New Moon Progression Tarot Spread

Well, since it is New Moon in Gemini today I believe, (sometimes I do lose track as I have the attention span of a midget for what regards keeping track of cycles and things...) I thought why not create a spread for advice in moving forward.
When I put "Prison" I was actually thinking of the Monopoly game and getting a get out free ticket and of creating a MANY cards spread....but then worked out that doing a spread that way would have simply taken too long, so I lost attention again of course...But I left "prison" because we so many times cage ourselves up (like in the 8 or 2 of Swords) where all our issues (or mostly) are actually of our own doing.
What do you want to progress with? What are you blocking yourself with? (yes you ;) ) What do you want to be released from and free to let better energies in?
This could also be about your spiritual path and how to progress. However you want to use it I hope it will be of guidance for you :).
And Happy New Moon of course :)

Feedback on how it has worked for you is always welcome :)

The inevitability of Death

Death (as those closer to me know quite well) is one of my favourite cards in the Tarot deck. While there are other cards that can lead to change, sudden transformation and upheaval (Tower, 10 of Swords for example) Death is inevitable. We can change the outcome in general or shape things to suit us better even in the middle of a crisis. But with Death as an outcome (or in a very significant position in the spread), we know that it will happen, eventually.
And yet many of us (including myself) choose to either ignore it or think we can change/avoid it.

A year ago I had a great reading done at the London Tarot Festival, my question was a personal one and the reader had no idea of my situation. I watched her pull the cards out and, one by one, answer a totally different question I did not ask. I was about to make a huge work decision, but I knew that! And the outcome was Death.
She was very kind and apologised (lol) but proceeded to do a lovely and accurate reading, the cards were telling me to focus on work, that what I asked was not relevant and not important at the time. I chose to ignore Death, I gave it a fanciful meaning that I was about to make big changes anyway.
But you see, Death does not manifest quickly, it creeps up slowly and then Wham! You're dead and transformed.
I watched a year go by and every single card manifesting in that reading. I cringed a little with every month passing (it wasn't bad but a hard and difficult path). And then, Death. And I knew that, even though I have given many talks on this card, I still was missing the main point: We cannot run from Death, whatever the situation, it will catch up with us. The Grim Reaper may take a break every now and then but then will follow.
So, if this card manifests for you, pay attention. There may be some changes you still need to make and, a bit like Judgement, if you do not listen they will catch up with you and you may end up losing control and being forced to change and begin again.
Don't get me wrong, I do not think that it is a negative card at all. But, sometimes, in order for something to begin again, something else will need to die. The energies from this Death lending momentum to the new start.
And so it begins.

Full Moon Manifestation Tarot spread

Since tomorrow is Full Moon I thought...why not make up an easy spread for manifesting. You could use this spread also as part of a Tarot manifestation spell. Simply leave it out with anything else you have used for the ritual.
Candles are always nice to use in this case, depending on what you want to manifest, you would need:

Green: Finances
Red: Love/Passion
Pink: Romance
Black: Clearing/Banishing
Yellow: Career/Creativity

Not dipped candles by the way, but solid colour ones. 

I have added a Lenormand card at the end for extra advice just for fun. If you are not familiar with the Lenormand system feel free to ignore it (or learn it..)

So here goes:

I used my Morgan Greer deck to draw this spread about finances for myself (gulp...)

 1) Knight of Swords - Fast energies, quite likely I need to act on them and be very proactive, but positive forward movement.

2) 3 of Wands - Keep making plans, again I am feeling here the message is don't stop, keep going (stopping?? Who ya kidding?)

3) The Empress - Keep within yourself, taking care of myself and be positive. Putting my needs before others for a little while.

4) The Hanged Man - Be patient (ah well one can always hope...). Planning and reasoning without rushing will win in the end.

Lenormand advice: The Mountain - Blockages are in the way, they will need to be conquered first.

...shuffles off to pay some bills...

The Court cards on their first date (and what their first sentence would be...)

So, this is of course just my take on that ;), but let's have some fun with it...
You are on a first date with someone. What would their first say be upon meeting you based on their Court card persona?

Page of Cups: "I've been so hurt...I need a friend..."
Page of Swords: (sorry cannot follow the torrential flow of words, so no idea what he/she would say)
Page of Pentacles: "Hi! I work in IT!"
Page of Wands: "How do you like it?"

Knight of Cups: "Here's some flowers..." (about 3 different types of bouquets)
Knight of Swords: "Here's a list of questions I have..."
Knight of Pentacles: "Are you ambitious?"
Knight of Wands: "Let's get a room?"

Queen of Cups: "I'm a water sign you know?...*wink*"
Queen of Swords: "Now, this is how I would like it to be..."
Queen of Pentacles: "I'm hardworking, I have 4 children. Have you got any?"
Queen of Wands: "Would you like to know what I'm wearing underneath?"

King of Cups: "I'll take good care of you..."
King of Swords: " I, I, I, I, I, I am everything, what's your name again?"
King of Pentacles: "I just bought a house, do you want to settle down?"
King of Wands: "How about a trip abroad, something kinky perhaps?"

Feel free to add to this, I have these conversations going on in my head, may be sometime I'll get them to meet properly and have a proper conversation. HA!

A dream, painful needles and the 9 of Swords

I had quite a convoluted and unsettling dream last night. It sounds upsetting but, if you consider that the previous night I dreamed about being tortured and flogged until flesh was coming off my bones, this was a walk in the park I guess :P. So here goes:

"My mum took me to the doctor and it turned out that I needed to go and see a surgeon because there was something wrong with one of my eyes.The surgeon was nice and tells me that I need an operation in order to have full sight again. So my mum then takes me to hospital. But then we leave and go for a walk and my nan (she passed a long time ago) steps up to me to take me back in. I am not happy about the operation because it involves inserting long needles into my right eye and all the way into my brain. Mum takes me to the operating table. Then she texted my dad to let him know. I ask the surgeon for anaesthetic and he says that he cannot give me any as I need to be awake for the procedure. I get strapped onto the operating table. He takes out these loooooong needles and then proceeds to insert them, one by one, into my eye. I felt no pain just some discomfort as I felt like something was poking inside my brain. Afterwards as I get up I can see again." 

My first thought upon waking is that the dream is subconsciously telling me that there is something I am not seeing, and it is close to me. I half expected to draw the 4 of Cups as a daily card. But no, I drew the 9 of Swords. This is about worry, repeated thoughts and of course can also be be about being so focused on something that we lose sight of everything else. My sight is restored so this is temporary. I have to say I am over tired so perhaps this was a factor in it too. A friend suggested this is about perspective, what we see (or do not see) with our own eyes is not necessarily how it is.

So I did a reading on it as in:

• What do I need to know about this dream?
• What is the message it tries to convey?
• What action do I need to take? 

 1) The Lovers 

It is telling me that this is about choice, I can choose to see or not to see. I am not blind, I just need help. A little twist of the needle and the sight is restored. I have a feeling that this is literally telling me to love myself and understand beauty around me.

2) Justice

A Karmic card, this of course is a subconscious message about balance. Right and Left, Above and Below, the message is to restore this balance to the right level. Perhaps also to try and analyze the symbols in a logic manner.

3) Ace of Swords

Well what more of an action could be a card that is itself the start of an action? This is clarity, again I am seeing the suggestion to analyze the dream from a logic point of view. Not an emotional one. Thinking of it the needle itself could be the Ace of Swords, injecting clarity in what was once confusion.


I also feel this was bringing up issues from the past, with all my family present. But, to be honest, I'll probably get some more insights as the days go by :). 
(deck used: Morgan Greer)

When Tarot goes on strike...

Yeah, you know, Tarot has not got a Union as such but it does go on strike. Have you ever experienced this? It is like losing a trusted friend, someone you turn to every day for advice and that all of a sudden says: nope, no more I ain't talking to you and if I do I won't make any sense.
Oh wait, may be I'll actually frustrate you even more and tell you, repeatedly, what you already know.
I have had a few questions/messages about this in the last few days and it seems that there is a common denominator here. The cards seem to do this when you are either really worried about something or you are asking repeated questions, or not asking the right question.
It's like they are turning around and revolting.
So why is this? Well, here's my take on it:

1. You are obsessing over something;
2. You are not getting the answer you want, therefore rinse and repeat;
3. You are asking the wrong question;
4. Your wish or question is not for your highest good;
5. You need a break and a clearer head.

In 30 years of experience I know when I need to simply throw my hands up in the air, put the deck down (or throw it in the air too), go get a glass of wine or go for a walk. Tarot is an honest friend that can sometimes be blunt. The cards won't tell you simply what you want to know, no matter how many times your try. Most of the times you already know the answer anyway but simply won't acknowledge it. You will get an honest answer, and if you ask again you will be probably told to get lost and take a break.
I would say that, no matter what the challenge is, use the Tarot for what it is. A great tool for guidance and advice when in need of clarity. Nothing is set in stone and things can always be changed, actions cause re-actions and consequences too. Remember that you have free will. Because if you set limitations for yourself based on what the cards tell you, you are simply doing that - limiting yourself -, and why do that when everything is possible?

(deck: Gloria Jean's Infinite Visions)

Hacking the Celtic Cross spread (Because life is short...)

Those that already know me would know that I have no patience for long and convoluted, over complicated spreads. In fact I like it short and sweet and 3 cards is my spread of choice, naming positions of course.
Clarifiers can always be drawn if needed but, generally, I never end up with a massive amount of cards.

So, you want a quick answer but don't usually do short spreads...but life is hectic, the children need to be fed (and so does the poor dog) and...you still need an answer.
So why not hack away and take what you need from the spread? This is the first of my ideas for #tarothacks.
I have other spreads that I want to work with this way and many other ideas too, but I am starting with the Celtic Cross because it is the one I dislike the most, I hardly ever use it and it seems to be that, if you do not use it or know it, you are not a worthy Tarot reader.
Let's look at the general CC positions:

1. Covers you;
2. Crosses you;
3. Root of the matter;
4. Past;
5. Possible outcome (near future);
6. Future;
7. Your influence in the situation;
8. Environment and family;
9. Hopes and fears;
10. Outcome.

Of course there are plenty of versions but, generally, I would say this is a standard one.
Let's hack it. You can do this with 3 cards, I have chosen 5, 6, and 10 like so:

Say for example the question here was you wanting to know how a job interview went, 5/6/10 could happily give you the whole answer with the outcome.
And, of course, you could shuffle the 3 cards for more insight, asking which one is the most important?
Use the positions in the original spread that are the most apt for the questions you are asking. The Cross is very general but other spreads are much more specific in their positioning.
Now I am off and leave you with this...happy hacking :)