This is a true story, although names and details have been altered slightly for the sake of confidentiality…
A friend of a friend – let’s call her Sarah – came to me all in a flap! She was so excited because she’d just met someone who seemed like the perfect guy – handsome, sweet, witty, rich and worldly. They had an instant connection and she agreed to a date with him on Saturday, just three days away.
She was pretty certain they would end up marrying and having babies, but she wanted to see what the Tarot cards had to say about it.
Her question was what is the long term potential of this relationship?
I shuffled and drew three cards: The Tower, Five of Cups and Ten of Swords.
Robin Wood Tarot
I gave her my take on these cards and she was NOT happy. She was very disappointed in the reading and even though I tried my best to find a silver lining and steer things in a positive, empowering direction, it was nearly impossible!
I will share my experience of this reading in next weeks post which will be called My client hated her Tarot reading (and here’s how I dealt), but first I want to hear your take on these cards…
Your Turn!
How would you interpret this reading? What advice would you give to Sarah? Please post your answer in the comments below 🙂
It’s been ages since I’ve done a Tarot challenge on my blog, and it feels like now is a good time! Here is your situation:
It’s a hot Summer night and you’re sitting outside at your local, late night cafe shuffling your Tarot cards and flipping through your new Tarot book. Suddenly, a total stranger sits down at your table. He’s tall, lanky and wearing those weird hipster glasses that everyone now thinks is “normal”. He has a creepy Leave it to Beaver style haircut and he smells like strawberry shortcake.
“I’m in the middle of a torrid love triangle,” he confesses to you, “and I need to know what I should do.”
As you begin shuffling your cards, he gives you the dirty details…“I have been madly in love with my best friend Damien’s ex-girlfriend Jane for three years. She has reciprocated these feelings – well, sort of. I think she might just be using me for sex, but I’m okay with that. Anyhow, Jane has recently got back together with Damien and now we have to keep our love a secret. I am not really sure how to proceed – do I stay with Jane and tell Damien? Do I continue sneaking around? Or do I break it off with Jane, even though she’s the love of my life?”
You lay out three cards….
Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot
Based on this stranger’s situation, how would you interpret these Tarot cards? Please share your interpretation in the comment section below 🙂
If you would like to see how I read these cards CLICK HERE.
Here is my quick and dirty interpretation of these three cards:
"Well, mysterious stranger, the Knight of Pentacles tells me that you're a creature of habit and you like to proceed carefully in everything you do. Part of you might be tempted to not do anything right now because you don't want to rock the boat and cause chaos in your life.
However, the 10 of Swords indicates you are feeling majorly stabbed in the back! And rightly so. It sounds like you haven't really acknowledged your hurt over the fact that Jane has taken back up with Damien. Part of you knows that if you do acknowledge it, how you feel about Jane will change dramatically.
TheAce of Swords seems to be encouraging you to take the initiative and change things. Stop hiding and pussy footing around! It's time for you to be honest with yourself about what you want and what you will not stand for. It's time to turn over a new leaf and start doing things differently from now on. I feel that this Ace denotes a fresh start - a new beginning in your life that quite possibly does not include Jane. But only you can know that for sure.
Out of the three options you presented, which one feels the most empowering and liberating for you? Do that!
I’m looking forward to reading your advice for this mysterious stranger!!!
xoxo
Kate
Pretend you’re doing a reading for a man named Leonardo Rambucco – a dashing man with sexy, Latin looks and an air of mystery about him. He wears a cape (which would be weird on most people, but for him it totally works) and has a magnetic gaze.
He says “I am a magician who performs at children’s parties, but my dream is to have a big show in Vegas. What do you see in the cards?“
You shuffle your deck and draw…..
Universal Waite Tarot
Death and The High Priestess!
Now here’s the challenging part. You absolutely must NOT say anything discouraging to sexy Leonardo, but you also must NOT sugarcoat this reading either. Your goal is to give him some good advice that will help him on his path.
So – how would YOU interpret these cards and what would you tell him? Please share your interpretation in the comments below!
You are doing a Tarot reading for Markus, a smouldering hot 25 year old. Markus is an artist – he specializes in painting pixies and water nymphs and he is really quite talented. But he can’t seem to make a living from his art, so for the past five years he’s been working nights stocking shelves at a sex toy distribution company’s warehouse.
He is fairly happy in his life but his dream is to paint pixies full time and quit his night job. He asks you “how can I be more financially successful with my art?”
You draw two cards:The Hermit and the Seven of Wands.
Crystal Visions Tarot
How would you interpret these two cards? What advice would you give Markus?
Please feel free to leave your interpretation in the comments below!
The purpose of this exercise is to practice your Tarot reading skills. Markus is just a character and situation I made up.
Markus, it's clear to me that spending time alone, meditating and pondering things will help bring about a solution for you (The Hermit). When your right in the thick of things it can be hard to see the forest through the trees and this is why you aren't sure how to make more money from your art. Get some distance and perspective from it - detach emotionally and look at your art through a different lens - a clear path will emerge eventually. Detaching might mean not taking things personally when it comes to your art, which leads me to the next card - the Seven of Wands.
The Seven of Wands shows that you are feeling defensive about this issue, like making money from your work will mean you have to be competitive or something. It also shows me that you fear attack and criticism. Perhaps part of you really fears having your art judged and critiqued and deemed unworthy. This seems to be the energy that is holding you back and creating fear for you.
The more you relax and let go of this idea, the more quickly you will earn and income from your art. Perhaps letting go of those fears will make you feel more comfortable about putting yourself out there and even networking with other artists. Again, look at The Hermit and notice how calm and detached she is - other's opinions don't define her, so she doesn't fear them.
One theme I notice is that both The Hermit and the guy in Seven of Wands are on cliffs or pedestals. The advantage of this is that you have a nice view of things - a birds eye view. The downside is that you have farther to fall. You may fear that once you attain success you could lose it, or people will judge you more harshly. It's clear you have much passionate and fiery energy around your art (Wands), but it needs to be balanced with the calm, cool and intuitive nature of The Hermit. Meditation, nature walks and reflection will help you discern the voice of your intuition from the voice of your ego so that you can let go of fear and pursue your dream with newfound energy, enthusiasm and calmness.
Imagine this: It’s 8pm on a dark and rainy night. Thunder and lighting boom and flash in the distance as you sit in your armchair by the fire, shuffling your Tarot cards.
Across from you sits Minxy Blue – a friend of a friend. Minxy is a high class escort who lives a lavish lifestyle, “escorting” distinguished gentlemen and the occasional celebrity. But she has recently met someone special who has a problem with her chosen line of work. His name is Vlad Smith and he has proposed to her on the condition that she quit her escort job and do something else.
Minxy loves Vlad but she also loves her work. She’s in a conundrum! She asks you “what on Earth am I supposed to do?”
Just then, two cards come flying out of the deck, landing upright on the table in front of you.
But here’s the challenge: Minxy doesn’t have the time or the patience to listen to you ramble about the cards. So make it quick! In just 3 sentences or less, interpret these two cards in a way that is helpful to Minxy:
Hanson-Roberts Tarot
Please feel free to post your interpretation in the comments below!
If you would like to see how I interpreted these cards, just click on the text below…
Speak openly with Vlad about how you feel about leaving your career (Two of Cups). But make sure you go within and do some soul searching to find out what is truly important to you right now (The Hermit). There is much light and brightness in these two cards which shows that now is not the time to hide from your feelings and issues, Minxy girl!
It’s been a while since I presented you with a new Tarot challenge, so I decided to make this one extra tough…..by using only Court Cards!
First I will present you with a fabricated scenario:
You are doing a reading for Stephen – a middle aged man who works stocking vending machines in government buildings. Stephen has been divorced two years, has two teenaged daughters who hate him (he sees them every other weekend) and a Chihuahua with a bladder control problem.
Despite this dreary description of Stephen’s life, he is actually quite happy and content. He is coming to you for a reading because he’s just met someone new – Larissa – a new-agey maven who runs the local crystal shop.
They’ve been on a few hot and heavy dates and now Larissa wants him to come to Sedona with her for a Shamanic drumming weekend. He is reluctant. He hates that shit! But he doesn’t want to upset Larissa. What should he do?
You shuffle your cards, lay them out and turn them over. This is what comes up…..
Druidcraft Tarot
Remember: Court cards can represent people and/or personality traits. They can suggest how to act (or how not to act). Notice the facial expressions, body language and action in these cards.
You are not using a particular spread, so feel free to interpret the cards however you like.
So….what advice would you give Stephen, based on these three cards?
Please post your interpretation/reading in the comments below. This challenge is open to ALL levels of readers – so don’t by shy if your a beginner!…I can’t wait to hear what you come up with 🙂
Unlike my last two Tarot Challenges, this reading isn’t for a made up, fictitious character. This situation is real, so hold onto your hat!
Note: I have gotten permission from this person to share her reading and ask for interpretations and I have changed her name and any identifying details.
So here goes…
Lola is a 42 year old woman, married, no kids and working in her “dream career”. Everything in her life is wonderful – her husband and family are great and she has lots of money, friends and interests. She is in excellent health and is also quite a sexy lady!
However, these past several months she has felt a certain emptiness in her life. It kind of feels like she is dead inside. She keeps thinking “there must be more to life than this.” She loves her life, but she doesn’t feel fully alive in it. Some days it just feels like she is just going through the motions. And that feeling is only getting bigger and bigger.
She has come to you for a Tarot reading and has asked you “Why did my life loose it’s ‘spark’ and what can I do to inject magic and joyful zest back into my life?”
These are the cards that come up:
The Anna K Tarot
Just to let you know….Lola is a close friend of mine and is one tough cookie – she can take whatever no-frills advice you have for her. So don’t hold back or sugar coat your interpretations! And whatever you do, don’t worry about getting it wrong.
Based on these 3 cards, how would YOU interpret this reading? What advice do you have for Lola?
Feel free to share in the comment section below! I am really looking forward to reading your responses 🙂
Last week, I posed a “Tarot Challenge“, where I asked you to interpret this reading in a positive, empowering way.
First of all, I’ve been LOVING all the comments! I waited until I had written my own interpretation to read everyone’s responses, because I knew it would influence how I saw the cards.
And before I get into my own take on the cards, I just want to say…
Thank you!!!
Big hugs to everyone who participated in this “Tarot Challenge” – it was so much fun to read through your take on the cards. Honestly, I am blown away by the insights and wisdom in all the responses and I feel somewhat intimidated, but also very very lucky to have such brilliant Tarot readers reading my blog!
I think I may do a “Tarot Challenge” each month from now on, as I think its an awesome way to practice and learn 🙂
As promised, here is my own interpretation of these cards:
Universal Waite Tarot
Just to refresh your memory, I am doing this reading for Xavier (a sexy, make believe person) and his issue is this:“my life is not going anywhere. I have been stuck in the same crappy job for the past 6 years, living in my parents basement and have been single for 3 years. I can’t seem to meet the right person, no matter what I do. It feels like I am not progressing in life and I have no idea why or what I can do to change things. Help!”
I ended up reading these cards in a past/present/future framework because that is what seemed to work best for me.
The Ten of Swords
My attention is immediately drawn to the center card and it kind of makes me chuckle that for someone who complains of being “stuck”, the guy in the Ten of Swords is quite literally stuck – with ten swords!
For the most part, I feel that the Ten of Swords is simply illustrating how you feel right now.
But number 10 cards often symbolize an ending of a phase and this shows that, although it may not feel like it now, things will be on the upswing sooner than you expect.
The Tower
The Tower has shown up in the past position, which suggests you had some kind of shock a few years back that has caused you to feel a bit fearful about taking risks and moving forward.
Perhaps this card refers to the end of a relationship, loss of a job or even some kind of upheaval within your family. But whatever it was it made you appreciate and yearn for safety and comfort.
This desire for comfort and safety has often kept you stuck and you may catch yourself thinking things like “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.”
The sooner you can let go of that mindset, the quicker you will move forward with things and create change. Do you have a thirst for adventure? For taking the odd risk? For trying new things?
Try changing just one habit you have or doing just one new thing a week. For example, go indoor rock climbing or to see a movie by yourself – anything as long as its something different from your normal routine. This will help shake things up energetically and get things moving in a new direction.
I suspect there is something you have been wanting to do for a while now, but you keep hesitating and holding back. Now is the time to do that thing!
Also, using the affirmation “it is safe for me to create change in my life” will be very helpful to you as you move forward.
If you can, write those words down on an index card and tape it up somewhere you can see it everyday, like your bathroom mirror. Yes, I know that sounds really lame and self-helpy, but try it!
Death
Death shows up in the “future” position and thank God for that!
Death ultimately means change. The end of something which will always precedes a new beginning. Nothing is meant to last forever. And really, what a relief that is!
So big change is on the horizon for you, but in order for those changes to happen, you really need to let go of many things.
You will most likely need to release old thinking patterns, limiting self-beliefs, the fear of change (which we all have to some degree) and embrace a new way of thinking and being in the world.
This sounds like an enormous task, but don’t let it overwhelm you. What are a couple of things you could do this week that would help you get on the track to changing your thoughts and feelings?
[If Xavier can’t think of anything, then I might suggest a meditation technique, a book or journaling exercise. I find it’s more powerful if he comes up with something on his own, because often we know deep down what things we need to do in order to create change.]
The “Big Picture” view
When I look at all these cards together, I notice that movement is the theme that really stands out. Let me explain.
In The Tower, we have downward movement (the figures are falling) showing a feeling of loss of control. This lead you to feeling stuck, which is shown by the Ten of Swords where there is no movement happening at all. Then, with Death, forward motion is finally happening! And of course, the sun is rising in the distance. It is the dawn of a new day in your life and today is the turning point.
Xavier, what you do today will determine what happens tomorrow, so embrace your own power to create change in your life. Don’t wait around for something to happen. Get out there and do stuff!
A tip for interpreting “negative” Tarot cards
See if you can come up with at least one or two action steps – this adds that empowering element to a reading.
For example, in this reading I used the Death card to come up with some things Xavier could do (journalling, meditation or reading a book) that would help him change his mindset.
Your client (or you, if your reading for yourself) will come away from the reading feeling like they have something they can actually do about things, rather than feel helpless and powerless.
*If you enjoyed this topic, I will be unveiling my brand new e-course The Art of Tarot: How to Read a Negative Card in a Positive Light this month. It will be chalk-full of tips like this, as well as videos, audio lessons, fun worksheets and more!
Before I dive into this week’s reading, I want to let you know I’m teaching a Tarot for Creative Writing workshop on Sunday, Nov 24th @ 10am PST. There’s still spots left and you can sign up RIGHT HERE!
For this week’s reading, I’m usingThe Everyday Witch Tarot – let’s see what the cards have to say about the themes, opportunities and challenges for your upcoming week…
I don’t typically read Tarot everyday, but I was recently inspired to try this method after reading about how to calculate your Personality, Soul and Year cards in Mary K Greer’s book Who Are You In The Tarot?
This exercise involves numbers and math – but don’t let that turn you off – this new daily Tarot practice has me excitedly reaching for my cards each morning!
Daily Tarot Practice: Calculate Your Tarot Card of the Day
1. Take today’s date and add up all the numbers. For example, the day I’m writing this is Sept 21, 2024.
09 + 21 + 2+0+2+4 = 38
If you get a number that’s higher than 22, further reduce that number by adding the two numbers together. In my case, my number would be 38 (3 + 8)= 11
2. Now, take that number and find the major arcana card with that number. In my case, it’s Justice. Fuck, I hate that card!
If you get number 22, its The Fool.
Rider-Waite Tarot
This is your Tarot Card of the Day! It gives you an overall idea of the general weather or energy of the day and the type of stuff you might encounter. It could represent a person that you’ll interact with today, or an event or experience you might have.
3. What do you think this card is telling you about the day ahead? Jot down a few ideas in your Tarot journal.
Personally, I think Justice is telling me that I may encounter a serious (but highly intelligent) person and that I’ll need to use my good judgement today when it comes to time management and prioritizing.
4. At the end of your day, have another look at this card. How does it reflect the day you had? How did this card show up for you?
Going Deeper: Incorporating Your Personality Card!
Your Personality Card reflects your personality traits, life mission, goals and values. It’s calculated by adding up all the numbers in your birth date. My Personality Card is The Emperor and while I’m not stubborn or controlling, I am fiercely independent, self employed and do things in my own weird way.
Rider Waite Tarot
1. Find your Personality Card by adding up your birth date – the day, month and year – and find the Major Arcana card of that number.
For example, if you were born on October 7, 1987 (10 + 7 + 1+9+8+7) = 42 Since this number is higher than 22, we’ll further add it up (4 + 2 = 6) Now, find the Major Arcana card of that number. In the example above, number 6 is The Lovers!
2. Find the card of the day by adding up the numbers in today’s date.
3. Place these two cards side by side. The card of the day tells you the general energy of today, while your Personality Card tells you how you’ll interact with this energy.
How do these cards interact? Feel free to journal about it in your Tarot Journal.
Going Even Deeper: Calculating Your Inner Card of the Day
Your Inner Card of the Day reflects the internal experiences, challenges and opportunities you’ll encounter today and it’s it’s calculated by adding your Personality Card to your Card of the Day.
1. Add your Personality Card (the numbers in your birth date added up) to your Card of the Day (the numbers in today’s date added up) and then find the Major Arcana card of that number. So in my case, my card of the day is Justice (11) and my Personality Card is The Emperor (4), that would be 11 + 4 = 15 (The Devil).
Universal Waite Tarot
This is your Inner Card of the Day. Adding up the numbers of today’s date (to find your Day Card) gives you an idea of the general energy of today and how it might look on the outside, but adding your birth date to that number will give you a better sense of how you’ll internally experience yourday.
So if my Inner Card of the Day is The Devil, I may feel tempted all day long to give into a craving, addiction or habit that’s a little bit bad for me.
Look at your Inner Card of the Day and ask:
♥ What does this card mean to you? ♥ What message does it have for you about your day ahead? ♥ How did this card show up for you today? (Ask this one at the end of your day)
Now you have 3 cards to contemplate: your Personality Card, the Card of the Day and then your Inner Card of the Day. But if that feels too complicated, just focus on either your Card of the Day or your Inner Card of the Day.You can make it as quick and simple or as complex as you want!
I’ve only just started playing around with this daily practice but I’ve found it very illuminating! The other day, my Inner Card of the Day was Strength. That day I had to give a pill to my foster cat and then get her in a carrier to go to the vet. I found myself just like this cat lady in Strength, gently coaxing and soothing my little lion as I tried (successfully!) to get her to cooperate.
