What to Expect from a Tarot Reading

Sometimes you just need advice from an unbiased source.  For some people that means turning to a tarot reading.

Tarot readings typically involve a private conversation between a reader and a client.  Usually the client picks the cards out of the deck, and the reader creates the spread and interprets the cards.

Forms of Divination: Dowsing and Pendulums

Dowsing and pendulums are one of the many forms of divination arts.  According to my dictionary, dowsing is “a technique for searching for underground water, minerals, or anything invisible, by observing the motion of a pointer (traditionally a forked stick, now often paired bent wires) or the changes in direction of a pendulum, supposedly in response to unseen influences.” A more witchy definition is dowsing is the divination art of finding the answer to a question by channeling the divine and observing the movement of an object in the practitioner’s hands.  On the art of dowsing Robert Boyle, the Father of Chemistry, said in an essay published in 1633 that “those who have seen it may much more readily believe than those who have not.”

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/402016704210191136/

This technique can be performed with two types of objects: dowsing rods and pendulums. Dowsing rods are two sticks or metal polls used to local objects and things in the Earth such as water, veins of metal, cable wires, etc.  Pendulums (pictured above) are any object hanging on a string to answer basic questions.

Tarot Basics

The exact origin of the Tarot is unknown, but from my understanding they started as a set of playing cards in Italy in the 1400’s.  Some people say they come from ancient Egypt or India, but in my opinion the archetypes are too Eurocentric.  For example, the Devil is an evil, Christianized version of the Horned God, not coming from Egyptian pantheons but rather Northern European ones.  The first accounts of their use for divination came in the eighteenth century.  There have been many changes over the years, including the perception of the Minor Arcana, but the symbology has stayed largely the same.  For a brief history of origins of the tarot and certain popular decks, here is a good article to read.  In the twentieth century, their popularity has exploded in conjunction with the Neo-Pagan and New Age movements.  Also while many states had laws on the books well into the ’80s making tarot reading illegal, persons such as Z Budapest have gone to trial to change these old regulations.

The Tarot have 78 cards and is divided into two categories:

The Major Arcana

• The Major arcana are archetypes regarding the path of life or a journey.  They are in a numbered order in correspondence with a natural progression. We start with the Fool and end with the World…or back to the Fool depending on how the deck is numbered.
• When these cards show up in a spread, they generally indicate a major point in the question.  For example if doing a spread for someone on a business venture and the Magician makes itself known in the Present place in the spread, then that card represents the quitrent’s progression on that path at that moment.  When multiple Major Arcana show up, then the person tends to be in a transition.
• These cards are the easiest to learn, but sometimes make the asker panic.  While the Tower and Death are ominous cards, they don’t actually mean a literal death and literal destruction.  The Major Arcana is full of metaphors.

The Minor Arcana

• Similar to playing cards, the Minor Arcana come in four suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles.  Also, they are numbered from 1 to 10 with court cards.
• Numbered cards represent an attribute, whereas court cards stand for a person.
• Associated with the element fire, Wands are the mental card.  Its aspects include creativity, inspiration, ambition, goal-setting, and dreams.
• Cups deal with relationships and emotions and relate to the element water.
• Swords come from the element air.  Action, intellect, power, conflict, and change rule this suit.
• Pentacles deal with the material world, career, possessions, and material comfort.  The element earth relates to these cards.

For specific card meanings, there are plenty of comprehensive books on the subject.  My favorite is Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis.  However, never discount instincts and personal interpretations of the cards.  These can be more valuable to the reader than memorization.

Reversed Cards: This is a debated topic among tarot readers.  Some believe that each card has two meetings depending on the position of the card (i.e. right-side up or upside down).  I disagree and say the tarot was designed in balance and therefore there is no need for reversed card meanings.

© Ariadne Woods

Not in the Cards

Monday night, I decided to do a tarot reading to look into my love life.  Not to find someone new or to get back with my ex or anything like that.  I just wanted a little clarity about the energies in that aspect of my life.

To give a little methodology, I decided to do a five-card spread (past, current situation, internal factors, external factors, possible near future) with a Waite deck.  I also designed a sixth and seventh card for exploring future partners, if I felt that would be necessary.  The first five were a good picture of my situation: Ten of Swords, Queen of Pentacles, Eight of Swords, Knight of Pentacles, and the Hanged-Man.  I have been recently betrayed and feel bound by it, so i have been looking inward to deal with myself and my pain to try and heal.  Alright, my thought-process about this part of my life is on the nose.  But it was that stupid Knight of Pentacles that had me thinking there may be more to this issue.  So I drew two clarity cards.

And then things got weird.  I got the Nine of Swords and the Five of Pentacles.  Not great cards to see as a recently dumped person looking into the future of my love life.

Bad readings happen.  Life is not always rainbows, so your runes and cards sometimes reflect that aspect.  This possibility should never turn away any aspiring readers or any patron.  It is the advice you need, so it is the advice you are going to get.  The best thing you can do is to acknowledge it, accept it, and apply the advice as you see fit.

© Ariadne Woods

Witch Tips: Samhain Activities

Samhain, Halloween, the Day of the Dead, oh my!  This season is marked by lots of holidays dedicated to the last harvest and the honoring of the dead.  For modern witches, Wiccans, and some Pagans, we embrace these days as more than just an excuse to get dressed up and eat a lot of candy (although that’s fun too).  Try to take time for deliberate spiritual practices before the Wheel of the Year comes to a close.

• Movie Marathon: Practical Magic, The Craft, even a couple of early episodes of Charmed.  Check out some witchy role models in popular culture.  And then don’t forget to finish off the evening with It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
  
• Divination: The veil between the worlds is thinner at this point of the year.  It is a good time to break out the black scrying mirror and tarot cards.  If you have no experience in this area and have a little extra cash, consider findingr a reputable psychic and paying them a visit.
• A Wishing Tree: As this is the witches’ new year, it is a good time to think about what you want to happen in the coming months.  Try to find a dozen or so candle lanterns that you can easily hang from a tree (or a bush or if need be place them around your home).  Before placing the candles in the holders, carve a symbol of a wish into it.  When you light it, the wish will be released.
• A Feast (and a Dead Supper): Sometime in the next week I will post some food ideas.  But in the mean time, there is no harm in munching on a little Halloween candy as a snack!  Make sure to leave some for your ancestors.
• Get Out in the Last Few Warm Days of the Year:  Enjoy these days because in a few weeks the leaves will be gathered and the Earth will be settled for a long winter.  Also, I am originally from a rural community where this time of year is all about corn mazes and pumpkin picking.  If these activities exist near your home, take full advantage. 
• Pumpkin Carving: If you are sick of carving faces into your Jack-O-Lantern, there are plenty of great templates online. Consider Hecate, the Green Man, pentacles, triple moons, and ancestor spirits as inspiration.
• Family Time:  As this is the time of remembering the ancestors, take some time to hang out with your loved ones just to relax and have fun.

© Ariadne Woods