Tomorrow, January 25th, is the Full Moon in Leo. We’re also nearly complete the first month in our Collective Year 8. Both of these things share something in common and that’s their association to Strength in tarot (Justice in some decks, but we’ll get to that). Given the heavy influence this card will have on us for 2024, we thought it would be helpful to dig beyond the keywords and the basic correspondences to get to the root of what it really has to offer.

We think in this case, it all boils down to energy (just like everything else, we suppose!). But, how does that apply practically? Well, it applies because as unlimited as energy actually is, we all (at least at times) struggle to tap into it, maintain it and use it effectively. If that weren’t true, we'd be powerful beyond measure and this article would be a moot point!

You know we love to play “link the cards” over here (see 78 Connections). The other day we were exploring a reading and we were reminded of a certain little detail that pops up in 4 of the 78 cards, 3 of which are majors. We touched on this briefly in a post we did sometime back exploring the symbolism of The Fool. The detail in question is, of course, the red feather.

The red feather can be seen on the heads of The Fool, Death and the child in The Sun. It can also be seen on the Page of Wands, and likely carries many of the same themes that we’ll be looking at, but for the purpose of this post, we’ll be sticking to just the Majors.

Today (Wednesday the 13th) is the Full Moon in Capricorn and in light of this, we’ve been reflecting on the sign, its ruling planet (Saturn) and the tarot card associated with it (The Devil).

What can those three aspects show us and how can we engage with them to get the most of this full moon?

In Tarot, there are inevitably cards that challenge us more than others. These cards often do so because they are misunderstood, triggering on some level, are visually off-putting, or have some negative attribution(s) applied to them.

Last month, after taking a poll online, we wrote a post Challenging The Hierophant. In that piece, we explored some of the conceptions surrounding the card, what is known of its origin, and then offered ways to integrate and make peace with its energy. Following that, we asked what other cards were difficult to make sense of, and Judgement came out on top.

There are certain cards that repel us more than others - maybe because we don’t like their message in relation to the question we’ve asked, or because we don’t quite grasp the concepts they represent, or they just seem too “out there” - not at all relatable to everyday life.

The other day we opened up a poll asking others what card challenged them most, giving 4 options to choose from, as follows: Judgement, The Hierophant, The Tower, and The Hanged Man. I can’t say I was surprised that The Hierophant rose above the rest, even if it wasn’t by any huge margin. But what specifically about The Hierophant put it in top place? Why do we find this particular archetype so difficult, and what can be done to reconcile this?

This is the fourth edition of our series “Reading In The Flow: Cards in Combination”. If you’re new to the series (can be found via Resources), “Reading In The Flow” is a term I use to describe taking a bird’s eye view of a spread in order to observe all the ways in which the cards interact.

Similar to the last combination, I will be working with my partner Tim to break down the possibilities within a set of 3 cards. We will explore elemental distribution, note-worthy observations, how the cards Qabalistically correlate, and what the message may be with all things considered.

The three cards we’ll be using for today’s exercise came about through “random” shuffle. They are the 7 of Swords, 5 of Cups, and The Hierophant. I have arranged them sequentially in a horizontal manner and have not ascribed a question or positional meanings. This is a general reading where the cards are meant to be read in tandem.

Similar to the last time, I am asking readers to take a step back and observe the landscape at large. Consider what is similar about the cards, what is different, how they interact, what the figures are posturing, the colours, repeated imagery or anything else that stands out! There are no right or wrongs in this approach. Bring in any elements you personally work with (numbers, astrology etc.) whether I’ve mentioned them or not. This isn’t about guessing what I’m going to see, it’s about expanding your own unique vision. So, take a look at the image below, and using the prompts above, note what you observe!

I have never, in all my years of reading tarot, been a daily drawer. To me, it felt too burdensome to commit to, but another part of me just disliked the idea of starting the day off with some kind of definition. It’s all fun and games when you’re pulling The Sun, but for a morning to begin with The Tower just felt like a bunch of unnecessary anxiety.

I realize there are lots of ways to approach the daily draw that could have circumvented these concerns, but I also hadn’t been inspired to seek alternatives. That is until I finished T. Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets at the beginning of April. While the book is intended to illuminate the decan associations in tarot, it included many of her own daily card reflections and this got my wheels turning. Maybe I didn’t have to make this so personal. Maybe instead of approaching daily pulls as a “what can I expect today?” I would be better suited to approach them as a “what card am I bound to learn more about today?”. In this way, the teaching can take any form! Maybe it’s a stray thought, a conversation I overhear, a movie I watch, something in the news. And of course, it could also be something more direct, but it doesn’t HAVE to be and that’s an important distinction. So essentially, when I’m doing these draws now it’s like this: Don’t tell me something about me - tell me something about YOU!

This is the third edition of our series “Reading In The Flow: Cards in Combination”. If you missed the first two posts (can be found via Resources), “Reading In The Flow” is a term I use to describe taking a bird’s eye view of a spread in order to observe all the ways in which the cards interact.

Similar to the last combination, I will be working with my partner Tim to break down the possibilities within a set of 3 cards. We will explore elemental distribution, note-worthy observations, how the cards Qabalistically correlate, and what the message may be with all things considered.

The three cards we’ll be using for today’s exercise came about through “random” shuffle. They are The Emperor, the 8 of Cups, and the 2 of Cups (again!). I have arranged them sequentially in a horizontal manner and have not ascribed a question or positional meanings. This is a general reading where the cards are meant to be read in tandem.

Similar to the last time, I am asking readers to take a step back and observe the landscape at large. Consider what is similar about the cards, what is different, how they interact, what the figures are posturing, the colours, repeated imagery or anything else that stands out! There are no right or wrongs about this approach. Bring in any elements you personally work with (numbers, astrology etc.) whether I’ve mentioned them or not. This isn’t about guessing what I’m going to see, it’s about expanding your own unique vision. So, take a look at the image below, and using the prompts above, note what you observe!

When it comes to numbers, there are endless ways to approach their significance as it relates back to tarot. The first layer involves having a basic understanding of the spiritual significance of numbers as a way to further understand each card. The second layer involves various calculations to make better sense of your landscape at large i.e. adding up all the numbers and reducing to a single frequency.

But how else can numbers play a role (even intentionally) in the way we approach our practice? Below, I will share 3 techniques to help you incorporate the power of numbers into your work. Please note that at the end of this article I have shared a quick reference chart that addresses number meanings.

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..

Dreams are one of the most interesting things to me. I’ve written about sleep states here in the past and it’s a theme that comes up over and over again on my Instagram as well.

Today, my partner and I did some brainstorming and came up with a few tarot spreads to assist with dream interpretation, which we hope will enable seekers to explore their dreams in different ways. One is very general, one focuses on symbols and one explores our complexes and patterns. We felt this covered a broad enough range of approaches for most dreamers. I would encourage you to use your intuition or understanding of the dream to determine which spread makes the most sense to use. Or try a couple!

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.

Welcome to my first ever (but hopefully now annual) Holiday Gift Guide for mystics, seekers and lovers of all things metaphysical! In this post, I’ve going to share with you some incredible, unique, beautiful and affordable offerings from around the web and throughout the globe. I know it’s still pretty early, but the holidays do tend to sneak up on us every year. And now that Halloween is officially wrapped, it’s time to start shifting gears.

I want to waste no time, so let’s get to it. Some of the features in this list are very specific products, some are links to full stores or an artist’s larger body of work, but all are pure magick. Please enjoy the selection below which focuses specifically on small business as opposed to big box - hopefully it will inspire you for the upcoming holiday season!

This is part three of the Delivering A Memorable Email Reading series. You can also go back and read Part One and Part Two if you wish. In the first installment, we focused on tools and techniques to ensure your clients get the most of the reading. In the second installment, we turned the tables to examine practices that will help you get the most of your services as a reader. Today, we'll be talking about ways to sustain your practice and ensure you're maximizing your time and energy. This is critical to examine because if you're not being mindful of your own reserves, your product and ability to deliver will inevitably suffer.

Similar to the advice in Part 2, I learned a lot of this through trial and error. For this reason, I am hopeful I can condense what took me years to sort through in such a way that we can shorten your learning curve and give you some food for thought.

P.S. This post has been updated to include a more complete worksheet. All links to the older worksheet have updated below to include the new material.

This post includes a downloadable resource: Flexing Your Cards - Exercise Sheet.

No, this isn't a post about how to get the most of your workout routine with the aid of tarot - though I'm sure it wouldn't be above their ability to assist with this either! When I talk about flexing, what I'm describing is a method of reading that allows you to bend and mold the card's standard meaning to fit the specific question being asked. Whether it be love, career, personal development, passion projects or anything else, a single tarot card can and should be able to provide suitable guidance, if you can adjust your lens ever so slightly. 

Of course, there are some cards that seem to speak fluent love or finances, but even if not; even if the card seems to be themed in an entirely different direction, doesn't mean it can't give you the answer you're looking for. You just need to know how to look at the card.

The other day, I was playing around with my method for reading probability, when I found myself asking not if something would or wouldn't happen, but what the pros and cons would be, should it occur. In that moment, I began contemplating methods to simply construct a spread that would tackle this sort of inquiry, and that was when this method for weighing pros and cons was born. It is inspired both by my "yes/no/maybe so" system and decision making method for reading the cards.

The idea behind weighing the pros and cons is that with most of what we experience and pursue in life, there are ups and downs. Sometimes those ups and downs are of equal impact, and many times the situation skews one way or another. If you're trying to determine the ups and downs or pros and cons or something, whether that be embarking on a new path, leaving a current relationship or having a difficult conversation - keep reading; this method is for you.

Preface: If you've found this article (or others) helpful, or have enjoyed the resources that I create, please consider joining me on Patreon. Even at $1 a month you are helping me sustain my work here while also unlocking access to content that has never been and will never be published in this space. Thanks!

Full disclosure - I am of the camp that believes Justice has found it's proper place as the 11th Arcana, though I know there are many who prefer it as the 8th and I am sure there are plenty of valid reasons why that makes sense. However, I'm here to discuss one of the reasons why the latter resonates more with me, and that is because in the 11th spot, based on numerology, it vibrates in line with The High Priestess.

While on the surface, Justice and The High Priestess appear to have little in common, I actually consider these cards to be two sides of the same coin and the secret to reading the tarot. A bit of a bold claim I suppose, but stay with me and we'll get to that...before we do though, let's explore the visual similarities and differences.