New (and by that I mean old) reading

Sorry.  I actually have a lot of things I can post, and no time at all in which to do it.  Life’s been overwhelming lately, and full of stress, but I’ve managed to find time to squeeze some readings in, and have had great fun with it.  I’m also hoping to get Tarot Sparrow moved to its own domain soon.  Anyway.  Here goes.

This reading took place back in December.  A friend of mine (recently single) wanted some insight into her love life.  I did a simple Past, Present, Future spread with my trusty Hudes Tarot and this is what we came up with.

Past – Five of Pentacles

This card (to me) indicated that in the past, the querent either used relationships as an escape from other pressures of life, or had experienced a bad relationship from which she needed to escape, or simply felt a need to go it solitary for a while.   It turned out to be a little bit of both–the querent had both used relationships as a kind of mutual support system, as well as taken an opportunity to go off on her own path when things didn’t work out, as a way to decipher her wants and needs.  Thankfully, there was no past trauma (at least not to the point that it deserved a card like this).

Present – Four of Wands, Page of Pentacles
Often, the Four of Wands is thought to symbolize marriage or civil union in terms of human relationships–but given that the querent was not in a serious relationship, I was surprised at first to see this card.  I asked the querent if perhaps she was having daydreams lately, perhaps of being whisked away (as in that old cliché of the fair prince)–she definitely was–and as a clarification card I drew the Page of Pentacles.  Not a prince exactly, but perhaps the closest thing to it in a traditional tarot, next to maybe the Knight.  Since the querent had no current love interest, I asked if perhaps there was someone who was interested in her–someone kind, stable, skilled, responsible, hard-working and/or well-off financially.  Whoever it was, she was not aware (though a bit worried that it might be her ex).  I guessed that it was someone quiet who was not very apt at expressing their true feelings, being more practical than outwardly emotional (the Pentacles suit).  If the querent wanted to be discovered, she might have to keep her eyes open, and make the first move.

Future – Death, Two of Cups
Now here, we see a definite change about to occur in the situation.  Death came up first, and I noted a transition of some kind, a shift from one circumstance to another.  As per what change, exactly, it was still a little vague, even though the natural shift would indicate a relationship on the horizon, given that it’s an obvious change from being single.  To confirm, I drew another card, and came up with the Two of Cups–undoubtedly the most reaffirming card possible: two people celebrating their love and companionship.

**However–it should also be noted that if it turned out my querent’s secret admirer was indeed her ex-boyfriend (in whom she was no longer interested on that level), these cards could be read in a different way–that upon revelation, any lingering feelings or remainings of the past relationship would meet their end, so that the querent could move on to other romantic prospects.  In this instance, Death can be seen as an action against the Two of Cups.

Overall, an interesting reading with some unexpected twists and a positive (or at least affirming) forecast.  My querent seemed happy (albeit a bit nervous), and willing to do her part to bring about change.  The cards were a bit cryptic this time, but once the identity of the admirer was revealed, the situation would likely unfold as predicted for each instance.  A strange and multi-layered reading.

New website, new readings

So in the (relatively) short time since my last post, I have launched my tarot readings website! It is called Tarot Sparrow. Feel free to visit ;)

In the interest of informing potential querents of my reading technique and style, I’ve gained permission to display two recent in-person readings I’ve given to two friends (since most of the content here is personal). I will not use names to describe them, but rather alphanumeric characters–because it works, it’s easy, and yeah, it’s kind of funny. In each of these readings, I expanded upon the simple past, present, future spread to include a total of seven positions in a spread. That is, the future position was expanded into 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year positions, to follow up on past and present. In addition, a position was created for advice (‘A’ below). I used the Hudes Tarot for both readings.

….P…..P…..1m…
………………………A
…3m…6m…1y…

The first reading was for Mr. X. X has not seen his wife in a number of months, as she has been residing in her home state across the country while X attends school. There have been obstacles and choices blocking her return (the details of which I am not privy to), and X wanted to know what turns his relationship would take within the next year.

Past – 5 of Wands
This card indicated there was a lot of squabbling going on, and perhaps this was part of the reason for the delay. This doesn’t necessarily mean big things, either – arguments about little things and misunderstandings are likely. The querent certainly agreed with me here.

Present – Tower
The Tower is always a scary-looking card. Given that the present situation seemed a little less traumatic from what I was told, however, I took this card to mean that X and his wife were going through more of an upheaval of the past and transitional stage than a large collapse. The Tower here indicated a breaking down of old structures and a rebuilding of the relationship.

1 Month – 4 of Pentacles
This card indicated a few things to me. One, I saw X trying to hold the relationship together within the next month. Two, I saw his wife possibly holding onto something else, something that was keeping her from returning (as has been the case for some time). It seemed likely that she was holding onto her life there and current circumstances, as opposed to making the effort to return and starting over, after having been gone so long. The person in this card looks fearful – fearful of change, fearful of losing their grip.

3 Months – The Moon / 5 of Swords
When the Moon came up in the 3-Month position, I was a bit puzzled. The Moon can be vague and mysterious (that is its nature), and in a future position it was just that. The clarifying card I drew was the 5 of Swords, which indicated a one-sided quarrel, being influenced by the mystery of the Moon. To me, this indicated secretive behaviour, and I advised X to beware of keeping or being the victim of secrets or distant behaviour in the next few months, lest they cause more problems in the relationship.

6 Months – 10 of Pentacles
After all that trouble, it was nice to see things looking up within the next 6 months with the 10 of Pentacles. This card indicates a union of sorts, a completion and coming together of love and family. of home. It is important that the querent understand the meaning of “home” in this situation. This came up again later.

1 Year – 9 of Wands
I have trouble with this card from time to time, because it too has always seemed a little vague to me; but I took this to mean that X would be nearing completion of a goal by the end of the year – a successful rebuilding of structure in the relationship.
Advice – 4 of Wands
Here is where home comes back into the picture. We see two people between a structure of sorts, a garland hanging above them. This is a card of structure, family, home and marriage. My advice to the querent was twofold: first, re-envision the living situation, as this may make a difference in her decision to return. Second, stay focused on what matters: the marriage that has already been built. Don’t lose sight of the love and the life and the home two people have built together – keep it intact, and things will fall into place.

It was a nice message to end the reading, and X seemed to be satisfied with the whole of it.

The second reading was for Mr. Y (yeah, I know). Y was seeking a different kind of information – financial information – and wanted to know more about his money situation in the coming months. I used the same spread for Y as I did for X.

Past – 3 of Wands
This card showed that in the past, Y had been working hard and focusing on bringing in an income. I thought perhaps it also indicated savings, but it’s also likely that there was a lot of waiting going on, and the profit was waning as fast as it was gaining (sorry for the bad rhyme).

Present – 8 of Cups
This card shows someone walking away from something…in this case, a person who has left an old job behind and is currently searching for or beginning a new one. Y confirmed that he would be starting a new job in the coming weeks, which (from the money perspective) would cause an increase in finances.

1 Month – 2 of Wands / 4 of Wands
In the next month or so, I saw Y having to make a decision – one that might affect his finances somewhat. The 2 of Wands alone, however, seemed a little vague here, and as a clarifier I drew the 4 of Wands. Harkening back to X’s reading, I thought once more of home; but since Y was too young to be purchasing a home, I asked, “Are you thinking of moving in the next month or so?” Y admitted that he was thinking about moving to a new apartment. This decision would certainly have an impact on his finances, if he chose to do it.

3 Months – The Hermit / Strength
I felt a little puzzled when I saw the Hermit in this position, and thought of someone who was leaving their job to do business for themselves – which seemed soon, but something a summer job would certainly allow for in the fall. Y said he had done this once before. I was unsure, so I drew a clarifier – Strength. I began to think it was certainly a possibility, as Strength indicates someone in charge of their own well-being. I also thought this could also indicate Y living alone in a 3-month period and taking on extra financial responsibility.

6 Months – 5 of Cups
The 5 of Cups is a card of loss – or, as I also told Y, one that indicates “spilt milk.” It seems at this time the querent may experience a financial loss from which he will have to recuperate. But it is likely to be a temporary loss, and one that should not be dwelt upon for very long. It is better for someone to focus on what they can do with what they have, than to contemplate their loss.

1 Year – 6 of Wands
This card is a happy card – or, perhaps not happy so much as successful. The figure in this card is very serious, and someone who is being celebrated or rewarded. It is likely that within a year’s time Y will find a promising job opportunity, or receive a raise in pay.

Advice – Knight of Wands / The Devil
This was the first court card I had drawn that day, oddly. The Knight of Wands could indicate a person, or simply the qualities exhibited by such a person. In this case, I saw the knight as the querent, and someone who should bring their new creative and work endeavors to fruition without delay. The knights indicate motion, and act decisively. To further understand this card, I drew the Devil, and explained that it can mean indulgence. I explained to Y that this may be a time of splurging and personal enjoyment, but that it would be wise to keep heavy spending in check – at least until those endeavors have come to fruition.

Further Future – 2 of Pentacles
At Y’s request, I drew an extra card for the further future – for the next big change in his situation (keeping in mind, of course, that the future is very mutable). This card has always been something of a “juggling” card to me, and I explained to Y that further in the future he would be taking on extra responsibilities which could be fruitful – but also that he should be careful to maintain balance, so that he (and his finances) would not suffer a blow.

Overall, the readings went great, and both parties seemed to respond quite well. I very much mean to be a shameless promoter when I say, please feel free to visit my website!

Remembering, discovering…

Strength. The last card I drew in a reading two days ago, after my beloved pet chinchilla, Sascha, passed away at 3.5 years…a mere third of the average lifespan. The cause is still somewhat of a mystery to me, though I’d been treating her on and off with antibiotics for the past few months. Nonetheless, I wish I could have done more.

Though I failed to predict her death (I hadn’t attempted any readings on the subject), I did perform a reading the night of her death as a sort of consolation to myself. Naturally, it did little to help, but little is the most I could have expected under the circumstances. I don’t profess to believe in an afterlife per sé – I’m more of a reincarnation kind of girl, though my views on the subject are still somewhat underdeveloped. They run somewhere along the lines of the conscious mind outliving the body – and while the consciousness (or spirit) doesn’t specifically relocate to a “better place,” it remains an unseen part of the world in which it lived…which to me constitutes its becoming not only one with the world (and in most cases, memory), but an influence on what comes next. As such, I like to think that every new being brought into the world exhibits some of the qualities of one that came before.

Due to my success with the Morgan-Greer Tarot recently, I decided to use it again (I am hoping to make it one of my main reading decks, along with a few carefully-chosen others). My first card drawing followed a question somewhere along the lines of, what message does Sascha want to give me? Ironically, I drew the High Priestess. For those of you who don’t know, the High Priestess is the master of the arcane – that is, keeper of secret knowledge and inner wisdom. I’d be lying if I said this lack of a straight answer didn’t annoy me upon first meditation. But the deck was right: this wasn’t about asking questions directly of a dead loved one. It was about coming to terms with the knowledge and wisdom I already had inside me. I rephrased my question, but given that I was a bit peeved and upset, was not clear enough with myself on what I wanted to know. Thus, instead of discovering the state of my chinchilla, I uncovered the state of myself: the Eight of Swords. Here, of course, we have a woman bound and wrapped in a blindfold, surrounded by a pillar of swords. This indicates a feeling of being helpless and trapped – the last thing I wanted Sascha to feel. I quickly realized, though, that this wasn’t the case, and that the cards were simply telling me I was reflecting my bad feelings onto the situation, and having trouble accepting any message I was anticipating. The thing about the Eight of Swords is it’s usually an unnecessary or voluntary entrapment, which is indicated by the blindfold (or in some decks, a woman locked away and holding the key in her hand). This card reflected my lack of faith – in myself, in the cards, in a good outcome (one that would be a given if I did, indeed, believe in an afterlife). I took a moment to relax (and, naturally, to renew my faith in my medium – which was, essentially, having a conversation with me). When I’d come to terms with what I was feeling I asked about Sascha, and drew the final card. Finally, an answer to the question I meant to ask – how was she feeling? The Six of Cups – in my experience, the playground of memory; of sharing in the past with oneself or with loved ones.

I cried, a little (okay, I’ve cried a lot in the past couple days). If I wanted my pet to feel anything, it would be reminiscence for the past, for her life, and all the good in it – something I, too, have been doing. Two little children playing among the flowers is a draw back to childhood, to happy moments. It may have taken me a while to get that answer, but in the end, I had needed those other cards to talk me through my grief and cynicism before I could.

Here is what I remember: a joyously fat, fluffy ball of the softest variety with a long, furry tail; someone who ran fast and bounced off the walls, and jumped high enough to reach my countertops; someone who got excited every time I shook the peanut jar, and every time I didn’t…who ran marathons on a squeaky wheel and swam rolling miles in a bowl of dust; someone who refused nearly every vegetable and gobbled up peaches and grapes and Skittles…who conquered the outdoors like a nervous stealth bomber – running fast, stopping abruptly, with no regard for direction. Someone who poked her head out of my purse in the bookstore and whimpered in her sleep when she had a nightmare; who lunged at any cat or dog that gave her trouble, who quickly learned evasive maneuvers and eventually, how to cuddle. Someone who begged like a puppy for treats and could still be aloof as a cat. Someone who bit my ex-boyfriend’s nipples (good girl) and fell asleep on my boyfriend’s butt. Someone bright-eyed at night and grumpy in the morning, who chewed on zippers and earrings and pillows. Someone who died in time to save me the hassle of moving with her, and someone on whom I’d have spent any amount of money to make sure she’d come along.

When I drew Strength, its message wasn’t the only thing I noticed. It is most often the only card in a deck in which an animal is being tamed – and in this case, I’d say, even stroked, loved. I promised Sascha someday to get another chinchilla. I believe what I believe about death for many reasons. Every time I get a new pet, I recognize something much older.

Sascha was my best companion through college. She will be sorely missed.

Good news all around…and the cards to back it up.

So I received my new Morgan-Greer deck the other day (gorgeous, vibrant, straight to the point) and decided to test it out with a few short readings. My first question: What will happen if I attend graduate school at Chatham? My first draw was the Ten of Cups, which was unmistakable in meaning: such a choice will bring happiness, friendship and fulfillment of goals. More specifically, I asked: How will attending Chatham for the next two years affect my relationship? To this, I received two cards: the Ten of Coins and the Fool. Once again, I was delighted to note a sense of family, union and relationship stability, coupled with a newfound sense of independence and adventure. Not too shabby. But I felt compelled to draw another card, to summarize the outcome for my relationship. I drew the World: a symbol of completeness, wholeness and (once more) fulfillment of goals. It eased my mind, and I can’t say I’m complaining.

On to reading number two: a general outlook for the boyfriend’s spring semester. Here, I drew the King of Coins: steadfast, financially stable, productive. A well-grounded, healthy individual with the means to accomplish his tasks. Clearly, this refers to the individual himself – but, naturally, since this is a court card, I wanted clarification. That draw ended up being the King of Swords (though appropriate, another court card) – a bit of a jab from my tarot deck, telling me to keep my cool and stick with the god damn card I’m given. Here, we have yet another master of his domain: this time, intellect. Here we have a man who reaps what he sows (symbolized by three strands of wheat wrapped around his sword), and knows how to solve his problems. He is strong of mind and efficient, able to tackle nearly any task with mental skill, determination and grace. Together, these two cards depict a strong-willed individual who can triumph over struggle and work through problems and make sense of ideas that carry him through life and studies.

Now, here’s where it got particularly interesting. I did a private reading for myself on a pressing issue I needed to deal with. I needed to ask my significant other a question – one I’d had in mind for some time – and was thinking of doing it the following evening. It was a rather serious question (not to mention one a girl is not conditioned to ask), and one that could forever change a relationship. I was afraid to do it, and wanted some input as to whether or not it was a good idea, and what I could expect. The card that randomly appeared on the bottom of the deck following the previous reading was the Two of Cups – a clear reminder of the situation at hand. I asked the deck what kind of reaction I could expect – what the outcome would be – and began to shuffle. Toward the end, a card leapt out of the deck: the Nine of Wands, telling me that I was close to something – a successful resolution, a goal I was trying to reach. I finished shuffling, cut, and lifted the one card that would assuage my fears: the Lovers. I nearly gasped, and breathed a sigh of relief, trying not to look too surprised – after all, the tarot knows what I’m thinking . . . we are one and the same. My next and last draw was the Nine of Cups: happiness and wish fulfillment. The best of readings I could have received, and enough to give me the courage I needed.

Now I know you’re wondering, did I ask my question? I did. And were the cards correct? Let’s just say I am happily engaged.