For this week’s reading, I wanted to work with the very latest deck in my ever-growing collection (I really have to consider finding a way to curb my enthusiasm for acquiring new decks), so I’m having The Illuminated Tarot by Caitlin Keegan (and published by Clarkson Potter) assist me.
What interested me in this particular deck is that, while it’s labeled a Tarot deck, it has a playing card structure; there are 53 cards rather than the 78 card standard in Tarot. And the cards are divided into the suits of Clubs, Spades, Hearts, and Diamonds, which are associated with playing cards.
What Caitlin did was illustrate the cards with depictions from the Minor Arcana of Tarot. But what she did with the Majors, in my opinion, was both creative and innovative: She incorporated them into some of the Minors, blending their imageries.
So, for me, the cards have layers of meaning and interpretation: the first layer is from the playing card association; the second from the Minor Arcana association; and finally, the Major Arcana association for those hybrid cards.
I’ve been having so much fun playing with this deck on a daily basis and can’t wait to see what’s in the cards for the week ahead!
So, I’m taking the deck in hand, shuffling the cards, and asking the general 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, I pulled three cards for this week’s reading.
The first card, opening the reading up for the week, is the 6 of Hearts/The Lovers.
Starting with the playing card aspect, the suit of Hearts is associated with feelings, emotions, and relationships, so that might be the area we find ourselves concentrating on this week.
The 6, for me, is a number that’s connected to home and family, so there may be emotional situations “close to home” that need to be addressed; the 6 is also a number of responsibility, so that may be a factor—that the parties involved each take responsibility for their contribution in the situation.
The 6 is also a number of healing, and the 6 of Hearts can be about the past, so there’s the possibility of healing the past this week; again, this healing might come as a result of people being in an emotional place to take responsibility for the roles they played, which can begin that healing process.
The 6 of Hearts is a card of male energy, suggesting the possibility of a man from the past coming back into the picture, and wanting to talk (the 6 is a number of communication), making proposals about the future.
And that brings us to The Lovers aspect of the card.
This card is also called “The Choice.” When it appears, The Lovers can suggest you’re at a crossroads in your life, and now you’re faced with having to make some major life choices.
Some of those choices may involve commitments. Who and what are you committing yourself to–and why? The Lovers represents balance, so be sure that you’re 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’re doing so from a place of love for them. But is it truly? And are we being loving to ourselves?
The Lovers is an obvious nod to partnerships. This week, you may begin a new relationship (keeping with the possible proposal of someone from the past with the 6 of Hearts), or an existing one grows deeper, as this card is about attraction.
And going with attraction, The Lovers is a card connected to the Law of Attraction, and manifestation, under the Law, requires the union of your thoughts and your feelings (symbolized by the merging of the two faces on the card becoming one).
Going with this aspect, The Lovers may be asking you to pay particular attention to what you “attract” into your life this week, as you may get a sense of both the thinking and feeling energies you’re bringing to the situations you’re experiencing—and being asked to consider choosing differently, especially if what you’re attracting isn’t what you consider to be ideal.
Aside from the relationship aspect, The Lovers asks you, when you consider choices and decisions this week, that you do so from a heart-centered place. Consider asking yourself how the choices make you feel. You could imagine yourself having made the choice, and seeing how it might play out, and how that outcome makes you feel.
The Lovers asks you to go with the heart.
Moving to the next card, we have The Joker/The Fool.
The Joker is the “wild card” of the deck, suggesting the unexpected. With the 6 of Hearts/The Lovers talking about choices and decisions, The Joker could suggest a decision needing to be made suddenly.
With the possibility of someone returning from the past (6 of Hearts), The Joker suggests the return might be unexpected, or that a proposal (6 of Hearts) comes unexpectedly.
The Fool aspect of the card can suggest embarking on a new journey; it may be literal or metaphorical.
This is a card of new experiences; you’re about to experience a new chapter in your life. You’re getting a clean slate and a fresh start—what will you do with it?
The Fool can suggest that wherever this new chapter takes you, you may not have the experience—but that’s okay! You can’t know everything going in—sometimes you have to learn along the way. There will always be a phase or stage where you’re the beginner, the novice, the one who’s “green” and just starting out.
The Fool can suggest having a sense of awe and wonder about it all; it’s about seeing your world with a fresh set of eyes, with a child-like innocence. What new way could you look at—and therefore have a new experience of—your life this week?
The Fool is a card that can encourage you to take that leap, as it can suggest a leap of faith, knowing and trusting that Source—the Universe—has your back, and will support you along the way.
That first step, though, can be a scary one to take. For some, The Fool can suggest being carefree and spontaneous, and for others, it can mean being foolish and reckless. We’re not all wired the same way. And that plays into how you’ll view—and experience—new phases and stages.
And, while I’m on the subject of how we’re wired, the Fool is a card that asks you to be Who You Are. You’re a different and unique expression in this world you’ve chosen to be born into—and you’re being encouraged to show up as yourself.
The Lovers card reminds us that everything is a matter of choice. Everything is preceded by a choice, by making a decision.
With The Fool, it’s matter of whether we choice to take a chance (perhaps on love)—or feel that we’re taking a(n emotional) risk, and would rather play it safe.
And that’s a nice lead-in to our final card for this week, the 4 of Hearts.
The first thing that’s noticeable is that we have another card from the suit of Hearts, again reinforcing emotional issues this week; with two of the cards also being from the Major Arcana, these issues may be somewhat significant, as the Majors highlight important issues and events.
The number 4 can represent laying a foundation; this can suggest a relationship being in its foundational stage (which would make sense with The Fool in the line as well), and we’re putting work into it (the 4 also represents work). It’s like laying the groundwork, so there’s something to build on for the future.
The 4 is also a number of stability and security, so this can suggest being in relationships with those who allow us to feel a sense of emotional security and stability (that idea of feeling safe I mentioned earlier), or that those components need to be a part of the foundation for future relationships.
Along those lines, the 4 is also a number of comfort, and makes me think of being emotionally comfortable, both in the relationship we have with ourselves, as well as those we have with others.
I’ve heard some cartomancers refer to the 4 of Hearts as a “marriage bed,” because a bed has four posts and is in a room with four walls.
I bring this up because the cards could be referring to the possibility of a relationship becoming physically intimate, and both parties involved have to consider if the foundation has been established for the relationship to now move in this direction.
Another aspect of the 4 of Hearts that was mentioned with the 6 of Hearts is the idea of a proposal or gesture being made; in the image, and hand with a cup that has a heart etched on it and flowers blooming from it is being offered to the woman, which she sees out the corner of her eye.
The look on her face suggests she might be wary—should she accept the offer? That brings us back to The Fool, and to consider how we view any offers, proposals, and gestures this week. Will we choose to see them as opportunities—or as risks?
The cards this week encourage us to exercise our power to choose—and no matter the decisions made, to be comfortable and secure with our choices.
And on that note, I’ll wrap up this week’s reading.
Have an amazing week!
This reading is general in nature. If you’re interested in having your own personalized Tarot reading, please visit my Tarot Consultations page for all the details.
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