21 Ways To Read A Tarot Card -- step TWELVE

fractalgranny

21 ways - step 12 - crow's magick page of cups

8 of wands

a young man moves purposefully to the right, apparently moving 6 wands. he holds one wand upright, and another diagonally in his right hand. the other 6 wands are stacked against the wall, diagonally.

my recent past:
sending off resumes in the course of applying for a new job.

obstacle:
work, perhaps quite a bit of it, that cannot be carried out in one step, and carried out by one person only.

strength:
it’s quite a bit of work, but i can do it, i’m up to the task because i have the strength, health and skills for it.

what is my purpose in life – the best that can be achieved
a methodical carrying out of activities by one person who has the strength, health and skills to do it, and to do it all by themselves.

what do i need to know about buying this house? my fears
that there will be a whole lot of renovations which i have to do all by myself.

exercise 2:

how can i be more of a “force to be reckoned with”?

using my card, the page of cups in the crow's magick

what i need to let go of
lack of trust in the mystical, in that which is signified by the cups
a growing belief that i because i am getting older, there are certain youthful things that are becoming much more difficult for me
holding onto that which makes it feel safe to stay in the darkness

strengths
enthusiasm
curiosity and interest
a safety net

also, in a previous exercise i said that what would help me is: “i think the protective cup would help me, as well as the ring out of which the lizard is jumping – it, too, feels protective. there are also the three dots beside the cup – they feel like three entities in the back that i could “refer” to.” so these things would be strengths, too.

next step
look for situations, big and small, where i can at least think about “stepping out”



exercise 3

issue or situation
page of cups

this card centers around a reptile eagerly jumping out of a circle. it's almost like a puppy. its mouth is open, we can see its red tongue. it's camouflage-coloured. apart from the circle, six geometric, sigil-like elements can be seen on the card, all drawn in faint gold. from upper left to lower right they are three dots arranged in a triangle, an almost square rectangle, a zig-zag line, three rectangles connected by lines (a bit like a flowchart) and something that looks the head and shoulders of a one-eyed stick figure. the card's background is black (as all crow's magick cards). in the upper part, we can see flecks of green and red and gold that could be interpreted as cosmic dust. three astronomical symbols can be seen in the lower left corner (pisces, cancer and scorpio). in the lower middle, it says "page of cups" and underneath we find the words "unearthy, mystical."

what is unexpected
3 of swords

the lower part of the card shows a metallic-looking heart of a grey maroon colour. it is cut in two by a red lightning bolt. icicles are hanging from the heart. on its surface are drops. three swords can be seen in the upper half of the card, pointing straight down to the heart. between them we can see two icicle like shapes. eight round shapes, five dark red, three maroon float through the card – they look a little like golf balls. the sign of libra is in the lower left hand corner. the words “pain, grief” are printed on the bottom of the card.

alternative possibility
ace of wand
a yellow, red and black feather hangs in the middle of the card. it seems to be suspended from a red wand that slashes the center third of the card from the lower right to the upper left. a black-and-yellow thunderbolt can be seen behind the wand in the upper third of the card; it looks like a strongly slanted N. seven rectangular, marbled shapes form the background to the feather, wand and thunderbolt. these shapes are layered; they are yellow, red and black, with the yellow predominant. the lower left corner shows the astrological signs of aries, sagitarius and leo. the words for the card are “success, rule”


the issue at hand is to be a force to be reckoned with just as this enthusiastic page of cups, who is jumping out into the universe full force, and without looking back. what is unexpected is the degree to which something – maybe fear? – holds me back. the fear may be some separation anxiety, that i will find myself out in the cold with all those icicles, and that that might break my heart. a possibility that is an alternative to the puppy-like youthful enthusiasm of the page of cups is the ace of wands, which feels much more controlled, focused and powerful. it actually looks much more like a force to be reckoned with than the page of cups. i can imagine the wand being held by an elder with much authority in the community, an authority that is deserved because of the essence of innate power and spirituality that is conveyed by the ace of wands.

how do the new cards offer insight into the page of cups? they show up the heedlessness of the page of cups.
 

Hemera

step 12~Vampyres~The Empress

Step 12-1 Interpret the Nefertari’s Tarot Eight of Wands as if it came up in the following spread positions:
1) the recent past- you have left something big behind, like a big work project. Maybe you have been very tired and depressed. But you are now moving on with lighter steps, new energy and bigger determination than before.
2) an obstacle – You are facing a problem that you have to solve before you can move on. It is not a big issue but it is something that can´t be overlooked either.
3) your strength- You are full of energy and new vitality and the time is right to act on your ideas.
4) a question of “What is my purpose in life” –You do not need to solve such a big question now. Right now you can´t see very far ahead of you and you must take each day as it comes and let each day take care of itself. The purpose will unfold as you move on.
5) “What do I need to know about buying this house? -Are you being too hasty? Are you sure you are not rushing into this? Have you made sure that the builders did a good job with this house and that the foundations were well made? Could there be mold in the structures?


Step 12-2A: Relative to my chosen card, The Vampyres Empress, what do I need to look at in my life right now? -How to age with dignity and grace and to bring into fruition all the things that I have learned up to this point in life.
* The Empress is Mother Nature. She tells me to become better in tune with the nature and its cycles and forces. I need to remember how small and insignificant I am in the bigger picture of things. Like a bird or a fox and so I should leave just a few faint traces behind me wherever I go. It is not good for human beings to have an inflated ego and while I know I don´t have that I´m always tempted. I guess it is the curse of the modern western world to insist on everybody being “special”.
* The Empress is a listener. I need to listen in a new and much deeper way and I need to listen more than talk.
* The Empress wears a beautiful classical dress. A bit old fashioned maybe but made of silk or some other luxurious and good material. She looks medieval so obviously she does not try to look younger than her years! -Okay, point taken! :D



Step 12-2B: Pick three positions of spread and interpret my card from these perspectives.
What hinders me in m my new path: The Empress looks sad. I think she is remembering the good old times and missing people and things from her previous lifetimes. I know that looking back and having those “what if..” thoughts is still holding me back. I´m sad especially because of my mother and I need to understand that there is nothing I need to regret. There is nothing I could have done differently that would have had any effect.

What helps me in my new path: The Empress looks very calm and quiet and she is listening to the bee buzzing and the apples growing and everything that is going on around her. I need to stop fussing and I need to slow down. Downshifting and slow life are the key words.

The next step: I think the Empress just waits for the next step in her life. She is no longer rushing into anything but she waits for people and things to come to where she is. If they don´t come it is okay and if they do she is happy to see them and listen to them. But there is a challenge in her gaze, too. She is not interested in empty talk. She wants substance. She is a Vampyress who wants beef })



Step 12-3: Pick two other cards to clarify the question holding the chosen card as the situation.
My question was: How to age with dignity and grace and to bring into fruition all the things that I have learned up to this point in life

Middle card, The Situation: The Empress
A powerful and ancient Vampyress Lady. Beautiful and mature. Gentle and nice but also firm. She has aged with dignity and grace and she knows how it is done. I hope she will teach me how.

I shuffled the remaining 77 cards and pulled the following:

What hinders (on the left): The Moon. Another beautiful lady who looks a lot like the Empress. They could be sisters in fact. She is a very enigmatic lady. She looks sad like the Empress but she is clearly also much more lost. The Moon is traditionally the card of imagination and wishful thinking, fear and illusion.. The Moon is about withdrawing into the unconscious and having a period of rest and retreat. I think here it means that fear and withdrawal would be a hindrance in my chosen path from now on. Especially seeing the next ”What helps”-card I think withdrawal is now something that must be left behind.

What helps (on the right): Lord of Grails. The King and his horse are leaping forward and taking action. Nothing fearful or withdrawing in this card. The card is full of energy and very green in color just like the Empress card. (The Moon was just white and pale). Green is, of course, the color of life and new growth. The King is holding the head of Medusa and catching blood from the severed head into his chalice. The blood is poisonous but in the chalice it will turn into creativity, beauty and poetry (note: this has recently been discussed in the Vampyres Study Group). I think feeding my creativity and my own art is the thing that will help me continue to grow and mature. With art it is possible to transform sadness and suffering of the young girl (Medusa) into good fruits that can nourish us and the ones near us.
 

Tarot Orat

21 Ways - Step Twelve

Step TWELVE - Dark Carnival Tarot, The Hierophant

12.1. How would I interpret the 8 of Wands from Nefertari's Tarot in the following positions?
(This deck is near-identical to the Tarot of the Sphinx, which I own, so I referred to the real card in that deck.)

1. The recent past
I had a lot of work piling up, but through determination and willpower I was able to make great strides and maintain my forward momentum.

2. An obstacle
There's a lot of work to be done and I can't tackle it all at once. I have to avoid delay and over-examination of the situation.

3. My strength
I'm a driven worker who gets things done efficiently. I "keep my eyes on the prize" rather than looking back.

4. "What is my purpose in life?" in the position "The best that can be achieved."
I create a path by removing difficulties and obstacles; I enable others to follow this path and reach their own goals. I lead by example with my motivation and drive.

5. "What do I need to know about buying this house?" in the position "My fears."
I'm worried that I'll dash headlong into buying it without taking the time to look closely enough at all aspects of it. Perhaps I'm afraid that if I don't buy it right away someone else will snatch it out from under me.

12.2.1. What do I need to look at in my life right now?
What do I need to know about bringing out and accepting the positive aspects of my inner self?

12.2.2. Pick three spread positions and interpret the Hierophant from these perspectives.
(I picked them at random by closing my eyes and moving my finger around the pages with the list of spread positions.)

How others see me
Other people see me as knowledgable and in control. I look like I've got everything together and am an authority who can answer almost any question. I might be perceived as a know-it-all or standoffish/cold on my little pillar of knowledge. People seeing me this way could help me improve my self-image if I look at myself from their perspective and try to internalize what they respect. It could harm (okay, continue harming) my self-image if I dwell on negative opinions they might have, if I try to "dumb down" to avoid looking like a know-it-all. It could also hurt me because if they see me as a cool, collected, confident person they may not realize my inner lack of confidence and, should they be inclined to help me, they wouldn't know I needed or wanted help.

What is blocked
I simply can't accept success or the idea that I can really enjoy and celebrate what's inside me. (I'm looking more at the Ringmaster himself than the general meaning of the card here.) I think the fact that I found him so distasteful when I first chose the card, and still don't feel comfortable with him, means that I'm trying to repress what he stands for. He's reveling in his skills and the fact that people look up to him, and he's able to pass on those skills by teaching those people. I'm just terrified of success (because it would defeat my negative self-image, which has been my identity for so long), and people telling me I did well either embarrasses me ("I don't deserve it") or makes me think they're lying to make me feel good. I KNOW I have a lot of talent and intelligence and I CAN do great things, and I really do enjoy teaching and helping others, but I have to allow myself to DO it. I mean, literally give myself permission. Tell that clown it's okay to touch the Ringmaster's coat without a handkerchief...he's worthy. I'm worthy.

What I bring to the issue
I think I just answered some of that...I've got skill, I've got intelligence, I've got the ability to learn and teach. I do have the positive qualities of the Hierophant. And like the clown on the left, I'm open to learning and able to be humble and admit what I don't know and am afraid of. On the other hand, like the clown on the right, I can close my eyes to the truth and blow a lot of smoke to keep other people from finding out my truth. I contain all three figures on this card; I need to bring them into balance and know which aspect of myself should be at the forefront in different situations.

12.3. Create a three-card spread with the Hierophant in the Issue or Situation position.

1. Situation: The Hierophant
Like the clown on the left, I seek approval - from pretty much anyone, except myself! Like the clown on the right, I close my eyes to my own good qualities and potential - it doesn't "count" if it isn't coming from someone else. I'm not going to be able to appreciate and bring out my own inner strengths and connect with a Higher Power till I can be more like the Ringmaster: confident, enjoying what he does and who he is, regardless of who's looking or not looking, who's approving and who's disdaining.

2. The source: 2 of Faygos (=2 of Cups)
A smiling young man and woman toast each other with two bottles of beverage - the liquid sprays out like champagne or shaken-up soda. Behind them is the back of a stage flat covered in multiple hues of paint; I get the feeling they're the stage painters for the circus, who've painted the front of the flat to the ringmaster's instructions but have let loose making the back of it their own. Paint stains the clothes of both people but they clearly don't care.

I've always been desperate to fit in, be loved (or more importantly feel loved)...I wanted to be like the couple on the card, enjoying each other's company and perfectly at home in their environment. But I never felt like I could get there; I was on the outside looking in. I think that's where the desperate approval-seeking came from: just wanting to be accepted and loved, and if I couldn't be loved for myself, then I'd be whoever anyone wanted as long as I got a response.

3. Advice and guidance: 7 of Axes (=7 of Swords)
An eclectically-dressed young woman runs with an armload of five axes; two more axes are stuck upright in the ground behind her. In the background are two red and white striped big-top circus tents full of people. The woman wears a mix of masculine and feminine clothing: a black corset dress with a man's red necktie. The color palette is limited to black, gray, white, red and yellow, full of jagged lines and dizzy swirls. It's unsettling just trying to focus on one part of the image, let alone take the whole thing in at once.

The immediate phrase that came to mind is "Cut the crap" - cut loose, cut and run, run free. Leave the opinions of others behind - and leave my own opinions about them behind too! I need to take what's mine: accept my skills, talents, and inherent worth. And I can leave behind what I can't or don't want to carry...the self-doubt, the inferiority complex, all the things that hurt me. I can embrace the duality of my own nature, as an earthbound human and a creature of spirit, living my own life and living free.
 

Onion Budgie

21 Ways: Step Twelve

Step TWELVE: Radiant Rider-Waite, Six of Cups

12-1 How would I interpret the Eight of Wands from Nefertari's Tarots if it came up in the following positions:

The recent past
The querent has recently experienced an exceptionally active, and potentially productive or possibly stressful period in their life.

An obstacle
More haste, less speed. The querent may need to slow down, otherwise mistakes may be made, important factors overlooked.

Your strength
The querent is capable of channelling their energy and enthusiasm to get things done in a timely manner.

How would I modify its meaning if it came up in response to the questions and spread positions below?

What is my purpose in life? / The best that can be achieved
To focus on and channel your talents positively with an end goal in sight. Self-belief and determination can set you flying forward.

What do I need to know about buying this house? / My fears
There is an anxiety that if the querent does not make a bid, or if they cannot arrange essential details in good time, i.e. solicitor and survey, they may lose the property, or create problems down the line due to their delay.

12-2 (a) From what I've discovered about the Six of Cups, what do I most need to look at in my life right now?
How best can I further my re-emergent childhood interest in creative writing?

12-2 (b) Pick three spread positions from those featured and interpret my chosen card from these new perspectives.

Strengths
An overactive imagination when I was a child led to my creating wild and fanciful stories, scratched out in stubby pencil and, later, on a battered typewriter. My main strength – according to the Six of Cups – would be always having retained a childlike delight in creating, in one form or another.

Weaknesses
Not to naively assume that any measure of success is guaranteed. Perhaps even a lack of true ambition or desire for monetary gain.

Next step (to do, advice, guidance)
Follow your dreams? Keep on keeping on? Share the good stuff with the right people and see what comes of it.

12-3 Six of Cups is now in a spread called the Issue or Situation. Identify two additional positions, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of these positions for a three card spread. How do the new cards offer new insights?

Issue/Situation: Six of Cups

What you need to let go of: The Star
I need to let go of any fear and doubt that is holding me back. Doubts that I may not be good enough; fear that I may never succeed.

The best that can be achieved: Page of Wands
This card seems to be telling me that hey, it's all about the fun and the enthusiasm. It's about the mad, creative spark that inspired me to venture out in the first place. So if a basis of happy, fruitful creativity is the best that can be achieved – well that's just grand and good.
 

Deanne

21 Ways - Steampunk

Step TWELVE - Steampunk (Moore) - 5 of Wands

12.1
In the following positions, Nertari`s 8 of Wands could mean:

Recent past - things have been happening or changing quickly; you felt rushed through a task; you`ve been focused on a single goal; you started down a chosen path

Obstacle - you`re having trouble keeping up with the situation; you have a sense of inevitability (why bother if you can`t change anything); you are distracted, mind is focused on something else

Strength - you can quickly reach your goals, you are determined and focused; you fully commit to your choices and their consequences

Best that can be achieved (regarding one`s purpose in life) - you realize quickly what path will be satisfying and you dedicate yourself to it.

Fears (regarding buying a house) - you fear you`re rushing into this purchase; you fear you haven`t explored other options, that you`ve decided too quickly


12.2
Based on previous exercises it seems that I need to focus on overcoming obstacles that I create. I need to help myself reach goals rather than get in my own way.

Question: How can I overcome my inner obstacles?
In the following positions the 5 of Wands tells me:

Strengths:
I am able to look at things from many different angles. I easily see the pros and cons of any choice. I can use this strength to my advantage by focusing on the positives that will come from tackling my obstacles and the negatives that result in me creating them.

Weaknesses:
I tend to give into conflict too easily. When things get tough I hide from the issue rather than tackle it. This weakness is one of the sources of the obstacles I create. I let things build up inside when I hide them there.

Next Step:
I should connect with people around me for support. It`s doubtful they even know of my struggles as I keep everything shut in. Others may have new perspectives on how to deal with some of my problems; they may have even been through some of the same ones. I need to open up and seek help externally, rather than continuing to struggle through things alone.


12.3
**This spread kind of created itself. It ended up not being about the above issue, but one mentioned in a couple of earlier exercises (regarding my opinions not being heard)

1 (centre). The Issue: 5 of Wands
The issue is that others are (or appear to be) attacking my ideas. I feel defensive because I believe my opinions are not being heard and that others are not willing to listen to viewpoints other than their own.

2 (right). What to hold on to: Knight of Swords
I need to hold on to my sense of logic and reason. Be objective, rather than emotional and reactive. I should thoroughly analyse my position as well as the opposing ones. If my position holds up to this scrutiny, how can I defend it in a more rational way? If my views don`t hold strong, is it worth defending them at all?

3 (left). What to let go of: The Tower
I need to let go of 2 things - my fear of change, and any false foundations I may be standing on. If defending my position is the choice I make, I need to do this from a steady foundation (which may require some building or fixing), and I`ll need to approach people in a different way (as my current method generally leads to frustration). If my position is not worth defending, I need to be open to other viewpoints (change my perspective) and knock down the faulty structures that may prevent this.
 

crystalrose

Step TWELVE - Silicon Dawn

12.1

1. Recent past - a project that concluded speedily.
2. An obstacle - haste makes waste, moving too fast to your detriment.
3. strength - being able to take the initiative without hesitation.
4. best that can be achieved - being able to accomplish a lot in a short span of time.
5. fears - rushing into the purchase without thinking it through.

12.2 - How can I develop spiritual wisdom? Card is the Hermit.

1. Strengths - Being able to go on my own path for wisdom & willing to share my knowledge. Being a philosophical deep thinker.

2. Weaknesses - Tendency to withdraw from other people and keep to myself, social isolation. Excessive self reliance. Spending too much time in thinking and contemplation.

3. Next step - Learning about different philosophies and approaches to life in order to develop my own.

12.3
Situation - the Hermit
Withdrawing from others completely to figure my own self out. Developing my own inner wisdom and engaging in some serious introspection. I am a loner, but I feel it's especially necessary at this time in my life so I can make the right decisions. I'm trying to find a sense of direction in my life separate from what other people want or think. Essentially, I am taking time to myself and drowning out external noise so that I can find my own truth.

What is unexpected - The World
Travel! World signifies to me an expanded viewpoint and being able to integrate varied perspectives and experiences. This is unexpected because the Hermit is about withdrawal and silence.... But this solitary contemplation could ironically lead to a broader perspective on the outside world. World could also be about becoming more whole and integrated - discovering and expressing aspects of myself that were previously unknown. Being healthier and well-rounded.

Best that can be achieved - Judgement
Making a major life change that is more in line with my spiritual and personal values. Feeling alive, reborn and refreshed... Regaining a sense of optimism & joy of living. Starting fresh in a way that truly makes me happy. The Hermit time is necessary to figure out what I really want & then as Judgement says, I need to actually implement those changes. Altering the course of my life for the better... Could be a move I'm considering making, a career change, taking care of my health. Doing the necessary things to improve my life and close out certain chapters that need to be over.
 

Beira

21 WAYS - STEP 12 - THOTH DECK

As someone else did, I have worked on my Thoth deck's 8 of Wands because I think it is more related to my interests and because I didn't want to rely on a black and white image. Besides, it has appeared in a wisdom reading I am having this week, so it comes at the right time.

Thoth 8S is called swiftness, expresses the energies of Hod in Atziluth (creative world), and of Mercury in Sagittarius.
There are three visible pyramids (plus I suspect there is a fourth underneath) multicolored, with 8 red rays that recall electricity spreading from the centre to 8 of the corners of the pyramids. Over this figure, a very simple and plain rainbow.

12:1

As my recent past:
Action (the rays) must take into account each side (corners) of the situation to have an happy ending (rainbow). Impulses to action must be refined and sublimated, instead of being expressed as they are. Having obtained (after much delay) what I was after (a step towards a greater o jective), it is not the time to act, as we like the situation as it is and don't want disruption at the moment).
Maybe it can also indicate to differentiated. Having obteined what I had be working for, now it needs its time to work. I can better use this time taking care ofone of the other seven rays to see if there is anything else that can be improved while my last achievement comes to maturation and results.

As an obstacle:
The zigzag on the rays convey to me the idea of a compression, of a force that would reach further were it allowed to do so. What determines their extension is the positions of the visible apexes of the pyramids. The pyramids are emerging to me now as our perception of the situation, so the obstacle could be some error in perception, that makes us position the apexes of the pyramids in the wrong place, thus determining an error in the grade of compression we apply to our fiery impulses; that results in the plane of manifestation as our obstacle.
This leaves without the rainbow, but to me that symbol pertains to the positive aspects of the card.

As a strength:
The opposite of the above.. if we get right the sublimation of those fiery energy, success is resulting, and here yes, the rainbow makes sense in all its glory.. To have the strenght of sublimating our fiery impulses, (that are the harder to control, due to their very nature) and always act with the right amount of intensity required by the situation at hand. A good aim to look up to.

As a purpose in life:
Setting (and keeping) my oversized astrological Mercury: in a Sagittaarian mood would certainly be a great task to accomplish. As said above, I think fiery energies, being concerned with uproaring impulses at their very birth, activity, quickness, are to me the most complicated to fine-tune for sublimation. So the good results depicted in the card as this task is accomplished represent to me an achievement worth of being pursued.

As fears regarding the buying of a house:
I am being inspired to say: trouble with electrical appliances!

12:2

Getting back to my chosen card: Thoth Atu XXI, Universe.

As what I need the most to look at:
the new phase that I am entering. It is definitely starting but I need to choose up the secondary goals, because I don't want to have too much espectations over the relationship with my daughter. I might well have lost the train and it would only be fair enough.

In three different positions:
AS THE SITUATION: this moment when a chapter is closing and highlight will shift on another facet of me: maternity. It gives me the sense of forecasting success, as is part of the human nature and this time I feel it can come spontaneously.
AS DESIRES: my goodwill to be the best I can be and all the good automatism it sets in motion. The will to be whole and never again wear any mask to please someone else.
WHAT I CAN LEARN OF THE SITUATION: This is something that I am actually learning over and over, enjoying it every time better and better: the process of reinventing myself. I am very good at it, and every time that I do it, I am scared it might be the last time. Now let`s step into the new me of the family gal. See how long it lasts.. I bet the usual 8-10 years, yes, by then Kiara will be grown up and willing to start her own family, my parents will be reincarneting (hopefully at the far end of the planet.. half joking here) and I will be 44-47 yo, free as a bird, and ready to go and bring my free spirit someplace else to start a new chapter once more...