First appearance of The Tower...

[foxhare]

Hello all,

I did a reading for myself on Friday morning with the Wild Unknown Tarot. My mind was on a fair few issues which are worrying me, and shuffling my tarot cards helps me to calm down. I spoke the issues aloud while shuffling and then asked the question, "What should I be focusing on?"

I've only ever done a couple of readings before, and never tried 5 cards all in a row, but I felt compelled to this time for some reason, like it might give me more information. The 2nd and 3rd cards came out together when I was only trying to take one, which I took as these two being very closely related.

1. Strength - I turn over this card, see the lion and I find myself instantly smiling. My husband is a Leo and a very typical one at that. I read this card as that I should be mastering my emotions and using my inner strength to combat the worries that I am having. I'm thinking it may have a double meaning that my husband will be there for me as well. I felt a flood of relief!

2. Temperance - in the Wild Unknown tarot it's a beautiful image of a heron mixing water with fire. I read this card as the need to exercise moderation, patience, and perhaps "all things in good time". As this card was drawn together with the 3rd card, I am going to read the 3rd one as "tempered" by this card.

3. The Tower - an image of a tree being struck by lightning, catching fire, falling...I have never come across The Tower before. My instant thought is "disaster", but I know that this card normally means an upheaval, change, a nasty surprise, something life-changing, but coming out as a better person at the end. Perhaps Temperance means that if I am steady and patient, I'll be able to deal with the Tower event? Plus with the mastering my emotions from the Strength card, it sounds like I'm going to really have to be very, very calm and collected to be able to deal with this event. I'm not going to lie, it's got me quite worried even though I am trying to take Strength's advice here.

However my instant thoughts about Temperance and The Tower together was that I had been thinking about buying a fairly expensive item, and that perhaps I should hold off as I could need the money to deal with the fallout from The Tower?

4. The Knight of Wands - or "son of wands" as the Wild Unknown Tarot calls it. It's a snake coiled around a wand (branch) with a big starburst above his head. The Wild Unknown tarot guidebook suggests this may refer to an adventurous, charming male, which doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the reading. I found more meanings which made sense looking online, which is more like changes happening quickly, particularly creative changes, i.e. charging forward with an exciting new idea.

5. Six of Wands - a bright blue butterfly soaring above thorny branches. I read this as victory, success, overcoming obstacles, the battles have been won. Another wands card sitting next to the Knight of Wands makes for a fiery and creative end of the reading. I think these two cards together are really positive, and it made me wonder if I'm going to have an about-turn in my life and go into the creative side of things? I've always been drawn to creative things in my life, but decided to pursue science as a career as I find it so interesting. I never really feel completely fulfilled in my chosen career although it pays well, but I do creative things such as drawing, painting, and sewing as a hobby.

So in summary, I feel like I'm getting a strong message to steel myself and not let my emotions get the better of me, and exercise moderation and patience. There's going to be a moment when the "rug gets pulled" from underneath my feet, but hopefully I will be able to deal with it better as I've prepared for it. After the Tower event, there's going to be some rapid changes to do with my creativity, and I will have some success in this.

Any thoughts on my interpretation of these cards would be greatly appreciated - thank you so much for taking the time to help a beginner of the tarot <3

P.S. If anyone is interested in what the particular issues are, I'm happy to post them up in brief if requested.

 

[CharlotteK]

The combination of Strength, Temperance and Tower suggests to me that this is actually a really great time to take a leap into the unknown or deal with life change, because you have the strength to deal with the chaos that ensues and also to stay calm, balanced and unrattled throughout. Knight of Wands is Mr Action and Six of Wands does indicate small triumphs. So it all bodes well for you if you are 'throwing things up in the air'. From these cards, looks to me like you will sail through, and maybe also have the 'luck of the gods' on your side

 

[foxhare]

Hi again CharlotteK, thanks very much for taking the time to look at my reading

It's really interesting how you have read the cards as relating to each other, especially the first three and all of them as a five. It never occurred to me that I might actually be in a Tower event *right now*, and now I think about it, I suppose I am - I'm 4 months in to living on the opposite side of the planet to the vast majority of my friends and family, but I'm actually finding it completely fine and doable. I managed to get a job here after a week of looking and do consider myself an extremely lucky person. I'm looking into staying longer, and perhaps even permanently. I'm even wanting to start my family here, hopefully sooner rather than later, as soon as the longer visa can be sorted, and hopefully before the end of the year...that reading makes so much sense! Thank you!!

I'm interested to know which particular cards you read as 'sailing through' and 'luck'? Or is it the combination of all of them?

Also I did a little reading earlier today about the expensive item I wanted to buy. (It's a new tablet/laptop - my old one is slowing down, but still usable, there was a sale on this weekend with a good saving, but I feel like my old laptop still has perhaps another year in it yet. I am wanting to start doing digital art rather than wasting lots of paper drawing). I asked, "what would be the pros and cons if I bought this item now?" I got ace of cups, five of swords and knight of wands/son of wands (again). This seemed to suggest to me that it could herald a new start, or the birth of a new idea (perhaps with the art?), but that I could really either distract myself with it or do myself harm in some way - I was thinking financially. Knight of wands again, unsure of the exact meaning but something happening quickly, to do with creative ventures again? My gut feeling is that I should wait a bit until I am completely sure it is the right thing to invest in.

 

[CharlotteK]

It's a personal interpretation, but I always think of the 6 of Wands as a bit lucky. It can pop up for me when I've taken a bit of a gamble or put myself out there and it's paid off. I think there's always an element of luck when we take that step into the unknown (voluntarily or not). You can call it serendipity, or favourable conditions, or being in the right zone at the right time - however you want to see it. The Knight seems to me to be you being adventurous with lots of forward energy. The influence of the Tower can be change, upheaval, a leap into the unknown, your world being literally turned upside down. And it can be about taking quite drastic action. With the Knight, maybe it's saying you need to be revolutionary! In 'sail through' - by this I guess I mean you seem to have from Strength and Temperance everything you need to navigate any choppy waters. Maybe not 'plain sailing' all the time but you can definitely handle the situation you are in. Temperance is actively balancing things out all the time, making sure life is not getting out of kilter. Strength is courage, fortitude stamina, withstanding the obstacles. I can't think of two better cards to have when facing life challenges. Maybe the Tower is still yet to come, but it looks to me like you'll just get on with things (Temperance and the Knight are both proactive), you'll be persistent (Strength)and make small victories (6 Wands).

 

[foxhare]

This was super helpful. Thank you! I'm noting down some of those observations for extra clarity in the future <3 I really like the way you call Temperance and The Knight proactive, I never thought of them that way before but it makes total sense. That's a great way to perceive the cards. I definitely have a lot to learn still - thanks for helping me on my journey, and for reassuring me on my current situation

 

[Tara]

Hello all,

I did a reading for myself on Friday morning with the Wild Unknown Tarot. My mind was on a fair few issues which are worrying me, and shuffling my tarot cards helps me to calm down. I spoke the issues aloud while shuffling and then asked the question, "What should I be focusing on?"

I've only ever done a couple of readings before, and never tried 5 cards all in a row, but I felt compelled to this time for some reason, like it might give me more information. The 2nd and 3rd cards came out together when I was only trying to take one, which I took as these two being very closely related.

1. Strength - I turn over this card, see the lion and I find myself instantly smiling. My husband is a Leo and a very typical one at that. I read this card as that I should be mastering my emotions and using my inner strength to combat the worries that I am having. I'm thinking it may have a double meaning that my husband will be there for me as well. I felt a flood of relief!

2. Temperance - in the Wild Unknown tarot it's a beautiful image of a heron mixing water with fire. I read this card as the need to exercise moderation, patience, and perhaps "all things in good time". As this card was drawn together with the 3rd card, I am going to read the 3rd one as "tempered" by this card.

3. The Tower - an image of a tree being struck by lightning, catching fire, falling...I have never come across The Tower before. My instant thought is "disaster", but I know that this card normally means an upheaval, change, a nasty surprise, something life-changing, but coming out as a better person at the end. Perhaps Temperance means that if I am steady and patient, I'll be able to deal with the Tower event? Plus with the mastering my emotions from the Strength card, it sounds like I'm going to really have to be very, very calm and collected to be able to deal with this event. I'm not going to lie, it's got me quite worried even though I am trying to take Strength's advice here.

However my instant thoughts about Temperance and The Tower together was that I had been thinking about buying a fairly expensive item, and that perhaps I should hold off as I could need the money to deal with the fallout from The Tower?

4. The Knight of Wands - or "son of wands" as the Wild Unknown Tarot calls it. It's a snake coiled around a wand (branch) with a big starburst above his head. The Wild Unknown tarot guidebook suggests this may refer to an adventurous, charming male, which doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the reading. I found more meanings which made sense looking online, which is more like changes happening quickly, particularly creative changes, i.e. charging forward with an exciting new idea.

5. Six of Wands - a bright blue butterfly soaring above thorny branches. I read this as victory, success, overcoming obstacles, the battles have been won. Another wands card sitting next to the Knight of Wands makes for a fiery and creative end of the reading. I think these two cards together are really positive, and it made me wonder if I'm going to have an about-turn in my life and go into the creative side of things? I've always been drawn to creative things in my life, but decided to pursue science as a career as I find it so interesting. I never really feel completely fulfilled in my chosen career although it pays well, but I do creative things such as drawing, painting, and sewing as a hobby.

So in summary, I feel like I'm getting a strong message to steel myself and not let my emotions get the better of me, and exercise moderation and patience. There's going to be a moment when the "rug gets pulled" from underneath my feet, but hopefully I will be able to deal with it better as I've prepared for it. After the Tower event, there's going to be some rapid changes to do with my creativity, and I will have some success in this.

Any thoughts on my interpretation of these cards would be greatly appreciated - thank you so much for taking the time to help a beginner of the tarot <3

P.S. If anyone is interested in what the particular issues are, I'm happy to post them up in brief if requested.

Hi Foxhare
The Tower can also indicate the end of a difficult period and if something is to occur, it can also be a pleasant surprise sometimes. So yes, focus on the positives and soon you will see things clearly and feel more balanced and in control, and less restricted by circumstances. The Strength card is about what you should focus on so maybe it is less about your husband and more about you focusing on your quiet inner strength and having more faith in yourself.

Regards
Tara

 

[foxhare]

Hi Tara, thank you very much for replying to my reading.

I think both ways you interpreted the Tower there are much more positive than the card's initial impression, and it makes sense, because there's been quite a few things going on for me which either mean the end of difficulty, the start of a challenge or a nice surprise:
1. I moved to the other side of the world, and within the last month started to feel more settled.
2. We're probably going to try to stay here longer which involves applications for more visas.
3. I would love to have a baby but feel restricted by the visa at the moment. I'm hoping to be pregnant by the end of the year.

I will definitely focus on the positives as you say. I also think you are right about the Strength card as I do have a tendency to undersell myself and in fact it is often my husband who tells me I am stronger than I think I am. I like thinking of the Strength card as a 'quiet inner strength' like you mentioned, it makes me picture the lion standing there silently, but emanating his strength.

Thank you so much for sharing this with me

 

[Tara]

Hi Tara, thank you very much for replying to my reading.

I think both ways you interpreted the Tower there are much more positive than the card's initial impression, and it makes sense, because there's been quite a few things going on for me which either mean the end of difficulty, the start of a challenge or a nice surprise:
1. I moved to the other side of the world, and within the last month started to feel more settled.
2. We're probably going to try to stay here longer which involves applications for more visas.
3. I would love to have a baby but feel restricted by the visa at the moment. I'm hoping to be pregnant by the end of the year.

I will definitely focus on the positives as you say. I also think you are right about the Strength card as I do have a tendency to undersell myself and in fact it is often my husband who tells me I am stronger than I think I am. I like thinking of the Strength card as a 'quiet inner strength' like you mentioned, it makes me picture the lion standing there silently, but emanating his strength.

Thank you so much for sharing this with me

Hi Foxhare
I was told the same thing I told you by my spiritual teacher who teaches tarot as I was upset over my son leaving primary school. But the day before it, I chilled out and the feelings were gone. I was free. Good luck with staying and becoming pregnant and doing well with your readings.

Regards
Tara