Oh Foolish One

Well, Blog Hop time again. For January the rebels have selected The Fool for our topic. The first card of the major arcana, number 0. 

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

Oh, The Fool, what an interesting card to come up in a reading. I have read many tarot books in my studies of the tarot. There is a consensus that The Fool indicates the start of a new path. Starting something new and different. Being guided by the heart, following our passions. One description appealed to me the most because I felt it best described the sentiment of The Fool. It was in the book "The Smart Girl's Guide To Tarot" by Emmi Fredericks (pstt, it's available on Scribd if you have that app) . Here is an exert from the book describing the fool

...This mindset talks you into marrying someone you've known for six weeks. Or quitting a decent job because you feel stifled and must be true to your art. Or dropping out of college to see the world. There's a great YEE-HAW! feeling to it, the exhilaration that comes with saying SCREW IT! I GOTTA BE ME! Your goal is reasonable but are you going about it in a way that will actually achieve that goal...

Isn't it the perfect description of the sentiment for The Fool?

Rider-Waite-Smith

Witches Tarot

Archangel Power Tarot

Guilded Tarot

Green Witch Tarot

Although the traditional name for this card is The Fool some decks have renamed it, but the sentiment is the same. It is normally represented by someone, walking along a cliff with a satchel on a staff, rose in hand and a little dog along for the adventure.

Upright: Trust, Innocence, Open mind, Beginning, Follow your bliss, Adventure, A leap of faith.

Reversed: Foolish, Naive, Reckless, Close minded, Distrust, Irresponsibility, The need to be cautious and plan ahead.

Be sure to read my fellow rebel bloggers posts here.

Partners and Shares

In business we must be very careful of the decision we make and of the people we do business with, especially when it comes to partners. In fact, as an investor and educator I've preach and being preached that you should select your partners with more care then you select your spouse.

For this particular reading, a business with three partners is coming into some changes as one of the partners wishes to sell their shares in the business. The question was should the other two partners buy those shares or not. So I selected the "Should I, Shouldn't I" spread which is part of the Compilation Of Tarot Reading Handouts.  We also modified this spread by adding a timing element to the reading. See below to see how I use the tarot cards for timing purposes.

For this reading I had scented candles and incense burning. I also created a mini crystal grid. When I took pictures of the reading, the burning candle's flame captured quite interestingly. I couldn't resist taking a few close up pictures.

Now, as promised, I am including how I read timing in a tarot spread. I did not create this guideline, It was part of a spread that I came across in my tarot journey I apologize I do not remember the original source.

Wands                              days

Cups                                 weeks

Pentacles                          months

Page                                 11

Knight                              12

Queens                             Wands and Cups 13

Kings                                Wands and Cups 14

Queens                              Swords and Pentacles: the oracle

Kings                                 Silence about the point in time

Swords                              The time, starting now

Major Arcana                    The hours starting from now (0 = Now)

Have a blessed day.

Even If It's Meant To Be, Doesn't Mean It's Going To Be Easy

I did a reading for a gentleman today who wanted to inquire about his crush, if there was any hope there.

So I went through my collection of spreads, I've put together a compilation of the spreads I've used the most in a booklet that can be printed and used as a handout for face to face reading or as journaling (click on the image to obtain a copy). That's when I realized I didn't have a new love spread in my compilation. I've being married for 16 years now, so I guess new love simply isn't on my mind.

New Romance Spread was then added to my compilation book.

1. How interested is she/he?
2. What does this person think about me?
3. How will the flow of communication be with this person?
4. What do I need to know about this romance?
5. Outcome; Where is this romance headed?

For this particular reading I added a sixth card for timing. This is the timing indication I have been using with the tarot card.

Wands                            days

Cups                               weeks

Pentacles                        months

Page                               11

Knight                            12

Queens                           Wands and Cups 13

Kings                              Wands and Cups 14

Queens                           Swords and Pentacles: the oracle

Kings                              Silence about the point in time

Swords                            The time, starting now

Major Arcana The hours starting from now (0 = Now)

This was an interesting reading. This poor guy has his work cut out for him.

 He said this reading really resonated for him. He has hope but know it will take dedication and work on his part to make it happen. Buddy I wish you the best of luck!

The Wheels Go Round

Tarot Rebel Blog Hop time! Yay just in time for Christmas. Click on the badge to see the other blogs entered for this hop.

This month the topic is on the Wheel Of Fortune card, the tenth of the Major Arcana cards.

I recently attended a local tarot group, well it was a month or so ago. Recent in the grand scheme of things. We were a group of readers, all gathered together and talking about our tarot readings experiences. That evening we ended up doing a "Fool's Journey" looked at each Major Arcana cards in order and discussed it's meaning.

The Wheel Of Fortune card represents cycle and change. Life is a series of ups and downs and this card indicates that such a change is coming. What was, will be again, and what is will once again come around. Like a wheel, going round and round.

Key words: Inevitability, Luck, Timing, Turning point, Destiny

I think this is a great card for the winter solstice. To me this time of year definitely signifies a change. Our days have been getting shorter and shorter (mostly here in Canada) but the wheel is changing and we are heading toward longer and longer days. It's a time of hopes and dreams.

I came across a Winter Solstice Spread I thought I would share with you. I cannot take credit for this spread as I did not create it. You can find the original link here.

Bodhran's/BodhiSeed's Winter Solstice Spread:

1. The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Sometimes our lives feel so "dark" we forget to look up and see the stars (blessings) in our life. What do I need to be grateful for that I've taken for granted?
2. "Solstice" comes from the Latin "sol" and "sistere" which roughly translates to "sun stands still." If our ancestors stood still, and failed to prepare for the hardest part of winter yet to come, they would die. What do I need to take action on? What plans or preparations do I need to make?
3. Winter, like the other seasons, occurs because of the tilt of the earth. In what direction is my intuition "tilting" or leading me in a situation where a decision needs to be made?
4. After the Winter Solstice, the nights become shorter and the days become longer. What is growing stronger (perhaps something I had given up on) in my life?
***NOTE***You can use an orange stone, a sphere, etc. in the center of the spread so you don't have to take out the Sun card if you prefer.

For my own reading I ended up using an Orange Calcite crystal for the center of my spread. This stone is related to the sacral chakra.

Let me know how this spread worked out for you.

"M" is for Mysterious

Have you ever being asked to do a reading for a very cryptic topic? Happens to me from time to time. I am the type of reader that likes to match the spread to the reading, so when I get a very vague question for the reading, it definitely adds a level of complexity.

Out comes the pendulum. I select a few spread, that could potentially work and then let the pendulum pick which one I will use. I trust that way that the true question will be answered.

During my last reading I was asked "Will "M" have an open mind?" I don't know who M is or the relationship to the person asking, could be the same person for all I know :) and I do not know what the Open Mind is in relations to.

The spread that was selected was The Law Of Attraction Spread.

Sometimes I am left in suspense wondering if the reading rang true, I trust the cards will deliver but I still wonder. Cardes was gracious enough to give me immediate feedback so no wondering in this case. This is what he/she had to say

"M is not usually a closed minded person but that depends of the subjects but this one I am introducing Is out of the box for m. This reading gives me hope. 

OK the feedback:Presentation : a 10 I loved the video, really cool (what app did you use?) Timeliness:10Was appropriate:9Depth:9Innovation: 10Really enjoy the reading and like it was a video I felt it like it was More personal."

Love it when the Tarot delivers.

About my videos, It is not an app (I wish, would be so much easier) it's a combination of different programs I use.

Understanding The Now With The Past

Our past in important, the experience we had reflect strongly on how we react to new situation. This is still true when referring to past lives. The experience that had big impact in those lives has a ripple effect in our current life. Having an understanding where  those "gut reaction" comes from can help us have better control of our current life.

I've had the Past Life Oracle card from Doreen Virtue for quite a while now. They are absolutely stunning. When reading with them, they will either appeal or displease the querent depending on the experience in that lifetime. I now read these cards along with a tarot deck to get more information on that particular past life, mostly when doing remote readings (when the querent is not present). I also started included the Soul's Journey Life Lesson Card to provide more insight.

In this spread I pull three card representing three past lives, next to it I will pull three life lesson cards indicating the life lesson your soul was working on during that past life. I also pull a life lesson card to see which lesson your soul is working on in this current life. I then pull two tarot cards for each past life to provide more information on that particular past life.

3 Card Spread Challenge #9

Challenge time!!!

I do enjoy doing these challenges. It makes me look a different cards in a different light.

For this challenge the spread we got was

" What the universe wants you to be / The personal qualities required / Specific action required "

Once again, I used the Gilded Tarot for this reading (I really need to dust off some of my other decks) and once the again, the cards really delivered. This reading couldn't have matched the person it was for any more.

I look forward to seeing your take on this spread.

Hope & Devastation

A Facebook group that I am part of, Tarot Rebel, posted a spread for the members to all use on the same subject. We did it with the outcome of the 2016 USA election which I shared here I did that reading along with my 3 Card Challenge Spreads. This one is the Hope & Devastation Spread for what is to come following this election.

This reading definitely concentrated more on the financial aspect of the situation. Which, as an investor, really resonates with me the most.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go ??

This reading was for a friend named Sylvie. She is facing a decision and wasn't sure how to choose between whether she should move to a new town or if she should stay put.

For this reading I decided to use the Choices, Choices! spread.

1- The basis of the choice
2- Why this choice is difficult
3- The relative importance of the choice
4-6 - The necessary steps and/or likely issues that may turn up by making
choice 1
7- The likely outcome if this choice is made
8-10 - The necessary steps and/or likely issues that may turn up by making choice 2
11- The likely outcome if this choice is made

Making a choice that will affect the whole family is never easy. Good luck with this decision Sylvie.

3 Card Spread Challenge #8

If you have been following this challenge you will have noticed a gap since challenge #7. Main reason is that my boys had a cold. When they are sick, they are especially snugly... which is my biggest weakness when it comes to my kids and they sure know it. So I snuggled the cold right out of them and into me.

I can't say that I felt that miserable but my voice was pretty much non existent. Which makes making video's a little tricky.

Now, my voice is mostly back, I may still have to stay off the karaoke for a few more days.

Today's challenge spread was Context of the situation / Where you need to focus / Outcome

Since today is a big day in the USA and this spread was directed towards a situation I decided to do my reading about the US election. Keep in mind I am canadian and have not been following up very closely on this election.

So Many Choices

I did a reading for my friend Warren today. He is currently dealing with dissatisfaction and his contemplating whether he should entertain the idea of big changes in his life. He doesn't have any strong ties that are currently holding him back. He's in a place in his life where, should he choose, he could have big changes in his life.

He asked for a reading to provide more clarity on whether he should contemplate changing career/job. Or maybe even moving to a new city altogether.

For this reading I used the choice spread that is shared on the Tarot Spread book by Barbara Moore. I do some minor modification to accommodate tree choice options instead of only two.

Choice A - Keeping things as is
Choice B - New career/job
Choice C - Relocate to a new city

1- Your general attitude towards your choices
2 - 4 - Points regarding choice A (Stay As Is)
5 - 7 - Points regarding choice B (New Career/Job)
8 - 10 - Points regarding choice C (New City)

Death.... Oh No

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The thirteenth card in the major arcana of a tarot deck is the DEATH card. This is a pretty ominous sounding card. DEATH.... of course when I say this I use my spookiest most ominous voice. Try it... DEATH... So spooky.

This card as made many new readers nervous. How do I explain the death card to my querent?

When I do a reading, I ask my angels and guides to provide a positive reading, this being said I do not expect for every cards to be positive, I want my querent to get the proper information for them to get the best results for their reading. I find it is important to read the negative of a reading so that the querent is fully equiped to positively impact their life. If I have strayed from my path, I want to know so that I may realign myself or prep myself for what may be coming.

The death card is the most feared card in the tarot deck because it is the most misunderstood. Traditionally the Death card shows a skeleton in armor riding a white horse with a black banner with a white flower on the center.

The Gilded Tarot shows many of the same symbols but in a more zoomed in view.

The Green Witch Tarot has renamed the Death card, as with most of the major arcana cards in that deck and changed the imagery but it still captures the same ominous feeling.

Doreen Virtue in her Archangel Power Tarot deck decided to remove the Death card altogether and replaced it by Peace. That is one way of dealing with avoiding a negative feeling for this card.

I know some tarot readers that opted to simply remove that card from their deck but I do not think this is necessary. I encourage you do not in fact. If you learn to interpret the Death card properly, there really is no reason to fear it.

Right side up: 

The death card represents big changes, a period of ending and new beginning. A cleansing and purifying time. A significant transformation is taking place.

Reversed:

I still interpret this card as a period of change and transformation when this card is shown in a reverse position but there is resistance. The querent is holding on to what was and is not letting this change happen as it should.

I read with the basic card meaning and then let intuition lead the way so in some reading, the Death card may take on new nuance but generally this is how I see this card.

In one of my latest reading, I was doing a Mystic Seven Spread regarding the start of a new business. The Death card showed up in a reversed position for the obstacle card. For this lady, the obstacle with her new business will be to do the changes that her new business would require for her to be successful. She's resisting these changes and isn't fully sold on the concept that have been presented to her. No actual death here.

This post was created for the purpose of a blog hop I joined with the Tarot Rebel group. Be sure to check out the post of my fellow bloggers regarding the Death card.

Sometimes It's Not Meant To Be

During a reading exchange I read for to see if she would get pregnant again. I ended up doing a Pregnancy and Fertility spread. I know, I know, an other massive spread. I like to use detailed spread in my readings, I find this reveals more in the different aspect of the question for the querent.

This particular spread was designed to have grouping of cards for different topics. Please note I did not design this particular spread. I found this one on https://etalariculenormand.wordpress.com website.

1-3 Her overall health and well being
4-6 His overall health and well being
7-8 Advice regarding 1-3
9-10 Advice regarding 4-6
11 How the soul about to incarnate feel about the prospect
12-14 Most likely outcome
15-16 Environmental factors that could affect conception in first half of time period
17-18 Environmental factors that could affect conception during second half of time period

Shortly after this reading I found out that Brianne was pregnant. Not too long after that, she contacted me to informed me she has miscarried. She pointed out that her reading had mentioned there could be a miscarriage as a reader herself she appreciated the accuracy of the reading. It's amazing how much the cards can see sometimes. In this case we would have preferred to have been wrong.

What's in a Life... or Two

Today I exchanged readings with Eve. She didn't have a question in mind and asked for a general reading. So I decided to have fun with it. I've been wanting to practice working on spreads using more then just one deck so I ended up doing a past life reading.

For this spread I used the Past Life Oracle cards and the Gilded Tarot deck for further clarification.

This was Eve's response to her reading

"Wow Thankyou that's very interesting I can understand that about the arts and this like affecting mine now I get that cus I just recently had a couple of singing lessons out of the blue and love musical theatre. The spose card I can understand cus my husband and I clicked when we met & I've always believed we may have shared previous lives together. The spirituality and religion card makes sense as I grew up being believing in God and was more of a Christian now I am a spiritualist and medium and have changed learnt and grown with this. Very interesting thanks again xx"

This is definitely a spread I will use again and a reading I would love to practice some more. Anyone need a past life reading?

Three Card Challenge Spread #7

Well I am on the road for work this weekend. I must say, I love my work!! I travel across North America aiding in teaching investing strategies.

Staying in hotel rooms does make recording my readings more complicated. I do still travel with a deck or two. I also can't really burn sage or candles in a hotel room so I use my Sweetgrass Blessing Spray. I feel reading in a hotel room where multi people stay in the same room at different times could use a cleansing most of all.

The spread for this challenge was "What conflict am I facing in my life / What solution can I find / What will be the resolution of making this charge."

For this spread I used my Gilded Tarot spread.

1. The Hanging Man Reversed
2. Ace of Swords Reversed
3. The Hierophant

The querent is dealing with delays and indecision. Not sure what the best step she should take next. If would be best if she tried to get more clarity on the situation. This will help have everything come together. 

I'll had the video at a later time when I'm back home in my serene space.

Three Card Spread Challenge #6

Well we are fighting fear with this challenge. The spread that was drawn for this challenge was

"Fears / How to fight them / Likely outcome"

Lovely subject! I do, however, love the message that this reading provided which was not to ignore your worry, they won't go away on it's own... or at least in this situation.

My Gilded Tarot deck was starting to feel a little neglected so I decided to use that deck for this reading. I must say I love reading with pretty decks.

Protect My Heart

I did a love spread in the past for a gentleman. The spread had said to take a break from the hunt for true love and allow it to come to him. You can view the post from his last reading here, but here is the video of that specific reading we did last time.

Since that reading, his ex fiancee contacted him again to reconnect. So things got confusing. On the one side it's an ex, and she became an ex for a reason. On the other side, is this what the card meant when the last reading said to let love come to him?

So we did a relationship spread to shed some light on the situation. The relationship spread is a fifteen card spread.

1. What you provide to the relationship.
2. Where you stand in the present.
3. Where you hope to stand in the future.
4. What they are hoping for.
5. Where they stand in thee present.
6. What they provide to relationship.
7. How the other person is viewed.
8. How the other person views you.
9. How you perceived you in the past.
10. How they perceived you in the past.
11. Your present fears and doubts.
12. Their present fear and doubts.
13. External influence motivating you.
14. External influence motivating them.
15. The future of the relationship. 

Warren commented that this reading really resonated with him. His ex as just divorced and is looking at having to sell some assets. Confusion as been lifted, better protect your heart from this one my friend.

Three Card Spread Challenge #2

Here is the second spread for our challenge. Drum roll please....

"My income situation now / Near future income / Long term income"

The cards really resonated with this challenge. The pentacles came up many times which would make sense for an income spread to have cards representing resources.

I really enjoyed doing the spread for this challenge, and I look forward to see how the cards resonated for your spread. Be sure to post your spread to the Divined Solutions Facebook page.

Three Card Spread Challenge #1

Well here is the first spread of this challenge. We put all the different three card spread in a bag and the draw was...

What you want from the relationship / What they want from the relationship / Where the relationship is heading

This reading can be done for yourself or for someone else, no need to specify which. You can share your reading with pictures or video on the Divined Solutions Facebook page.

Looking forward how the tarot answered you challenge.

Promised

I was asked for a reading from a lady who had questions about her fiance. She is promised to him in an arranged marriage but she believes he is being unfaithful.

I ended up doing a relationship spread for her. This spread does not necessarily answer her question. I consulted with the pendulum which confirm to use this spread.

The relationship spread is a fifteen card spread.

1. What you provide to the relationship.
2. Where you stand in the present.
3. Where you hope to stand in the future.
4. What they are hoping for.
5. Where they stand in thee present.
6. What they provide to relationship.
7. How the other person is viewed.
8. How the other person views you.
9. How you perceived you in the past.
10. How they perceived you in the past.
11. Your present fears and doubts.
12. Their present fear and doubts.
13. External influence motivating you.
14. External influence motivating them.
15. The future of the relationship. 

She asked me for an other reading. I do not believe in doing the same reading twice. We should trust in the message from our angel and guides. Turned out an other tarot reader had done a relationship reading for her as well, she did a different reading from her side only and it matched my reading. So I did an other reading but this time I did a Past-Present-Future with Options spread for further information.

Past-Present-Future with Options is a nine card spread.

1. Past
2. Present
3. If you remain on the current path this is the future
4. Option "A"
5. Advice or Warning for option "A"
6. Advice or Warning for option "A"
7. Option "B"
8. Advice or Warning for option "B"
9. Advice or Warning for option "B"

Sometimes the message we receive is not the one we wish for.