Change is anĀ inevitable part of life and sometimes weāre not quite ready for it. We can lose our heads in how rapidly things are moving and it can take a while to steady ourselves and really see whatās happening. This is to help you embrace the change and how to go with the flow.
Ā The First Card: This card is represented by the waves that are carrying you away. These waves represent the changes you are going through or will be going through.
The Second and Third Card: This represents what you can do to ease the transaction, whether itās an act of self-care or something you can do in the situation to help embrace the change. This can also represent who/what you can go to for support.
The Fourth Card: This card represents what you need to let go off. Itās time to let go of the tensions so you can steadily float down the river.Ā
The Fifth Card: This represents where you will be at the end of the ride. This card is what you will gain through the change.
The Sixth Card: Advice from higher guidance, whether this be your diety, a spirit guide, or just the cosmos.
You can see some of my readings and spreadshereand you can get your own reading by me here. š
Doing a tarot reading through channelling a spiritās intent:
Spread out your deck, in 2-3 rows, preferably on a bed or floor, or some surface you can sit on as well
Get yourself into a meditative and amenable state for spirit communication, make sure your muscles are relaxed/tension gone
Hold the vessel or signifying item of the spirit close to your most active chakra, sense and focus on their energy, let them know you wish them to channel a reading through you
If you have a specific question or a topic for the spirit, let them know the first one and give them a moment to contemplate
Hold the spiritās vessel in your palm, using the grip of your thumb to keep it lightly perched there
Hold your arm out straight, palm face down, hovering in the center of the center row of cards. About 15-20cmās above the cards should do.
Relax. Breath. Ground yourself. Let all tension go. Close your eyes.
Let your arm move in the direction it wants to go, be patient
When your hand starts to hover above a certain card, the vessel may or may not vibrate in your hand. When it wants to fall, let it drop naturally. This will be the spiritās chosen card
If the vessel doesnāt drop, but your hand has stopped moving, that can happen too, let your fingers fall naturally to the card instead
Once a card has been chosen, you can open your eyes, and either look at the card, or continue from the start again with your next question
Some things to keep in mind:
Be as specific as possible with your questions when doing a reading with a spirit, to avoid it being interpreted incorrectly or to avoid an answer that is vague or unclear.
Donāt ask things like, āwhat are you feeling?ā As the answer to this sort of question can come back to mean a huge variety of things that might not even relate to what the spirit is personally feeling, and might just be what they are witnessing or experiencing from you or their surroundings
Make sure to give the spirit time to mull over the question and to actually choose a card to answer it, otherwise risk getting an incomplete or completely invalid reading
Keep in mind that when doing a reading with a spirit, often it is a fraction of their thought that is channelled into the card, it may or may not be a direct answer to your question, and is often merely an observation in regards to something related, so make sure to listen to your gut instinct and intuitionĀ
Stay away from traditional card meanings as much as possible, and try to intuitively read each card the spirit pulls. They may choose a card for itās appearance, or some small bit of symbolism that they feel best relates to the message they want to relay to you, which may or may not be visibly relevant to the question you have asked. This is by far the most challenging part, and why I always back up tarot readings with pendulum and astral work
Donāt get hung up on theĀ ānegativeā cards, generally in my work with spirits I find they tend to pull cards of observation and guidance pertaining to you, and less about them personally, and especially if they are a spirit companion, they are very in tune with your emotions and energy and will wish to assist and support you best they can
Another thing to note is how highly aware spirits are, above our awareness, they are not privy to the sort of emotional ups and downs that humans are, for the most part. Thatās not to say they donāt experience emotions, or strong emotions, just that they are generally more stable and clear headed about things
Also it is a good idea to back up the results with another form of spirit communication, to make sure the reading was as valid and true as possible. Sometimes the readings donāt come through true at all, or are weak, or the spirit is new or not fully there to channel the readingĀ
Another word of advice is to do the readings yourself this way if this is a spirit you personally work with, another diviner might not be able to channel their energy as accurately, or even be so welcome to do so
Hereās a lovely spread for all of you out there who are new to tarot, recently received a new deck, struggle with bonding with your deck(s) and/or are having issues getting clear or understanding readings. Sometimes decks have personalities to them, they have their own likes, dislikes, alignments and even preferred āworkā to go into. They also often require bonding to get the most accurate smooth readings. I have explained before the differences in my decks and what they like to answer, and I know of others who struggle bonding or understanding who their decks are. This spread should be of help!
1. How is your deck feeling today? Are they in a good mood ready to work? Or are they just having an off bad day? I have found decks, like people, can have moody bad days. These days their readings may be harsher than usual or even not even slightly logical. Its good to see what mood your deck is in before using it for readings, especially readings for others (and especially if they are paying for them). This may also affect the questions they will wish to answer.
2. What element does your deck align with? All decks are different and some may align themselves with specific elements. Is your deck fire, water, earth, air, spirit or a combination of them? This may affect the manner which they read. Air decks may be more interested in giving creative advice and focus on individuality, free-spirited natures, the arts, and even love. Water decks tend to focus on emotions and seeking gentle fixes. Fire decks tend to be the most assertive, they are competitive, encouraging, brave, passionate but also tend to support the idea of feuds. Fire decks, also from my experience, tend to be very blunt about things. Earth aligned decks tend to be a bit calmer, they focus on bonds with people such as family and friendships. They also focus on careers, prosperity and money matters. Spirit decks, tend to like to do more of theĀ ādivineā. They focus on self-enlightenment, self discovery and communicating with supernatural forces, guides, and deities.
3. What Questions does your deck enjoy answering? Does your deck enjoy answering questions about love? Friends and family? Do they enjoy giving personal advice? Do they like money matters and career focuses. This could determine what questions they may be the most accurate and ones they will give the best advice on.
4. What Questions does your deck least like to answer? These are the questions they may not have the most accurate advice on. Such as my Rider deck greatly dislikes romance questions so I never use him for them because he will always just advice break-ups no matter the situation.
5. What is your deckās current feelings towards you? Does your deck feel close to you? Is it a strong professional business bond? Or is it more like a friendship? Do they feel distant from you? Like you ignore them? Do they not understand you or feel like you are a stranger? Do you intimidate them?
6. How can you improve your relationship? How does your deck feel like you two can do to help build your relationship? Practice more or perhaps make spreads.
7. A Negative trait. Pretty self explanatory, this is a negative quality about your deck that it feels you have a right to know about. Take note that this is a negative trait in the mind and views of your deck, its something it feels is negative.
8. A Positive trait. Again, pretty self explanatory, this is a trait that your deck feels is a positive trait it has. Again, this is a trait seen as positive in its mind.
So, as some of my followers know, i started witchcraft when I was 11 and being 11 and practicing witchcraft low-key behind your parentsā back was kinda hard. Obviously, I couldnāt up and go āhey mom! Letās stop by the local metaphysical store and buy a deck of tarot cards!ā
No, obviously not. And plus tarot cards are kinda expensive.
So when I was 13 I went to the dollar store and bought a deck of playing cards, well two actually since I needed 70 something and only about 50 came in a pack.
But anyways, I went home and printed out every picture of every tarot card in the deck and hot glued it onto the cards.
THEN I proceeded to clear tape over it to laminate it and do my intent stuff and whatnot
I think I said āyou are now my tarot. An eye in to future, a mind of advice and show-er of truth.ā or something like that and my signature sky blue energy encasing it.
and I kept it in a cloth deep in my closet.
AND BAM. (I thought I was finally the shit) I had Tarot and honestly, I see no difference between my current tarot and the ones I had back then. Itās legit the same thing.
So thatās how sly, cheap, 13 year old me used my first tarot and really, the experience is the same the only difference is that ānormalā tarot are a little bigger (actually, you can also buy jumbo playing cards and then it would be the same thing) but that doesnāt really matter.
Hope this helped all my broke witches and/or in the broom closet witches and/or little witchlings first experimenting!
Just a note from an artist: Please be mindful of what deck youāre printing out. Itās one thing to print out every card in the Rider-Waite-Smith* since all the original creators are long dead. Itās another to pirate the work of a living artist. I can tell you from experience that the art alone in a deck can involve hundreds of hours of work. And especially if your artist is only getting a percentage royalty on each deck, they may not be getting even minimum wage on their work unless the deck sells thousands of copies. Self-publishers mayĀ
Iām sympathetic to newbie pagans/closeted pagans/etc. who donāt have a ton of cashālike I said, Iām a working artist and *I* donāt have a ton of extra funding once the bills and other expenses are paid. (Plus I was once a new, closeted, broke-ass newbie pagan myself in the 90s.) But Iām dismayed at how many of theseĀ ātips for broke pagansā posts advocate outright piracy, which just makes your pagan artists and writers more likely to *be* broke pagans.
* Iāve heard conflicting info about whether the RWS and its images are still under copyright or not. This is a pretty good writeup of the issue, for those curious, though itās a few years old now and I havenāt heard of any updates.
Pardon me, I in no way meant to advocate piracy. Sorry. Of course, if youāre printing out pictures for tarot, use one free to the public use or if youāre already an artist then maybe try drawing. It doesnāt have to be real pictures of tarot, it can be things symbolic of it too. This was just something I thought Iād share with witches going through some financial problems.
I see a lot of posts circulating about interpreting card reversals, and just wanted to share this helpful mnemonic devised by Benebell Wen.
When a reversal shows up in one of your readings, remember this acronym to think about the possible meanings.
WIND:
Weakened energy of card meaning – are other forces overpowering the cardās energy or preventing it from manifesting?
Inverted (or opposite) meaning of card – this oneās self explanatory.
Negative influence on Seeker – is this energy hindering rather than helping the Seeker? Is there someone in the Seekerās life who embodies these traits?
Delay before the cardās outcome will materialize – does the Seeker need to take additional steps before the cardās energy will manifest? Or is it simply a matter of āwait and seeā?
Use your tarot cards not just for divination but to cast spells!
Burn a candle on top of the Justice card for justice in any situation! Likewise for to give yourself Strength. Use The Lovers for a love spell. The Tower for a curse, to bring about someoneās downfall. Donāt forget to use your own associations with the cards, not just the ātextbookā interpretations. The possibilities are endless!
kind of concerned about burning a candle on a card? Bc so much heat all focused on top of a card?
Then donāt do it, this is a tip not a rule. But Iāve never had a card burst into flame. Also, the candle should still be in a holderā¦
I often use tarot cards in spell work. I have little easels to put them on to prop them up. I once lost a card to water. I brought snow inside for a winter solstice thing and my Sun card fell in melted water, bummed me out.
Having a larger pillar candle might help to expand burn time. But you can also just print out a copy of the card in question.
For me i was more concerned about wax on my tarot card when i used it. So i flipped it over card down.
Also you should never leave a candle unattended. Thats general fire safety, so if the candle looks too dangerously close to the card? Put out the candle. Then wait until the candle is cool enough to move away from the card.
I always monitor my spell candles if i am leaving them to burn. Every 5 to 10 mins. I never leave that candle alone.
Also you can get the like tea light candles that have the like metal bottoms. But again watch the candle for sure.
I think cunning was expecting everyone to know to monitor the candles by default, anyway.
I remember in late 2014, when I first saw it. I rushed to google and searched its name. Could it be? Is this a dream? A Tarot deck made for me! I stared at my computer screen with tears freely flowing down my cheeks. I read softly to myself āSlow Holler. Collaboratively imagined and illustrated by folks with queer identities or southern ties or both.ā My heart sang. Never in a million years would I have ever imagined there to be a deck like this one. It had been such a long while that I had felt this sense of unfiltered joy that the world was changing and it was changing for the better. It took two and a half long years for the completion of this deck but the wait was well worth it.
Being a queer person, you have no idea how much it means to me to be represented in a Tarot deck. There is such a lack of representation in the LGBTQIA+ communities and so much of the time, Iāve struggled to try to see myself or even have my clients be comfortable seeing themselves in a deck that I am using. The Slow Holler deck fills the void by having a deck made by queer people for queer people. I will forever be eternally grateful for all the artists, creatives and all who had contributed in making this deck a reality.
I am honored and humbled to be able to use this deck to enrich not only my life but also the lives of my clients and be proud to say that there is a deck out there that represents me and so many like me.Ā
Post Notes: Please do not remove the captions. Deck: Slow Holler Purchase: Go purchase your deck here. Navigation: Table Of Contents | FAQ | Contact me
I made this spread for myself earlier today, I know itās not very intricate but it is after all for the busy bee. š This spread is made with the intent to get a quick answer to a new project and shine some light on a new idea! I, for instance, havenāt been able to decide if itās really worth the risk to drop another $200 on investing in my shop, this deck helped me narrow down my idea list to the best.Ā šĀ
The First Card: How the deck or deity you are speaking to feels about the over-all idea. This helps them show their approval, concern, etc.
The Second Card: This is their best advice to you to make things go smoothly. Whether itās how to make the idea succeed, something you could change or maybe how to remove yourself from it entirely, it is theirĀ advice, you do not have to take it.
The Third Card: What they suggest you donāt do! This is what they want you to avoid, this is how you stay out of harms way. If you can avoid this perhaps you can make it to your end goal more smoothly.
The Fourth Card: The final outcome, what happens if you do or donāt listen to the cards – it all depends on how you read them.
You can see some of my readings and spreadshereand you can get your own reading by me here. š
I made this spread for myself earlier today, I know itās not very intricate but it is after all for the busy bee. š This spread is made with the intent to get a quick answer to a new project and shine some light on a new idea! I, for instance, havenāt been able to decide if itās really worth the risk to drop another $200 on investing in my shop, this deck helped me narrow down my idea list to the best.Ā šĀ
The First Card: How the deck or deity you are speaking to feels about the over-all idea. This helps them show their approval, concern, etc.
The Second Card: This is their best advice to you to make things go smoothly. Whether itās how to make the idea succeed, something you could change or maybe how to remove yourself from it entirely, it is theirĀ advice, you do not have to take it.
The Third Card: What they suggest you donāt do! This is what they want you to avoid, this is how you stay out of harms way. If you can avoid this perhaps you can make it to your end goal more smoothly.
The Fourth Card: The final outcome, what happens if you do or donāt listen to the cards – it all depends on how you read them.
You can see some of my readings and spreadshereand you can get your own reading by me here. š
teakepp 