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Tag: heart of stars
My Tarot Valentine 2021: Any Little Gesture
Chivalry is such a quaint word.
You don’t hear it much any more. It comes to mind today with the Knight of Cups today, in a sweet, kissy-kissy way. I can’t blame you if you just aren’t in the mood for it. As I write this it is first thing in the morning and I’m not in the mood form much other than a large latte. Like Gurney Halleck in the Dune movie tells us, “moods are a thing for loveplay and cattle” Loveplay it is then.
In another movie, The Crow, Eric tells us (in the scene where he visits Officer Albrecht at home) “Little things used to mean so much to Shelly- I used to think they were kind of trivial. Believe me, nothing is trivial.” Little things mean a lot. Little gestures mean a lot.
Things that may seem trivial to you at the time might just be a little treasure to those who care about you. Don’t be surprised if small gestures of affection – in any human connection, not just grand romance – give you a little heartbeat of happiness too.
Today’s Tarot: A Coin Out of Your Ear
Today’s card reading is less about the card and more about the reading process itself. Today’s message shows how there is more to reading Tarot than just memorizing rote card “meanings.” It’s a skill anyone can learn, but it takes some actual time and effort to get the hang of it. It isn’t a personal shortfall if you leave it to professionals. You can learn, grow, and benefit from getting a reading just as much as doing one for yourself and vice versa. Just because I’m able to learn to change the oil in my car doesn’t mean that I want to learn it or in a million years ever would do it. So the professionals get that job. That is what they are there for, right? Same with Tarot. If you don’t want to be bothered learning how or if you need a hand with a reading you’ve done on your own, get a pro opinion. No big deal. That is exactly why I’m here; to help.
Intuition takes everything to the next level.
Like it says in the video, the Four of Pentacles is one of those cards that seem to have two threads of meaning. Sometimes it is a bit menacing, and can indicate greed, stinginess, a need to protect your finances. Other times it has a lighter feel. That lighter side can be an indication that the need to be on guard is only temporary, or can hint a very minor money surprise, like finding forgotten a dollar bill from last winter when you put on your coat the first time next fall.
Every deck varies a little bit in how they represent the energy of the card. The artist might show more of the greedy, miserly, on-guard energy or more of the kindly, it’s temporary, little surprise, a sort of “be careful with your money now, and life will pull a coin out of your ear later” kind of vibe.
So how do know which thread applies to the reading at hand? If you have a choice, how do you know which deck to use in order to best capture the energy of the day?
You don’t know.
That’s where intuition comes in. Follow your hunch about which deck to use. Use the deck that feels right or ‘speaks’ to you that day. The message will find its way through.
Listen to you feelings, and the quiet whispers. If something on a card grabs your attention, follow it. If something feels wrong, trust that too.
For example, let’s say the energy for your day is the ‘mind the budget now, things will be better later on’ kind of message. Intuition may take you to a deck with a lighter-looking card, like the Heart of Stars Tarot on the right (featuring the resourceful but kind Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.) What if your only deck was the gruffer looking Four of Pentacles from the Witches Tarot on the left? Would that necessarily lead you to the harsher, not-quite-right interpretation? Not necessarily. You may get a feeling of something being wrong. That something-is-wrong-here feeling might nudge you to another or lesser known interpretation of the card. Or intuition may nudge your perception of the card image away from gruff Scrooge toward a protective Grandfather feeling. Either way, giving credence to your imagination, accepting the subtle as valid and honoring your feelings helps the better message to find you.
In the beginning it may feel like you are just pulling made-up crap out of your a…..back pocket. After a time, as your skill and comfort with intuition grows, you find that you are really pulling gold coins out of thin air.
Today’s Tarot: Restraint Outside of the Box
Eight of Swords: Restraint Outside of the Box
On my side of the table…today was a good insight into why we Tarot readers (pro and not) tend to collect decks like magpies collect shiny stones. There are subtle differences in messaging that can come through the different styles and artwork. Through quirks of language and the inner workings of intuition, it is very easy to anthropomorphize these things, and give them personalities and moods. Sure, I know. It’s all just projection, but thinking in those terms is sort of freeing. By parking that inspiration aspect of the cards externally, it clears bandwidth for the ‘psychic’ part of this. By letting the cards function as a muse, we can turn our attention inward, to the purely intuitive aspects of a reading.
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about inspiration and the Muses. I find it helpful to think of the cards as the muse in a reading. Blame the whatever-it-is on the cards as muse / source of the inspiration, then you and I can both focus on solutions and creative, outside the box thinking without judgement, without any sort of performance anxiety on either side of the table. If you do any sort of creative work or have any creative hobbies, it is well worth a watch:
That in itself is a bit of today’s 8 of swords message. Creative problem solving and outside the box thinking are the usual messages with this card. But today wanted to be outside of outside of the box.
Which gets back to that projected personality and mood thing. Sometimes, when we work with one deck extensively, it can get stale and sort of wrung-out feeling. It seems crazy to describe an ebb in creativity or intuitive inspiration as “the deck is tired” or “it doesn’t want to talk about this” but that sort of expression captures the subjective experience of it. The Witches Tarot that I usually use just wasn’t having it today. Sure it was projection. The feeling was pure “don’t talk to me, I haven’t had coffee yet” first thing in the morning vibe. On the other hand, the Heart of Stars box was close at hand and all “pffft…easy. I got this”
So here you see it…Eight of Swords from Thom Pham’s excellent Heart of Stars Tarot. I’m always grateful for his permission to use the deck here in the blog and on the YouTube channel.
This card is inspired by Love, and Other Drugs. I’ve never seen the movie, and probably never will (in spite of it being filmed in Pittsburgh.) From what I’ve heard, it has a fatal flaw as a movie: an utter lack of spaceships, marvel superheroes or action scenes.
The Heart of Stars deck not only has today’s guidance idea well in hand, it turns it on its head from the usual. Usually card advises to stand in power despite outside restraints, to find a creative, out of the box way forward BUT exercise care in doing so. Even more traditionally it is about restraint or constraints in general. Today, rather than overcoming external restraints, it is about imposing internal ones.
To paraphrase an old proverb…even an idiot can seem intelligent if they keep their mouth shut and their hot takes off of Twitter.
I gotta work on that one….
In any case, the advice here is to hold up. Stop yourself for half a tick. This isn’t the day / energy for instant gratification. Know for sure before you talk. Have your facts straight before you act. Measure twice and cut once. If you have to ask you can’t afford it, and for the love of all that’s holy wash your hands and wear a mask in public.
You Choose Tarot (9 January 2020)
Left: King of Wands. Nevermind how things are going with other people for a minute. Are you at peace with yourself? What would it take for you to comfortable in your own skin? Peace with others is difficult if you aren’t at ease with yourself first.
Center: Ten of Swords. Chaotic energies are afoot that could leave you feeling ambushed. Heal your wounds, get up again, make changes to protect yourself next time.
Right: Seven of Wands. “If people get defensive, it’s because they have something to defend.” – James Marcus Bach. If you feel angry, understanding why can help. Defensive isn’t so bad when important things are at stake.
Taraffirmation #8
Today’s Tarot: Five of Wands (12 August 2019)
The Five of Wands hints at victory after a challenge. Just because it is difficult doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Neither does it mean take things lightly. Take it on, but focus, then no matter what happens you can walk away head held high.
Happy Star Wars Day 2019
The Force, vital force, life energy, qi (chi), Tao, ki, prana, magick: so many words with such similar meanings. No wonder the Star Wars mythology us so beloved by so many.
“I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.”
– Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) in Star Wars Rogue One
Tarot Without a Net: High Priestess
Originally published as “Catwoman Had a Baby” on Modern Oracle Tarot
I have to admit, I had to cheat a little for this one. I wasn’t exactly sure what reference the artist had in mind for the card. At first I thought it might be Sansa Stark, but that’s just me. Not that Game of Thrones isn’t a big thing at our house of anything. I admit it! I took a sneak peek at the e-book just to see who the character is.
It is Anne Hathaway as Fantine in Les Miserables. Which explains why I didn’t recognize it. I really liked the live version of Les Miserable that we saw quite a while ago, and never bothered to watch the movie. Although now, every time anyone mentions Les Miserable my first and only thought is the movie review from facebook or somewhere, where a guy describes the plot of in terms of the actors other roles. Something along the line of “Catwoman had a baby at Borat’s house and Wolverine sang his ass off”. Not instantly something I’d associate with the High Priestess, but that in itself is the nature of the High Priestess…the hidden sacred. Or in this case, the hidden sacred in the everyday, even when you put in numerous terms.
So what DOES the character Fantine tell us about the High Priestess and what does the High Priestess symbolize in general? Carl Jung’s anima (the feminine side of the collective unconscious) and the phrase “everywoman” comes to mind. The High Priestess is, after all, associated with the HIDDEN sacred truths….cosmic mysteries would BE mysteries if they were obvious. This feels a little more like the sacredness of everyone, everything, and everywhere. On the surface, within the culture of the time, Fantine was nothing lofty or cosmic. She was looked down upon by everyone but still touched the devine through love, motherhood, self-sacrifice and more.. She was the ‘everywoman’ sort of character, but she is still part of the cosmos. The cosmos is part of each of us because we are in and of the cosmos. That is the Priestess’ sacred secret.
Catwoman had a baby. That is miracle and mudane together.
Keywords: sacred, mystery, feminine, seeing what is hidden, seeing the sacred beneath the surface of the mundane
Advice: Look deeper. Look for the sacred. Look for the hidden and mysterious
Caution: Don’t treat your life like a pauper. You are sacred and your life deserves that respect no matter the circumstances
Validation: You have overcome the obvious and heard the truth behind the noise.
Affirmation: I see the sacred in all things, and through love can see the truth behind my circumstances.
Sage Words Tarot 