Day 24: The Daze- What forms of ecstasy can you find outside of traditional means? Card: None of these cards make me feel ecstasy. Not a one of them. Maybe the Knight. That’s it. King of Pentacles RX, Knight of Swords, 4 of swords reversed.
I can find ecstasy by no longer giving a sh!t about what others think and run, headlong into all of the things that I can fit into a day before collapsing into a heap on the floor out of pure and utter exhaustion. I mean… maybe?
That knight of swords keeps following me- I’ve got a new stalker card. Why can’t I ever have the 10 of pentacles stalking me, eh?
Day 20: The Journey: What innerlike journey awaits you? What is the goal? Cards: 3 of swords (unkind): heartbreak, pain, hurt loss (big ol’ yikes). So why? 2 of pentacles Rx: Righting an imbalance, fixing overindulging, making the lack of balance better.
I mean, I hope. This spread is pretty bleak. I can’t help but think it’s basically saying, get ready for seasonal depression BABY BECAUSE IT’S COMING AT YOUR AGGRESSIVELY.
Here we have another great practice exercise from the Tarotholics discord. Check out my take on the Chariot.
Modern Love: determination comes through strong in this, especially with the little disabled pupperino with the wheels, walking confidently and keeping up the pace with the woman in the centre and the bigger dog on the other side. In most chariot cards we have a black and white steed of some kind, so it’s cool that that is echoed here, too. I would read this card as carry on your path confidently. Don’t worry about the things that might get in your way, because there are always ways to overcome your obstacles. We can see the seasons changing with the leaves in the trees, so this might also indicate a period of change, maybe a rapid one, but one that you can get through with the confidence of the lady walking her dogs.
It was hard to find some less traditional chariots from my decks, but here we go:
Transient Light Tarot: We have the black and white binaries here too in the road that seems to lead to the open mouth at the centre. It looks almost like the mouth is either swallowing or spitting out the moon or the ball in the centre. This card reads a bit more for me like the world is yours to swallow or to spit out- your voice will be the bringer of change, you have the ability to get through and travel on whatever path is best suited for you. I don’t see as much adversity in this card, but I do feel speed- like it’s coming at you fast, so be ready!
Tarot Violet.te: This one took me time to unpack and I’m still not sure I’ve managed all of it. The wheeled figure holds the world in her arms- her hair and shoulders show us symbols of the universe- neither good nor bad necessarily. On either side we have the steeds pushing the figure- one dressed as a horse or donkey (stubborn, maybe) the other a crab or a lobster (the unknown? the darker side of the coin?). Both are looking at you but you can’t see their eyes- a sort of caution maybe against moving too fast, or not looking where you’re going. Inside the box we have a pendulum suspended in rain clouds. This seems to say- pull through! Keep going! Push onwards. In terms of reading, I read this whole deck a bit more esoterically, because some of the imagery is so complex and intense. I see this card as less friendly than the Modern Love card- much more IT’S COMING AT YOU BE READY GO DO IT. It feels a bit like you need to open yourself up and decide why you really came here and where you’re coming from.
Everyday Enchantment Tarot: Love this deck, hate the size of the cards, but I knew it would have some cool alternative imagery for us. Confidence and taking a leap, believing in yourself, and doing what you want to do feels like it radiates from this card. The skater kid is sliding through the city, as he pleases, nothing can slow him down! The pigeons in his way are no match for him, and we can see a sense of getting away from conformity with the figures in the back, dressed in suits on their way to work. I get this same ‘nonconformity’ from the Modern Love with the little dog and big dog, and the lady wearing a beautiful blue dress in sharp contrast to the golden orange trees around her. We have dandelions at the fore of this card, weeds we would normally see as a nuisance or something that we would want rid of- the bee and the ladybug showing how these ‘roadblocks’ can also be useful, and the dandelion fluff in the breeze makes me think of making a wish. I read this card as having a similar positivity to the Modern Love, and a similar ‘set your own path, go your own way’ feeling. I feel a bit of the speed from the Tarot Violet.te, too.
Day 18: The Loot- What can you collect or reap in your life right now? Card: Knight of Swords rx and Knight of cups: Getting rid of one bad boy and picking up a good one? Maybe sharper strength and ruthless boundary enforcement- taking no shit when it comes to protecting my emotions and my inner peace.
Day 16: The Wise Guide – What message does Dionysus have for you right now?
Card: 8 of swords Rx: Surrender to the scary things because freaking out about them and stabbing yourself with anxiety isn’t going to fix anything at all. Have faith in what’s to come.
Deck used: Le Tarot Vert. Excellent representation of bodies, genders, and figures. Beautiful artwork, though monochromatic so if you struggle to read cards without lots of colours, you may have a hard time with this one. The artwork is absolutely stunning, the Canadian creator has included a bilingual (English and French) guidebook and the quality of these cards? Absolutely stunning. Buy it. Buy it now.
Day 15: The Fertility: What new ideas or projects want to grow in you?
Cards: 5 of pentacles, Strength Rx, and Queen of Cups: A project where I put my concerns for being the leader or the boss aside, and lead instead with my emotions in service of others.
I’m trying to improve being a bit more succinct in the way I combine meanings and cards together. Sometimes it feels really easy (like this reading) and sometimes it seems almost impossible. Always good to keep trying! Even when it doesn’t seem to stick.
This activity is from the ever amazing Tarot Learning Discord Server: Tarotholics. Definitely join in- the community is warm, welcoming, diverse and super helpful! The below image, card meaning breakdown and description come from Twisttheleaf.
Here’s my contribution:
The sexuality and temptation imagery comes through very clearly with the modern love tarot and the sense of control being outside of the asker. The dominatrix pictured seems to wait to take full control of whatever you need/want, but whether it’s for your good or not, remains to be seen.
Tarot Ultraviolet.te echos the sexuality in the modern love with the strap-on and breasts staring lustfully at the reader. The two creatures on the devil’s shoulder seem to say that there are two sides to choose from, and it’s up to you. The string reminds you that it’s easy to get caught up and tangled in the mess that focusing only on desires can bring.
Mundane Magic focuses much more on the shadow self and self-hatred that can come from previous hurts. There’s a sense of taking control for yourself- the positive side of giving in to your temptations- only you decide what limits you have and what limits exist. There’s none of the sexuality that comes from the Modern Love tarot, though there is a sense of growth, which we could see in the flowering plant.
Day 12: Liberation from Limitations: What fears or doubts are holding you back from being fully yourself?
Cards: The Magician Rx: I’m afraid that I can’t manifest what I want to manifest- that I’m stuck and that I’ve got nothing but bad stuff coming my way from this point onwards. I need to trust in my abilities to get stuff accomplished and be able to bring good stuff in.
4 of Pentacles: I’m afraid of spending too much, not making enough, and generally being poor at money (hey late stage capitalism and poor impulse control heeyyyyyyy).
9 of cups:…I’m afraid of getting wasted and making a fool out of myself – hahaha or I’m actually afraid of getting what I want and what I’ve worked so hard for… because then what happens next? What am I supposed to do, once I’ve got it all?
Day 9: Rapture: How can you open yourself to new experiences and insights?
Card: 5 of wands: Tackle them head-on, fight for what I think I deserve or simply get into an argument and experience the new experience of going to jail, maybe. But probably not 😉
Day 4 – Ecstasy – What makes your heart beat faster and your soul light up?
The Magician Rx: Creating things, even when they don’t work out and even when I feel like the energy is blocked and it just doesn’t work. I like making stuff, even when it looks terrible or doesn’t work. I like trying to think of ways to solve problems and make things look interesting. My newest dresser is a good example of beginner mod podge gone completely wrong. 🙂
The Dance – How can I free myself and express my inner passions?
The Tower Rx: Just let it all go- let the foundations of what used to bolster me that were weak in the first place, crumble. Not a bad card here, one that is instead telling you that sometimes faulty foundations need to crumble in order for you to build something anew.
Lucet in Aurora Tarot’s Death and Rebirth Day 2: The Vineyard – Which aspect of yourself must you let go of to make room for new growth?
The Knight of Cups: I have to let go of more lofty ideals and the urge to make everything okay with everyone else- less mediation, more enforcing boundaries and standing up for myself. Not one of the easier things to do, let me tell you!
The energy of Dionysus can be best welcomed into my life through reunion, partying, drinking with friends, and indulging in the warmth that both booze and friendship can bring. Yes. I’m on board.
This month’s challenge comes from Lucet.in.aurora.tarot, a very cool Instagram account from the Netherlands. I’m starting back at school and with a few new companies and classes this year, so you already know I’m going to be lagging behind! That being said- check out her Instagram or her website here to follow along!
Card 1: Practicing : Page of Swords- practicing rushing into a situation, guns blazing, ready to take on new intellectual challenges and taking on new academic projects.
Card 2: …will allow me to… King of Wands/Rods reversed- be pushy, be the boss, be cut-throat and reflect on what kind of authority I’m comfortable exerting.
I like this. I feel like one of the things that I need to start working on and that will be something I need to have a good handle on with what I’m studying this Fall, is my ability to guide conversations and lead people and be the boss of inspiring people to be the boss of themselves, and I’m not too sure of exactly when I’ll know how to step in or when not to step in… I feel like I’m rambling here, but that’s the general vibe. There is a lot I need to learn about levels of authority within the job I’d like to have. Hopefully, this will be good for me!
Madame Starbeam's Tarot Journey 