Working with tarot

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The World

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Prompt: “Pull the Hermit card from your deck(s). Compare the imagery between the card provided below and the card(s) from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?“

Tarot of the Hidden Realm - The WorldTarot of the Hidden Realm – Resplendent and spent, she lies among the green  and exhales a sigh of relief as butterflies flutter around her and reminder her of hope and that after she has taken this moment of rest?  She will rise to dance with them, and a new journey will begin. The imagery in this card speaks of relief, hope, and continuation. Just because we come to the end of one journey doesn’t mean it’s the end of everything… it simply means that you need to take a moment to orient yourself, and then lean into hope as you rise again.

Magickal Nature Tarot, Josana Jaus Tarot, Monsoon Tarot

Magical Nature Tarot – She dances in joyous celebration, skirt flared as she twirls in a feeling of completion and pleasure. She is there to remind us that endings are not to be mourned, but celebrated.  They mean that we have completed something.  A phase… a journey… it’s not dying but completing, and in that completion we find a touch of sadness yes.  But we need to focus on all the good it offers, the feelings of success and the boon we are being given and will be able to then carry with us into the future with a light step, lighter shoulders, and an even lighter heart.

Jonasa Jaus Tarot 7th Edition – Growing life within the womb is a miracle of womanhood, and the journey is both a beautiful blessing and a heavy burden. There is so much that can go wrong, and so much to take on, so many changes and so much discomfort. And when it’s time… and the birth comes? Well that can hurt too, and yet it too is a blessing beyond compare.  This card speaks of the boon and the bane that comes with growth and rebirth. You can’t have one without the other, but the end is worth the struggle when it comes down to it.

Monsoon Tarot – A figure emerges from a bed of flowers like they are slipping free of a Faerie mound, a nest rests as a crown on their head, eggs nestled within it and others lying among the flowers. This card speaks strongly of rebirth.  The World circles around back to the Fool, and what I see here is the Fool at rest before they wake and begin to move. It is that moment of pause where you acknowledge all you have accomplished and take a breath.  When your eyes open, you will step into the shoes of the Fool once more and an exciting new journey will begin.

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM, MAGICAL NATURE TAROT, JONASA JAUS TAROT 7TH EDITION, MONSOON TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – A New Beginning

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Prompt: “In line with the new year that’s fast approaching, pull (at least) three cards and use them to tell us a real or fictional story about new beginnings.”

Yuletide Lenormand[Stork and Mice]

There was once an old farmer named Abel and his wife Amanda that were eager for a child.  So eager… and yet so barren. They tried everything to increase their fertility and get themselves with child without avail.  Then, one day, a friend came by and offered them a proposition.  He would guarantee a child for the couple, but only if he was allowed to sleep with the wife for three nights in a row.

[Ship and Rider]

This proposal was a shock to the pair, but after a great deal of discussion and no amount of argument, they finally decided that it could be the only way that they might manage to conceive.

The wife packed up her bag for the trip to the resort where she would be staying with their friend, while able was left at home to imagine and consider all that she may be thinking… feeling… and god forbid, doing. When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he packed his own bags, and stormed out into the night, determined to start a new life with someone else.  Someone that could give him what he wanted and not seek solutions to their problems with his so called friends.

[Snake and Clouds]

After the five days were over, Amanda came home to find her house empty and cold. She called and called his cell, but when he finally answered he spewed venomous words at her, completely and conveniently forgetting it was -he- that had pressured her into this idea in the first place and placing all the blame for his abandonment of her on her shoulders.

And thus, this is how Amanda became a single mother, and began her life anew along with the new life that now grew within her.

DECK USED: YULETIDE LENORMAND

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Hermit

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Prompt: “Pull the Hermit card from your deck(s). Compare the imagery between the card provided below and the card(s) from your own deck(s). How would you read them differently and why?“

20221206_CP2Tarot of the Hidden Realm – A crone in the wild among craggy mountain rocks, she wears a symbol of death in the skull over her heart and a hag stone for vision around her neck as she climbs among the rocky landscape. This card speaks of the need to spend time alone in reflection, but hones down into that reflection being about change and how we react to change.  Self examination of our response to change can be a powerful thing, and in this card there is a need to consider our past reactions (the Hermit faces towards the past), why we react as we do, and how we can deal with changes in a more graceful manner.

The Hermit from the Christmas Storybook Tarot, Snowland Tarot, and The Christmas Tarot

Christmas Storybook Tarot – Rudolph lead the sleigh through the winter storm for Santa, and in this image his nose shines bright through a storm he treads through on hi own.  This card encourages solitary reflection placed towards where hope lies in our hearts. What is the shining light that guides us forward, and how can we utilize that to our benefit as we move through the more difficult times we may be experiencing or need to confront moving forward (Rudolph faces in the direction of the future).

Snowland Tarot – Here again the Hermit faces towards the future, and while the path at his feet is smooth and easy, the mountains in the distance illuminated by his lantern make it clear it will not always be so. With the book riding his back and the direction he faces, I see this card as more about planning for the future than about reflecting upon self improvement.  He looks outward, and seeks to see what is to come so that he can prepare, and this card suggests that the querent needs to do the same.

The Christmas Tarot – As in the traditional RWS that this deck is a clone of, the Hermit in this card faces towards the past with his head bowed and lantern held high. The staff provides stability while the Hermit looks within himself at his past, learning from his mistakes and getting to know himself better through introspection and self-examination. He seeks to take what he has learned from the past and sort through these memories and experiences in order to become wiser for the effort.

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM, CHRISTMAS STORYBOOK TAROT, SNOWLAND TAROT, AND THE CHRISTMAS TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Manna From Above

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Prompt: “Pull (at least) three cards and use them to tell us a story that ends in the phrase “manna from above“.

Manna from Above Storytelling with the Tarot of the Hidden RealmIt was a long and arduous battle, and I raged through the night to come out the other side with my blade and clothes coated in crimson. (Ten of Swords)

As I traveled home, weary to the bone, I worried that that I might not have slayed them all. Had one of the beasts gotten past me? Would I arrive to my home only to find all that mattered to me had been burned to the ground in a pile of smoldering ashes? (Nine of Swords and Ten of Pentacles)

And, when I climbed the last rise that lead to my home, I prayed to the heavens that my home would still be there, and that the smoke in the air would be a cook fire and not my family burning. So fearful was I that when I crested the hill and I heard my wife’s shrill, nagging voice carry over the distance to send my ears a-ringing, it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard, and to my soul it felt like manna from above. (Page of Swords)

DECK USED: TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Different Scenarios

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Prompt: “The purpose of this activity is to practice interpreting small spreads by combining card meanings, symbols and intuition. We will all interpret the same cards based on a few different (imaginary) situations. A 3 card spread will be posted together with 2 more specific scenarios. It’s your choice which scenario you’d prefer to use, or if you’d rather do a general reading of these cards as for an imaginary querent.“

Sasuraibito Tarot

Scenario 1 – Arnold is having a hard time getting along with his teacher. He’s a little shy and skittish about the experiments they do in class. He wants to know how to just get through the school year.

In order to get past your fear and find enthusiasm in the class, you’re going to have to examine what it is holding you back. Instead of shying away from it, identify the issues and look for a way to mitigate them (Eight of Cups). This class isn’t something you can just “cut and run” from, so in order to let go of what’s holding you back, be open to ways in which the subject matter can spark your curiosity (Page of Cups). With your curiosity stoked you’ll then be able to move forward eagerly and experience progress and eventual success in the class (Three of Wands).

Scenario 2 – Aesop is wondering if anyone will ever find value in his stories and wants to know what direction to take his writing in.

A new one. Shed the excess that isn’t working (Eight of Cups) and go back to the drawing board (Page of Cups). What is it that you are doing that you don’t enjoy about your writing? What makes you drag your feet or feel unsatisfied. These parts of the process are holding you back from the journey you seek with you writing. It may take some adjustments to let go of these things, whether it’s hiring new people or taking on a new genre, but once you decide to take the leap, things will begin moving forward for you once more (Three of Wands).

DECK USED: THE SASURAIBITO TAROT

Weekly Creativity Prompt – Different Scenarios

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Prompt: “The purpose of this activity is to practice interpreting small spreads by combining card meanings, symbols and intuition. We will all interpret the same cards based on a few different (imaginary) situations. A 3 card spread will be posted together with 2 more specific scenarios. It’s your choice which scenario you’d prefer to use, or if you’d rather do a general reading of these cards as for an imaginary querent.“

This Might Hurt Tarot - Knight of Swords, Six of Cups, Knight of Cups

Scenario 1 – Nelson just sustained an injury that blinded him. He wants to know how to best take care of his fragile mental health and navigate this new reality.

Charging headlong into the thoughts and ambitions of the past would be folly for you right now (Knight of Swords). Carry forward only the good parts and the loving support you’ve gained from those around you (Six of Cups), and keep your attention on the future. New dreams need to be made, and new goals created. Look for those things that will make you happy and go after them wholeheartedly instead of focusing on what needs to be left behind (Knight of Cups).

Scenario 2 – Dipper is trying to make sense of their new summer home with their relative and twin sister. They come to you for advice on what steps they should take to feel more comfortable.

Seek out memories of the past that you share with these other family members (Six of Cups) and proactively find a way to resurrect them and delve into those activities together once again (Knight of Swords). It’s through this connection to the past and those activities that you shared that those involved can move forward into a happy future together (Knight of Cups).

DECK USED: THIS MIGHT HURT TAROT