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Self: Page of Pentacles
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
The wise apprentice merges willingly with his new profession.
The card in the Self position reveals aspects of how you perceive yourself right now.
With the Page of Coins (in some decks, a Princess) in this position, you are typified as a person who is reinventing her or himself to create a better fit with a chosen profession. The wise apprentice shapes him or herself to the needs of the work and embraces a lifestyle, not just a job description. This requires a certain amount of contemplation and study, not to mention the actual physical experience of getting in there and wrestling with your medium until you become adept at it. As you master the skills and techniques as well as the laws and rules of your trade or profession, you create value in yourself and a niche for yourself in your field.
GENERAL MEANING
This card is traditionally entitled the Page, but in some modern decks appears as a Princess. This card's energy has to do with learning about compound interest and abundance. Her attention is focused on learning the natural laws that pertain to natural synergies.
Whether the learning is about growing vegetables, the stock market or culturing new medicines in the lab, this Page wants to understand the underlying mechanism that supports the creation of results and abundance.
You may see this person in the position of the attendant or junior partner, but that is only a current appearance. That demeanor of humility or servitude will soon enough disappear, as her sense of mastery increases. By studying the example of those around her, successful and unsuccessful, she is building a game plan that will lift her from obscurity and make her successful in her own right. She just has to collect the necessary education and experience, which she is doing right now.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Self position reveals aspects of how you perceive yourself right now.
The Self position represents your personal identity in the Now -- the only real point of power. It's not about you in an objective sense, but rather a reflection of how you perceive yourself. It points to an aspect of your self-image, outside of how others might see you.
Consider the meaning of the card that lands here in light of your inner experience, your personal perspective about yourself and the issues you bring to this reading. Who are you? What kind of attitude or energies are affecting you right now? What do you want? It's not always easy to know yourself. Clarity about values and roles is essential for skillful behavior. Values evolve, but don't be too attached to roles -- they can change.
Your attitude is of primary importance here because, more than anything, it supports a capacity for happiness, success and love. How are you contending with fears that arise? What aspect of yourself is in need of development here? Is there any attitude that may be in need of change?
The way you perceive yourself may prove to be accurate or inadequate as the reading unfolds. You may want to take a second look at this position at the end of the spread.
Situation: Queen of Pentacles
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
You have it in you to see what needs to get done. Now is the time to become organized and use your skills as a manager.
The card that lands in the Situation position refers to social or circumstantial factors which could be affecting your life at this time.
When the Queen of Coins is in this position, you are being called upon to help steer a collective enterprise. Summon forth the manager within you or obtain the assistance of someone who has natural management ability.
Perceive what needs to be done, the order in which it should be administered and the amount of staff the project requires. It is time to be organized and energetic.
This effort will not only benefit you personally. Just as importantly, it will support the well being of those you are involved with.
GENERAL MEANING
Traditionally, representing the energy of a Queen, this feminine guardian is endowed with enormous good sense and problem solving energy, but she is not particularly entrepreneurial. She loves to advise, encourage, and empower those she gets involved with, studying their problems with them and setting them up to solve them. Traditionally, she was pictured as the Sibyl or Oracle, perhaps a Tarot reader, who made herself available to people in need, no matter what their social class or situation. In modern times, she will be found educating, healing, managing disaster aid programs or a charitable drive of some sort.
In every case, she does not see the benefits that exist in her life as belonging solely to her. She feels the needs of her people and will spend freely of her time, energy, skills, money to see that nobody is left out. For this, and because she likes to work in an atmosphere of beauty, enjoyment and abundance, she is sometimes accused of being extravagant. But she works hard, and she sees no reason to deny herself the rewards of a job well done. Everyone who comes in contact with her feels enriched by her enjoyment in living.
MEANING of POSITION
The card that lands in the Situation position refers to social or circumstantial factors which could be affecting your life at this time.
The Situation position provides a general context for your question -- the set and setting, the politics, whatever is going on around you that might be impacting the situation or issue you are consulting the Tarot about. This card could apply to a specific drama or dilemma that you are now confronted with.
Consider this card in light of the issues, people, and forces shaping your environment, your current circumstances. This position also refers to that which is true from the start -- i.e. the hand you were dealt.
Consider the set of influences that surround you and affect your personal life. Take a look at how you have been wandering down your chosen path. Our experience is naturally affected by external factors and cycles, the ups and downs of the times. This card can offer clues as to skillful adjustments you might make.
Challenges/ Opportunities: Four of Swords
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Escape to your sanctuary to do some necessary internal work.
The card that lands in the Challenges/Opportunities position refers to ways that you can turn obstacles into stepping stones.
The Four of Swords in this position urges you to find a place and time for quiet reflection. You are probably overstimulated, having made yourself too indispensable. This card represents the tribal, familial or cultural qualities passed to you by your ancestors that mark and define you, that make you the unique individual you are.
Acknowledge how much you have neglected your inner life and resolve to budget time and energy to tend to this vault of treasures. We need to get away from the outer life occasionally to do an internal audit, to create a new strategy, or to envision alternative paths. Without a retreat into quiet time, you cannot expect to marshal our very best resources for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Break away from your preoccupations and find a "cave" for the internal work which may be crucial to emerging developments.
GENERAL MEANING
A Four in this suit sends a message to take some time out, surrendering worldly concerns and retreating to a sheltered place of serenity away from the hustle and bustle. The oldest Tarot card images suggest a visit to the tombs of our ancestors, a place to contemplate your mortality and breathe in the dust of those who brought you here.
A vision quest or pilgrimage to one's own center allows us to contemplate our roots, values and goals. Here you will see your place in the flow of time ... and unfolding generations.
MEANING of POSITION
The card that lands in the Challenges/Opportunities position refers to ways that you can turn obstacles into stepping stones.
The Challenges/Opportunities position helps you get the best out of your situation. It reflects the cutting edge in the situation, the learning curve whereby you can turn adversity into accomplishment -- using creativity and a positive attitude.
This card can point to recurring themes in the challenges you have faced in your life -- and to opportunities that may yet present themselves. Can you think of any patterns which are returning to affect you now? If so, try to recall how you have reacted in the past. Perhaps you can see new potentials, while noticing the hidden pitfalls too. Can you imagine a different way of responding to the situation this time around?
The wisdom of this card can help you turn surprises into strengths, blind spots into windows of opportunity. Bring creativity and flexibility to the way you go about your way in the world. Your expanding capacity will become an asset and source of inspiration to all.
Foundation: The Magician
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Your talent for putting things together in new combinations makes you a resourceful and enjoyable person to be around.
The card in the Foundation position points to influences from your personal history, your roots and background.
You have witnessed or directly enjoyed the fruits of creative, associative thinking. It has become more natural for you to question assumptions, to move the pieces around and see if they can form a different pattern. You like to experiment with what is around you to see what you can create.
Your talents stand you in good stead. You can inspire others to loosen up, go with the flow and explore more options. Keep up the good work.
GENERAL MEANING
Traditionally, the Magus is one who can demonstrate hands-on magic -- as in healing, transformative rituals, alchemical transmutations, charging of talismans and the like. A modern Magus is any person who completes the circuit between heaven and Earth, one who seeks to bring forth the divine 'gold' within her or himself.
At the birth of Tarot, even a gifted healer who was not an ordained clergyman was considered to be in league with the Devil! For obvious reasons, the line between fooling the eye with sleight of hand, and charging the world with magical will was not clearly differentiated in the early Tarot cards.
Waite's image of the Magus as the solitary ritualist communing with the spirits of the elements -- with its formal arrangement of symbols and postures -- is a token of the freedom we have in modern times to declare our spiritual politics without fear of reprisal. The older cards were never so explicit about what the Magus was doing. It's best to keep your imagination open with this card. Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by evolutionary forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Foundation position points to influences from your personal history, your roots and background.
The Foundation position points to influences from your personal history, your roots and background -- factors which are important for you to reconnect with or examine. This is the storehouse of memory and belief systems which you inherited.
There can be limiting beliefs, but there can also be much value in collective knowledge and other forms of wealth which get passed down.
A review of how things have evolved to the present will help you gain clarity and perspective. In any lineage, there are assumptions about roles, identity and authority that can govern its structure for years.
Sometimes these dynamics are functional and healthy, supporting and encouraging both individual and group development. Sometimes these structures are constrictive to the point of becoming deadening and cry out for change. Let this card inspire you to view the present from a historical perspective. A new way of looking at things may result.
Recent Past: The Devil
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Passionate energy expresses itself. Now what?
The card in the Recent Past position refers to events that are just departing, recently influential but now diminishing in power.
The Devil card in this position suggests that some events had gotten more out of control than you ever imagined. This doesn't necessarily mean that a terrible thing has happened, just that there has been an abundance of raw energy. This could turn out well or badly, depending upon how well you are able to channel the passions.
Reevaluate what you expect of yourself and where you can take this situation. Look at the big picture and determine what outcome you would like to see happen, then energetically promote it. If you are not tenacious and proactive, you will be swept away. You have a better opportunity than others around you to harness this energy.
GENERAL MEANING
What has traditionally been known as the Devil card expresses the realm of the Taboo, the culturally rejected wildness and undigested shadow side that each of us carries in our subconscious. This shadow is actually at the core of our being, which we cannot get rid of and will never succeed in taming. From its earliest versions, which portrayed a vampire-demon, this card evoked the Church-fueled fear that a person could "lose their soul" to wild and passionate forces.
The image which emerged in the mid-1700's gives us a more sophisticated rendition -- that of the "scapegoated Goddess," whose esoteric name is Baphomet. Volcanic reserves of passion and primal desire empower her efforts to overcome the pressure of stereotyped roles and experience true freedom of soul. Tavaglione's highly evolved image (Stella deck) portrays the magical formula for harnessing and transmuting primal and obsessive emotions into transformative energies. As a part of the Gnostic message of Tarot, this fearsome passion and power must be reintegrated into the personality, to fuel the soul's passage from mortal to immortal.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Recent Past position refers to events that are just departing, recently influential but now diminishing in power.
The Recent Past position refers to events that are just departing, recently influential but now diminishing in power. Like it or not, what's done is done -- what has happened cannot be changed or deleted.
Often what appears here is the precipitating event or realization that brought you to the situation you are seeking guidance about now. Look to this card to provide a little perspective on factors that brought you into the present situation.
Higher Power: Three of Cups
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Acknowledge the goodness of life.
The card in the Higher Power position reflects the broader perspective and influence of your conscience, Guardian Angel, inner wisdom.
When the Three of Cups comes up in this position, you are being blessed with a period of relaxation and comfortable expansion. You are enjoying effortless growth that comes from feeling secure and natural. You know yourself to be a wanted child in a benign universe. Your ego, subconscious body-mind and spiritual self are harmonizing in a warm embrace.
All this is evolving within an almost effortless moment of awakening. Your total being agrees: "I am loved and give love in return. A lot of things work out well for me. I'm so grateful and I love to share it." What a wonderful awareness!
GENERAL MEANING
The Three of this suit is often entitled Consent, or simply Yes. This card resonates with a spirit of agreement, mutual support, encouragement and teamwork.
Often pictured as three women celebrating their connectedness in a dance with lifted cups, it could also be called "sisterhood," a real mutual admiration society. It points to all the benefits of harmonious relationship.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Higher Power position reflects the broader perspective and influence of your conscience, Guardian Angel, inner wisdom.
The Higher Power position points to your larger Self -- beyond personality and roles -- which knows and holds your best intentions, your hopes and aspirations. This position gives you a soaring bird's eye view, serving as a reminder of the essential meaning of your life -- your relationship with your Soul.
Enjoy this moment to savor the larger view of your struggles and their value toward your growing ability to give and receive love freely.
The card in this position is a mirror of your conscience, the part of you that needs to see you living up to what you know is right, and holding others to that as well. This is the influence of your better nature, your inner wisdom -- call it "the Oversoul" or "Guardian Angel," if you like.Your self-respect depends upon keeping a good relationship with this Mature Self, the Witness Who Is Not Fooled.
In general, this card is trying to stimulate a broader perspective on your life adventure -- by referencing the spiritual, or karmic, aspects.
Near Future: Three of Swords
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Overcome your fears and find a more positive definition of your current situation. The worth of your life is not dependent on any other person's view of you.
The card in the Near Future position indicates which way the wind is blowing with regard to your situation. If you follow the Advice card, however, you can improve on or neutralize tendencies.
With the Three of Swords in this position, you must steel yourself for the possibility of being alone for awhile. Associations and situations, even good, long-standing ones, will sometimes diverge. Different parties may need to work out their own destinies independently, even for a period of time. Realize that there is no blame if you must withdraw and retrench alone. Be willing to stand apart from others, regardless of whatever approval or solidarity you may experience with them.
Defining an independent stance may bring about appreciation from those you care about. But it may also result in rejection and judgment. If you experience the latter, steady yourself by concentrating on your prime motive, mission or vision. If you are carrying out a worthy mission, you will be vindicated by the results, and history will be the judge. An attitude of independence and mental toughness will be necessary in your near future.
GENERAL MEANING
Traditionally, the Three of Swords signified separation or the breakup of a significant relationship, including the tragic emotions that come along with such an event. Some cards show the horizon filled with storm clouds and flashing lightning.
The positive side of this card would be the ending of draining or frustrating associations, to become free again. One message this card brings is to cut some things loose. In spite of sentimental memories and emotional attachments, we need to let go of relationships that either cannot live up to their promise or have outlived the pleasure and support we once found in them.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Near Future position indicates which way the wind is blowing with regard to your situation. If you follow the Advice card, however, you can improve on or neutralize tendencies.
The Near Future position points ahead to the natural consequences of actions you are now or will soon be taking. This card can give you a sense of which direction the wind is blowing. It may refer to the whole situation or merely to one aspect that is front and center for you right now. This is the card of impending events but remember -- you still have power to shape the way things turn out!
This is about what could happen soon -- following the dynamics of your attitude and natural temperament. This is not cast in stone, however. If you follow the Advice card you can improve on or neutralize difficult probabilities that may be indicated.
Blocks & Inhibitions: Ten of Pentacles
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Be forward-looking; concentrate on being progressive and optimistic.
The card in the Blocks position points to self-undermining tendencies, areas where you could be in denial, where you could get stuck -- unless you examine yourself and make some corrections.
When the Ten of Coins falls in this position, you may be tempted to use your power aggressively, taking advantage of your position in the hierarchy to discipline others. But whether it involves some enterprise or a relationship, this is not an effective way to use your considerable talents and energies.
Try emphasizing the positive, encouraging and rewarding what is evolutionary, proactive and optimistic. By supporting what will work, you won't have to waste energy penalizing what is negative -- it will whither from lack of attention. You will create a larger sphere of influence that way and actually gain more control over the situation.
GENERAL MEANING
The Ten of this suit represents the final result of cumulative efforts -- perhaps after generations of effort -- resulting in such abundance that it directly and indirectly supports a lot of people. One layer of meaning refers to the pride of supporting your own lineage of well-loved souls.
Imagine a flow of resources so abundant that you are filled not only with pride but also self-respect and gratitude. Such bounty can impact the destiny of many families and generations. Nobility obligates its possessors, and the obligation must be passed down from generation to generation along with the abundance and freedom.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Blocks position points to self-undermining tendencies, areas where you could be in denial, where you could get stuck -- unless you examine yourself and make some corrections.
The Blocks and Inhibitions position helps you be aware of the tapes you play in your head that may be perpetuating obstacles to your success. What kinds of negative messages, self-doubt or paranoid fantasies descend upon you from time to time?
Don't let them undermine your ability to be who you are and to contribute. Examine them and give them a name, and identify them as separate from you (imagining them as little demons can help). This will increase your dominion over them.
This card may point to self-undermining tendencies, areas where you could be in denial, where you can get stuck, where you might get in your own way unless you examine yourself and make the necessary corrections. It easy to blame other people for frustrations that we really have with limitations we have put on ourselves.
Allies: King of Cups
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
A respected elder and possible benefactor has taken an interest in you.
The card in the Allies position points to people who can be supportive or helpful to you at this time.
The King of Cups in this position suggests the presence of someone in your environment who is positively disposed toward you and has good hunches, intuitions and advice for you. Investigate this relationship so you have all the information you need -- the guidance, support and insight you don't personally possess.
The King of Cups is a perfect patron for your work because he has no competing agenda of his own and excellent motives toward you. Trust him and listen to him. Open your heart and mind to what he (or she) has to say, then adjust your course accordingly.
GENERAL MEANING
Traditionally, representing the energy of a King, this card usually portrays a watery background, with a man seated on a throne, holding the Cup of Mystery in his hand. Occasionally, his cup is fulminating like the mouth of a volcano, emanating light, but never boiling over.
The man on this card doesn't need to speak to communicate strength, passion and commitment. Sometimes he is robed like a priest or shaman. Intense and intuitive, he is a force to be reckoned with.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Allies position points to people who can be supportive or helpful to you at this time.
The Allies position represents one or more people who can form a sort of psychic safety net for you. It could point to a support group or an advisor, who could help you put both your positive and negative past experiences into perspective, to shed some light on how you might proceed now.
Whether or not the counselor indicated is alive or deceased , their role modeling and shared insights could provide useful inspiration right now. Try to remember what you have been advised.
An underlying message is that you don't have to go through this alone!
Advice: Queen of Swords
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Make your own decisions. Exercise as much independence as you know you can handle.
The card in the Advice position suggests a course of action which will harmonize what you want with what is currently possible.
The Queen of Swords in this position advises that you refrain from remaining dependent on others at this time. Instead of placing too much confidence in the promises people have made, harbor only those ambitions you know you can accomplish yourself.
The Queen of Swords does not want to wait and see what others would think, say or do. She knows what she wants and how to get it. She doesn't ask permission or even subject herself to much influence. There are times in life when no one can take care of you as well as you can. Leave sentimentality behind and take action. Make important decisions for yourself because it's up to you. You are the final judge.
GENERAL MEANING
Representing the energy of a Queen, this feminine power was traditionally known as a widow, crone or divorcee. In modern times, she can be viewed as a model of self-sufficiency, independence and intelligence. She often has extremely high standards due to her subtle sensitivities, which can be perceived by those around her as being critical or hard to please. Her true motive is to refine the world, to upgrade peoples' understanding -- so that everyone can have the space they need to become fully themselves.
She is not interested in conforming. She is too intelligent to be confined to the role of housewife or nursemaid, although she is perfectly competent in those areas. She chooses her associations (or her solitude), and is seldom caught up in dependent relationships -- at least not for long. Her intelligence is not always the most comfortable to be around, but she can be counted on to see through superficiality and point to the truth of a situation.
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Advice position suggests a course of action which will harmonize what you want with what is currently possible.
The Advice position may present a new option or direction, based on a different perspective on what could be helpful to you at this time. There may be a resource you have not accessed or a new point of view that opens your eyes to a solution or remedy you hadn't considered before. Or this card may simply reaffirm something you are already doing or planning on doing. It could even reframe the "problem" in a different manner altogether!
There may be one particular aspect of your life that needs attention. This could be an attitude, an unconscious habit, or some element of the environment that is impacting the way you take care of your relationships.
By adjusting your next move to take the message of this card into consideration, you are more likely to achieve better results. Yet there are times when even the concept of "doing" is too much. Contemplate this card from the viewpoint of possible avenues for action, if any. Then just let yourself flow gently along those lines.
Long-term Potential: Two of Wands
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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
A coming decision is crucial to your future; imagine where you would like to be and steer the process.
The card in the Long-term Potential position points to unknowns still taking shape. It is the "wild card" yet to be played.
The Two of Wands in this position points out the crucial importance of a coming decision that will affect your life for years to come. It is now necessary to use your keenest insight and most compelling self-examination, because you will live with this decision for a long time.
Imagine the role you wish to play and visualize where you want to go. Take careful action to stay on course. You've only just started on this journey but your intuition, which you must pay close attention to, already understands the potential.
GENERAL MEANING
This suit, most often called "Wands" and sometimes called "Rods" or "Staves," represents initiative, ambition, drive and desire. This is the suit of enterprise and risk-taking.
The Two in this suit, often portrayed as crossed wands, imply a deadlock due to energies working at cross-purposes. This could refer to an internal split -- perhaps a duel between optimistic and pessimistic parts of your psyche, for example -- or some situation where you feel "damned if you do, damned if you don't." This could be a standoff with another person or rubbing up against limitations that are currently imposed upon you.
This card points to the possibility of creeping self-doubt -- the kind that arises in a situation where one has bitten off more than one can chew. Give yourself a moment to take in the full implications of your situation. Find your bearings again before launching back into action. Deal with real concerns now -- before they become regrets!
MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Long-term Potential position points to unknowns still taking shape. It is the "wild card" yet to be played.
The card in the Long-term Potential position reveals probabilities and possible long-term results of the path you are going down. Because this card reflects the far future, you have time to consider if this is really the outcome you want to cultivate.
The deep future contains unknown factors still taking shape. This card can give clues as to the nature of these factors and the long-term result of this relationship. It can also reveal a "wild card" still to be played before all is said and done.
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