tarot breakthrough

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

dolphinprincess	23 Oct 2003
i have tried many times to start a tarot journal (so that i could really start to learn the cards).. i usually make it about a week before it is never used again... this time i purchased myself a special leather journal and pen.. and i decided i was going to really try to learn... and really write about what i saw / felt in the cards... last night i pulled the queen of ghosts (cups) from my halloween tarot. i was happy to see her bc i have always thought of myself as the queen of cups :o)..(oh, SO emotional!) i wrote the card down in my book and almost just put it all away.. but something told me to really look at the card.. This queen was a mermaid. She was sitting on her throne which was on the beach, right at the ocean's edge (mermaids and the ocean / beach - two favorites) .. There was a ghost in the air, beckoning her to the water.. .. yet, on her lap was a pumpkin. I remembered in this deck that pumpkins represent the suit of pentacles (earth).. so while she is ruled by her emotions, she is still quite grounded... and then i saw myself. i am a capricorn (earth sign).. yet i always had an affinity for water and definitely with the cups.... i remembered that my rising sign is cancer (water sign)... and the card suddenly made a lot of sense.. i guess i'm just sharing this bc it felt like a real 'tarot breakthrough' to me.. it was the first time i really went beyond the obvious, looked for symbolism, and applied it myself.. :o).. .. does anyone remember that moment when the lightbulb finally clicked on for them???

dolphinprincess	24 Oct 2003
okay, i started this thread to talk about 'tarot breakthroughs'.. but i had to add to it.. bc last night the tarot really freaked me out.... as i wrote earlier, wednesday night i pulled the queen of ghosts (cups).. last night, i *thoroughly* shuffled the deck and pulled from the middle... again, the queen of ghosts (cups)..!.. thought i'd try to pull one more card... put the queen on top then i *thoroughly* shuffled again and pulled from the middle.. are you kidding me??? it was the queen of ghosts a third time.. the probability of pulling the same card in a deck of 78 three times in a row has to be huge..! now i feel like i need to REALLY study this card.. she's hitting me over the head ;o)

SongDeva	24 Oct 2003
Fabulous. Try looking at *all* your queen of cups cards together.

Umbrae	24 Oct 2003
You know, breakthroughs are wonderful. I used to tell my students, when you find that there comes the morning you feel unable to move forward – that’s the time you have to – cuz you’re about to have a breakthrough… And for you, it happened with the Queen. Very very cool. Now keep up that journaling!

Alissa	25 Oct 2003
That Queen has a message for you alright! Kudos to you for learning to look deeper, listen harder, and be aware. Your Teachers are using your willingness to listen to get you the messages you need to hear ... that, to me, is the real breakthrough. When we learn to *listen,* suddenly the messages get clearer and clearer (if we're lucky) eh?

WolfSpirit	26 Oct 2003
The first time I did not think of the fixed meaning but of what the card showed was with the robin wood deck. I did a reading for 2 people about what they wanted and drew for him: king of pents, for her: six of swords. Well this king of pents is covered in grapes and vine leaves and looks a bit tipsy and contented. The six of swords shows a boat on a lake and hills in the background. I saw this as him wanting to spend more time with friends in pubs having "a few" drinks and her spending time in nature. I felt very excited that I saw something in the cards no book could tell me !

dolphinprincess	28 Oct 2003
I was looking back through my journal.. and I noticed the new deck spread I did with my Halloween Tarot. .... The card I drew for "What will you teach me?" was the queen of ghosts (cups).... i almost fell off the chair. i had forgotten about that.. It is pretty common for me to draw repeating cards with decks.. but this has been so consistent. i just wish i could truly understand what the message is... lots of thinking to do!

Emily	28 Oct 2003
I think I may have hit a tarot breakthough with the Morgan Greer deck, I've only had this deck for less than a week but I'm finding that the images are so familiar I'm not having to look in my books. Usually when I do a reading I have the books out too and check my thoughts with the card meanings - I'm not having to do this with the Morgan Greer - its a very easy deck to read with. Also for the last couple of days I keep drawing the Queen of Swords, I didn't in the least feel like a Sword Queen but with whats been happening in my life I could do with the attributes of her just to keep me sane lol :)

dolphinprincess	28 Oct 2003
that is what i find so interesting about drawing a court card so often... is he/she saying *this is who you are*.. or *this is who you *need to be* right now*.. .. and congrats on connecting with your deck :o) the first time something clicks without a book is really is exciting.. and it really makes you want to keep learning!

Emily	28 Oct 2003
Hi DolphinPrincess, I think the card is telling me I have to be like the Sword Queen, I do think she is the coolest and most logical of the Queens and also the hardness of her attributes can come through. Its strange but I always think of myself as the Queen of Rods but this Sword Queen is who I need to be right now. :)

Red Emma	28 Oct 2003
I really envy you guys. I look at a card, like the chariot of the Southwest Sacred Tribes, and see a horse pulling a cart. Period. When I first came to tarot, I took lessons from a web site. The lady who ran the web site had created a very long listing of the cards and what they mean. I have found it to be quite effective, and there hasn't been a time when something in a listing -- say the chariot -- didn't fit something I needed to know at any given time. I did a reading this morning, which at first bewildered me since I was thinking of a major theme of what's happening to me right now. Then I remembered a friend with whom I'd played cards yesterday. It really fit the current state of our relationship. The key was the eight of cups. In the beginning, nothing in the picture on the 8C gave me any clue as to how it fit into the reading. Rebecca's listing (the lady I took lessons from) gave the meaning as a kind of "Been there, done that. So what's next?" When I remembered my card playing friend, it spoke to ways in which our relationship needs to change. Still, I wish I could read the cards instinctively as most of you seem to do. I do keep trying, though.

Sulis	29 Oct 2003
My breakthrough came with the court cards in Norbert Losche's Cosmic Tarot. I have trouble with court cards but in The Cosmic Tarot they look so much like real people that you can just 'see' their personallities. I find that I can look at them and know what type of person they are. This has really helped with the courts in my other decks as well. Love and light Sulis xx

augursWell	31 Oct 2003
dolphinprincess, I just purchased The Tarot Court Cards by Kate Warwick-Smith. I wasn't expecting much from the book but it turns out to be very informative. Her take on the Queen of Cups(in my words): As a "supporter" this card represents a Confidante. This would be someone in your friends, family, etc. As a "detractor" it represents a Victim. As an internal resource within yourself she represents Compassion. And as an internal challenge she represents Depression. The book uses a system where each court card represents Supporters(external), Detractors(external), Resources(internal), and Challenges(internal). I really like the book so far but I haven't finished it.

dolphinprincess	01 Nov 2003
I actually just purchased this book too. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it bc it got mixed reviews.. but I find that it definitely helps me disect the different personalities of the court cards.. and it has helped me in my quest of "understanding" the queen of cups.. i think you will continue to enjoy the book.. (although, I am really looking forward to mary greer's take on court cards.. her book isn't due out for a few months ;o)

Bean Feasa	03 Nov 2003
I’ve really enjoyed reading about your Tarot breakthroughs, thanks for posting and Dolphinprincess thanks for starting this thread. I've had a bit of a revelation myself through consulting the Tarot - it's a small, quiet one really but I have found it very helpful. When I started (not too long ago!) reading about the Tarot, trying out different decks etc. I asked questions about creativity a lot since I have a case of writer's block that I'm trying to chip away at, and the 10 of Wands kept turning up all over the place. I found it difficult to understand why, since I felt my problem was that I was doing nothing, rather than too much. Something shifted though, and clicked with me when I did a reading asking for advice on drawing up a plan for fitting some writing into my day. There was my old friend the 10 of wands, and it dawned on me that I have a habit of making very grandiose plans - e.g. From Now On I will Arise at 5a.m. Every Morning, meditate, do someYoga, write for two hours before going to work, then come home cook wholefoods meal from scratch, write for three more hours etc. I had the idea that if I aimed for a lot I'd achieve at least something, but what was actually happening was that I was so put off by my own intentions that I baulked, did nothing at all, then wasted lots more energy beating myself up for not sticking to the plan. So this time, I took the advice of the cards, thought things through and made a much simpler plan that -- hallelujah -- so far I'm actually sticking to. I set myself a target of only an hour's writing a day with just a half-hour of meditation in the morning to keep me balanced. Slowly but steadily, I feel I am making (a little) progress. I do realise now that this is basic common sense and that a child probably could have worked it out without the help of a reading, but it was one of my blind spots and I'm grateful to the Tarot for opening my eyes. Blessings, Kate.

bonnycat	03 Nov 2003
I had a smillar experance to you dolphinprincess with the halloween tarot this weekend I was away and did a reading on the outcome of the weekend. For hidden aspects I drew 3 of pumkins and noticed two bats in the corner. Bats relate to swords so my interpertation in this reading was there was goung to be somme confict with a tempery peace agreement that would involed a learning experance for me. That is exactly what happened I was amazed

dolphinprincess	03 Nov 2003
I am finding that, for a "fun deck", the Halloween Tarot is full of symbolism - and it gives some very serious readings! Its been great reading everyone's stories.. thank you all for sharing!

bonnycat	03 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by dolphinprincess I am finding that, for a "fun deck", the Halloween Tarot is full of symbolism - and it gives some very serious readings! I totaly agree with you there

dolphinprincess	03 Nov 2003
okay - i am just all around freaked out! i decided to put the halloween deck away for a few days.. so, for the last week i have been pulling my daily cards from other decks... no queen of cups.. today, i pull my halloween deck out again... shuffle very well - and pull from middle... AGAIN - the queen of ghosts (cups).. how is it possible to pull the SAME card from a deck of 78 every time... ? and its only with this deck - .... i guess i'm just a bit concerned bc i feel that this card is trying to tell me something huge and very important, or it wouldn't keep showing itself in such a way... and I am afraid i may be missing something?...

TemperanceAngel	03 Nov 2003
Beautiful name Dolphin Princess! I always go with the threes, and your Queen presented herself 3 times, very important for you and you listened so well! My breakthrough came with the Celtic Croos Spread. I never thought I would understand how the cards, their positions and the question asked all related together?? And then one day, I don't know how or why or when, I looked at the spread and it all made perfect sense to me, to the person I was reading for, EVERYTHING just clicked. I think it was not much longer after that, that I started to read professionally. I have never seen the Halloween deck, it sounds like a lot of fun!!! XTAX

Ravenswing	04 Nov 2003
dolphinprincess-- from everything that's happened with the halloween deck, I'd say it's your deck of the moment. It is a much deeper deck than it appears at first... One of the qualities of the Queen of Cups is self-reflection. I think you're going to find much about yourself through this deck. Keep it up-- you seem to have fallen on a path. fly well Raven

dolphinprincess	05 Nov 2003
I've gotten several new decks lately, so I've been trying to rotate them all.. However, your point on the Halloween Tarot makes sense... I think I'm going to read with just this deck for now.. .It obviously has something powerful to tell me :o) I know many people have a deck that they use only for themselves..perhaps this is mine !

The tarot breakthrough thread was originally posted on 23 Oct 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.