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Ace of Spades - "a death; a decision"
Lately I’ve been a bit lax in my Tarot studies, no offense to Tarot 
Rather I’ve picked up a different form of cartomancy (divination using cards) – reading playing cards! A friend of mine taught me how to read them after doing an incredibly insightful reading for me.
Something that struck me coming to the playing cards as a Tarot reader was that the playing card meanings are both very strict, but become more flexible as interpreted with other cards. Like Tarot, reading playing cards takes into account the meaning of the card number/court and the suit to create meaning. This is then explained in the context of the spread.
For example, the 2 of Spades: 2 = exchange, often a conversation; Spades = trouble. Thus, this card can be understood as perhaps an argument or fight. While the card meanings are individually more confined than the spectrum of meanings that Tarot cards have, playing cards meanings can vary upon the interpretation of the cards near it in a spread. Reading playing cards relies greatly on reading them in groups.
One thing I like about reading playing cards is that it is simple and effective. I think that if someone has a hard time with Tarot, they should give playing cards a try – there are less cards, more defined meanings which can still spark intuition as you read the spread, and it easily teaches correlating numerology and suits to provide the card’s meaning rather than relying on memory or pictures on the card. Another benefit is that playing cards are both cheap and discreet – great for those who’d rather not tote around a Tarot deck or pay $20 for one.
Since playing cards are pretty much the Tarot’s Minor Arcana, you can expect the playing cards to speak to “earthly” issues with surprising clarity. I don’t see the playing cards helping me spiritually like Tarot, but for down-and-dirty questions about people, work, goals, family, love etc I can expect the playing cards to provide surprisingly specific results. Where with Tarot I’m more apt to sugar-coat, I know that playing cards are like the one blunt friend you have that will tell you that dress you have is freakin’ ugly. Blunt, for sure, but grateful for them not being afraid to be real with me here.
What’s your experience with playing card divination? Have you ever gotten a reading? Do you read yourself? There’s resources online for those who’d like to learn. Some playing card readers seam to rely a lot on a card’s corresponding Tarot meanings, and there’s nothing wrong with that – it’ll help you pick it up that much faster. However, if you only read playing cards with Tarot meanings, try to read the playing cards with their original numerology and suit meanings – this will add a new level to your understanding of the cards, playing and Tarot.
I won a contest on Arwen’s blog, which scored me a free reading by Kay, the creator of the Quantum Tarot.
This Life’s Spotlight for Garnet by Kay
Spread by: Peridot Deck: Quantum Tarot
1. What I’ve arrived in this life to initiate (Main Intention).
2. What I’ve arrived in this life to feel (Main Experience).
3. What I’ve arrived in this life to learn (Main Lesson).
4. What I’ve arrived in this life to attain (Main Achievement).
5 of Pentacles from the Quantum Tarot
1. What I’ve arrived in this life to initiate (Main Intention).
5 of Pentacles
It seems that you need a bit of hardship to bring out the best in you. In your early life, you may have felt keenly that you’ve been shut out of things in some way, and may have experienced hard times financially and/or emotionally. But something in you thrives on experiences of restriction – it really fires you into action. On some level, you require limitation to broaden your understanding of who you are and why you’re here. As you mature, I suspect that you’ll be less prone to attracting dramatic experiences of loss or hardship and more inclined to appreciate what you have and count your blessings. Seeing others less fortunate than yourself may also drive you to act – you’ve been there and done that and you know how it feels. This empowers you to respond to others’ misfortune with active compassion.
Garnet’s Thoughts: This card reminds me of growing up through my parents’ divorce, in which hardship made my mom, brother and I have to work together to stay afloat. I resonate with Kay’s statement “you’ll be less prone to attracting dramatic experiences of loss or hardship and more inclined to appreciate what you have and count your blessings” because I’m very anti-drama and I work hard to solve problems and maintain peace with others and internally. I’m grateful everyday for where I am and what I have because I know it all could’ve gone very differently for my little family. Luckily I have a champion of a mom, and she saw us through.
2. What I’ve arrived in this life to feel (Main Experience).
Temperance from the Quantum Tarot
XIV Temperance
Finding balance in your emotional life is going to be crucial. I suspect you may have “been through the fire” emotionally in your youth – or seen it around you in your family and loved ones. This may have given you an aversion to melodrama, to the heart ruling the head, but you’re also learning to respect your (and others’) emotions. You might be someone who’s very good at toughing it out, but now it’s time for you to soften a bit. For you, head and heart must act together. You might attract friends or partners that act out one end of the head-heart dynamic, challenging you to bring out whichever side in you is more underdeveloped. Finding balance externally in your relationships will help you find inner balance too.
Garnet’s Thoughts: Again, “aversion to melodrama” is very much me. The head/heart challenge is a continuous battle, but I’m conscious of it and am seeking that harmony.
7 of Cups from the Quantum Tarot
3. What I’ve arrived in this life to learn (Main Lesson).
7 of Cups
It’s OK to dream! You probably have a vivid imagination and are full of ideas, but find putting them into action not so easy. You might react in one of two ways; either dismissing all your dreams as nonsense and not acting on any of them, or trying to act on too many of them all at once and setting yourself up to fail. The challenge with the 7 of Cups is knowing which dreams have the power to cross the “reality threshold” and make it into the material world. This is something that comes with experience, and learning how to make your dreams a reality is a major life task for you. With that 5 of Pents, you won’t have it all handed to you on a plate, so you’ll need to choose your dreams wisely. But you will need to choose at least one to follow, or you’ll end up angry and frustrated. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you feel that you’ve failed to live your dreams, for learning to both respect and discriminate among them is a lifelong lesson for you. My feeling is that a dream diary and/or journal is absolutely essential!
Garnet’s Thoughts: I didn’t realize ’till I read this that this card is VERY much me right now. I want to do soooo many things but my indecision means that I’m not actually DOING anything!
4. What I’ve arrived in this life to attain (Main Achievement).
The Chariot from the Quantum Tarot
VII Chariot
You have a real need for a sense of forward momentum in your life – you want to get stuff done. You’re a positive person who wants to make a practical difference in the world, but it may often feel like a struggle against both internal and external forces. However, you’re prepared to stand your ground and fight. Bringing disparate energies (or people) together is a real talent of yours and you’re very good at keeping things on track. But you need to be careful of riding roughshod over people’s (or your own) feelings for a perceived greater good. You may be so fixed on your destination, your deadline or aim that you can be quite ruthless about using any means to get there. This is a strength, but remember to bring in Temperance here and be conscious that the process is at least as important as the outcome. Don’t get too narrow in your focus and always keep the bigger picture in mind. There’s another goal beyond the most immediate one – and then another, and another. And sometimes the real goal is quite different from the one you think!
Garnet’s Thoughts: This card has showed up for me a lot this year – guess it’s because I’m in a Chariot year! “You’re a positive person who wants to make a practical difference in the world, but it may often feel like a struggle against both internal and external forces” really sums up this reading for me.
Thanks Kay and Arwen!
It’s probably because I’m lazy, but I don’t do one of the most helpful Tarot techniques ever concieved – I don’t pull a “card-a-day” in the morning. I LOVE this idea, but jeez I am just NOT a morning person. I barely get up on time for work and I’m so rushed I’m not in the right mental place to pluck a card, think on it, journal it, or any of things I’d like to do. This is something I will work on because I’d love to do it.
However, I still pull a Tarot card (and an oracle card) every day. I have a separate journal in which I record the date, which cards I pulled, my immediate reaction when I see the card, etc.
When does this happen? At night, before I go to bed for the evening.
Before I get ready for bed, I get my decks, a pen and my journal and ask the cards to show me what I need to take from the day’s events. Did I learn a lesson? Was there an issue I had today that the cards can clear up? I’ve been doing this for a few weeks and I find that the cards will often give clarity about a situation or thought that happened that day and tell me what I need to think about as I prepare for the next day.
I said earlier I pull a Tarot card and a card from my oracle deck (the new “Enchanted Oracle”). While this certainly isn’t for everyone, I find that the two cards will either show different perspectives on one situation or they will clarify two separate instances or feelings – maybe one speaks to a work situation and the other card will speak to a discussion I had with a friend. If you don’t have/don’t prefer an oracle deck, try pulling two (I even know several readers that pull three) a day instead and record your results.
When I record my daily cards, I also note what the cards may be referencing as well as any other big events that happened that day – like leaving Mercury Retrograde yesterday or a significant idea or discussion I had. You’ll quickly find that this journal will quickly become the diary you thought you’d never keep
A side benefit of pulling cards nightly vs. morning-ly is that if you get a “bad” card (ex: 9 of Swords) you won’t be fretting all day about “OMG how is this card going to play out today?” Rather, pulling that card in the evening will be more likely to represent how the day transpired for you – “yeah I really was feeling this way”. Once you’ve identified your thoughts and seen them from this perspective, you can use that knowledge to your benefit.
What’s your daily Tarot practice? If you’re a morning Tarot person, I recommend reviewing your card or spread to see how the cards ended up playing out for you. But like I said, no method is inherently superior. You should try different ways of encouraging your daily practice and do what works for you. The point is, you’re working daily with your cards, even if just for the 10 min you can spare, which is a great way to learn and grow with Tarot.
For the past few weeks, I’ve really revitalized my love for Techno, Trance and Drum n Bass music. I’ve loved it since high school – it felt like a genre of music that was mine- meaning that it felt like the kind of music that really suited me. Lately I’ve found myself purchasing several mix CDs of popular dance music.
Today I drew the Ace of Pentacles as my card of the day and the card “Mermaid Dreams” from the Enchanted Oracle (review forthcoming). “Mermaid Dreams” means “listen to your intuition and follow your dreams”.
Then on the way to work, the DJ on the morning show was talking about how she went out with a “real” DJ and went to his show last night. It hit me like a jolt of lightening – I should take up DJing. Turntables, albums, the like. Seems like the cards were referring to this revelation! I’ve seen real DJers in action – no computers, just turntables and their hands – and I was amazed. I’ve wanted a turntable for a while but it seemed to be the kind of thing I’d say I wish I could do. Today, I felt the calling and begun to research a little about DJing. I’ve already picked a DJ name, but I’ll save it until I really get going
Horseshoe Reading: Tell me about becoming a DJ.
Past: 4 of Cups – Seems like opportunity has knocked at my door, but I failed to acknowledge it.
Present: The Chariot – I’m raring to go (still very much in a Chariot year – it comes up for me often)
Hidden Influences: The Fool – Naivete, optimism. Looks like I’ve got a lot to learn before and after taking the leap!
Obstacles: The Star – Seems to warn me into the trap of wishing and hoping, but not doing.
Environment: Ace of Swords – My environment is conducive to new ideas and beginnings.
Best Course of Action: 5 of Swords – This is the most surprising card. In this context, it seems that if I’m serious about this endeavor I’m going to need to get serious and allocate more time and effort into this hobby, possibly at the sacrifice of other less important things.
Probable Outcome: 3 of Wands – The project is initiated, but other elements are needed for success. I can’t rush it, things will come when they’re supposed to. Meanwhile I need to make sure I’m personally ready to meet that success. The groundwork is laid and I can see my goal.
A great way to get to know your cards is to actually put yourself in the cards. Whether stepping into the cards as part of a meditation or assuming the position of a person or object in the card, you can learn a lot about the card and its meanings.
Here is a short narrative piece from a Tarot meetup about the Moon card. I write as if I am the Moon in the card, describing all I see around me:
“I look down onto a blue sea and mountain range. There are two towers below, as well as a wolf and a crayfish on a stone landing. The feeling is calm as the waves rhythmically crash against the shore where the animals stand. The air is cool.
The animals stand expectantly and guarded, as if the alone offer passage into the sea to reach the towers and mountains beyond.
I hang heavy and low in the sky and silently work with the sea below as I make the tide come in and go out. My movements are cyclical as are the cycles of the sea’s tides. Though we seem like two very separate entities, we are tied closely together in our cycles. Grays and blues are I see. Visibility may be limited but I know the sky and sea are deeper than they seem.”
This narrative is a bit rough but for 10 minutes worth of journaling time I uncovered meanings in this card that hadn’t occured to me before.
Have you done a journaling exercise where you wrote as someone/something in the card? How did that entry reveal meaning to you? I think doing this exercise for each card is an excellent way to not only get to know your deck better but to also intuitively learn new meanings and associations.
