Tarot for self care and self exploration. A place to learn, develop and explore tarot.
I can find meaning in…
Card:
9 of Pentacles
Being stable, being self-sufficient, being able to provide for my own needs and my own concerns. This is true. This is something I set as a sort of bench mark for myself. I want to be able to be my own sustainable person. I hope that one day I’ll be able to make it happen even more than I am already.
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
-Madame Starbeam
Day 4: A way I can invite creativity into my day…
Card: The Magician Reversed: Stop trying to force it and just let the magic come. This might even be more of a fake it ’til you make it sort of situation… ha.
It’s funny because I feel generally like my life is lacking in something it used to have but it hasn’t had that thing for a very long time, and it’s hard to explain exactly what that thing is. In part, it’s a sort of connection to nature and connection to myself. In another way, it’s also how I used to be able to creatively express myself on the regular, but how that seems like so much more effort these days. It’s a complicated situation maybe, it’s hard to put into words.
Today I was doing some free practice tarot readings, just to get back into the groove of it, after being away from it for so long, and I felt like just leaning into my intuition as much as I could. It felt great for the first reading and then it felt a little bit like it started to falter. It’s weird how when I seem to look right at it, it disappears. I can only find this feeling or this emotion when I catch it out of the corner of my eye.
I’ll try to make more of an effort to find this in the future. 🙂
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
-Madame Starbeam
I can be… and still…
I’m going to use Oracle cards for this one today. It feels right.
I can be: The Dragonfly and Pansy: Balance … and still: The Bear and Cedar: leadership.
This is a nice one. I often feel like people in leadership feel like they have to be hard asses- they have to rule with an iron fist. They can’t be kind or friendly with the people who work under them- and I think this is bullshit. I’m sure it’s possible to lead without being domineering and unkind. I’m sure you can be a leader and show leadership while still being a human, who is accessible. Not just a company slave. This spread makes me happy because I’m going to be in a leadership role this summer, and I want to be the kind of leader that people enjoy, not the kind who makes people feel like garbage.
What about you? What would your spread look like?
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Day 2: I long for … and can get that with the help of…
Cards: I long for 7 of swords: I long for being able to get away with all the little secrets I want to explore. I’ve been living with my parents for so long, that I’ve begun to second guess what is and isn’t something I should be doing- a lot of the different concepts I’ve developed about morality, and what I think is socially appropriate are different from my parents. So maybe this is a little harkening to that concept.
… and can get that with the help of 7 of pentacles: waiting, patience and planning. That makes sense. It’ll be a few more months until I’ll move into my own place, and get to spread my wings again- find my own footing and rediscover what I think is important in life.
What are you searching for?
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Day 1: Pull a card. What healthy qualities of this archetype do you embody?
Card: 8 of cups.
Positive qualities: moving on, leaving negative situations, moving forward, trying to start fresh.
From my previous experience, this has a negative and a positive aspect to it. I’ve been able to get up and move somewhere new, and start fresh, my whole life. It’s basically how I’ve lived for the last 12 years! I’ve moved from country to country, new workplace and new friends, and it’s been amazing in so many ways, but it’s also been incredibly difficult in ways I didn’t expect.
You’d expect there to be difficulties in meeting people, adjusting to new cultures and countries and ways of living and that’s true- but the real difficulty is how it feels when you decide to settle back in the country you’re from. There’s a kind of reverse culture shock, which is normal and it’s something you can get used to, especially when you consider that it’s a normal part of readjustment. There’s a really cool graph of the challenges most people experience when they move to a new culture, and then attempt to reacclimatize to your home country.
Something that most people don’t mention, or maybe that most people don’t speak about, is that it’s very difficult to fit in when you’ve never really stayed in the same place for very long. You have no problem getting along with people who have had similar life experiences to you- people who’ve immigrated, or lived in a different place before. They seem to understand what it’s like to have different points of reference within your life, different priorities and different values and the way they’ve changed as your life shifts. It’s hard to find people who have maintained similar goals at your age, or who value the experiences you’ve had. It can feel incredibly isolating, and I’m sure it’s not something only I’ve experienced.
Hmm. A good card for further thought!
What card did you draw? How does it reflect your life?
Happy Readings!💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
This is the challenge I’m going to attempt this month! The Tarot Diagnosis is a cool resource for using Tarot for self-care. They have a podcast, a symposium and a pretty interesting newsletter that they send out with spreads you can use. You can learn more about them here.
Of course, I got the challenge from the Tarotholics discord- I’ve mentioned them many times, but here’s a link where you can check them out!
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
So I dropped the ball on most of last month- I’m sorry about that dear reader. The main reason this happened was that I had eye surgery and it messed up all the things that I was supposed to do this month. That combined with crippling anxiety over the next few months, my finances, my job, my future, alllll the things! ALLLLLL OF THEM.
Because of this, I kinda missed the majority of what I had planned to do last month. I’m going to try and play catch up and hopefully, you’ll be happy to check back and check out what I’ve been up to.
Happy readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Alright, let’s crack into this!
What has allowed this stress in my life to take root and grow? Ace of Wands Reversed. Confusion, miscommunications and arguments. Well…yeah… that’s stressful. lol
What is the core stressor in my life at this time that is under my control to change? Ace of cups: my emotions? Creativity, spirituality and intuition. I can control how I feel and react to things, I can control empathetic gazes and looking at things with new eyes.
What can I do right now to help ease my stress and anxiety related to this issue? 8 of pentacles reversed- chill out. Don’t worry about all the little details- broad strokes will take away some of the stress and worry. At the same time, I need to get to it and just do it and get it done.
Interesting! What do you get from this reading?
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Here’s the spread for this week. Notice how we’re looking here for similarity and patterns, which is a good way to start to read a spread- not just card by card and trying to slam them together. This is something I struggle with sometimes- I’ve seen some really great readers who connect these amazingly well!
So, no question in particular in mind, here’s my spread.
Cards: The Moon, Two of Swords, Two of Cups
Hmm ok let’s look at the similarities and patterns we can see:
I’m always drawn to colour, so what stands out to me here is the blue and the yellow. We’ve got blue mountains and a blue body of water in the moon, with a bright yellow moon in the sky. There’s a large blue background in the 2 of Swords, with bright yellow sleeves on our blindfolded figure. And the last flash of blue of a sleeve on one of our drinkers (both of which are holding yellow cups).
There’s no direct eye contact in any of these cards with the reader or the querent. In fact vision is deliberately disconnected with a blindfold.
There’s also a hell of a lot of symmetry in these cards- the 2 of swords could be cut down the middle and both sides are almost entirely even. The moon, too, has two towers, two dogs and a lobster with outstretched claws. The two of cups has two folks linked together on their side- looking rather intensely at each other.
We’ve also got two moons- a small sliver of a moon in the 2 of swords- the kind of daytime moon you see sometimes. Love it.
There’s a kind of intensity in this spread- like an intense aversion- a refusal to see something, and a layer of deception from the first card in this spread. What should I be paying attention to? What should I be looking at?
There’s some kind of difficult choice I need to make and I can’t make it/it’s difficult to make because there’s something in the way- something that I’m refusing to look at or something that I simply haven’t been able to see yet because it’s been hidden from me. This decision could be about a partnership of some kind, or there could be someone close to me who could help me see what I can’t.
What do you think? What similarities can you see? How would you read this?
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Here we go folks! Another spread from the amazing Twist the Leaf/Tarotholics discord:
OK I’m not sure if my dumbass will suffer from information overload with two cards for each for extra credit, but we’re gonna give it a hook. I encourage you to give me feedback if you’re reading this- tell me if you see something I don’t! 😀
Here’s my spread:
What positive qualities do I have that others admire?
Cards: Four of Pentacles (rx) and Queen of Wands (rx): I’m generous with my emotions or at least I’ve got the spirit but I’m a little confused when it comes to action and putting plans into place- I’m generous with my time and emotions, but I can get stuck within certain pursuits and carry things forward in an intense way.
What positive qualities do I wish I had that I admire in others?
Cards: The Moon (rx) and The Devil: I wish I could get lost in excess and not regret it, that I could convince myself of some positive misconceptions that would make my life easier. I admire the way others can fully trust and empower themselves through their intuition.
What step(s) can I take now to work toward developing that quality in myself?
Cards: Ace of Pentacles and The Chariot: I should use material elements in life (maybe physical self-care, the earth) to push myself forward into tapping into my intuition. Or I should spend more money on new indulgences to obtain the excess of the Devil’s vibe? I mean, usually, this deck tells me not to do that, so I think it might be getting more in touch with new jobs/work/nature/growing opportunities that are coming up soon.
What step(s) can I take to make the positive qualities I already have shine brightly?
Cards: Eight of Swords (rx) and Nine of Swords: Surrender to what is coming and understand that the anxiety I’m bound to face in thinking I’m not good enough or I can’t provide for others or I’m not doing a good job; this is counterproductive but unavoidable. Feel it, and let it go. I am the only one who will put myself through it and also the only one who will stop myself from going through it.
I used the This Might Hurt tarot deck, which is available for purchase in a new limited edition now, I believe. It’s a fabulous deck 🙂
I liked this challenge! Let me know if you do it and what you get out of it!
Happy Readings! 💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
One card that freaks most people out in a reading, no matter which way you read it, it usually spells disaster. Reversed or upright, it’s usually seen as a pretty negative card and most of the time, the imagery is pretty dark. Traditionally, there is a tower that is on fire, struck by lightning and people are falling out of the tower to their death. It’s a dark one.
Consider for a moment though that everyone has moments of destruction. It’s something that everyone can relate to. It’s also something that we all need to learn how to cope with, and rebuild from in some aspect of life. Some ‘tower moments’ are ones that stay with us forever- some we can empathize with, but maybe never truly know the pain of. Others maybe we can slowly pick away at over time, or maybe it’s something that we need help working through.
Each deck has its own way of expressing this card- and the imagery varies from deck to deck. Check out a selection of mine here:
Creatures Tarot: Interestingly there are two options for the tower for this deck (I only have the one major set though 🙂 ) There is a similar sense of loss and a sort of turning your back on destruction, as often when a tree breaks or dies, it is left to rot, kind of forgotten. With the other half of the tree still standing, I feel like this card holds a bit more hope and I would read it as losing what is dead, or what doesn’t serve you any more.
The Hidden Light Tarot: A sailboat in a lightning storm spells disaster, but it seems as if it hasn’t hit yet- there is a feeling that destruction is imminent, but you have some time to collect yourself and prepare for it to hit. The fire hasn’t started yet- it’s coming though.
Tarot Ultra Violet.te: The roots here seem to demonstrate that the problem or the destruction may run deep. The mouths in the background could show that people may be speaking poorly of you behind your back, or that others’ opinions may be the thing that brings you down (This deck is awesome, by an awesome Montreal-based Canadian creator- incredibly open, LGBTQIA+ positive and inclusive. I want to do a whole deck run through with it in a later post. I love it).
Cosma Visions: This is a companion card, called The Shore- it has more of a starting-from-the-bottom vibe- almost as if the tower moment has hit so…now what do you do? Watch out, more dangers may rain down on you, but you can work to find your own footing. This reads a bit more positive to me. The fire is over.
Transient Light Tarot: The tower is on an island here- and the stairway is circular, almost as if it never ends. There’s a much stronger feeling of isolation here for me- you feel completely alone and it’s like your spiralling into darkness in the wake of the stuff that has happened. Similar feelings of being alone and left to fend for yourself, but perhaps less fire, less ultimate destruction.
All amazing decks- what does your Tower card look like? Tell me in the comments! Convince me to buy YET ANOTHER DECK. haha
Happy Readings 💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Is mankind going in the right or wrong direction?
Card: King of cups reversed. LMAO, yeah it ain’t looking good folks. Mankind is pushing forward coldly and selfishly, using emotions for force and manipulation, not in a controlled and helpful way. There is not emotive mastery here. The karens are winning. It isn’t geat.
I’m using a little travelling deck I got, It’s the Morgan Greer Tarot in a tin (so it’s slightly longer than a deck of playing cards, but it fits about the same in your hands). It wasn’t very expensive, and I bought it on Amazon, but I would think you can find it in any esoteric shop. It’s mass-produced. The images are nice- they connect well with the traditional RWS images, so it’s good for a beginner as well as someone more advanced. It’s borderless and doesn’t include the name for the suit, though it does include the number, which is helpful if, like me, it takes you ages to count the pentacles you see haha. I mainly purchased it because I had seen the images and liked them, and it came in a tin. I’m going abroad for the summer, and I wanted to take a deck with me- I didn’t want to take one of the decks I really love and lose it/ruin it/get it wet/have something happen to it. A little tin will protect this deck, it wasn’t so expensive that I’ll be sad if it’s lost or forgotten (though I don’t want to lose it or have anything happen to it, of course).
I’m not sure if you guys are aware, but there’s an awesome Masterclass being held online from Hay House at the moment, and tomorrow Ari Wisner will be speaking- I love his deck the Transient Light Tarot (I’ve read with it on here before), so I’m super excited to hear him speak. I highly suggest you check it out if you’re interested- it’s free (you can pay for an advanced pass sort of thing if you want to), and you can watch the videos for a full 24 hours I believe before they disappear. 🙂 I’m watching a video from Mary Greer at the moment, and she focuses on how tarot can deepen your sense of understanding of yourself and how you can help others understand themselves through the tarot, which is quite interesting.
Anyways! Happy Readings folks 😉 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Here’s the spread I’ll be working on:
This, once again, comes from the Tarotholic’s server, and TwisttheLeaf.
Here’s my spread:
Dandelion/Healing/Perseverance: How can I use my inner strength to help me in healing old wounds?
Card: King of Cups: I can weild my emotions and my sense of emotional strength- I think of this as the boundaries I’ve learned to create and hold- I can use these to help me heal the parts of me that still hurt.
Bees/Community/Hard Work: Where could I put in more effort to help my community?
Card: Ace of Cups Reversed: I can help to ease arguments, create a middle ground or a go between for people who need it. I can provide a safe spce for those who feel sadness.
Garnet/Self Empowerment: What do I need in order to foster a greater sense of self empowerment?
Card:Page of Rods: New fire, new energy, new actions that are maybe not always completely thought out, but the passion is there- maybe a bonk on the head too.
Swallow/Love/Loyalty: Where do I need to more openly display my love and loyalty to others?
Card: Queen of Pentacles Reversed: I can show my family that I care about them by taking care of my side of the chores and ground myself in my home- this is something that’s lacking, and something I can do in my parents home and in my own, moving forwards.
Malachite/Abundance: How can I better use intention to bolster the abundance in my life moving forward?
Card: 10 of Pentacles: I can be happy with what I’ve achieved and look back on my thoughts and intentions with thanks and gratitude. If I am thankful for what I have already, more will come my way. I can learn to be grateful.
Goat/Overcoming Obstacles: How can I best overcome obstacles before me at this time?
Card: The Magician: I can do it myself! The way to overcome them is within myself 🙂 Nice.
Primrose/Young Love: How can I add more of the exuberance of young love into my life?
Card: Queen of Cups: I can bring that emotion, or rather the emotionally matured sense of love, nuring, and good hearted kindness to myself and to others wherever I can.
Happy Readings! 💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
So, I’ve shied away from these challenges in the past, because I’ve felt like they’re too challenging, but I also think that they have the potential to push me further in my practice. I’ve decided this month to take on the Tarotholics May 2023 Tarot Challenge, with the caveat that I might miss a few days here and there, but I’ll try my best.
This challenge comes from the Tarotholic’s discord server, which I would recommend joining if you’re interested in learning more about tarot. This comes from TwisttheLeaf, who has a great Instagram account and website that you should definitely check out.
Here’s the monthly challenge
Follow along, and tell me your thoughts on my interpretations!
Happy Readings 💛💛
-Madame Starbeam.
So I’ve been MIA because…
I just bought a house!
I’ve been spending most of my mental energy designing and pretending to buy furniture for the place hahaha! I’m currently covered in paint, and desperately trying to catch up and finish April’s challenge on a semi-complete note.
Instead of doing all the days I’ve missed, I’ve selected the prompts I like the most for this last post before May. I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Day 24: What empowering thoughts can I focus on today to motivate myself?
Card: The Tower (yikes): Sometimes things come crashing down and that’s part of life. Sometimes things that were strong, break. Without a break, there can be no new growth, no rebuilding. Sometimes there must be pain to learn, to grow and to get rid of what doesn’t truly serve you. Remember, this too, shall pass.
Day 27: What part of myself or my journey am I being called to have more faith in, and what actions can I take to boost my confidence in this area?
Card: Four of Cups: Sometimes I get stuck between decisions and I become lost in endless back and forth- which is the right step to take, what should I do, what colour should I paint the kitchen and I dwell so much it immobilizes me. I need to believe in my choices a bit more, trust the process a bit more, and have faith that action will provide a forward movement, if nothing else 🙂 .
Day 28: What accomplishment can I celebrate (card 1) and how can I honour this today (card 2)?
Card 1: Knight of Swords (jumper): Taking action, going for it, jumping in with all of the feet I possess, despite the fear of not knowing how it might turn out. I should be proud of the recent risks I’ve taken 🙂 I am!
Card 2: Page of Swords (jumper, and not sure if it was reversed): Enjoy making plans, don’t get stuck into the minutia of every little thing involved in the carrying out of the plan- just embrace the enthusiasm. Don’t let anyone else’s opinions or ideas push that happiness away.
Day 30: What do I need to let go of by the end of Mercury Retrograde (after May 14th)?
Card: The Empress: Ooo not sure of this one- could be conflicts with female figures in my life- could be the concept of what makes someone feminine, could be my internalized gendered concepts and sense of expression in the ways that it limits me (aversion towards specifically gendered elements because of other’s opinions, internalized judgement). I’ll have to wait and see how this one manifests I think.
As in my last post, this selection comes from the Creatures Tarot. It’s an amazing deck. I’m still getting used to it, but I’m really enjoying it so far 🙂
Happy readings! 💛💛
-Madame Starbeam
Madame Starbeam's Tarot Journey 