TarotCraft

Question: What area do I need to be putting my energy into right now to move forward?

Answer: The Five of Pentacles is the card that comes up in answer to this question.  I asked for further clarification and pulled the King of Swords and the Knight of Wands.

These cards suggest you need to be putting energy into doing something practical that helps others, whether as your regular job or as volunteer work.  I am seeing this happening at a higher level, perhaps in the area of helping to define the strategic direction and goals of a charity, or becoming involved with an organisation or project to help individuals, the community or the environment.

You have good organisational and communications skills (King of Swords) and the energy to do it (Knight of Wands). If you’re looking to change jobs, you’d probably be happiest engaged in work that helps to positively impact individuals, the community or the environment.

The Knight of Wands suggests you have a lot of pent up energy and the King of Swords suggests you need a well thought out plan to use this energy effectively.  Working on projects that have practical, defined outcomes would suit you best.

The negative side of these cards indicates an inability to move forward due to indecision or procrastination.  Right now, making ANY decision and acting on it is better than making no decision and going in circles.

If you’re thinking of moving house, the presence of the Knight of Wands suggests this is the time to do so.

The Five of Pentacles is also a reminder to focus on one’s spiritual and inner life.

Question: I never ask about love & romance as I consider myself quite independent etc etc & because I feel we need to feel complete within ourselves and another person is an addition to help us grow. However I’m feeling like I’d like to put it out or I have put it out to the Universe that I am nearing to being ready to enter something committed and with purpose. What do you see happening over the next little while and can you tell me about that? - M.

Answer: I understand your independent nature, but bear in mind that being in a relationship won’t stop you being independent but will give you an interesting opportunity to open your heart, exercise compassion and grow spiritually.

The cards here are the 9 of Cups, the Ace of Pentacles and Strength.  Keep putting out to the Universe the essence of what you want and it wil take you by surprise, when you least expect it and be more than you ever thought it could be.

There seems to be an expectation that any relationship will ‘underwhelm’ you and leave you feeling unfulfilled.  This might have been true in the past, but you have grown and changed and the person you attract into your life now will be very different to past partners.

You could benefit from doing some soul searching into your beliefs about relationships and take some concrete steps to change them for the positive - Louise Hay’s ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ workbook would be a good start, or even a few months with a good counsellor.  The only thing stopping you is your belief that it’s not possible to have a really good, rewarding relationship with somone on the same wavelength as you, and a bit of a need for perfection. There will always be something. No one and no situation is perfect.  Lower your expectations but not your standards. They don’t need to have the same interests as you, just the same values - honesty, integrity etc - and be supportive of what you believe in and do.

The appearance of Strength in this reading assures us that true passion can be found - a meeting of bodies, hearts and minds - if you overcome your inner resistance and possibly the Ego’s need to be ‘right’ that relationships suck or don’t work.

I’m getting a time frame of about six months - accept all the social invitations you get as much as possible because I’m seeing you meeting someone in a social environment around friends.

Question: I would like to know how to maximise the successes that lie before me. I feel that I know the way forward, but there are several ways I could achieve it - each with its own costs. How can I recognise my maximal path? - D.S.

Answer: The cards coming up for you are the Page of Pentacles, the 5 of Wands and the 6 of Wands.  Right now, you’re pushing to make something happen before it’s time.

The way will become clear if you sit back, stay focused on the outcome and let fate take it’s course, so to speak.  You require assistance or information from someone and this will come in it’s own time.  You may be over complicating things, which is why the way forward doesn’t seem clear.

Just give it time, meditate on the outcome you want and the means to get that will become apparent without you needing to do anything, except that I’m getting a message that you need to tie up some loose ends and finalise some things you’ve been procrastinating about.  This will help clear the way.

The presence of the 6 of Wands in this reading assures us that you are on your way and that your next step will just be the first one in a bigger victory.  Don’t run around like a headless chook.  Just stay centered and know that the Universe has bigger and better plans for you.

Let go of control and the path will become clear because the less than optimal options will simply fall away of their own accord.  The Page of Pentacles can also indicate studying so if this is one of your options, it would be a good one.  Let me leave you with the words of a very wise teacher of mine: “There is no right situation.  Only right attitude.”

To celebrate the festive season, I’m offering free readings here on the site.  Just use the Contact form to send me your question and I’ll post it on the site along with the answer.  I won’t publish your name or identifying details so feel free to use a pseudonym.  I can’t promise to answer every question but I’ll do my best as time permits.

This is a 4 class intensive for a maximum of FOUR students. If you have a basic knowledge of Tarot but want to develop your practical reading skills, then this class is for you.

Designed for the ‘advanced’ beginner, you will have a a general idea of the broader meaning of each card, but lack the know-how or confidence to put together a complete reading.

An in-depth knowledge of the cards isn’t required as I will be also teaching you intuitive reading techniques which require NO knowledge of the cards but you do need to have some degree of familiarity.

We will meet one night per week during which I will guide you through the process of doing an actual reading with a Client so you will learn:

- how to structure a reading
- how to take and keep control of the reading
- how to put your Client, and yourself, at ease
- how to help your Client focus on their specific questions and issues
- what to do when you get confused or uncertain
- how to tap into your intuition
- and much more.

Classes will be held at Newtown, Sydney 6.30-9pm on Wednesday 18 Jan, 25 Jan, 1 Feb and 8 Feb.

There are two ways to participate

1. Sign up for the BootCamp as a student at a cost of $80 (covers 10 hours tuition and any materials)

2. Sign up to be a Client at a cost of $20. You will need to allow about an hour and a half for your reading.  If you’re a member of the official Meetup.com group Tarotcraft - Tarot Meetup (Sydney area) there is no charge to be a client.

If interested in being a reader or client, please send an email to tarot_info@yahoo.com.au with Tarot BootCamp in the subject line and let me know your preference.

Bookings will be confirmed on receipt of payment, which is to be paid in full two weeks prior to start of first class. Due to limited numbers, fees are transferable but not refundable.

This is not a first in, first served basis. I will be selecting students who have a similar level of experience to work together. If I don’t select you for this class, you’ll be first on the waiting list for the next one.I plan to run these regularly through 2012 if there is enough demand.

You can also join us on our Facebook page to receive regular updates and reminders re classes,

Tarot enthusiasts getting together to practice, discuss and learn. Based in Sydney’s inner west.

Find us on Facebook - Tarot Meetup (Sydney Area)

Or join our Meetup Group for reminders and ongoing dates.

Join us for monthly meetups, study groups and workshops. This is a social gathering for informal discussion, sharing ideas and comparing decks. Those new to Tarot won’t learn to read the cards by coming along, but they will be able to observe others doing readings for each other and pick up some pointers. We’d love to meet you and introduce you to Tarot so please don’t be shy!

We meet the 1st Sunday of each month at the address below. We start at 11 and go through until about 12.30.

No meetup in Jan 2012.

Location: Studio 3, 333 King Street, Newtown (opposite Fitness First, above the computer repair store)

If you get lost, call me on 0425 206 489.

‘Learn to read Tarot’ is a practical study group designed for the beginner, however those who want to deepen their knowledge and practical experience of Tarot will also benefit.

There are no complicated lists of meanings to memorise and from the first week you will learn techniques to enable you to begin reading Tarot cards immediately. You will learn how to read for yourself and others in a relaxed and friendly environment, close to Newtown station.

The group is designed to run for 22 weeks on Monday evenings. (28 June to approximately 6 December). While it’s possible to learn the basics of Tarot in a weekend or a short course, a longer period of time really gives you the opportunity to experience Tarot at a much deeper level and develop your skills and confidence as a Tarot reader/interpreter.

Over the 22 weeks we will learn the meanings of the Major Arcana cards, the suite cards (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles) , the Court Cards (Queens, Kings, Knights, Pages), how to phrase questions, how to interpret a tarot card spread and much more. There will be the opportunity to give and receive readings each week.

The group is based on the Rider Waite & Universal Waite decks. (My personal preference is for the Universal Waite deck.) These decks are readily available at new age stores such as Adyar in Sydney and most large bookstores such as Dymocks.

Cost is $250 for the 22 weeks and payable by 31 May. (10% discount for PAN members and ‘Tarot MeetUp (Sydney area)’ Facebook group members.)

Earlybird payment: $200 if paid by 15 May (no discount applies to earlybird payment).

Alumni: $100 (if you have done a 22 week group with me in the past)

Please contact me at tarot_info yahoo com au or call me on 0425 206 489 for more info.

Building a personal Tarot profile.

The 22  Trumps are associated with 3 Qabalistic Elements (Water, Air, Fire), the 7 Classical planets and the 12 Zodiac signs.  Find the cards that relate to your sun sign, rising sign and moon sign.  These three cards will hold key lessons for you in this lifetime.  Your date of day/month of birth is also associated with 3 of the small cards and a Court Card.  Charts for finding these are in the back of Lon Duquette’s “Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot”

The Moon is said to rule your personality, the Sun sign to rule the way you express your individuality and the Ascendant/Rising our outer appearance and mannerisms.”

Aleister Crowley, DOB: Oct 12, 1875.

Sun: Libra (Trump: Adjustment)
Rising: Leo (Trump: Lust)
Moon: Pisces (Tump: The Moon)

2, 3 & 4 Swords, esp 3 Swords
Queen of Swords
Princess of Wands

Tarot as Initiatory Journey (The Fool)
 
In ‘Astrology, Aleister and Aeon’, Charles Kipp describes the intention of the initiatory journey of the Golden Dawn and other mystery schools.  It’s also a very apt description of the initiatory journey inherent in Tarot.
 
“In traditional astrology the Ascendent and the sign in which it is placed is taken as the starting point for interpretation due to its reference to the persona as the interface of the personality with the world in which one lives.  The first order of business for the program of spiritual development employed by various schools and disciplines of religious philosophy, as distinguished from the doctrinaire approach of societal religion, has been to foster the realization of the part of a candidate that one’s persona or ego, as the focus of consciousness, is not the whole of one’s person; that there is a deeper spiritual entity that animates the personality and participates in a greater order of being than that given to the perception of the bodily senses and taken as the material world that one inhabits.  The traditional method employed for the development of this realization is that of initiation through progressive degrees of inner awareness leading to ever greater insight into the nature of one’s whole being.  Disciplines of this sort have been practiced from time immemorial and such practice is the true and serious meaning of the word “magic”.”
 
The serious study of Tarot is an exploration of the spirit, an opening to new levels of consciousness and making contact with and expressing more fully that part of ourselves which is beyond the logical, rational mind - the soul.
 
The start of the initiatory journey is represented by The Fool.  He comes to us from Kether, the highest and most abstract level of the Tree of Life.  The Fool is spirit manifesting into form.  His element is Air and his Hebrew letter is Aleph. Aleph has no sound, but is the action of taking a breath before speaking. 
 
The Fool ‘falls’ from Kether (0) and descends to our earth plane, Malkuth (10), via the Sefiroth and Paths of the Tree of Life.  His task is them to ‘remember’ and climb back up the Tree and reunite with Kether.  Sefiroth is a Hebrew word that means ‘number’.  The sefiroth can be thought of as energy or power centres that the human being experiences through their actions, throughs, belief structures etc. 
 
Kether is the highest plane of awareness and consists of the energy of ‘God’.  There is no separation in this state – all is one.  The next level is Chokmah, which is where the all begins to develop a separate awareness and becomes ‘1’.  This sphere also holds all knowledge and information.  This is why 0=2.  Kether, or 0, cannot be aware of itself.  It needs to separate and become 2 distinct things in order to be aware of itself.  In this sense, ‘1’ can’t really exist except as an abstract concept.
 
While we study, we are in the sphere of Chokmah.  When we begin to sort out that information, to organize it and to use discretion about what is useful and what isn’t, we approach the sphere of Binah. 
 
0 Kether = Creation
1 Chokmah = Wisdom
2 Binah – Understanding
 
When we are in the realm of Kether, we experience things that are transpersonal and even miraculous, like forgiveness, acts of mercy and unconditional love, magic, prayer and moments of enlightenment.  This is the realm of the Fool.  The Divine cannot experience itself as 0, so it splits of parts of itself to ‘fall’ into our human reality, to experience separation and then to reunite with All.  Energetically, Kether is close to what we call God, but it’s not God.  In Kether we are asked to receive the guiding Light of Spirit in an act of intention and faith.  By studying with Qabalah, sharing our insights with each other and doing our best to have faith in a higher power, whatever we perceive that to be, we do the work of Kether.  Kether is the desire to shed light where there is none.
 
Having said that, though, the soul must experience whatever is in it’s path, be it objectively good or bad, in order to reunite with All.  The initiatory journey back to All is filled with danger and heartbreak, as well as light and joy and all these experiences are reflected in the Tarot and form the Fool’s journey home.

“Move an Ace and change your life” 

Discover how this transformational spread can shift stagnant energy and move you forward in life. This two hour workshop is a journey into the 4 Aces of the Minor Arcana:

Wands - Fire
Cups - Water
Swords - Air
Pentacles - Earth

Develop a deeper understanding of the symbolism, how to interpret it and how to understand the elements/suits within yourself. If you have a deck, bring it along.

Date: Sunday 25 October, 2009
Time: 1-3pm
Cost: $25
Location: Newtown (address provided on registration)

For more info or to book your place:

Call: 025 206 489
Email: info (at) tarotcraft (dot) com
Facebook: Tarot Meetup (Sydney Area)