Amethyst Tarot: King of Swords

Sunday, July 10, 2011

When One Card Isn't Enough

Sometimes I like to use 2 or even 3 decks during readings. These are often just personal readings - I wouldn't recommend it if you are reading for others! When I want clarification, possible other meanings, or I am just trying to go deeper into the cards, I will often pull another deck and lay out the same cards beside the original ones. Here's an example:

3 Card Mind/Body/Spirit Spread

For the original spread, I used the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight (English and Spanish Edition) by Cristina Benentinde.

Mind - King of Swords. The world is blowing all around you. Things are in constant motion and upheaval. You may feel lost and distracted at the moment. It is important to stay focused and stay flexible in your thinking.

Body - XIV Temperance. This is a Major Arcana card, and a source of distress for me at the moment. Part of the difficulties of my current job are from the physical labor involved. I cannot find the strength to lift weights and exercise outside of work because I am too physically tired (this is a source of mental anguish for me as I love to work out). This card shows a need for balance in taking care of my body (yes, my diet has been off lately as well).

It is interesting to note the rainbow between the two cups. Physically speaking, they could represent a need to balance the chakras. They could also suggest a need to balance and cleanse the aura (a great tip I was reading by Punk Rock Psychic today).

The asture landscape is reminiscent of many spiritual landscapes, especially those revered by Native Americans. While I am generally a forest girl, this is a reminder that I need to reconnect with nature for my bodily health.

Spirit - 7 of Chalices. Feeling tired and worn down, it is time to take off all the pretenses and see what is truly important. This life is finite, and the Spirit is yearning to fulfill the desires it was born to accomplish this time around.

This card also reminds me of many Buddhist meditations on death and impermanence. And that reminds me that I have been neglecting my spiritual practice, especially meditation.

What would I see if I used a different deck for this reading? Here are the cards from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marcetti. Mind - King of Swords - well-educated and expects to be paid for his/her expertise

Body - Temperance - balance, harmony, and moderation - something I am severely lacking right now. This card can also represent your Angel or Spirit Guide lifting you up or healing you with body work in the metaphysical realm.

Spirit - 7 of Cups - In this more traditional Waite-Smith rendition, the 7 of Cups represents too many choices. I am so overwhelmed by all that I could be doing, I am having trouble doing anything.

I also took a look at the same cards in Tarot of the Magical Forest (English and Spanish Edition). Here are two of the cards from this deck (my scanner is having issues and I was unable to find the 7 of cups on the internet).

In the King of Swords, the thing that stands out to me the most is the blue background. My mind is blue. I am feeling somewhat melancholy and stuck at the moment.

Both of the other cards have yellow backgrounds (color often plays a vital role in my interpretation with this particular deck). When combined with the card from the original spread with the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight, I immediately thought it could be my "yellow" chakra that is out of balance and needing the most attention at the moment.

I grabbed two of my chakra books and found that yellow is associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra, above the belly button. This chakra deals with self-confidence and self-development. It is also the storage house for our ideas about ourselves and the world around us. It is vital to check our judgements and beliefs to discover what works for us and what outdated ideas could be holding us back. Also, by working on this chakra, I should be able to overcome the "blueness" of my mind.

Each deck of cards lent additional ideas and meanings to the interpretation. This does not mean that any one interpretation was better than the other, or that any were "right" or "wrong." The layers that each deck added enriched the spread and increased my knowledge and self-awareness. Some decks gave me ideas on things that I could do to improve my situation (focus, meditate, cleanse my aura). Some gave me ideas about other aspects to ponder. All were quite meaningful.

The next time you do a reading for yourself, pull out a second deck and draw the same cards. Lay the two beside each other. What do the meanings for each tell you? Do they interact and work together? Are there conflicts between the illustrations? Note how each card makes you feel and how you feel when you see them together. Reading from more than one deck at a time can help you increase your knowledge of Tarot and help you see many possible sides and interpretations. It can be tremendously helpful when you draw a card and you have no idea how to interpret it or what the deck may be trying to tell you.

Plus, it's just plain fun!

Happy Readings!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Should L stay friends with M?

I did a relationship reading using the Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marcetti.

L - starting new pursuits, perhaps intellectual ones, making life changes, getting ready for action. You are ready to make positive changes in your life.

What you want out of the relationship - King of Swords, Reversed. Have you been burned before? Maybe you are tired of stern men who take control or take the upper hand in your relationships. Perhaps you have been the caregiver for too long and want relationships where you don't feel like you have to be the one taking care of everything or "fixing" things.

What you get out of the relationship - V Faith, Reversed. This card can be about bucking the trends and going against "normal," marching to the beat of your own drummer. Unfortunately, it can also indicate losing faith and feeling drained. Is this relationship wearing you down and making you feel pessimistic?

M - this card represents your friend. Poor, begging, whether or not he has resources, this person may be continually looking for a hand-out (either financially or emotionally). No matter how much people give or how much he has, does pessimism rule? Does he seem to always need more?

What M wants - 8 of wands, reversed. He isn't going to change his attitude anytime soon. The way things are suit him just find. And he's not (voluntarily) going anywhere.

What M gets from the relationship - 10 of Wands. Whether or not it's true, M feels like he has a lot of burden to carry. With the surrounding cards, and especially the 5 of Coins, I would imagine a lot of this is due more to his own imagination than what is truly going on in his life.

Possible point of conflict in the relationship - 7 of coins. L will work hard and believe that her efforts will pay off in the end. She is ready to roll up her sleeves and do what it takes to make her life better. She is putting in effort and waiting to see the fruits of her labor. M, however, may not believe that the hard work is going to pay off. He may try to bring negativity into L's life and bring down her efforts. He may see the world as a cold and uncaring place, and say, "poor me, I never get what I want in life" while L says, "what can I do to take charge of my own life and make it better?" This could also indicate that M is asking for too much financial or emotional support from L.

Outcome - 6 of Swords. A traditional meaning for this card is leaving sorrows behind. This seems to indicate that you may be leaving this relationship in the past. Cutting off ties with anyone can be painful, even if the relationships are negative or damaging to our self-esteem or sense of self-worth. But we all need to find our own way in life. And we are always better off for it. If we choose to stay around people who bring us down, we will end up with Faith, Reversed.