Contemplating a move across the country

Deck: Llewellyn Tarot

What wisdom do you have for my plans to get a job in [cross-country state] this coming school year?

 

The Star RV — Four of Pentacles RV — Two of Wands RV

On the surface I viewed this as a rather negative prognosis for my chances of making this work, but the rest of the reading went quite optimistically. I think I need to analyze the phrasing of the question. I didn’t ask for my chances, I asked for wisdom.

Star RV: Not listening to one’s inner voice, and allowing others to dictate your life.

Four of Pentacles RV: Fretting and worrying over details.

Two of Wands RV: Being ill-prepared for the task, avoiding responsibility, creative block.

 

What can I do to change this course of events?

I had interpreted the first question as an “all signs point to no” spread, hence the wording. However, I think the cards got the point.

Three of Pentacles — The Lovers — Queen of Wands

Three of Pentacles: Sure and steady progress; marketable skills, ideas, or talents that will lead to more than mere monetary reward

The Lovers: Partnership and attraction; high hopes and strong desires.

Queen of Wands: “An intelligent woman with a warm heart. She is admired for being self-made, having earned her standing in the world by way of her own hard work and talents. … A woman who stimulates and teaches. A person of intellectual influence. Politics and education. … She values accomplishment and leaving her mark on society.”

 

Brighid, dearest to many heart, tell me: what are your thoughts on this matter?

 

Page of Pentacles — The Universe RV — Eight of Wands RV — Three of Wands RV

Page of Pentacles: A promising proposal.

The Universe RV: Lost and disconnected from one’s core and spiritual center. Scattered and blocked energies.

Eight of Wands RV: Cost of being unprepared, choosing to let an opportunity die, fear that something will be too difficult to handle or a price is too high.

Three of Wands RV: Difficulty taking these first few steps. Need for calm discipline, research, and careful planning.

Will my husband resent me for this decision?

The Star: Grace and peace.

Page of Cups RV: Begrudging, neglect.

The Emperor: A strong leader. Conviction and self-sacrifice.

(The Star and the Emperor are how to counteract the begrudging Page of Cups RV.)

Felt the strong need to see the bottom card, nearly looked at it first:

Ah, the hanged man, we meet again. It is my cry for serenity.

 

What’s Up, Myself? My current path, and the lessons therein

Today’s Spread: My Current Path
Deck: Shadowscapes Tarot (Major Arcana Only)
Querent: Self

The Fool / The Lovers / The Hermit (R)

0-The Fool: I’m taking a leap of faith, moving to a new area and finding a job after quitting my last job. My husband has just graduated from law school but is still without a job. We need health insurance, for my husband especially. I’m trying to not panic and to just go with the flow and have faith.

6-Lovers: My husband and I went through a tough few years; though the stress was not originating from our relationship, it certainly affected it. Both of us are feeling quite happy that these years are behind us. Even with an uncertain future, there has certainly been more of a glow between us: more affection, more warmth, and also a lot of time together (I’m home between teaching jobs, he’s home studying for the bar). Coming up in a few months: his family is throwing us a sort of wedding reception (because we eloped and didn’t have a formal wedding, and they want to throw a party for us to celebrate). The reception party is the first thing that popped into my head, actually.

9-The Hermit (R): I love the imagery of this card. It has all the peaceful reflective stillness of starlight, of retreating from the worries of everyday life and pondering loftier matters. That has certainly been a joy this first week since the school year ending: getting time to just sit and think, and read books on Daoism, Hinduism, and yoga (as a spiritual practice, not just the asanas most associated with yoga classes). I think the reversed is de-emphasizing it when compared to the importance of the other two, or making sure I don’t retreat too much, or making sure I am allowing myself this time without stressing too much over my life’s current uncertainties?

Job Searching

Done today with Shadowscapes Tarot.

What is my path? Where am I going?
Knight of Wands RV / 3 of Cups / 9 of Pentacles RV

Knight of Wands RV: Possible delays, overconfidence (not quite ready for what you’re trying to do)

3 of Cups: Overflowing emotions, deep bonds between friends or family.

9 of Pentacles RV:  Lack of the discipline necessary to achieve what you are aiming for, choosing spontaneity over long-range goals.

Overall: Socially, this move will be great, full of familial support and bonding. However, professionally there are some setbacks, possibly due to a lack of discipline and/or overconfidence.

What about this upcoming job interview? (part time, likely full time after 1 year)
The Magician / 10 of Pentacles RV / 4 of Wands

Magician: Greater opportunities for greater creative power, the ability to transform.

10 of Pentacles RV: Sacrificing financial security for a new experience.

4 of Wands: Finding structure and stability; goals and dreams becoming tangible, being actualized.

Overall: Looks like a good opportunity for you personally, but takes away financial security, at least in the short term.

What are my chances of getting a full time high school position, which is currently my ideal?
Page of Wands / 2 of Wands / 10 of Pentacles RV

Page of Wands: Willingness to begin something, exciting news, something real out of fiery energy.

2 of Wands: Choice between security and adventure OR sending out ships and waiting for a return.

10 of Pentacles RV: Sacrificing financial security for a new experience.

Overall: Definitely possible, but there is some risk involved.

What advice do you have about this job search?
 Queen of Wands / 3 of Wands RV / Wheel of Fortune

Queen of Wands: Be calm and confident, sometimes fierce.

3 of Wands RV: The end of adversity. The end of waiting?

Wheel of Fortune: As the wheel turns, life changes, and something new emerges. This card’s tradition assumes increased fortune and unexpected good luck.

Overall: This is probably my clearest answer today. It tells me how to conduct myself and indicates a promise of good fortune ahead.

Returning to Work

A new mother (A) has some apprehension about returning to work. She says it’s like a fresh start, but she has some concerns. Reading done the evening of Tuesday, April 26, 2011 with Shadowscapes Tarot.

Spread: Walk in the Woods

1. Stepping out into the crisp Autumn air, you go for a walk in the woods. This is where you are starting from.

2. As you walk down this path, you hear a twig cracking in the brush. These are the fears you will encounter.

3. So you wrap your shawl tightly around you, and grasp it tightly as you quicken your pace. This is that which you will find comfort in.

4. Off in the distance you see a deer with it’s fawn crossing appearing in your path. This is what you don’t expect.

5. A wise owl swoops above your head and lands on a far up branch. This is what you will learn along this path.

6. As you reach the end of your journey, you ponder all that has happened and what has resulted. This is the outcome of your journey.

Reading:

New to Motherhood

The querent asked me to do a reading about being a new mother, as she just had a baby. We decided on a simple three-card spread: Situation, What to Do, and What Not to Do. Reading done the evening of Tuesday, April 26, 2011 with Shadowscapes Tarot.

Reading:

Little Miss J

The querent asked me to do a Tarot reading for her newborn baby, who I will refer to as Little Miss J in this entry. I found this spread through a Google search and adapted the shape of it just a bit to what made the most sense to me. Reading done the morning of Tuesday, April 26, 2011 with Shadowscapes Tarot.

The Spread:

The parents’ gifts to the child surround her spread (cards 1 and 2). She also receives a main source of support from the world around her (card 3), and will be aided by her own best strength (card 4). She will need to overcome her biggest challenge (5) in order to fulfill her life’s purpose.

The Reading:

A Sonnet for the Fool

This card and its description remind me of a poem (a sonnet in iambic pentameter) that I wrote way back in my senior year of high school:

I stand upon the rough edge of the peak,
The rock cuts into my bare feet, fragile.
Above, through lowly clouds, I wish to seek
A thing that, when I see, will make me smile.

The ocean roars, and now my trembling knees
Do threaten to undo themselves, and I
Will fall into the merciless, foul seas,
And that much further I’ll be from the sky.

But what will happen when I leap in faith?
Will wings of angels catch me ere I fall,
Or will the chains of earth be as a wraith
And curse me to a never-ending brawl?

I can’t resist the urge to leap, to try,
So powerfully I hear the call to fly.

Acorn to Oak spread

(Yes, I know, I’ve been gone forever. Actually, I’ve been blogging quite prolifically about my new life in China, but as I’ve been primarily working on adapting to a new home, new job, new language environment, and new culture, I haven’t had as much time to focus on my other blogs. I’ll try not to totally ignore this blog though, as I continue to be quite interested in the Tarot!)

This fabulous spread was shared by Sandy (ladygaladriel3) at the Tarot LiveJournal community. Can’t wait to try it out!

8-7-9
–6–
–5–
2-3-4
–1–

1. Your Acorn: where you are now
2. Soil: what resources you need to get started
3. Sunshine: what you need to know to help it grow
4. Water: what you need to do to nurture it along
5. Knot: what unexpected delay you can plan for and maybe circumvent
6. Trunk: what will help you be strong
7. Your Oak: your goal
8. Branches: benefits of your oak
9. Leaves: unexpected gifts from your oak

Card 1 & 7 you consciously pick from your deck of cards. Choose a card for each which you feel represents your goal as you see it and where you feel you are now in your path to acheiving that goal. The rest of the cards are shuffled as usual and place down in the other positions of the spread. I found this to be a great spread for guidence on your path to a particular goal.

A Walk in the Woods: Spring Semester in China

Spread: Walk in the Woods
Deck: Tarot of the Magical Forest
Date: Saturday 12/27/08, 11pm

1. where I start – Death
2. fears (twig snaps) – Wheel RV
3. comfort (shawl) – 10 of Wands
4. unexpected (deer) – Tower (clarification: Page of Wands)
5. lesson learned (owl) – Temperance
6. where the journey ends (outcome) – Judgement

This is a real majors-heavy spread: only one out of six cards was a minor (except for a seventh card for clarification).  This is not very typical for me, and I take this to mean it’ll be a pretty “big” time period, one that will have a big impact in my life — but this is something I could guess beforehand.  It starts with Death, which is appropriate, because I’m leaving one life and starting another.  I’m afraid that this is not what I’m supposed to be doing (Wheel of Fortune RV); I originally planned to go for two semesters starting this fall, but last October decided I would also go for this spring.  I’m particularly afraid it will have negative consequences for my relationship with B, not just the long-distance-relationships-are-tough kind, but rather the relationship-on-the-verge-of-ending kind.  This plays on some earlier fears and guilt I’ve had about going adventuring in a new country while B stays in a job that he hates, even though he’s assured me I have no reason to feel guilty.  However, I’ll have a lot on my plate to keep me busy (10 of Wands), which may help me have less time to fret about stuff.

There will be some unexpected event that could really shake things up (the Tower), not quite sure if I can do anything in advance for this except to be brave and creative in my reaction to it (Page of Wands).  The main lesson I’ll learn this spring will be finding balance in my life (Temperance).  Actually, one of my hopes is that my time in China will help me be a more independent and mature person, especially in my ability to juggle a physically and spiritually healthy lifestyle, rewarding but demanding job, my relationship with B, and a social life with new friends and social networking — a balance I wasn’t able to find in China, but I’ll need to find in order to be a sane public school teacher with a family.

The Judgement card came up as an outcome, which I see as a few different possibilities: perhaps I’ll finally not feel guilty about going to China while B is in the U.S., which is good, because I’ll be going back again this fall after a few weeks visiting B; however, perhaps I won’t feel guilty because B will be in a new city and starting a new career by going to law school, rather than because I’ve learned to not feel guilty.  Or maybe this represents the feeling of triumphantly returning to the U.S. after many lovely adventures and experiences, successfully completing a first semester of teaching and living in the culture and language I’ve studied.  This is actually my first time getting Judgement in a reading, so I’m still figuring this card out.

Zodiac Spread for 2009

Spread: Zodiac Spread (plus one card for 2009, see previous entry)
Deck: Tarot of the Magical Forest
Date: Thursday, January 1, 2009, 10:10pm

I first heard about the spread from Episode 37 of the Tarot Connection podcast.  Though familiar with astrological signs, I’m certainly no expert, so the associations with each house are based on the version from this episode.

1. Aries – Knight of Cups (clarification: Queen of Swords)
2. Taurus – 6 of Pentacles
3. Gemini – Hanged Man
4. Cancer – 3 of Pentacles RV
5. Leo – Death RV
6. Virgo – 5 of Swords RV
7. Libra – Magician
8. Scorpio – Emperor RV (clarification: 9 of Wands RV)
9. Sagittarius – Strength
10. Capricorn – Ace of Swords
11. Aquarius – (pulled 2 simultaneously by accident) 9 of Cups RV, 7 of Cups RV
12. Pisces – Ace of Pentacles

This is a long entry, because it basically looks at pretty much every different aspect of my life for 2009.  The details are mainly for my own reference.