Recently, after reading an assignment by one of my students based on the “I Love Them All” 9-card spread in that book, I decided it would be fun to do a reading using that spread here on Tarot Notes.
The title “I Love Them All” refers to all the parts of our personality, including:
(1) the child. . .
(2) the angel. . .
(3) the devil. . .
(4) the nameless. . .
(5) the feminine. . .
(6) the masculine. . .
(7) the special. . .
(8) the insignificant. . .
(9) the mature . . .
. . . person in me
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Joining me in this exploration is the Otherworld Tarot by Alison Williams, with artwork by Sarah Nowell (Schiffer). Let us begin!
SIX OF SWORDS (Tranquillity)
My “inner child” is overcoming sources of stress and negative thinking, emotional upsets and periods of unhappiness, leaving those in the past and moving forward on a path that leads to tranquillity.
EIGHT OF WANDS (Movement)
My “inner angel” is becoming more active, putting things in motion, perhaps related to my career or work. This is positive movement in the right direction.
ACE OF SWORDS (Growing Mental Energy)
My “inner devil” is trying to dissuade me from taking a new mental approach to a difficult situation. I have an opportunity to put my emotions to one side and be more rational, but that would not please the inner devil.
THE HIEROPHANT (Spiritual Guidance)
The “nameless person” in me is The Hierophant. This seems appropriate when you think of the high spiritual nature of this card, sort a “he who shall remain nameless” thing going on. The title of the card – Spiritual Guidance – tells me that this is what the “nameless person” within me needs and seeks. The Hierophant also carries a sense of tradition and organization, a certain way of doing things or looking at things.
FIVE OF WANDS (Conflict)
My “inner female” appears to be in conflict or perhaps even in danger, struggling with something, hung up for a time in a battle of some sort. There’s a lot of potential stinging going on with this card, given the huge scorpion and the little bee in each corner.
THE STAR (Renewal)
Seems a little odd to see my “inner male” represented by a nude female, but let’s see what we can do with that. Key Words for The Star are Renewal, Hope, Enlightenment. When I compare this with the “feminine person” (number 5, above), it seems my “masculine person” is much more positive, optimistic, and upbeat. We might even say it is “tuned to a higher vibration” (Major Arcana card).
SIX OF CUPS (Nostalgia)
The “special person” in me is nostalgic, a bit attached to the distant past, to childhood and a less complicated existence, to a time when all the possibilities for happiness lay ahead. At the same time, this “special person” also tends to remember and revisit negative experiences from the past that re-create the negative feelings they engendered at the time.
THREE OF SWORDS (Pain)
This is a very interesting positional definition, in my opinion. Does it mean a genuinely insignificant aspect of my inner person or an aspect perceived to be insignificant that needs to be noticed? The Three of Swords suggests emotional pain and mental anguish. Is the card telling me that any emotional pain or mental anguish I currently experience is “insignificant” in the long term? Or is it telling me that I need to deal with that pain and anguish and NOT treat it as insignificant?
(9) the “mature person” in me
It’s hard to imagine anyone more “mature” than The High Priestess! She is peace and quiet, internal exploration, balance, and an understanding of hidden mysteries. Indeed, the “mature person” in me focuses on these things, bringing me closer to achieving inner peace.
My “inner self” seems to consist of a lot of Fire and Air power with all the Wands and Swords and just ones Cups card to represent Water. If I use elemental associations for the Majors, I have Earth (Hierophant), Air (The Star), and Water (The High Priestess). Those three Majors (nameless person, masculine person, and mature person) are so positive, hopeful, stable, and strong – I see them as anchors of stability and wisdom for my Inner Self.
Thanks for sharing Zanna I really love this spread!
ReplyDeleteMy idea for the insignificant part is to give it a comforting cuddle. I think no part of ourselves can be really insignificant. I think you could call it also the neglected part of ourselves
Oh yes, I do like that "neglected" idea (as opposed to "insignificant"). Thanks for stopping by, Ellen!
DeleteI had a thought about position 5: "5) the “feminine person” in me
ReplyDeleteFIVE OF WANDS (Conflict)" I wonder if the feminine person in you feels this emotion of this card - conflict because as you know wands is action and perhaps there are times when you have trouble translating your ideas into the action you want. That's the sting in the tail. Just a thought. ^_^
Oh, I like that idea, Helen. I did think it was interesting that the artist chose a scorpion for this card. I couldn't help thinking of Scorpio, the zodiac sign, which is a feminine Water sign, not normally what I would associate with Wands.
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