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.

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.

Card for 2009

Spread: one card (plus Zodiac Spread, see next entry)
Deck: Magical Forest
Date: Thursday, January 1, 2009, 10:10pm

I pulled a Tarot card for 2009, which was the 8 of Wands/Staves.  An excerpt from my favorite Tarot website:

Before acting, we think, imagine, speculate, talk and dream. This is the realm of air – the sky. Then, finally, we decide to make our move. We bring our ideas down to earth and put them into action.

In readings, the Eight of Wands is often a sign that now is the time to declare yourself. All the elements are ready and will work for you as long as you don’t hesitate. The iron is hot – so strike! If events are in motion, they will proceed rapidly. You may feel caught in a whirlwind, but soon the dust will settle, and you see how your plans have fared.

I found this quite suitable, as I’ve been planning to go to China to teach English for a few years, and now suddenly it’s only a month away.

Actually, I initially interpreted this card quite differently.  This card is a beautiful golden landscape in the background, with a small patch of trees, rolling hills, and distant castle, but in the foreground are 8 staves or wands, striking from the top left to bottom right of the card.  I interpreted this to mean that there would be lots of obstacles in the near future, but they lead to some wonderful things in the more distant future.  There’s also a lot of drive or fire behind my actions for this year.

This is not the first time I interpret a card totally differently from its typical meaning, but I find I’m not really bothered by it.  I don’t think there’s only one right answer to most things, not only because of different perspectives, but also because life is a little more complex than one cut and dry answer.  This is one of my favorite things about Tarot cards: so many possibilities in every card!

(I also wrote about this reading on my main blog, though not in as much detail.)

Reading for Self: Going to China

Deck: Llewellyn Tarot
Date: 2/4/08 Tuesday
Time: started 11pm
Spread: question string
Querent: self

Q: 3 cards about my plan to teach in China this year (vs. next year):
9 of Swords / King of Swords / 2 of Cups RV

I was really taken aback by this spread. I expected to see something mixed, or to see some distinct advantages over going sooner, but this paints a very grim picture of things. The 9 of Swords points to mourning, probably grief over being separated from B; the 2 of Cups RV builds on that, pointing to trouble between B and I, most likely due to the stress of a long distance relationship. The King of Swords reminds me of B at his coldest. He is always a sword person, cutting through the crap and seeing what is there, and saying bluntly what is there too. I think this definitely points to my year revolving around my relationship with B and troubles that might arise. (Note: King of Swords also came up in a spread about whether or not I would get a job last summer.)

Me: So I didn’t get the job. What happens now?

Deck: Llewellyn Tarot
Date: 06/13/07 Wednesday
Time: ended 11:30pm
Spread: 1 question, 3 cards
Querent: Self
Question: So I didn’t get the job. What happens now?

Wheel of Fortune — 9 of Cups RV — Hanged Man

The Wheel and the Hanged Man are very fitting/promising. There’s definitely some good luck on the way. 9 of Cups RV was more tricky; I did a card journey and got the answer, “Soon things will be great, but it’s not quite time yet.”

I have this really strong feeling that I’m supposed to be doing the job I applied for, and yet I didn’t get it, so it’s a little confusing, especially because last night’s entry seemed to imply that I would get the job. I have a suspicion that someone could back out and then I’d get it, but I don’t know if that’s just wishful thinking, or me trying to adapt.

Me: Getting this job

Deck: Llewellyn Tarot
Date: 06/12/07 Tuesday
Time: ended 9:05pm
Spread: (on-the-spot) Two Paths
Querent: Self

Spread: Two Paths
This spread was created on-the-spot while shuffling the deck and figuring out which spread would work best for this query.
1——4
2–7–5
3——6

1, 2, and 3 describe the first situation. 4, 5, and 6 describe the alternative situation. 7 represents the root of the situation, an important factor in the outcome.

Reading
If I get the job: Emperor (Bran), 9 of Wands RV, Page of Pents
If I don’t get the job: 3 of Swords, 9 of Pents RV, Ace of Swords
Root of situation: King of Swords

Me: Cards for today

Deck: Llewellyn Tarot
Date: 03/22/07 Thursday (waxing moon)
Time: ended 9:34pm
Spread: Message for Today
Querent: Self

What’s the most important message for today?
King of Cups RV
Not sure what this means. Maybe don’t let emotional/relationship pursuits drive you? Don’t get caught up in thinking about relationships?

Can you clarify?
3 of Wands RV
You won’t be successful in your work (thesis work) if you focus on your emotions like that.

Okay, so what can I do to change it?
10 of Swords RV
Rise above the challenge, like this character is rising above the many swords (when reversed). Realize that you can pull yourself out of your situation with force of will and not giving up.