Fool Stop Tarot Blog

#Tarot Blog Hop: Beltaine 2013

Welcome to the U.S. Games Systems Inc's stop on the May 2013 Tarot Blog Hop. The blog before us was Chloe's Inner Whispers and the blog after us is Alison's Game of Thrones. You can find the Master List at Arwen's blog. The subject was "What traditions are important to you in how you read Tarot?"

In our participation in this Blog Hop, we've developed a tradition of sharing images of one card from many decks. Who better to represent the tradition of tradition than the Hierophant or Pope?

This card traditionally shows a spiritual advisor with figures below him. He is the voice of God and/or the intercessor of the faithful. He represents traditions and spiritual authority.

Here are some images from some our decks. Which is your favorite?

Ancestral Path

Rider Waite Smith by Rider, Waite and Smith

Ghosts and Spirits

Ukiyoe Tarot

Gummi Bear Tarot

Chinese Tarot

Thoth Tarot

So what do you think when you see the Hierophant? And what are some of the non-traditional meanings for you? Do you have a favorite U.S. Games deck Hierophant who didn't show up today? Tell us about it.

<--- Chloe's Inner Whispers | Alison's Game of Thrones -->

Master List

13 means Death?

So today is one of those days that holds a lot of fear for some folks. Friday the 13th! I mean there's even an seemingly-never-ending horror movie series, right? And let's not even talk about covens and black cats and ladders.

But what about the thirteenth card in the Tarot deck? What does it mean when you get this in a reading? Should you hide under the bed? Leave town? Pretend it didn't happen?

Not really. Death traditionally means change. In some decks like the Sun And Moon Tarot, it's been given the additional title of Rebirth to show what happens after the change. Or Transformation in the Joie de Vivre Tarot.

Think of the Death card as unavoidable endings that lead to new ways of being. And isn't this last Death a happy fellow from the Halloween Tarot?

So, what do you see the Death card as? How would you read it in a reading about a job? What about love? How does this card make you feel? Any funny stories to share about this thirteenth card of the Tarot?

Death (sometimes riding a pale horse), in order of appearance:

1. Cary-Yale Visconti Tarot
2. Rider-Waite Tarot
3. Crystal Visions Tarot
4. Joie de Vivre Tarot
5. Halloween Tarot

#Tarot Thoughts On A February Full Moon 2012

Tomorrow, February 7^th brings us a Full Moon in the sign of Leo. Native American tribes refer to it as the Full Snow Moon, the Little Famine Moon, or the Full Hunger Moon, referencing the time of year, weather conditions, and how the tribes were affected. Leo brings in the energy of an increased sense of purpose, and how we creatively express that purpose.

The Full Moon itself is viewed by many as a time for bringing to fruition the seeds that were sown during the New Moon, and releasing those things that are no longer working for  us. While I do hold that to be true, I also believe that the full energy of the Moon can be used to begin new projects. The choice of releasing the old, bringing in the new, or doing a combination of both is up to each individual.

We will be looking at our individual freedom (which is rapidly changing as the structures that make up our society change), as well as our responsibility to community (local and global). We need to take care of ourselves – to create personal time, to take the time to meditate, ground ourselves, and connect with whatever we accept as Spirit. A new paradigm is coming into being – as we adjust to it, we need to find our sense of balance in life – personal/professional, work/play, family/self … the list goes on.

Leo is all about spontaneity and freedom of expression. It is also good to remember that Leo is a Fire sign – it wants to be out and about and doing things! It is time to share stories, and to allow ourselves to grow from both sharing our own stories, and listening to other people’s stories.

Leo also asks us to express our dreams and hopes for the future. To do this, we need to be grounded in the present. Other energies to keep in mind as we navigate the Leo Full Moon are those of the Hierophant (2012 is a number five year, relating to the Hierophant in the Tarot), and the Dragon (from the Chinese New Year, which started January 23^rd).

The Leo Full Moon has a partner in all this – the Aquarius Sun. While the Leo Full Moon is more about individual self-expression, the Aquarius Sun brings our energy and focus to the common good, towards helping humanity as a whole. It is all about community, groups, and social causes. Push/Pull between individual good and common good.

One way to share our stories is through divinatory readings. I am going to add the small thought here that these readings can be done as individuals, or they can be done within a group setting. Or we can read as individuals with a focus on global issues/connections. Do what feels right for you.

This is my offering for the Leo Full Moon. Cards were drawn from Patrick Valenza’s “Deviant Moon Tarot” .

My Story

1. What am I conscious of on this Full Moon? Knight of  Cups
2. What am I not conscious of on this Full Moon? Page of Cups
3. What is coming into my consciousness on this Full Moon? Queen of Swords
4. What do I need to release? The Magician
5. What do I need to bring in? Knight of Wands
6. How can I access my creative self? The Empress
7. How can I best express my creative self as an individual? Five of Swords
8. How can I best express my creative self within community? The Hermit
9. What new goals am I forming? The World
10.  Where are these new goals taking me? Ace of Pentacles

The Seeker is conscious of new information coming into a situation, and, on a more personal level, of the influences that a possible romantic interest is bringing into their life. It can well be that the new insights, and new opportunities, are opening up because they are opening themselves up to another person. 

The Seeker is not yet conscious of the fact that they are accessing their imagination, and their creative/emotional self. They are beginning to experience and express a greater degree of compassion in their life.

What is coming into the consciousness of the Seeker is a need to get to the truth of things – in their own life, and in the world around them. During this time, the Seeker will be walking alone.

The Seeker literally needs to release their need to control everything, and to be the one that makes things happen in their life. They need to step back, take a time out, and learn to flow with life, to allow Spirit to do its work.

What the Seeker needs to bring in is the ability to make decisions on the fly (sometimes pondering too much is not a good thing!), to allow themselves to be impulsive from time to time, and to go on a journey that may come to them in a very sudden manner.

The Seeker can access their creative self by being willing to nurture themselves, to give themselves time and attention. They also need to open themselves up to the feminine mysteries. The Seeker needs to be willing to birth their own ideas.

The Seeker can best express themselves in a creative way as an individual by living their life in harmony with those around them, by not creating or adding to conflict.

The Seeker can best express themselves in a creative way in community by going within themselves, recognizing the answers they will find there, and sharing the strength of that wisdom with others.

The new goals that the Seeker is forming are coming out of the previous cycle of their life – they are at a point where their life is coming together on all levels. They need to take the time to enjoy being “whole”, they need to enjoy their sense of “victory”, before they move on to the next level. The goals that percolate during their time of celebration will be the ones they take into the next cycle of their life.

The new goals are taking the Seeker into the land of opportunity, into a time of success, prosperity and abundance in the physical world, but also into a sense of balance between their physical and spiritual worlds.

I would love to see comments on this interpretation – to see how others interpret this spread!  

Scans were taken from the “Deviant Moon Tarot”, Patrick Valenza, U.S. Games Systems., Inc, 2008.

© January 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

Integrating Card Meanings in a Tarot Reading (via Mary K. Greer)

I asked a group of tarot readers on Facebook to give their top advice for how to combine and integrate card meanings in a spread. It’s one of the things that beginners find most bewildering, but we can all learn more about. Forty-nine people responded (see list of contributors at the end). I combined, edited and grouped the advice to form sets of approaches, moving roughly from the most intuitive to the most analytical. Share this material freely but please include the list of contributors and a link back to this post.

There are no rules to interpretation.

Reversals: Turning the #Tarot Upside Down

How do you read reversals? Let's take some cards and see what some meanings might be.  From Monday's Guess The Deck, here is the 2 of Ghosts reversed. You may see this referred to as Rx or Rev.

Some ways to view a reversal are:

 

• The opposite of the meaning of the card
• A lessening of the meaning of the card
• A shadow side of the meaning of the card

In this deck, the suit of Ghosts is the suit of Cups. So this is the card of partnership and love.

Opposite meaning: A break up

Lessening of the meaning: He's not that into you

Shadow side: There's another person in between you and she

What are some of your ways to read a reversal? What would you say if this card came up in your reading?   Does it matter where the snakes and cat are in this reversal?

Interpreting Body Language and Facial Expressions in the #Tarot pt 2

Continued from Wednesday's blog.

Confidence and Determination

As strong stance – whether sitting or standing – can convey a sense of confidence, determination, will power, and determination. In the four cards above, notice how each figure is sitting squarely and facing front. There’s a sense of confidence and authority, and a seeming determination to stand firm on whatever situation is before them. Now note how each face is staring straight at you, eyes fixed, with no apparent emotion; none of them will tell you any of their secrets and will not divulge any more information than what they think you need to know.

Interpreting Body Language and Facial Expressions in the #Tarot

By Mike Hernandez, Tarot Reader

www.justenoughtarot.com

Isn’t it amazing how much body language and facial expressions play a part in numerous aspects of our daily lives? I thought about that at the mall the other day, while I was walking around just watching people and meandering in and out of various stores. At one point I realized this is also true of people that appear in the Tarot. It made immediate sense to me, given that the cards reflect all the aspects of our lives.

In this article I’ll demonstrate how body language and facial expressions of the people in the cards expose nuances and subtleties that can add an extra layer of meaning to your readings.

Exposing your true self

Body language can say a lot about your true state of being at any given moment. Although you may think you’re portraying yourself in a positive (or, perhaps, even neutral) manner, your body might be indicating otherwise. Have you ever been in a situation where you say something to someone or some group of people, they take what you say at face value, and then begin doubting what you’ve said soon after for some unknown reason? It could most likely be your body language.

Poetry in Tarot

Poetry is a very subjective subject, isn't it? Some like rhyme. Some prefer metered verse. Still others would rather just not read or write poetry at all. In many of the certification programs, there is a step that asks the student to interact with the cards in a different way.

If you Google "tarot poetry", you will come up with a lot of hits. About 4,700,000 even with the search restricted to avoid "THOSE" sites. Let's examine some of what's out there. The majority that I found was on the Major Arcana.

Thoughts On Being A Tarot Mentor

In my twenty plus year career as a professional tarot reader, I've often taught and mentored other aspiring tarotists. I like to say that this is something I kind of “fell into” as I never planned on doing it. But requests came and they came often. So I taught.

Tis May! Tis May!

May 1st , or May Day, is a day that I remember from my childhood as one of gentle celebration. We would put small (as in tiny!) baskets together, and leave them on our neighbors’ porches. We would ring the bell, and run like mad! This is what you were supposed to do! It was a marvelous surprise to whoever answered the door to find lovely little May baskets sitting there.

May Day (the whole month of May, IMHO) is all about celebrating spring, new growth, and just plain enjoying the good weather and getting to the actual planting of lovely flowers (and vegetables, for those who do vegetable gardens). While I have never seen it done, I love the image of young girls dancing around a May pole that is decorated with streamers and flowers, honoring the energy of the moment. What great fun! May Day is also connected with Beltane, one of eight solar Sabbats in Wiccan and Pagan traditions, and one that focuses on spring and fertility.

How do you celebrate this day? Or do you? Celebration of May Day is certainly not as widespread as it once was. Perhaps we need to do something about that! Getting back to our literal “roots”, working with the soil, honoring the cycles of the year, enjoying the beauty of the spring flowers, and the sense of joy and freedom that they bring, to me is intrinsic to this day. Honoring this day in a personal way opens you up to aligning yourself with life and its cycles (no matter what your religious background). Whether you create a May basket as a centerpiece for your table, or create smaller May baskets to leave at your neighbors’ doors, the intent is set, and the energy comes to you. What a great way to bring positive energy into our lives!

The following spread

Portrait of the Inner Child

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays – even if I am only a little bit Irish! While it is actually a religious holiday, recognizing St. Patrick as one of the patron saints of Ireland, in modern times it is more a celebration of Irish culture. The wearing of the shamrock (and the color green in general), drinking green beer and serving corned beef and cabbage are all ways in which this holiday is now celebrated.

It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock, with its three leaves, to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish people. It was here in the United States that the first parades were held in honor of St. Patrick – largely to make a political statement. Today the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is one of joy and merriment – eating, drinking and dancing to honor the Irish, but to also honor the "spirit of the Irish" within each of us. That spirit is our ability to gather in community and allow our inner child to come out and play. I thought that it might be interesting to work with a couple of "inner child" spreads that are more for play than for wisdom (although true play brings with it its own form of wisdom), in honor of the joyous nature of St. Patrick’s Day.

I decided to sketch a portrait of the inner child in each of us. For this purpose, I placed the Major Arcana and each of the four suits in separate piles. I defined them as follows:

The New Year Expressed Through The Aces

We are entering this new year with a new moon in Capricorn, and a partial solar eclipse, also in Capricorn. Layer this over the number four (Emperor) universal energy for the year, and we have some serious power at our disposal!

Christian Tarot: Oxymoron or Paradox?

Guest Blog by Cheri Gaudet
 
I am a Catholic tarot reader. At first glance, this might seem like an oxymoron. Everyone knows Church doctrine condemns divination. How do I reconcile that with my personal tarot practice?
 
This is a serious question that has implications for both Christians and tarot readers, who in my experience typically do not think of themselves as having anything in common. At their worst, such thoughts can result in

The Empress' Harvest Wheat Bread Recipe

What better time than the present to pull out the Empress Card, and with it, the fabulous recipe for Harvest Wheat Bread from Corinne Kenner's Epicurean Tarot.

 

 

 

The Empress’ Harvest Wheat Bread

 

1 package active dry yeast

1/3 cup dry milk

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons honey

2-3 cups unbleached all-purpose four

2 cups warm (110° F) water

2 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup cracked wheat

3 cups whole-wheat flour

 

Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons of the warm water. Add milk, salt, honey, and 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Add the water, butter, and molasses. Stir vigorously.

 

Add the cracked wheat and whole-wheat flour to form a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. (Use additional flour as needed to make the dough manageable.)

 

Lightly oil a large bowl, and roll the dough in it to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it doubles in size (about an hour).

Punch the dough down and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Shape the dough into two loaves and let them rise until they double in size (about 45 minutes). Place in lightly oiled pans.

 

Place in preheated 375° F oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans immediately. Let cool before slicing.

 

Enjoy!

 

Celebrate Abundance

The start of November has me thinking about the celebrations ahead; the gathering of loved ones to express thanks for the bounty of blessings in our lives. 

 

When I think about 'abundance' the tarot card that comes to mind first is the Three of Cups, with its joyful dancers with glasses raised. Near their feet, we see a spray of vegetation with pumpkins and grape vines. 

 In her book Introduction to Tarot Susan Levitt points out that "The pumpkin in the foreground indicates a spiritual harvest, or that emotions will be jubilant come autumn."

A similar interpretation is given Hajo Banzhaf's book Tarot for Everyone, "The Three of Cups indicates that a matter will develop favorably. It depicts a harvest festival and means that something reached a good end, the harvest was brought in and we can be thankful, happy, and satisfied with it."  

Of course, in the Crowley Thoth deck, the Three of Cups bears the key word ABUNDANCE. 

In the coming weeks, I look forward to having you gather here to share your stories of celebration. What are you most grateful for? How do you express it? 

Blessings to all!

 

 

Integrating The Shadow – A Halloween Reading

I dearly love the month of October – the beautifully colored leaves, the crisp, cool air, and all of the spooktacular Halloween costumes and the preponderance of lovely chocolate candy! I love the decorating, I love carving up a pumpkin every year (although I have zero talent in this direction, and they all end up looking the same!), and I love getting small bags of (chocolate!) candy ready to give out. I also love doing late night readings on this one night of the year when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is at its thinnest. 

I do want to take a quick look at the different names for this night, and then I want to talk about a reading that you might want to try. This night of nights can be referred to as Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, or Samhain, and is associated with the Day of the Dead. Halloween is of relatively modern origins, having its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain, as well as the Christian celebration of All Saints Day. It is largely a secular holiday, focusing on activities such as trick or treating, costume parties and the telling of ghost stories. All Hallow’s Eve is the night before All Saints Day (November 1^st), and is a time for feasting and remembrance.  Samhain is a Celtic festival celebrating summer’s end and the harvest. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican festival that brings families together to pray for and remember family and friends who have crossed over. 

Rather than dialogue with ancestors, or ask for wisdom from Spirit, this year I decided to address the Shadow side of life. The thinning of the veils makes it very easy to access Spirit, but it also carries another huge dividend: it allows us to use wisdom from Spirit to bring up our Shadows from our subconscious into the light of consciousness. Think about it: Shadow would not exist without the benefit of light. This is my reading for you on this night of nights:

Integrating The Shadow

The Cauldron: What do I need to know on this night?

The Ghost: What shadow from my past is holding me back?

The Goblin: What actions can I take to understand this shadow?

The Broomstick: How can I best move forward on my path, now that I have integrated this shadow?

The cards that I drew were:

The Cauldron: King of Cups

The Ghost: Queen of Pentacles

The Goblin: Two of Cups

The Broomstick: Queen of Wands

 

I have chosen to illustrate this reading with four different decks: the Deviant Moon Tarot, the Fantastical Creatures Tarot, the Halloween Tarot In Tin and the Lover’s Path Tarot. Each deck brings its own energy to the table.

The Deviant Moon Tarot, by Patrick Valenza, deliberately includes images of cemeteries and mental asylums to help illuminate the deeper parts of the subconscious. The imagery is jarring, and a bit on the dark, or shadow side, yet amusing in its own way. It is all about visions and bad dreams, and acts as a wonderful gateway on this night of nights.

The Fantastical Creatures Tarot, by Lisa Hunt and DJ Conway, is a much lighter deck. Based on mythical creatures and fantasy animals, it is an awesome showcase for talented artist Lisa Hunt’s work. The one thing to note with this deck is the elemental associations: Swords are Fire, and Wands are Air. Other than that, it is based on the traditional Rider-Waite template. Deep messages have the ability to sneak through the lovely watercolors of these cards without scaring the heck out of anybody! 

The Halloween Tarot In Tin, by Kipling West , is a very light, fun deck with the suits entitled Pumpkins, Imps, Ghosts and Bats, and a sleek black cat as a central character! The artwork is cartoon style, with strong coloring. As with the “Fantastical Creatures Tarot”, this deck brings messages across from Spirit in a very non-threatening manner.

The Lover’s Path Tarot, by Kris Waldherr, features classic loves stories and myths from around the world. It references love, emotions, and relationships – all of which play into our shadow selves. Waldherr notes that all love relationships mirror our relationship with ourselves. It is in our relationship with ourselves that our shadows lie. The artwork in this deck is very easy to connect to.

I hope that you have enjoyed all four of these decks, and are getting some ideas for what you want to do on your “night of nights”!

 

© October 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

 

Queens of Tarot

I was looking through one of my Tarot journals and discovered that I wrote "Inherited Power" for the Queen archetype. (Unfortunately, for many years, my Tarot journal wasn't a centralized destination, but scribbles in any tablet I could find!).

I'm pondering this phrase now--what I meant by that, for example--and thought I'd ask you how you see the Queen archetype, especially as reflected in the Tarot.

Queen of Pentacles, Queen of Cups, Queen of Swords and Queen of Wands--how does each of the four Tarot Queens differ from one another? Is their power always "inherited"? How does their power differ from the Kings both archetypally and within a reading?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on the Queens of Tarot!

-- Janet

The Queen of Pentacles image is from the Faerie Tarot by Nathalie Hertz. ISBN 1-57281-600-7. Available from your favorite online and brick-and-mortar store.

Seasons and the Minor Arcana

Some Tarot readers correlate the four seasons with the four suits of the Minor Arcana for issues of timing in a reading. Not everyone is comfortable forecasting seasonal timing in Tarot readings, of course.

Others make a mental association for interpretative purposes, noting the symbolism of a particular Minor Arcana suit reflects abstract or literal qualities of its seasonal counterpart.

I'm curious: Do you associate the four Minor Arcana suits (usually named Wands, Cups, Pentacles and Swords) with a seasonal counterpart (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter)? If so, what is your reasoning?

If you've actually used a seasonal association when reading the Minor Arcana cards (Aces-Tens), how has this particular correlation aided your readings or expanded your interpretation of a particular suit or card?

Here's my personal correlations:

Spring - Wands The "budding" of the Ace of Wands reminds me of the budding trees of Springtime. In the Tree of Life. It is said that the entire Minor Arcana "springs"--and is contained--within the Ace of Wands. I associate the Wands with the element of Fire.

Summer - Cups Water, water everywhere in the Summer--pools, lakes, fountains, margaritas...I associate Cups with the Water element.

Autumn - Pentacles A time for harvest and reflection, as well as preserving the bounty of the summer. Autumn is often a busy and materialistic time of year, with kids going back to school, major holidays occurring, and those in winter climes having to save extra money for heating. In cooler climates, many go back to "indoor" hobbies such as reading, crafting, woodcarving, baking--endeavors often neglected in warmer months. I associate Pentacles with the Earth element.

Winter - Swords Where I live, Winter can be bitterly cold, but the clarity of the air and purity of the rural snow is unmatched. I associate the Swords suit with the element of Air.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about correlating seasons with the Minor Arcana suits and how such associations can aid in building our cache of card meanings, as well as illuminate Tarot readings.

-- Janet