"The White Hart": A 2-Card Reading

I love love love my latest, newest Tarot deck (a Christmas gift from my sister): Forest of Enchantment Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone, illustrated by Meraylah Allwood (Llewellyn Publications).

Feeling an immediate, deep connection to this deck, I decided to immediately do a small spread featured in the accompanying guidebook. This 2-card spread is a good one to use as a daily spread.

Step 1: Place the White Hart card and the Wide World card side by side.

Step 2: Ask the hart these questions:
(1) Who am I as I enter the forest today?
(2) Who will I be when I emerge?

Step 3: Draw one card to answer each question and place them facedown above the two hart cards. Look at Card 1 now and Card 2 at the end of the day OR look at both now. If you choose the second option, use Card 2 as advice for how you can shift the energy to a different place, if you desire.

I am going to read both cards now.

(1) Who am I as I enter the forest today? THE LOVERS

My “standard” interpretation for this card is usually that it relates to a loving relationship (internal or external) and/or the need to make a very important choice or decision. For this deck, Lunea Weatherstone states that The Lovers represents a “true partnership and the life choices and sacrifices that come with commitment.” As I enter the forest today, I am aware that I am one of two people in an important partnership.

(2) Who will I be when I emerge? SEEKER OF SPELLS

In this deck, Seekers are the equivalent of Knights. The suit of Spells is the suit of Wands (Fire). This Seeker is known for being bold, spirited, dramatic, impulsive, and willful. She is all about creative exploration, breaking through a routine, and spontaneous travel. When I emerge from the forest today, I may find myself feeling and expressing these qualities. If these are not traits I want to demonstrate today, I will need to use my awareness and understanding to modify or moderate them.

I certainly see a contrast here between being a member of a partnership (The Lovers) and being fiercely independent, eager to venture out on my own (Seeker of Spells). It will be interesting to see what sort of day I have…

Give me a reflection of what is happening...

A sample reading using

The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot
by Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov

(Magic Realist Press)

QUESTION

"Give me a reflection of what is happening 
with Scott's and my relationship."

ANSWER

Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot

Your card is the NINE OF CUPS. On this card we see a somewhat portly and obviously very satisfied cat sitting on a barrel in the public room of an inn, licking his lips. Behind him, carved in wood, we see a scene of general merrymaking. The Nine of Cups is sometimes known as the "wish card." It frequently indicates the fulfillment of very basic, down-to-earth wishes or a period of great pleasure, satisfaction, and well-being.

The suit of Cups is associated with the element Water, representing emotions, creativity, affection, love, sensitivity, intuition, and compassion. Water is also associated with relationships, which means that its appearance concerning a question about a relationship is a very encouraging sign. The number Nine often represents a basis for completion, preparation for new cycle, growth through experience, perfection, integration, and fruition. This suggests that your relationship with Scott is at a turning point -- the end of one stage or phase and the beginning of a new stage or phase.

I would say that the reflection this card is giving you is that your relationship with Scott has high potential to be everything you need it to be. It encourages you to focus on the simple contentment and happiness available through this relationship, and to value what you have together. Celebrate the little things and let your appreciation of each other carry you forward.

I hope this is helpful to you. It is my hope that the insight gained through this reading will help you make decisions and take action in line with your best interests. Always remember that your future lies in your hands. Thank you for letting me read for you.

"Will I have new love in my life soon?"

A sample reading using

Tarot of the Gnomes

Art by Antonio Lupatelli

(Llewellyn/Lo Scarabeo)

QUESTION

Will I have new love in my life soon?

ANSWER

Before I continue with your reading,  I need to let you know that really few things are "written in the stars." Most results and consequences derive from our own patterns of behavior and activity or inactivity, awareness or non-awareness. Because our futures are not etched in stone, the Tarot helps us to see the *possibilities* in our lives. Let's look at the possibilities related to your question.

For your 3-card reading I am using Tarot of the Gnomes. This is a somewhat "quirky" deck, yet I have found that it can provide helpful insight into all kinds of issues. I drew three cards to represent: (1) energy currently surrounding this matter, (2) a potential obstacle, and (3) a potential opportunity.

(1) energy currently surrounding this matter

EIGHT OF PENTACLES (Poverty)

Although the gnome on this card may seem pitiful, notice that he is smiling as he holds out his hand as if to catch the huge coin hanging in the air above him. I think this does reflect your current feelings about your situation in terms of your love life. You mentioned that you have been alone almost a year now with your three kids. You may be feeling not only lonely but "impoverished" in various ways. What I like about the Eight of Pentacles here is that it suggests help is on the way. However, with Pentacles being the suit of Earth, things may develop more slowly than you would like.

(2) a potential obstacle

THREE OF WANDS (Worry)

The woman on this card carries a heavy burden, and I think this could refer to the heavy responsibilities and duties you bear as a single parent. However, I do think that this card is saying that your worries about your situation may actually be an obstacle that interferes with your ability to seek and find a fulfilling love relationship. I am wondering if the "help" suggested by the Eight of Pentacles could refer to help with your children, which would relieve some of your burden and free you to be more receptive to relationships at all levels.

(3) a potential opportunity

KNAVE OF PENTACLES (Loan)

Here we move back to the suit of Pentacles, and we see the Knave holding a large coin aloft. You can almost imagine him standing above the person on the Eight of Pentacles, dropping the coin into the beggar's hand. In this deck, the Knave of Pentacles is subtitled "Loan." The loan may not involve money, but is probably going to be available in some area of your everyday work and domestic life. There is perhaps a person or organization that might play a role in presenting you with opportunities for a fulfilling love relationship. Like the Eight of Pentacles, the Knave seems to be saying, "You don't have to go it alone."

Your original question is what we call a yes-or-no question. In other words, the answer can be "yes" or "no." In my experience, the Tarot isn't very reliable in answering yes-or-no questions. However, using a method that I am familiar with, these three cards seem to be saying that the potential isn't strong for you to have a new love in your life "soon" but that there is potential. As I mentioned above, this could develop more gradually or more slowly than you would like.

My purpose in doing this reading is to offer options, possibilities, and perspectives for you to consider. I hope I have succeeded in doing that. Always remember that you are in charge of your destiny and only you can decide the best way to act in your situation.

Samhain Spirits Spread 2019

Samhain – [pronounced sah-win]

I enjoyed doing this spread for past Halloweens on Tarot Notes, so I’m giving it another go. To set the stage, I am quoting from The New Encyclopedia of the Occult by John Michael Greer (Llewellyn Worldwide):

“Samhain. The beginning and end of the year in the old Celtic calendar, falling around the beginning of November in modern terms. Samhain is the oldest documented festival of Celtic Paganism. . . Samhain was traditionally associated with the spirits of the dead, who were believed to walk the world at that time. After the arrival of Christianity, the feast of Samhain became All Hallow’s Day. The evening before it, the modern Halloween, retained much of the same symbolism.”

The positional definitions for this spread are inspired by the hauntingly beautiful song “All Soul’s Night” with words and music by Loreena McKennitt. You can listen to the song _HERE_.  You can read the lyrics of the song _HERE_.

This year, I am using the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot by Lisa Hunt (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) The layout is in the shape of a pentacle.

I stand in darkness at the entrance to the graveyard on All Hallow’s Eve, on Samhain, when spirits walk the world…

(1) This Spirit dances around and around

EIGHT OF CUPS (Der Schimmelreiter)

I have to say this is a troubling card to see today, as heavy rain and storms continue in my part of the country. As I write this, I listen to the steady downpour outside my window and rumbling thunder in the distance. The spirit of “Der Schimmelreiter” dances around and around – the ghost of a dyke builder named Hauke Haien, whose dyke gave way during a severe storm flood. It is said that his ghost appears, on horseback, during storms to check the integrity of his dyke.

Read the story of this spirit here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rider_on_the_White_Horse

(2) This Spirit brings a hidden memory 

THREE OF SWORDS (The Phantom Rickshaw – Mrs. Wessington’s Ghost)

A hidden memory is brought by the ghost of a rejected lover who hounded the man who abandoned her until he went mad. Although this memory is heavy with tension, pain, and broken promises, it is brought to me now perhaps to help me put it behind me and move on, if I can.

Read more about this Spirit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_%27Rickshaw_and_Other_Tales

(3) This Spirit carries a light in the distance

EIGHT OF SWORDS (The Flying Dutchman)

A phantom of the unforgiving sea, the spirt of a Dutch captain sails for eternity in the rough waters around the Cape of Good Hope. This Spirit carries a light that I can see in the distance any time I have to navigate turbulent seas. This Spirit’s light is not meant to guide me, I think, but to act as a warning that I may need to let go of my need to control a situation and listen to what others have to say. Digging in my heels and refusing to give up may not be the best approach at all.

Read more about this Spirit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Dutchman

(4) This Spirit waits for me on the bridge

ACE OF SWORDS (Poltergeist)

A “noisy ghost” waits for me on the bridge, ready to lead me into something new, to begin a new cycle of activity or a new idea or concept or way of looking at things. I love the idea of this energy waiting to accompany me “across a bridge.” However, it behooves me to remember that poltergeists are mischievous and disruptive – and in fact, could actually be made of displaced energy from my own subconscious or unconscious mind. This may not be a smooth, calm passage.

Several movies were made in the “Poltergeist Film Series.” If you are interested, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist_(film_series)

(5) This Spirit passes by the bridge and me

SEVEN OF PENTACLES (Canterville Ghost)

The Spirit of Sir Simon de Canterville passes by the bridge and me, eternally destined to float between worlds, belonging to neither the land of the living nor the land of the dead. Ultimately, this Spirit is saved by a young girl named Virginia, who listens to him, accepts him, and helps him pass on to the next world. There is a sense with this card that “This, too, shall pass,” even if my efforts do not show desired results at this moment in time. Patience will bring me to my reward.

Read more about this Spirit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterville_Ghost

The three Swords cards may represent an emphasis mental activity as well as conflict that needs to be resolved. Emotions play a part (Cups), as does the physical, material realm (Pentacles). Plenty of messages for me to consider this All Hallow’s Eve.

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain to all!