Tag Archives: Tarot

November 23, 2025 · 12:52

Esoteric Jaunt

Tarot – to charge or not to charge…

Not delving into politics…have the flu, I feel sick enough. NyQuil is your friend.

For some reason, my Tarot cards have been on mind, a LOT, lately. I even dream about them. Yeah, yeah, a sign that I should pull them out. I don’t wanna. I haven’t done a serious reading since 2013. Some information just doesn’t need to be “had”, you know?

I started with Tarot in the early 80’s; like most, I started with Rider-Waite, for about 5 years and then, jumped into the deep end with no life preserver, moved to Thoth. The deck was a gift from someone and I just felt electrified by it. It was my deck from that point forward.

One of the larger controversial points in my practice was charging for readings. I don’t. It just goes against my own beliefs. You charge? Fine. Whatever you wish to do. And the blowback? Holy crap on a cracker! You’d think I was kicking puppies or something. My practice, my choice.

Why don’t I charge? Well, it was something I was taught, decades ago; you don’t charge for Craft and Tarot readings fall into that purview for me. I see it as a gift of sorts and my ethics (not better than yours, just mine), do not allow me to charge for a gift.

Gives (gave) me a lot of freedom as to who I read for and who I didn’t feel I wanted to read for. I learned relatively early on, not to read for family, I WON’T read for my kids or immediate family, for example. A couple of reasons, the readings could be tainted by my intimate knowledge of them and their psychology, another reason is learning too much, perhaps…bad news or huge struggle on its way. Selfish on my part? Probably.

I used to hold Tarot classes, didn’t charge those those either. What people did with what they gleaned from those classes/workshops was up to them.

Why am I writing about this? I guess I am just working out, whether or not I should pull the cards out.

Okay, well – if you stuck around? Thanks for reading. I am off to open a new box of tissue and dose up on DayQuil.

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December 1, 2012 · 09:19

The Universe XXI

UniverseAnd so the Major Arcana has laid itself out for us to see, to learn and to follow. The keys to a life well lived, to a universal understanding of the workings of our world and beyond.

The Universe is without end and so is our journey of knowledge. Our consciousness has been wakened, expanded and the edges are smooth, without a cutting edge. Our place as a Star among the galaxies has been achieved but we can never forget that we are one of many Stars – each one unique in and of his/herself. Each one with a story to tell, lessons to teach. No man or woman is without something that can be shared with us.

If we apply all the lessons taught to us through the Major Arcana – the Universe is, absolutely, within our grasp. It is a hard journey and many people that we meet may get hung up along the way but if we keep true to our course, we will arrive at the edge of the Universe and we will stake our place among the Stars who have gone before us, successfully completed their own journeys.

We are accomplished.

And on to the wet blanket portion of our program; the underside or reverse meaning of the Universe in a spread shows us a road that leads to nowhere – the proverbial and real life, dead end. A lonely and desolate place to find ourselves; we took a wrong turn somewhere and must retrace our steps to find our true path. It happens, it can be fixed, as long as we are willing to do the work required.

This card can indicate the Faux Teacher/Guru or Priest – that deceptive world of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. We have forgotten that not everything is as it appears to our eyes; we must reach deeper, sometimes, for truth. We need to remember that while everyone has a lesson to teach? Lessons are not always pleasant.

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December 1, 2012 · 08:49

Aeon XX

AeonAeon actually has a few meaning but the Thoth deck foundation lies at the feet of Aleister Crowley. Aeon is a period of time in his interpretation; for example, he believed we are in the Aeon or Age of Horus. (A very long discussion and should receive treatment of its own, so I won’t go into it any further.)

This depiction says to us that a new age is dawning, a new age built on everything that has come before. When we accept ourselves, when we accept our light and dark sides, accept that life and what lies beyond is also light and dark, we have entered a new Aeon of “self.” Anything is possible for us – our minds have been opened to, perhaps, previous concepts that we never dreamed of, in our wildest imaginings.

A new Aeon of spiritual, material and psychological joining. The world and the universe is now our oyster. We see and understand, we accept and don’t flail impotently at life’s disappointments. We no longer stand at the edge of the abyss and scream at it, pointlessly.

The concept of the actual goal being less important than the journey undertaken, is something we truly comprehend. We can look back and say “Ahhh, I get it. I understand now. That was a lesson learned.”

On a more physical plane – this card indicates new beginnings, perhaps a birth of a new human being, about to start their own Aeon. It can mean liberation. Freedom from something that constricted, a marriage, a job but the bottom line is the freedom.

This is the card of the opening of the chrysalis. The butterfly of the soul freed.

On the other hand and isn’t there always “on the other hand” – there must be, you know – for every new day, there is a new night. Right has its left. Love has its opposite, hate. And this card too, has its opposing force.

This card can indicate imprisonment – the worst kind. Imprisonment of the mind; usually a sentence that we have imposed on ourselves through unwillingness to learn, to allow our minds to grow. To accept life on its terms instead of trying to fight against it. The “Woe is me” victim mentality. The card can also indicate someone suffering from narcissism to the maximum degree.

An quick example would be the person who refuses to age gracefully; our shopping malls are full of these sad people. Trapped in an illusion that young is somehow better. They have ignored life lessons, preferring the shallow gratification of the material world. They are to be pitied, not laughed at. They are failing the most important school in the Universe; they are getting a D in the school of life and there are no re-takes.

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November 30, 2012 · 04:51

The Sun XIX

SunHere comes the Sun…do dee do do..Here comes the Sun, I say…it’s all right. Older folks will get that – younger folks, not so much.

The Sun. Our consciousness is waking up, it is growing and anticipating its flowering. We understand the shadows that have dogged us and we “get” that in order to truly appreciate the Sun, we have to take a walk on the dark side. For most of us, a walk on a sunny day fills our brains with endorphins, we feel confident – we feel good with ourselves. The Sun in a reading lends that confidence, that awakening to the spread. A new opportunity is dawning and waiting for us to grab hold, to grow with it.

The Sun represents the male power – the Moon is the feminine aspect, so this card takes on the characteristics of the male – growth, power, confidence, charisma – the rod is growing toward its apex. Ride those rays and take your own moment in the Sun.

Of course, the Sun has its own dark side. Stand too close and you get burned. Burn too brightly and you destroy the things around you. The Sun can indicate deep psychological issues, like delusions of grandeur. It can be a warning of the individual or someone around them being a little too full of themselves. Could be a case where if something looks too good to be true, it probably is… The Sun, when ill-defined, can be an augur of problems to come, hidden behind something bright and seemingly, full of promise. It is at this time that we must re-visit our dark side and weigh what we’ve learned in the past, apply that weight to the situation or person ahead…use confidence in our ability to discern truth from fraud.


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November 26, 2012 · 18:53

The Moon XVIII

The Moon is the ebb and flow of life; she controls the tides and some believe, she impacts our moods.

The Moon is our intuitive self; the little voice we ignore, far too often, and to our detriment. The Moon in a reading is telling us to listen to our inner voice, to understand the ebb and flow of our lives and rather than fight the tide, to understand it. To work with the highs and the lows and to always listen to our own voice; the cacophony of those around us may mean well but the true decisions should be ours and ours alone.

The Moon represents the mirror to our souls and can help us to cross that abyss between our outer and inner worlds.

The card is telling us to look within, to travel down to our inner depths and learn from our own experiences. There may well be trouble ahead and we will need that inner voice, the inner strength to work with the onrush of the tide, to not get swept away.

Many law enforcement officers, emergency room personnel will swear to you that they are so much busier with bizarre cases and behaviours during a full moon. Consider the word; lunacy. Listen to that inner voice, travel to your inner self but don’t forget to return, to apply what you’ve learned to your outside world.

The Moon is a mystery mistress and she can show us many exciting things but remember, the Moon has a dark side as well and be warned.

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November 24, 2012 · 06:58

The Star XVII

The light in the dark – a sign of bright potential, albeit in the future. The Star can be a cold white light, similar to the character of a fluorescent tube or the light can be warm, inviting us to the illuminating future that can be ours. The Star represents what we are all capable of achieving, individual brilliance in the surrounding dark.

We are all Stars but too many of us don’t truly see; just as many are aware of those little diamonds, they never really look at them, never really see, with their mind’s eye, completely missing the wonder and the universal individuality of the stars.

Perspective is, again, the key. The Star as an unattainable goal, far above and distant or it can be the light at the end of the tunnel. We have only to reach toward it, take the path upwards and to the lighted way. The interpretation is our own. To struggle on in the dark or to move upwards, to continue to strive to our goal – the way is lit, do we take it or remain mired in the dark?

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November 23, 2012 · 19:54

The Tower XVI

No, I haven’t been slacking on my work; this one strikes a little too close to home. Changes, massive upheavals come in many forms and the Tower forewarns us of the coming apocalypse, wherever it manifests.

The Tower is destruction of something we thought was solid, something that was a keystone of our foundation – material, psychological or spiritual – it is a rending, a breaking down. Not a wee tear that we can sew or glue back together; this is destruction.

Being a part of or watching the devastation pictured in the card is not an easy spot in which to find oneself and it is only through the growth that we experience from our birth as the Fool through to this point in our life journey can we withstand the awesome destructive force of this representation.

The choice is always our own and depends on what we have chosen to learn from our living road; we can allow ourselves to be buried under the bricks and mortars of the foundations we, ourselves have laid or we can learn from what has happened, create a larger, stronger structure from which to base ourselves.

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November 17, 2012 · 20:33

Art XIV

Art is something born deep inside of ourselves. It is something we conceive, on our own. No one else can direct our Art.

Death takes everything away and leaves us with a potentially blank canvas on which we can create a masterpiece. Anything we wish to manifest is available to us; imagine every colour imaginable, at our fingertips, in whatever medium we choose – all of them, if the mood strikes.

Art is a unique quality of mankind.

Art tells us that every day can be a blank canvas where we can express who we are, what we want, what constitutes our desires. Yesterday dies at day’s end; yesterday is death, today is Art. Creative flow of energy.

Looking at Art’s placement can tell us if the individual is ready to take on the challenge of creating their own life – to become their own Star.

If Art is ill-defined by the cards around it; we can reckon that the individual is not ready. Creative energy is being repressed or worse, that energy is being channelled into destruction instead of construction. Again, depending on placement, this could be a dire warning of someone or something that is intent on taking something away – happiness, joy, love? Read the spread carefully and the answer will be there.

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November 17, 2012 · 13:53

Death XIII

First, I’ll tell you an insider secret – the Death card is never good. A reader – to whom you’ve paid cash – may put a bright spin on it because, after all, who wants to pay money for bad news; this is a kind of “Don’t shooting the messenger” thing.

Death is death; the end, game over – bucket kicked. The only real question is how an individual interprets the end. Death could be the bottoming up of a relationship. Could be the death of a style of life. Death can also mean, absolutely that – death. Readers shy away from this card more than any other. It’s a scary deal, even for the reader. Death is, probably, the most taboo of subjects for a good lot of humanity but that’s a topic for another conversation, at another time.

Death can represent the end of a situation but beyond death, there is rebirth but the rebirth in this context is under the complete control of the individual. When the card indicates an actual death, end of a life – we can drown in the inherent grief or we can undergo a rebirth of our own. Some find a renewal of their beliefs, some find a new system of beliefs but the key here is the moving on past death and creating something new, finding something in the death that we can turn around into something vital and alive.

Nothing that is thrown in front of us is without reason; every situation can be used as a tool toward a better life, a healthier psyche, a stronger individual. Particularly death.


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November 17, 2012 · 12:16

The Hanged Man XII

Hanged Man. Interesting guy. He’s telling us that we are stuck in a situation of our own making. We need to do a little of the overcoming work – could be our ego or attitude, could be an unhappy relationship, could be a dead end job.

The Hanged Man is the individual who whines and moans because life is so unfair, yet makes the same errors in judgment, over and over again. Swinging in the wind and seemingly, oblivious of the obvious. Get out of the wind. No one is going to come along and build you shelter from the storm; that’s on you.

He is our true friend, the Hanged Man. He is the honest kick in the butt. He gains nothing if you pay attention to him or not. It is, however, in your best interest to heed his message.

Time to change, time to shake off the chains that we – ourselves – have forged or allowed to be forged by our own unwillingness to take a stand for what is to our benefit.

His lighter image shows us that a new world view is within our reach, we have only to loosen the ties that bind, on whatever level and head to that new vision.

This song is perfect for the Hanged Man.

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