Your Week in Tarot: March 14-20, 2016

I hope you had a nice weekend, as you and I head into a new week—and a new weekly reading!

I ended the weekend just as I started the week—celebrating a birthday. A friend of mine celebrated her birthday this past Sunday, and I took her out for lunch to commemorate her special day—just as she did with me on mine, which was March 7.

And before I get into this week’s reading, I want to thank all of you who took time out of your day last week to celebrate my special day with me; I got a number of well-wishes on my Facebook page, as well as personal messages, texts, and even a couple of videos to mark the occasion. Each and every one was very welcome and greatly appreciated!

For this week’s reading, I’m going “old school” with the choice of deck. Assisting me is the Universal Rider Waite Tarot, created by Arthur Edward Waite & Pamela Colman Smith; this particular variation of the Rider Waite is colored by Mary Hanson-Roberts, which gives the deck a “softer” feel than other versions. The deck is published by U. S. Games Systems, Inc.

As I do every week for these general readings*, I’m taking the deck in hand, shuffling the cards, and asking this question: “What do we need to know about the possibilities for the week ahead?”

This week’s video reveals the cards for our reading:

If you prefer to read the post, here it is:

After shuffling the deck and pulling the three cards for this reading, I turn the remainder of the deck over to look at the card at the bottom, which I consider the foundation for the week.

The card is 6 of Pentacles, and the theme of this card is giving and receiving.

The 6 of Pentacles tells us that in our relationships we will, at times, be a giver, and at other times, be on the receiving end of someone else’s giving.

Both roles are important, in the grand scheme of things—there can be no receiving without giving, and no giving without receiving. The 6, being an even number, suggests balance.

This is a caution to us about playing the role of always being the person who gives, and has difficulty receiving from others; it also cautions us to not just be the “takers,” meaning the people who are only willing to take what others give them, yet they are either incapable or unwilling to give of themselves.

The scales the merchant holds in the image of the card also indicate balance; in addition to balance, the scales are a symbol of the law. The law here can be man’s law, but it also indicates Universal Laws, like the Law of Cause & Effect and the Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction basically states that “what we place our focus and attention on is what we get more of.”

Looking at the image on the card again, we see that one person is receiving coins (being given the resources to make “change” in his life), while the other stands by, waiting for his turn. One could possibly say that the person getting the money is experiencing flow and abundance, while the other is experiencing lack and scarcity. The scene could also suggest that sometimes our needs are met immediately, and other times, we may have to wait a bit longer.

The person receiving the money supports the idea with the Law that talks about “like attracting like,” which means that a vibration attracts another vibration it is on the same frequency with. This person then sees the manifestation of abundance thinking.

The other person, in comparison, could be waiting and wondering if there will be enough money for him. Haven’t you ever had that thought, the thought about whether there will be enough to go around? This person then sees the manifestation of scarcity thinking.

We can learn from the merchant as well. He is in the position of giving out the money, deciding who gets what, and how much. One person may get more, the other may get less.

One deciding factor may be the appearances of the people on their knees. Have we ever made a decision about who we will either give or not give to based on an appearance?

Going bigger and grander, the merchant illustrates the Source, holding all the resources in the Universe (all the Good that Life has to offer), saying that the Universe is an abundant place (if we choose to think It is), and that there is more than enough for everyone—it really boils down to a matter of distribution.

The principle here is that when we choose to be giving, we will receive. When we choose to withhold (which is usually rooted in some form of fear), we can set ourselves up to experience lack in the future.

Something that can influence things is our ability to be grateful; expressing gratitude, when we are in the flow, will allow us to experience more to be grateful for.

If we are stuck in scarcity thinking, one thing we can start doing is expressing gratitude for what we currently have.

No matter what position we take on the card, each one gives us some perspective about our lives.

Coming back down to earth (the element of the suit of Pentacles), when the 6 of Pentacles is being offered to you, spend some time giving of yourself to others. See what the people around you might be needing and how you can meet those needs. Give to yourself as well.

6 of Pentacles is a card of service. This might be a good week to make donations, give gifts, give to charitable organizations, and consider volunteering. You might be the one to receive a gift or a bonus. A loan might even be repaid.

There’s a saying that fits this card perfectly: “Give unto others, and it shall be given unto you.”

Moving now to the three cards I pulled: the first for the beginning of the week; the second for the middle of the week; and the last to round out the rest of the week.

For the beginning of the week, we have 10 of Cups.

If your life were a story (and I have a little secret for you: it is!), the 10 of Cups would be that last sentence written in most fairy tales: “And they lived happily ever after.”

When the 10 of Cups blesses you with its presence, your happy ending may be on the horizon.

The 10 of Cups centers on life’s emotional rewards. This is known as “the marriage and family card,” and, as such, is more about the people in our lives, those that we have chosen to form bonds and create relationships with. Some we are born into—but most we choose.

This card is also about community. Being a card that indicates spiritual growth, this could be a nod to your spiritual community, the people who have played either an active or passive role in your spiritual development.

If you’re the esoteric or metaphysical type, this card is known as the “soul family” card.

From this perspective, you understand that there is a bond—a sort of contract–you have agreed upon with your birth family to learn certain lessons designed for your own soul’s growth.

Looking at things in this way, what lessons have you learned from the members of your family of origin?

So, this week, the 10 of Cups ask you to look beyond the material things you have—or think you need to have to make your life better. The 10 of Cups, instead, asks you to look at the ways life makes you feel satisfaction and a sense of peace.

Moving to the card for the middle of the week, we have Knight of Cups.

The Knight of Cups, being an approach we’re being encouraged to consider adopting, is inviting us (this is a card of invitation) to move to a place where we can begin to learn to embrace change (the change being doled out on 6 of Pentacles).

Cups, being the suit of emotions, says that the idea of change in our lives can bring up lots of feelings–some good, and others not-so-much.

If we find ourselves wanting to create and experience (positive) changes in our lives, the Knight of Cups is a signal that we just can’t dream or fantasize (the Knight of Cups is the dreamer) about our lives changing–we have to be committed enough to engage with the process.

Put your power of imagination to work this week by visualizing the “afterglow” of the changes you want to experience. It’s not just about the thoughts–it’s about how those thoughts make you feel, as, according to the Law of Attraction (6 of Pentacles), your thoughts and your feelings work together in the process of manifestation.

For the end of the week, we have The World.

When The World dances its way into your week, the message is to celebrate—because you’ve reached the successful completion of a phase or chapter in your life!

The World indicates a major triumph, victory, or success in your life. The final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, and with it, you’re able to see the bigger picture, because The World suggests reaching a higher level of awareness.

While this card can suggest traveling and journeys, some of them may be metaphorical. Sometimes, it’s those inner journeys that allow us to see our outer world in ways that a trip or vacation never would.

With that in mind, The World can suggest coming full circle; you’ve arrived back at the point where you started, but you have so much more awareness about things than you did before. In this sense, The World is about reaching a state of wholeness.

This idea of wholeness is reinforced by the characters in the four corners of the card. The angel, the eagle, the lion, and the bull represent the four fixed signs in the zodiac (Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus, respectively) and can also represent the four aspects of our whole being: the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

These aspects are mentioned in Christian Scripture, in the Book of Revelation: “And the first animal was like a lion and the second animal was like a calf and the third animal had the face of a man and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.” (Revelation 4:7)

The animals were unceasingly acknowledging the workings of the Divine. And that’s what “revelation” (higher level of awareness) is: an acknowledgment of the working of the Divine (of our own understanding) in our lives; we’ve been given a glimpse of the big picture, and a great mystery in our life has been solved.

As stated before, The World represents a completion of a cycle in life; an important goal has been achieved, and all the feelings and experiences that go along with it.

So, this week, find some time to enjoy what you’ve worked so hard for—and dream about possibilities for your future. For The World, much like the Book of Revelation, is all about having a vision of what’s to come.

To round out this reading, I’ll take the numbers on all the cards, reducing them to a number between 0-22, seeing what Major Arcana card will be the Lesson card for the week.

Adding 10 + 12 (Knights for me are valued at 12) + 21, we have a total of 43. Since the total is a number above 22, I’m adding 4 + 3, giving us a total of 7.

The 7th Major Arcana card is The Chariot.

When The Chariot pulls up into our lives, we’re being encouraged to consider our life direction (Knight of Cups can also be about direction…).

• Where do you want to go?
• How will you get there?
• When will you know that you’ve arrived?

The Chariot urges us to realize that life is about both the journey and the destination.

As we see in the image, our Charioteer rides alone, the emphasis of the 7 being on solitude. Sometimes, in life, we have to go through experiences alone–no one can accompany us (which, most often, can be some form of a spiritual journey).

This also says that we’re responsible for both where we are in our lives in the present moment, as well as where we want to be in the future. You can’t be the passenger in your own life experience.

When we blame other people for where we are in life, we have given them the reins, allowing them to control where we go and wind up. If that’s true for you, this is the week for you to consider why that might be (the 7 being about self-awareness and personal insight) and how you can create positive ways to get back in the driver’s seat.

Lastly, this card is all about forward movement, advancement, progression, and being on the right track. But look at our image once again: our Charioteer has no reins to move the Sphinxes; the movement here is a mental process, which reflects the metaphysical characteristics of the 7, which is that everything in life first begins with the thought.
It reinforces the idea that our thoughts create our experience.

I’ll bring this joyride to a stop here: Consider where you want to go, and how you will get there.

Just like our daily travels, we don’t just hop in the car and go (well, most of us don’t, anyway); we have some idea where we want to go, and the route we will take to get there.

And part of that process, just like we learned when we were taught how to drive, is to take a moment and consider where you are at in the present moment. You know, that time when we check our surroundings and the interior workings of the car, as we strap in and start the ignition. Look around you, and appreciate that previous journeys have brought you where you’re at now.

Ask what you learned, being grateful for the learning opportunity, as you wave bye-bye in the rear view mirror, on to the next exciting leg in the road trip of your life.

Wishing safe travels (of all kinds) this week…

 

 

 
*These weekly readings are general in nature. If you’re interested in having your own personalized Tarot reading, please visit my Tarot Consultations page for all the details.