Empowerment Through Tarot – Book a Reading

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If you are looking for clarity, insight, and information that can help you make empowered choices in your life, a tarot reading can help. I am a professional tarot consultant and use the cards to help you access your own higher knowledge, looking at an issue from different angles and presenting options and insight to bring you to a more conscious way of living.

I look forward to working together with you, using my skill and knowledge of this intuitive art in helping you to see your situation in a new light.

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The Paradoxes of the Strength card

   

Something recently came up for me in working with a client, that seems obvious once it’s out there, but that might not be so obvious as we read the tarot.

How does the name of the card, especially and mainly in the Major Arcana, shade not only the reader’s interpretation of the card, but also and possibly more importantly, the client’s impression?

I gained a deeper understanding of The Strength card recently through a series of readings in which this card appeared for a client who did two readings a couple of months apart.

This client is facing a time of difficult hardship (a factor that I’ve found Strength often indicates, this idea of facing something that for the querent is a difficult situation). In both readings, the advice card was Strength.

What I find is the paradoxically difficult part of interpreting the Strength card to some clients is that, many clients come to the proverbial table with preconceived ideas about what it means to “be strong,” and that can sometimes prevent the fundamental message of this card to sort of permeate their consciousness. In other words, clients might dismiss this card as simply telling them to “be strong,” and, as a reader, how can you be sure your client is grasping the essential meaning of this card if the client’s definition of “be strong” is what is typically represented by The Chariot, ie, hard-charging, take-no-prisoners, nothing’s going to stop me brute force?

Here’s where we encounter the paradox of the Strength card. Let’s start with the visual imagery, which is where most interpretations of this card begin.

The basic image is of a woman gently opening the jaws of a lion, with her bare hands. I don’t get the feeling she’s prying the jaws open by force or against the lion’s will. And furthermore, the symbolism of the lion itself is significant. Is he not referred to as the so-called “King of the Jungle”? Who then would dare to approach the king and expect him to submit?

This image in and of itself shows us that a view of strength is needed that goes counter to what popular culture and typical socialization teaches us about being strong. We don’t see a linebacker plowing his way into the lion and knocking his jaw wide open to gain leverage.

In the Strength card of the tarot, it’s of essential importance to emphasize the aspect of being strong that brings forth inherent vulnerability to harm, and the ability to supersede this vulnerability in order to produce positive, desired results in overcoming the challenge or hardship.

I imagine what the woman on this card, who, by the way, has a very innocent and angelic appearance (white gown, wreath as a sort of crown, relaxed face) might be thinking. She sometimes reminds me of a veterinarian, a professional who is able to gently take care of animals with the potential to cause harm. Her approach is one of gentle persuasion, working together with the lion rather than forcing the lion to submit to her wishes. What means do you think she used to accomplish her task? How is she able to get this powerful beast (possibly representing the difficult situation the querent is facing) to submit, and how was she able to gain control over the beast/situation without resorting to sheer physical strength and a domineering attitude that says “You’ll do what I say or else!”

Back to my client: an extremely emotionally vulnerable individual who has always faced life with a “I can do this no matter what, just so long as I push hard and never give up” mentality. Absolutely brilliant, this determination and show of sheer willpower to accomplish goals. In fact, I’d venture to argue that this mentality is the one most typically associated with strength.In fact, if we consult the Webster-Merriam dictionary, the first three definitions of strength are all variations on the same idea, that of simply being “tough”, more or less:

strength noun \ˈstreŋ(k)th, ˈstren(t)th\
plural strengths

Definition of STRENGTH

1
: the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance
2
: power to resist force : solidity, toughness
3
: power of resisting attack : impregnability

And yet, here, in the tarot, that’s not sufficient, in fact, I’d argue that it’s not even an accurate interpretation of this card. Yes, this card represents being strong, but being strong in a way that admits vulnerability. I mean, hello, people: the woman is using her bare hands, and doesn’t have any protection from the lion if he were to all of a sudden turn on her and go nuts and attack her. That’s no joke. That’s admitting the possibility of getting hurt, and yet going for it anyways.

The paradox then, in the tarot’s version of Strength, is a question of how being vulnerable can actually make you stronger. How is it even possible to render yourself vulnerable in order to gain a position of power or advantage over another force that is seemingly insurmountable?

In practical terms, for my client who is facing a situation in which the approach was continually one of brute strength, trying to “bend the situation” to her will, this card continues to surface, and continues to advise her to take a step back and stop pushing. I think acceptance is a huge factor in this card. Until we accept that we are vulnerable, and until we accept that in reality, there’s always something we can’t control with our sheer force of will, we aren’t ready to overcome the situation, and the situation will continue to roar back at us, showing its teeth. Humility is another concept. We must allow ourselves to be humble enough to admit that we are only human, we aren’t omnipotent. That doesn’t mean we can’t overcome a hardship. It simply means that we might need a new, different, softer approach.

One of my favorite quotes that I think embodies this principle of the Strength card in tarot is from Coco Chanel. I don’t think it means give up, but rather, adapt and find a different way:

Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.

In other words: acceptance, humility, vulnerability—once these qualities have been explored and embraced, the time is right to move forward to overpower the situation that seems insurmountable. Strength is like The Chariot without the ego or machismo. Both cards have their place, as do all energies in life. But if this is the advice, then it can be very helpful to not only examine how you personally define the concept of strength, but also to examine your feelings surrounding making yourself vulnerable.

What are your thoughts and interpretations on the Strength card in the tarot? Do you find that it is paradoxical in some ways?

Tarot Treasure Hunt: Little-Noticed Symbols Revealed

Ok, so I’ve given you plenty of time to delve into your deck and find the mysteries of these little-noticed symbols. Here’s your “official” answer key. Be sure to share your thoughts with me in the comments section!

Where in the tarot minor arcana will you find…

  • Butterflies on a throne?
    Queen of Swords, below the angel. King of Swords, above his crown. A lovely depiction of the “airy” energy of this suit. I swear to you I never noticed the butterflies before I read “Tarot and the Tree of Life” by Isabel Radow Kliegman. It was a sort of “shocking” discovery because once you see them, they’re hard to miss, and, butterflies seem like such friendly and gentle creatures, and frankly the rather harsh suit of swords is not one I ever would have associated with the beauty and delicacy of a butterfly. So it was a lovely discovery for me of a lesser-noticed facet of the swords suit.
  • A small snail crawling on the ground?
    This was one of the first “little known” symbols that popped out to me in my tarot studies years ago, that got me more conscious about looking for these hidden gems. Why would the snail be slowly crawling across the ground at the feet of the woman in the 9 of Pentacles? I like to think of it as “stop and take time to smell the roses,” because here’s a card that’s all about appreciating and luxuriating in the abundance of the material and physical world.
  • A brown rabbit?
    Love this little guy, sort of “hiding out” in the lower right-hand corner of the Queen of Pentacles. You can read more about my thoughts on him in this post: The Queen of Pentacles and How to Stop Negative Comparisons to Others.
  • Three cards of the same suit with three mountains (some may see as pyramids) in each?
    Another gem pointed out to me in Kliegman’s book. Why would the Page, Knight, and Queen of Wands all have three pyramids? And why then would the pyramids vanish in the King of Wands? Kliegman doesn’t touch on the absence of the pyramids in the King, but she goes into a rather complicated explanation regarding intuition, arid landscape, the magic of the number 3, and mummification in ancient Egypt. I dunno, folks. Frankly to me they don’t even strike me as pyramids so much as mountains. But the symbolism of the emphasis on three strikes me. So at this point personally I’d go on an in-depth research regarding the symbolism behind the number 3, and how that relates to the fiery, creative and intuitive energy of the suit of wands. Here are some starting points: The Symbolism and Spiritual Significance of the Number Three, The Number Three in Religion, in cartomancy, Gurdjieff’s The Fourth Way.
  • Two cards from different suits with stained glass windows?
    These aren’t necessarily little-noticed, but perhaps associating the two cards where they appear doesn’t happen at first glance. The struggle and hardship of the church that goes unnoticed in the 5 of Pentacles as contrasted with the serenity and peaceful rest from the inside of the church in the 4 of Swords. Could it be the same church?
  • Two cards in which the figure in the card has their hand resting confidently on top of the pentacle?
    The confidence expressed regarding abundance in both the 9 of Pentacles and the King of Pentacles show how the figures in both of these cards move comfortably in their luxuriant and materially privileged settings. Their hand securely and almost casually resting on top of the pentacle, rather than gazing at it adoringly or holding it aloft, expresses having achieved a sense of inner and outer security regarding wealth.
  • A fish necklace?
    Gotta love the King of Cups and his fashion sense. I feel like his wearing of the necklace is a symbol of his mastery of the qualities of the suit of cups: watery and emotional, slippery and tough to pin down, and the ability to go with the flow and modify and adapt to circumstances, like a fish flows in a stream. Reversed we can imagine the fish swimming against the current or fighting his way upstream like a salmon going to spawn.
  • A figure wearing one shoe and one boot?
    Another gem from Kliegman! How in the world did I miss this one all these years? Why in the world did the 7 of Wands leave the house wearing a shoe on his right foot and a boot on his left? Kliegman says that it has to do with allowing the self to be eccentric without hurting anybody. As with a lot of her interpretations, they don’t always “hit” me just right. My gut instinct? Take it for what you will. But I feel like his shoe and boot combo is telling us that he’s versatile in the fight. I mean look at the guy, he’s clearly beating back competition or struggle. So the shoe and the boot is like “I’m prepared for anything, just try me, I can go around wearing a shoe, and a boot, whether I need a light approach or a heavier stance, I’m on it.” What are your hypothesis regarding this interesting footwear choice?
  • A wand bolted down?
    What in God’s name is the guy on the 2 of Wands doing, bolting down that wand behind him? I like to think it has to do with moving forward while relying on a basis of stable and solid support to sustain your adventure. Some readers interpret it to mean that he isn’t taking any chances and feels like he’s bolted to the ground. Your thoughts?
  • Two cards that have an arched bridge with two arched passages underneath?
    Kliegman strikes again. (She should have just named her book “hidden symbols in the minor arcana that Shelley has missed for years.”) A very interesting combination here: first in the pain of the 5 of Cups, then in the joy and celebration of the 4 of Wands, both in the same lower-right position. Has the figure from the 5 passed under the bridge of grief and come through it to celebrate on the other side?
  • A patchwork quilt with zodiac signs on it?
    What does the presence of the 12 signs of the zodiac lend to the anxiety and despair of the 9 of Swords? All of us suffer this anguish at one time or another. And, as with many cards in the tarot, life is a constantly cyclical process, just like the rotation of the zodiac signs through the heavens. Your thoughts?
  • Two cards of the minor arcana whose figures have their hands forming a blessing similar to The Hierophant?
    Here’s something you’d expect to see in a religious leader like the one depicted on The Hierophant card. But what to make of it when shown on the hand of the poor man pinned to the ground by 10 Swords? Or how about the super subtle gesture of the hand of the man giving money to a beggar in the Six of Pentacles? EH!? Ever noticed that one? Taken in these new contexts, is it a blessing? A warning? A lesson?
  • The only knight without a helmet?
    Oops, my bad. I promise this wasn’t a trick question. There isn’t a knight without a helment in the minor arcana. I meant to say “the only page without a hat.” Where my mind wandered off to there, I have no idea. But it’s the Page of Swords, for the record. My guess is that he’s so airy and the wind was blowing so hard, the hat never would have stayed on anyways! Too much fast movement and quick thinking!
  • Two black angels with disproportionately large wings?
    On the chalice in the Queen of Cups, these are the hidden symbols in the “handles” that sort of look like hands. The shadow side of our emotional life? To honor it as holy and divine even if it isn’t pretty to look at?
  • Circus tents?
    The classic fairgrounds in the 7 of Swords. That trickster, walking away with all those swords and really getting away with something, without anyone noticing. Or will they?
  • The moon?
    The melancholy of the moon eclipsed on the 8 of Cups, perhaps foreshadowing a brighter future despite the sadness of having to move on; the closed-off turning within of the woman on the Two of Swords.
  • Two cards showing balanced scales of justice?
    The 6 of Pentacles, perhaps indicating a fairness between give and take, and the small scales behind the old man’s head on the 10 of Pentacles: a sign of achievement in financial dealings?Your turn! Add in any and all of your interpretations in the comments section!

Newsletter Preview: The Magician

Hey guys, is this thing on?

Oh man, talk about “The Fool.” I felt pretty foolish recording my first “vlog” (how in God’s name does one even go about pronouncing that?) but, I figured, hey, let’s not be the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Might as well come out and show you that my hair isn’t really all that red anymore (note to self: book hair appointment) and that I’m just kind of silly. You’ll forgive me, I hope.

The idea here is just so you can put a voice with the face and so I can get more comfortable on camera, because eventually I’d like to start doing some video tarot readings. So a good practice way for me to do this is to record a little preview on Fridays of what to expect in my Monday issue of the newsletter.

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

*mutters to self… “I can’t believe you’re doing this….”*

Welcome Biddy Tarot Readers!

Today I am honored to be featured on my mentor’s website. Brigit published an interview with me and you can view it here: Going ‘Pro’: Taking the Big Leap with Shelley Ruelle.

To all of my new visitors stopping by after having read Brigit’s post, a warm welcome to my online tarot home! I’m overjoyed that you’re here and I hope that you enjoy looking around my site and sharing my passion for tarot.

I publish a weekly newsletter called The Sparrow Tarot Companion every Monday. My newsletter uses one specific tarot card each week as a jumping-off point for your own journey to self-empowerment and finding meaning from within and throughout your current life’s challenges. I bring together insights on the tarot to tie in with how that card can help us in our Soul’s journey, along with recommended reading, powerful online articles, videos, and a weekly challenge to put the ideas to work right away in your own life.

I’d love to have you along for the weekly ride, and there’s even a little surprise waiting for you in the welcome letter you’ll receive after signing up. To join me and my other readers for this weekly journey, click here to subscribe.

Also feel free to contact me via email (shelley @ sparrowtarot.com), and if you’d like more information about how to book a reading with me, click here.

I hope to chat with you soon on any of my blog posts! I love sharing stories and information about the tarot in the comments section of my site.

Best wishes on your own tarot journey!

And, just one question before you go:

what do you think is the most important asset a professional tarot reader should have?

I’m so curious to hear your thoughts! Just share in the comments section below.

Tarot Treasure Hunt: Little-Noticed Symbols

One of the things I love about the tarot is that no matter how long I study the cards, I’m continually discovering new images, new interpretations, new revelations. It’s been nearly 13 years now of working with the cards, and I always feel a little taken aback when I suddenly see a new facet to a card I thought I knew so well. One part of me is in disbelief: how is it possible that I’ve gone all these years and never noticed that? The other part feels almost ashamed in a way, and ever more committed to taking more time to observe the cards in front of me, rather than simply going “Oh, yep, that one again. X, Y, Z.”

When we get into set routines in our readings and interpretations of the symbols and messages in the cards, that’s when it’s good for us to shake things up a bit. Buy a new deck, read a new book about tarot, or do an in-depth meditation on one particular card, without a reading attached to it. Anything that gets you to have a new approach and see things through beginner’s eyes again will help you deepen and enrich your practice.

So, in this spirit, join me on this tarot treasure hunt for the little-noticed symbols that I’ve recently discovered or that I find many readers have “a-ha” moments when they finally see them for the first time. Some of these are quite obscure, while others might jump out right away so that you’ll know immediately which card they refer to.

Grab your deck and let’s go! For this treasure hunt I’m using the standard Rider-Waite, and I’m limiting the cards to the minor arcana only, in this go-around. My next post will go into my interpretations for each of the symbols below, as well as reveal the cards where they’re found. In future hunts we’ll work with the majors as well.

Where in the tarot minor arcana will you find…

  • Butterflies on a throne?
  • A small snail crawling on the ground?
  • A brown rabbit?
  • Three cards of the same suit with three mountains (some may see as pyramids) in each?
  • Two cards from different suits with stained glass windows?
  • Two cards in which the figure in the card has their hand resting confidently on top of the pentacle?
  • A fish necklace?
  • A figure wearing one shoe and one boot?
  • A wand bolted down?
  • Two cards that have an arched bridge with two arched passages underneath?
  • A patchwork quilt with zodiac signs on it?
  • Two cards of the minor arcana whose figures have their hands forming a blessing similar to The Hierophant?
  • The only knight without a helmet?
  • Two black angels with disproportionately large wings?
  • Circus tents?
  • The moon?
  • Two cards showing balanced scales of justice?

Tips and Advice for Reading Tarot Court Cards

Oh, sheesh. Who of us hasn’t once, or a thousand times, said “I just seem to have so much trouble when it comes to reading the tarot court!”

Why in the world do we struggle so much when it comes to those pesky characters? What is it that makes them so tricky to pin down?

Well, I’d venture to say that first off, the easy but complex explanation is that, just like human beings, each of the figures in the court is multi-faceted, and so you can’t get to know all about them on first glance or at the first meeting. Just like when you cultivate a relationship with a person, getting to know the tarot court takes time, and they reveal the different sides of their personality the more you get to know them; that is to say, the more that you work with their energies in readings and life.

Here are some keys I’ve developed and found helpful in building my mastery of working with the tarot court, from my own experience:

  1. First, get to know intimately the energy of each suit.
    Generally speaking, the suits correspond to the four elements in this way: Wands = Fire, Pentacles = Earth, Swords= Air, Cups = Water. Studying astrology can help, if you’re so inclined, because you can group three astrological symbols into each suit. Therefore, Wands/Fire = Aries, Leo, Sagittarius; Pentacles/Earth = Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn; Swords/Air = Gemini, Libra, Aquarius; Cups/Water = Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. You can associate the various court cards with people you know who have these Sun Signs or Ascendants.
  2. Understand that general characteristics can apply, but don’t get stuck in a list of generic physical traits.
    A lot of us, when we first started learning the tarot, were introduced to the court through the LWB (Little White Book) that comes with the deck, especially in the Rider-Waite-Coleman deck where each court card is assigned specific physical characteristics. While that might be helpful by way of introduction, I find it more distracting than anything else. Sure, a court card *could* in theory represent a young, blond-haired teenage boy, or an older, mature dark woman, but frankly how limiting is that? Honestly, if you start defining the court cards this narrowly, you’re really going to consequently limit the scope and depth your readings can take.
  3. Become familiar with the energy surrounding each “level” of the court before getting more specific.
    It’s helpful to understand how to interpret “page” energy and “knight” energy overall, before you go even more specific into combining page energy with Pentacles energy, or knight energy with Swords energy, for example. What characteristics does a page bring to the table, and how do those filter through and manifest through the lens of pentacles energy? What does a knight strive to accomplish in the tarot, and how does he go about that when he embodies swords characteristics?
  4. Although we do refer to court cards as male and female for convenience’s sake, recognize that the card energies aren’t always representative of male or female people, or bodies.
    It’s natural to assume that the queen of each suit is a woman, or that the king is a man. But it helps to start feeling male and female in terms of energy vibration, rather than gender. In this it helps to study the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine/energy/philosophy such as yin and yang, and how those embody masculine and feminine energy, rather than being labeled male and female in strict gender terms. I like this article explaining the differences between creative and focused energy vibrations in male/female terms. Based on this explanation, which court cards feel creative and which focused? How does that transcend simplistic male/female body roles?

Here are some other basic tips I’ve received over the years through books, working with tarot teachers, and my own experience:

  • Imagine that each member of the tarot court is someone you know.
    This gem came from one of my mentors, Brigit, in a personal email. I go back to her advice often.
  • What would the court cards say to each other if they met?
    I’ve read this advice and scenario in nearly every book on the tarot court. Again, it goes into imagining how the court personalities would interact and come alive if they could come out of the cards and do their thing.
  • Which court card to you identify with most readily, and which do you tend to avoid?
    This helps you to identify which cards you can work with on a constructive basis: those you tend to avoid, which are probably areas of your own personality you tend to repress or want to deny, or simply don’t identify with as easily as those you are attracted to in the court.

Here are some other helpful sources for court card SOS!

What tips and tricks have you learned in your practice, for working with the tarot court? What are your biggest challenges in working with the tarot court? Share in the comments!

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Want more insights on a different tarot card each week, and using its energies for self-empowerment and inspiration in your own daily life? Sign up for my newsletter, delivered hot off the presses to your inbox every Monday, just click here now!

Six Mistakes New Tarot Readers Make

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making-mistakes

Actually, I hesitate to use the word “mistake,” because as we all know, mistakes are an essential part of learning. Maybe a better title for this post would be “inevitable rites of passage for new tarot readers” — who knows. Point being, here I offer a few tips for those of you who are relatively new to tarot, tips that might help you avoid spending time on what I’ve found is ultimately not as important as it may seem in the beginning. Take it with a grain of salt, and happy reading!

1. Worries of OHMYGOSH am I doing it right?

Whenever we take up a new hobby or start learning a new skill, it’s natural for us to continually question whether or not we’re doing it the “right” way. While there are a few rules that probably could apply to tarot across the board (for example, yes, you do need to shuffle/mix the cards somehow before laying them out), the truth is that there are far too many rules from far too many sources. A good rule of thumb then (here’s me adding to the rules!): study the basics, then find what works and feels right for you. Tarot is best practiced as an art that bears the unique imprint, intuition and personal gifts of the individual reader. Don’t spend too much time worrying about “messing up” or saying the wrong thing. Tarot is an intuitive language and as such, needs to be guided overall by an inner sense of knowing, once the very basics are mastered.

2. Not Having Faith in the Process

Especially for those of us who tend to be very rational, linear thinkers, the tendency to let doubt cloud our vision and feeling the need to logically explain how tarot “works” can be limiting and create stumbling blocks to learning. The paradox about this is that I really believe the rational thinkers among us (myself included!) stand to benefit the most from a tarot practice, for this exact reason: great tarot readings don’t come from the rational mind that’s able to scientifically prove and explain everything. This goes hand in hand with the above advice about not sticking to a super-strict structure and cookie-cutter style of reading. Loosen up! Let the cards speak! And above all, trust the process even if you have no idea if you’re “doing it right” or how it works!

3. Self-Doubt and “I’ll Never Be Good At This”

I suppose this is good general advice for approaching any new skill, but it’s particularly important in tarot, an art that serves to enrich us in our personal growth and in our sense of self: don’t beat yourself up if you don’t feel like you’re “getting” it quick enough. Tarot isn’t like learning to tie your shoes or ride a bike. In fact, as I’ve said before, learning tarot is a lot like learning a language. That being the case, you can’t approach it with a hurry, hurry, quick attitude. Although there are lots of books on the market that promise to teach you tarot in 30 days or less, and they certainly have their value in getting you to jump right in and get going, the underlying truth is that tarot is a life skill that you can, and should, grow and nurture forever. The learning never stops, so take your time and let the subtle nuances sink in gradually over time. You know what they say: Rome wasn’t built in a day.

4. Isolating Yourself and Studying Alone

Before the Internet, those of us studying the tarot had little resources other than books to help us learn. Nowadays though there’s no excuse for learning by yourself! The unbelievable wealth of resources both online and in person through meet ups and classes is truly never-ending. Get involved and share with others, don’t be afraid to ask questions or feel silly because you don’t understand something. We all had to start from somewhere, why should you be any different? Sharing the learning will make your experience much richer.

5. Waiting Until You’re Perfect to Start Reading for Others

There’s no need to wait before you start reading for others. While it makes sense that you’ll want to get comfortable with your deck and have some practice self-readings of your own first, truly the best way to learn tarot is to read for others. That’s also one of the greatest gifts of tarot: being able to connect with others and share experience and insight with wisdom that comes from a deeper source of knowing. Don’t be embarrassed if you have to refer to a book at first. How do you think I felt when I was learning Italian and had to wander around Rome flipping through my pocket dictionary? But again to go back to the language comparison, I will say that the liveliest and most memorable experiences I had learning Italian were the ones when I didn’t refer to my dictionary at all, but rather let myself become immersed in the process. You can do the same when doing your first readings for others. Talk to the querent, ask for their insights and opinions, and navigate the spread together. You can ask questions like: “What are you drawn to in this card? What does it seem to be telling you?” or “How do you feel when you look at this card and relate it to the meaning of its position?” You’d be surprised at how accurate and meaningful people’s uncensored, spontaneous reactions to cards can be.

6. Last but not least: Not Enjoying the Cards

This shouldn’t be stressful or difficult or tedious. Studying tarot should, in the ideal setting, be a practice that lifts you up and connects you to an unseen support system of knowledge and clarity. If you feel that you’re pushing too hard, or your tarot practice is starting to feel like a chore rather than a joy, for your own sake—take a step back and a break. Employ other methods of reflection like journaling, meditation or a walk in nature, and go back to the cards when you feel pulled to them, not because you feel you “have” to. Enjoy the process and the mystery of not knowing where the journey will lead!

What tips would you add for a new tarot reading to avoid pitfalls that can undermine confidence? What are you struggling with as a tarot reader? Please share in the comments!

***

Shelley Ruelle is a tarot consultant who works with clients using the art of the tarot, to help them gain insights and personal empowerment in making conscious decisions and navigating the sometimes confusing waters of life. Invest in your own greater good, walk more confidently on your life’s path, and intimately connect with your higher self through a custom-designed reading by Shelley: book your personalized reading now.

5 Tips For When You Keep Getting the Same Card in Your Tarot Readings

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Otherwise known as: “Ok, Universe, I get it! Stop yelling at me!”

Oh man, do you all know what I’m talking about here?

Teresa, The Tarot Lady, addressed this phenomenon in her When You Don’t Like The Outcome of Your Tarot Reading. And Brigit has some interesting tips in Six Mistakes of Reading Tarot for Yourself.

But what if it so happens that you employ the (very useful, IMHO) practice of drawing a daily card, and the SAME DAMN CARD keeps showing up routinely, literally day after day?

Whoa, Nelly!

I tell you what, lately the Universe is blinking a neon sign to me in the form of Mr. Four of Pentacles. And, surprise, surprise, Mr. 4 of Pentacles just happens to be one of my least favorite cards.

Ok, folks, so here we go. I try my hand at a few pointers for when, despite all of your attempts to the contrary (ie, you aren’t purposely asking a specific question over and over and getting the same response, and in fact you aren’t even actively DOING anything to encourage this card to come up, other than randomly drawing a card a day, for example), the tarot seems to be shouting at you by way of one particular card that just won’t stop jumping out.

1. Step back and take note of your feelings, emotions, impressions. Let your mind take a back seat.

It goes without saying that when a card continues to appear for you without your conscious effort, there’s a message within that needs to be explored in ways that go beyond your conscious, rational mind. Before you can delve deeper into the meaning however, it’s important to get clear and honest about how the card makes you feel. What’s your initial reaction when you see the card? Repulsion? Avoidance? Joy? Confusion? Jot down or simply take note of the general feelings: are they positive or negative? Is denial a factor? Do you not want to even admit honestly how the card makes you feel? Start to really notice the sensations that this card arouses in you and then you can be ready to approach it from a new perspective.

2. Go beyond your usual interpretations and think outside of the box.

Seems like obvious advice, but certainly one of the first things to do when the tarot keeps showing you the same card over and over is to stop looking up the same old keywords in your same old sources. Clearly whatever message you’ve been getting from them isn’t sufficient, or hasn’t been integrated yet. It’s time to admit that you need a new approach to this particular card.

3. Access intuitive sources of knowing for delineating the message that’s being sent to you.

You’re the only one who knows exactly what’s going on in your external life at the moment, and you can surely make some rational, logical conclusions and conjectures about how this particular card relates to your external and internal environments—after all, that’s one of the greatest benefits of working with the tarot: bringing meaning to your life. But in the case of a “repeater” you need to spend more time accessing non-linear sources of knowing, and spend time with your intuitive sources. The methods are many, but a few ideas could be: meditating on the card image and asking the card what it wants you to know; drawing a few cards to place around this card and creating an imaginary dialogue between the various cards, wherein they might be giving advice to the “repeater” card that you could learn from; cutting out images from magazines that you feel represent the meaning of the card and then allowing those images to sink into your subconcious; sleeping with the card under your pillow and asking your Higher Self to bring you information about the card through your dreams.

The point here is to let yourself be creative and totally non-rational, and not self-censor any impressions that come up.

4. Ask others for their insights.

The tarot community is full of helpful and wise people, and shared knowledge can be very empowering and enlightening. Type #tarot into Twitter to access tarot enthusiasts and professionals online, search Facebook pages to find tarot readers, Google the various tarot associations to look into their resources. Connecting with other human beings about their thoughts on your card can give you new perspectives that you hadn’t considered.

5. Keep a tarot journal.

I’ve already talked about this in my post The Importance of a Tarot Journal, Brigit addressed it back in 2010 in her post Using a Tarot Journal to Expand Your Tarot Knowledge and Arwen shared her thoughts through the ATA website here.

So, lots of sources about the hows and whys. Important thing here is to take note and make a record of your readings, especially when you start to see recurring cards. Not only will this practice help to impress meanings and interpretations into your mind, because you’re now relating them to personal experiences, but at the same time it serves as an archive for you as you deepen your own practice.

As for me, I’m going to be spending a little time with that greedy-looking little bugger on the 4 of Pentacles. I think he and I need to become friends.

What cards have you had to develop a closer relationship with? How do you handle recurring cards in your readings? Share in the comments!

***

Shelley Ruelle is a tarot consultant who works with clients using the art of the tarot, to help them gain insights and personal empowerment in making conscious decisions and navigating the sometimes confusing waters of life. Invest in your own greater good, walk more confidently on your life’s path, and intimately connect with your higher self through a custom-designed reading by Shelley: book your personalized reading now.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Turn the Tarot’s Wheel of Fortune

“Lemons in Blue Bowl” from Nel’s Everyday Painting

And you thought I was going to tell you to make lemonade? At the very least I’d be telling you to make it a lemon drop martini with a twist!

Folks, we all know life is going to dish up both sweet and sour. We turn to the tarot when the sour feels bitter and there’s no sugar on the rim.

This morning I was reading an article from Tricycle, a lovely website of Buddhist wisdom, and the following passage really struck me:

The classical statement that sums up the goal of Buddhist life: “Transform delusion into enlightenment.” On the everyday level of experience, Shin Buddhists speak of this transformation as “bits of rubble turn into gold.”

In my opinion, one of the highest services the tarot can provide us is by giving us deep and objective insight into the purpose and lessons to be integrated behind our bittersweet life experiences. How can we transform what hurts and what we want to avoid, deny, ignore, or dismiss into something that turns into inner gold?

The Wheel of Fortune — Random Chance Brings Opportunity for Change and Integration

The Wheel of Fortune appears in a reading to communicate both the cyclical nature of life (the ups and downs, sweets and sours, goods and bads, yins and yangs, etc.) as well as the ever-present possibility of seemingly random chance or synchronicity to change our direction. Spinning around, no one knows where it will stop.

I chose the Wheel of Fortune to represent this transformation of lemons into a lemon-drop martini (or lemonade if you prefer!) because it reminds me that life is a continuous cycle of changing events. The Wheel of Fortune shows how we use both our own will and action but must also integrate that with uncontrollable and unseen forces of Life that are constantly intervening with our best-laid plans.

—We’re planning our wedding in the midst of a happy engagement, and suddenly our partner falls in love with someone else.

—We look forward to a promotion and then our company decides to shut down our department.

—We’re convinced that we’ll never fall in love again, and then while meeting a friend for lunch, we’re introduced to someone who uncontrollably sparks our inner passion.

—We’re stuck about which direction to turn in our career, when suddenly a door opens up, someone leaves a position that we’re perfect for, or we get a completely unexpected call for an interview.

Random chance is unplanned for, but it can be opportunity in disguise, and we can view it as good, bad, or neutral. Life can serve both lemons and lemonade. How can we keep a larger perspective on things, finding balance and integration in our lives so that we can stay on the proverbial wheel of fortune without letting it make us dizzy or throw us off?

This also reminds me of a Zen story that I love to turn to, the “Maybe” story whose interpretation below I found at The 10 Very Best Zen Stories:

The Wheel of Fortune from the 12th century manuscript Hortus Deliciarum

The Wheel of Fortune from the 12th century manuscript Hortus Deliciarum

Maybe

Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

***

So the next time that life gives you lemons, is it sweet? Maybe. Is it sour? Maybe. Such is Life on the ever-turning Wheel of Fortune.

Shelley Ruelle is a tarot consultant who works with clients using the art of the tarot, to help them gain insights and personal empowerment in making conscious decisions and navigating the sometimes confusing waters of life. Invest in your own greater good, walk more confidently on your life’s path, and intimately connect with your higher self through a custom-designed reading by Shelley: book your personalized reading now.