General reading for a friend

After doing a personal reading for myself failed to calm me, I decided to move on to a reading that a friend of mine requested a couple of weeks ago.

She wanted a general reading. I'm not sure how serious she is about tarot, I honestly believe it was just the novelty of it that spurred her to ask for a reading, but I told her I would do one for her.

I used the Paulina Tarot, by Paulina Cassidy, and a 21 card Gypsy Magic spread. This spread is based on 7 columns, with 3 cards in each column. Each column is assigned a question, and the 3 cards tell a 'story' in answer to the question.

Column A : Her emotional state of mind...

Cards: 10 of Pentacles, Page of Wands, 2 of Cups

She has strong family ties and support. She is happy. She may be concerned about a parent or in law at this time. She is optimistic, and has high hopes. She may even be considering a career change at this time. She is experiencing emotional change with either a new relationshp of intensified feelings in an old relationship.

Column B: Her home life...

Cards: The World, 9 of Cups, 3 of Wands

She has reached a long time goal and is feeling a sense of completion in this area of her life. Her desires are fulfilled on the home front - she is satisfied with the material happiness and financial well being that she has achieved. Even though she is happy with where she is in life, she continues to set more goals for the future. She is ambitious, and there is much more that she wants.

Column C: Her present desires, hopes and questions...

Cards: The Star, Queen of Swords, High Priestess

She is seeking spiritual happiness and inspiration. She would like to tap into her hidden potential and psychological depths, if she could only find the time and the focus. She sometimes wonders what it would feel like to have some time to herself - to get back to who she really is beyond being a wife, mother and teacher.

Column D: Her expectations...

Cards: 6 of Pentacles, The Sun, Justice

She wants what she feels she deserves from life. There is a strong indication from these cards that she desires a promotion or change in her career. She wants to continue to help others, but she also wants success and self fulfillment. She wants recognition.

Column E: What she does not expect / surprises...

Cards: 6 of Wands, 10 of Cups, King of Wands

She will receive the recognition she deserves - again, these cards point towards a promotion or career change. She will be rewarded in all matters of love/emotion/family relationships and spiritual growth. She will become exactly who she wanted to be when she 'grew up'. She will receive sound advice from a mature male in her life - someone she doesn't expect to receive advice from. She will take this advice to heart, and it will help her achieve what she wants.

Column F: Her immediate future...

Cards: Ace of Wands, The Hermit, Ace of Swords

Lots of important things will happen fairly quickly. These cards indicate the start of a new venture or intellectual enterprise and new experiences - most likely something positive and rewarding will come out of something painful or bad. She will seek the advice of someone who is very important to her future...She will need their assistance to make an important decision. It may be a spiritual advisor, or a teacher - someone she will learn from.

Column G: Her outcome and long term prospects...

Cards: Queen of Wands, 7 of Swords, 8 of Swords

Again, career is at the top of the reading. A promotion or career change is imminent, and she will be very successful at this. She should beware of someone doing something underhanded or deceitful, or of being pushed into a corner where she has to do something underhanded or deceitful herself. She may feel trapped or stuck in a difficult situation, but she needs to keep in mind that her limitations may be self imposed, and if they are, she can extricate herself.

General personal reading

Since I'm doing an IDS with the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight (by Cristina Benidente), and I was trying to have a nice, low key, relaxed day because of problems with my blood pressure, I thought it would be a good afternoon to do a non specific reading for myself.

I am using Tarot of the Sweet Twilight for all personal readings while doing the IDS. This is a deck that I am really on the fence about, but since I know that something attracted me to this deck initially, I am trying to give it a fighting chance before I pass it on to someone else.

I must admit that the two personal readings I have done with this deck have been amazingly accurate, but I believe this is due to my own tarot knowledge and intuition, rather than my intuitive reading with the imagery in the deck!

Under normal circumstances, working with tarot calms me, so with the health problems I've been having, I chose to do a reading. I can't say that it calmed me, but it certainly was accurate for where I am today.

The spread was a 10 card spread, called the "Star Maiden Wheel". I am unsure of where I got this spread, but I believe it came from Aeclectic Tarot's spread folder.

Card 1: What is in my heart?

The card was the Knave of Wands.

I am consumed by receiving news regarding Pete's immigration/Visa. This is affecting me on so many different levels right now, including my racing hard and elevated blood pressure. This card represents the message I need to hear right now. It is all I can think of.

Card 2: How others view me...

The card was the King of Wands.

People see me as being in charge of myself and my life. I used to be that person, and no one really realizes how much I have changed, and how much the circumstances I have been in have caused me to change. Nothing is in my control anymore. I no longer feel strong.

Card 3: Where I have been...

The card was the 3 of Wands.

I drew another card for clarification, it was the Knight of Wands. (Funny, I rarely have wands in my own personal readings - this shows how much my life has transformed over the past few days/weeks.)

I have been in limbo, yet my circumstances have been constantly changing. I feel as if I've been spinning my wheels for the past 7 years, going nowhere and everywhere, all at the same time.

Card 4: My health...

The card was The Tower.

Not exactly a stress reliever, under any circumstances...But it is a true indication of my health at this time. I'm going to have to take care of myself and get my thoughts and emotions under control, before I crumble completely.

Card 5: Who I really am right now...

The card was the 10 of Swords.

I'm in such a dark place that I am not myself at all. I have hit rock bottom physically and mentally, and I'm on the verge of being seriously ill. I am very depressed, and my current situation is very depressing.

Card 6: My love...

The card was the Ace of Pentacles.

I need a chance to improve our situation and our life together as a family. I need to see a light at the end of the tunnel for us. We have a wonderful relationship - the kids and Pete and I...We just need the opportunity to stand on firm ground for once in our life as a family.

Card 7: My relationship with family and friends...

The card was The Chariot.

I've been balancing it all with my relationships for so long, and it's been completely out of my control. It's as if I chose one path and everyone else chose another. I just want to make that journey home and get back to my life, a life that includes my husband. I want to get back on course and regain control. Everything else will fall into place if I can do this. My friends and family are waiting for me.

Card 8: What I want...

The card was the 5 of Cups.

I want to feel hope and optimism. I want the pain and misery that we've all been through to end.

Card 9: Work situation...(I should have changed this one before starting the reading!)

The card was the 8 of Wands.

I want to go back to work. I want to go home. I want to do both quickly.

Card 10: Outcome...

The card was the Knave of Chalices.

I will soon receive happy emotional news that will enable me a sort of rebirth - a reprieve from the feelings I am having right now. My children will play a huge part in this.

Lunatic Spread with Deviant Moon Tarot

This spread was done for a querent considering a career change - one that will be risky but less demanding so that she can pursue her artistic talents on the side. She is concerned about leaving the more demanding job to seek other employment that will allow more time for her art, and rightfully so in the economic situation we are in these days.

I chose the Lunatic Spread and the Deviant Moon Tarot, by produced by Patrick Valenza.

The question was phrased as: "What will happen if nothing changes for the querent career wise?"

Card 1 represents the querent now.

The card was the King of Wands.

Her passion and creativity are telling her to do one thing, but her rational mind tells her otherwise. She is torn between following her heart and following her head.

Card 2 represents past influences regarding her current situation.

The card was the 5 of Wands.

She has had a struggle or conflict of some sort, and I strongly feel this was in the work place. This has made her uncomfortable with her current situation.

Card 3 represents her subconscious influences.

The card was the Page of Pentacles.

Money and success are your main concerns at this time. She would really like to continue her education as far as her art goes, but that's not even a consideration right now. Security is her main worry.

Card 4 represents her secret desires and wishes.

The card was the 3 of Pentacles.

She just wants to pursue her artistic side, and there isn't a card that would say it any plainer than that. She would love to be able to generate enough income through her skills, and she is talented enough to do so. She will eventually turn those dreams into reality!

Card 5 represents hidden forces, or obstacles.

The card was The Chariot.

She's worried about how much control she will actually have over her life if she follows her heart right now. She isn't sure she wants to give up the security that she has right now. She is at a crossroad, and has to make a choice now.

Card 6 represents events yet to come.

The card was the Wheel of Fortune

Things are going to change very soon, and they will change for the better. The change may happen very rapidly, and she may not have to do a thing. She will be entering a cycle of luck and good fortune, and her circumstances are going to improve.

Card 7 represents the surrounding environment.

This card was The Lovers.

Again, she has a choice to make, and this choice will play a very important role in her life. She's going to have to choose a direction to take, but this card in this position seems a bit more important than the job situation. So the choice may be regarding a relationship or family situation...

Card 8 represents the influence of others.

This card was the Ace of Wands.

I believe she has an excellent support system for whatever she chooses to do. Alot of people care for her deeply, and want nothing more than her happiness.

Card 9 represents the spiritual forces.

The card was the King of Swords.

There is an overwhelming amount of strong, controlling male influences showing up in this reading, and at this point, they are getting very hard to ignore. I feel as if there is an authority figure that is influencing her decision more than anything else, and he may be unaware of her spirituality.

Card 10 represents the outcome.

The card was The Emperor

I believe she will receive a job promotion, or find a better job soon. She will become exactly who she wants to be, and she will be well respected in the art world. She must act responsibly in order to obtain this.

This reading was very heavy on masculine energy. The Major Arcana cards and the court cards indicate that this matter must be handled very carefully, and the choices that she makes should be well thought out, because the effects of those choices will be profound. I got an overall impression of a controlling male influence that I was unable to shake throughout the reading. I'm not sure whether it was a father figure or not.

Career spread for clarification

This spread was done with the Paulina Tarot, by Paulina Cassidy.

It was done as a clarification spread for someone, after an initial spread regarding career choices was done a week ago. In my opinion, the initial spread told her what she needed to know, but she wanted to pursue the matter further. She recently lost her job, and is trying to determine whether to venture out on her own with a business, or seek employment with someone else. The initial spread encouraged her to seek a job working for someone else, while attempting to get her own business off the ground. I expected much the same from this spread.

I used a 9 card career spread posted on Aeclectic tarot by member Netzach. I really like this spread and will most likely use it again.

Out of 9 cards, 5 were Major Arcana cards, so this is a very significant answer for the querent.

Card 1 represents the querent, now.

The card was The Tower.

She recently lost her job, so at this point, she is feeling as if everything has tumbled around her. She suffered loss and a reversal in finances, and things have changed drastically.

Card 2 represents how the querent is feeling about the future now.

The card was The Empress.

She is concerned about her family and making the right choices in order to provide for them. She is feeling blocked right now because of emotional stress and financial worries.

Card 3 represents the direction she needs to go in.

The card was The Fool.

She wants to take a leap into the unknown, but deep down, she knows that this is not her best bet for security and success. Once again, I believe this card is cautioning the querent to be cautious about her choices. She shouldn't go with her heart at this point, she needs to be logical and rational and go with what her head is telling her. She stands to lose alot by making a poor decision right now based on poor judgement. She needs to act responsibly, and choose the most secure path at this point, which I believe is seeking employment elsewhere while working to build up her own business on the side.

Card 4 represents the obstacles she will face.

The card was the Queen of Cups.

Her emotions are interfering with her ability to make the right choice. She will need to pay special attention to her hunches and intuition at this time, and she should beware of the possibility that someone is trying to deceive her in some way - it may be simply by telling her what she wants to hear rather than what they truly believe.

Card 5 represents who she should accept advice from.

The card was the Ace of Swords.

As a person, this card represents someone in her life who is very logical and authoritative, and possibly very controlling. It may be someone who is affiliated with the legal system, or the medical profession in some way.

Card 6 represents who she should NOT accept advice from.

The card was The Hierophant.

With these two cards opposing each other, I get a very strong sense that this is a decision she should make alone, without any input from outside forces. As a person, The Hierophant could be a minister or a teacher, BUT, it could also be someone in a legal profession or medical profession, which is contradictory to the last card reflecting who she SHOULD take advice from. For this reason, I believe she should rely on herself alone to make this decision.

She knows deep down what needs to be done.

Cards 7, 8 and 9 represent a general assessment of what she should do.

The cards were The Sun, the Knight of Pentacles, and the Four of Wands.

These cards are telling her to do what is important to her, and what she finds rewarding, but she also needs to do what is realistic and will offer her hope and optimism for long term. This may mean delaying something that she really wants in order to achieve it. If she takes the best path (two jobs - working for someone else and for herself) she will be making slow and steady progress towards her ultimate goal of having her own business. It will all pay off in the end, even though it may not be what she wants right now. She will be insuring her long term success with the actions she takes today. It will be a stage of growth and development for her own business, which will eventually become a reality.