, passion, healing, spiritual connection, transformation, relationship issues

• Moon

The Moon embodies the pagan goddess in paramount magical waves of silver energy. All three aspects of her, maiden, mother, and crone.

As it pertains to tarot ~ All feminine aspects rise to the surface. Women’s issues become relevant and the focus is on health, embracing natural gifts, healing, and expanding our energy and magick to the universe and beyond. Femininity becomes divine. But there is another side to this planet, the dark side. Deception and hidden motives will be revealed. Shadows will be illuminated, warnings given, gray areas of life highlighted. In this aspect, the Moon becomes a friendly enemy. As a look out or scout, the Moon will give a warning cry.

1. Day of the week: Monday
2. Color: silver, blue, gray
3. Herbs: bladderwrack, calamus, camellia, clematis, club moss, dulse, gardenia, grape, passion flower, jasmine, lily, lotus, moonflower, moonwort, myrrh, poppy, sandalwood, willow
4. Stones: aquamarine, chalcedony moonstone, mother-of-pearl, sapphire, quartz (clear)
5. Element: Water
6. Energies: magick for the goddess, healing, visions, dreams, intuition, divination, clairvoyance, women’s issues, motherhood, fertility

• Earth

The Earth embodies our connection to the physical plane and embraces our materialistic existence.

As it pertains to tarot ~ Sometimes this planet’s energy is a much needed anchor, grounding or re-grounding us to reality, to our bodies and the life lessons we learn from it, to the energy of other living things around us, whether plant or animal. The Earth helps us to retain a connection with our ancestors, our traditions, and our lineage with humanity.

1. Day of the week: all seven
2. Colors: green, brown
3. Herbs: barley, beet, corn, cotton, fern, honeysuckle, mugwort, oats, oleander, patchouli, potato, primrose, rhubarb, tulip, turnip, vervain, wheat
4. Stones: agate (green), agate (moss), coal, emerald, hematite, jasper (brown), jasper (green), malachite, Peridot, salt, tourmaline (black), tourmaline (green)
5. Element: all four
6. Energies: grounding, healing your inner self, connecting with ancestors, fertility, expansion, overcoming impossible odds, durability

• Mars

Mars embodies the spirit of the warrior and pushes us with a merciless shove forward to stand our ground and fight our battles.

As it pertains to tarot ~ Mars commands us to be strong, relentlessly thrusting the sword and spear in our shaky uncertain hands, forcing us to take a stand, face an enemy, make a point. It shines brilliance and shameless illumination on the-principle-of-the-thing. The energy of this planet demands that we dig deep and discover within ourselves integrity and potential.

1. Day of the week: Tuesday
2. Color: orange
3. Herbs: allspice, basil, blood root, cactus, chili pepper, dragon’s blood, garlic, ginger, holly, horseradish, mustard, nettle, onion, pepper, pine, radish, snapdragon, thistle, tobacco, wormwood
4. Stones: bloodstone, garnet, jasper (red), ruby, tourmaline (red)
5. Element: Fire
6. Energies: defensive magick, regaining lost territory, assertion, resolving disagreement, successfully handling disruption, goals

• Mercury

Mercury connects us to the magic of communication and ethereal creativity.

As it pertains to tarot ~ This planet salvages lost ideas, unspoken thoughts, and words ripped from our lips by the winds of uncertainty and hesitation. Mercury has the ability to reconnect us with loved ones, ideas, and most importantly, it reconnects us to ourselves. This planet highlights and plugs into the inter-connectedness of the human psyche.

1. Day of the week: Wednesday
2. Color: silver, yellow
3. Herbs: almond, bracken, caraway, clover, dill, fennel, flax, lavender, lemongrass, mandrake, marjoram, mint, papyrus, parley, pistachio, senna, slippery elm, wax plant
4. Stones: agate, jasper (mottled), citrine, topaz (yellow), amber
5. Element: Air
6. Energies: creativity-- writing, painting, sculpting, music, etc.; creativity, mental issues, learning energy, summoning spirits

• Jupiter

Jupiter is all about expansion and growth, making more of something, or making it bigger.

As it pertains to tarot ~ Jupiter likes to speed up the process. This planet is all about developing and building on your ideas, your plan, your potential. It’s bigger-than-life energy will take us beyond our modest dreams, and ideas, and visions, elevating us and our efforts to new planes of success and growth. Things are going to happen when this planet is involved, and they usually happen in a big way.

1. Day of the week: Thursday
2. Color: purple
3. Herbs: anise, borage, cinquefoil, clove, dandelion, dill, fig, honeysuckle, hyssop, liverwort, maple, meadowsweet, mint, nutmeg, patchouli, sage, star anise
4. Stones: aventurine, amethyst, mystic topaz, jasper (brown), peridot, malachite, tourmaline (green)
5. Element: Earth
6. Energies: magick for expansion and growth, money and legal issues, employment, abundance, material opportunities

• Venus

Venus embodies love, healthy sexuality, romance, physical beauty, and the love of beautiful things in our lives, whether it be our surroundings, or the things we fill this space with.

As it pertains to tarot ~ Venus is all our fairy tales and dreams come to life, with a healthy dose of reality thrown in. Hopeless romantics will never give up on finding the perfect mate, and this planet will make sure this pursuit will have a promising, if not perfect, ending. We chase physical beauty the same way we chase love, and Venus will address this timeless pursuit as well, often redefining this attribute for us.

1. Day of the week: Friday
2. Color: pink, green
3. Herbs: African violet, apple, apricot, aster, barley, birch, bleeding heart, cardamom, catnip, columbine, crocus, cyclamen, foxglove, geranium, goldenrod, heather, hibiscus, hyacinth, iris, larkspur, lilac, magnolia, willow
4. Stones: blue lace agate, moonstone, selenite, crystal quartz, chalcedony, rose quartz
5. Element: Water
6. Energies: magick for love and romance, sex, lust, passion, fidelity, beauty, resolving relationship issues, friendship

• Saturn

Saturn is full of dark and sometimes dangerous energy, and this is the very energy we have to be brave enough to utilize if life calls us to it.

As it pertains to tarot ~ The sweet taste of revenge often cloys in our mouth when this planet appears. The very idea makes many of us uncomfortable, some of us still enveloped in archaic and conservative modes of consciousness. But from the black depths of the universe, as well as the murky corners of our minds, we realize that there is a time and a place and a reason for Saturn’s darkness. Hopefully not all of us will have need of it, but do not fear it, and do not flinch from it, should it come up in your life.

1. Day of the week: Saturday
2. Color: black
3. Herbs: amaranth, beet, belladonna, boneset, comfrey, fumitory, hellebore, hemlock, hemp, ivy, knot weed, mimosa, morning glory, mullein, quince, skullcap, slippery elm, tamarisk, wolf’s bane
4. Stones: jet, onyx, apache tear, obsidian, tourmaline (black), coal, hematite
5. Element: Earth, Fire
6. Energies: protection, hexing/cursing, retribution, dark magick, revealing truth

• Neptune

Neptune hangs on tenaciously to reality for dear life, constantly bombarded by delusions and addictions.

As it pertains to tarot ~ The dark side is dangerously close to the surface when Neptune appears. It can encompass the diffused hazy world of drug addiction and mental illness. The energy of Neptune, if broken like a wild horse, tamed, and put to good use, can be a startling illumination of incredible awe inspiring intuition and insight. There’s a very thin line between genius and insanity. Neptune takes us there.

1. Day of the week ~ Thursday
2. Colors ~ green, blue, lavender
3. Herbs ~ bulrush, lobelia, morning glory, night-blooming jasmine, pine, reed, reed canary grass, water lily
4. Stones ~ coral, aquamarine, platinum, neptunium
5. Element ~ Water
6. Energies ~ dissolving boundaries, expanding upon ideas, changing established rules, intuition, idealism, sacrifice, glamour, illusion, evolution and decay

• Uranus

Uranus digs it’s stubborn heels into the soul of the individualist, celebrating eccentricity and rebellion.

As it pertains to tarot ~ This planet lets us know that we’re in up to our necks if we’re dealing with its energy. Getting anything done, like convincing the hoards that we have a good idea, or progressing at any acceptable rate with whatever we’re plunging into, is going to be a long difficult painful process. The energy of Uranus is maddening in it’s inability to compromise. It’s cursed with the ability to turn a blind eye, to avoid conflict at any cost, or to avoid assertion on every level. The lazy-ass energy of Uranus will lay, inert, at our feet.

1. Day of the week ~ Tuesday, Saturday
2. Colors ~ red
3. Herbs ~ hot herbs: cayenne pepper, jalapenos; blood root; hemlock; belladonna
4. Stones ~ red stones: jasper, garnet, ruby
5. Element ~ Fire
6. Energies ~ originality, eccentricity, sensuality, perversions, daring, idealism, conflict

• Pluto

Pluto comes streaking in with incredible force to destroy everything in its path. Everything in it’s wake seems to be touched by its terrible energy. We stand amidst ground zero, and we wail, we moan, we beat our chest, only to open our eyes and look around in profound wonder and amazement. All the crap is gone. The slate is clean. We can begin again.

As it pertains to tarot ~ This planet has much the same effect on us and our lives as the major arcana card The Tower. They share much of the same destructive and disruptive tendencies. However, Pluto is more discernible. It’s more apt to leave what we need and wipe out what was getting in our way.

1. Day of the week ~ Saturday
2. Colors ~ black
3. Herbs ~ angelica, black snake root, cinnamon, clove, dill, dragon’s blood, mustard, onion, shallot, thistle, peppermint, tobacco, wormwood
4. Stones ~ black stones: onyx, hematite, obsidian
5. Element ~ Fire
6. Energies ~ destruction, renewal, enlightenment, research, clearing, burning off, polar opposites, criminals, inspirational gurus

The 6s ~ from my book The Ultimate Tarot Guide

 

The 6s ~ To gain, to escape, to win, to remember

Pentacles ~ It’s all about embracing the gift of generosity. It’s learning to put someone else’s needs before your own. It’s also about learning to accept generosity gracefully.

Tithing, loans, gifts, gratitude, generosity, sharing, abundance

• 6/Pentacles ~ With this card comes the willingness and ability to help those around you. The main gist of this card points to money and finances, of course, but it can go way beyond this. There is the idea of being honest, of dividing assets equally. “There’s more where this comes from”, the six of pentacles seems to be saying. But also… “Keep it fair”, and “”Don’t cheat”. With this card comes the wonderful feeling of no regrets.

Reversed: There may be people around you who are unscrupulous and more than willing to steal or cheat you out of money and possessions. There is also the idea of cutting down on spending, pinching pennies, and being wise and frugal with your checking account. With the six of pentacles comes the feeling of having all of your eggs in one basket, the idea of gambling, risk taking, the dare devil.

Personal Connection:
Throughout a life-time spanning several decades, six of them at this writing, I’ve experienced the six of pentacles up close and personal. As one friend put it, talking about her own family’s material and financial life, “It’s either feast or famine.” And that’s so true. You hear about people coming from dirt poor backgrounds, and then gaining millions of dollars through their determination, hard-work, and talent, only to lose all of it in one-fell foolish swoop, winding right back up where they started. Maybe there’s a lesson here, or maybe we’re reading way more into it than we should. Could this just be the universal natural law of things?

Swords ~ It’s all about movement and travel, moving on, moving away, beginning again.

Divorce, movement, travel,(especially across water)

Adventure, beginnings, independence, melancholy, being adrift

• 6/Swords ~ This comes up so often when a divorce, separation, or familial estrangement surfaces. It’s also a card that may imply that it’s actually time to move on and that this may be a logical next step. And there is, indeed, the feeling of movement with the six of swords. Even when it means a severance of old ties, there is the tantalizing idea of new adventures.

Reversed: Relationships are up in the air, there comes with that the energy of indecision, tumultuous emotions, miss-communication, and a general “Mercury Retrograde” atmosphere. The six of swords reversed is telling you that, just like the boat on the card, you are straying adrift, possibly into dangerous waters, and definitely with no compass. There may be hidden sandbars below the water’s surface, or jagged rocks, all of which could be problematic for you.

Personal Connection:
This card has impacted my life in tremendous tumultuous ever transitioning ways, long before I even knew of its existence. Don’t be surprised when it surfaces amidst feelings of being adrift, feelings of confusion and upheaval, at times of nerve-wracking and upsetting changes. The water on so many variations of this card looks so calm and is so deceptive. No matter how many times I’ve found myself in this boat, peering over the bow, trying in vain to set a decisive course, I never realized that I would eventually come to shore and plant my feet on firm solid ground, with little or no navigation.

I think the connection with this card is faith.

Wands ~ It’s all about winning, savoring victory, enjoying the accolades, and reaping the rewards of your effort.

Victory, victor, headiness, ego, minions, dignity, endurance, good sport, gracious defeat

• 6/Wands ~ You ride victorious through the street (and life) feeling proud, accomplished, self-confident, and sometimes maybe even a wee bit egotistical or narcissistic. There comes the idea of elevation, and with that a lot of pressure placed around perfectionism and gaining someone’s approval. We all want to remember that a lot of people who find themselves on a pedestal discover that it is a solitary and very lonely place to be.

Reversed: Someone has gotten to the top, succeeded with an accomplishment, came out victorious, but they did so with the aid of shady tactics, or shady people, and it’s all rather tainted, if not a bit tarnished. There is the idea that someone at the top may soon suffer a big fall. There is also the weight of too much expectation, the weight of negative opinions, too much stress, and a lack of personal freedom or motivation.

My Personal Connection:
We all love those blazing glorious victorious moments in life, even if its in someone elses life. Maybe that’s why those musical talent shows are so popular right now. We experience this sensation vicariously when we watch some mousy nervous mundane individual take the stage, and then are stunned when the music begins and there is some magical humongous transformation of this individual, rousing the audience to a standing ovation, bringing the judges to tears. It’s a moment of victory, a personal moment of victory, yet one we get to witness and share.

I think the main thing here is that we have to realize how fleeting this high-lighted moment is, and that life will slip back into place and march forward quietly, with hardly a hiccup. Maybe the connection here is learning to accept that most of life will go unrecognized, unpraised, without making nary a mark on the world. And it’s this part of our existence that is the most important part, it’s this part we should cherish more than any other.

Cups ~ It’s all about holding on to memories, looking back with a new perspective. it’s about being able to move forward using lessons learned from the past.

Nostalgia, wistfulness, childhood, connections, ancestors, memories, associations

• 6/Cups ~ Our past will affect our future, this is a given. Sometimes this past encompasses our childhood and the relationships that tied us to family, and sometimes this past reaches back in history to previous life times, identities, and lessons learned. There is always a wistfulness with this card that idolizes our memories and idealizes our connections.

Reversed: For some unfortunate people, memories of the past may be haunting, slightly disturbing, or unsettling in some unique and very personal way. This card reversed also implies that someone may be hiding something from their past. There is the idea of subterfuge, mysteries, secrets, hidden agendas, and unfinished business.

My Personal Connection:
This card is one that connects closely for me, and one I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, I have incredible childhood memories of my grandmother, my aunt, the Victorian house in the country, my beautiful room in the town house when we moved, my beloved pets, and soft quiet moments. I have feelings of being cocooned, protected, and safe. On the other hand, I’ve dealt with feelings of abandonment (my parents), the stressful feeling of being a child caught between custody disputes, realizing that I had no control over my life and major decisions in it, and that nothing was stable, solid, or secure. It had all been an illusion.

I have had to deal early on with feelings of being caught emotionally and physically between my grandmother and some strange twisted feud with my father. Somewhere along the way, the subject of this feud – me – was forgotten, and it was only the power struggle that was important to him. He was a man awash with the energy of revenge.

If this card is difficult for you, know that you’re not alone. This is the case for an overwhelming number of people, whom I suspect all have their own daunting stories.

[SOURCE: my book, The Ultimate Tarot Guide for Your Personal Tarot Journey...
click HERE ]

Nine of Swords ~ Our Mental Demons

 

Source: 

The Ultimate Tarot Guide:

for Your Personal Tarot Journey 

Purchase your copy HERE

9/Swords ~ “Oh, woe is me!”, this card seems to moan, with a very dramatic Edgar Allen Poe feel about it. But take it seriously, even though it may seem overly dramatic and even a bit childish at times, because behind this first facade there can lay the bones of serious depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, or some other cloaked and lurking mental demon. This card expresses to perfection human anguish and helplessness. Once you recognize it for what it is, the tarot will help you find the way out. Look around for that single ray of light, that ray of light that’s always there, it’s just not visible to the figure on this card because their face is buried in their hands.

Reversed:

Okay, you’ve crawled your way up out of the bottom of this very clique bottom of the pit, but how are you going to stay on top? If medical or psychological treatment was sought out, keep up with it and any medication that was prescribed. If the situation wasn’t quite that drastic, but was just a matter of recognizing unhealthy individuals and circumstances in life, continue to avoid them at all cost.

My Personal Connection:

This card, besides the 10 of swords, is probably one of the darkest cards in the deck. We all own a piece of this card, whether we admit it or not, whether we even admit it to ourselves or not. Inside everyone, in the blackest nooks and crannies of our mind, there lays all sorts of shadows and demons that have surfaced from time to time. I don’t believe that anyone who has lived can avoid this energy.

What I have noticed through several decades of life, is that being able to identify the demon and to figure out its weakness, it’s Achilles heel, will help you to overcome it. The mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that if they’ve overcome their darkest most personal demons, they’re victorious. The battle is over. Not so, as I’ve seen with a few unfortunate individuals who have come into my life for brief periods, that’s their down fall. They drop their guard, and IT resurfaces, to claim their soul.

This is a dark card, and it can bring to light a dark spirit, or a dark personality… beware this card, take it seriously, and be vigilante.

10th Anniversary Edition! ~ Tarot: A Witch's Journey

It was 10 years ago that my first book, Tarot: A Witch's Journey, was published by Labyrinth House Publishing!  In honor of this anniversary, there is a brand new completely Revised and Illustrated edition for sale at Amazon.

The witch's tarot journey continues:

"It's all about the journey, not the destination", as the saying goes. Follow author, Amythyst Raine, through the realm of Tarot, uncovering life's mysteries along the way. Explore esoteric connections through the cards with astrology, numerology, and the Kabbalah. Delve into criminal cases explored intimately through the intricacies of the tarot and intuitive reading. Connect with and experience the human psyche through the court cards. Discover tarot's power within the magick of the occult world. Begin your journey through the realm of Tarot today.

Purchase your copy today!

Paperback: $18.95

Kindle: $7.99

You'll find the information organized in a new easy to find, easy to read format.  There's plenty of space to jot down your own notes for each section.  You'll also find a special table of contents in the front of the book for Spells.

Amazon Reviews

• Bugs ~ The middle to end of the book dives deeper into readings - readings to help solve crimes, with case studies, and then goes deeper yet into magickal correspondences - using the cards along with numerology and systems of Western magic in spells. Several examples of spells are given. Students that have studied Crowley's system of using the tarot may particularly enjoy the very last of the book - it may not be as clear to beginning students but serious occultists should find it quite useful.

• Katie ~ I really liked this whole book but the parts I really really enjoyed were the breakdown of each card and its meaning along with her personal voice or experience with each card. Anyone can re-word traditional meanings of the cards but Amythyst adds in her own VOICE, I feel like she was right in the room with me sharing her knowledge and wisdom. The section on Tarot and crimes really hit a nerve with me because of my involvement criminal justice system. Amythyst shared her personal readings of missing people cases and shared an outcome (if there was one). This chapter just made me respect the author more. {I really wish we lived in a society that would at least take into consideration the use of a proficient psychic in criminal cases} I also enjoyed the section on tarot and numerology which added a whole new level to explore when doing tarot readings, and tarot spells (there are some great spells in there that I can't wait to try out!}

The Three's ~ To Work, To Suffer, To Compromise, To Celebrate

The 3s ~ perseverance 

To work, to suffer, to compromise, to celebrate 

Pentacles ~ Embracing a healthy work ethic while centering our lives around goals and accomplishments.

Employment, work, expertise, cooperation, practice, growth, interaction, concentration, single-mindedness

3/Pentacles ~

This card is connected to our work, our employment, our career. But it goes so much deeper. The three of pentacles is connected to our identity. We spend an enormous amount of our time working to earn our livelihood, and what we spend all of this time doing integrates itself into who we are. It doesn’t matter if you’ve spent years studying to practice a highly specific and specialized job, or you flip burgers at McDonald’s… What you do is part of who you are. It can touch all other aspects of your life in a multitude of ways.

Never dismiss this card as simple and straightforward, always look beneath the surface, into the hows and whys.

Reversed:

Something is not “working” in your life. Examine all areas of your life because cogs and wheels have ground to a halt, usually along with purpose and motivation.

My Personal Connection:

This card connects with me, as it might with so many of you, who have known since very early in life what it is you’re suppose to do, exactly what your job should be. But, like me, I’m betting that there are a lot you who took a life time trying to figure out exactly how you were going to do this life’s work, this mysterious calling. With me, it was writing. I began sending out short stories and essays to magazines when I was a teenager, and suffered the humiliation and puzzlement over having them returned, often with a form letter of rejection, but once from a national woman's magazine of the day, a heartfelt letter from an editor encouraging me to continue writing and to give it some time and plenty of work. I still think of this unknown person every once in a while.

I didn’t publish my first book until I was in my 50s. Up until then, in my 30s the only thing published was a handful of fictional stories to literary magazines for a small token of payment. I still have the very first $5.00 check I received from one of these magazines. I kept it. It was visible validation that this can be done!

I have finally found peace with the three of pentacles, though I tend to keep a wary eye on it.

Swords ~ Embracing sorrow and grief at their base level with the purpose of growth and renewal.

Sorrow, broken heart, sadness, depression, infidelity, underhandedness, affair, heart problems

3/Swords ~

This card wreaks of sorrow, all the heartbreak that can be experienced in a single lifetime. It cries, it wails, it pulsates with pain. It often represents the human condition at its most vulnerable. The three of swords is such a dramatic gripping card, you can almost feel a palpable pain in your chest when you look upon it.

The three of swords severs with the thrust of those three swords. It severs relationships, and it severs hope. It lays us before the world with open raw emotions, our most intimate tender parts exposed.

Reversed:

Climb up out of your sorrow. Failure to do so will result in the burial of all future plans, hopes, dreams, and possibilities. Turn around… turn around now, before it’s too late.

Resign yourself to the fact that there may be something you have to cut out of your life, something that may at first appear to be pivotal to your existence and your happiness.

My Personal Connection:

Anyone who has ever lived has experienced sorrow at some point, whether this is in the guise of broken relationships, the death of loved ones, both human and animal; or the death of dreams, fantasies, and other impossible and sometimes intangible things in our life.

One of the main lessons I’ve received from this card is that you have to pick yourself back up, lick your wounds, and continue moving forward. To do anything else would be unthinkable.

Wands ~ Embracing the gift of successful negotiations and arbitration.

Compatibility, third-party, arbitration, patience, understanding, business, contracts, agreements, polyamory, open relationships

3/Wands ~

The patience of a saint is the energy that exudes from this card, a perennial sense of waiting, of accepting, of compromising, of arbitrating. This card takes you through the trials and tribulations of life with quiet grace and dignity. There will be no outbursts, no storms, no drama, and no ultimatums. Final outcomes will be reached with an uncanny emotionless anti-climactic ending.

“All good things come to those who wait.” Sometimes quiet persistence and patience will speed us along to positive and desired outcomes. There’s so many lessons to be learned here. Study the surrounding situations and characters with a discerning eye and a quiet tongue.

Reversed:

There’s a fox in the chicken coop. Be careful who you trust. While sitting at the table of negotiation, take a peek underneath to see who’s holding hands.

My Personal Connection:

The figure on this card seems to have an endless amount of patience and endurance. Not all of us are so well endowed. My life is an endless period of impatient episodes of waiting for something… waiting for Santa to deliver my first green two-wheeled bike. I knew it was coming months ahead of time, which was rather torturous, and if the adults around me had seriously reflected on their decision to let me know so far ahead of time, they may have changed their minds. I was 6 years old, and almost every day for weeks and weeks before Christmas, I would get dressed and run all around the outskirts of the huge old Victorian farmhouse to see if this bike might have been left early, honestly thinking I would find it leaning against a corner of the house in the yard.

Waiting, always waiting… waiting to start school, waiting to finish school; waiting to start dating; waiting for an engagement ring; waiting to get married; waiting to get divorced; waiting for a baby to be born; waiting for a job to start; waiting for a book to be done; waiting for someone’s birthday; waiting for an anniversary; waiting for winter to be through, waiting for spring to start; waiting for Friday; waiting for magick to happen.

Always waiting. For me this is the epitome of this tarot card, and I can hear it breathe a deep tired sigh.

Cups ~ Embracing joy and celebration with a light heart and pure conscience.

Milestone, wedding, anniversary, birth, celebration, frivolity, party, revelry, drunkenness, hedonism

3/Cups ~

Joviality and camaraderie are hailed with the three of cups, but it’s more than just a rousing party. The most important aspect of this card is the What, the Who, and the Why. It’s the reason for this celebration, this gathering, that’s important. It may herald a pivotal milestone in someone’s life. The appearance of the three of cups may be the needed encouragement someone has to have in order to work out a relationship, or keep working towards an important goal.

Life is laced with potholes, and detours, and the possibility of failure breathing down our neck, but this card thumbs its nose at all of them, whispering in our ear… You can – You Can – YOU CAN!

Reversed:

The party is over. The pub has closed. The last glass has been washed. The music has stopped, the crowd has dispersed, and silence has descended. Sometimes we have difficulty coming back down to earth from the emotional high of celebrations. Sometimes everyday mundane life pales in comparison to these milestone moments and the exalted experience of profound success and happiness.

Embrace the normal mundane everyday life between the peaks. There’s so much to learn and experience in the valleys.

My Personal Connection:

At the time I’m writing this, I’ve lived for 60 years. I am amazed, looking back, at the number of celebrations and milestones this card represents. The birth of a baby, a graduation, a personal accomplishment, but also other people’s milestones and celebrations that have touched my life profoundly, especially events connected to my children.

In my 20s I may have misunderstood the three of cups, thinking this was the kind of energy that we should be able to maintain most of the time. This idea will send you on a rampaging streak to find, cling to, and ride this wave of ridiculously high energy, and you might feel that you are failing in some way if you’re unable to do so. But the thing is, it’s physically and emotionally impossible to be hysterically ceremoniously on top of the world for extended periods. Even if you were capable of being this deliriously on top the majority of the time, it would then become the mundane and the regular, it would lose it’s special effect. It would lose the magic.

I wish the younger me would have realized this sooner and actually savored the more quiet times, even if they seemed boring, or tedious, or painfully anti-climactic. The lesson of this card is to appreciate the darker days, the shadows, and the periods of quiet introspection. It will make the sunny days more brilliant and memorable.

The Tarot Parlour

Life Readings

Relationship Readings

Source:

The contents of this post were taken from my book:

The Ultimate Tarot Guide: for Your Personal Tarot Journey