I've finished the Minor Arcana of Wands, and moved on to the same of Cups. I must admit I'm enjoying Cups even more than I did Wands. I've always been better at emotions than business, lol!
I also discovered, on the Ten of Wands, that I'm starting to SEE more, and adding my own interpretations to the ones in the book. That's definitely helping me gain confidence, even before I start reading.
It's very gratifying to see noticeable progress right before my eyes, and the journaling definitely helps me see it. Much as I love journals and journaling, I find it hard to believe that in all my attempts to learn the tarot, I've never kept a journal, even though everything I've ever read says you should.
I definitely will from now forward!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sweet Dreams
The book said it would happen, but I wasn't sure I believed it. The author stated that getting to know the tarot might expand your consciousness enough to access the super-consciousness, most likely through the subconscious mind. I hoped it was true, but it seemed too good to be so.
Then a few nights ago we had a terrific wind storm here. I'm not sure how hard it was blowing, but I know I closed the windows because I was a bit worried it would rip them off the house. Now, this is nothing unusual here in Southern Ontario. We get winds like that fairly frequently. What was unusual was the clarity of the dream I had that night.
Prescient or clairvoyant dreams are not unknown to me. They happen infrequently, a handful of times a year. But they are usually hard to understand, and I don't usually interpret them correctly until after the fact, if ever. I just know what they are because they feel different than normal dreams.
Not so with the dream I had on that windy night. I dreamt the garden gate was blown open by the wind. Simple, clear, unmistakable--it was our garden gate, it was nighttime, and it was windy.
The next morning, I remembered the dream just as I let the dogs out. I rushed to the window to check the gate, and sure enough, it was open. The only thing stopping it from being flung wide was a nearby tree branch on which it was catching. I rushed out and found that the hardware had been damaged, torn off one side of the gate. I managed to finagle it shut temporarily until I could get back to the garage to grab a couple of bungee cords to secure it more firmly. And all before the dogs noticed it and managed to get out!
Besides being EXTREMELY useful, having a dream like that was wonderful, and delightful (and a bit scarey)! All in all though, I hope my psychic gifts continue to noticeably improve. I turned my back on them once before, but I don't plan to do it again.
There's no way I could say "no" to information as useful as that!
Then a few nights ago we had a terrific wind storm here. I'm not sure how hard it was blowing, but I know I closed the windows because I was a bit worried it would rip them off the house. Now, this is nothing unusual here in Southern Ontario. We get winds like that fairly frequently. What was unusual was the clarity of the dream I had that night.
Prescient or clairvoyant dreams are not unknown to me. They happen infrequently, a handful of times a year. But they are usually hard to understand, and I don't usually interpret them correctly until after the fact, if ever. I just know what they are because they feel different than normal dreams.
Not so with the dream I had on that windy night. I dreamt the garden gate was blown open by the wind. Simple, clear, unmistakable--it was our garden gate, it was nighttime, and it was windy.
The next morning, I remembered the dream just as I let the dogs out. I rushed to the window to check the gate, and sure enough, it was open. The only thing stopping it from being flung wide was a nearby tree branch on which it was catching. I rushed out and found that the hardware had been damaged, torn off one side of the gate. I managed to finagle it shut temporarily until I could get back to the garage to grab a couple of bungee cords to secure it more firmly. And all before the dogs noticed it and managed to get out!
Besides being EXTREMELY useful, having a dream like that was wonderful, and delightful (and a bit scarey)! All in all though, I hope my psychic gifts continue to noticeably improve. I turned my back on them once before, but I don't plan to do it again.
There's no way I could say "no" to information as useful as that!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Alright, I know that I just started posting about learning the individual cards, but I'm already going to change that. I decided a daily post on my exploration of a new card, with a description of that card, might do me a lot of good, but would make for very boring reading. My insights into the cards, as a newbie, are not likely to be earth-shattering, and if you really want to know what the cards look like, you can get a deck for yourself, or look for pictures of individual cards online.
Instead, I'm going to post highlights of my three-month plus long journey. Little tidbits, like the fact that leaving the card out for a day and letting my subconscious work over it is a much better process than turning it over and immediately trying to process it. Or that when I turned over the three of Wands, it felt strongly like a reading, not a lesson.
Little things, but things I feel are important and/or interesting.
Instead, I'm going to post highlights of my three-month plus long journey. Little tidbits, like the fact that leaving the card out for a day and letting my subconscious work over it is a much better process than turning it over and immediately trying to process it. Or that when I turned over the three of Wands, it felt strongly like a reading, not a lesson.
Little things, but things I feel are important and/or interesting.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Two of Wands
The Two of Wands shows a man holding a hiking staff, standing at a fork in the road. The path(s) are golden, the vegetation very green, and the sky and distant mountains reds, yellows and oranges. Birds and a high mountain are in the direction of one fork, a lower mountain on the other. Two ornate wands, each appearing to be 10-12 feet high, are planted haphazardly in the ground between the two paths, and a stag stands near each.
This card is obviously about a choice or choices. Based on my personal experience hiking, one choice (the higher mountain) leads to a higher view and greater reward, but is likely to be much more difficult than the other, which is still good, but perhaps not as spectacular. Also based on personal experience, you should be very sure about your commitment to a venture before choosing the harder path. Consider carefully which would be better suited at this point in your life.
Also, according to the book, items that number two generally indicate the involvement of others. Obviously I will need to learn much more about each set of cards (aces, two's, etc) after I finish my overall view. Not to mention numerology, esoteric symbols, and a whole slew of other things. :)
This card is obviously about a choice or choices. Based on my personal experience hiking, one choice (the higher mountain) leads to a higher view and greater reward, but is likely to be much more difficult than the other, which is still good, but perhaps not as spectacular. Also based on personal experience, you should be very sure about your commitment to a venture before choosing the harder path. Consider carefully which would be better suited at this point in your life.
Also, according to the book, items that number two generally indicate the involvement of others. Obviously I will need to learn much more about each set of cards (aces, two's, etc) after I finish my overall view. Not to mention numerology, esoteric symbols, and a whole slew of other things. :)
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Ace of Wands
I have finally started the next part of my journey, which happens to be Step 2 (part 6) in the Easy Tarot Handbook (ETH). That is, Meeting the Tarot, starting with the Minor Arcana in general, and the suit of Wands in particular.
My first step was learning a few basic facts about Wands in this deck. They represent Fire here, and most often are about business and work. And as is appropriate to Fire, the cards in this suit are all red-tinged.
The Ace of Wands is no exception. Black and yellow compliment an overall red theme. The single wand emits fire, the planet might be Mars, and the storm clouds are glowing fiery red, presumably reflecting what I choose to believe is the sunset. The book definition you'll have to read for yourselves, Dear Readers, but I will give you my own personal interpretations.
The storm clouds make this, to me, a very good card. I love storms, especially the violent thunder-and-lightening variety. And it is obviously a card about beginnings--that special energy-charged quality of the air right before such a storm starts. And whether the lightening pictured is heat lightening or storm lightening or even simply energy dispersal, it very much relates to Fire and, well, energy. :) The appearance of twilight (also a good time for me, as I'm very much a night person) is also a sign of good things coming, and the view of stars symbolizes great potential and the ability to go far.
My first step was learning a few basic facts about Wands in this deck. They represent Fire here, and most often are about business and work. And as is appropriate to Fire, the cards in this suit are all red-tinged.
The Ace of Wands is no exception. Black and yellow compliment an overall red theme. The single wand emits fire, the planet might be Mars, and the storm clouds are glowing fiery red, presumably reflecting what I choose to believe is the sunset. The book definition you'll have to read for yourselves, Dear Readers, but I will give you my own personal interpretations.
The storm clouds make this, to me, a very good card. I love storms, especially the violent thunder-and-lightening variety. And it is obviously a card about beginnings--that special energy-charged quality of the air right before such a storm starts. And whether the lightening pictured is heat lightening or storm lightening or even simply energy dispersal, it very much relates to Fire and, well, energy. :) The appearance of twilight (also a good time for me, as I'm very much a night person) is also a sign of good things coming, and the view of stars symbolizes great potential and the ability to go far.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The End of the Beginning
After more than a month off, I'm back. I now know that I can't always control whether I post or not, but I will try all the harder to stay on track.
On to the tarot part. :)
I have now finished Chapter 5, "Just Before We Begin . . .". I call it the end of the beginning because the next step is actually getting to know the cards. I have been looking forward to this part and alternately scared of it since I began the book. Why scared? I suppose I feel that HERE is where I learn whether this is possible for me. Where I learn whether I can do it or not.
As to getting to know them, Ms. Ellershaw believes that too many rely too much on the major arcana, so she begins with the minor arcana, follows with the court cards, and only then moves on to the major arcana. And I'm perfectly willing to do that, maybe because it seems like smaller "bites."
Chapter 5 was about the process for getting to know the individual cards, as well as some logistics about spreads and reversed cards. (She doesn't feel different interpretations for reversed cards are necessary, btw. I don't agree with that, but I'll stick to it while following her lessons.) It was a relatively short chapter, which was a good way to get back into the book and the instruction.
On to the cards themselves.
On to the tarot part. :)
I have now finished Chapter 5, "Just Before We Begin . . .". I call it the end of the beginning because the next step is actually getting to know the cards. I have been looking forward to this part and alternately scared of it since I began the book. Why scared? I suppose I feel that HERE is where I learn whether this is possible for me. Where I learn whether I can do it or not.
As to getting to know them, Ms. Ellershaw believes that too many rely too much on the major arcana, so she begins with the minor arcana, follows with the court cards, and only then moves on to the major arcana. And I'm perfectly willing to do that, maybe because it seems like smaller "bites."
Chapter 5 was about the process for getting to know the individual cards, as well as some logistics about spreads and reversed cards. (She doesn't feel different interpretations for reversed cards are necessary, btw. I don't agree with that, but I'll stick to it while following her lessons.) It was a relatively short chapter, which was a good way to get back into the book and the instruction.
On to the cards themselves.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Distractions
Well, I thought I could keep life from interfering with this blog, but I was wrong. It's a long story, and bound to get longer. You can read more about it here. I will try to get back to tarot learning later this week, but things are very up in the air at the moment, so I'm not making any promises!
Wish I already knew the tarot now!!!!
Wish I already knew the tarot now!!!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Ready to Move Forward
In the past week, I've finished all the preparations I talked about in the last post. I feel energy practically pouring from my cards now!
I acquired a lovely pink ametrine stone, the properties of which include boosting psychic abilities and dispersing negativity. I cleansed it, and then I ended up charging it on Beltane night, which I was thrilled about. I had thought I would charge it on the new moon, but now I think I will make this a yearly charging on that very special night. The stone now nestles beside the cards in the satin bag I got to keep them safe.
With brief meditation, a simple phrase which puts me in the proper mindset for reading came to me. When I either say it or think it, I feel the familiar tingle which tells me I am doing something right, and the cards seem to leap with energy, as if they were an extension of myself.
This isn't too surprising, I suppose. Over the past few days I have kept the cards close to me whenever possible, and on two separate nights I slept with them under my pillow. (On each of those occasions I felt noticeable more in tune with them the next morning.) I will continue shuffling them frequently to bind them to me even more fully.
For now, it's on to Step 4, Keys to Learning.
I acquired a lovely pink ametrine stone, the properties of which include boosting psychic abilities and dispersing negativity. I cleansed it, and then I ended up charging it on Beltane night, which I was thrilled about. I had thought I would charge it on the new moon, but now I think I will make this a yearly charging on that very special night. The stone now nestles beside the cards in the satin bag I got to keep them safe.
With brief meditation, a simple phrase which puts me in the proper mindset for reading came to me. When I either say it or think it, I feel the familiar tingle which tells me I am doing something right, and the cards seem to leap with energy, as if they were an extension of myself.
This isn't too surprising, I suppose. Over the past few days I have kept the cards close to me whenever possible, and on two separate nights I slept with them under my pillow. (On each of those occasions I felt noticeable more in tune with them the next morning.) I will continue shuffling them frequently to bind them to me even more fully.
For now, it's on to Step 4, Keys to Learning.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Preparations
The next step is titled "Making Preparations." It involves, not surprisingly, a few steps to prepare for actual readings.
One of those steps is acquiring and charging a protective crystal to keep with your cards, so I will venture out this afternoon to shop for a suitable one. I'll probably go to The White Flame Company, a new-age type shop within a few minutes of my house. They have a fabulous crystal and stone collection, and I'm sure I'll find one that feels right there.
Other steps include the care of your deck, a phrase for getting you in the right mindset for reading, and ideas for preparing the cards themselves. The idea that made the most sense to me is to sleep with your cards for a night or two, in order to align the cards' energies with your own. I plan to do it tonight.
Sweet dreams, all!
One of those steps is acquiring and charging a protective crystal to keep with your cards, so I will venture out this afternoon to shop for a suitable one. I'll probably go to The White Flame Company, a new-age type shop within a few minutes of my house. They have a fabulous crystal and stone collection, and I'm sure I'll find one that feels right there.
Other steps include the care of your deck, a phrase for getting you in the right mindset for reading, and ideas for preparing the cards themselves. The idea that made the most sense to me is to sleep with your cards for a night or two, in order to align the cards' energies with your own. I plan to do it tonight.
Sweet dreams, all!
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Basics
I've started on Part One of my book, Good Foundations. In this section are the first 6 steps in the method. So far, I've read the first two, which are simply a background on the cards themselves and a kind of FAQ about them.
In doing so, I've run into a problem I've often encountered before. Most tarot decks, and tarot readers, for that matter, associate the suite of Wands with Fire and that of Swords with Air, and this one is no exception. But this has always seemed backwards to me. Wands are light and wispy, they move through the air and make a light swishing noise if you swing them hard--all things associated with Air. Swords, on the other hand, are heavy and sharp and pointy. They cut and stab and destroy, all things associated with Fire.
Now, I understand that there ARE decks with the Sword/Fire Wands/Air correspondences, and I will probably favor those decks once I actually know more about the whole process. In the meantime, the best advice I've seen is to interpret the suites as you, personally, see the elements. I'm worried it might make this particular method confusing, but I just can't force myself to see it the other way around. I suppose time will tell if this works for me, or if I end up changing my mind.
Which correspondence do you favor?
In doing so, I've run into a problem I've often encountered before. Most tarot decks, and tarot readers, for that matter, associate the suite of Wands with Fire and that of Swords with Air, and this one is no exception. But this has always seemed backwards to me. Wands are light and wispy, they move through the air and make a light swishing noise if you swing them hard--all things associated with Air. Swords, on the other hand, are heavy and sharp and pointy. They cut and stab and destroy, all things associated with Fire.
Now, I understand that there ARE decks with the Sword/Fire Wands/Air correspondences, and I will probably favor those decks once I actually know more about the whole process. In the meantime, the best advice I've seen is to interpret the suites as you, personally, see the elements. I'm worried it might make this particular method confusing, but I just can't force myself to see it the other way around. I suppose time will tell if this works for me, or if I end up changing my mind.
Which correspondence do you favor?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A Controversial Start
I received the kit containing both as a birthday present from my DH, and in glancing through it I liked its slightly different approach to learning. Most reviews I've read say the tone of the book is too dictatorial. I usually dislike anything claiming to be "the one true way," but I've tried other methods and they haven't worked for me, so I'm willing to give it a try. The cards themselves are absolutely gorgeous, and appeal to my love of shiny things. :)
I can't wait to get started!
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