This Halloween, I’ve designed a spread that is just pure FUN! It’s simple (just four cards) and it will help you determine what to ignore, what to explore, how to feel more FREE and connect more deeply with the spirit realm. What’s not to love?
So grab your favourite Tarot deck, light a candle or two and let’s get witchy…
Today we’re diving into the Four of Swords – a card that’s all about mental rest and rejuvenating solitude. It’s the most peaceful card in the suit of swords!
I used two books for research: The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination by Robert M. Place and Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.
Suit = Swords Element = Air (mind, intellect, thoughts, communication) Number 4 = stability, space, stillness, rest, lack, stagnancy
Keywords:
Rest, inaction, retreat, recovery, stillness, mental quiet, tune out the world, inner sanctuary
Meaning (Upright):
In the Four of Swords, mental energy quiets down and the mind becomes still. It’s time to withdraw from the drama of daily life and put your problems and to-do list aside for a short time, so you can rest and recharge.
Symbols:
Stained glass window (inside church) = sanctuary
Coffin (with an open lid) = this is a place where you can be dead to the world
Prayer hands = contemplation
Lying down = rest, meditation, trance
3 swords pointing down = putting the negativity of the previous card (3 of Swords) aside
One sword lying down under figure = knight who has put down his sword, putting down your tasks
Advice & Messages
When the Four of Swords shows up, it’s telling you to prioritize rest and recovery and to focus on calming your mind. Time to quiet that mental chatter and just breathe!
Tune out the world and seek stillness so you can find your inner sanctuary. Perhaps it’s time to withdraw from life drama and the cycle of doing and striving and trying to fix things. You need a break!
The Four of Swords says don’t try to solve your problems by thinking harder. Your mind needs a rest so it can come back fully charged and clear about what needs to be done.
Reversed
When the Four of Swords appears reversed, it can indicate that you’re struggling to slow down and just be still. Perhaps you’re unable to turn down the mental noise right now and feel like you can’t take a break even though you really want to.
It might also indicate that you’ve mentally “checked out” of something – whether it’s your job, relationship or society in general. You’re just mentally done with it all.
Alternatively, a reversed Four of Swords can show that you’re emerging from a period of respite and sanctuary, returning back to the world with renewed clarity and energy!
How you decide to interpret this card will depend on what you’re reading about, surrounding cards, placement in a spread and your intuition.
Journalling Questions:
♥ How do you feel about this card? Does it feel peaceful to you? Or frustrating/boring?
♥ Where is your sanctuary – the place you go when you need to get away from it all?
♥ What helps you quiet your mind?
♥ What helps you rest and recharge?
Join me next time…
Join me next time as I dive into the Four of Cups– a card of boredom and emotional flatness, but don’t worry, it’s also a little bit juicy ;)…. Hop on my mailing listso you won’t miss out!
As a basic gal, I’m always excited for FALL!!! I can’t wait to lace up my knee high walking boots, grab an oat milk latte and go for a stroll through the falling leaves. The air is crisp, the evenings are dark and gloomy, the casserole’s in the oven and I’ve got a stack of juicy books to read by the fire. What’s not to love?
This spread will help you get just as excited for the coming Autumn season – so grab your Tarot deck and a hot drink and get ready to explore the projects, surprises, talents (and more!) that this new season holds for you….
Today we’re diving into the Four of Pentacles – a card that’s all about conserving, hoarding resources and feeling like you just can’t relax and be footloose and fancy free in the way you secretly want to.
Suit = Pentacles Element = Earth (physical and material stuff, home, body, money, health, sex, food) Number 4 – stability, containment, stillness, rest, lack, stagnancy
Keywords:
Conserving, contracting, hoarding, not enough resources, miserly, cheap
Meaning (Upright):
The Four of Pentacles is about trying to hold onto what you’ve got for fear it might disappear overnight. This creates tension and ensures you stay firmly within your comfort zone, suffocating any forms of self expression. The figure on the Four of Pentacles is guarded and closed off, his heart blocked by a giant pentacle. He’s also stuck – he can’t move lest the pentacle balanced on his head falls off and if he walks away, he’s leaving those two big pentacles on the floor!
Sometimes, the Four of Pentacles is the result of reading your environment as not being a safe space to expand into. Self expression, connecting authentically with others and sharing freely feel unwise at this time.
Other times, this card illustrates a more stingy, self serving approach to life, where you might be anticipating a lack of resources and feel like you need to start hoarding stuff, regardless of how that effects others.
Symbols:
City in the background – has his back to the city (doesn’t care how his actions effect others, feels disconnected from community)
Four pentacles:
one balanced on his head = feels he cannot move or it will fall, needs to stay still for things to stay balanced
two under his feet = needing to keep both feet on the ground (or you’ll lose money!), cannot walk away from something for fear of losing money
one that he’s holding with both arms almost like a steering wheel = blocks his heart and ability to feel and connect with others.
Crown and concrete thrown = he has status and wealth but it is not comfortable
Black shall/robe = protective, black is a protective colour
Blank, cloudless sky = no inspiration, lack of imagination, bleakness
Advice & Messages
The Four of Pentacles encourages you to be conservative in how you use your resources of money, time and energy and it gives you the very practical advice of saving your money and watching your spending.
BUT! If you’re already doing this and you get this card, it could be telling you to avoid hoarding to the extreme or being ridiculously cheap. If you find yourself booking the 5am flight to save $12, then perhaps you’re taking this whole “saving money” thing a bit too far.
If you want to get out of your comfort zone, focus on creating safety BEFORE branching out and expressing yourself. Try using the affirmation “I HAVE enough, I AM enough, it is SAFE for me to grow and expand.”
Reversed
If the Four of Pentacles appears reversed, it can show that you’re having trouble saving money or engaging in frivolous spending.
Alternatively, a reversed Four of Pentacles can indicate that you’re hoarding in an unproductive way, like overbuying on toilet paper but not water or stockpiling wine but not canned goods.
Four of Pentacles reversed also suggests you could be allowing your anxiety and need for safety to totally hinder your progress in life and stop you from expanding, growing and expressing yourself.
Journalling Questions:
♥ How is this card showing up in your life right now? ♥ Where are you anticipating a future lack? ♥ Where do you need to start conserving your resources (money, time, energy)? ♥ How can you create a sense of safety and support so you can really express yourself and blossom?
Join me next time…
Join me next time as I dive into the Four of Swords – the card that shows us what is possible when we finally get all the voices in our head to shut up…. Hop on my mailing listso you won’t miss out!
I always LOVE giving myself a big Tarot reading in the Summer! I find it’s a great time to check in on my goals, dreams and daily habits to get a sense of where I’m at and where I want to go (kind of similar to what I do around New Years, but more fun and laid back).
And I decided to create a brand NEW Tarot spread – so I poured myself a tall glass of ice cold jasmine tea and sat down with my cats and this is what I came up with…..I hope you have fun with it!!!
Welcome to part 12 of my 40 part series Minor Arcana Meanings Deep Dives – each week or so we’ll hang out with ONE Tarot card and dive deeply into it’s symbols, meanings and messages – I’ll even give you some journalling questions to help you contemplate and connect with each card. This is similar to my Major Arcana Meanings Deep Diveseries and my Meet the Court Cardsseries.
Today we’re diving into the Three of Wands – a card about manifesting and having the courage to expand your horizons and explore the unknown!
Suit = Wands Element = Fire (spirit, passion, energy, action, drive ) Number 3 – triad, trinity, harmony, coming together, working together, things taking form
Keywords:
Accomplishment, manifestations, results, expansion / exploration, new horizons, big picture, opportunity, potential, energy moving outward
Meaning (Upright):
The Three of Wands is all about expanding your horizons, believing in your ability to succeed and having the courage to be more adventurous and act in expansive ways, all while thinking long-term. But it reminds you to anchor yourself in reality before dreaming big and expanding outwards.
With the Three of Wands, we begin to see some results for our efforts as some of our manifestations begin taking shape. From there, we can see where the potential lies and what things are worth pursuing and which ones can be put to the side.
Symbols:
Ships (2 ways to see them):
Coming in – success, manifestations come home to roost, seeing your ships come in Going out – exploration, expansion
Horizon = expand your horizons
Vantage point = see the big picture, think big and long term
Holding onto wand = importance of grounding and steadying oneself before expanding outward
Patchwork robe = rags to riches, advancement
Advice & Messages
The Three of Wands tells you that you’re making progress and there is a lot of potential and opportunity here, but now it’s time to expand your horizons and think big!
Don’t be afraid to explore something new or delve into uncharted territory, as sticking to the tried and true will only hold you back now – so be adventurous! But don’t forget to stabilize and ground yourself in reality first, before you dream big and embark on your journey of expansion.
The Three of Wands also reminds you that the energy you put out there will come back to you in some way, so be conscious of what it is you’re putting out there.
Reversed
If the Three of Wands appears reversed, it shows that you’re struggling to expand your perspective of what’s possible, staying within your comfort zones and missing out on good opportunities.
A reversed Three of Wands suggests failure to accomplish what you set out to do or not getting good results from your efforts. There was potential, but it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere now.
Journalling Questions:
♥ How is this card showing up in your life right now? ♥ What areas of your life are you trying to expand and progress in? ♥ How can you stabilize and ground yourself before dreaming big and getting adventurous? ♥ Take stock of what you’ve manifested so far and notice what worked or what didn’t…
Join me next time…
Join me next time as I dive into the Four of Pentacles – on the surface it’s a miserly card that’s all about holding onto what you’ve got but deep down, it’s about SO MUCH MORE .…. Hop on my mailing listso you won’t miss out!
Welcome to part 11 of my 40 part series Minor Arcana Meanings Deep Dives – each week or so we’ll hang out with ONE Tarot card and dive deeply into it’s symbols, meanings and messages – I’ll even give you some journalling questions to help you contemplate and connect with each card. This is similar to my Major Arcana Meanings Deep Diveseries and my Meet the Court Cardsseries.
Today we’re diving into the Three of Cups – perhaps the most fun Tarot card in the whole deck! It’s all about celebrating, socializing, and coming together with others for laughter and fun.
Suit = Cups Element = Water (emotion, feeling, healing, intuition, relationships) Number 3 – triad, trinity, harmony, coming together, working together, things taking form
Keywords:
Fun, celebration, bounty, party time, socializing, friendship, social group, jovial, light hearted, playful
Meaning (Upright):
The Three of Cups is all about coming together with others and having fun. It reminds you to indulge your playful side, stop taking life so seriously and prioritize social connection in your life.
The Three of Cups tells you that it’s time to let loose and have some fun,especially if you’ve forgotten how to play and find yourself taking everything way too seriously!!! Go out dancing and invite some friends over for some dancing in your living room – you don’t need to wait for a reason to celebrate!
The Three of Cups encourages you to prioritize your social life and organize something. Start or join a support group or common interest group because emotional connection with others is important for your well being right now and laughter, dancing and good company can be very healing.
Reversed
If the Three of Cups appears reversed, it indicates problems in your social life. You might be spending too much time socializing and being silly and need to curb your partying. Or it may be time to take a step back and stop putting the group’s needs above your own.
A reversed Three of Cups can suggest that you feel socially disconnected in general or perhaps just disconnected from a particular social group. You might be experiencing a lack of emotional connection with others or feeling like you just haven’t found your “tribe” yet.
Alternatively, a reversed Three of Cups can indicate a lack of playfulness and a struggle to laugh and feel joyful.
Journalling Questions:
♥ Where in your life could you use more play, fun and celebration? ♥ How is your social life right now? Do you have a group that you feel emotionally connect with? If not, how can you use playfulness, celebration, or dance to connect with a group or community? ♥ How can you bring the act of celebration into your day tomorrow? ♥ What is your favourite way to nurture you social life?
Join me next time…
Join me next time as I dive into the Three of Wands – a card that’s all about seeing your energy come back to you in the form of results and manifestations, informing you of what’s working and what isn’t.…. Hop on my mailing listso you won’t miss out!
Today I’m releasing something VERY old and ancient from the Daily Tarot Girl vault…. before AI, Tinder, smartphones and ipad’s even existed…. I sat at my kitchen table, illuminated by a flickering incandescent light bulb, radio crackling in the background and I put pen to paper and hand drew this Tarot card spread….
I created this spread when I was lost and confused and had no idea where my life was taking me. And it helped me get a sense of things and get back on track. I hope you enjoy it!
I was inspired to create this Tarot spread after seeing a hot guy in a sauna drinking water out of a plastic bottle moments after saying his entire reason for going in the sauna was to rid his body of MICROPLASTICS!!!!
We all have blindspots – are you ready to discover yours?
The bad news is that because it’s a blindspot, even if you do this spread, you STILL might not see it. That’s what happened to me….after trying out my own Tarot spread, the reading was clear as mud. Sometimes that happens! Nevertheless, it’s a fun spread and it might just open your eyes…
Let me know how it goes! What card did you get in the “blindspot” position?
✏️ Grab a pen and notebook (if you’re into that 😉 and let me walk you through my Tarot reading process. THIS is how I read a Tarot card with my intuition…
And if this lesson knocks your socks off, then you are going to LOVE my upcoming course The Daily Tarot Girl’s Guide to Intuitive Tarot Reading (Doors close on April 14th,get in while you still can!!!)
There are two ways to read a Tarot card – you can read with your HEAD(mind/intellect) or your HEART(intuition).
Reading with the MIND involves analyzing a card and breaking it down into parts, while reading with your INTUITION is all about experiencing the card, merging with it and feeling into it.
Most of us are well versed in reading with our mind, so let’s start there! Look at a card in front of you (either the one I show in this video or one you draw yourself) and notice:
What’s the NAME of the card?
What KEYWORDS do you associate with it?
What SUIT is it from?
What NUMBER is on the card?
What SYMBOLS are on the card?
Now that you’ve gathered all that info, let’s shift into intuitive reading mode…
Step 1 – Relax! Take a breath and chill. This will help you hear your intuitive voice better.
Step 2 – notice what comes up. Any feelings or emotions? Any urges? Just notice.
Step 3 – feel into the card. How does this card feel to you? Sad? Joyful? Cold? Busy? Use your 5 senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing to really feel out this card – what do you notice?
Step 4 – What are you drawn to? Follow it. It might be a symbol, a colour, a person. What do you notice about it? What is it trying to tell you?
Step 5 – let the card SPEAK to you! Ask the card (or a figure or symbol on the card) what it wants to tell you and then sit back and wait.
Personally, I LOVE to read with BOTH my mind and intuition, so this isn’t an either/or thing. You might find that you read mostly with your mind and only 10% intuition and that’s fine! It will vary from reading to reading, too. Sometimes my intuition is on FIRE and so I’ll mostly just read intuitively, while some days it just simply is NOT on fire, LOL! That’s when it’s nice to have some solid Tarot knowledge about meanings and keywords to fall back on.
I hope you find this Intuitive Tarot Reading crash course helpful in your Tarot studies 💕 xoxo Kate
