Abyss Spread—For Letting Go
The Knights of the Tarot Realm have brought you beyond the Coliseum; you have successfully faced your fear. They have judged you worthy and led you to the fabled Chasm of Night, a dark passage into the unknown. Only you can venture into its shadowy realm, and what you will discover there no one can know. It is time to test your faith as never before.
Soundtrack for the Journey
“Mercy Street” (Peter Gabriel)
Take your significator card and write in your journal all you have learnt in your journey as the page. Consider progress you have made in engaging tarot in your life, and perhaps you can consider how it may assist your readings in future.
Now decide on one thing that you can let go of in your life. It could be a bad habit, a way of looking at things, or something personal or purchased.
Remove the knight card of the same suit as your significator page card. For example, if you have been the Page of Pentacles so far, you should now remove the Knight of Pentacles. Place these two cards next to each other. In the coming week, make an action that releases something as a result of all you have learnt. When you have done so, you may replace the page in the deck and claim the knight as your significator from this moment onwards.
Whilst this gate may seem easier in comparison to those before, do not be lulled by its simplicity. There may be powerful currents at work attached to whatever you choose to release, and the passage between the page and the knight is a true chasm that requires much energy to cross. Whilst the pages are channelers, the knights are responders—they take responsibilities on board.
This is the final test, the big leap across the abyss.
Finding Yourself Outside • A Place of Loss
|
Resonances Numerology: 73/1 Astrology: Kabbalah: Sabian Symbol: |
|
Quick Connections Affirmation: When I look beyond my own needs, I am empowered to make the world richer. Meditation: “Poverty consciousness breeds more poverty; if you do not believe you are worth something and invest in yourself, you will always be lacking.” |
The Lesson of the Five of Pentacles
The Big Bad Boss Spread, for Matters of Career and Promotion
This spread to practice today is for questions such as “Will I get that promotion?” and “How do I progress my career?”
The Big Bad Boss Spread works in a totally fixed and hierarchical fashion to replicate the conditions found in most workplaces and career paths. It should be used in conjunction with career guidance books such as the What Color is Your Parachute? series.
This spread is an example of the innovative “split spreads” found in Tarosophy requiring you in this case to split out the deck into court cards, majors, and minors—three stacks.
Remove the court cards from the deck and select three cards: one for you, one for your current boss (or supervisor, or other person who has influence over you), and one for your desired position.
These are cards one, two, and three below:
The Big Bad Boss Spread
Take the minor cards out of the deck, shuffle them, and lay two cards between the three court cards. These are your “CV (résumé) Cards”; they indicate how you might progress from one position to the next. You can also add a major arcana card to the spread to divine what resources you can draw upon to make that step.
The Card in Your Life/Reading
Careerwise & Financially this card indicates a loss of income and a halt or postponement of your plans. Sometimes this card can show that you have deferred income in pursuit of education or other projects such as charity. This card also symbolises a feeling of disassociation from others in your immediate environment. You might also consider asking for assistance from those who have the resources to grant it.
Healthwise this card indicates a sense of worry and hardship with regard to your present condition. You should not avoid seeking assistance or additional resources even if you feel this would not be helpful. In more simplistic terms this card can show that you need to come in from the cold and ensure your comfort is your primary concern.
In Relationships this card indicates a difficult situation which may make or break the relationship. In times of hardship, you have a choice to work together or separate. Whilst this can prove a difficult card, it can also bring people closer together.
In Travel & Lifestyle this card indicates a lack of resources in order to ensure comfort during this time. You may also miss out on opportunities due to financial issues or lacking the required invitation to attend important events. This is not a positive card to receive in questions of travel and lifestyle, although because it is a five card (that is, halfway to ten) the situation will eventually be overcome.
In Education this card indicates the need to put immediate reward to one side whilst pursuing your course of studies. You may have to accept temporary hardship in order to accomplish the task you have set yourself. You will learn far more than you think whilst being outside the usual comfort zone others may appear to be in. If you are engaged in research, this card symbolises the need to be out in the field.
In Spiritual Awareness & Self-Development this card shows the insecurity that can come from rejecting mainstream concerns. Whilst you may feel disassociated from the bulk of society, it may be that your contribution is far more valuable than you realise at the present time. Your reward will not be the same as others, and yet it will come.
You are blocking this card today by:
1. Speculating to accumulate
2. Volunteering for charity work
3. Being positive
4. Accepting your situation and doing something about it
Connect to Your Card
Do something outside your comfort zone today. Embrace the uncomfortable. Decline reward.
The Five of Pentacles Says
“I speak for the displaced, those trying to find a new life, and security. You are halfway there. We have to venture forth into a world that at times seems unwelcoming; we look around and we see so many people that have what we do not. The bright lights of success beckon us, and we feel dissatisfied with where we are at the moment. We have to experience this to strive for a better life, to set off on that hard road of ambition.”
Keywords
Outsiders, adrift, loss, deferred income, destitution, loneliness, improvising, unemployment, lack of hardship, material trouble, loss, ruin, adaption, worry, loss of profession, redundancy, monetary anxiety, insecurity, lack, rejection, hardship.
Expecting Argument • An Examination of Defeat
|
Resonances Numerology: 59/5 Astrology: Kabbalah: Sabian Symbol: |
|
Quick Connections Affirmation: I am capable of holding my own speech when others attempt to provoke me. Meditation: “If we tasted our words, we would say less and eat more.” |
The Lesson of the Five of Swords
The Discover Your Demon Spread, for Matters of Affliction
This spread and method works with such questions such as “Why do I always do that?,” “Why are things so negative?,” and so forth. Here, we will repurpose the nature of an exorcism to draw a demon out from hiding within a situation. In this case, the demon is an attachment, an old pattern, a self-destructive streak, or some other negative recurrent event. Whilst tarot reading does not substitute for counselling or psychotherapy per se, it is a means of examining a personal situation or behaviour with intent resulting in insight.
Consider the nature of the affliction, and lay out the first four cards precisely in order in the shape of a cross as follows. These first four cards indicate:
1. The fear that is at work in this situation. The nature of what you are trying to avoid by playing out your pattern or what this pattern of events means in your life.
2. The advice that can resolve (or even absolve) this situation, which you are perhaps not yet ready to hear or act upon because you do not have the resources.
3. The resources or approach you can take to change this situation.
4. The actual first step of exorcising this behaviour or pattern of events from your life.
The Discover Your Demon Spread
When you have considered these first four cards, take the rest of the deck and begin to shuffle them as violently as possible, contemplating the cross of cards below you. When you feel ready, say in a loud voice, “DEMON BE GONE!” Turn the cards face-down in the centre of the cross.
Pause for a moment and then turn the deck face-up and look into the eyes of your old demon, now ready to be driven out.
The Card in Your Life/Reading
Careerwise & Financially this card indicates trouble and deceit. Whilst it appears to be one of the most negative cards to receive for a financial or career question, it at least signifies the putting away of old battles. You may take this card as a symbol to rest and gracefully accept defeat in order to recoup for later battles.
Healthwise this card indicates the need to accept your situation and to put away any dispute which may be harming you far more than you realise. You may have to walk away from a troublesome situation in order to preserve your own health.
In Relationships this card indicates the need to lay down one’s arms and put to rest the quarrels of the past. There is no profit at this time in repeating old arguments. You might also consider that other people’s opinions (even those of the past such as your parents) may still be influencing current conversations. There is more going on in these words than meets the eye.
In Travel & Lifestyle this card indicates the likely sabotage of your plans by people or situations outside of your current control. It is best to have a plan B on hand in order to elegantly meet these inevitable problems. If you are currently experiencing difficulties, you should disengage from the situation as fast as possible in order to cut your losses.
In Education this card indicates the need to move away from futile argument which will only lead to your humiliation or defeat. It may be that others are already turning away from your position or laying a trap, so you must avoid walking into it.
In Spiritual Awareness & Self-Development this card symbolises the need to remain uninvolved in the arguments of others. No matter the attraction, we become what we surround ourselves with; if we stoop to other people’s levels, we lower ourselves. There is no benefit to engaging with the others at this time, regardless of how much they may try to provoke us.
You are blocking this card today by:
1. Not opening channels of communication
2. Not brokering a peaceful outcome if you have had a falling out with someone
3. Not apologizing
4. Not watching what you say to others
Connect to Your Card
Let bygones be bygones. Immediately forgive anyone today. See the best in everyone.
The Five of Swords Says
“Victory is a short-lived state. We may win and we may lose, but always there is another battle to fight. There is never a resolution to conflict as long as we put too much emphasis on being defensive. Take care not to become paranoid and see treachery where it is not.”
Keywords
Uncertainty, debriefing, rebellion, defeat, failure, degradation, cowardliness, malice, humiliation, gloating, dispute, sabotage, overthrow, loss, failure, slander, treachery, malice, affliction, mourning, trouble, enemy triumphs at the moment one fancies victory is secured, infamy, conquest, accepting defeat, surrender.
Imagining What Might Have Been • The Creation of Guilt
|
Resonances Numerology: 45/9 Astrology: Kabbalah: Sabian Symbol: Scorpio I |
|
Quick Connections Affirmation: Drawing myself together, I will take courage for the journey ahead. Meditation: “A need to take time to reassemble thoughts/ambitions after failing to achieve success in a battle; maybe there was no belief in the cause.” |
The Lesson of the Five of Cups
More Kabbalistic Correspondences
Well, we have today a card of loss, the Five of Cups. In the WST this shows a figure robed in black looking down at three spilt cups, whilst behind them are two upright cups.
The fives of tarot are difficult, as they correspond in Kabbalah to the fifth Sephirah of Geburah, constraint and structure. In fact, Geburah is sometimes called Pachad (“fear”). If you think about it, whilst numerically the fives are halfway between one and ten, it seems they should be wonderful cards of balance and equilibrium. Actually, they are quite difficult. This is partly because when the ten Sephiroth are drawn on the Tree of Life diagram, it is the sixth Sephirah, Tiphareth (“beauty”), which is in the middle. As Waite and Colman Smith were immersed in that system of correspondences, it is no surprise that the sixes are more beneficial than the fives.
The question for today with this card is that whilst this card signfies loss, despair, sadness, etc., it might also be taken to be more specifically representing the emotion of shame or guilt.
Now, if guilt is a feeling of remorse about something you have done, experienced, or thought from your own perspective (often instilled from parental values, even if it is your own feeling), and shame is a feeling of remorse but from our introjection of other people’s perspectives (“How could I, What would my family/colleagues/friends/society think?”) … is this card a card of guilt or shame?
And if both, how would we know from other cards which one specifically this card was showing?
Hopefully this is an interesting line of enquiry on this card, and then tomorrow we are going to draw our last days together on this course with a nice spread to start practising our learning.
The Card in Your Life/Reading
Careerwise & Financially this card indicates partial loss and regret. Some readings of this card show it entirely negatively with regard to domestic and financial situations. However, it is only our own bitterness or disillusionment that brings negativity into our circumstances. It is how we respond to circumstances that makes us and in this card we can see that there are still options available if we can learn to turn our back on past mistakes.
Healthwise this card indicates sorrow over our present state. There appears to be much waste in our life and many missed opportunities in the past. This story is not yet over, however, and many other opportunities still exist. This card shows the importance of making continual forward movement and looking to the future no matter how difficult that may feel.
In Relationships this card indicates a crisis that comes from the mistakes of the past polluting the moments of the present. You should ensure that you are seeing the present moment for what it is rather than basing it on your previous experiences.
In Travel & Lifestyle this card indicates wasted opportunities to fully experience your life or your journeys. There are still options available to you even if they appear to be less rewarding than those you have squandered. It is still your choice to take up what is left to you—or become trapped in the regrets of the past.
In Education this card indicates a feeling of discontentment and disillusionment that your studies are not as fulfilling as you imagined. It can also show that you have wasted time and now have limited options available to you. Of course it is up to you to take these options and continue your journey.
In Spiritual Awareness & Self-Development this card shows how we may easily be caught up in creating our own future from our obsession with our past mistakes. The river under the bridge passes quickly and is never the same water—our future can still be what we wish it to be.
You are blocking this card today by:
1. Being accepting
2. Being happy with what you have now, rather than what may have been
3. Not dwelling on misfortune
4. Taking action to change your life for the better
Connect to Your Card
Allow any unhappiness to pass by quickly. Don’t hold on to anything today. Let the day pass.
The Five of Cups Says
“It is an inevitable part of attachment, that if it is taken away we will feel a strong sense of loss. We may feel that we have made the wrong decisions in life and we have now found ourselves somewhere we never intended. This conjures up a sense of regret and frustration.”
Keywords
Desolation, over-consideration, fretting, emotional loss, denial, guilt, break-up, bitterness, disillusionment, regret, brooding, crisis, punishment, divorce, miscarriage, loss, disappointment, sorrow, melancholy, union, surprise, patrimony.
Working Towards Connection • The Expression of Society
|
Resonances Numerology: 31/4 Astrology: Kabbalah: Sabian Symbol: Leo I— |
|
Quick Connections Affirmation: In every confusion there will be a moment for me to bring order. Meditation: “Frantic behaviour without self- control and patience only leads to chaos and delay; rule yourself or be ruled over.” |
The Lesson of the Five of Wands
Listening to the Cards
Today’s card is the Five of Wands. As a five, it is another “in-between” card. It should be noted today also that although five is in the middle of one and ten, when drawn as the Tree of Life (on which the WST and other decks are based), the six is the middle (Tiphareth); the five is actually the stage before that balance or middle is attained. Hence the number’s rather push/shove nature.
The five in the world of wands is the conflict of interests (five = conflict, wands = values), lack of a plan, competition in vision, etc. It is a card of struggle, confusion, and disruption, and generally not one you want in any situation! On the plus side, this card denotes the possibility of coming together if there were a concerted effort—at least everyone in the Five of Wands is active and involved!
For today’s exercise, we’ll introduce “talking cards.” Find the Five of Wands and imagine a speech bubble above every character’s head (in the WST, for different decks, this should work too, even if you have speech bubbles above some inanimate objects—they all have something to say) and fill them in. What are they saying to each other?
Here’s mine, reading from the characters left to right in the card, giving them names:
- Jon: Look! This is the one we need! It’s the special one!
- Tim: Now I reckon if I took another five centimetres off this, it’d do just right.
- Fred: I am sick and tired of holding this on my shoulder. Someone make your mind up.
- Phil (at front): If anyone’s interested, this one might work.
- Dave (at back): Everyone else’s looks far better.
Hmmm … no wonder this is such a card in conflict!
The Card in Your Life/Reading
Careerwise & Financially this card indicates a lack of careful planning so that all your resources are fighting against each other. There is nothing being built at this time, and there may even be competition and disagreement. At worst this card is a sign of litigation or wasteful argument between everybody involved. This card advises everyone to stop all activity before agreeing clearly on the way forward.
Healthwise this card indicates the need to have everybody agree on the realistic potential in the current situation. There are many things that can support your health if you align them towards a long-term objective. You must ensure that other people realise the importance of what it is you intend to achieve.
In Relationships this card indicates a confusion of values amongst yourself and your partner—and maybe friends and family. Whilst everybody is confused about the relative priority and importance of your time, nothing good will come of this. The card can also show a struggle or play-fighting for its own sake—this may be very good practice that does not ultimately create anything.
In Travel & Lifestyle this card indicates challenging circumstances in which many people are involved yet without a clear way forwards. This card warns you to not waste energy before having a clear vision in mind and having communicated it clearly to those around you.
In Education this card indicates disagreement as to what is trying to be achieved and what is most important. There is confusion because everybody is fighting for their own opinion and there is no single person to make a decision. You should either make the decision yourself or bring in someone who is capable of seeing the big picture to make it.
In Spiritual Awareness & Self-Development this card shows what happens when we do not align our own values and remain disconnected from the different parts of ourselves. There can be an internal conflict or struggle which does not make for constructive progress. We must become a single self, a single individual, whole and connected, so that we can build our vision.
You are blocking this card today by:
1. Planning what you do before you act
2. Working with others to create a positive outcome
3. Recognising that everybody has their unique talents that can be utilised
4. Learning by doing
Connect to Your Card
Don’t do anything with a plan. Work with a team. Shake something up a bit.
The Five of Wands Says
“Competition is the name of the game, and you should make sure that you win no matter what. Do not believe what they say about winning not being the most important thing, I will do anything to be seen as the successful one.”
Keywords
Chaos, disconnection, obstacles, competition, courage, fight for rights, challenge, proving, conflict, struggle, sparring (practicing) unrest, disagreement, competition, hassles, struggles, strife, quarrelling, opulence, gain, fortune, tribunal, litigation.
Momentum • Getting Out of Your Own Way
|
Resonances Numerology: 7 Astrology: Cancer Kabbalah: |
|
Quick Connections Affirmation: When I get out of my own way today, I will allow the will of the world to drive things beyond my expectations. Meditation: “You are well on your way, you are driven by your own powerful needs—the needs of survival and security that draw you ever forward to your destination.” |
The Lesson of the Chariot
Mystical Meanings of the Tarot
Today we have the Chariot. Certainly a card of motion, but of what kind?
This card’s astrological correspondence is to Cancer, the Crab, a creature renowned for making a cautious sideways movement. So whilst the Chariot may signify a movement forwards, it also suggests we take “the road less travelled.” There is another deeper meaning to this card we would like to discuss today, that of the spiritual dimension.
This card was called by Aleister Crowley “the great work accomplished,” and his version in the Thoth Tarot shows a heavily armoured figure. In the text accompanying the card, Crowley refers to the Holy Grail and other symbols, which leads one to the conclusion that the armour is empty (well, it does me).
It represents the mystical state of “non-self,” a high attainment of the esoteric system or yoga meditation or any other path of enlightenment. On the Tree of Life, this card crosses the “Abyss” which separates all “human” awareness and “divine” awareness. We recommend you take a look at the Frieda Harris/Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot version of this card.
The armour is empty because the “self” is no longer present in this card. The universe and the divine are merged (the sphinxes, the horses, the male/female symbol on the front of the WST Chariot), and the heavens are open. One has removed oneself from the equation and there is nothing but the pure flow of the Universe arising in perpetual motion.
So when this card comes up, it shows that the person can get out of their own way and things will start to move, even in surprising ways. In this respect, the card shares some similarities with the Wheel card.
The other cards which cross the Abyss are the High Priestess, in the centre of the Tree of Life, and the Hierophant on the other side of the Tree. The Lovers and the Emperor cross the Abyss too.
In what way would you say the Chariot, High Priestess, Hierophant, Lovers, and Emperor symbolise high levels of spiritual attainment in each a different manner?
The Card in Your Life/Reading
Careerwise & Financially this card indicates success, victory, and triumph. It is a powerful new momentum in your career and indicates a rapid change of circumstances should you wish to drive yourself forwards at this time. The Chariot also indicates the need to rein in your spending, whether this be time or money. Everything should be directed to the task at hand.
Healthwise this card indicates energy and force bringing a new vitality to you. If you can harness your own inner energies you can make rapid progress forwards. This is also a card that signifies accepting the journey ahead because it is now inevitable.
In Relationships this card indicates that you are truly aligned to the energy of the other person or people involved. You will find yourself taken on an incredible journey which may at times feel out of your control. However, you can learn to surrender to the trip and experience a whole new way of life.
In Travel & Lifestyle this card indicates rapid progress and success in all those things for which you take full responsibility. You can fully master your situation when this card appears in a reading and become lord (or lady) of all you survey. It is an entirely positive card with regard to lifestyle. If you are travelling, the card shows that you must drive things forwards at a rapid pace.
In Education this card indicates the need to consider both sides of the argument, as well as the lessons you are learning in order to find your own place in the scheme of things. You can master the subject that you are learning if you keep your eye on the road ahead. Do not allow yourself to be driven to distraction at this time.
In Spiritual Awareness & Self-Development this card is a mystical symbol of allowing the world to work through us in perfect union. This card signifies our position as a channel for the creation of the universe. When it appears in response to a spiritual question, it indicates we must empty ourselves and get out of our own way for things to move forwards. Interference at this time will result in moving us far off our true course.
You are blocking this card today by:
1. Taking it easy and not pushing yourself to achieve
2. Just letting life happen to you
3. Letting someone else make all the decisions
4. Being all-loving like Venus and not forceful like Mars
Connect to Your Card
Go for a drive. Push something through. Don’t take no for an answer today. Keep going.
The Chariot Says
“Just do it, and then go, go, go! Once you know your life direction, do not stop. You must move swiftly if you want to achieve success in life. There is no going back once you are on your way. My momentum will carry you to victory.”
Keywords
Momentum, conquest, success, victory, triumph, responsibility, ( focus) purpose, progress, mastery, energy, centeredness, strength, regeneration, courage, action, fortitude, focus, driven, manic, force, steadfast, stubbornness, might, vitality, Mars, will, assertiveness, progress, journey, quest, movement, swiftness, goal, diligence, willpower, perseverance, determined, vengeance, struggle, aggression, forcefulness, power.
Appropriate Response • Waking the Lion, Stilling the Beast
|
Resonances Numerology: 8 Astrology: Leo Kabbalah: |
|
Quick Connections Affirmation: Like a rope is made up of small threads, the delicate can be strong when bound to one purpose. Meditation: “Humility is strength naked and exposed.” |
The Lesson of Strength
A Self-Reading Spread for Working Towards Fulfillment
This spread and method for today is particularly appropriate for questions such as “How can I improve my life?” and “Where do I discover the joy of life?”
In this method for self-reading you first select and remove one card from the deck which best embodies how you see a fulfilled, happy life. You may wish to choose a deck—if you have several—which has the most joyous images upon it. You can also play this method with a querent by asking him or her to select such a card.
Then place that card on your table at four or five cards’ distance away from you.
Shuffle the rest of the deck whilst considering that card. When ready, draw out the first card from the deck. Place that one in front of you.
Say, “This is how it will go if I try and find joy.”
If the card appears to be a negative one or one that does not indicate working towards your goal, say “okay, so I will go that way less” and put that card to one side and draw another.
If the card appears to fulfill a step towards your goal, say “okay, so I will go that way more.” Leave the card on the table.
With each further card drawn, repeat the process until you have four to five cards which indicate how you may fulfill the steps towards pleasure and joy in your life.
The Card in Your Life/Reading
Careerwise & Financially this card indicates the need for constant assertiveness and applied pressure in a considered manner. This is not the time to overreact or be too passive; the trick is to find exactly the right position where no effort is required. This is a situation that requires some give and take.
Healthwise this card indicates a patient tolerance and steadfast resolve in accomplishing your health aims. You must not struggle or waste energy fighting your current condition, but respond to it in a measured and calm way. There is a perfect balance which can be obtained at this time which you have the capacity to discover.
In Relationships this card indicates compassionate attention to the needs of another. It could be that you need to apply firm control on the actions of another person. Or you may feel yourself held back by the attention of somebody else. The appearance of this card calls us to recognise the push and pull of all active relationships and find the perfect balance.
In Travel & Lifestyle this card indicates faith in your own abilities to succeed and manage the situation. You have the strength and determination to keep a firm grip in response to all situations that arise. This is a good card to have for travel questions because it means you will meet every circumstance with the appropriate response. As related to lifestyle questions, it encourages you to find your own inner strength to meet others’ demands.
In Education this card indicates constant application to your chosen subject. You must measure out the resources that you have available in order to maintain your energy over a long period of time. This card can also indicate the dynamics of teaching and learning—sometimes it may feel as if you are in control and other times that you have no control at all. This is all part and parcel of the learning process.
In Spiritual Awareness & Self-Development this card signifies the perfect balance of mercy and control. It shows that love can be directed to accomplish impossible things. This card shows the perfection of inner and outer relationship which is reflected in your ability to maintain self-control under all circumstances.
You are blocking this card today by:
1. Not caring too much about the outcome
2. Giving into your fears and failings
3. Not believing
4. Being intolerant
Connect to Your Card
Watch a nature documentary. Learn something from nature. Smile at everyone today no matter if they are friendly in return.
Strength Says
“Look to the willow and see how it bends and flexes against the might of the wind—it is truly strong. I advocate staying calm in the face of adversity and maintaining composure.”
Keywords
Resolve, stoicism, dignity, perseverance, action, releasing fears, harmony, inner strength, assertiveness, heroism, faith, courage, constancy, self-awareness, compassion, will, steadfastness, patience, tolerance, persuasion, action, self-control, firmness.