A Light & Shadow Reading - re-emergence.

The Present:
A couple of days ago I started posting a random Daily Tarot card to iRovr.
Yesterday I connected with a study group online that is focused on L&S deck.
This morning the card I posted on iRovr was the Hierophant.
I read in the forum that someone thought the 3 pentacles represented Goepferd (it does).
I googled online tarot readings…

Background:
I pretty much left the community a few years before I left SF, so 7 years or so. Really didn't do anything related to it or the traditions. Dropped out, I guess. The past couple of years have been quite challenging. Things seem to be sorting themselves out now. Realizing I need more, to be connected more, to allow me to surface again instead of who other want me to be. Thought I'd lost interest, lost the talents, had moved on. Discovered that a sibling with whom I have had no contact with in 20+ yrs also has pagan leanings. Exchanged one email, then the silence again. Got me thinking about how I was back then, the creativity, the community, the fun, the happiness, the growth. Would like to return, but can I? Am I ready? Will I be accepted? Do I have the ego-strength?

The Question:
Is this the time to re-emerge in (rejoin) the pagan community?

The Cards (Celtic Cross Spread)

9 swords, 3 cups, Prince Cups, 7 wands, 9 pentacles, 4 wands, 3 pentacles, 5 cups, Ace cups, Hierophant

The Poem (compiled from the Incantations for each card)

Bedridden, the torment of warring self
plunges with sharp visions
of rage and doubt.
Here the Shadow wounds deeply.

Creative vision triples perspective;
pleasure, fertility, and plenty.
It contains the fulfillment
of abundant love.

Air of Water first Son
glides freely on passionate dreams;
desire propels him through experience.

In difficulty, instinctive courage
and the creative mind inspired by love
enlist in a soldier’s battle
for the honor of one’s values.

My open arms accept the harvest
of seeds well planted.
With good fortune and focused attention
the golden field blooms.

Build the bridge
flush and plumb
to cross complete
new spheres of discovery unobstructed.

The well tuned body
equipped with the proper tools
works smoothly, building
toward gain and wealth.

Pleasure, tipped over,
turns to brine,
and the Spirit drowns
in false expectations and illusions.

Root Water power, first drop of creativity.
Fertile emotions flow freely
in the well contained unconscious.

and I am
Hierophant,
wisdom teacher
of four tangibly made manifest
in fiveness balanced pentacle
point and circumference.


The Spread:
9 swords - certainly where I was.
3 cups - the challenge to bring this me back; move from the mundane to the sublime.
Prince cups - Certainly on the top of my mind.
7 wands - the soldier (survivor) underneath.
9 pentacles - I had abundance in the community in the past, some degree of fame even, no worries, many friends, every opportunity.
4 wands - well if the question for this reading isn't about crossing bridges, I don't know what is.
3 pentacles - this one freaks me out a bit, as this is the card the artist thought most like himself, and now I am returning, with his work, to share what I know. Just freaky!!!
5 cups - indeed, get away from the negativity, the boozing, the naysayers and those that don't support who I am and how I want to be in the world (you know who you are and so do I - bye bye).
Ace cups - a beginning, in the emotional realm. Have been through the thinking, the material, and the fire. Nows the time for the emotional me, now that I have distance, objectivity and wisdom to allow me to just tumble along in vulnerability that is so necessary.
The Hierophant - ahhh duhhh. Of course. first random drawn, then intentional drawn...could the answer ever be more clear? I am back! And thrilled to be.

The Reading: This is why I love this stuff. Synchronicity exposed. Right on the nose, as they say. Each card fell in the exact right place. I may be rusty, so let me know if I am not reading this quite right – if I am only reading what I want it to say rather than what it is telling me to hear.

Thank you for allowing me to share this here. I feel invigorated and humbled. Merry met. Blessed be!

aadamfox: A very warm welcome to Aeclectic Tarot!

Immediate impressions follow, albeit free-form style.

Struck by the double 9s & 3s. Respectively the shades of 9-The Hermit & 3-The Empress; 9 thrice 3. Also the double 5s in 5-Cups & 5-The Hierophant.

Now the time to emerge after a 'fallow season' (9-Swords), yet with insights gained from the experience which leave one in a better, stronger position of selfhood (9-Pentacles).

To share joyfully with others (3-Cups) that knowledge grown to fruition (3-Pentacles).

The new self ventures forth appropos to guide a new endeavour (Prince-Cups); inspired by the means 'to show one's mettle' (7-Wands).

An occasion to celebrate--sun up, all now a ripening season (4-Wands).

The past disappointments & setbacks (5-Cups) serve to distill the essence of that long sought--a grail in its own right (Ace-Cups).

& the teacher steps forth (5-The Hierophant).

This a beautiful, affirmative & powerful set of cards.

Again, welcome! We look forward to your company.

The numbers...

Yes, yes. Thank you so much for the welcome and amplification. I am quite excited to be here.

Welcome, haven't read the whole lot but did get the impression that your afraid that the tarot is the cause of your self exile. In saying that, your congratulated in having the courage to stand again. Welcome into the light you noble soul.
________
IPAD CASES

Welcome!

Welcome, aadamfox. We are absolutely thrilled that you are here! For those of you reading this, a bit of background about how this fell into place: Having recently purchased the Light and Shadow tarot and fallen in love with its imagery, I re-activated a study group on the Light and Shadow tarot. aadamfox's poems, or incantations to be precise, are a part of the book that is included with the Light and Shadow deck. Throughout the book, aadamfox's poem/incantation is at the top of the page for each of the 78 cards. Imagine my excitement and surprise when aadamfox joined Aeclectic forum! We are thrilled to have him. He worked side by side with the creator (Michael Goepferd) of the Light and Shadow tarot, who finished both the book and the deck before his death. He and Michael Goepferd shared the same studio space, and aadamfox has a unique perspective into the creation of this wonderful tarot, as he was there during its creation! We welcome him to the community and the insight he will provide to our budding study group.

I am very excited about learning more about the incantations, and how they can be "read" as part of a tarot reading. aadamfox talks more about this process in the study group's thread on The Fool:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=99183



This is a fascinating reading that you have posted here, and I love to see how the incantations flow together into a whole.

Thank you for sharing! Welcome to our community.

Is this the time to re-emerge in (rejoin) the pagan community?

The Cards (Celtic Cross Spread)

9 swords, 3 cups, Prince Cups, 7 wands, 9 pentacles, 4 wands, 3 pentacles, 5 cups, Ace cups, Hierophant

The 9 swords, the nightmare of the soul, now giving you the desire to join the community of pagans and such, 3 cups, the wanting to follow a love, Prince, to once again assert yourself in the world and gain a feeling of independence and self respect, a foundation upon which to build your life by cooperating with others in some creative pursuits. Have you not grieved enough for what might have been, as the Ace tells you a new love for the community is growing fast, a new beginning has arrived and the Hierophant is waiting for you to join in with the people.

Agree with missy_ this a fascinating reading!

Particularly like the tie-in to the poems for each card, because those very enlightening & influenced my takes (had not the cards to view)

A brief description of my reading process

A brief description of my reading process using the Light & Shadow Tarot:

The Tarot is a deck of cards made of paper and ink. It does not have special powers. The magick comes from the interaction between the person and their experience of the images and how those images invoke meaning for the reader. It is also in the communication between the guide and the reader.

I use the Tarot as a projective tool. Similar to stream of consciousness work, the Tarot is used to stimulate creative thinking about a particular concern or issue in one's life. By using the different attributions of the cards and the positions they hold in the spread, one has the opportunity to view their query from several different perspectives. It is an act of self exploration.

Forming the question properly is key to a successful reading. While "general readings" are possible, I find them to be less focused and often more about "tell me my future" than an actual desire to look closely at an issue with a goal of making things better or improved.

How do I form a good question? Explore: Why are you having a reading today? What do you hope to gain by doing the reading? What do you expect the reading to reveal? These are important questions to ask your self before beginning. If the goal is to gain insight into your concern and how you might approach it with an intention of making your life more fulfilling and harmonious then a well-formed question is essential.

Let's look at an example: Paolo says he is lonely and wants to make friends but can't seem to meet people. He arrived from Argentina in the US a few months ago and the adjustment has been somewhat difficult. He is confused as to whether he is doing something "wrong" or if Americans are just not friendly. He notes that the way Americans interact with each other is very different from the way he grew up in South America. He asks "What's wrong with me? I am very friendly and outgoing and have never had trouble making friends."

First, and foremost, keep in mind - the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem, - so "what's wrong with me" needs to be reframed. A better question might be "How can I make friends here in a new place very different from my origins?" Keep it simple. Make it personal and specific.

How to "interpret" the cards: The attributions of the cards and their placement denote what part of the person or problem should be considered. For example if the second card, the challenge or obstacle card is the Hanged Man, then the challenge could be interpreted to be an upending of his ego, a change in how he sees himself and his place in community, his beliefs about himself and society. He is in a new culture very different from his own which would require seeing with different eyes – seeing things and himself from a different angle.

Continue through each card position relating the card to the position in which it falls and then that in relation to the issue being explored. If the 8 of Pentacles lands in the "past" position you would consider how prudence impacted your life in the past related to your current issue or one similar. Did prudence work for you or work against you? By the end of the reading you will have a better sense of where you stand, intellectually, emotionally, and psychicly regarding the issue or concern.

There are many ways to use the Tarot, this is the way that I have found works well for me and has worked well with clients. A reading is a way for me to enter into a query I have about my self and my world. It is like entering into a finely cut gemstone and looking at all the reflections in the facets.

Merry met. PEACE