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It will be clear, concise and speaking directly to *you* and your life.

Good through October so hurry! 

 

Learn Tarot: Court cards

This is all about court cards as I know them.  

The “people cards” show a few things:

• gender
• place or hierarchy in a situation
• their reaction to a situation
• experience in life or general age

The few times a card’s gender hasn’t matched the querent is when I knew their gender already.  All these had the added benefit of showing us more about the person.







In one case, the man I read for came up as the Queen of Wands- very capable at his engineering design work but in talks with others about new employment.

So as the Queen, he had lots of great experience and success in his field.  But he appealed to his social skills doing interviews.  He wasn’t the novice page, the moving around Knight or the business owner King.
The Queen of Wands in my Russian deck actually showed his design field- the Queen has a needlework picture in front of her.

A persons’s hierarchy is their status, leverage or point of view.  A part time employee in high school could be the Page of Coins.  A self-employed entrepreneur is the Queen of Cups.  A truck driver, the Knight of Wands.

Does the card feel like it talks about what the person is doing rather than who they are?
Court cards can tell you about character or further, their reaction to a situation.

A young man came up in a woman’s reading as the Knight of Swords.  She asked about travel.  I took this as her travel companion.  Turned out, yes, he was a young man with a “Go, go, go” attitude.  His urging was a good thing but a reminder to the woman to relax.  And take time to go over belongings and not ignore her own needs for the trip.

Swords

can be logical, swift to decisions and unswayed by others, relies on facts and experience

Wands

good at starting things or getting momentum going, all about excitement, may have trouble completing plans

Cups

can put others’ needs first, kind hearted, share kind words

Coins

practical minded, may be a business owner or involved in financial pursuits


So- gender, character and point of view.  These are the main pieces of information you can find out.  You can feel when you’re looking at your querent or someone else involved.

 

Matching Court Cards

When I see matching courts (Queen and King of Wands), I take them as being related in real life.  Especially as husband/wife, parent/child or siblings.  Gender almost always matches as well.

Tarot: Death

Don't let the DEATH CARD!! scare you.
This can herald a very welcome change of events.
I pulled this card along with the 8 of Pentacles.  Within a day or two, I lost my job.  The place sucked balls so I was pretty happy to see the cards *and* leaving that job for the last time!

Yes, it can also mean a person dying.  I've never had this come up as such but know people who have.









 

• complete, sometimes sudden endings
• dying or actual death
• plans falling through, having to make changes yourself

Look at the cards next to it.  Do they talk about relationships, jobs, living situation, agreements?

Tarotverse: Court Cards in Tarot

This is all about court cards as I know them.  The "people cards" show a few things:

• gender
• place or hierarchy in a situation
• their reaction to a situation
• experience in life or general age

The few times a card's gender hasn't matched the querent is when I knew their gender already.  All these had the added benefit of showing us more about the person.

In one case, the man I read for came up as the Queen of Wands- very capable at his engineering design work but in talks with others about new employment.

So as the Queen, he had lots of great experience and success in his field.  But he appealed to his social skills doing interviews.  He wasn't the novice page, the moving around Knight or the business owner King. 











The Queen of Wands in my Russian deck actually showed his design field- the Queen has a needlework picture in front of her.

A persons's hierarchy is their status, leverage or point of view.  A part time employee in high school could be the Page of Coins.  A self-employed entrepreneur is the Queen of Cups.  A truck driver, the Knight of Wands.

Does the card feel like it talks about what the person is doing rather than who they are?

Court cards can tell you about character or further, their reaction to a situation. 

A young man came up in a woman's reading as the Knight of Swords.  She asked about travel.  I took this as her travel companion.  Turned out, yes, he was a young man with a "Go, go, go" attitude.  His urging was a good thing but a reminder to the woman to relax.  And take time to go over belongings and not ignore her own needs for the trip.

Swords
can be logical, swift to decisions and unswayed by others, relies on facts and experience

Wands
good at starting things or getting momentum going, all about excitement, may have trouble completing plans

Cups
can put others' needs first, kind hearted, share kind words

Coins
practical minded, may be a business owner or involved in financial pursuits

So- gender, character and point of view.  These are the main pieces of information you can find out.  You can feel when you're looking at your querent or someone else involved.

Matching Court Cards

When I see matching courts (Queen and King of Wands), I take them as being related in real life.  Especially as husband/wife, parent/child or siblings.  Gender almost always matches as well.

Link Share: Old- Timey Radio Shows & Divination

What's caught my eye that you may like:

"The Piano Has Been Thinking"
A radio show-style Western- the song "Written in the Stars" is simple but so gorgeous!
Plus it's got John DiMaggio (the voice of Bender).
http://www.nerdist.com/2012/05/thrilling-adventure-hour-70-sparks-nevada-marshal-on-mars-the-piano-has-been-thinking/

The Process by Umbrae.
List of threads of his narrative style thoughts on being a tarot reader
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=10772&highlight=process

Etsy sellers tell you how they get things done in 30 minutes
http://www.etsy.com/teams/5002/etsy-success/discuss/10563632/page/1


Lenormand Resources, courtesy of the Lenormand study group on FB
http://www.facebook.com/groups/LenormandCardStudy/doc/360684040633172/

Simple Daily Tarot Spread by Lark

This is a simple layout I found years ago.  My early journal is filled with these- but didn't always go back to write about events of the day.  You might want to devote some time at the end of the day to do so.
Credit goes to Lark for creating this!

Great for

*starting your day

*journaling

*expanding card knowledge through daily observation

The Reading

Work can be your actual job, errands, hobbies, side jobs.  All the "stuff" you need to work on.  Mental and emotional, too.

Home is where you centered; your living space, people around you.

Unexpected can be a random occurrence or something coming to light you haven't noticed before.  Think of the 4 of Cups or Tower.

Your role can be how all these effect you or how you can best react to them.

Overview is how everything will tie up together or be resolved.

You can see it looks like part of the Celtic Cross.  

So another way to read this would be two lines: horizontal and vertical.

The vertical line (cards 1, 5, and 2) can be a little timeline.  Recent past or what is receding, the present, near future.

The horizontal line (cards 3, 5 and 4) can be read as something appearing you are unconscious of, the present at is exists, and the foundation or something you are conscious of.  A bit more metaphysical.

Indie Tarot and Oracle Decks

Pagan Tophatter Auction

Save  the Date!  Sunday June 10 12 pm PT

Etsy's Pagan Team got together to offer our work at special prices in this private auction.

See what's on the block and RSVP to save your spot-

Enchanted Arts Tophatter auction

This one's mine- you can bid on this lovely deep wine rune bag starting at a special price!

In the Meantime...

Jia's post on reclaiming yourself and losing the clutter (not just physical)

Barbara Moore's Tarot Story- you may relate to the 10 of Wands overload.

Mr Grey's Wish Upon a Star tarot spread

Twig ring by CarrieBilbo. Her work looks like gilded branches and dewdrops.
Silver leaf necklace/bracelet combo by fleurdelunejewelry
Hellcat print by NovemberStudios
One of a kind Artist Teddy Bear from MrBearFamily. Aww! Look at the cute face!

The Spheres Tarot Spread

A concise spread packed with information you can use now!
I was inspired by math/powers and "spheres of influence": the main card, representing you, changes with the accompanying card.



Give the spread a try and post your readings here!

Inner Sphere

*what you feel, your intention, what you're putting forth

*how circumstances are effecting you

If these cards don't jive, you've pinpointed something that's upsetting you.

Outer Sphere

*your surroundings + current situation

Other People + Factors at Work

*many times describes other people effecting the current situation, can show their 

overall attitude toward you or dominating feature that effects the current card

*can bring up anything else you need to see

This is a great opportunity to connect any court card appearances to people around you.  

Tarot Spotter's Handbook is up

I'm going through old readings and journal entries to put together a series on tarot meanings.  These are based on actual readings and life observation over the years.  Another series will be added on things you may notice during a reading- how cards effect each other, court card relationships, etc.

You're welcome to add your own thoughts on the cards.

It's ongoing but you can see what's up so far at The Tarot Spotter's Handbook.

Birthdays and Other News

It seems every time March/April rolls around, there's a birthday every day.
My sister and I celebrated ours last week.  People at school had theirs, friends on Facebook had a bunch, a few of my coworkers had some the last couple weeks.


Not one of them?  Then enjoy this video.



For shop news, you can find several new tarot wraps.  They are based on one of my first designs- the Diamante.
It was a favorite when Moonthrall opened in 2008 and they're back in many new colors.

Diamante tarot wrap

Strong, simple and beautiful wraps to keep your cards together at home or on trips. 

6 of Pentacles.  The beauty of this card has become clearer recently: being given what you need, by someone who sees your true worth.  On the other side, having the sense and resources to give.

Etsy Favorites
Lovely Labradorite piece from FenderMinerals
Crystal collection complete with wooden shelf from 
TheHauntedHollowTree
Case for double pointed knitting needles by skrapyram
Elm divination bowl by TreeSeer
Raw pyrite and brass locket by DirdyBirdy

Free mini oracle readings this February

All through February you can get a complimentary 2 card Lenormand reading with the purchase of anything that isn't a tarot reading.
Just send your question/general concern as a note when checking out.  Include your preference of email or etsy convo.


I've used them a while for myself and want to test drive it for others.

More information on the Lenormand:
Lenormand Oracle cards: Wordpress blog on meanings, layouts and the cards in action
Sylvie Steinbach, author of Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle
Seaqueen cartomancy blog:  Lenormand and tarot cards, spreads, lots of reading play by plays
Idyll's Lenormand blog: Updated daily

Tarot Deck Review: The Bohemian Gothic

This was my 1st impression of this deck, published in March of 2009.
Since then it's come to call when I need to see what's running under the surface of things. 


As of this posting, both the 1st and 2nd editions of this deck are now out of print!
The website says they hope to being a 3rd edition in 2013.  


So if you find a copy worth less than your kidney, you're in luck!
_________________________________________________________

This is my most recent deck. I ordered it last summer and haven't had the chance to really get into it, but like my current favorites it'll probably grow on me after a while. Here's what I've gotten from it so far.

Compared to the Victorian Romantic (whose artwork put me off at first because they differ so much from card to card), the BG is borderless and the scenes expansive. They feel real and the lighting, coloring and styles are pretty consistent. You can feel night coming on in the bluish tinge of dusk on many of the cards.

That realness is from photographs- some with the handtinted look of antique portraits. Like the pair of little children on the 6 of Cups, holding flowers and standing in front of a grave. Who's? The framed picture on the grave's cross features the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus- probably their mother. A charming vignette.

It's easy to go deeper or psychological with these to see what currents run underneath the reading. But some can be inspiring or just fill you with lunatic giddiness- I thought of my business's name by drawing some cards.

My favorite cards will illustrate the macabre and oddly humorous feel of this deck:

The Queen of Wands } Striking- her bright rose colored gown pops out from the gloomy ballroom. The large room with the chandelier reminds me of the Crystal Room at college, where we had concerts and gatherings. She looks like she's having fun dancing alone. 







The 7 of Cups woman has an indulgent, mischievous grin on her face- holds a beautiful glass of red "wine" and strands of dark pearls and gazes up at the full moon.

The 4 of Wands. Three women hang out in their yard at night and look very happy to see you. Almost too happy. Hey, I like going for walks at night, too.


The 2 of Cups } Like a scene from the Munsters- a nice distant cousin is courting the "normal" one. What with his slicked back hair and shiny button up boots, he's a catch. 


And the Knight of Wands just reminds me of the hunchbacked cousin from Adams Family Values- the one Wednesday has to dance with. The old formal getup, creepy gaze and red bouffant must do it. 

Much of this deck is RWS based, but all offer other ways of going in completely different directions. Through the imagery and overall feel, you'll have many opportunities to see things you wouldn't in any other deck. Like a horrified skeletal man who may have just realized he's entombed in a catacomb. Oops.

I highly suggest getting the kit. You will not find shoddy history or a plain old celtic cross layout in this book. Written by Karen Mahony, it goes over tarot's origins and the basics of reading but adds so much more. There are upright and reversed meanings, detailed image explanations, snippets from literature, poetry, original photographs used, sample readings and an essay by Dan Pelletier (of tarotgarden) on "dark" decks. A huge collection of useful reading for this deck and to expand your knowledge of tarot.

Further Reading

See card images, tarot bags and stay up to date on new editions at the Bohemian Gothic's own site. 


Read reviews of the Bohemian Gothic tarot from tarot readers on Aeclectic Tarot Forum.

Browse the Bohemian Gothic tarot on Amazon

The Tarot Spotter's Handbook: The Cups

**Work in Progress**

Ace

when describing an area of concern, this brings up direct relationships
new flowing of creativity or breath of fresh air to something that's been stale

Russian Tarot of St Petersburg

Two
care for something and you will be cared for in return; this can
be another person, an area of your life or specific project

something may be lacking your attention, where can you best
spend it now?

 

 

 

 

 

Three

enjoyment in groups, the people are all on a level playing field

three people are involved in a situation

something to celebrate!

Four

focusing on the negative

being surrounded by good things but not being able to see them

showing up in the future- it may show negative preoccupation or a great opportunity; keep your eyes open!

Five

negative attitude, dissatisfaction

a bit gloomier than the 4 of cups, because the cups here *are* overturned and spilled all over the place

you may actually be going through a tough time or recovering from a shock or setback; not all is lost and things will begin to look better

Six

involvement with people you grew up with

sharing with others

Seven

 

Eight

dissatisfaction, something is missing

setting out to improve or right a situation alone

Nine

productivity; can show the fruits of a busy bee

comfort in surroundings

working with nature

Ten

even regarding business, this talks about joy; perfect job or career
highest fulfillment

The Court People

See each character as showing age, stature and movement in life.

Pages tend to stay around home or a job.  They're the messengers and novices.

Knights are older and have more freedom; someone with a car or who otherwise travels.  Either in general or specifically for a job.  Journeymen may describe them, as they are right above pages on the experience level but have the freedom to apply their knowledge in a broader sense.

Queens, not always women, are creators in their realm.  They don't *need* to run themselves all over the place to make a buck.  They're blessed to have what they need right there and the skills at hand.  I've seen queens come up for self employed females and those with strong influence in a situation.  Men also, who showed skill and a great background in their field, who were looking to move up in their career.  

Kings.  The buck stops here.  The head, the authority, someone reaching the pinnacle of their path. 

Page

a child or youth, pet, or someone in an entry level or starting role

very caring, tending to nuture others, just wants what is best and doesn't like to see others upset

sensitive

Knight

a loving person; it seems our dear kitty has come up as the Knight and Page of cups before.  He had a sweet face, large green eyes and was a little snuggler.

Queen

a self employed artisan, small/home business owner
someone who puts a great deal of themselves in what they do
a situation best handled sensitively
handling things with tact, perhaps letting it go and seeing how it flows; aggression will make things worse

King

a loving person

can show a husband, lover or caregiver

The Tarot Spotter's Handbook: The Pentacles

All about the Pentacles in Tarot.

Ace

new direction, not always money related, but bringing something to chart your course by
a new job opportunity or way of earning money

Two

attention to detail

trying out different ideas pertaining to business or money
give/take
exchanging money, gaining money and spending in the same day

Three

others' perception of your work

practicing your craft especially in front of or working for others

Four

Five

Six

generosity; seeing others, or being seen yourself, as worthy
investing; charity

Seven

time for results
satisfaction or a return on your work/investment

Eight

Nine

Pride in your work or surroundings

Comfortable, having a lot

Ten

Page

Knight

Queen

King

mature person, someone in authority, head of finance
you may appear as the King after making sound financial decisions
maturing financial accounts

The Tarot Spotter's Handbook: The Wands

Ace

the hand is usually grasping this wand- a new project or path is underway, most of the time
decided by you

Two

giving things direction

deciding between two viable options

Three

Four

Five

action, not always productive

See all the things this poor lady has to clean?  

These objects are supposed to make your life easier, not take

up all your attention.  "Too many pans on the fire."

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Page

Knight

many times he shows house moves
physical legwork and movement
progress will pick up
can describe a male that appears exciting to others
high energy

Queen

King

The Tarot Spotter's Handbook: The Swords

**Work in Progress**
All about the Swords in Tarot.

Ace

because this suit deals with straight, no nonsense communication, you may need to open your mouth more

Two

Three

wondering what went wrong

getting out of your comfort zone vs being forced out or made to compromise

taking a risk

Four

Five

Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten

distress 
being extremely downtrodden or hard on yourself, not always
justifiably


Page
Knight

People of air suits; intellectuals; professionals especially in areas of law, business, medical, etc

Cutting through crap; space clearing; analyzing/decision making;

It's come up in readings for travel partners with a "gogogo" attitude.  Bags packed way ahead of time, plans made.

QueenKing

Developing Talents this Month with the Golden Tarot

I grabbed my Golden Tarot and threw a large spread-
a set of 4 triplets outlining how I'm going to use or develop my skills this month.



The Golden is a beautiful set, as really anyone that has it will tell you.  Have only used it in spurts but it's really been calling to me.

Queen of Swords + The Moon + 3 of Wands

{This Queen has been coming up a lot for me and I see her as the serious business side.








I have time now to learn and produce- knitted more hours this past week than I don't remember when.
So- promotion, bookkeeping (a survey was emailed to me for my interest in a course learning such things.  I'll probably take that up!), ORGANIZATION.






{The Moon- equate this with Moonthrall, especially when reading for myself.  Also, inward, close to home.






I ordered more bubble mailers to ship knit items in.  Buying 2 or 6 at a time isn't cost effective or practical.


Have more items ready to relist after they sell.  I have 3 sets of handwarmers to make again because I don't usually have backups.  Not complaining but some more organization (have *all* my patterns typed up and filed would help).

And yarn sorted and boxed.  They're boxed.  Well, in boxes.





{The 3 shows keeping an eye out.  For jobs and other opportunities.







Maybe I'll get past the 3 of Wands to a 4 or 6 later this month.

Knight of Coins + Page of Cups + 2 of Wands

{I do not believe the Knight is myself- it feels separate from me altogether.  He's either an actual guy (this feels the strongest to me) or progress of the Page.  Acquiring monetary opportunities or learning skills to bring those in.






Pulled the 6 and Ace of Cups to clarify.
If you're familiar with tarot, there is support and love all over these.

The 6 shows two children in a garden, surrounded by trees and flowers.  They are sharing cups filled with them.  Being taken care of, enjoying friend- and partnership (likely new because of the Ace).  I've pulled many hints at this myself and have been told by others, of support coming my way.







{There is another nod to support from the Page of Cups, which takes on a monetary or business feel from the Knight.






I do not believe the Knight is myself- it feels separate from me altogether.  He's either an actual guy (this feels the strongest to me) or progress of the Page.  Acquiring monetary opportunities or learning skills to bring those in.




{2 of Wands- yet another card I feel to mean there are 2 people here.  A working partnership.

Not just standing there going "well I'm all packed and ready to go whenever this Knight gets here."  No- there is definite readiness and movement.

9 of Coins + 3 of Coins + King of Cups

{Enjoying my craft.  Being supported with wealth.










{Skills for hire.








I'm getting the distinct feeling of being somewhere, enjoying something that interests me (either personally like knitting and crystals, or professionally.  Like knitting   Not crystals.  Yet.)  And attracting someone with a passing interest in whatever it is.






{And this Mystery Dude that keeps coming up with all the other cups and 2s.






We'll see.

The Fool + 5 of Swords + The Star

These bottom 3 cards are meant as a broader "timeline".

{The Fool has been popping up everywhere- in my own readings and those others have done for me recently.  The job thing is the only issue that stands out here, but it did bring some freedom.










{Then there is my reaction (after about 4 days) in the 5 of Swords.







Ever watch "Poltergeist"?  Remember when everyone thought the "house was clean" but it wasn't?

 The little girl is in her bed staring at the crazy stuff trying to break through their closet door and quietly says "No more."

That's how I kinda felt trawling through the craigslist ads again.
Though this one did catch my interest:
FUGITIVE APPREHENSION SPECIALIST TEAM.




{Then you have The Star.  It's like an Awesome sandwich with my big slab of worry and defeat in the middle.


Perks me up a bit.




You can find more about the Golden Tarot and its creator, Kat Black.

The Will & Won't Tarot Spread

This spread came out of my journal from a while back.  I was probably blowing something way out of proportion and wanted a layout to give me some perspective. 

Intention

to help you make decisions
to tell if a situation will blow over...or not
to gain a wider perspective on a path


1. The decision or situation itself, your part in it
2.  Another factor to consider, known or unknown
3. What probably won't happen
4. What probably will happen
5.  Likely final outcome, best possible thing to come out of it

Tarot Reading Giveaway

In the spirit of this crazy month of October and all the harvest festivals going on, here's a contest for a complimentary reading.  Your choice: 3 Card, 5 Card or Celtic Cross. 
Read more about each one on The Reading Page.


The winner will be chosen by number generator next Sunday, 10/18.

Comment on this post for your 1st entry.
For additional entries:
*follow this blog
*follow my other blog, tipthetable
*fan Moonthrall on FB
*join my FB tarot group

Make sure you post again for each one you completed.
So you see, there's something for everyone!  Now go buy yourself a pie.