NEW MOON READING

Beira

I know a few days are passed since New Moon, but I draw these cards last Friday night, as a general outlook on the lunar month ahead. I don't read much for myself, but when I do I like to leave the cards sit for a few days and take hints on their interpretation from what happens around.
I should do more shorter term readings to take off this bad habit. I would like to read for myself as I do for others, without keeping getting bk to the reading..
Anyway, this time took so long, so I only feel ready to post now.

1 -RELEASING 5 of Swords, Defeat.
Let go of focusing too much of things that don't go as I would like. This five is said to be the breaking of the compromise represented with the fours. It has been coming up lately about a banishing that I finally did last Thursday (day be4 the draw). I was afraid that the title of the card was saying it was not successful, but looks it did work, so I take the card as saying that the bnishing was a releasing of bad energies, now is done and no more thinking about it.
As breaking of compromises, this card is very significant to me: at work rules that were slacky (compromise) are getting tighter (end thereof).
In Italy the excuses of my in laws (compromise) have been exposed and are getting acted upon ((end thereof).
Loud and clear.

2)RETAIN: 8 of Disks
This stands for taking care of my assets and not squander resources. In the description it says how the fruits, little as they can appear, are precious and need shelter from the leaves and nutrition from the trunk and the roots of the plant. Moreover, this Earthy card is surrounded by airs (Star is next), so it indicated a very much needed grounding in a situation where there is a lot of plotting and instinctive action going on.
At work very airy-paranoid atmosphere, and in Italy as much paranoid, but with hotter instinct as motivating forces.
So the card is saying in general to stay grounded and in particular to take care of finances and watch out at work.

3 RECEIVING XVII The Star.
What better card to receive? The Thoth Star is the personification of Nuit, tha all loving, all encompassing everything that makes up the universe. So I am to receive hope.
I see this because, despite the horrible atmosphere, my boss has been kind and playful with me, so he knows I am not in the Gossip-Drama crew; I ham receiving hope from Italy, since my daughter's social worker is mad at my inlaws and will act heavily upon them.
This will very likely delay my visit further, but they are loosing custody in favor of my mum and dad, so I still have the upper hand.. and a great one at that! Far bettre that the mere visits!
This Star is well dignified in this airy spread, and nurtured by the fire cards that costitute the other well represented suit.
No cups tho.. and only a disk.. I see a lot of action maybe not very well used as there is little for this forces to act upon. The only thing (to act upon) is what is already there (Prudence).

4 SURROUNDING: Knight of Wands
The environment, and this to me looks work environment..
There is a lot of impulsive will to action, even rage from some quarters, well represented by this quite unbalanced Fire of Fire. There probably be not enough reliability to bring about any real change.. it lacks the balance and stability needed.
So, for as much as my collegues are annoyed at the new rules, for now they'll remain strict, so better comply as card in position 2 was sugesting.

4 GIVING 8 of Wands Swiftness
I take this as having to take an original, very mercurial standpoint to get the best of next month. This card is Mercury in Sagittarius. Both are very creative, so the weirdest the idea, the better the outcome (intuitive reading this last concept). The description says that the flames have been trasformed in electricity..
I see this at work.. instead of following the general moanings I'll be appreciate if I come up with original solutions. I have an idea on how to sort a problem in my team and I will express it, even tho maybe the Knight says it will not be brought to completion. But still maybe it will make me look good. I will tell the idea, no keeping it back. See if I was right on interpreting this card as green light to express my idea of how to sort one of the issues of my team.

6 BEGINNINGS XIX The Sun
Wow, looks that what I am beginning in this moon will make my very best part shine! Uhm.. I was posponing some new activities till after my trip in Italy. I'll get bk on 2nd october.. Looks I better start smthng be4 that..
I don't know what yet tho..

7MY LESSON 3 of Swords SORROW
Auch! This is the only worryin card of the spread..
Reading it up it says it represents sorrow in its most high significance, not the pdtty everyday sufering.
With me I think it must relate to my relationship with my daughter, that I wasn't able to keep when she was born and is in custody of her father's sister and her husband.
Even tho things are going the right way overall, my visits to her are being stopped and obviously I suffer from this. A lesson can be to learn to wait as I had her wait for me because I was not fit to take care of her. But there can be more, since I always knew this one..
It leaves with a bitter taste tho..
I would love to hear any hints
Thanks!
 

Barleywine

I see you're using the Thoth deck, which is my long-time favorite. I'll look at this later today when I get back. By the way, I also created a specific Lunar Month look-ahead spread based more on Dane Rudhyar's and Marc Robertson's astrological 8-phase "lunation cycle" concepts. It's posted here in the Spreads sub-forum.
 

Barleywine

Fascinating stuff. Rather than doing a straight read of the seven cards in a situational sense, I decided to take it one step further and fit the cards into my circular 8-phase lunar month pattern. I did this by deriving the quintessence and placing the result in the eighth ("balsamic" end-of-cycle) position of the layout. I included the Knight of Wands as 14, because . . . why not? This gave me 74, which reduces to 11, Strength in the Thoth deck, and a reinforcement of the Sun in the "disseminating" position - Strength is given to fixed sign Leo, domain of the Sun, which I call "applied solar force." This is a much more satisfying terminus than the 3 of Swords.

But there is a deeper mystery here. In my Godwin's Qabalistic Encyclopedia, 74 is the number of Lamed (Ox-Goad), which is assigned to Justice, Atu XI in the Golden Dawn system. Crowley swapped the two, but I think I would read Strength here with an echo of Justice about it, perhaps as an expression of "vindication." Seventy-four is also related to the word "dea" - "knowledge, wisdom."

Also, Justice is associated with Libra, in which Saturn is exalted, and Saturn in Libra is the decan of the 3 of Swords. Saturn is the Teacher and the Taskmaster, so the 3 of Swords should teach you something about "toughness." Maybe it signifies the weapon you're wielding rather than a wound you're going to suffer.

The month starts on a seemingly discouraging note, but the light of the New Moon is negligible to nil, so the emphasis could be distorted and certainly short-lived.

The "crescent" phase holds the excellent card Prudence, which I find to be one of the most encouraging of the Thoth pips because it shows steadfastness and satisfaction. Sun in Virgo is a perfect stimulant for husbanding your resources.

For the Star in the First Quarter position, I prefer to use Crowley's observation "clearness of vision" rather than simply "hope." It implies looking ahead piercingly rather than merely "wishing on a star." And the lunar light is increasing, aiding that clarity.

The Knight of Wands presents another interesting side-light, Crowley took Tzaddi away from the Star and went to great pains to associate it with the word "tsar" and thus "emperor." Well, I often see the Knight of Wands as the Emperor's "little brother," or perhaps his emissary and "strong right arm." In the "gibbous" position leading up to the Full Moon, it suggests taking "right action" in no uncertain terms.

The constructive 8 of Wands looks like it's driving home the Knight of Wands' message of rectitude, or his conviction to "do the right thing." But the Golden Dawn view is that its energy is quickly spent, so - although the end is in sight - actually getting there before it falters will be the trick. But this is under the light of the Full Moon, so there should be no illusions about what that will take. (I also have the intuitive notion that it could signify air travel - to the place of the Sun.)

The Sun in the "disseminating" phase - dispensing the fullness received - carries on the emphasis of virtue in action, with increasing likelihood of success.

The 3 of Swords in the Last Quarter I already talked about. It speaks more about an emotional "toughening up" than about vulnerability, at least in this instance. As the light of the Moon fades, the defenses must be secured.

Strength in the final phase ends the cycle on a positive note of self-mastery and self-assurance.

Another interesting exercise is to read paired cards "across the wheel:" 8 of Disks (ruled by the Sun) and the Sun itself; the Star (associated with Saturn-ruled Aquarius) and 3 of Swords (Saturn in Libra), and the Knight of Wands (Fire of Fire) and the solar Fire of Strength. The 5 of Swords and the 8 of Wands I'll have to think about, since I can see no obvious link off the top of my head, other than the "friendliness" of Air and Fire and the fact that Geburah and Hod are connected on the Tree of Life's Pillar of Severity. Venus in Saturn-ruled Aquarius has more affinity with the Star and the 3 of Swords than it does with Mercury in Sagittarius.
 

Beira

Wow..
I want to play along with your spread and I accept Strenght with a hint of Justice as quint.
I notice that there were many cards from the constellation of 8, and since (as I wrote elsewhere) to me Lust is (nearly) always 8, i can see her fitting in the spread.
But just adding her at the end sounds as a cheat to me (to avoid the dreaded 3 of swords), so I want to see where it fits better.
Tbh i am not interested in the least to a sequence of episodes that will happen during the month. I am after the energy shifts and the spiritual lessons that I may earn. I understand that most querant are after more material issues and the spreads must answer this request, so I very often end up personalizing them for more subtle meanings.
Soooo I looked in your threads and I assume that you are using the Lunar month Look ahead spread, right?
I am putting down the cards but I need to go, so I'll post smthng about it during week end.
Thanks
 

Barleywine

I generally think the quint is a "cheat" anyway, but I wanted something to fill the eighth position, and it's a logical extension of the cards already on the table (which to me is the chief value of the quint). Yes, I used the "Lunar Look-ahead" layout. I seldom see the 3 of Swords as dire anymore, since it too is about making progress of the "no pain, no gain" variety. It implies a developing situation, not a "stuck" one.