tarot of the spirt
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| AzulDancer |
07 Jan 2003 |
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i'm working w/ this deck for the first time, using the book "the tarot according to you" by nancy garen. i've been doing a weekly card pull with the question "what's coming up this week?" and finding myself kinda stumped. i'd love to talk to someone who's worked with this deck for an exchange of ideas.
thank you, and blessed be...
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| AzulDancer |
08 Jan 2003 |
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good morning, strange2!
i do, indeed, have the companion TOS book, which i love.
i've been seriously into the Tarot for about a year & i'm still in learning mode. i use it primarily as my conduit to Goddess Wisdom, so i focus on readings/meditations for myself. i have done readings for family members - which they report have been right on - but my desire leans much more to my personal enlightenment.
to give you an idea of my reading experience so far, my favorite Tarot writers are rachel pollack, angeles arrien & of course, pamela.
there are only about a hundred other book/decks that i want, but i'm not independently wealthy by a LONG shot.
i chose nancy garen's book on my husband's advice, and i like her approach. i thought it would really help me establish my relationship to the cards, but the last card pulls have me feeling like a dodo head!
here's my situation: i'm working a soul-killing job i loathe, and i'm applying for other positions, but would very much like to stay at the hospital where i am. i eventually want to apply for a nursing school scholarship there since it's one of the leading hospitals in the country.
the last 4 years have been the hardest of my life (more details there if you need 'em) and i'm moving through menopause into my Crone years, which i look forward to.
the hardest part of being me is that i feel that i'm 2 very different people who want diametrically opposed things out of life, and that a large part of my 'mission' is to learn to live with my Paradox, which i define as conflict between Virgo (my sun) and Gemini (my ascendant).
i've been a life-long journal writer, and have added visual arts to my spiritual discipline to help me manage my Paradox, and cause it's fun! but it's hard to get enough time to be by myself to hear the Voice of Goddess. my days off are split (which i also hate since my job's physically demanding) and it seems the universe is conspiring to give me as many details to deal with as possible so that i'm constantly struggling to get things done & still have time to devote to my studies and my art.
my marriage has been terribly beaten & bruised by these hard years, and my husband has become part of the problem in that he suffers from depression and needs help that we can't afford.
i don't know if i'm short-sighted because of stress, or if i'm just being stubborn & obtuse about the cards.
last week, while stirring the cards for my pull, the Sister of Wind fell out. i was startled by the 'falling' since it doesn't usually happen so i pulled a 2nd card. it was the 5 of Swords. i went immediately into denial & pulled a third. it was the 5 of Earth: Nadir. i absolutely didn't want those messages! i don't think i can take any more stress.
then, this week's pull was the Tower and i confess that i just don't get what Goddess is saying to me. i feel confused and stupid on how to apply the cards to what's going on in my life.
sigh... or i could be in denial & DO KNOW what they're saying. with Mercury as a major influence in my natal chart, it's obvious i think too much, so... i need another opinion; an objective one.
something else to THINK about, eh azul?!?
so there ya have it. what do YOU think?
i betcha you didn't think my reply would be this convoluted, did ya?! :-)
blessed be...
p.s. anyone else wishing to respond to my brain freeze are more than welcome!
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| juice |
09 Jan 2003 |
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I suggest you enter this reading/post into the "your readings" forum to get more help than is guaranteed in this one.
short answers include. Don't ignore cards that force themselves out of your hands like that. It's an extra emphasis your subconsious/spirit/high_self/that_s_argued is trying to tell you. Fives. So you're mentally and situationally stressed. Surprised?
I just picked up this deck in a massive, read expense, run on the local cheapy stores and haven't done more than glance through the deck once. I offer help but others will be more familiar with this deck.
By the way... welcome back to the forum. Hope you can manage things. Have you asked your boss if their is a stress management support group there? Telling your employer the job is killing is sometimtes the key to getting to move without having to leave the company. If you are not worried about seniority, moving out of a company can help you move back in to a better place.
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| Strange2 |
13 Jan 2003 |
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AzulDancer,
Sorry for the late response; been battling a persistent cold bug for a week.
Similar to you, my tarot studies have been primarily focused on meditations for myself, so analyzing readings for another is not something I am well practiced at. Nonetheless, we seem to have similar empathies and tastes in using the Tarot for personal spiritual explorations, so I will give you my best thoughts on the cards you have pulled from Tarot of the Spirit.
I feel that the cards that you recently have pulled are accurately reflecting where you currently are at. The 5’s are indicative of a challenge or change, and the combination of the 5 of Wind and 5 of Earth reflect the challenges you face with your “Paradox” and with your job and family. Yet even though you may fear being trapped in your job situation (5 of Wind – Fear) and worried/frustrated about not finding the balance to get the things you want done (5 of Earth - Nadir), the Wind Sister and Tower cards point to transformative forces coming into your life.
The Wind Sister represents the manifestation of creative ideas. She draws strength and inspiration from Mother Earth, and transforms ideas into reality with her focused Will. This is the Goddess showing you that if you fervently believe and focus on your hopes and dreams, then you will set energies in motion that will empower these dreams to become reality.
The Tower can indicate a sudden inspiration that we sometimes need to receive in order to see beyond the structures we have built around us. When you feel safe or stuck in your current environment, you are stagnant and growth is slow. Through the lighting flash of a sudden inspiration or event, your outer shell is broken down and exorcized and your inner spirit is awakened and exercised.
This reminds me of a lyric from a “Doors” song -- “Break On Through”:
You know the day destroys the night,
Night divides the day;
Tried to run. Tried to hide.
Break on through to the other side!
May you break on through your fears and challenges, and find the light inside to guide your way.
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| AzulDancer |
14 Jan 2003 |
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strange2...
you have my sympathy about that cold. this season has been full of the ones that hang on, and on, and on. yuk! i had the same battle just after thankgiving.
here's a wave of healing energy to help you along.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
as to my cards, i'm confused with this deck-i'm simply not "getting it" when i'm working with the cards. and as much as i love the book, it just doesn't seem to click in my head. when i first started reading it, it seemed to make perfect sense; but at that time i wasn't actively working with the cards. i chose them for this month's weekly pull, and it seems that all i thought i understood about them just went out the window!
it's been suggested i read them as if they're completely analogous to the RWS, but i don't think they are; their energy is different. i'm a faithful believer in using a deck with the energy its creator put into it.
i resonate to these images so i don't want to shelve it until a later date. which is precisely why i asked for input.
in re-reading my long post, i didn't do a good job of explaining myself - i don't want an interpretation of my cards per se, but i thought if you had an idea of what's going on in my life, that it would be easier for you to relate to the cards that i pulled. now i see that what i wrote wasn't exactly clear about what i wanted!
duh! :-)
what i'm looking for is to hear someone else's experience with this deck... as a point of reference. i'm a synthesizer, so i need to get input. does that make sense to you? it does to me, but i'm not a morning person in spite of this being the best time for me to post. :-) trust me on this: i'm sound asleep as i write!
just ran out of time...hope this makes more sense! if not, let me know.
thank you!
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| jema |
14 Jan 2003 |
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i find that i read this deck very differently then other decks. these cards they take time. they demand your full attention in the here and now.
what i do is i start with just one card. hold it between my hands and really look at it for a few minutes. even after it gets boring, i stay with the card. then put it down and write about it. describe what i see and then what i feel. write on for about a page. then go to the book and read up on the card. write down a few keywords from the book. pick up the card again and see if you understand it now.
the tarot of the spirit is a very abstract/emotional deck. to read it like the rider-waite would be a shame, then one could just as well use the rider-waite instead and get a lot more from the reading.
another way to really "learn" a deck is to use it in comparative readings. then you can whip out your rider-waite, or another deck you are familiar with and after you done a reading you pick the same corresponding cards from that other deck and put them on top of or beside the cards in the spread. they then act as a sort of "helper" cards.
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| Strange2 |
14 Jan 2003 |
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Azul,
Jema has made some *excellent* suggestions about getting to know a new deck, and for TOS in particular. That's basically the approach I took with TOS. I selected a card a week, then carried that card with me in my work bag and in my mind, and pondered the card's nuances and suggestions, compared them to cards from other decks, researched symbolism, etc. I recorded my impressions and personal revelations in a document for each card, which helped to anchor my reactions to the card in my mind.
The comparative method that Jema recommends is also a great way to learn TOS. For example, currently my primary reading deck is TOS, and I'm using the Haindl deck as my supplementary comparison deck so that I can get to know Haindl. It's very interesting how 2 (or more) decks can provide insights into their individual and collective symbolism.
I also would not consider TOS to be analogous to RWS. TOS has more of a richly layered and personal energy similar to the Crowley/Harris Thoth deck. TOS is also influenced by Qabalistic symbolism, which upon research and reflection provides more insights into the cards meanings.
Finally, I have also found that instead of using open-ended questions for readings (like "What will my day be like?"), I come up with a keyword or phrase that I need to work on for that day, such as "Support" or "Reach Out" or "Courage" or "Compassion". This seems to give the readings more focus or interaction with me.
Hope these ideas and thoughts are of some help. Above all, enjoy your explorations with TOS!
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| purplelady |
14 Jan 2003 |
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AzulDancer, I am also a CNA in Denver and have sent you a PM ! Feel free to PM or E mail me!
Also , you said that mercury heavily influences your chart, and since mercury is currently retrograde, that could be influencing you and your cards right there. Mercury goes direct on Jan. 22 .
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The tarot of the spirt thread was originally posted on 07 Jan 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.
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