This is the second edition of what I hope to be a regular feature on this site - Reading In The Flow: Cards in Combination. If you missed the first post, “Reading In The Flow” is a term I use to describe taking a bird’s eye view of a spread to observe all the ways in which the cards interact.

Earlier in the week, I shared the first post in this series which looked at The Tower, the 8 of Swords, and the 10 of Pentacles in combination. Today, with the help of my partner Tim, we will be breaking down another 3 cards in combination. I’m pulling Tim into this because a) we love to look at this stuff together and b) he brings a depth of knowledge that will allow for some advanced exploration and another layer of understanding.

The three cards we’ll be using for today’s exercise came by way of a suggestion on Instagram. They are The Hierophant, The High Priestess, and the 2 of Cups. I have arranged them in triangle formation like last time and have not ascribed a question or positional meanings. This is a general reading where the cards are meant to be read in tandem.

When it comes to reading cards, I get most excited by taking a step back and assessing the landscape as a whole. I’ve typically called this technique “Reading In The Flow” as it allows one to get out of the details of a singular image and instead, observe how the cards interact with one another. I have taught courses on these techniques in the past, shared plenty of resources and written in depth about how I apply this method in my own practice.

Recently, I disassembled one of my free resources to give myself an opportunity to reflect on my reading style and update the approaches detailed in the document.

One way I want to bring this back though, is to start writing more on the blog about the practical application of this style of reading - a style I of course did not invent, but which has become a staple to my practice.

So here is the first of what I hope to be many segments to feature the Reading In The Flow style. In these short posts, I will share three cards and then detail how I may read them in tandem. The cards I will be working with were selected at random by way of my standard shuffling method. I will share the picture first, allow readers to make their own assessments, and then highlight all of the pieces of the landscape that jumped out and what I think it may all mean.

For today’s exercise, we will be working with The Tower, the 8 of Swords and the 10 of Pentacles..

A year ago I made a post comparing the Wisdom of the Oracle cards to tarot cards as a way to better commit them to my memory bank. It worked well and I know that article has reached plenty of people, so I challenged myself to do the same with the Animal Spirit oracle.

I do this because as many of you know, I’m a much bigger fan of tarot than I am of oracle. And while I think these oracle decks can completely stand on their own and need no association to be used thoroughly, I can’t help but always look at things (oracle or otherwise) through a tarot-centric lens.

So please honour the deck as it was intended, but also use some of this insight to help you further understand and assimilate those meanings!

I also want to note that I am absolutely in LOVE with the animal spirit oracle deck by Kim Krans - author of the Wild Unknown. And I’ll even go on record to say that I avoided this deck for a long time because I didn’t actually think we’d get along. It was only one day when I was itching for a new deck and found myself in Indigo that I reached for the package and let’s just say, I’ve basically not put it down since.

And with that, let me share with you how I’ve compared each card. Perhaps if you’re more familiar with this deck than you are with tarot, this list may even help you understand tarot cards in a new way! Some of the associations were very obvious to me and some of them took some flexing on my part. Have a look after the cut and see what you think!

“If you want love and abundance in your life, give it away.” - Mark Twain

“If you love it, set it free”, “if it’s meant to be it will be”, “que sera sera” - just a sample of quotes that capture the essence of letting go for the greater good. This themes crops up many times across the tarot. Think, the 6 of Swords, the 8 of Cups, the dreaded Tower or even worse Death…to name but a few.

But the 4 of Pentacles gets a bit lost in this conversation, and I think is a generally speaking more difficult translation. But all we need to do is mind our protagonist’s body language to get to the heart of this card’s message. Sitting down, looking straight on, closed off, arms folded, tight grip - what can we conclude? The Pentacles in this case do not occupy negative space, they sit close to the body. This is the posturing of someone who is desperately afraid to lose what they’ve already acquired. But why? Maybe they don’t believe they deserve it? Maybe they fear that if it does slip away, they’ll never gain it back? Perhaps they’re not even sure if it’s theirs to begin with. It is both the depiction of someone who is protective and greedy. Someone who has placed great value on material possession, but understand that value may come from a place of fear and not superficiality.

I've been working with the Wisdom of the Oracle for awhile now and truthfully, it is the only oracle deck that I really consistently use - especially when I'm reading for others. While the aesthetic doesn't sing to my soul, what this deck does deliver for me is no-nonsense practical guidance and cards that are easy to interpret no matter what the question or situation. I don't think this deck is particularly hard to grasp, though the thing with oracle cards (unlike tarot) is that each deck is like a brand new system needing to be learned and that can feel daunting. 

One of the things that made it even easier to assimilate all those meanings was associating them back to tarot cards that I felt carried a very similar meaning, vibe or energy. So, if you're a tarot card reader and new to the Wisdom of the Oracle, I've compiled a quick tarot association cheat sheet. Hopefully you agree with the cards I've selected but with anything, some of these things can be personal and so I encourage you to explore and come to your own conclusions as well. (see chart after cut)

Hey All,

I am so thrilled to be taking part in this first ever International Tarot Day blog hop along with so many interesting, inspiring and diverse bloggers. I hope you enjoyed reading all about the 6 of Pentacles over on Heather's blog and in mine, we'll be tackling the more pensive 7.

The 7 of Pentacles to me is like the pause before fruition. This is why for many decks, you’re going to see the scene on this card depicting a sort of growth. In the traditional RWS, we see what I assume is a farmer reflecting on the work that’s so far been achieved - 7 coins blooming in a bushel representing the results of our labour.

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell

There is something unsettling about the 8 of Cups. Maybe it's because it's been stalking me for a solid year. Or maybe it's because whenever it shows up, it's a stark reminder that I'm still the fellow with his back to one life, though not fully entrenched in another; a kind of sort of between two worlds type of feel. Before I speculate on the true nature or intention behind the 8 of Cups, I first need to come to terms with why it makes me feel ill at ease.