From My Instagram Highlights: Tarot Tips & Tricks For Beginner's & Those Looking to Shake Up Their Practice

Hello all!

I’ve been trying to really learn Instagram Stories and use it to help boost my tarot client and occult writing reader base and today I posted a story with some basic tarot tips and tricks that I wanted to share here as well. These are meant for TOTAL beginner’s but can absolutely be used for more seasoned readers looking to deepen their relationship with the tarot cards.

Tip #1: Tuning Into Your Intuition
Intuition is just the way your body processes and accesses information. To tune in: close your eyes, get comfy, and take a few deep breathes. Once your breathe is steady and deep, tune into how your gut,heart, and mind feel. Listen to them each for a few moments. Now you should be in tune.

Tip #2: Compare and Contrast

• Look at the story of your tarot deck by looking at how each card changes and shifts from the one before it.

• Pull out all of your aces at once, then your twos, threes, etc. What similarities are there? How are they different?

• Look at decks that aren’t yours! What similarities and differences do you see in the cards?

Note these similarities and differences somewhere. Those notes can and should become a foundation for learning your tarot deck.

Tip #3: Follow Tarot Readers on Instagram! Or Watch Them On YouTube!
Seeing other readers in action is SO important to the learning process. You won’t agree with everybody’s interpretations and that’s okay. The important thing is to see how the cards are talked about and treated by others.

*Please note! It’s fine to have a favorite reader you watch or follow, but try to follow several different readers. The comparison is so important!

If you have questions for me based on this list, never fear! I am here to answer them and I am always thrilled to hear from you. I’m going to try to make my stories tarot and witch-educational on a regular basis and you can follow along here.

Finally, I have a keyword list here that is new and affordable and will help you learn the tarot through a more inclusive, sex-positive, and creative perspective. Use it alongside your Little White Book or disregard it entirely!

Blessed be y’all!

Cassandra Snow

Stalker Card Diaries: The Empress & Emperor In The Same Readings

Stalker cards are loosely defined as cards that keep showing up in your readings. They often seem out of place in the reading and have been known to fall out of the deck when they weren’t in line to show up. Most people who read tarot or oracle even casually will have stalker cards on occasion. I went through a period of “The Star” showing up at every turn until I finally buckled down and did some Work On Myself, and yes, that deserved caps. After the U.S. election of 2016 everything was “The Fool” because none of us knew how to operate anymore.

Lately something new-to-me has been happening: I’ve had a PAIR of stalker cards showing up in reading after reading after reading. The Empress & The Emperor are a big reason I started a Queering the Tarot journey in the first place but I rarely saw them together for years beyond when I was learning a new deck and stretching them all out on the floor. Two months ago they started showing up in almost every reading I did. Readings for clients, friends, and community members: there were the Empress & Emperor together. Readings for myself: there they were. It even happened a few times in my #dailytarot series on Instagram.

The Empress and Emperor, for those who don’t know, represent contrasting but complementary energies. The Empress is nurturing and creation. The Emperor is discipline and growth. They both have a dark side too. The Empress can be overbearing and The Emperor can be cruel and strict. Many readers read the Empress as mother and the Emperor as father. Again, that can include positive or negative associations with both depending on the seeker and the situation. In readings, usually one (either one) will show up when someone needs to take control of their life back. The Empress on its own shows up for artists or very occasionally to tell parent-clients of mine to back off of their kids’ lives for now. The Emperor shows up to remind self-employed clients that they have to actually get up and do work if they want money. This card also shows up if someone’s boss or partner is too controlling and it’s time to walk away. These are obviously totally different situations and totally different readings.

Now they’re everywhere together though, hunting me down and forcing me to listen and I’m finally starting to understand what it’s all about: the Empress/Emperor duality living in me and the constant internal struggle of who gets to win when. The Tarot in it’s simplest form is really just a deck of 78 archetypes and how they interact. We all have all 78 cards living and working inside of us at different points in our life. The Empress and The Emperor should be showing up at different times, and once I realized they weren’t I knew it was time to pay attention.

Since my brain injury I’ve had a lot of trouble completing basic tenants of adulthood. Waking up before noon, working more than three hours a day, and eating well all confound me and leave me exhausted now. It would make sense for The Emperor alone to be stalking me and yelling at me to do better. It would make sense for The Empress alone to show up to remind me to be kind to myself or to focus on creative work until I got that fire back. Together they remind me to be kind to myself AND to get work done. This is a really frustrating situation because PTSD gives me an “all or nothing” mentality which means I either work myself to the bone for days on end or I sleep until noon and avoid work by going on adventures the second one of my friends has a free moment. There’s no in between for me.

Which is obviously the problem. My brain injury really taught me that I can not work myself to the bone the way I often do and expect to recover from life-altering circumstances. It just isn’t physically possible. Life and capitalism and loving my work means that I don’t want to blow off work all day and eat whatever happens to be in the cabinet. I have to find a balance. I have to find a way for the driven and ambitious Emperor to co-exist with the kind and nurturing Empress—especially since she’s so driven herself!

I don’t have any solutions yet, but I’m listening. If you’re getting a pair of stalker cards, it is very likely that the cards are showing you a duality within yourself that you need to make peace with and find a comfortable place to sit within. It’s time to sit back and listen. Examine the artwork on your cards and see what hidden symbols or messages you find. Look at the readings as a whole and see what messages beyond the pair of stalker cards end up repeating. Track your readings—and do the other spiritual and emotional work that you require. Within time, you’ll find a way to come to terms with the contrasting energies you’re now getting blasted with; if you’re like me, you’ll also find so much peace and love of self in the listening alone.

Blessed be y’all.

Some Exercises To Break Down The Court Cards

From The Slow Holler Tarot

I recently put out an open call on social media asking what tarot learners were struggling with. The number one answer is, of course, The Court Cards. If you're SUPER new to tarot, the Court Cards are the cards labeled Pages, Knights, Queens, or Kings. They might be rewritten in your deck, but they most likely have a title and a suit (hence the Architect of Vessels above).

The Court Cards are very often taught or explained as people. Even a lot of otherwise really, really good tarot books can lead you astray here as you try to understand why your spread is giving you random, useless information about a dark haired man with bad intentions when that man is absolutely nowhere in your life. To add to the confusion, the Courts are often needlessly (and kind of hilariously) gendered, and can often equate material wealth with achievement & worth in a way I’m very, very uncomfortable with. 

From The Next World Tarot

All of that being said, I love the court cards. They encourage me to bust my butt or take a break--both messages I hate but frequently need. They don’t usually represent 16 different people most of the time. Instead, they represent 16 different energies or aspects of YOU. The court cards coming up are most likely the energies or aspects within yourself that you need to call on and bring into being right now. Pairing each card with a well-known celebrity may not help you crack the card, understand it, or remember it in the heat of the moment. Instead, I've got some suggestions outlined below for how to connect with these cards in a way that stays true to both the card and your own experiences and journey. 

• If you are Pagan and work with deities, try pairing each court card with a deity that you could call on to inspire you or work with you regarding the energy of the card.

• If you are Pagan and do not work with deities, pairing each court card with a mythological creature or spiritual entity (like a type of faery, a spirit or ghost you’ve worked with, or an animal guide) that you could call on now to inspire or aid that card’s energy allows for a similar clarity as the diety exercise.

• If you are not Pagan, or are but want an alternative exploration, think about times in your life when the energy of this card was easy for you to take on. So one card might be the version of you that started a business that failed, and a different court card might be the version of you that started a successful business. One card could be a version of you that cried over a “B” in high school, and one could be a version of you that cut that college class all the time to have sex with your suitemate. Lock in those actual, living versions of yourself as your "go to" for how to interpret this card.

If this blog post helped you unlock your understanding of the Court Cards, I've got a whole E-Zine for sale chock full of tips and tricks to help New Age Misfits learn tarot in a personalized but true-to-your-deck's-intentions way. You can grab a copy here for just $13.99.

If you're looking for free resources, Siobhan at Radical Tarot has some great thoughts about the Courts here.

Blessed be, y'all!

Tarot Learning Tip: Which Way Do Your Faces Face?

Hello loves!

I'm back with another quick tip for learning and bonding with your tarot deck. Admittedly, today's trick is one that only works if some of your cards have faces—but any faces will apply (human, animal, robot).

As I teach and write about tarot, I always emphasize the importance of paying close attention and looking for details in the images in the cards. One such detail: in your cards that have figures who have faces, look for two things. 1) Which way is the face facing? & 2) Which way are the figure's eyes facing?

There's two facets to this. One is in finding the deepest, most detailed information about your tarot cards while you're still learning them. Spread your cards out in order. Most tarot decks that feature faces will have a ton of them in the Major Arcana, so that's our best best for a starting point and the one I'll use as an example, but I do recommend going through by suit and doing the same thing. So, now that they're laid out—which way are the faces and then eyes facing? What does this tell you personally about the cards and their intentions?

For example, in this take on The Fool from Barbara Moore's Book of Shadows As Above, The Summerlands shows someones looking away from the entire rest of the deck. What could that mean? Use your knowledge of The Fool (new ventures, new chapter, stepping into something different but also maybe a little naïve or, ahem, foolish). Is this figure stepping into the Summerlands, the afterlife, the next major karmic chapter in their life turning their back on the deck to keep the surprise alive? To avoid facing the realities coming their way? Or just to truly live and bask in that new vibe and energy? It's probably all three, but look at the eyes too—facing up towards the sky. This card looks up, not down, faces the magic they're creating but not the other stuff about to set in.

Another example is our very next card—the High Priestess is usually looking straight ahead, not towards or away from any of the other cards. This means this card is completely focused on the querent who pulls Her. She's trying to peer into your soul and dig at that deep access. She's completely unconcerned with what's going on around her, she just wants to see YOU, and as such this card is a firm reminder that you have the answers and have what you need, and that maybe you just need to dig deeper to find it. In the picture, we see a slightly different take on her too—the Sorceress from D.J. Conway's Shapeshifter Tarot. She's actually looking slightly to the majority of the rest of the cards. A sorceress is a take on, but is not a direct synonym for a High Priestess. So is this Sorceress casting a spell to make the rest of the Fool's Journey unfold? It sure seems that way.

A final example before we move on comes from later in the Major Arcana. The Star or Stars is a card of renewal and of hope and of faith--but I've also long looked at it as a card of knowing you have enough resources and are contributing resources back to the Universe too. It's a card of reciprocity and universal love and trust. So in the examples below, where are the women in the Star card looking? They're looking right at the water, the symbol of healing, the resource in question. Or perhaps the one from the Book of Shadows So Below is looking at her family and the fun scene they've created together. In short, she's looking at the world and life she's created but that she gets so much back from. Her eyes then too don't leave the scene. In Egypt Urnash's Tarot of the Silicon Dawn we don't see her eyes, per se. But they too are focused on what she's giving and pouring out.

Once you have a handle on how face & eye placement affects your cards overall, it's time to start mixing them into readings. I've moved on to using all of the cards, and let's take a look at the very strong statement made the face and eye placement in the Six and Eight of Wands when pulled together from Siolo Thompson's Linestrider Tarot. The Man or Statue depending on your interpretation in the Six of Wands is looking right at the slightly nervous deer in the Eight of Wands who is trying to look back without being noticed. This deer is trying to move straight along their path but is looking back to a safer or more easily victorious time. Looking further, if the Six of Wands is a card of victory and triumph and the Eight is a card of very excitable but fast, often intimidating energy then it stands to reason that we are seeking triumph and control over our schedules. We might not be comfortable with the fast pace we are moving in, or it could be an assurance that we are in control and the things we're wanting to be triumphant about are happening—just maybe a little quicker than we are comfortable with. In that case the advice might be to look back to another time when you were moving quickly, seemingly too quickly, but ending up conquering something you'd been working towards for a long time.

From the Prisma Visions Tarot pictured above, we have the Tower—a card of disaster, of everything we hold dear being torn down, of things being taken away from us. We also see the Seven of Wands, which can indicate a need to stand up for ourself and, from the image at hand, move forward no matter how rashly and confusingly we must do it. Yet sitting in the middle is the Four of Chalices. This is a card of discontentment and dissatisfaction, of excessive emotions or woolgathering. Yet in this spread, there's no surprise as to the “why!” This little child's face is pointed right at The Tower and all of the things they've lost. Their eyes look right at the building about to topple and refuse to acknowledge that maybe life goes on after, or maybe they should stand up for themselves, or maybe, just maybe, it'll feel more liberating to move about with fewer resources. What a powerful statement and reading, and look how much of it came just because of how the kid's face and eyes are pointed!

There are oodles (a very scientific number) of ways to maximize your time learning your tarot deck—this is just one, but can lead you to others. Thinking about face placement can lead you to think about body language. Thinking about body language can get you to look closer. Looking closer can tell all kinds of new stories with any tarot deck. So go forth, let they “eyes” have it (SORRY FOR THIS PUN. I AM THE WORST), and dig deeper with your tarot deck every chance you get.

Blessed be, y'all!

Learning Tarot: The Art Matters More + Some Games!

Me, the Tarot of the Silicon Dawn, and Jessa Crispin's "The Creative Tarot" getting some learning done.

Hello all!

The collective unconscious trips me up sometimes; I meant to write a post last week on this topic, and then Biddy Tarot posted an alarmingly similar one here. I strongly encourage you to go read that post first, as I didn't want to replicate information on this one.

Learning Tarot can and should be a simple, fun, personalized process where your own reactions and experiences matter more than an any prescribed notions, so the easiest way to learn it may to be throw your Little White Book to the side for now and try a different approach. From Biddy Tarot's blog:

“Describe the picture. What story is it telling? Think about:

Are there people in the card?
What are they doing?
What objects are in the card?
Why do you think those objects are there?
Why is the person there?
What’s in the background?
What’s in the foreground?
How do all of these different elements come together?”

— BiddyTarot.com

To that incredibly comprehensive list, I would also add that I'm a huge fan of color theory in art and tarot as well. What does green mean to you and how does that apply when almost a whole card is green? This is less helpful in a black and white deck, obviously, but the shading and line work can still give you clues to the artist's intended meaning. Paying attention to specific symbols like animals, astrological symbols, seasons, and callbacks to other cards in your deck are also wildly helpful in learning your tarot deck inside and out. Most tarot readers, myself included, will tell you to journal on these discoveries, even if you're not a journaler. The payoff when you look at old entries two years later is completely worth it. Learning your cards this way first will also allow you to pick up another deck easily when you're ready.

AS PROMISED, I've also got some games to share with you to help you learn this way. Some of these I've learned at meet-ups or talking to other readers, and some I've developed on my own. You need:

• A tarot deck you don't know super well
• A friend who loves tarot and has a deck

That's it! Do whatever you would do to prepare to read for someone (shuffle each other's decks, or your own, etc.) and then take your respective decks that you're learning back. You'll both want to think for a few moments to come up with a deluge of questions to ask each other.

• Then taking turns, ask questions and have your game partner answer based only on what is happening in the picture.
• Or based on the animal in the card.
• Or based solely on intuition.
• Or based on what the person in the card is doing.
• Or based on a symbol that jumps out at you and nothing else.
• Or based on how the colors in the picture work together.
• Etc, etc.

There are a couple of other rules in these games. They should be rapid fire. The questions you each ask should be ones you are curious about but not life or death. You have to trust your gut. If the symbol that jumps out at you is an apple but the biggest one is different, no sweat. Trust the apple. You should not apply any knowledge of the cards beyond whichever version of the game you are playing allows for, period. Finally, as a side note, if you're playing "What does the animal on the card tell us," for example, and you pull a card that doesn't have an animal, as Nancy Antenucci taught me, the answer to that question is "You already know the answer." (Nancy also taught me a few rad versions of this game too.)

That's it! While learning tarot has a lot of grooves and nuances, these methods and games will make you feel super solid on individual cards and what they're trying to tell you. If you're interested in really hunkering down to study, my Coaching package is available here or you can come in for a one of session to clarify some things.

Blessed be y'all!

My Favorite Internet This Month! (Plus a Tarot Learnin' Tip!)

One of my favorite cards from my favorite deck.

My darling friend J Ryan from Queer Street Tarot gifted me a "Mystical Tarot" last week; this is a deck that is mass produced through Lo Scarebo/Llewellyn but it really stuck out to me in spite of not being overtly queer or feminist as a deck. The deck LOOKS like a classical art deck, but a more careful peek shows a lot of quirk and absurdity and I fell in love, so I was so grateful for the gift. That night, before I'd practice with my roommate, I did something I always do before I spread out my cards and play. "What are you doing?" Manny asked.

"Finding the most important card" I responded with the subtext of "Duh." They were understandably confused, so I thought I'd elaborate here since this is not as common a practice as I thought. Little Red Tarot and all of us who write over there, as well as countless other, usually do a deck interview when we have time to sit down with the deck to truly get to know it. However, I do something WAY before that stage when I am either trying out a new deck to see I want to own it or figuring out how a gift and I fit together. I simply shuffle the cards, ask the deck what the "most important" card in this deck is, and pull. To me this is the card that tells me what this deck's highest function is--what it wants to be used for, how it communicated, and how I as a reader can work with it best. The Slow Holler (pictured above) told me it was a deck best used to help me communicate my visions for all of the things I am so fired up and passionate about. The Slow Holler is indeed a deck of healing, but it's also one of inspiration and fire starting. Creating change in all I do, this is my favorite deck because it helps me plot that so perfectly. In the case of the Mystical Tarot I drew The Star--a card of rest, renewal, but yes, deep faith in myself and my Divine and the world around me so chock full of resources and life. This is a deck that will both deepen my relationship with myself and the Divine, but will also help me find practical resources when need be whether I'm planning an art project, a business venture, or a revolution. Try it with your favorite deck, and see what you come up with. I usually will pull fresh every few months for the decks I use most often, and when I pick up one I've been neglecting I pull one to start too. In the meantime, here's a whole lot of links!

Tarot and Witchcraft

• A lovely glamour based on who you are from the Witch of Lupine Hollow.
• Alexis has some great observations on mistakes every tarot reader makes.
• Siobhan (of Siobhan's Mirror) and Asali (of Asali Earthwork) have a great conversation that I've even re-read a couple of times here.
• I love the Tarot in Art series and was excited to learn about a work and painter I hadn't yet. Catch up on the whole thing by following links through if you haven't.
• Mary K. Greer has a very fun murder mystery based on the tarot happening over at her blog!
• Do you follow local (Minneapolis) Astrology Whiz Heather Roan Robbins yet? You definitely should; she's a rock star at what she does, and her Starcode series is beyond helpful.
• Haiti, Vodou and the Racism inherent when we talk about either.
• A shrine to slutty queerness over on Little Red!!! I'm so happy about this whole thing.
• I don't even want to tell you anything about this Hood Witch post about Becoming the Earth because you need to just go experience it for yourself.

Queerness, Feminism, and Anti-Racism

• A really important, beautifully written essay on being a WOC who's also adventurous and outdoorsy. I can't do it justice--read here.
• Think you can be body positive without being feminist? NOPE.
• Autostraddle covers a really lovely, sweet photo project of queers at home that also goes pretty deep into what home even means for us.
• Also from Autostraddle: 5 Tips for a Great Activist Meeting.
• Stuff Only Women Writers Hear (with input from fab black women writers too).
• I am mad at United Airlines. But I'm mostly mad at America.
• Ojibwe History from Colonization to Present. A headier read, but definitely necessary and incredibly well-done.
• Oof, I relate to this piece so hard. Family, don't read this one. I'm serious. (Title: "How My Dad's Dirty Magazines Shaped My Queer Sexuality")
• From Cosmopolitan actually, this piece on how yes, even in 2017 it is still terrifying to do basic things like hold a partner's hand is so, so important. Related, Unicorn Booty unveils the reality of how many are uncomfortable with LGBTQ+ Americans, and TBH now I'm permanently uncomfortable.
• The Joy of Being Unlikeable is something I not only wish to every radical fighting the fight that I know, but a really smart, properly emotional blog post!
• So it turns out that women are better leaders than men. I'm so...so...shocked....

For Artists and Theatre Kids

• Something I struggle with regularly--making a life in the arts manageable financially. This piece does NOT sugar coat or mince words.
• STOP. COMPLAINING. ABOUT. OVERHEAD. IF. YOU. WANT. TO. SUPPORT. THE. ARTS. (or any non-profit).
• A really good roundup of things we just shouldn't do in the arts anymore.
• A Transgender Theatre Revolution in Chicago!

On Writing

• If you love Dear Prudence, you will REALLY love this interview with Mallory Ortberg.
• Jia Tolentino vents about the gig economy and honestly I applauded when I finished.
• Life Advice from Adrienne Rich makes me swoony. So does anything Adrienne Rich.
• Sara Benincasa's Letter to a Worried Writer resurfaced recently and it's SO good.
• Kai Cheng Thom's book is a complete delight, and so is this interview over at Bitch

Just Because

• Some great tips for Impact Play in your boudoir (or wherever you like to do such things).
• The U.S. used to send prominent jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong overseas...to fight communism!
• Wanna give your friend (or yourself) a hilarious yet artsy yet affordable gift? These Badly Drawn Authors are truly outstanding.
• WHY DO I LIKE THESE BDSM DOLLHOUSES SO MUCH? Jk, I know why.
• So, the Tyranosaurus Rex was apparently a very kind lover. Who knew?
• ICYMI: Every Story About Trump Supporters from the Washington Post made the rounds a while back but is legit laugh-out-loud funny and spot on.
• True crime story about the kidnapping case Lolita was based.
• Decision-making fatigue is very real, especially where food decisions are concerned. A PCOS website I follow has more info here.
• Another "oldie but goodie": an Aidy Bryant interview where she just keeps stealing my heart.
• Well, it's come to this: a how-to for realistic Doomsday Prep.
• I just really love Christy Carlson Romano y'all and here she's all...talking queer and stuff, and my heart---aaahhh.

AND I watched all of Supergirl during a two day arthritis flare-up that left me barely able to make it to the bathroom from my couch. AND I followed that up by binging (for no good reason) Wynonna Earp while I was at it. Regardless of your taste for gun slinging badasses with cute, hella smart, femme sisters (I mean, I don't know why you're not into that if you aren't but you do you) but this song is wonderful. I've been listening non-stop ever since.

Syfy's Wynonna Earp Theme Song "Tell That Devil" performed by Jill Andrews Purchase: http://amzn.to/1UYOyCM

A New Moon, A New Year, and Getting Clarity Via Tarot

Hello all!

I'm pretty stoked to be ending 2016 high on New Moon energy, and not just an New Moon, but one meant for intention setting and helping you build confidence to make big changes in your life. I like to get that ball rolling with a tarot spread or seven (surprise, surprise), and am always amazed by the clarity after. New Year's Tarot has the potential to be some of your most solid work of the year, and I'm happy to share steps to get the best New Year's Reading possible. I've done this post "choose your own adventure" style so you can personalize it based on where you are in your processing, as opposed to specific spreads or step by step instructions. 

1. To start, do you know what this year has taught you? Through all of it's ups and downs, do you know what you're supposed to be leaving behind and bringing with you?
   1. If yes, great! Just pull a card or two to see if you're missing anything. Pull an extra card if you need advice on getting over some humps you know you should be getting over but are a little stuck.
   2. If no, never fear! I recommend a very simple four card spread like the one below. The four placements indicate "What is the biggest lesson and takeaway from this year?", "What am I supposed to leave in 2016?", "What am I supposed to to take with me into 2017," and a final card for "What is the best action I can take to ensure I wrap all of this up neatly over the next week or two?
       

More on this deck here.

1. Next, do you know what you want out of 2017? Are you a goal-oriented person who has been climbing steadily, or is comfortable with where you landed during setbacks that you're still pretty sure of what you want?
   1. If yes, great! You can either skip this step, or pull a few cards to boost your confidence, asking the deck if you're right about your path, and if everything is in order or good to go as you move through the work of the year.
   2. If not, that's great too. You get to have some fun. I recommend pulling anywhere between one and three cards, asking the deck as you shuffle what your goals and motivations should be for the year.
   3. If you're somewhere in between, you know what you personally but not professionally, spiritually but not in terms of mundane bucket list items, or any combination or split of these things, I recommend pulling two to four cards, asking the deck as you shuffle "beyond my goals regarding ____, what else should I be focusing on or building throughout the upcoming year?"
      
       
2. Now that your goals and intentions are more focused for the 12 months ahead, I recommend Beth Maiden's post on spreads and cards that help with planning. I also recommend just picking a number of steps (at least three, probably no more ten) and laying those out to see what those steps look like. If your goals are in different areas of your life, because this is a practical spread, it probably won't exhaust you to do as many as you need based on the number of life areas you have goals in.
    
3. Finally, it's tarot! It is innately a spiritual and mysterious source of insight, so your Divine and your deck may have a COMPLETELY different set of information to give you. You still have some choices on how to approach this based on how you like to read.
   1. If you read predictively, or are open to it, lay out four cards. The question to keep in mind while shuffling is "What can I expect from this year?" I use the four to represent the seasons, so I read how the energy and events featured may shift naturally as the seasons move. If you're super eager, go ahead and do 12 to represent the zodiac signs or the months, depending on your preference.
   2. If you don't, just ask the cards what else you need to know about the transition from year to year, and what you need to know about yourself and life in 2017. Pull as many cards as you think feels right, but make sure you determine the number beforehand, as you're shuffling. I strongly, strongly recommend doing this Face Up style. Siobhan is a genius, and you will be so surprised by what you end up telling yourself about the year ahead.

That's it! Kind of a lot, I know, and you can and should move through this as often as you need to in as many ways as you need too. I do recommend starting tonight, in spite of the short notice, but you certainly have some wiggle room with both moon phases (that vibe lasts awhile) and New Year's Day (time is a construct anyway) so take your time. Take. Your. Time. Allow yourself the comfort of not rushing intentions and goals so they come from a genuine, pure place, and know that anything can change course if you will it too, no matter what this reading may say. Your life is yours. Your year is yours. The cards just want to help you make it so.

Blessed be, loves.

Tarot For Anyone! A Quick Learning Trick

While I've been reading tarot for over a decade (weeps about aging forever) I still employ this trick every time I pick up a new deck, before I even look at the book or anything. Most readers do this, but lately I've been talking to a few super new on or still just considering a tarot path who get super caught up in "how am I ever gonna memorize this book?" The short answer is it takes time, but you will. Just dilligently work on it nearly every day for awhile.

BUT the great news is you can still find a lot of use in your cards by just looking at the picture, and gleaning what there is to glean artistically from them. This is particularly true for advice questions. "What should I do" is quickly answered by seeing what the figure in the picture is doing. "What's my next step" can be answered by looking at the picture overall--again, likely what the figure is doing, but there can be some other giveaways too. If you know symbols really well, animals featured could be giving you a sign based on your interpretation of those animals. Colors, runes, various constellations, etc. etc. could all be doing the same thing. Questions of "Who" can also be answered by going directly off the traits, attitude, or energy of the figure on the card.

For example, in the photo above, it's fine if you have no clue what the (fabulous) book from this Book of Shadows: As Above deck says about this card. It's easy to assess that you have some crystals poking out of the corner, some bright purple flowers, a gnome relaxing in their element. The instrument might stand out to you if you're a creative or especially musical person, and that beam of sunlight across the card has always struck me.

So if I had asked "What should I do about my financial situation?" I would assess based on the relaxed gnome and all the Earthly things blooming around them that I should just relax, because I had already put myself in a good position and news was coming. Or if I saw the instrument first, I would think that utilizing my creative talents for money was my next strategy. If I had asked a more spiritual question such as "What is my soul needing", some time around music, in sunlight, or possible some crystal or plant healing would come to me as the answers.

Another example so you can see how cards work together, is based off the above. (In reality the odds of this pair showing up together in a well shuffled deck is a little slim, but hey.) A question I've been grappling with lately is "What keeps holding me back?" and "Where do I go from here?" If I needed some basic guidance to these questions and pulled these two cards from my Prisma Visions tarot I would see that Skull, the word Emperor, and the cacophony of color around it. I would discern based on the animal that my own stubbornness was killing me, and from the colors that my mind was too scattered to make much sense of the things going on. Meanwhile the "Where do I go from here?" card shows a woman embracing the light, elevating herself, almost above the solid ground she's built. She is bright against a dark background. While with a seeker other than myself I might have trouble putting it into words, I think the image does speak for itself--look towards the positive, the light. Look ahead. The gold and yellow give us a strong sense of newness and freshness, and this would be about embracing and accepting the new.

Tarot is so frequently seen as this big, scary huge 78-things-to-learn process, but you can utilize the art and the keywords to provide yourself the guidance you need as you work on memorizing in more traditional ways. I'd love to hear more beginner's tips and tricks, and will for sure have more unfold over the course of this blog.

Until next time,
Blessed Be