This is Part 2 of this week’s Lenormand and Tarot tag-team, and we’re picking things up right where we left off in Part 1.
After having the Lenormand start things off, we’re now turning our attention to the Tarot. And keeping with the fairy theme, the deck being used for the reading is the Mystic Faerie Tarot by Barbara Moore & Linda Ravenscroft, and we’re asking for Tarot’s take on what the Lenormand had to say.
The video below reveals the cards in the reading:
If you prefer to read the post, here it is:
If you read that last post, then you’ll recall our Lenormand cards for the week are Birds, Rider, and Key. The playing cards associated with these cards are: 7 of Diamonds (Birds), 9 of Hearts (Rider), and 8 of Diamonds (Key).
Birds, Rider, and Key, from the Fairy Lenormand by Marcus Katz, Tali Goodwin, and Davide Corsi.
The Tarot cards that I see as correspondences to these playing cards are: 7 of Pentacles (7 of Diamonds), 9 of Cups (9 of Hearts), and 8 of Pentacles (8 of Diamonds).
7 of Pentacles, 9 of Cups, and 8 of Pentacles, from the Mystic Faerie Tarot by Barbara Moore & Linda Ravenscroft.
First, I see two of the three cards are from the suit of Pentacles. This is the suit of the material side of life, associated with things like finances, career, and well-being. Pentacles are about the things we assign with value, and are worth something to us. Given that, I also see this suit as speaking about our personal self-worth and value, which is more priceless than any material thing we can possess. Pentacles, in that respect, is also about our core value system.
We’re going to be starting things off with the center card, the 9 of Cups, just as we did with the Lenormand part of the reading.
When this card appears in a reading, it is asking you to consider the things you hope and wish for.
Traditionally, the 9 of Cups is known as the “wish card.” Tradition has held that if you have a wish, and this card appears in your reading, it means that your wish will come true.
So, along with “wish fulfillment,” the 9 of Cups can represent being happy, satisfied, content, and “fulfilled” with life.
Unlike a genie who can instantly grant a wish, though, an emotionally satisfying life takes time and effort to both create and maintain. The 9 of Cups focuses on the end result, as the 9 is a number of attainment.
In the image on the card, we see a male faerie and a water nymph. The couple has had their wish come true, having found love in each other’s arms (and, as I type that, I’m now hearing the song “Now That We Found Love,” by Heavy D & the Boyz playing in my mind—it’s how my intuition works sometimes).
What I’m keying into (a nod to Key from the Lenormand) is their act of embracing one another. The nymph embracing her man is symbolically asking us to consider what new idea (males representing our thinking) we could embrace that would assist us in attaining that hope and wish? And, if we flip things, what new emotions could we grab hold of (the faerie embracing the nymph) as well?
The image reminds me of what Abraham says about working with the Law of Attraction: if we want a better manifestation, we must first have a better feeling thought.
So, for this week, consider the things you hope and wish for. What would it take (effort) for those hopes and wishes to come true? Are you willing to put the time and effort in to make those wishes come true? Will having those wishes fulfilled really bring you the happiness you think they will?
These questions for your consideration are a wonderful segue to the card on the left of the 9 of Cups, the 7 of Pentacles.
When the 7 of Pentacles sprouts into your week, its message is to take the time to evaluate your life.
This is a card that suggests reaping a harvest, that the hard work you’ve put into a situation is now starting to produce results. This is the Universal Law of Sowing and Reaping, which basically says that you only get out of any situation what you put into it.
So, when the 7 of Pentacles appears, consider taking a step back and ask yourself, “Am I getting what I want out of this (situation)?” If the answer is no, then ask yourself what energy have you been putting into it—because it’s that energy that has helped to produce the result you have. Because the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
Just like a sower who plants a seed, and gets what was planted (planned) for, it is the same for us. The seed is our intention. But we also have to take action (this card can be a warning of procrastination). The land that the seed goes into has to not only be fertile, but it must be tilled, and the seed has to be nurtured (fed and watered) in order for the harvest (growth, result) to take place. With that, ask yourself, “What’s my intention here? What actions do I need to take that are in alignment with that intention?”
Also, keep this thought in mind: When we explore this idea of sowing and reaping, we can sometimes go into looking for the harvest immediately after the seed has been planted. There is a space of time in between that also has to be allowed for. True and lasting growth is never an overnight process.
So, as the Pet Shop Boys once sang, take a look around at the “fruits of your labors” in your life today and ask “Was it worth it?” If the answer is yes, then affirm what you have with gratitude. If the answer is no, then let today be the day you prepare the ground to receive the new seeds you’ll be planting—seeds that may be just thing to help you attain that hope or wish suggested by the 9 of Cups.
That brings us to the other card from the suit of Pentacles, the 8 of Pentacles. The 8 of Pentacles, is a card of self-improvement, just as the 7 of Pentacles is a card of personal growth and development (with that in mind, is it any wonder they would bookend this reading?).
This is known as the “apprentice” card; an apprentice is someone who studies under the tutelage of a master, learning to perfect his or her skill(s).
Life is how we learn about ourselves. In some circles, it is said that Life is the curriculum of the “Earth School,” and we are students enrolled in its various courses. In this vein, Life is helping us learn “self-mastery.”
This week, we are being encouraged to pay close attention (the mice watching the faerie maiden weaving her basket) to the work we are doing on ourselves. What have we learned about ourselves throughout our life experiences—and how can we practically apply (Pentacles being the suit of practical application) that knowledge going forward?
What resources (Pentacles being a suit of material resources) do we have around us that might be of use to us in our personal work?
The 8 of Pentacles can also be about the work we perform in the world to make money.
This card, for some of us, might be an encouragement to take a closer look at our talents, skills, and abilities connected to our working lives. This may be a time to consider any additional training (courses, seminars, or books) in your profession that will help you further your career—and increase your earning potential.
Being a card about making money, the 8 of Pentacles can also be encouraging you to master wise money management.
Whichever side of the coin—or pentacle—you choose to look at, be it the external or the internal, the 8 of Pentacles is asking us to do the work that will be sure to increase our sense of worth and value (the extrinsic and the intrinsic).
To round out this reading, I’ll add together the numbers from the Tarot cards, and take their sum as the means of deriving the card that will serve as the major lesson of the reading.
Here we have 7 (7 of Pentacles), 9 (9 of Hearts), and 8 (8 of Pentacles). So, taking 7 + 9 + 8, we arrive at a sum of 24.
There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, so a sum over 22 is reduced by adding the digits together; in this case, 24 becomes 2 + 4, which equals 6.
The 6th card of the Major Arcana is The Lovers.
This card is also called “The Choice.” This card can suggest being at a crossroads in life, and faced with having to make some major life choices. This card encourages us to use both our heads (the male faerie) and our hearts (the female faerie) in the decision-making process (the female faerie embracing the male’s head, which is the mind, as he has his head resting on her heart, which is our emotional center).
Some of those choices may involve commitments. Who and what are you committing yourself to–and why? 6 (the number of the card) is a number that represents balance, so be sure that you are not over-committing, and allowing yourself to become a slave to the needs of others. When we choose to become a slave to the needs of others, we may convince ourselves that we are doing so from a place of love for them. But is it truly? And are we being loving to ourselves?
When The Lovers appears, it can also suggest a time of great healing (this card is associated with Archangel Raphael, the angel of healing). Listen to your heart (again, a nod to the male faerie, as his head on the female’s heart allows him to listen to it beating) as well as your head as you determine what you need to aid that healing process. Perhaps, this would be a perfect opportunity to invoke (invite) Archangel Raphael to assist you in your healing journey.
Finally, if you’re familiar with the Law of Attraction (which I mentioned when talking about the 9 of Cups—I love how that happens!), start looking at what you’re attracting in your life (The Lovers is a card of attraction). What’s showing up is a reflection of your thoughts (the male) and your feeling energy (the female).
If you don’t like the experiences, this is your opportunity to choose again.
And with that, Tarot finishes its turn, wrapping up another weekly reading! And here’s a wonderful sentiment to close with: I wish (9 of Cups) for you a Tarot-tastic week!
life of HIMM 