Prompt: “Pull at least three cards and use them as the foundation to tell us about the life of a very delicate or fragile object or person.”
The dandelion tuft stands tall in the grass,
(The Fool)
proud of its lions mane of white
(Six of Wands)
A soft breeze tussling it’s delicate fibers
(Temperance)
until a stronger one makes them take flight
(Three of Wands)
And the now bereft head watches with a sigh
(Death)
as its seedlings float away out of sight
(Ace of Pentacles)
Prompt: Pull the same three cards from your deck(s) and tell us how you might interpret these decks differently, and why. Same question, same cards, different decks. And if you’d read them similarly? Tell us that, and explain why! Today’s cards are The Star, Four of Tomes (Pentacles), Creator of Bells (Queen of Swords). And the question from our imaginary querent is “What do I need to keep in mind for the upcoming trip?”
“What do I need to keep in mind for the upcoming trip?”
Interpretation from the Numinous Tarot
In your preparation for this trip, make sure that you seek out advice from others (Creator of Bells) you know have already been on this trip in the past and are well versed in travel. They have nuggets of grounded wisdom to share with you (Four of Tomes), and advice that can help you through what would otherwise feel like obstacles and struggle (Creator of Bells again). You can approach this trip without consulting with them, placing all of your trust on a wing and a prayer (The Star card’s figure on a cloud among the stars), but you’ll find garnering a little advice from someone “in the know” will serve you well in the end and help everything go more smoothly.
“What do I need to keep in mind for the upcoming trip?”
Interpretation from The Titanic Tarot
Be practical in your planning when it comes to the finances involved in this trip (Four of Coins). There is a good chance there are going to be added expenses you aren’t anticipating. Don’t plan your finances so stringently that you can’t have a little wiggle room in that area when you need it (The imagery of the safe in the Four of Coins), and don’t spend so freely, trusting in the universe to take care of you (The Star and the figure pouring out her pitchers into the sea), or you may find the funds you need not accessible to you when you need them (Loose coins falling to the bottom of the sea and the closed safe in the Four of Coins). Judicious, well grounded preparations are needed to make sure you are prepared with a contingency fund when you need it (Queen of Swords).
Tomorrow is the new moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of @daisydazzleddreams
What is it time to focus on beginning that requires boldness, bravery, and/or visibility?
Dragoyle – In your work to try and revitalize your business and re-create the steady foundation you once had in this area, you have been playing it safe. Now is the time to experiment and explore. You will not discover (or build) that new foundation of stability by tinkering from the sidelines. Lean into thinking outside the box.
How can I more comfortably express my love, joy, and creative passions?
Serpopard – Instead of directing these energies towards strangers or those you only know on a superficial level, direct your love, joy, and creative passions towards those that have been with you the longest, and that you trust as a part of your inner circle. Here is where the most comfort can be found in sharing your vulnerabilities… which is what you sometimes consider these qualities to be.
Which leadership role in my life needs me to step up and stand strong at this time?
Tigerfolk – You are the safeguard of those things and people that are important to you. Stay vigilant about predatory behavior during this lunar cycle, and step forward quickly and decisively in times when it is spotted in others.
How can I best work with and balance the Crown, Solar Plexus and Heart Chakras at this time?
Ravagon – Historically, it is through your connection with nature that you find the peace and balance that you are unable to sustain on your own without this connection. Be proactive in “touching grass” whenever you can and connecting with the life and energy of the forest and its creatures. Your friends among the trees are waiting for you to return to them.
What is needed to assist me in reconnecting with my creative potential?
Grificorn – Enjoy the activities that sunshine and good weather allow you while you can, because you’re going to miss these things later. Summer isn’t your favorite time of year, it’s true, but it is something you miss in the dead of winter. Just as you miss the dead of winter in the middle of the summer. Make sure you are appreciating your time in the present, so that when the cycle turns to more unpleasant things, you will have joyful and positive memories to look back on and encourage you.
New Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.
Peacock Draconis – Make sure that you are pausing for gratitude in your spiritual practice and self-care. In doing so, you allow your self to see the beauty in life that you would otherwise let pass you by.
Other elements included in this reading:
Goat Figure as Sympathetic Representation of Amalthea
Prompt : Shuffle your deck of choice, then pull out every ninth card.
Of the eight cards now sitting in front of you, which card do you relate to most strongly and why?
At this time, I feel like I relate most strongly to the Nine of Swords. There’s a lot of changes going on in my business right now and I’m finding it difficult to stay open to the feelings of uncertainty I’m experiencing instead of falling into catastrophizing. Although insomnia is not a part of the experience right now, constant worry and anxiety issues thrum beneath the surface.
Of the seven cards now left sitting in front of you, which card do you relate to the least and why?
I feel that I currently relate least strongly to The Emperor. I definitely do not feel like I have all my ducks in a row, nor that my influence is having much of an impact on what’s going on with my business at this time. Instead, I feel like I’m struggling unnecessarily hard due to others choices and influences that I have no control over and no agency to change.
There are now six cards left. Assign a real person in your life, a fictional character, a movie, a book, or a song to each of these six cards and then tell us why you made the choice you did for each. (I chose to use a handful of the books I’ve read so far this summer.)
Wheel of Fortune – The Storyline of How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates
Every time you think you know what’s going on in this storyline, something happens that takes things off on another left turn. No one has solid footing, not in the book, and not you as the reader. There’s a lot left up to chance, and this story tells you just how wrong (and sometimes right) things can go when there’s no solid footing with which to make a plan.
Ace of Swords – Fionn Kane in Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver
While Fionn is away overseas, he does the absolutely most surprising thing and writes numerous letters to Rose even though he couldn’t tell her where he was or when he’d be back. Through these letters, Rose (and you as the reader) get to see a side of him that he’d never shown her in person and it creates a connection over distance in a way that wouldn’t have been possible through any other means.
Seven of Cups – The donor recipients in A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave
I spent a good part of this book, especially toward the end, wondering how it is that one donor’s personality and desires were able to out-weigh or overwhelm the other’s in young Joshua. It doesn’t feel like the fact that one of the donors was his foster father should be enough to make a difference. This might have been further explained in the book with the introduction of other characters and their own experiences, but although presented as uncontrolled, it felt more like there was definite choices involved every step of the way.
Knight of Pentacles – Louisa Halder in Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher
She took her time showing up (finally) at the end of the book, eventually appearing to step in like a knight on a white horse to provide some stability (especially in the monetary/resource/hearth and home areas) that was needed when everything fell apart.
Ten of Wands – Ash Harrington in His Cocky Valet by Cole McCade
This guy is so overwhelmed and out of his league when he’s left in charge of his father’s business, and even when help arrives, he doesn’t know how to ask for it or what to do with it. He’s drowning in his responsibilities. Part of the storyline for Ash is learning how to ask for help and how to lean on others instead of taking everything on his own shoulders until he’s ready to break.
Nine of Wands – Finlay Ashowen in The House Witch 3 by Delemhach
In the initial battles of the war, Finlay Ashowen uses his magic again and again to protect his home and those he loves and cares for, and again and again we see him beaten down and exhausted. He continues to rise up and fight again, though, finding ways to use what is not a “battle” magic in ways to protect those around him and what he values most.
Today is the First Harvest Celebration for the year. This day marks the transition into the harvest season of August, September, and October (of which there is a Second Harvest and Last Harvest that correspond to these months).
This holiday is often called Lammas, Lughnasadh, or Lugh, although I usually just refer to it as the First Harvest. On my path, it celebrates the beginning of Summer’s decline and ramping up of the busy season where we begin to reap in the abundance that the bounty of summer’s energies has encouraged to grow and flourish.
Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This First Harvest, though, I’ve chosen to do the Tarotholics First Harvest Spread instead of the regular spread I usually do at this time of year.
Calves: How can I better express my needs and vulnerabilities to welcome in nurturing assistance?
Six of Swords – Tune into what is right for you, and make sure that you are rejecting those things that aren’t. When you clearly communicate what works for you and what doesn’t, others are able to more easily understand what you need and provide it for you.
Corn – How can I foster the gift of greater long-term prosperity in my life?
Nine of Discs – Gratitude is the path to abundance. When you appreciate what you have and what you have done, gratitude allows you to open yourself up to more in a healthy manner. The key here is in the “opening up” instead of pushing and pursuit.
Peridot: Where can greater focus and clarity draw out more joy in my life?
Seven of Cups – There’s always going to be more things in life that you’re interested in than there is time to explore them. By trying to explore too many of them at once, you end up overwhelmed and take the joy out of these experiences. Instead, be more judicial in picking and choosing which interests you pursue, and as a result, you will find more joy in the experience.
Golden Topaz: How can more authentic self-exploration improve how I see the world?
Judgment – When you connect not just with who you are, but with the person that you want to become, it allows you to see life as a journey of growth and experiences instead of a race or a trial to survive.
Crow: What message from beyond have I been ignoring that it’s time to acknowledge?
Queen of Discs – The stability you’re lacking (and thus crave) does not reside within resources or money, but rather it resides in the nurturing energy you feel is lacking in your life. If you want to find that stability, it is through nurturing yourself and allowing others to do the same that you will discover its source.
Basil: What risk or danger in my life is it time to take seriously?
Nine of Cups – There is danger in stagnancy and in wallowing in one’s comfort zone. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy the things that make you happy and appreciate them, but it does mean you shouldn’t linger there so long that you start to wallow and languish instead of just enjoy and recover.
Why?
Queen of Cups – It isn’t just your body and mind that need nurturing, but your emotions as well. Stagnancy in nature creates an environment for rot and decay, and this is also true for one’s body, mind, and emotions. To nurture these things in yourself there is a need to actively pursue those things that make you smile and spark joy, rather than just wallowing in comfort.
Other elements included in this reading:
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
Here and Now I Exist – Who you are now, in your entirety.
Transformation – Resolutions and transformation. You are in a moment of re-dedication. Over the past two weeks you have taken some time off from some of the things that are usually a part of your daily routine, including meditation, personal card readings, and a few other long-term routines that you have been sustaining over the past few years. As August comes into focus, you are now re-dedicating yourself to the routines that worked for you before and discarding what hasn’t, creating a needed reevaluation and reset.
The Slough – What is to be left in the past as you move forward.
The Guardian of the Gate – As you work at re-dedicating yourself to your path and the routines and systems that support you, make sure that you are not allowing your boundaries to be forgotten or disregarded. They are an important part of this process because you need to “bake them into the cake” as its being made. This doesn’t mean that you need more defenses or a greater amount of awareness, it’s simply means that you need to not forget your boundaries during this process.
What Lies Ahead – An ideal state or ideal self you are seeking at this time.
The Cauldron of Creativity – You are seeking to reinvigorate yourself towards your creativity and curiosity. The way one manifest things into reality is that they first must imagine them through creativity and imagination, only then can we start working out how to reach those goals and achieve them. Creativity is the first step, and you are looking to rekindle that inner spark of creativity within you with this reset.
Limitations – Negative influences, opposition, or ill will.
Garnet – keep your expectations for yourself in check. Remember that this is not the end-all be-all of fixing everything that you perceive is not working properly in your life right now. It’s just an experiment and possibly a step in the right direction. Allow yourself to see where it goes without judgment or expectation for it to be more than it is.
The Boon – Positive influences, higher guidance, or divine intervention.
Wisdom – The trees, moss, and soil of nature lend you their wisdom when you choose to immerse yourself within their presence. Make sure that you are getting out in nature and enjoying that presence, connecting with it, and allowing it to influence you with the wisdom and support that lies within these activities and connections.
The Wound – An unpleasant past experience or event that is ripe for some support and healing.
Owl – Remember that uncertainty is not your enemy. By embracing uncertainty instead of fighting against it. You allow yourself to learn from the experiences that uncertainty has a hand in offering you. Just because these experiences feel unpleasant doesn’t mean that they don’t have value. Make sure that you’re looking for the boon in these moments instead of fighting against them.
Nostalgia – A positive past experience or event to acknowledge, reflect upon, and enjoy.
Crow – In an echo of the previous prompt, the Crow tells us to remember those times when we treated uncertainty as an adventure, or identified the positives in the experience rather than just fighting against the direction and uncertainty that lies there. There are just as many positive experiences that came out of uncertainty as there are negative ones, and this card encourages us to reflect upon those that came out in a positive light and look at how your mindset helped you in these moments.
A Warning – Something coming that can be prevented or overcome.
Truth – Remember if people’s words and actions don’t lineup, it’s the actions that demonstrate the truth of the person or persons involved. Don’t get so wrapped up in the words they say that you forget to pay attention to what they’re actually doing. It’s in the discordance between these two factors you will suss out the liars trying to play you for a fool.
Empowerment – A future opportunity to work toward.
Correspondence – Remember that it is within nature that you can find the balance you seek when things seem chaotic or jumbled up. Within the simplicity and complexity of nature, alignment is found, which can allow you to ground more easily and sort through the chaos without losing yourself along the way.
Message from the Spirit World – It is in how you connect with the world around you that you find the clarity, connection, and support needed to express yourself authentically from a place of stability. Make sure that you aren’t closing yourself off in an effort to protect yourself. Connect instead.
Message from the Mind’s World – As you seek transformation, make sure that you are using your creativity to ensure that you not only achieve the changes you want to make, but also uphold your boundaries while doing so.
Message from the Physical World – Use your energy and vitality to push yourself into uncertain moments rather than trying to run away from them. You will gain more from using these uncertain moments to your advantage than you will from trying to brace for their impact or mitigate your feelings of discomfort.
Other elements included in this reading:
Scotch Pine Cone for Purging Negative Influences
Foraged Lodgepole Pine for Resilience, Growth, and Renewal
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Foraged Oak Branch with Moss and Lichen for Perseverance
Moss Agate for Attracting Opportunities for Growth
Botswana Agate for Reducing Stress and Anxiety
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
