Yesterday was the Solstice. Summer has officially arrived on this side of the planet and I love it!
Long days, lots of sunshine and absolutely no need for heavy outerwear. It’s my favourite season.
So in honour of the Summer and all things bright, I made this little Summer Sunshine Spread.
Just five short questions about life in the sun …
Summer Sunshine Spread
•what can I see clearly now?
•what should I grow?
•what’s been waiting to be warmed up?
•what might need some cooling down?
•what would be a lot of fun to play with this summer?
Tarot readings are a lot like dreams. They both arise from our unconscious and bring forward issues important for our conscious selves to examine.
We could say that a Tarot reading is a consciously induced dream, meant to organize our thoughts, recognize our shadows, and motivate us to action.
Thinking about this got me to thinking about how the Tarot itself illustrates dreaming. What are the ‘dream’ cards?
#17 The Star
The first card to come to mind was the Star. She might be described as a process of renewal through the night.
Pouring water into the pool, she brings motion to our unconscious, gently stirring the dark waters.
The Star is ‘wish fulfillment’, the type of dream we don’t want to wake from. She reflects back our soul’s beauty like a mirror.
#18 The Moon
But dreams aren’t always so pleasant. From the Star we move on to the Moon. This is where the intense work begins.
The Moon represents the deepest part of our unconscious coming up into awareness, like the crab in the card rising out of the sea.
There’s fear here. Exploring the dream landscape can be a frightening journey. It’s scary to face our deepest selves. We keep them hidden for a reason.
Like the Star, this is a major card, one that forces us to take notice. It’s connected numerologically with #9, the Hermit.
And as the Hermit reminds us, finding the courage to face our shadows is part of the path to inner wisdom.
9 of Swords
The 9 of Swords is another dream card. But it points directly to nightmares, or the inability to sleep due to anxiety gone wild. There’s no escape because it’s all in the mind.
This card is also connected to the Hermit through the number 9.
Once again we’re presented with the idea that facing our unconscious self, our unacknowledged shadows, is part of dream-work and the pursuit of wisdom. It’s just not always fun.
#9 The Hermit
And then there’s the Hermit himself. He’s not sleeping or dreaming, but wandering around in the dark with a lantern and a walking stick.
Is he the Sand Man, leading the way to our dreams, to the deepest parts of our unconscious?
4 of Swords
The 4 of Swords also suggests dreaming. An armoured figure lays on a stone slab, as if in perpetual sleep.
Other than the slab and the figure, the stained glass window is the only real colour in the scene. I’ve often thought of it as the dreams of the sleeping man.
It’s his connection to the spirit, or the world beneath his armour and beyond the three swords that hang above him. Through dreaming he’s able to release sorrow and prepare to move forward.
2 of Swords
The 2 of Swords might also be a dream card. You can imagine the woman pictured to be lucid dreaming, or in deep meditation.
She sits at night, blindfolded before the sea. Safe on the beach between earth and ocean.
Like the swords she’s holding, her mind is balanced. The dream state and waking state are working in tandem.
#2 High Priestess
And finally there’s the High Priestess, with the moon at her feet and a dress that trails off like a stream. She’s like a dream herself, flowing and not quite tangible.
She guards the secrets of life and death, wakefulness and sleep, and passes easily between the realms.
If anyone understands dreaming, it’s her. She can lead us through it all.
Induce a dream for yourself now using the Tarot dream cards as your guide:
1) The Star – What do you wish your dreams would tell you?
2) The Moon – What do you hope they’ll keep hidden?
3) 9 of Swords – What’s keeping you up at night? Is it really that scary?
4) The Hermit – Where can you find your guide?
5) 4 of Swords – How might you come to a truce with yourself? How can you connect to your spirit?
6) 2 of Swords – How can you rebalance your consciousness with your unconscious?
7) The High Priestess – What lesson have you been given now?
In honour of my sweet dog friend Stoney Machete, who passed away yesterday, I’m reposting a story I posted on his birthday back in 2009….
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Stone and I have shared some good times. Hours together at the office, adventures at the Bat Cave, trips to Pioneer Town, countless games of drag and tug.
We’ve crisscrossed North America together and said hello and good-bye at airports more times than I can remember. I love Stoney.
But we did have a bit of an awkward start to our friendship. I met the Stone when he was just six months old and all about chewing.
I know it’s not right to take dog behaviour personally, but I couldn’t help but notice the only things he chewed belonged to me.
My friend, his very best human, told me I was imagining it, but I wasn’t, and Stone knew I was on to him.
5 of Wands
One night we arrived home to see my entire Thoth Tarot deck strewn across the floor, starting in the living room and trailing in a straight line right through to the bedroom.
I was wildly upset as I followed the card path. When I got to the end I couldn’t believe my eyes. The last card in the trail was the 5 of Wands – Strife. And it was chewed to shreds.
Since that was the only card with any damage on it, I couldn’t help but take it as a message. Stoney had decided to clear the air and bring our petty arguing about who was chewing what out into the open.
And not only that, he was going to end the fighting right then.
Of course I let him know I wasn’t happy with his method of communication, but wow was he good. We became fast friends from there.
And about the deck, since it was my very first one, given to me by my mother, I decided ‘Strife be damned,’ and kept it. In fact, I use it all the time.
Purists might be disturbed by my choice, but I believe if the energy of the 5 of Wands needs to come out in a reading, it’ll find a way.
It might be through a combination of other cards, or by myself and a client ‘magically’ choosing a different deck for that reading. No harm done.
Stoney and I live in different cities right now so I’ve had to pass my birthday message on to him through his best human.
But I thought I’d give it a go psychically as well, and of course chose Tarot as my medium.
Out loud I said “I love Stoney Mac!’ and pulled a card.
Strength
The card I got was ‘Strength’. Pictured is a young maiden playing with a gorgeous golden lion.
Quite obviously the young maiden is myself (ha ha) and the golden lion no other than Stoney Machete aka The Golden Boy of Hollywood.
How fabulous! He sent me a picture of the two of us hanging out. Stone’s still got the Tarot Touch!!
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I pulled the 2 of wands when I asked for a card to describe the Canadian federal election.
The card shows a man between two poles. He’s gazing over land and water, holding one pole in his left hand, and a globe in his right.
It looks like he’s trying to make a decision, each pole a distinct option, though very similar in style.
Could the decision be between the Left and the Right, with a whole world between the two philosophies?
This federal election is a choice between opposites. The future of the Canadian world is at hand.
The 2 of Wands is labeled ‘dominion’ in the Thoth deck. Interestingly enough, that’s an important word for Canada.
The constitution of 1867 proclaimed the Canadian federation to be ‘one Dominion under the name of Canada.’ And the phrase ‘Dominion of Canada’ was common until the 1970s.
3 of Swords
When I asked about leadership, I got the 3 of Swords.
Hmmmm, this is kind of tough. There seems to be serious disappointment with the three major choices Canadians are being offered.
Canada has five parties really, but two of the five aren’t likely to provide our next prime minister.
The other three all have a chance, but from the looks of this card, there’s no happy choice.
The leaders in this election seem en par as far the race goes, but they might all be concerned that they’ll be faced with another minority government. Something that none of them want, but all might expect.
Lack of communication and embedded, historic animosities have led to a situation where it’s difficult for any of them to get along.
The leadership situation is causing sorrow for all.
#20 Judgment
The card I got when I asked about ‘citizenry’ was #20, Judgment.
This is an interesting card to describe citizenry – people rising from the grave to the rousing call of an angel.
The figures are gray and naked. Their arms are upraised, welcoming or praising the angel above.
I don’t like to say it, but it looks like this group needs some new life breathed into them. The Canadian citizenry might need some uplifting.
Citizens are people, families trying to crawl out of a hole. They’re looking for and welcoming of a strong leader.
It’s almost like they’re looking for some sort of miracle to lead them onto the next stage.
6 of Wands
But maybe there’s reason for hope. I pulled the 6 of wands when I asked about ‘democracy.’
Looks like someone’s a winner, and everyone around him is cheering.
I’m reminded that the major 6, the Lovers card, often describes networking, opposites coming together, or choices that need to be made.
With the 6 of Wands, it’s the victory of this process. Everyone involved has made a decision and there’s general jubilation all around.
Democracy is the spirit of a people united.
I hope this is how I feel by the end of the election.
If you’re Canadian get out there and vote May 2nd. It really matters.
All the bunnies and chocolate eggs I’ve been seeing lately got me wondering how many rabbits and eggs there are in the tarot. So I went on a little hunt.
There’s only one rabbit in the Rider Waite Smith deck. It’s at the bottom right of the card, by the foot of the Queen of Pentacles’ throne.
Like the queen of the earth element, rabbits represent abundance, fertility, sweetness and physical reproduction.
Queen of Cups
Eggs also represent fertility, but in its most ideal form. They’re about new life, creation, the seed of all that’s possible.
There doesn’t seem to be any eggs in the Rider Waite Smith deck, but what about those pretty coloured rocks at the feet of the Queen of Cups?
Maybe they’re not rocks at all, but rather magic eggs the queen of love is waiting for us to discover.
Here’s a little spread to see what you might want to hunt for over the next little while.
Tradition has it that finding a four leaf clover is very lucky.