Weekly Card – King of Cups

This week we have the King of Cups from the glorious Touchstone Tarot. Cups are associated with the element of Water, and emotions. Here’s a guy who’ll wine you and dine you, nothing’s too good for the ultimate romantic experience. All the Kings are associated with Fire, so this guy is Fire of Water. Steam. He’s no pushover, despite his loving heart. He signifies a successful man, one who is the fatherly type, very concerned with keeping those he loves happy. And this is a guy who’s up to the task. He may even dote on you a little too much, but it makes him happy to see you happy.

This is a good time to listen to the advice given from such a person, he has your best interests at heart. He will lead by example, rather than trying to crack the whip. Pay attention and he will point you in the right direction. I swear he’s been hovering nearby ready to lend a shoulder to cry on.

As a point of interest, the man depicted in the painting is Charles de Solier, Lord of Morette (1534-35), painted by Hans Holbein the Younger.  The original is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden. The rest of the elements – the cup he holds, the pie, the seashells, the table, and the blue curtain in the background – each come from other paintings. Kat Black blended them all seamlessly into this beautiful image.

I hope you all find your King of Cups this week.

Weekly Card – Queen of Wands

So this week I had to go with the All Hallows Tarot by Robyn Tisch Hollister. And we have the Queen of Wands. Wands are associated with the element of Fire, and creativity. All Queens are associated with Water, so we have Water (emotion) of Fire (passion, creativity, energy). Competent, strong-willed women who do what they love. The Queens are women of power who have arrived. They’re mature, they’ve achieved both spiritual and professional growth. If you know such a woman, enjoy her company. Perhaps you see a bit of yourself in her.

This week is Hallowe’en, All Hallows Eve, Samhain, Summer’s End. To the ancient Celts it was the New Year.

To those celebrating this as the New Year, a blessed Samhain to you, and all good things for the new year. The wheel turns, celebrate the harvest and a new beginning. Start a new project, pour your creativity into it. I’m about to start new novel for NaNoWriMo, so that’s where all my energy will be going for the next month.

Blessed Be!

Weekly Card – Four of Swords

I’ll take this. The Four of Swords shows up a respite from our troubles, recent anxiety and problems. It’s a time of retreat, setting everything aside and resting, undisturbed. I could welcome some time away from everything that’s pressing on me.

I love this deck. It’s the Silver Era Tarot by Aunia Kahn. I only wish the scans did it justice. It’s all black and white except for one spot of color on each card.  Here it’s her silky green pillow under her head. She almost appears to be dead, but she’s not, she’s just resting, or maybe meditating.

Take some time this week to center and regroup. Focus on things that bring peace.

I’ve got several story ideas I’m working on, and few things make me happier than spending time writing. I’m trying to get everything set for the week ahead of time so I can have the time I want in the evenings when I’m home to devote to writing.

I hope everyone gets to enjoy some peace and quiet, and time to themselves this week.

 

ADDENDUM 6/18/2013: Just wanted to say I found out Monday night (last night) that a couple of things I’ve been stressing about that I thought had to happen this week in fact do not.  Stress lifted!

Weekly Card – Justice!

 

Justice from the Victorian Romantic Tarot. Justice is a card of…well, justice. Balancing things, weighing them evenly. Possibly being called to account for your actions. A judgement in your favor. Fairness and the rule of law.

Time to think logically, but balance rigid logic with the intuition, perhaps some compassion. Don’t let the letter of the law defeat the spirit of the law.

Here we have the Angel of Justice vanquishing a fallen angel. Under her left foot is a broken sword with two doves of peace close by. The original painting was by E. Butler, entitled “Angel of Peace” and she originally held an olive branch rather than scales. She wears a crown of laurel leaves, an ancient symbol of victory.

Not much time tonight, so I’m keeping this short. Just remember: the sword of Justice cuts both ways. Here’s hoping everything will go in your favor this week.

That Still, Small Voice

Here’s our card for the week. This is the “Inner Voice” from the Osho Zen Tarot. My copy happens to be in Portuguese, as it was a gift from a guy I was dating years ago who went on a business trip to Brazil. He brought this back as a gift for me. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Portuguese, so never used the deck. I guess I could get the book at least in English, though. I was always sort of down on anything connected with Osho after his shenanigans here in Oregon so was sort of put off the whole deck. But the cards really are quite lovely. Supposedly it’s a system based on Zen Buddhism, but Osho and his groupies were into some nefarious dealings out here. If you want, look up Rajneeshpuram   and the poisoning of local restaurants with salmonella. I won’t even get into his Rolls Royce collection. Be that as it may…

Without translating anything, I’m guessing this card is telling us to trust our instincts. If you’re confronted with a situation, go with your gut, and don’t try to second-guess yourself.

I managed to translate the first paragraph in the book on this card. It’s a little rough, but it says:

“If you have your truth within yourself there is nothing more to discover in this whole existence. The truth is acting through you. When you open your eyes, the truth is opening his eyes. When you close your eyes, the truth is you’re closing your eyes”. (If anyone speaks Portuguese, and I believe the book is in Brazilian Portuguese, the last line is “Quando fecha os seus olhos, é a verdade que está fechando os olhos.”)

I’m relating the card to the traditional second card of the Major Arcana, the High Priestess, the keeper of the mysteries and knowledge. She can indicate the need to listen to wisdom, and point to psychic abilities (intuition, dreams, the subconscious).

Wishing you truth and beauty this week.

Weekly Card Draw – Four of Swords

This is the Four of Swords from the Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber.

The Four of Swords indicates a time of rest and regrouping after a bit of a rough patch. Like the Buddha, it’s a time to withdraw a bit, meditate on what’s been going on, try to heal after a hurt.

Even if you don’t meditate in the sense of sitting in a full lotus position, now might be a good time to just sit quietly, avoid excess stress (like a party you don’t really want to go to because it’ll be the same drunk obnoxious people who always show up). If you’ve been sick, take it easy on yourself, don’t keep pushing. Get some balance back in your life. Rest, reflect, now is not the time to fight a pitched battle.

I like the calm, serene blues in this card, the swords forming a sort of temple around the Buddha. It has very ethereal, restful feel to it. Like floating on a cloud, or sitting in our own celestial temple.

So, a quote from the Buddha seems appropriate here.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

I think I’ll carve out some extra writing time this week for myself.

Be good to yourselves and enjoy your week, my friends.

A Card and Sonnet for the week

So here’s our weekly card. When I pulled it, I kind of went ‘meh’ and almost reached for another deck to try again. And then I remembered what week this is. Ha. Tarot certainly has a sense of humor.

Well, it is Valentine’s Day this week. We have the Knight of Cups, the romantic dreamer, who may not always be as practical and grounded as he should be. It’s easy to get carried away with romantic notions and dreams, making decisions based on feelings rather than facts. That’s not always a bad thing, just don’t let it get out of hand.

Whether you’re in a relationship or not, Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all. Maybe do something nice for someone. Or yourself. Buy yourself some flowers, you don’t have to wait for someone else to give them to you.

Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

	Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

	Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

	That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

	Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

	Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

	But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

	I never writ, nor no man ever loved.