Category: Readings

Divined Advice – Momma worries

Hi Jen,

I’ve dabbled with the tarot quite a bit over the years and drew some cards asking about the energy between my son and a particular girl.  I drew 5 cards… all major arcana… does this mean big lessons? Past life connections? A bit intrigued as I have never drawn all major cards in a reading before, ever. 

I should have written everything down… but I do remember The Emperor, Death, and The Star. And I think the others were The Hierophant and Justice…which makes me nervous about him being in trouble? or maybe they will one day marry?  He is so young, and she is his best friend in school. They currently don’t see each other outside of school, but they text. I don’t think I can altogether put a stop to this because it may make it worse.  She doesn’t seem awful…lol. She lives in questionable area and hear things about the family…  Thought you may have insight. 

Meddling Momma Bear

 

Hi, MMB,

Thank you for sharing your situation with me! Let’s see what we can find out here.

From your own reading, pulling all major arcana cards tells me that this relationship will definitely bring major growth and life lessons. Your son is at the threshold of manhood, and how he learns to relate to women during these critical years will have a deep impact on how he approaches relationships as an adult. The Emperor and Death indicate to me that he’s learning how to be a man, leaving behind childhood and exploring what this new phase in his life means, and how he fits into it.

The Star is a card that often indicates a past-life connections and karmic lessons. There is hope and beauty. The Hierophant and Justice make me think that he is learning to navigate what tradition and society tells him about relationships between men and women, and what he actually perceives to be fair and balanced.

I pulled some cards for this situation, using one of my favorite simple 3-card spreads asking: What to do? What not to do? What’s the final insight/outcome?.

Divined Advice for MMB

Goodness gracious, look at all that fire and air! You’re right in thinking that if you try to prevent them from communicating, you will only be fanning the flames.

What to do? The Guardian of Fire. Offer encouragement, and be welcoming and open-hearted. Remember that we don’t choose the family we are born into, and that being of limited financial means doesn’t necessarily have negative bearing on the content of one’s character. Offer advice if your son asks for it, and keep an eye on the flames, so that they don’t burn destructively. Show him that you respect her, and he will in turn learn to respect her, and other women too.

What not to do? The Eight of Air reversed. Don’t try to stifle the communication between them, and encourage open dialogue with your son. Though he is your child, he is his own person, and he’s figuring out his agency and will. Listen to his reasoning and requests. “Because I said so” is not a good enough reason to restrict him anymore, he needs to understand why. And the reasons shouldn’t be based on unfounded fears or prejudice.

What’s the final outcome? The Six of Fire. I love this card here! This is a card of joyful celebration. It’s too far into the future to see clearly if these kids will end up getting married, but it does appear that this relationship will help them grow into well-balanced and successful adults, and it will bring them a lot of happiness. They encourage each other to succeed and do the right thing.

As always, I like to look at the bottom of the deck for the underlying energy, and here we have the reversed Nine of Air, which tells me that there’s a lot of uncalled-for worry. The card behind it is The Sun, reversed, which further advises you to lighten up, and to see that this will bring more joy than anything else, both for your son and his friend.

Trust that you’ve raised a smart young man, and offer encouragement and guidance. It’s all working for good! Namasté!

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Sample Relationship Reading: Paul

For: Paul

Spread: Based on the relationship spread found in Shadowscapes Tarot companion book, by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law & Barbara Moore

Deck: Osho Zen Tarot

Question: General Outlook

Card Position

Card Number

Card Name

1: Your Hope

9 of Clouds

Sorrow

2: Her Hope

XIII

Transformation

3: Relationship Strength

V

No-thingness

4: Your Fear

X

Change

5: Her Fear

7 of Fire

Stress

6: Relationship weakness

Page of Rainbows

Adventure

7: Final Insight

Page of Clouds

Mind

Ozho Zen Tarot is a registered trademark of Osho International.

Interpretation

The first card represents your hope for this relationship, and the 9 of Clouds tells me that you hope to be done shedding tears over your broken heart, you are tired of suffering in love. You feel your love and attention were “wasted” (though love is never really wasted!) in situations where it was not reciprocated.  But this feels different, and so, you dare to hope to be done suffering in love for good!

Her hope for this relationship is similar, she’s actually hoping that this will be a life-
transforming relationship, that all her bad luck will be behind her. She has also been badly hurt by rejection, but feels like this relationship is turning a new leaf in her life, or at least that’s what she’s hoping. A relationship like she’s never had before. The end of all the crap that came before, and the beginning of a completely new stage. (XIII: Transformation)

The greatest strength of this relationship is that it feels so full of possibilities and potential. You are both trying to jump in with both feet first, regardless of how burned you’ve been in the past. Seems you both have kind of an “it’s now or never” attitude about this, and are willing to put in the work towards making the relationship last. (V: No-Thingness).

Your greatest fear in this relationship is that you won’t know how to BE in a good relationship. You have spent so much of your life either alone or in bad relationship situations, that you are afraid that you won’t even recognize the real deal when you find it. You are very set in your ways, too, and you don’t want to have to change in order to make a relationship work, and you are afraid that she might want to change you. (X: Change)

Her greatest fear, on the other hand, is that you will try to control her too much, or that you will constantly want her to jump through hoops to “prove” her love to you. She’s afraid that she’ll end up spending all her energy trying to please you, but still you won’t think it’s good enough. It feels to me like she’s been in a situation where she was made to believe the guy was “doing her a favor” by being with her (real class act, that guy #sarcasm), and is afraid that it might happen again. (7 of Fire: Stress)

The greatest weakness in this relationship is that you are actually both very set in your ways, and may have a hard time shaking things up; you could fall into a comfortable routine that could get boring after a while. You’ll have to make it a point to inject fun things to do into your relationship, and even when making a point of it one or the other might be a bit hesitant, or even resistant to going along with it. (Page of Rainbows: Adventure)

The final card shows us the likely final outcome if things stay on the current track. I don’t believe in predestination, so if this final card isn’t too positive, I look at it as a warning, not an inevitability. In this case, it looks like both you and her are carrying so much emotional baggage, you may get caught up in your own heads in negative assumptions about one’s feelings towards the other. This can lead to a breakdown in communication, where she thinks you’re feeling one way, and you think she’s feeling another, and so you create a mountain out of a molehill, escalating tiny issues into big blowups.

The key to avoid this is to maintain open lines of communication. Speak compassionately to each other, remember that a kind word goes a long way. Always assume that the other person isn’t hurting you intentionally, rather they might be inadvertently pushing buttons that were put there by previous heartbreak. If she says or does something that hurt you, take a step back and a deep breath, and assume it was probably unintentional.  Kindly let her know how she made you feel. You may be surprised at her reaction.

There is definitely a lot of potential for healing for both of you in this relationship. I know it’s hard to let go of the past and “love like you’ve never been hurt before”, but that is precisely what is needed in order for true love to blossom. Allow yourself to be vulnerable with her, and she will do the same with you, and from this, intimacy and love will grow. Talk to each other, and err on the side of openness.

There are three major arcana (more powerful cards!) in this spread: Transformation, No-Thingness, and Change. It seems like there will be some conflict between you because of a fear of change in your part, note the play in between your biggest fear (Change), and her biggest hope (Transformation). Remember that we can only grow by allowing ourselves to change, and MAKING ourselves change for the better. It’s not easy, but it sure is rewarding!

The other major arcana shows up on the relationship’s strength position, while the relationship’s weakness position is taken by a minor arcana card. This tells me that, overall, this relationship is stronger than it is weak. Just like anything else worth doing, it will require work, so watch out for those potential pitfalls.

Good luck! My best wishes for you always 🙂

Note: I use the Osho Zen Tarot Deck for my readings, and make no claim of ownership of copyright. Osho Zen Tarot is copyrighted by Osho International Foundation
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Trending Card for week 1 of 2014: 5 of Fire

During my meditation tonight I had this idea for a series of blog posts, and figured, why not begin with it tonight? Saturday being the traditional end of the week and all that… though I reserve the right to post the Trending Card of the week on Sundays more often than not, considering it’s the end of the weekend, and a more fitting end to the week, in my opinion… but let’s not get caught up in semantics 😉

What is a trending card, you ask? Well, a lot of times it seems like a particular card shows up in the readings I do for people more often than others, for a period of time. Do any of you other tarot readers and/or dabblers find some periods of time where a card just seems to show up in 80% of your readings for all sorts of different people?

So, I thought it would be a good idea to do a little feature on the “Most Frequently Drawn Card” of the week, since it appears a lot of people might be in need of its message.

This week’s card:

Osho Zen Tarot is intellectual property of Osho International

When people interact with each other on a regular basis, such as a troupe of trapeze artists would, they tend to fall into patterns of interaction with each other. These patterns can be wonderfully constructive and synergistic, when we are interacting with others in ways which fulfill both our needs and increase our skills by playing off of each other. We can enrich each other’s lives by bringing out the best in each other.

This card came up for myself when I asked “What should I keep in mind during this gig?” with Anna Brinck and The End of the World, highly skilled musicians who really listen to and respect each other, not to mention have regularly made music together as part of this jazz ensemble or the other for at least the 4 years that I’ve known them (Theresa Reed‘s wonderfully talented son played the drums that night! Smallwaukee 🙂 ). When I sang with them, it felt like being “in the zone”. There was barely any conscious thought to the performance, it just flowed, and the audience was very enthusiastically appreciative. Such a wonderful feeling!

Other times, we fall into destructive and negative patterns. We can’t seem to stop pushing each other’s buttons, poking our fingers into old hurts to make them bleed anew. Like that scene in the movie “Flight”, where Denzel Washington’s character (Whip) shows up drunk at his ex-wife’s house, and she asks him, “Have you been drinking?”

Whip raising his voice and escalating the interaction to a fight, responds with “How long was that? […] 17 seconds before my ex-wife asks me if I’ve been drinking!” You can tell that this is the same fight that broke their marriage apart, the fight that they can’t seem to stop having, because of Whip’s repeated pattern of drinking to excess.

Breaking negative patterns of interaction can be near impossible sometimes. It requires open communication, empathy and compassion for the other, and a willingness to take a step back and objectively look at our own input into these patterns. Not to mention: are we really objectively perceiving what the other person is trying to convey, or only hearing what our bias allows us to hear?

May this be the year we take concrete steps towards breaking our negative patterns of behavior, towards each other, and towards ourselves. Happy 2014!

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Insight card: 4 of Rainbows

As the weekend draws to a close, I feel like I have set something in motion which will bring me a lot of joy and fulfillment, although I do know that there is still so much to be work to be done. I drew one card for myself, asking “What do I need to keep in mind as I start out on this new journey?”

The 4 of Rainbows came out (equivalent to the 4 of Pentacles in the traditional suits), reminding me that I need to keep an open heart and not lose sight of my personal relationships (including my relationship with myself!) in a quest to make this new business profitable. But also to remind me that I will need to put in the work necessary before it becomes profitable. Balance needs to be the name of the game, which, in my excitement, has gone by the wayside in these past three days.

4R The Miser

It also makes me think that I need to really, REALLY, be serious about treating this as a business, and not let people take advantage of my generosity. Remember that oftentimes we need to spend money in order to make money, and starting a business always constitutes a risk.

I may have high-flying dreams, but I need to keep my day job still! It’s important to be present, wherever I may be.

With that, I bid you all a good night! I think my cats have missed my attention this weekend, and some snuggles are in order… let’s strike that balance!

Namaste, and have a wonderful week!

Note: I use the Osho Zen Tarot Deck for my readings, and make no claim of ownership of copyright. Osho Zen Tarot is copyrighted by Osho International Foundation
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Sample Reading: Celtic Cross for Rebecca

The name has been changed to protect the client’s privacy. But this what you can expect to receive as a standard reading:

For: Rebecca, November 30, 2013

Spread: Celtic Cross

Deck: Osho Zen Tarot

Question: General Outlook

Card Position

Card Number

Card Name

1: Current Situation

Queen of Fire (QF)

Sharing

2: Obstacles/Opportunities

King of Clouds (KC)

Control

3: Highest ideal

Queen of Water (QW)

Receptivity

4: What grounds you

5 of Water (5W)

Clinging to the past

5: Energy leaving the situation

I

Existence

6: Energy entering the situation

Page of Fire (PF)

Playfulness

7: You, your attitude in your life situation

VI

The Lovers

8: Your environment

XII

New Vision

9: Your Best Hopes/Worst Fears

IV

The Rebel

10: Final Outcome

XX

Beyond Illusion

RebeccaSample

Interpretation

You have a generous heart, and have so much to give to others. (QF) There is nothing more gratifying to you than to help someone else. Making someone else’s day makes your day too 🙂 Your ideal life would have you creating your art, and selling it, having your shop do great business, and then turning right back around and spreading the joy with your friends, which are many. You have a sparkle about you, great charm, or so it would seem from all the stars on the pictures of this spread!

Unfortunately, there are so many other things that need to be taken care of, so you don’t get to engage in enough of what you want to do. Too much unpleasant stuff that demands to be done (KC). Such is the nature of the grind of this world, and the society in which we live.  But it doesn’t seem like you’re letting it get to you too much, you have all of these other overwhelmingly positive cards in this reading!

Your highest ideal is to be enlightened, pretty much, to connect to the source of the light of the Universe. To have an open heart and truly be able to live in the moment, feeling all the feelings that need to be felt, but not allowing past pain and sorrow to linger and spoil the present moment, at least not for too long. To be present in what you are doing, and inspired in your art and having a fine-tuned intuition.

I think of the 4th position on this spread as your “toolkit”, what you have to draw upon to continue on your way, and it is that you have internalized your past experiences. You learn from your mistakes, for the most part, but you also understand that pain needs to be let go, and you strive for it. Some wounds run deep, especially those imprints that go back to our formative years, and they mark us for life, but one has to give it the good ol’ college try, right? You understand all this, as the Queen of Water shows.

The energy leaving the situation is the first Major arcana to show up on this spread, as we discussed, these are cards of higher significance than the minor arcana, which deal more with the mundane details of every day life, and it is I: Existence. In the traditional  Rider-Waite tarot deck (pretty much the basic standard), this card is known as The Magician, and it represents having a sense of purpose to make things happen, and following through with it. You have a clear sense of what you are supposed to be doing in this world, and you are doing your darnedest so you can make it so.

The energy entering the situation is an active attitude of joy, you’re trying to get out there and spend more time with all those you care about, and generally enjoying life in the moment, and celebrating every second of it.

You are currently in love (IV), and it’s pretty obvious and all-encompassing right now. You are the most in love you remember being, and it feels true, and right. This probably has a lot to do with how wonderfully sunny and cheerful your cards are.

A heart full of love is a joyful heart indeed 🙂

Your environment is just so ripe with creative, wonderful people. Life just feels full of creative possibilities, and you are surrounded by individuals who are all sharing in this awareness of the true nature of existence. There is joy around you, and there will continue to be, I feel, since the image in the 8th position is pretty much in an identical position to the image in the 6th position.

Your Best Hope right now, since you are so, so giddily in love ;-D, is that your boyfriend does turn out to be the dependable, stable partner that you are hoping for, that he will be The One. On the flip side, your biggest fear is that he will not want to commit to you, and the more I think about it, the more it seems that the fear aspect of this card is what you need to bring attention to. Let go of this fear by accepting and understanding that when you truly love someone, you don’t try to own them. Don’t worry so much about whether he’s going to stick around, instead, rejoice in the fact that he is with you and enjoy the journey. I’m reminded of the song “Nice n’ Easy”, as Frank Sinatra recorded it. Check it out, and take it to heart 🙂 This will allow you to relax in his presence, and he will feel the ease in the tension, which will make him lower his guard a little more, and let you in closer.

The Final outcome card, and synthesis of the reading: You really have a very clear understanding of what’s going on in your life, and a clear vision of where you want to go. You understand that pain is an inevitable part of life, and you don’t cling to it in an unhealthy way. You are most definitely following you true calling and are being true to yourself.

All the Major Arcana and Court cards in your spread indicate to me that this is a very powerful transformational time for you, your life is going through a lot of changes, and it’s all very exciting. The momentum is in your favor, you just gotta stay true to your heart and things will continue to go well. Keep listening to your intuition, it’s steering you in the right direction!

Feedback from Rebecca

Jen,

Thank you so much! This is incredible and it was wonderful meeting you. […] I was so astonished and pleased with your reading! You are quite gifted.

 Note: I use the Osho Zen Tarot Deck for my readings, and make no claim of ownership of copyright. Osho Zen Tarot is copyrighted by Osho International Foundation
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