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  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 4 months ago

    You guys! I’m so happy and psyched! I just have to share.
    This morning in my daily “temp. check” reading I got a really great reading.
    Internal: The Tower
    External: 9 of cups
    Advice: Ace of cups

    It made sense to me at the time, and I had a gut feeling that it meant something about events today but was also kind of skeptical. The events that…[Read more]

    • The 9 of cups is also getting what you desire, which sounds like what happened! It seems like tarot is coming to you really well!

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 4 months ago

    Can we talk about the six of swords?

    This card came up in a reading the other day and I really couldn’t figure it out. It seems very elusive and the meaning in my Pollack book is vague. Intuitively I see the people in the boat leaving their life to find something new. The boatman has a wand, not an oar which speaks of the new beginning energy…[Read more]

    • This is what always trips me up in readings — whether to follow my intuition or to find a book to interpret it for me. In this case though, I definitely agree with your feeling that they are packing up and going for a new beginning, probably leaving something that was not so great behind them. And I feel like it’s both unpleasant and hopeful.…[Read more]

      • “hopeful because of the future.” So, maybe that’s the meaning of the baby.

        Ideally, I feel like I’d like to be able to read mainly intuitively but with the knowledge of traditional meaning in my mind to rely on if needed or to back up my intuition. If I had that I think I’d go with intuition if there was a conflict between the two.

    • For me, the key imagery in this card is the water – the waves behind the boat are rough, but the water ahead is smooth. The passengers are still carrying swords with them, the mental struggles they’ve accumulated so far. But they’re headed for a calmer shore, or at least could do so, depending on how they steer the boat.

      • Yeah…I can see that. Thanks!

      • I agree, the water is so significant. The journey the passenger is making is over the water – they are traversing their emotions.
        For me this is about *allowing* yourself to be carried away, it’s about surrender and accepting help.
        The boatperson might be a stranger or a friend – I find in readings that it so often represents a benevolent…[Read more]

        • “this is about *allowing* yourself to be carried away, itโ€™s about surrender and accepting help.” I love that! Thanks!

          • Can we have a conversation like this for every card? Because this one is amazing to go back and read. Everyone added something really insightful. I’m serious.. let’s do this for every card…

          • Alison, I was thinking the same thing. It would be really cool if we could regularly talk about a specific card.

          • Maybe we can just choose a day of the week and go through the deck, card by card? Would that sound good?

          • Sounds good to me! You want to kick it off?

      • Oh, I forgot to add – this version from the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Law really moves me:
        http://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/cards.php?suit=3&card=5
        – again it has that thing of being unconsciously helped, lifted over your cares, taken away from them. Very different from the RWS image where the swords are right there in the boat!

        • Wow! That is really beautiful! I’m def. going to look at that deck.

          • It’s stunning. I’m not one for fairies and pastels at all and brushed this deck off when I first came across it (just via the website). But I kept ending up back there and as I looked deeper into the images I really realised how clever and soulful they are.
            I particularly love The Magician, and also this one, the Two of…[Read more]

        • I’m really not one for fairies and pastels either! The Tarot of the Magical Forest is about as close to that as I’ve ever gotten and I think I was drawn to that by the slightly bizarre quality it has. I really like the Shadowscapes.

          The two of wands is really great. There is a lot of dynamic energy in all the cards I’ve looked at. That 6…[Read more]

          • I have had whole years of Six of Swords energy… I actually call it the Airport card, because it has that kind of feel… hello and goodbye or goodbye and hello, joy and sadness, and yes it is very much an emotional card for the suit of air. I think I get this card a lot because I tend to dwell a lot on the past, my head is turned to face back…[Read more]

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 4 months ago

    I just stumbled onto an interesting idea, a daily three card spread to help learn the tarot.

    You separate out the Major, Minor and court cards into three piles. Suffle each pile and draw one card from each pile. The goal is to learn the deck at a faster rate than a one card draw. Think I’ll give it a go. What do y’all think? Do you have a…[Read more]

    • I don’t have a specific one for learning, but I like to do pretty basic spreads of 3-6 cards (depending on which spread I’m using) a few times a week. Then I read up on whatever cards I get that I don’t know, and also end up reading up on nearby cards just out of curiosity. Like if I get the 2 of Swords, I often end up reading the Ace and 3 and…[Read more]

    • When I was first learning, I did Celtic Cross spreads a lot, because that’s the spread I knew, and I don’t think it was the best for that, actually. You see a lot of cards each time, but the spread positions can feel sort of vague. Practicing was always a big chunk of time because there were so many cards and position meanings to deal with.

      Three…[Read more]

      • I’m glad you said that about the Celtic Cross not being the best for learning. I felt the same way when I first picked up Tarot years ago. I felt like I wasn’t really getting anywhere because, as you said, it felt really vague. Plus, I felt like pretty much every reading I was coming up with the same vague interpretation. The group here has…[Read more]

      • I agree 100% about the Celtic Cross. I did the exact same thing when I started tarot and it’s what so many people do when learning tarot – y’know, it’s the ‘classic spread’, all the books have it, it’s supposed to ‘answer any question’. Plus there’s often this idea that more cards = more insight, more knowledge, more learning. I disagree. The…[Read more]

    • I would do three card spreads. I’m also currently going through Tarot for Yourself by Mary K. Greer so that’s getting me pretty solid exercise. Also, I have Biddy Tarot’s Tarot Foundation that’s broken down in 31-Days. I do recommend doing daily spreads than the card-a-day. Mostly because studying cards in context with other cards helps us to…[Read more]

    • Elisabeth, i love this idea! i’m going to use it when i get my Wild Unknown cards, which i just ordered today! SO excited.

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    2 of Wands Reading
    with the Dreaming Way Tarot

    1. Knight of Cups. I desire clarity, to know where I’m going. I don’t want my decisions to be led by emotion alone. Conversely, I think my emotions are confusing my action.
    2. 3 Wands. What is holding me back is a reluctance to get involved with people (the person in question). I keep…[Read more]

    • I like your spread a lot, I’ll have to give it a go.

      There could be a more positive/tweaked reading for your number 8 card, the four of cups. This card can often refer to not seeing an opportunity, missing something because we’re too critically focused on certain aspects of our situation. We’re all, “what’s up with these three cups here? they…[Read more]

    • Oh my god, I love this deck! I thought I should stop buying decks for now but maybe…..I should make an exception for this one.

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    Previously I mentioned that Rachel Pollack has a spread for each card in ‘The New Tarot Handbook’. She actually doesn’t include spreads for the Minor Arcana. So, I made one up based on her spreads for the Major Arcana.

    The last reading I posted, Dr. Apollo’s All Purpose Spread said that I need to learn more about choice and balance in the 2…[Read more]

    • Nice. I have too much free time today, so this is perfect! :)

    • I did it! (Hopefully)

      1. Justice/Plantain: Adjustment, correct allotment of time; related to metabolism, infections
      2. Five of Pentacles/Mugwort: MIsfortune, falling back on innate capabilities; related to digestive, antispasmodic
      3. Ten of Pentacles/Wild Yam: Moving into abundance; related to antispasmodic, diaphoretic
      4. Six of S…[Read more]

      • Beautiful deck!
        It’s interesting that #2. what’s holding you back, #3. what you need to let go of and #8. advice on moving forward are all pentacles dealing with security. Could the 8 of pentacles advice be that you should appreciate what you have and enjoy it? Or maybe to just sit tight. If that’s the case then the seven of swords suggestion…[Read more]

        • All of that was really great! Especially about the King of Pentacles and the Seven of Swords. It makes a lot more sense when you explain it!

        • You definitely seem to be learning a lot.

          Looking back on this reading a lot of your instincts were spot on. Like, really, really on the mark. I had been waiting for some test results on a thyroid lump, to see if it had been growing, and if that was the case, to probably get a biopsy. The King of Pentacles idea to wait turned out so right.

          The…[Read more]

          • Wow, Alison that’s really rough! You must have been releived to get the results!

            That is really cool to go back and see that one’s instincts about something were correct. I have difficulty being objective in readings for myself. I think it’s easier to see things in other people’s readings.

            What I see in this now is that the seven of wands…[Read more]

          • I was ok :) I’ve had my fair share of weird health issues, so I’m pretty good at ignoring them. I was also pretty confident based on not getting bad vibes from this reading.

            Yeah, I’m not sure what kind of action I might have had in mind for card 7. I don’t think I even asked a real question when I drew these. Just something like, “Soโ€ฆ what a…[Read more]

          • Hmmm… good question. I think both pentacles and wands can relate to the body but I think wands have more to do with action (particularly the beginning of action) than pentacles do. I think wands can be more forceful, adventurous, or instigating in their action as well. It does seem appropriate that a wand card came up in a position that I…[Read more]

          • Also, wands tend to be more optimistic than pentacles. Here’s some correspondences that have come in handy for me:

            Optimistic/Positive/Easy: Wands, Cups
            More Difficult: Swords, Pentacles

            Internal-Emotion & Thought: Cups, Swords
            External- Action & Work: Wands, Pentacles

            You could draw these into a graph so you can simultaneously see that wands…[Read more]

          • Yes, I really liked that the plant on this card was easy to connect to the idea of the card. And I love your idea of a graph. I’m definitely going to try sketch it out!

      • Alison, I was drooling over decks and found this on one. I thought of you.
        The Healing Tarot

        • I tried to look at more pictures of it on their website, but it didn’t load. It looks really interesting though.

          • Yeah, there website doesn’t work but I actually also found this on another website too. They have a Facebook page. If you’re interested, here’s some reviews. On that page there’s a link to see the cards.

    • When I came up with this spread I was basically trying to learn about the elements present in the two of wands. I feel like I have a much clearer understanding of this card now. This card is about choices and trying to find balance between the security of what one has and the adventure that can come with action and venturing forth. I see the…[Read more]

      • That is really cool. And an idea I’ll definitely keep in mind the next time I use this spread! Also, I love that you did an entire spread for one card.

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    Dr. Apollo’s All Purpose Spread (Love the name)
    Dreaming Way Tarot

    This is one of Rachel Pollack’s spreads from The New Tarot Handbook.

    1. Know. This is something the querent knows but needs to look closer at. Kings of Wands.

    2. Unknown. Something the querent doesn’t know but need to learn. 2 of Wands.

    3. Danger. Something the…[Read more]

    • The more I see this deck, the more I like it!

      • Yeah, the artwork is amazing! I’d never seen this one before so I’m looking forward to seeing more pics of it here.

        Also, Dr. Apollo’s All Purpose Spread totally sounds like something you’d buy in the pharmacy section of a co-op, or from a sort of sketchy-looking tent at the farmer’s market.

    • What about that Hierophant?

      I keep thinking about this card and can’t decide if I think he is asleep, ignoring the wisdom that is available and within reach (the keys), or if he is guarding them…or what? This seems a very unusual Hierophant image. He is usually depicted as active or awake at least. He seems very old, so perhaps that means…[Read more]

      • This Hierophant card is a really interesting one. I didn’t even notice that his eyes were closed! Based on the traditional meaning, I actually took it to mean that you should be careful of traditional approaches or of highly regulated/conforming approaches that this authority figure may rely on. That might show more about my view on life than…[Read more]

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    I just finished Rachel Pollack’s The New Tarot Handbook. I used to have 78 degrees of wisdom but I lost it. I thought the Handbook was really nice because it’s short. Pollack calls it a distillation of all of her knowledge. So, you get the meanings but for the most part she left out a lot of lengthy background stuff that was in 78 degrees.…[Read more]

    • Oh! And there’s some excellent spreads in the Handbook, including two and three card readings. Also, she gives spreads for each card and questions that have to do with that card. I loved this idea and will prob. post some readings.

    • Sounds really good! I’m waiting for The Heart of the Tarot to come in the mail, per recommendation from Beth. I’d love to hear more about the spreads in this book, and am definitely interesting in more postings based on it!

      • Also, I just looked up Rachel Pollack on Amazon. I did not realize that she’s drawn some of her own decks. Have you ever used any?

        • No, I haven’t. Curious though because of her background and I thought maybe she would have more of a feminist, woman friendly take.

          • Yeah I was reading a little about it. Apparently the original version was more feminist and she purposely remade it to be less so, which strikes me as odd both because she seems to be a really important and well-respected female figure in the tarot community, as well as because she’s a trans woman and the internet says she’s done a lot of trans…[Read more]

        • I didn’t know any of that other than that she is a well respected person in the world of Tarot, and I’m really surprised about the toning down of the feminism.

    • I just got The New Tarot Handbook too – a lot of it is similar to 78 Degrees of Wisdom but it’s a lot lighter (somehow without losing depth) – I think I would start recommending this for beginners rather that 78 Degrees…I totally see what she means about it being a ‘distillation’! It’s concise and thought-provoking without being intimidating.

      I…[Read more]

      • I got 78 Degrees of Wisdom – I’m enjoying the depth, though the extended exploration into ALL. THE. SYMBOLS on the RWS cards is a little much for me at the moment. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more as I go on though! I think I’ll take a look at the handbook too.

      • I completely agree with you about the Handbook. I read most of it in one day, skipped a lot of the Minor Arcana because she says she learned by doing readings, reading intuitively and then looking up meanings in a book vs memorizing everything first. I like that approach. This book helped me a lot with general associations of numbers, elements,…[Read more]

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    For posting pics I followed the instructions in last Friday’s open thread.

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    I would like to know what rituals if any people have for shuffling. I always feel like I should have a set way of doing it and a set number of times, but I don’t, yet anyway.

    • I usually shuffle ~5 times and then cut the deck in 3 and re-combine in a different order!

    • I shuffle three times with just a regular card playing shuffle, because I’m too klutzy for anything else, and then mix the deck more by cutting and combining it several times in my hands (not sure if this description really makes sense…). If I’m reading for a friend, I shuffle (because if anyone bent one of my cards I might secretly resent them…[Read more]

    • Seems like a lot of people like to shuffle three or five times.

  • I just found out about the wonderful AS groups and was delighted to see a reading group. I recently tried to read ‘Thrive’ and felt it was for the privileged by the privileged. I’m currently reading ‘Tarot for Life’ by Paul Quinn. I’m also going to try ‘Miss Buncle’s Book’ by D.E. Stevenson. I was tempted after getting into E.F. Benson’s Mapp…[Read more]

    • So, this is the second comment of yours that I feel compelled to reply to in one morning. What’s “Tarot of Life” about?

      • It’s a beginners tarot book. It’s ok, and kind of queer friendly but if you (or anyone else) are interested in learning about tarot I recommend a book I just finished called ‘The New Tarot Handbook’ by Rachel Pollack. Looking through the Lambda Lit. awards now for some fiction.

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    ‘Tabi’ interview with the Dreaming Way Tarot

    Hurray, I did the photos right!

    This may sound crazy but I seriously felt this deck doesn’t like me at all!

    1. 2 Wands – Reversed: This deck contemplates current situations vs the past?

    2. 9 Pentacles: It’s gracious, abundant and makes the most of resources?

    3. 8 Pentacles: My first gut…[Read more]

    • The 2 of Wands was really reversed, I messed it up and then took the photo.

    • This may just be me, but I feel like this deck is very self-confidant and maybe a little superior. To me, the last card could be bragging that using this deck will get you swift and good resolutions to your questions. Also the 8 of pentacles is not necessarily showing a weakness but maybe showing a strength veiled as a weakness. I could be totally…[Read more]

      • I agree with the superior feeling. Interesting thought about the 8 of pentacles. I’m glad you liked the photos, I’ll post more. There are some really interesting cards in this deck but I was also slightly disappointed at the lack of (what seem to me to be) key elements in many of them. For example The Moon is a girl seated holding a lobster up…[Read more]

        • The green moon seems like it should have some kind of special significance, but I’m not sure what, unless it’s just supposed to signify magic or an altered state of mind. I wonder if the girl could be representative of a moon goddess as well, because a lot of decks do that for this card. I’d love to see a picture!

    • Thanks for posting, these cards are beautiful!

      Hereโ€™s what I got from the reading:

      1. 2 Wands reversed โ€“ If you have hit a roadblock, this deck will help you see what you have overlooked. If the roadblock is because of a fear of the unknown, it will help you face it and use the power gained from the Ace of Wands to achieve whatever goals you hav…[Read more]

      • Wow! Thank you for posting! You gave me a lot to think about and there were some aha! moments. The Page of pentacles for example. I’m a very by the books person. When I want to learn about something I’ll read a zillion books about how to do it before I try it for the first time. That really makes sense. The author has some very interesting…[Read more]

    • I thought I added that this ‘Tabi’ interview spread came from littleredtarot.com but I guess I didn’t. I posted it to the group board in a different post. Very sincere apologies for the omission!

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    ‘Tabi’ interview with Tarot of The Magical Forest

    I felt really good about this deck right away! It felt like it had lots of energy and was really positive. I think it likes me! I was struck that both readings were all wands and pentacles.

    1. Knight of Wands: the pamphlet that came with the deck says “courageous and decisive action”.…[Read more]

    • Re: the two of wands appearing in both spreads, I think it’s confirming your gut feelings about which deck you click with right away. The two of wands can refer to early stages in some sort of creative or intuitive journey/project. So the reversed two in the Dreaming Way spread could mean, “maybe I’m not the best fit for where you are right now,…[Read more]

      • Thanks Mary! Great interpretation. Dreaming Way is growing on me and I will use, but I suspect you are right. Also, epsilon said of Dreaming Way that it might be a deck for getting my nose to the grindstone with in creative projects. It all fits. I can tell I’m going to learn a lot here!

      • I agree. The Two of Wands is an amazing card – for me it often represents the swirling and settling in your head Just Before you are ready to make a decision. So with the Dreaming Way where it’s reversed it represents confusion and an inability to make your mind up just yet (though as you say, it could grow on you! It’s just not *happening* for…[Read more]

        • (*Apols for crazy unintentional italics!)

        • Thanks for your insight Beth! When I first did this spread I felt sort of shocked that I could see so little in the images. Even though I’m totally new, I felt there should be something there to relate to. Last night I read the authors booklet and looked through the deck some more. I feel like I’m getting this deck more now. It’s like the…[Read more]

          • I’m loving this idea that the Two of Wands represents the first steps with a new tarot deck, especially for someone new to tarot! That must be why the figures are holding the world in their hands – not yet 100% sure what they are gonna do with it, just feeling that power and letting ideas crystalise organically. And reversed it’s just a lack of…[Read more]

    • This deck is SO CUTE! But also a little weird.

    • I thought I added that this ‘Tabi’ interview spread came from littleredtarot.com but I guess I didn’t. I posted it to the group board in a different post. Very sincere apologies for the omission!

  • Elisabeth posted an update in the group Group logo of Tarot SchoolTarot School 9 years, 5 months ago

    I got my new decks today and did the ‘Tabi’ interview spread I found on Beth’s website with both of them. I would like to post photos I took but am not sure how to do that. I will try to find out but if someone can tell me that would be great.

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