The World Of Tarot

Everybody remembers their first reading. And I'm sure you're probably curious as to what my first reading was. Well, it wasn't anything earth-shattering. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even totally accurate, though I did get a few things right.

The reading was a basic Celtic Cross. It was the first type of reading that I had learned how to do. I think it's pretty much the basic type of reading that most people learn when they first start out. As I wasn't formally trained by a psychic, I really can't say for sure, but it did seem to be the most common type of spread done at most psychic fairs that I went to.

Anyway, the question my mom asked was, "Am I going to have anymore cats?"

To understand the question, you have to understand my mother. She was a cat fanatic even though she knew she couldn't really take care of them all. Don't even ask how many she had.

Anyway, here's the layout of the cards by position...

1. 8 Swords
2. The Emporer
3. The Fool (reversed)
4. 4 Wands (reversed)
5. The Star (reversed)
6. Queen of Pentacles (reversed)
7. 9 Pentacles
8. 8 Cups
9. Queen of Wands (reversed)
10. Knight of Swords

I'm going to let you stew over this for a while. Put the spread out yourself and see if you get any vibes as to whether or not my mother got anymore cats from that point on in her life.

Below is a recreation photo of the spread if you'd like to know what it looked like.

I'll post the answer in a few days or so.

See you then.

Sincerely,

Steven Wagenheim

Well, I guess I've made you wait long enough to do an analysis of my mom's reading when she asked me if she was going to be getting anymore cats. So here it is, the complete analysis.

Card 1 - 8 of Swords - This is the card, in the first position, that tells what my mom was feeling when she asked the question and pretty much explains why she asked it. The 8 of Swords shows great worry and anxiety over this situation. She's confused, can't think straight and is basically a mess. Well, I didn't need any cards to tell me that. My mom, God bless her, is a total basket case about most things.

Card 2 - The Emporer - The second card is what crosses you for good or bad, but always has to be taken in context with the remaining cards in the spread. I actually found this to be a strange card in this position. In the end, I interpreted this as my mother finally admitting that she can't handle caring for these cats any longer and realizes that she has to stop. I took this as a positive sign, but I wasn't getting my hopes up.

Card 3 - The Fool (reversed) - The third card is the one that reveals the REAL reason for my mother's question. This is sometimes hard for us to even admit to ourselves. I interpreted this to mean that my mother feels that she has made the wrong choice. As much as she is an activist for animal rights, she knows that she's done too much. This was hard to admit but a step in the right direction.

Card 4 - 4 of Wands (reversed) - The fourth card is what is behind you or in the process of leaving, or your past. This is a very strange card in this position, because even reversed, the 4 of Wands is still a positive card of sorts, if not as much so if not reversed. And yet, this is what my mom is leaving behind. The improvements she's made in her life seem to be a thing of the past and I fear that negative forces are in her future. I was not encouraged by this card in this position. I needed to see more.

Card 5 - The Star (reversed) - The fifth card is what could come into being, if not a definite possibility. You have to be very careful when interpreting this card by also looking at the sixth and tenth cards as well. Needless to say, this card worried me. It showed the eventual ill health that did creep up on my mother just recently. I saw this 20 some odd years ago that these cats would be her downfall. This card also showed more bad decisions to come. I was not happy.

Card 6 - Queen of Pentacles (reversed) - The sixth card is what is before you and ties in directly to the tenth card. This card shows that my mom is finding it hard to trust anybody. No news there. That's always been her biggest problem. She trusted the wrong people and eventually got to the point where she didn't know who to trust, even her own family. That's why I had so much trouble getting through to her. This card also worried me because it showed me that my advice of not getting anymore cats would probably be ignored.

Card 7 - 9 of Pentacles - The seventh card represents my mom's own negative feelings. I was actually fascinated by this card in this position. This card shows that my mom feels incomplete. She feels that people don't understand her and think her life is so wonderful. Yes, she puts up a good front, which is another one of her problems. This also shows that my mom probably feels that the cats give her a sense of being more complete. I know a lot of people who are like that with their animals. This is not uncommon.

Card 8 - 8 of Cups - The eighth card represents the feelings of others around her. Well, this also came as no surprise to me. Others feel that my mom needs to search for a deeper meaning in life and not wrap herself up in these animals, which have basically drained her of her energy and her health.

Card 9 - Queen of Wands (reversed) - The ninth card represents my mom's positive feelings. Truth is, my mom doesn't have many of those, so I didn't know what to expect here. I honestly didn't know how to interpret this card at the time. The literal meaning of this card was a woman who is narrow minded and domineering. Well, that's my mom, but how could she possibly think that is a positive thing? Eventually, I figured out that this is my mom's defense mechanism. She feels this is the only way for her to be in order to survive in this world. I guess it's kind of sad when you think about it.

Card 10 - Knight of Swords - The tenth card is the so called outcome. I have come to learn that this is just one of many outcomes as life is a continuing series of outcomes. I never did like it when a Court Mentor came up in the tenth position. The reason is because this means that the final outcome is going to be greatly influenced by others, and more specifically, who this person is and what he represents to my mother in the spread itself. Let me tell you, I struggled hard with this card, though the whole spread led me to believe that my mother was going to not only keep the cats she had but get more as well. I wasn't sure. Was the young man me? My mom had no young men in her life at the time. I was her only son and I was the only man in her life, period. I then had to finally admit that this was her overbearing son, who despite his good intentions, was driving my mother to do the thing that he warned her against.

I now had to answer her question.

This is how I did it.

I told her that all indications showed that she would probably get more cats as the years went on, in spite of people warning you not to. I didn't mention my name in particular, but she knew who I was talking about.

Well, my mom swore up and down that she was done, but she wasn't. She went on to get many more cats until her health failed to the point where she could no longer care for them.

Not a very pleasant outcome, but sometimes life is like that. I saw this coming, tried to warn her, but in the final analysis, she was the one in control of her destiny.

If you read this spread and voted in my poll that my mother would get many more cats, you were dead on.

Congratulations!

You know, this isn't something I think about often. Actually, until today, it's not something I really thought about at all. But I realized, after writing another article on Tarot Card meanings, that there are many reasons why people get into Tarot Cards.

There are those who get into Tarot Cards because they truly want to learn the art of reading them. They study very hard, practice constantly, and hope to someday be good enough to do readings for others.

Then there are those who get into Tarot Cards because they want to do readings for themselves. They are so hungry to know what their life is going to become that their sole purpose is to predict their own future and they never give a second thought to doing a reading for another person.

Then there are those who get into Tarot Cards purely to have their cards read by others. They have no interest in actually learning the science for themselves, but they are fascinated by the cards and want to learn as much as they can about them, on a non technical level so that when somebody does a reading for them, they understand where the reading is coming from.

Then there are those who get into Tarot Cards because they simply like collecting cards. These people may have hundreds of Tarot Card decks. I myself only have about a half dozen or so. But some folks are really into collecting these decks.

These are just a few of the many reasons why people get into Tarot Cards. Perhaps you have your own. Have you ever given thought as to why you're into them?

If you'd like to explore Tarot Cards with a bit of a twist, check out my Diceology site where I combine the science of Diceology with Tarot Cards in a very fascinating way.

Here's the site:

http://www.diceology.com/

To YOUR Divination Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Okay, I admit it. It really bugs me when I'm watching a TV show like All My Children and Opal Cortland does one of her Tarot readings and she turns up the Death Card and the look on her face is like the world is coming to an end. And of course shortly after, somebody dies. Just recently, it was when Dixie died along with a number of other gals during the Satin Slayer Killings.

What a load of manure.

For those who are heavily into the Tarot, what I am going to say will probably be very obvious, but for those just starting to get into doing Tarot readings, this is for you.

The Death card does NOT mean that somebody is going to die. Actually, this card is really just the opposite. The Death card is one of great change. Usually the change is sudden and can be a shock, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a death or bad for that matter. Getting a brand new job out of the blue can be signified by the Death card. And when the card is reversed, this can actually mean an upcoming birth, which is a far cry from somebody dying.

But the preoccupation with death and the mistaken interpretation of this card made me want to dig into why people associate the Death card with actual death, when the reality is of a far different nature. I have to admit, I was puzzled. So, it was time to do some digging.

Basically, what it comes down to is that people take Tarot Cards at face value. They see a card that has the word "death" written on it and they immediately assume that it means that when the card comes up in a reading it means that somebody is going to die. I suppose then that if "The Hanged Man" comes up in a reading that means that somebody is going to be hung? Maybe I should get a hold of Clint Eastwood and have him reenact "Hang 'Em High." That was a spaghetti western if ever I saw one, and one of the classic movies of all time. But I digress.

Bottom line to this mess is ignorance. Things that people don't understand, they make assumptions about, and then those assumptions become the "perceived reality" until it reaches the point where the entire outside, uninformed world thinks the Death Card means death. This is why so many new practitioners to the art think the same thing. It's a never ending, perpetual cycle of misinformation that appears to have no end in sight.

I wonder what your thoughts are on this subject. Do you think the Death Card, and Tarot in general get a bad rap? Or do you think that this is just something that comes with the territory and we need to understand that, get used to it and deal with it accordingly? Or do you think that the majority of people out there really do understand the art of the Tarot? I'm willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. But when I watch All My Children and see the nonsense they promote, as well as others shows, I can't help but think that we need to at least get the media educated so that we don't have so many myths running around like a loose cannon.

I'll try to put together some kind of poll on this subject, though I am not sure how I want to word the questions so as not to come off biased to begin with. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Keep your eyes glued to this page to see what I come up with.

What a lot of modern day Tarot readers don't realize is that the ancient Tarot masters did not have the Minor Arcana to work with. Their decks consisted solely of the 22 Major Arcana that is only a part of today's modern deck. Why did the Minor Arcana come into being? What's the difference between the two? Well, we're going to answer those questions so that you'll understand why we now have 78 cards to contend with instead of the 22 that the ancient masters had at their disposal.

For those who don't know the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana, an explanation is in order. The original Tarot deck, which consisted only of the Major Arcana, was the cards The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, The Wheel, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement and The World. These cards focused on more on the higher meaning of life than the day to day details.

But over time, as man progressed and became more modernized, especially after the Industrial Revolution, man became more concerned with the day to day details of his life, such as getting as job or a raise at work, meeting a new friend, worrying about diets and so on. The mundane matters of our lives began to actually take over our lives. People weren't as concerned with meditation and the greater meaning of our spiritual lives. They just wanted to get through each day. So it is because of this that the Minor Arcana was created.

The Minor Arcana consists of 4 suits, Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. Each suit consists of the numbered cards 1 through 10 and the court cards, which are the King, Queen, Knight and Page. Each of these cards has a specific meaning that is more closely tied in with our day to day activities. Each suit deals with a different aspect of our lives, such as love, money, business and struggles. The court cards basically represent people in our lives; either those currently involved or those yet to come.

Using the Major and Minor Arcana together does make for interesting readings. Unfortunately, they are still not as spiritually deep as the readings of ancient times that were solely based on the Major Arcana. However, they do apply to our daily lives quite accurately.

I can only imagine what it was like to only have the Major Arcana to work with. Of course we do have readings where if we have a certain number of Major Arcana turn up in the reading, we remove them from the deck and do a second reading with only the Major Arcana. But it's still not the same as the old days.

Of course, there are meditations that you can do with the Major Arcana that will help you get more in tune with them. I strongly recommend this as it is important to get a feel for both the Major and Minor Arcana separately.

In future posts, I'll get more in depth into the Major and Minor Arcana, some observations on both and my feelings about where Tarot reading is in today's modern world.

More to come.

Before you even get into the act of doing a Tarot reading, there is a certain amount of preparation that is required if you want to get as accurate a reading as possible. This article is going to go over just the basic things that you're going to need in order to properly prepare for your reading.

The first thing you need is your Tarot deck. If you already have a deck and have not used it properly, I suggest you get yourself a new deck.What I mean by using it properly is that you first have to "season" the deck. To do this, you have to handle it as often as possible in order to implant your essence into the deck. During this time, do NOT let anybody else handle the deck. How will you know when the deck is properly seasoned? By performing readings on yourself, you will eventually notice that they become more and more accurate. After a few weeks, your deck should be properly seasoned.

During this time, you want to take your cards out of the box they came in and keep them in a silk scarf. You want to get a dark color scarf, like a dark blue, so as to keep the energies of the deck inside. You don't want to use a scarf that was used for any other purpose. So if you don't have a brand new one, get one.

You will also need a wooden box. The box is to place the deck, which will be wrapped in the scarf, into when not in use. The reason you want to use wood is because it is the best protection from outside forces. Choose a box that appeals to you, but do not use one that has been used for any other purpose. If you need to, get a new one.

You will also need a Tarot cover to place the cards on during a reading. It is best that this cover is also made out of silk. You want the cover to be large enough to cover the table that you'll be doing the reading on. We'll be going over the table next. The cover should be the same color as the scarf, or as close to it as possible.

The best kind of table to get for doing your readings is a wooden one. You should get a new table and use it only for this purpose so as to keep the readings as accurate as possible. Do not use the table to place food or drinks or other items. The only things that should go on the table are the Tarot deck, the scarf and the cover.

The last thing you need is some kind of a journal book to keep records of your daily readings. You also don't want this book to be used for anything else. You may also want to log in your daily meditations done with the cards, which is always recommended.

After you have all these items, you will be ready to do your first Tarot reading for others.

For some reason, I find people have more problems with the season cards in a Tarot deck than even the Major Arcana. Nothing can be more straight forward. It doesn't even really take a lot of thought to interpret a season card. You just have to remember, when doing a reading, what positions the season cards are most meaningful in. Once you understand this, the rest is very simple.

First, let's go through the 4 season cards so you understand which season each of them represents.

The Ace Of Cups represents the spring season, which is March, April and May.

The Ace Of Wands represents the summer season, which is June, July and August.

The Ace Of Swords represents the autumn or fall season, which is September, October and November.

The Ace Of Pentacles represents the winter season, which is December, January and February.

Now, understanding how to interpret these cards as season cards all comes down to what positions they fall in when doing a reading. Let's take a basic Celtic Cross.

The first key position is the 5th card, which is what crowns you and could come into being. A season card in this position indicates the time of year when this is most likely going to happen. When I say "this" I'm not referring to the card in the 5th position itself. I am referring to the card in the final outcome, or 10th position.

The second key position is the 6th card, which is what is before you. Same interpretation as above.

The third key position is the 7th card, which is your own negative feelings.

The fourth key position is the 8th card, which is the feelings of others around you.

The final key position is the 9th card, which is your own positive feelings.

The 2 most important cards of the above positions are the 5th and 6th positions because they directly relate to future events.

The next step, which is the most complicated, but still not terribly hard, is to determine the week that the event will occur. This is determined by looking at the card in the 10th position.

If the card in the 10th position is a Minor Arcana between 1 and 10, then the event will occur in that week. So, for example, let's say you draw the Ace Of Wands in the 6th position and the 7 Of Cups in the 10th position. The event will occur in the 7th week of summer, more or less.

When a court card or Major Arcana card falls in the 10th position, it then becomes a little more difficult to determine the precise time of the event. Most readings, when a Major Arcana falls in the 10th position and if there are at least 5 Major Arcana cards in the spread, a new reading should be done anyway as this shows that there are higher powers at work here.

You can also determine the exact day of the event by incorporating Numerology into the spread, but that's a more advanced topic and we'll leave it for another time.

The season cards are not all that difficult to interpret. By following the simple guide above, you should have no problems.

More to come.

Okay, Tarot experts. Here's a reading I did for a friend of mine. He asked me if he was going to get married in the coming year. The reading was done on June 21, 2006, so I figured since the year is up, it was safe to post this without giving anything away in either case. I am not saying whether he got married or didn't or even if he was seeing anybody when this reading was done. Based solely on the cards, what do you think happened?

I did a Celtic Cross and these were the cards that came up:

1. 8 Of Cups
2. 3 Of Cups
3. Queen Of Pentacles (Reversed)
4. 2 Of Pentacles (Reversed)
5. The Emperor
6. 7 Of Pentacles
7 The World
8. Queen Of Cups (Reversed)
9. Page Of Wands
10. Page Of Pentacles (Reversed)

For those of you who are seasoned readers, this should be a very easy spread to analyze. I'm going to tell you up front that what the cards say is what transpired.

In a few days, I will post the answer and an analysis of each card.

In the meantime, I am putting a poll up for you to vote. Did my friend get married or not within this past year?

Good luck!

Well, it's time to get to the answer for our last Tarot reading. The question my friend asked was if he was going to get married.

These were the cards that came up in the Celtic Cross that I did.

1. 8 Of Cups
2. 3 Of Cups
3. Queen Of Pentacles (Reversed)
4. 2 Of Pentacles (Reversed)
5. The Emperor
6. 7 Of Pentacles
7 The World
8. Queen Of Cups (Reversed)
9. Page Of Wands
10. Page Of Pentacles (Reversed)

Okay, let's do the analysis for each card.

Position 1 - 8 Of Cups

This card tells what my friend was experiencing when asking his question. This shows clearly that my friend was totally dissatisfied with the current situation in his life in regard to this question. Trust me, I didn't need to do a card reading to know that. My friend, at the time of this reading was 52 years old and had never been married. Not from lack of trying though.

Position 2 - 3 Of Cups

This is the card that crossed him for good or bad. Normally, with a card like the 3 Of Cups, which signifies a happy conclusion and something good coming, I would have immediately thought the best. But I didn't jump to any conclusions as it takes more than 2 cards to make a reading.

Position 3 - Queen Of Pentacles (Reversed)

This card reveals the basis for my friend's question, or the underlying reasons. This card indicates a mature woman in his life, though one who he is having trouble trusting. At the time of this reading I had no idea how deadly accurate this card was until my friend told me. I'll reveal the details at the end of the spread.

Position 4 - 2 Of Pentacles (Reversed)

This card indicates what was behind him or in the process of leaving. This card shows disorganization, discouraging news and just a basic situation where his life was very disappointing. Again, I didn't need to do a card reading to know this. I was still very hopeful because of the 3 Of Cups.

Position 5 - The Emperor

This card indicates what could come into being. Quite honestly, I had a very hard time reading this card. I couldn't imagine my friend fitting this card of "authority" but perhaps this woman who is coming into his life, or already in his life is going to bring about a change in him. Well, many have tried and failed but who knows. I kind of left this card alone until I read the rest of the cards.

Position 6 - 7 Of Pentacles

This card indicates what is before him, which of course ties in to card number 10. I found it interesting, if you look at the spread, that 40% of it consisted of Pentacles. He's asking about love but most of the spread has to do with money. I didn't want to think that my friend only wanted to get married for money but being as poor as he is, the possibility did exist. Anyway, this card indicates that there will definitely be a change in his income. I was now intrigued.

Position 7 - The World

This card represents his negative feelings. This shows me how much negative energy he is really emitting. This card in this position is one of the most positive cards of all the Major Arcana. Basically this card indicates that my friend feels that if it can go wrong, it will and nothing will ever be right in his life. As well as I know my friend, I didn't need a card to tell me this. The spread was starting to come together.

Position 8 - Queen Of Cups (Reversed)

This card represents the feelings of those around him. This tells me that the people around my friend feel that this woman is not reliable and that he is getting his hopes up on somebody who is going to let him down. I was now convinced that this was a woman currently in his life that he hadn't told me about. I was determined to get the answers at the end of this spread.

Position 9 - Page Of Wands

This card indicates my friend's positive feelings. My friend really believes that good news is on the way. This is complete contradiction to card number 7. I was totally puzzled by these two cards and quite honestly, didn't know how to make heads or tails of this situation. My friend as a mass of conflicting feelings.

Position 10 - Page Of Pentacles (Reversed)

This is the final outcome. While is shows unfavorable news, this card really goes beyond just that. It shows me that my friend is indeed asking about marriage not because of love, but because of selfish materialistic concerns.

Well, after the spread I told him that he wasn't getting married and then I said to him, "Okay, what's up? Give it to me straight because something here doesn't add up. Do you love this woman?"

His answer was, "Of course not. I just want her to help me pay my rent."

Well, I had a good laugh, after I shook my head.

Long story short, he didn't get married this past year BUT, he and this woman are living together. No, not like you think. She's just a roommate. She pays half the rent. I guess there is as much in it as what's in it for him. This goes back to the card about her which showed her not to be the finest of people and also the card that showed how others around my friend felt about this woman.

So, if you guessed that my friend didn't get married, you were right.

Give yourself a pat on the back.

I'll have another reading sometime next week.

Okay, it's time for another Tarot reading. This one was done several years ago. My cousin wanted to know if he was going to get a promotion at work. He had been working very hard for this promotion and was almost positive that he was going to get it, or so that's what he said to me. The cards will of course show his positive and negative feelings.

Anyway, here's the reading I did for him. It was a Celtic Cross.

1. Page of Pentacles
2. Queen of Wands (Reversed)
3. The Moon (Reversed)
4. Justice
5. The Sun (Reversed)
6. The Hierophant (Reversed)
7. The Devil
8. 6 of Cups
9. King Of Wands
10. 10 of Wands (Reversed)

As you can see, fascinating reading. 5 consecutive Major Arcana came up in this reading. Because of this, I took my second deck which contained only the Major Arcana and did a second reading.

Many Tarot readers will say that as soon as the 4th Major Arcana is turned over to stop the reading and begin your second reading using the Major Arcana only. I don't agree with this theory. I believe there is still more information that needs to be gotten in order to add that to the second reading.

What surprised me about this reading was that it was so complex for what should have been a very simple question. Obviously, there is more to this "promotion" than meets the eye.

The second reading using just the Major Arcana gave the following results:

1. The Hierophant
2. The Sun (Reversed)
3. Strength (Reversed)
4. Justice (Reversed)
5. Death
6. The World
7. The Devil (Reversed)
8. The Moon
9. Wheel Of Fortune
10. The Emperor

You will notice that ALL 5 Major Arcana cards that appeared in the 1st spread also appeared in the 2nd spread. This was one of the most fascinating readings I had done in a long time. Those of you who are quite experienced will immediately see what happened. The answer to this puzzle will be posted in a few days. In the meantime, please cast your vote in the poll below.

What do YOU think happened?

Well, I've kept you in suspense long enough. If you recall, my cousin's Tarot reading was quite a complex one, showing 5 Major Arcana in the main Celtic Cross spread to go along with 3 Court Cards to boot. This spread thus required a second reading using just the Major Arcana. I had a feeling that there was more involved here than just hoping for a promotion.

Here was the original spread and the Major Arcana spread that followed:

1. Page of Pentacles
2. Queen of Wands (Reversed)
3. The Moon (Reversed)
4. Justice
5. The Sun (Reversed)
6. The Hierophant (Reversed)
7. The Devil
8. 6 of Cups
9. King Of Wands
10. 10 of Wands (Reversed)

1. The Hierophant
2. The Sun (Reversed)
3. Strength (Reversed)
4. Justice (Reversed)
5. Death
6. The World
7. The Devil (Reversed)
8. The Moon
9. Wheel Of Fortune
10. The Emperor

Okay, let's take each reading one at a time and each card one at a time.

This should prove to be quite illuminating.

First Celtic Cross Spread - Major and Minor Arcana

1. Page of Pentacles - This card shows that the subject is really hoping for good news in relation to his inquiry. The desire here is so obvious and overwhelming that it definitely made me think that there was more to this than just a wish for a promotion.

2. Queen of Wands (Reversed) - This card shows that there is a woman in his life who is possibly pressuring him into this situation. Things were starting to make sense. My instincts were kicking in.

3. The Moon (Reversed) - This is always the card I look at when I want to know the real reason somebody is asking about something. This card shows reluctance and wasted energies on needless arguments. I suspected that this was the woman represented in card number 2.

4. Justice - This card, representing what was just leaving or the recent past, shows that my cousin has already made the right decision but for some reason is second guessing himself. I was now almost convinced that he really didn't want this promotion for himself.

5. The Sun (Reversed) - This card shows what could come into being and indicates that my cousin is in danger of many pitfalls such as disagreements, wishful thinking on something that isn't practical, and great disappointment. I was now getting concerned by this spread.

6. The Hierophant (Reversed) - This card shows was is immediately before my cousin, which shows a new challenge and adventure. Promotions usually aren't all that challenging, but it could be the case. I was still being cautious about my analysis.

7. The Devil - This card represents my cousin's negative feelings, and this one was no surprise to me, indicating that he feels that he was too concerned with material wealth. Now I was almost certain that the idea to ask for a promotion or expect one was not his idea.

8. 6 of Cups - This card represents the feelings of those around him. I was very curious as to what those closest to him felt. This card floored me. I immediately knew that those around him felt that he would either relocate or get a new job offer. I was beginning to put the pieces together.

9. King of Wands - This card represents my cousin's positive feelings. Quite honestly, this card surprised me and didn't fit in with what I was seeing up to this point. My cousin was feeling secure, strong and capable of great leadership. Maybe he did want the promotion. Maybe he just talked himself into wanting it. I was a bit confused at this point.

10. 10 of Wands (Reversed) - The final outcome. This card really worried me as it showed my cousin's talent's and abilities used in the wrong way and not really prepared for what was about to go down. I honestly didn't know what was the deal here.

Fortunately, the 5 Major Arcana called for another reading.

Second Celtic Cross Spread - Major Arcana only

1. The Hierophant - Now we're getting to the core of his desires. My cousin is searching for truth and realizes that this truth isn't going to come from within himself because he has been blinded by ambition and pressure from outside forces.

2. The Sun (Reversed) - This card crosses quite unfavorably, showing possible loss misunderstandings and disagreements. Great possibility of disappointment at work. I was not feeling hopeful.

3. Strength (Reversed) -This shows that the underlying situation is that my cousin is losing his nerve and afraid to go forward with his plans. This further supports that he is being pressure into this situation.

4. Justice (Reversed) - This shows more of what was behind him, great injustice. I wasn't that close to my cousin so I wasn't sure what it was, but it had a lot to do with why the question in the first place.

5. Death - This card shows what could come into being, which is great change. It was pretty obvious that something was going to happen, either the promotion or a change in jobs altogether.

6. The World - This was a key card, showing what was before him. This shows the ultimate triumph. I wasn't sure what that would be but I was starting to feel hopeful for the first time.

7. The Devil (Reversed) - Interesting that in the 2nd reading, the same card popped up in this position, only reversed. Now we're showing indecision. My cousin was torn between the material world he was trying for and what he really wanted. Again, I saw the pressure from that woman.

8. The Moon - This shows the feelings of those around him that he should be on the lookout for subtle changes. This doesn't coincide with change of jobs. Yet, in the original reading they saw great change. I was now more puzzled than ever.

9. Wheel Of Fortune - This card shows his positive feelings of change being exactly what he needs. A promotion would be change, but not much. I was starting to see him taking the bull by the horns if only he could get over his fears.

10. The Emperor - The final outcome. A person in position of authority. But authority where? Would he get the promotion or was he going to get a new job? I still wasn't sure. So I looked at the spread again.

I have to admit, this was one of the most difficult readings I had ever done. I knew that he'd either get a promotion or get a new job. Finally, after agonizing over both spreads for what seemed like hours, I came to the conclusion that the woman in the picture was pushing for the promotion but what he really wanted was to work somewhere else. So I came out and asked him what he wanted. He told me he really wasn't sure. He was torn. He was with this company for years it seems. He was offered another job and wasn't sure if he should take it. That's why he asked if he was going to get a promotion. Except I couldn't answer him because ultimately, and the cards backed this up, the decision was his.

Ultimately, he chose to ask for a promotion, which he got. His wife, who it turns out was the woman in the first spread, wanted him to take the other job. She was pressuring him. He finally decided to go against her wishes. Yes, it did cause some problems, as it meant less money, but it was what he wanted deep down inside. In time, he and his wife got back to normal, whatever that was.

So, if you guesses that my cousin got the promotion, in spite of one confusing spread, you were dead right and very good at this.

Congratulations.

This is a very popular topic for a lot of people who are into Tarot Cards, whether they use them for reading or not. There are so many different kinds of "collectors" of cards, for lack of a better term. But regardless of what kind of collector you are, it all comes down to what deck you're going to choose when doing a reading. I'm going to share some of my personal thoughts on this subject. Mind you, there is no right or wrong here. These are just my opinions, mostly directed to those first starting out in order to help them pick the best deck for them.

The other day, I was hanging out at one of the Tarot forums and there was one thread that said, "List Your Decks." I took a peek inside and there were some people who had as many as 500 decks or more. No, that's not a misprint. I really have to wonder, what does one do with 500 decks? Anyway, the decks ran the gamut from the common Rider Waite that just about every novice reader starts out with, to decks that quite honestly, had to either be custom made or made in such limited quantities that only a few people on this planet even have them.

Of course none of this answers the question, "How do I choose a deck?" Well, I'm getting there, so bare with me.

When you first start reading Tarot Cards, one of the main things you're doing is trying to understand the cards themselves and their meanings. Getting in touch with the cards and getting a real feel for them is going to come later as you do more readings. However, at the beginning, you want to use a deck where the symbolism of the cards is easy enough to learn. For this reason, there is no better deck, in my opinion, than the Rider Waite. By starting with this deck and getting used to doing readings with it, moving on to another deck, you'll find similarities between the Rider Waite deck and the next deck you decide to use.

So that brings us to the next question. "What deck do you move on to after your first one?"

Well, here's where it's not so cut and dry. Sure, there are popular decks that many people use, but that doesn't make them any easier to use and identify with than decks that you may have never even heard of.

One particular deck that people like to move on to, after the Rider Waite, is the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot. This deck was created by the famous occultist and Golden Dawn member, Aleister Crowley. The deck has three versions of The Magus card. The artwork is beautiful, but understanding it is a little difficult if you've never read Tarot cards before.

Another very popular deck, and one that I personally just think is the coolest looking set of cards every made, is the Gilded Tarot, which was created by Ciro Marchetti. His web site is like going on a trip to another planet. You'll never see anything else like it. The cards are beyond description. They're computer generated, which probably explains their unusual look. Think Star Wars meets Tron. This deck is easier to read than the Aleister Crowley deck but not quite as easy as the Rider Waite.

What you probably don't want to do is start with, or even as a second deck, move on to the Brotherhood Of Light Egyptian Tarot Deck, which is one of the first ones I ever got, thanks to my mentor Shirley Finnamore back in the 80s when I used to work with her at an auto dealership. This deck is very difficult to read. If it weren't for Shirley, I'd never have figured it out.

Basically, what you want to do is look over the artwork of the deck and pick one that you feel comfortable with. This might sound like a an oversimplified way to do this, but if you like the way the cards look, even if you understand them yet, get them. Why? If you're enjoying using the cards because you enjoy looking at the artwork, you're more likely to have an easier time learning to use the cards.

Choosing a Tarot deck is a very personal experience and you should take your time doing it. The cards you ultimately choose may be ones that you end up using for the rest of your life.

Years ago, I was tutoring a lady to get her realtor's license. I was very good in math and she asked for my help. How could I refuse? Anyway, we started to talk about other things and eventually the subject of Tarot cards came up. I told her that I did readings. That's when she asked if I would do one for her. Again, how could I refuse? Well, she wanted to know if she was going to pass her realtor's exam.

I did a Celtic Cross for her and these were the cards that came up.

1. 7 Cups (Reversed)
2. Ace of Cups
3. King of Cups (Reversed)
4. 2 Cups (Reversed)
5. 10 Cups (Reversed)
6. 8 Wands (Reversed)
7. Wheel of Fortune (Reversed)
8. 8 Swords (Reversed)
9. 7 Swords
10. Page of Sword (Reversed)

Interesting reading, wouldn't you say? The first half of the reading, all cups. Interesting to say the least. And then the great number of swords.

Anyway, what do you think?

Did you pass her realtor's exam?

You can vote in the poll below.

I'll be printing the answer in a few days.

A few days ago, I presented you with a reading I did for a subject who I tutored for her realtor's exam. She wanted to know if she was going to pass it. While I certainly hoped so, I wasn't going to take any chances with this reading. I was as curious as she was.

Here again were the cards that came up in the Celtic Cross.

1. 7 Cups (Reversed)
2. Ace of Cups
3. King of Cups (Reversed)
4. 2 Cups (Reversed)
5. 10 Cups (Reversed)
6. 8 Wands (Reversed)
7. Wheel of Fortune (Reversed)
8. 8 Swords (Reversed)
9. 7 Swords
10. Page of Swords (Reversed)

Below is the analysis of the reading.

1. 7 Cups (Reversed) - This card represents the subject is feeling in regard to the situation. This card shows that the subject feels she's on the right track and should pursue her goal. This card also shows that she feels she needs to study hard. This is encouraging as it shows her positive attitude.

2. Ace of Cups - This card represents what crosses the subject, either favorably or unfavorably. In this case, quite favorable as this card shows the beginning of many good things. So far this reading was coming along better than I could have hoped.

3. King of Cups (Reversed) - This card shows the origin or the reason for the subject's question. This card bothered me. It shows another person involved here who may be looking to take advantage of the subject or even double cross her. I knew she had been involved with some unsavory characters, so this card bothered me.

4. 2 Cups (Reversed) - This card shows the recent past, which in this case shows disagreements and obstacles. There is a relationship that was having problems. I was starting to wonder why she wanted to badly to pass this exam. Eventually, I confronted her and my suspicions were confirmed. I'll reveal them at the end of this reading.

5. 10 Cups (Reversed) - This card represents what could come into being. In this case, depression or sadness along with disagreements and much family upset. It is quite possible the subject will feel let down. Could also indicate the possible loss of a friend or somebody close to her. This reading started out well but was turning around very quickly.

6. 8 Wands (Reversed) - This card represents what is before the subject. In this case, great apprehension and insecurity. There is a good chance that she will lose control of her emotions and get into arguments that will lead to no good. Plans could be ruined by all this pressure.

7. Wheel of Fortune (Reversed) - This card shows the negative feelings of the subject. In this case, she was feeling that everything was going wrong no matter what she did. She needs to sit down and take stock of things.

8. 8 Swords (Reversed) - This card shows the feelings of others around the subject. Ironically, those around her feel that the pressure she is now under will soon be released. Unfortunately, the feelings of others don't always hold true. But this was at least a hopeful sign.

9. 7 Swords - This card represents her positive feelings. Positive doesn't always mean good unfortunately. In this case, the subject is pretty sure that things aren't going to work out. She feels she's been the victim of bad luck. Knowing her as I did, I can honestly say that most of her bad luck she brought on herself. Suddenly I wasn't feeling good about this reading at all.

10. Page of Swords (Reversed) - This is the final outcome and the page card is the card of news. You don't have to be a psychic to know that this card shows that the news will most likely not be good.

My suspicions about this reading were dead right. This other person, this man, who the subject was involved with, was totally against her doing this, even though she wanted to so badly. Well she basically had to decide between going for her realtor's license or keeping this man in her life. So in either case, there was going to be bad new.

The ultimate resolution was that she did pass her exam but the relationship ended. So while she was happy about getting her realtor's license, she was very sad about the breakup.

In case you're wondering, after looking very hard at this spread, and after getting this information out of her, I eventually did tell her that she would probably pass her exam, if she really wanted to and actually went ahead and took it, but would probably lose this guy unless she could find a way to reason with him, which I counseled her on the best I could. Unfortunately, there was only so much I could do.

It was one of the hardest readings I ever had to do. This woman was a friend of mine and my mother's and the last thing we wanted was for her to have anymore problems.

But, she did get her realtor's exam and eventually did get over this guy.

So I guess it wasn't a total failure.

Another reading coming in a week or so.

A friend of mine, many years ago, wanted to know if he should go to work for his uncle. Now, normally I don't recommend that people work for relatives as it's usually a bad idea. I wanted to just tell him NO. However, I decided that I should at least give him the courtesy of consulting with the Tarot. So I did a Celtic Cross for him and here's how the cards landed.

1. Page of Swords (Reversed)
2. 4 of Pentacles (Reversed)
3. 4 of Swords (Reversed)
4. 6 of Cups (Reversed)
5. Queen of Pentacles (Reversed)
6. Ace of Wands (Reversed)
7. The Hanged Man (Reversed)
8. 10 of Cups (Reversed)
9. 8 of Wands (Reversed)
10. Page of Pentacles

You have to admit, quite an unusual spread.

Anyway, take some time to look it over and fill out the poll below.

Should my friend go work for his uncle?

I really want to know what you think.

Recently, I posted a reading of a friend of mine who wanted to know if he should go to work for his uncle. Doing a Celtic Cross spread, these were the cards.

1. Page of Swords (Reversed)
2. 4 of Pentacles (Reversed)
3. 4 of Swords (Reversed)
4. 6 of Cups (Reversed)
5. Queen of Pentacles (Reversed)
6. Ace of Wands (Reversed)
7. The Hanged Man (Reversed)
8. 10 of Cups (Reversed)
9. 8 of Wands (Reversed)
10. Page of Pentacles

Well, you've had some time to chew on this reading and decide if my friend should go to work for his uncle or not. Today, we're going to analyze each card and make the determination.

See if your guess was the right one.

1. Page of Swords (Reversed) - This card shows what the subject is feeling in regard to the question. Seems that he just got some bad news regarding sickness. Possibly he is not well. Maybe it's his uncle and he's offering his services because he is trying to help his uncle out. I wasn't clear on this card so I looked further.

2. 4 of Pentacles (Reversed) - This is the card that crosses him. In this case, it is not favorable. This card indicates disorganization and in general, things not going his way. Again this shows more discouraging news. I am more and more thinking that this question is coming more from need than from want.

3. 4 of Swords (Reversed) - This card indicates the real origin of the subject's question. I was very interested in this card. There is much unrest in his life. There has also been a lot of difficulty in getting things going. There is no doubt that my friend was going through a hard time. I was not aware of it.

4. 6 of Cups (Reversed) - This card shows what was behind him. This card, in the light of the other cards in the spread, showed me that he is coming out of a significantly disappointing situation. I was sensing that he was not happy with something that he received. I'm still looking for something good here, but it appears we need to look to the future for that as the present is an uneasy time.

5. Queen of Pentacles (Reversed) - This card indicates what could come into being. There is a woman coming into his life who is not the most responsible person. The lacks motivation and her moods change often. My friend wasn't married and wasn't living with his mother, so I assumed this was either a future girlfriend or possible wife, heaven forbid. I saw trouble.

6. Ace of Wands (Reversed) - This card shows what is before my friend. In this case, I saw a poor effort and no initiative. This shows lack of effort on his part. I was seeing that his heart really wasn't in it. I was seeing signs that he should cancel his plans for working with his uncle.

7. The Hanged Man (Reversed) - This card shows his negative feelings. In this case, the vibes I were getting were that he was feeling insecure. He wasn't feeling like he could really handle this job.

8. 10 of Cups (Reversed) - This card shows the feelings of those around him. Indications are that those around him feel that this job is going to lead to many disagreements and problems within the family. Those closest to him are quite concerned about this job.

9. 8 of Wands (Reversed) - This card represents the subject's positive feelings. In this case the positive feelings concern negative forces. He feels that he needs to control his emotions and not argue with people. He feels that this will only lead to more problems, even though he feels that he is right in this matter.

10. Page of Pentacles - With how bad this spread had been going, this card was a total puzzle to me. This card, which indicates the final outcome, shows beyond any doubt that good news of a financial nature is coming his way and it directly relates to this job.

I have to admit, I was totally puzzled by this spread. The final outcome made no sense in the overall context of the reading. Yet, it was as clear as day.

After talking with my friend, it turns out that the woman I saw was a girl he had just met. She was a very ambitious woman and felt that taking this job with his uncle was a good move for him, even though it's not something he wanted to do. This is what was causing all the problems, and not that the job itself would be bad. I told him that I saw that if he took the job it would turn out good. So he did take it.

To make a long story short, this job led to some great opportunities for my friend through people he met at work.

Life is so funny that way.

Anyway, if you said, in spite of the mostly horrible cards of this spread, that my friend should take the job, you were dead right.

Congratulations!

A friend of mine wanted to know what his overall future looked like in all areas of his life. I felt for this question, the Astrological spread was in order. In this spread, there is a card for each house of the zodiac and each card is read individually with no concern for the other cards.

Here are the cards that came out in the spread.

1. 7 of Wands
2. The Chariot
3. The High Priestess (Reversed)
4. 9 of Swords (Reversed)
5. The Moon
6. 3 of Pentacles (Reversed)
7. The Magician
8. Death (Reversed)
9. 3 of Swords
10. Knight of Pentacles
11. Knight of Wands
12. 7 of Pentacles

There you have it. All 12 houses. I'll let you ponder these cards for a few days before I reveal my analysis of this reading.

A few days ago, I posted a reading where a friend of mine wanted to know what his overall future looked like. I decided that the best way to handle this was with an Astrological spread.

Here's the cards as they came out.

1. 7 of Wands
2. The Chariot
3. The High Priestess (Reversed)
4. 9 of Swords (Reversed)
5. The Moon
6. 3 of Pentacles (Reversed)
7. The Magician
8. Death (Reversed)
9. 3 of Swords
10. Knight of Pentacles
11. Knight of Wands
12. 7 of Pentacles

I'm now going to analyze them one by one.

1. 7 of Wands - This card appeared in house 1, which is the house of self or the individual. This card shows that the subject's character is going to strengthen in the near future and he is going to become more independent. This was a nice start to the reading.

2. The Chariot - This card appeared in house 2, which is the house of what you're worth in financial terms. This card shows that there is going to be some financial growth but not without some obstacles. Things won't be easy, but I see good things ahead.

3. The High Priestess (Reversed) - This card appeared in house 3, which is the house of knowledge. This card shows that the subject is going to be entering a period of intense study and great care is going to be needed.

4. 9 of Swords (Reversed) - This card appeared in house 4, which is the house of home and family. Thank goodness that this card came up reversed or I'd be concerned. This card shows that many blessings are in store for him and his family. This card brought me great joy.

5. The Moon - This card appeared in house 5, which is the house of creativity. This card shows that he is going to enter a period where he will get many ideas but will need to think carefully before going forward with any one of them. This is a cautious period for creative pursuits.

6. 3 of Pentacles (Reversed) - This card appeared in house 6, which is the house of work and service. This card shows that there will be problems at work in regard to rewards expected. Possibly a delay in an expected raise. This is the first really negative card I've run into so far.

7. The Magician - This card appeared in house 7, which is the house of relationships. This card is very encouraging because my friend was having some problems in his marriage. This card shows that he is moving in the right direction and doing the things he needs to do to strengthen his relationship with his wife.

8. Death (Reversed) - This card appeared in house 8, which is the house of death and regeneration, among other things. This is one of the 3 mystical houses, concerning things from sex to money to inheritance. I found it interesting that the Death card fell in this house. This card shows, based on many factors, that there is going to be a birth in the family very soon. There is no question in my mind. Oddly enough, 2 months after this reading, his wife became pregnant. Scary stuff.

9. 3 of Swords - This card appeared in house 9, which is the house of one's own beliefs. This bothered me. I always felt my friend was so strong in his own beliefs, but this card shows that he will be seriously challenged in what he believes.His understanding of life will be severely tested. Well, about 4 months after this reading, he had a crisis of faith because of a problem at his church. It took him a long time to get past it, though he finally did. It was a difficult period for him.

10. Knight of Pentacles - This card appeared in house 10, which is the house of your reputation and career. In other words, as people see you. This card shows that the subject is trustworthy and a hard worker and will continue to be as such. I didn't need a card to tell me this. My friend is loved and respected by many people.

11. Knight of Wands - This card appeared in house 11, which is the house of community, or what you do for others around you. This card shows that he is quite charitable in doing business for the community, which he does do through his church. He's the guy everybody turns to when something is needed and this will continue.

12. 7 of Pentacles - This card appeared in house 12, which is the house of spirituality. This is one of the most understood and the 3rd of the three spiritual houses. This house has to do with how you feel about things like Astrology and other means of divination, among other things. Well, in either case, this is a strange card to come up in this house. Honestly, I didn't know what to make of it. So I asked him if he was thinking of making money doing fortune telling. He told me that he was thinking of it and it was because of me. I had gotten him really into it. Well, I told him that I saw money coming his way from it. Long story short, within a year he was doing Astrological charts for people. I was floored.

Anyway, there you have it. All in all, he's got a great life and this reading was wonderful.

You don't get many like these.

A friend of my daughter's was entering a talent contest locally and wanted to know if she was going to win it. I had no idea what she did, what her talent was or what talent she would be up against. So I went into this reading with a totally open mind.

Here was how the cards came out for the Celtic Cross spread that I did.

1. Page of Swords (Reversed)
2. The Lovers
3. 7 of Cups
4. The Chariot
5. Page of Wands (Reversed)
6. 3 of Swords
7. 5 of Wands
8. The Hanged Man (Reversed)
9. 7 of Wands
10. The Emperor

Because the spread ended with a Major Arcana in the 10th position, what we do is take The Emperor, use it as the indicator, card 1, and do another reading.

Here was the second reading.

1. The Emperor
2. The Hermit (Reversed)
3. 8 of Swords (Reversed)
4. 5 of Cups
5. Justice (Reversed)
6. King of Cups
7. Queen of Wands (Reversed)
8. Ace of Pentacles (Reversed)
9. 4 of Swords
10. 3 of Cups

So there you have it. I'll let you chew on these rather complex readings for a while. In the meantime, you can vote in the poll below. Will she win the talent contest?

A short while ago I presented you with a rather complex reading for a friend of my daughter who wanted to know if she was going to win the talent contest that was being held locally in our area. Bless her heart, she's a cute kid. Anyway, it was a reading where I had to do a second reading after the first because the 10th card was a Major Arcana.

Here were the 2 readings.

1. Page of Swords (Reversed)
2. The Lovers
3. 7 of Cups
4. The Chariot
5. Page of Wands (Reversed)
6. 3 of Swords
7. 5 of Wands
8. The Hanged Man (Reversed)
9. 7 of Wands
10. The Emperor

1. The Emperor
2. The Hermit (Reversed)
3. 8 of Swords (Reversed)
4. 5 of Cups
5. Justice (Reversed)
6. King of Cups
7. Queen of Wands (Reversed)
8. Ace of Pentacles (Reversed)
9. 4 of Swords
10. 3 of Cups

You'll notice I used the Major Arcana from the first reading as the significator for the second reading. Now, I am going to analyze the two readings.

1. Page of Swords (Reversed) - This is the nature of the problem or why the person is asking the question. Seems this good just got some bad news about something and most likely she wants to win this contest to make her feel better. Understandable.

2. The Lovers - This card is what crosses her for good or bad. This card shows that she needs to control her emotions if she wants to win this thing. It appears that right now she is all jacked up over this, which could turn out to be a bad thing.

3. 7 of Cups - This card shows the underlying conditions. This shows a definite change for the better and possibly something unexpected has happened. I was beginning to get the impression that this talent contest was something that was a last minute decision.

4. The Chariot - This card shows past events. The Chariot indicates that she was to be rewarded for something but that reward is still due to her. So it appears more than ever that this wanting to win this contest has been triggered by some past event.

5. Page of Wands (Reversed) - This card indicates what could come into being. In this case, someone could end up upsetting her greatly. I suspect the judge at the contest. I was now a bit concerned.

6. 3 of Swords - This card indicates what is before her. Well, this not a good card by any stretch of the imagination. The 3 of Swords indicates some deep sadness. This reading was going from bad to worse.

7. 5 of Wands - This card represents her negative feelings. I was very interested in this. She feels great stress in relation to this inquiry. She is putting a lot of pressure on herself to win this. I was now very curious as to why.

8. The Hanged Man (Reversed) - This card shows the feelings of those around here. They feel that she is using this contest to hide her true feelings about what is really bothering her. Now things were making more sense.

9. 7 of Wands - This card represents her positive feelings. She really feels that she can overcome any adversity and actually pull this off. I was impressed by this card.

10. The Emperor - This card shows the final outcome, but since it is a Major Arcana, we really can't read too much into this card. However, on the surface it shows that She will get something out of this positive, even if she doesn't necessarily win the contest.

I then proceeded to do the second reading, using the 10th card for the first position.

I will pick up the reading with card number 2.

2. The Hermit (Reversed) - This card crosses her for good or bad and in this case shows that she will probably cut herself off from others as a result of the outcome of this contest. There is definitely more going on here.

3. 8 of Swords (Reversed) - This card is the underlying cause of the problem and shows that great pressure that needs to be released. I didn't want to pry too much as she was my daughter's friend, but obviously she has some serious problems showing up here.

4. 5 of Cups - This card shows more past occurrences. In this case, a breakup. Now, finally I was getting the last piece of the puzzle. I knew this had something to do with a boy who had broken her heart.

5. Justice (Reversed) - This card shows what could come into being. Not what I wanted to see here. Someone is definitely going to take advantage of her and an injustice will be done. I almost wanted to stop the reading.

6. King of Cups - This card shows what is before her. This card was reassuring to some extent. It shows a possible man in her future who will be good for her and comfort her.

7. Queen of Wands (Reversed) - This card shows additional negative feelings on her part. I was now getting more info that was shedding new light on the situation. This card shows that there is a woman in her life who is very strict and unbending. My guess is her mother.

8. Ace of Pentacles (Reversed) - This card shows more feelings of those around her. Those around her feel that she is making a mistake in regard to this who situation. They feel she is working herself up for a letdown.

9. 4 of Swords - This card shows her positive feelings. She feels that the shadow over her life is moving away. But this may just be wishful thinking as the rest of this spread says otherwise.

10. 3 of Cups - This card shows the final outcome, which quite honestly, came as a total surprise to me. I didn't know what to make of this, but after looking at the 2 spreads, I finally came up with my conclusion. Remember back in the original reading I said that the Major Arcana shows she will get something positive out of this even if she doesn't win the contest? Well, this card shows that something very good is coming out of this.

What I told her, after careful thought, was that she probably wasn't going to win the contest but that she was going to meet a really great guy as a result of the contest itself.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I was dead on. She didn't win the contest, but did meet a really nice boy there who asked her out and they've been dating since.

Very strange reading indeed. But if you guessed that she wouldn't win the contest, you were right.

Congratulations!

This is a sore subject with a lot of people, though I don't know why. While I don't do any type of readings for profit, I have nothing against others doing just that.

Why?

Well, let's look outside the world of Tarot card reading or divination in general. Let's suppose you have a plugged up sink and you've done everything you could to get rid of that clog but nothing works. So as a last resort, you call your local plumber. He then comes over, takes out his heavy duty equipment and unplugs your drain. He then charges you about $500. Now, while you certainly can't go with a plugged up drain for the rest of your life, $500 is a bit much, don't you think?

Now, let's move on over to the world of the Tarot card reader. You have a major decision to make. Should you go out with this boy or not. You really like him but something in your gut tells you that he might be trouble. You'd like to have somebody who is in tuned to the future tell you what they see. So you go to a psychic, request a reading, to which you find out many things about yourself that you know are dead on and ultimately find out that this boy is trouble. Aren't you glad you spent your $15 or whatever you were charged for this peace of mind? Certainly you probably got more of your money's worth from the reading than you did from the $500 pipe cleaning.

The point is, we have no problem with the plumber charging for his services so why do we have problems with psychics charging for their services? Are a psychic's services any less valid?

The day may ultimately come where I will charge people for readings. I don't know. I haven't really thought about it that much. But I certainly wouldn't rule it out, not when I have an 18 year old daughter (at the time of this writing) who is going to college at $35,000 a year. A little extra money would be nice, especially if I earn it honestly.

What do you think? Do you think that those with a gift have the right to charge for using it or do you feel they should give it away for free?

I have a poll below that you can cast your vote in.

I'm curious to see what others think.

A friend of mine went to his bank to apply for a loan. They told him they'd get back to him in a few days. Well, he came to me asking for a reading. He wanted to know if his loan application would be approved. I got out the Tarot cards and performed a Celtic Cross for him.

Here's how the cards fell.

1. 8 of Cups
2. The Tower
3. 2 of Wands (Reversed)
4. The World (Reversed)
5. The Sun (Reversed)
6. Knight of Pentacles
7. 5 of Swords (Reversed)
8. Temperance (Reversed)
9. Page of Cups (Reversed)
10. 2 of Cups (Reversed)

Very strange reading to say the least. Because of the 4 Major Arcana, I was tempted to do another reading but my gut for this one told me not to.

I'll let you think this one over for a bit and cast your vote in the poll below.

See you soon with the answer.

A friend of mine was going for a part in a local theatre company. She really wanted this part very badly. Quite honestly, I'd seen her acting and it's okay, but it's nothing to write home about. So I really didn't want to do this reading, but she insisted. Well, I did a Celtic Cross spread for her and this is how the cards came up.

1. The Hanged Man (Reversed)
2. 5 of Pentacles
3. The Star (Reversed)
4. The High Priestess (Reversed)
5. 9 of Wands
6. Ace of Swords
7. 6 of Wands (Reversed)
8. 3 of Wands (Reversed)
9. Justice (Reversed)
10. 8 of Cups

Because of the 4 Major Arcana, I was on the fence about doing a second reading, but because of the nature of the question, I decided to go with the one reading.

I'll let you look this over for a few days before giving you the answer and what happened.

You can cast your vote in the poll below.

A few days ago, I left you with a reading to mull over. A friend of mine was going for a part in a local company and wanted to know if she was going to get it. As I said, her acting is okay but nothing to write home about. But I did a Celtic Cross for her and hoped for the best.

This was the reading that came up.

1. The Hanged Man (Reversed)
2. 5 of Pentacles
3. The Star (Reversed)
4. The High Priestess (Reversed)
5. 9 of Wands
6. Ace of Swords
7. 6 of Wands (Reversed)
8. 3 of Wands (Reversed)
9. Justice (Reversed)
10. 8 of Cups

Now that you've had some time to go over it, here is my analysis of the reading. See if you agree with it.

1. The Hanged Man (Reversed) - This is what covers the subject. This shows what the subject is feeling in regard to the situation. In this case, she is surrounding herself with false securities. She has almost talked herself into believing that there is no way she won't get this part. Positive thinking is one thing, but those thoughts must be grounded in some sort of reality.

2. 5 of Pentacles - This is what crosses her for good or bad. This card shows that she has been neglecting her health because of this. She is more concerned with the part than she is about caring for her body. Not a good sign.

3. The Star (Reversed) - This card is the basis of the situation. The Star reversed shows that she feels that she has been following the wrong path and hasn't been positive enough. So now she is trying to overcompensate. Perhaps she realizes that she isn't all that talented.

4. The High Priestess (Reversed) - This card shows her recent past, which supports my conclusion above. This shows that in the past she was weak in character and didn't believe in herself, so she is now trying to make up for it.

5. 9 of Wands - This card shows what could come into being, or a possible outcome. This card is actually quite hopeful, showing that things may just work out if great care is taken and discretion is used. This card suggests that the subject should hold onto what she believes. Interesting.

6. Ace of Swords - This card shows what is before her. This is a very significant time card showing that the seeds of success will be planted sometime in the fall. Turns out that she was going for the part in September when the new season starts. This is probably the most hopeful card yet.

7. 6 of Wands (Reversed) - This card shows her own negative feelings. I was very interested in this card. The subject feels that her rewards will be delayed, that she won't get the part right away, but still does feel that it will eventually come.

8. 3 of Wands (Reversed) - This card shows the feelings of others. Those around her strongly feel that she is wasting her talents. This is very significant.

9. Justice (Reversed) - This card represents her positive feelings. Sometimes a positive feeling is about a negative action. In this case it is clear. She feels that she will be the victim of an injustice. She's not confident that she will get the part, though she has talked herself into believing that she will.

10. 8 of Cups - This is the final outcome. This was a very interesting card to come up here. The 8 of Cups, the card that shows she needs to search for a deeper meaning in her life. Could it be that she really doesn't want this part because she knows if she gets it she won't perform it well? Was she just fooling herself into thinking this is what she wants?

I sat down and had a long talk with her after placing these cards. Turns out that she has wanted to be an actress all her life but never felt she was really that good. As a result, over the years, she has lost some of the love for it. This was her last shot at trying to at least get something out of it. Truth is, her heart really isn't in it as much as it used to be.

Well, she did go for the part and she didn't get it. It was the last time she ever did anything with her acting. I don't know what she did after that as we lost touch. Kind of a sad story actually. Makes you grateful for what you have, especially if you're doing something that you really enjoy.

Anyway, if you guessed that she didn't get the part, you were right.

A friend of mine was concerned that his position with the company was going to be outsourced overseas so he wanted to know if this was going to happen. So, I picked up my cards and proceeded to do a Celtic Spread for him.

This is how the cards fell.

1. The Devil
2. 2 Of Cups
3. Knight Of Swords
4. King Of Swords
5. The Emperor
6. 4 Of Wands (Reversed)
7. The Fool
8. Ace Of Wands (Reversed)
9. Page Of Swords
10. 9 Of Cups (Reversed)

There you go. I'll let you mull that over for a while and next week I'll come back with the answer.

In the meantime, check out my website where you can find a brand new form of divination that I've spent the last 25 years developing.

You can find it at:

http://www.diceology.com/

See you next week.

To YOUR Divinational Success,

Steven Wagenheim

My friend wanted to know if his job was going to get outsourced. I did a Celtic Cross Spread and this is how the cards fell.

1. The Devil
2. 2 Of Cups
3. Knight Of Swords
4. King Of Swords
5. The Emperor
6. 4 Of Wands (Reversed)
7. The Fool
8. Ace Of Wands (Reversed)
9. Page Of Swords
10. 9 Of Cups (Reversed)

Now here is my analysis:

1. The Devil - This card shows the source of the subject's question. I found this very interesting. While he seems to be worried about his job being outsourced, he's really in a miserable situation and not happy at all. He feels hopeless and doesn't know what to do. A lot of this is from his own doing.

2. 2 Of Cups - This card is what crosses the situation and points to a possible new relationship, thus indicating that his job my indeed be outsourced but that he will also find something much better. I took this as hopeful, but wanted to see more.

3. Knight Of Swords - This card indicates the real reason for the subject's question or the basis for the question. This card reinforces the Devil in the first position that the subject is going through a very difficult time right now.

4. King Of Swords -This card shows the recent past. This shows that his current employer is quite likely to be a former employer. Again, this card reinforces the two of cups in the second position. I am starting to see a solid pattern forming now.

5. The Emperor - This card indicates what could come to be. I had a hard time reading this at first but eventually realized that it meant that the subject would probably get a new position with another company, one of authority. I was beginning to feel good about his impending job loss, strange as that might seem.

6. 4 Of Wands (Reversed) - This card shows what is before him. This card concerned me. This shows possible overconfidence leading to a bad situation, either with the current job or the one he might get. I warned him at this time not to get cocky but be humble if he gets the job offer before he's actually let go. In other words, don't burn your bridges.

7. The Fool - This card represents the subject's negative feelings. In this case, the card shows that he isn't sure what decision to make. He is at a crossroads and is afraid of making the wrong choice. He's afraid he might ruin everything by something that he might do.

8. Ace Of Wands (Reversed) - This card represents the feelings of those around the subject. In this case, those closest to the subject feel that he is not putting in his best effort and that this might cost him in the long run. This card concerned me.

9. Page Of Swords - This card represents the subject's positive feelings. This was clear cut that the prospect feels that a change of scenery, a new job, would be best for him. So again, I had to wonder, why was he concerned about his job being outsourced? I did eventually ask him.

10. 9 Of Cups (Reversed) - This card represents the final outcome. This is the wish card and reversed in the 10th position, means his wish, whatever that is, will not come true at this time. This is when I had to ask him just what it is he wanted to happen.

Well, his answer didn't surprise me simply because I really couldn't tell from the reading just what it was he wanted. His answer was that he wanted his job to be sent overseas so he could take another job. So I asked him, why doesn't he just quit. He said because if he did, he'd lose out on his huge benefit package. Now it was all starting to make sense. This was all about greed. Well, I told him that he was going to be in for a disappointment because according to the cards, his job wouldn't be outsourced but he'd be much happier with the new job, which he told me he knew.

Ultimately, I told him he had to decide what was more important, his benefit package or a job he really liked.

He then left. I never heard from him again until he called me from his new job months later. He eventually did decide to quit his old job that he hated as it hadn't been outsourced.

So, the cards were right in this case, although this was one strange reading.

But, if you guessed that his job wouldn't be outsourced, you were right.

Now, if you want to know how much more accurate this reading would be if you combined it with a Diceology reading, check out my web site below.

It will take Tarot Cards to a whole new level.

To YOUR Divination Success,

Steven Wagenheim
http://www.diceology.com/