Tag: Tarot

Today's Tarot Card for August 13th is The Emperor)

The Emperor

Tuesday, Aug 13th, 2013

In the most practical terms, what has traditionally been called the Emperor card represents the highest leadership, a head of state or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm. This archetypal ruler is responsible for the positive working out of affairs of a society or community, which are directly proportional to his well being and happiness.

The more enlightenment and cosmic perspective this energy brings, the better life is for all. The Emperor archetype masters the world of matter and physical manifestation. When you apply this card to your situation, acknowledge your potentials for mastery. Reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits or appearances to the contrary.

In the most practical terms, what has traditionally been called the Emperor card represents the highest leadership, a head of state or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm. This archetypal ruler is responsible for the positive working out of affairs of a society or community, which are directly proportional to his well being and happiness.

The more enlightenment and cosmic perspective this energy brings, the better life is for all. The Emperor archetype masters the world of matter and physical manifestation. When you apply this card to your situation, acknowledge your potentials for mastery. Reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits or appearances to the contrary.

Your Tarot Card for August 12th is The Empress

The Empress

Monday, Aug 12th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditionally entitled “Empress,” this major arcana or “trump” card portrays the energy of the Great Mother. She is Nature, around us but also within us, the ever-unfolding Source of life-giving power. She is often pictured as a pre-Christian Goddess, as the one whom the High Priestess is channeling down to earth for the rest of us.

In medieval Europe, the Empress card was painted to represent whatever Queen currently ruled the land, probably to satisfy the Inquisitors. But the scholars of the Renaissance and beyond had no doubt of her true identity, although she could not be fully revealed on Tarot cards as the “woman clothed with the sun” until after the French Revolution.

This supreme archetype of femininity also symbolizes fertility. It is She who provides us nourishment and security. She is also sometimes seen as delighting us with flowers and fruit. A potentially terrifying aspect of this archetype manifests itself whenever karmic mood swings wipe out our plans, like a storm that has come upon us. Whatever happens, the Empress is the Source of our Embodiment and of Natural Law. She might even be called “the Great Recycler.”

Today's Tarot Card for August 9th is The Fool

The Fool

Friday, Aug 9th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pamela Coleman-Smith’s artful rendition of an “innocent Fool” archetype (Rider-Waite deck) is often used to represent Tarot in general. Early classical versions of the Fool card, however, portray quite a different character — a person driven by base needs and urges, who has fallen into a state of poverty and deprivation.

In some instances, he is made out to be a carnival entertainer or a huckster. In others, he is portrayed as decrepit and vulnerable — as the cumulative result of his delusions and failures. Not until the 20th century do you see the popular Rider-Waite image of the Fool arise — that of an innocent Soul before its Fall into Matter, as yet untainted by contact with society and all its ills.

Modern decks usually borrow from the Rider-Waite imagery. Most Fool cards copy the bucolic mountainside scene, the butterfly, the potential misplaced step that will send the Fool tumbling into the unknown. Don’t forget, however, that the earlier versions of this card represented already-fallen humanity, over-identified with the material plane of existence, and beginning a pilgrimage towards self-knowledge, and eventually, wisdom. The Fool reminds us to recognize the path of personal development within ourselves — and the stage upon that path where we find ourselves — in order to energize our movement toward deeper self-realization.

Today's Tarot Card for August 8th is The World

The World

Thursday, Aug 8th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What has traditionally been known as the World card points to the presiding intelligence, called “Sophia,” or Wisdom, which upholds life on this and all worlds. A more precise title for this card might be “the Soul of the World,” also applicable as a symbol of personal empowerment and freedom. In most Tarot decks it is a female figure that has become our standard World image. She originates in Hebrew, Gnostic and Alchemical lore, and stands between heaven and earth as the Cosmic Mother of Souls, the Wife of God and our protector from the karmic forces we have set loose upon the Earth in our immaturity and ignorance.

Where the Empress energy secures and fertilizes our terrestrial lives, the goddess of The World invites us into cosmic citizenship — once we come to realize our soul’s potential for it. Just as the Chariot stands for success in achieving a separate Self, and Temperance represents achievement of mental and moral health, the World card announces the awakening of the soul’s Immortal Being, accomplished without the necessity of dying.

This card, like the Sun, is reputed to have no negative meaning no matter where or how it appears. If the Hermetic axiom is “Know Thyself”, this image represents what becomes known when the true nature of Self is followed to creative freedom and its ultimate realization.

Today's Tarot Card for August 5th is The Sun

The Sun

Monday, Aug 5th, 2013

What has traditionally been known as the Sun card is about the self — who you are and how you cultivate your personality and character. The earth revolves around the sun to make up one year of a person’s life, a fact we celebrate on our birthday.

The Sun card could also be titled “Back to Eden.” The Sun’s radiance is where one’s original nature or unconditioned Being can be encountered in health and safety. The limitations of time and space are stripped away; the soul is refreshed and temporarily protected from the chaos outside the garden walls.

Under the light of the Sun, Life reclaims its primordial goodness, truth and beauty. If one person is shown on this card, it is usually signifying a human incarnation of the Divine. When two humans are shown, the image is portraying a resolution of the tension between opposites at all levels. It’s as if this card is saying “You can do no wrong — it’s all to the good!”

Today's Tarot Card for July 26th is The Lovers

The Lovers

Friday, Jul 26th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although it has taken on a strictly romantic revision of meaning in some modern decks, traditionally the Lovers card of Tarot reflected the challenges of choosing a partner. At a crossroads, one cannot take both paths. The images on this card in different decks have varied more than most, because we have had so many ways of looking at sex and relationships across cultures and centuries.

Classically, the energy of this card reminded us of the real challenges posed by romantic relationships, with the protagonist often shown in the act of making an either-or choice. To partake of a higher ideal often requires sacrificing the lesser option. The path of pleasure eventually leads to distraction from spiritual growth. The gratification of the personality eventually gives way to a call from spirit as the soul matures.

Modern decks tend to portray the feeling of romantic love with this card, showing Adam and Eve at the gates of Eden when everything was still perfect. This interpretation portrays humanity before the Fall, and can be thought to imply a different sort of choice — the choice of evolution over perfection, or the choice of personal growth through relationship — instead of a fantasy where everything falls into place perfectly and is taken care of without effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's Tarot Card for July 25th is The Hierophant

The Hierophant

Thursday, Jul 25th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditionally known as the Hierophant, this card refers to a Master and the learning of practical lessons from the study of Natural Law. This energy of this card points to some agent or resource that can reveal the secrets of life, the cycles of the moon and tides, the links between human beings and the heavens.

Because monasteries were the only places a person could learn to read and write in the middle ages, a Hierophant was one to whom a student would petition for entry. He was the one to set the curriculum for the neophyte’s course of study.

Often pictured with the right hand raised in blessing, the Hierophant is linked with the ancient lineage of Melchezidek, initiator of the Hebrew priestly tradition, the one who passes on the teachings. All shamans of any tradition draw upon this archetype.

Today's Tarot Card for July 23rd is The Empress

The Empress

Tuesday, Jul 23rd, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditionally entitled “Empress,” this major arcana or “trump” card portrays the energy of the Great Mother. She is Nature, around us but also within us, the ever-unfolding Source of life-giving power. She is often pictured as a pre-Christian Goddess, as the one whom the High Priestess is channeling down to earth for the rest of us.

In medieval Europe, the Empress card was painted to represent whatever Queen currently ruled the land, probably to satisfy the Inquisitors. But the scholars of the Renaissance and beyond had no doubt of her true identity, although she could not be fully revealed on Tarot cards as the “woman clothed with the sun” until after the French Revolution.

This supreme archetype of femininity also symbolizes fertility. It is She who provides us nourishment and security. She is also sometimes seen as delighting us with flowers and fruit. A potentially terrifying aspect of this archetype manifests itself whenever karmic mood swings wipe out our plans, like a storm that has come upon us. Whatever happens, the Empress is the Source of our Embodiment and of Natural Law. She might even be called “the Great Recycler.”

The World

The World

Friday, Jul 19th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

What has traditionally been known as the World card points to the presiding intelligence, called “Sophia,” or Wisdom, which upholds life on this and all worlds. A more precise title for this card might be “the Soul of the World,” also applicable as a symbol of personal empowerment and freedom. In most Tarot decks it is a female figure that has become our standard World image. She originates in Hebrew, Gnostic and Alchemical lore, and stands between heaven and earth as the Cosmic Mother of Souls, the Wife of God and our protector from the karmic forces we have set loose upon the Earth in our immaturity and ignorance.

Where the Empress energy secures and fertilizes our terrestrial lives, the goddess of The World invites us into cosmic citizenship — once we come to realize our soul’s potential for it. Just as the Chariot stands for success in achieving a separate Self, and Temperance represents achievement of mental and moral health, the World card announces the awakening of the soul’s Immortal Being, accomplished without the necessity of dying.

This card, like the Sun, is reputed to have no negative meaning no matter where or how it appears. If the Hermetic axiom is “Know Thyself”, this image represents what becomes known when the true nature of Self is followed to creative freedom and its ultimate realization.

Sun in Pisces – It’s time to reconnect with your spiritual side

Sun in Pisces

It’s time to reconnect with your spiritual side

Tarotcom Staff      Tarotcom Staff on the topics of sun, pisces, astrology

It’s time to wrap up another astrological year! When the Sun moves into Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac, from February 19 to March 20, it signals the ending of one cycle before the next begins at the Spring Equinox.

And what do you do when something ends, before you begin again? Rest! That’s why the Sun in Pisces is considered a time to dream and heal and regain strength before starting the new cycle.

Pisces is symbolized by two Fish, which we like to call “the fishes with wishes.” The fish are swimming in opposite directions, which is representative of the Pisces paradox. This sign is at once caught between feeling the harshness of reality and the desire for dreamy escapism.

It’s normal to feel more spiritual while the Sun is in Pisces. It’s easier to tap into your intuition and we’re more inclined to follow our instincts and surrender to something greater than the individual self. But it can also be a lazy, daydream-filled period, so we must keep our escapist tendencies in check.

Those born from about February 15-21 were born on the Aquarius-Pisces cusp, and those born from about March 18-22 were born on the Pisces-Aries cusp. Being born on the cusp simply means that you were born during the transition time between two  zodiac signs, so you retain some qualities from each sign.

If we can embrace empathy for others without letting their pain make us feel victimized while the Sun is in Pisces, this promises to be a very healing time.

Here’s how to make the most of life with the Sun in Pisces:

What to do: Take care of someone! Pisces is the most compassionate and caring zodiac sign, so they are at their best when doing something kind for others. Adopt this admirable Pisces quality now and use it to ease someone’s pain.

What to say: Something poetic. The dreamy fishes are artsy and creative, so now’s the time to channel your inner Pisces poet and write or speak something beautiful to someone you love.

Where to go: Bed! Pisces can sometimes be called “lazy,” but really they just need a safe place to lie down, close their eyes and dream the day away. If you find your mind meandering while the Sun is in Pisces, give yourself permission to take a sweet little nap.

What to wear: Who cares?! Seriously. Life is not about what we wear, it’s about who we are. That’s the typical Pisces mindset, of course, so if you’re tired of dressing for success, this is a good time to slack into some sweats and forget about fashion while you follow more spiritual pursuits.

What to buy: Anything that will help you feel more connected to your spiritual side. It’s easier to tap into your intuition while the Sun is in Pisces, so shop for New Age healing crystals, incense, candles, Tarot cards and all of Pisces’ favorite spiritual supplies.

What to watch out for: Highly sensitive, compassionate and imaginative, Pisces is at risk of wanting to escape when they feel too much or get caught up in daydreams. Alcohol and drug abuse are common to this sign, so be aware of escapism and try to keep yourself grounded (at least a little bit) while the Sun is in Pisces.

What to look forward to: Healing! By the time the Sun moves out of Pisces, you’ll be rested, renewed, reconnected with your spiritual self and ready to begin a new astrological year!

How to Phrase Your Tarot Question

How to Phrase Your Question

Get the most from your Tarot and I-Ching readings

Tarotcom Staff  Tarotcom Staff on the topics of tarot, i ching

It’s important to realize that if you ask the appropriate kind of questions, you will have a more satisfying Tarot or I-Ching experience. Readings work best when you are looking for greater insight, wise advice or an idea of which way the wind is blowing. They are NOT designed to answer questions asking for data or to give exact predictions about the future.

Consult the Tarot or I-Ching as if you were asking the advice of a wise friend or teacher, and expect to get a snapshot of what is going on in the present, at the time you are picking the cards. A great question is “What is happening with regard to (a situation or relationship),” while a not-so-good question to avoid is something specific like “Where should I go on vacation.”

You also may skip asking a question and just enter a subject (the name of a situation or person you are in relationship with) and Tarot cards can give you a spectacularly helpful reading as long as you are sincerely focused when you pick your cards or toss the coins.

Use Your Intuition: The Benefits of Tarot

Use Your Intuition: The Benefits of Tarot

Learn what a Tarot reading can do for you!

Tarotcom Staff      Tarotcom Staff on the topics of tarot, insight

Are you wondering, “Why should I do a Tarot reading?” It’s a common question for Tarot beginners, and one that has a simply wonderful answer: Because it can help you improve your life!

Tarot is all about “intuition.” You know — that pure perception of truth we all have hidden deep inside. It’s the inner voice of your higher self, telling you what is the right thing to do and hoping you won’t ignore it. Well, Tarot cards can help you hear your inner voice and embrace its message.

Sometimes it’s hard to hear your inner voice amid all the cosmic clutter. And some people may hear it, but they deny it. Which is where Tarot comes in. If you can learn to use Tarot readings to tap into your wise intuition and listen and learn its lessons, you will be guided toward a more fulfilling life.

Some people have a fear of Tarot because don’t want to face their personal truth or they’re afraid they’ll see something “bad” in their future. But that’s not how it works. Tarot can’t predict the future. It’s simply a valuable tool for tapping into your intuition and using that insight to make decisions that will lead to a happier life.

Here are a few ways Tarot readings can help you:

Gain clarity — Whatever your situation, you can’t avoid the truth with Tarot. Tarot puts you in touch with your higher self, also known as your intuition, and it will force you to take an honest look at your life — even the things you’d rather not admit! Once you have that clarity, you’ll be able to make more responsible choices.

Highlight areas that need work — Sometimes life gets so overwhelming that you don’t know where to begin to make it better. Tarot can help highlight the things you should be focusing on right now in order to get the best results in the future.

Find peace — Anxiety, worry and fear are often symptoms of living in the unknown. And while Tarot cannot predict the future or tell you for sure what’s going to happen, it can tap into what is happening right now. Once you have clarity on the present, it’s easier to determine the path you’re on and how to change it for the best.

Make difficult decisions — People often turn to Tarot for advice about what to do, and once again Tarot can’t predict the future. But it can provide a snapshot of your present life, and show you a few likely options of where you’re headed if you continue on the same path. You can use this information to continue down the road you’re on, or make a necessary change.

Improve your life — Never forget the power of free will! If you see something you don’t like about your life in a Tarot reading, you have the power to change it. That’s the whole point!

Today’s Tarot Card for February 14th is The Emperor

The Emperor

Thursday, Feb 14th, 2013

In the most practical terms, what has traditionally been called the Emperor card represents the highest leadership, a head of state or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm. This archetypal ruler is responsible for the positive working out of affairs of a society or community, which are directly proportional to his well being and happiness.

The more enlightenment and cosmic perspective this energy brings, the better life is for all. The Emperor archetype masters the world of matter and physical manifestation. When you apply this card to your situation, acknowledge your potentials for mastery. Reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits or appearances to the contrary.

Arrow Spell – Eight of Wands

Arrow Spell – Eight of Wands

 

One of the traditional meanings of the eight of wands tarot card is love at first sight.  The eight wands represents the arrows of love.

Carve and dress a red candle as desired, using love-drawing oils. Burn the candle. Place an eight wands card upright near the candle so it is easily visible.

Once the candle burns down, place the card underneath your pillow so that it can provide romantic insight and inspiration while you sleep. During the day wear rose quartz in a charm bag, pocket or tucked into your bra to attract and maintain the love you desire

Your Tarot Card for February 13th is The Empress

The Empress

Wednesday, Feb 13th, 2013

Traditionally entitled “Empress,” this major arcana or “trump” card portrays the energy of the Great Mother. She is Nature, around us but also within us, the ever-unfolding Source of life-giving power. She is often pictured as a pre-Christian Goddess, as the one whom the High Priestess is channeling down to earth for the rest of us.

In medieval Europe, the Empress card was painted to represent whatever Queen currently ruled the land, probably to satisfy the Inquisitors. But the scholars of the Renaissance and beyond had no doubt of her true identity, although she could not be fully revealed on Tarot cards as the “woman clothed with the sun” until after the French Revolution.

This supreme archetype of femininity also symbolizes fertility. It is She who provides us nourishment and security. She is also sometimes seen as delighting us with flowers and fruit. A potentially terrifying aspect of this archetype manifests itself whenever karmic mood swings wipe out our plans, like a storm that has come upon us. Whatever happens, the Empress is the Source of our Embodiment and of Natural Law. She might even be called “the Great Recycler.”

Today’s Tarot Card for Monday, Feb. 11th is The Magician

The Magician

Monday, Feb 11th, 2013

Traditionally, the Magus is one who can demonstrate hands-on magic — as in healing, transformative rituals, alchemical transmutations, charging of talismans and the like. A modern Magus is any person who completes the circuit between heaven and Earth, one who seeks to bring forth the divine ‘gold’ within her or himself.

At the birth of Tarot, even a gifted healer who was not an ordained clergyman was considered to be in league with the Devil! For obvious reasons, the line between fooling the eye with sleight of hand, and charging the world with magical will was not clearly differentiated in the early Tarot cards.

Waite’s image of the Magus as the solitary ritualist communing with the spirits of the elements — with its formal arrangement of symbols and postures — is a token of the freedom we have in modern times to declare our spiritual politics without fear of reprisal. The older cards were never so explicit about what the Magus was doing. It’s best to keep your imagination open with this card. Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by evolutionary forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul.

Your Tarot Card for February 6th is The Sun

The Sun

Wednesday, Feb 6th, 2013

What has traditionally been known as the Sun card is about the self — who you are and how you cultivate your personality and character. The earth revolves around the sun to make up one year of a person’s life, a fact we celebrate on our birthday.

The Sun card could also be titled “Back to Eden.” The Sun’s radiance is where one’s original nature or unconditioned Being can be encountered in health and safety. The limitations of time and space are stripped away; the soul is refreshed and temporarily protected from the chaos outside the garden walls.

Under the light of the Sun, Life reclaims its primordial goodness, truth and beauty. If one person is shown on this card, it is usually signifying a human incarnation of the Divine. When two humans are shown, the image is portraying a resolution of the tension between opposites at all levels. It’s as if this card is saying “You can do no wrong — it’s all to the good!”

 

Today’s Tarot Card for February 4th is The Devil

The Devil

Monday, Feb 4th, 2013

What has traditionally been known as the Devil card expresses the realm of the Taboo, the culturally rejected wildness and undigested shadow side that each of us carries in our subconscious. This shadow is actually at the core of our being, which we cannot get rid of and will never succeed in taming. From its earliest versions, which portrayed a vampire-demon, this card evoked the Church-fueled fear that a person could “lose their soul” to wild and passionate forces.

The image which emerged in the mid-1700’s gives us a more sophisticated rendition — that of the “scapegoated Goddess,” whose esoteric name is Baphomet. Volcanic reserves of passion and primal desire empower her efforts to overcome the pressure of stereotyped roles and experience true freedom of soul. Tavaglione’s highly evolved image (Stella deck) portrays the magical formula for harnessing and transmuting primal and obsessive emotions into transformative energies. As a part of the Gnostic message of Tarot, this fearsome passion and power must be reintegrated into the personality, to fuel the soul’s passage from mortal to immortal.

Today’s Tarot Card for January 24th is The Empress

The Empress

Thursday, Jan 24th, 2013

Traditionally entitled “Empress,” this major arcana or “trump” card portrays the energy of the Great Mother. She is Nature, around us but also within us, the ever-unfolding Source of life-giving power. She is often pictured as a pre-Christian Goddess, as the one whom the High Priestess is channeling down to earth for the rest of us.

In medieval Europe, the Empress card was painted to represent whatever Queen currently ruled the land, probably to satisfy the Inquisitors. But the scholars of the Renaissance and beyond had no doubt of her true identity, although she could not be fully revealed on Tarot cards as the “woman clothed with the sun” until after the French Revolution.

This supreme archetype of femininity also symbolizes fertility. It is She who provides us nourishment and security. She is also sometimes seen as delighting us with flowers and fruit. A potentially terrifying aspect of this archetype manifests itself whenever karmic mood swings wipe out our plans, like a storm that has come upon us. Whatever happens, the Empress is the Source of our Embodiment and of Natural Law. She might even be called “the Great Recycler.”