It’s Friday; I’m in Love #35

This has been an unexpectedly tough week. Monday was my birthday, which was great, but then Tuesday knocked me out with some ridiculous cold that makes me feel like I swallowed a belt sander and my limbs are made of lead. I’m still recovering. So for the most part my week has consisted of nothing more than sleeping, reading, and occasionally moving myself from the bed to the couch and back. I was so exhausted that even though I had a post written for Wednesday, I couldn’t get up and take a picture to go with it, so I’m just saving it for Monday instead.

I do still have a few loves, though.

thoughtful birthday presents ♥ surviving my first publication rejection ♥ positive Tarot card readings ♥ running + exercising ♥ ebooks–yep, love ’em, as long as they’re free from the library ♥ sending out piles of mail to friends ♥ trying to stay active on my Facebook page ♥ late-night cake eating ♥ birthday gifts from internet friends ♥ Charlie comforting me when I’m sick

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

2014 in Tarot Cards

The Year Ahead in Summary / Queen of Cups

Yes, it’s almost the end of January and I’m just now sharing my tarot spread for the year. But at least I did the spread on the first, right? In general, I’m pretty stoked about my spread. It’s got some potential for bumps, but what year doesn’t? With or without a tarot reading beforehand. I would say that, overall, it’s looking like a good year–and not just based on the Queen of Cups, or even the spread as a whole; the year so far has already been productive and positive, and I can only hope the majority of the rest will be just as pleasing.

I used a twelve-card spread with cards focusing on health, relationships, lessons, aspirations–a good variety of details for 2014. Interpreting was fun because with so many cards it was far more in-depth than I was used to.

The Interpretation, as taken from my notebook:

The last year was, overall, one of success, especially in overcoming (some) obstacles, big + small. An awareness of the universe as a whole proved itself a lesson–things work themselves out, and there is a bigger picture. The next year’s goals include taking action + concentrating, thereby achieving larger goals (writing). Find the motivation and focus to be successful; challenge yourself. Letting go, allowing yourself not to have all the answers will make endeavors smoother and more successful in the end. Don’t cling to control–trust the universe! The coming year will offer harmony among a number of people (Friends, family, work); struggles in work, with the inability to complete projects (find that motivation, that wild side, let things happen); drained energy and creative disruption, bringing you down physically (don’t let pressure hurt your health; and stunted sensitivity to others (listen to them and share your own feelings, but think before you speak). Be sure to take time for relationships. Make sure they are heartfelt. This year, take the time to learn what you want–what you really, really want–and take the steps towards it. Overall, the next year will be full of dreams, visions, and compassion. It will be spiritual, and intuition and the universe will reign.

One cool thing about this reading was that it feels relevant to my “one little word” choice for the year (which I’m not necessarily doing as an olw but rather as simply my focus for the year, if that distinction makes sense): challenge. I didn’t really try to put the two together, coming up with my word almost three weeks after I did the reading, but they seem to fit, and the word feels very right. Challenging myself is something I really need to do, and hopefully it’ll prove as good motivation to achieve my goals in 2014. I would say starting with this reading was a good challenge, as it was the largest spread I’ve done, with a lot of room for interpretation.

If you’re interested, the spread I referenced can be found at Biddy Tarot. I’m hoping to start writing my own spreads soon (another challenge to look forward to).

My Tarot Reading from Rachael of Talk2TheTrees

Last week I was lucky enough to get a tarot reading via Skype from Rachael, and it was fun in a variety of ways, not the least of which being that I could compare it to my first reading at a fair a few years ago–and Rachael’s reading was miles better than that one.

She wrote a blog post a few weeks ago about working with the Tarot more and when I commented on it, she offered a free one to me, so why would I say no to that? (Aside from anxiety at talking with new people, which I combated by simply not talking much when she called–sorry!) We set up a time, and she called me on Skype one afternoon last week. The reading wasn’t long, only about ten minutes or so, but it was creepy in an awesome way. A lot of what she told me felt specific and actually relevant to what we were discussing, unlike my reading at the fair where I would get questions like, “Does someone in your family have an interest in photography?” Those were a little too generic for me. But Rachael did such a wonderful job of describing the cards to me, both their image and meaning, and giving fairly concrete suggestions for what they could mean.

photo via Rachael

After, she also sent me an email with a photo of the spread she had done so I could see the cards for myself, along with everything she had told me so I could look back at the email if I had forgotten anything, which is of course super convenient. I did take notes while she spoke to me, but they weren’t as thorough as the email, so they’re only good for quick reference and reminders, not deep thoughts.

I don’t really feel like sharing what she told me about the cards because I tend to keep interpretations pretty close to myself, maybe sharing with Dan or my friend Kat, but I like sharing photos of the spreads that I get, both in this case and when I do my own readings. The spreads themselves don’t feel as personal; it’s the interpretations that really make it in my opinion, so I’m not as hesitant to let others come up with their own meanings when they see what I get since they probably come out differently. (Does all of that make sense?)

All of this to say: If you get the chance to get your cards read by Rachael, I recommend it. It’s fun, revealing, and she’s a total sweetheart.

A Tour Through my Tarot Decks

Tarot cards are, as I’ve said, something I’ve always been interested in, so even though I wouldn’t call myself an expert in the craft, I have slowly, very slowly, been collecting decks for the past eight years or so. There’s a magic to the feel of the decks, the way the energy of them speaks to you if you’re willing to listen. (Odds are my mom will read this–hi!–and she’s someone who’s probably scoffing at every sentence, and that’s okay.) Something like this isn’t for everyone, but Tarot and magical thinking and astrology and energies are something that grow more dear to me each day, and I think they help shape my life and myself into something positive. It’s a compulsion, and it’s one I don’t see a point in fighting. Currently, I have three decks of Tarot cards sitting atop my dresser: the Rider Tarot, Tarot of a Moon Garden, and the Nigel Jackson Tarot.
My first deck was the Rider (or Rider-Waite), a pretty classic set. If you’ve seen Tarot cards at all in your life, chances are you’ve seen this deck or some variation of it. Honestly, it’s not my favorite. It’s too “normal” of a deck, if that’s possible, so it doesn’t click with me very strongly. But it is my first, so if nothing else, I keep it for the sentiment and as a reminder of where my interest began rather than actual use.
The Nigel Jackson Tarot was my second, and the art is probably my favorite on this set, along with the backside design. I don’t necessarily know much about art, just what I like when I see it. I remember picking out this deck at the store and immediately loving it. The only downside to this deck is that the cards are so large they don’t fit comfortably in my hands, so I don’t use it for readings very often.
My most recent deck, Tarot of a Moon Garden, I got while I was in England, and it’s the one I use the most. It’s the same size as the Rider, fitting easily in my hands and also being nice to look at. This one holds the most memories for me; I can still easily picture the bright yellow store front where I bought this, the shelves of figurines, baskets of crystals, and dim lighting.

I also have a fairly long wishlist on Amazon of other decks I want, particularly the Joie de Vivre Tarot, the Tarot of Jane Austen, and the Tarot of Pagan Cats. It’s one of those items I want a collection of because not only are they something I can use, but also something I appreciate looking at.

52 Weeks of Tarot: A Learning Project

I’ve been “into” Tarot for a long time. Long time. Like ten years or so long time. But in all those years, I have yet to actually grow comfortable and knowledgeable in the subject. I read some books, played around with spreads, but I never really did anything to immerse myself in the art. Instead it’s been a pretty shallow interest. I have a habit of wandering to the Tarot (and generally “new age”) section of bookstores, do Etsy searches, and don’t get me started on checking around Aeclectic Tarot.

I’ve also wanted to do a year-long project. I’ve tried the 365 Project, but got behind at some point or another in each attempt; it just wasn’t something I could keep up with. Then I started seeing other, less intense projects using different timelines and numbers, and it turned out that “fifty-two” sounded really great to me because it would only take time from each week, rather than each day. I could do that.

Thus emerged my 52 Weeks of Tarot project, which I don’t doubt someone has probably done before. It started with my notes: a collection of definitions in one place, condensed from books, sites, and my own interpretations. Even though it seemed to take forever, I promised myself I would start the project only after I had finished the definitions, allowing myself an easier time when I finally began. I also decided that even though it might turn out that way, I’m not going to try avoiding repeat spreads. It isn’t a Tarot spread project; it’s about learning to read the cards and getting more comfortable. I don’t expect I’ll get the same reading twice if I reuse a layout, so I’m giving myself the freedom to repeat any I may like or if I can’t find a new one some week.

The first week, I “messed up” (not really) because after I did my reading, I realized a good idea would be to put the spread on the left page and the interpretation on the right. But when I started, I put the spread on the right-hand side and ended up with the interpretation on the left. Oh well. I’ve finally gotten into the groove of it, though, and now I’m excited to share both the project and a few resources I’ve discovered over time to help me with my card summaries + spreads.

• Tarot Teachings. I checked this while writing up my notes, but I didn’t necessarily write down a lot from it. Rather, it’s a good way to get a story going in the cards. The descriptions of each have nice depth and give you a feeling of “who” the card is.
• Learn Tarot. I used this one a lot for my notes. While the interpretations pages may be a little oversimplified, they’re good for starting out. They can help as a guide, while still being basic enough not to get bogged down in. If you don’t feel like The Star is really showing you hope today, you don’t have to stick to it. There are other suggestions, and you of course should always go with your gut, anyway.
• Aeclectic Tarot. This is the site I’ve used for the longest, though I mostly like to browse decks on it rather than learn. Still, it has good pages for reading through, and it does include a section titled “learn,” so I’m sure it’ll prove useful outside of just making  a wishlist.
• Tarotgram. I just found this about a week ago when I was browsing tumblr, and immediately followed the instagram account. I actually found the first spread of the project here, their “Shine Bright Like a Diamond” spread. How could I resist that? But it also has cute graphics with daily cards, weekly spreads, and some other fun photos. Plus it’s good to keep inspired when lazily scrolling through my instagram feed.
• 78 Nights of Tarot. Probably one of my favorite pages, particularly for how well-organized their available spreads are. You can choose by number of cards, category, shape or frequency–or just scroll through the list. I expect to use this a lot as I go.

And to end, some questions: Would you be interested in a post about the decks I have? And are you interested in joining in on the project? (Either way, I’ll be tagging mine with #52weeksoftarot on instagram.)