Tarot Thrones | The Court Card Blog

Tag: 30 day tarot challenge

  • Tarot Challenge | Day 9

    She’s the gal for me!

    Question: What card do I pull the most often? Why do I think that is the case?

    I had a look back through the Tarot cards that I have pulled when I was selecting a Court Card’s energies to guide me from a) the dark moon to the full moon or b) the full moon to the dark moon.  The card most drawn is the Queen of Wands.

    I’m quite pleased about this as I am working towards being a bit more Queen of Wandsy.

    Naturally, I think I tend to live in my interior landscape, mainly inside my head, as per the suit of Swords.  I admit that I am more comfortable relying on my thought processes than, say, on my emotions.  I find my emotions unreliable and easily influenced by things like music, art and hormones. 

    I went to an art exhibition in Glasgow a couple of years ago that featured the work of the Glasgow Boys. I got all weepy over a painting of poppies, their gorgeous petals scattered around their vase. I burst into tears.  Which was quite unexpected.  And hugely embarrassing.  I put it down to being Hormonal.  So, emotions are, for me, fickle things that can be influenced by a poorly-timed listen to a Leonard Cohen CD.


    That said, I am quite happy to change my thoughts about things if the facts call for it!

    The Queen of Wands is a Goal character for me, so maybe that’s why she appears so often?

    Have you ever played the game ‘What would Jesus/Madonna/Amanda Palmer do?’  Well, I play that game with the Tarot Court.  So when I find myself sinking into a Knight of Swords moaning session, I often try the ‘What would The Queen of Wands do?’ approach and, even if I really don’t feel like it (hey, those unreliable emotions again!) I can still take the action that SHE would advocate…..  when I can bring a bit of her can-do attitude to my day, I mostly feel myself climbing up out of the Slough of Despond.  Not that I think the fine town of Slough is a place of Despond, you understand; it’s from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.   *waits for the Slough fans to boycott the blog*

    So, I’d love to know – what card tends to crop up in your Tarot work, for yourself?  What does its repeated appearance mean, for you?

     

  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 6

    This Game of Thrones | 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 6
    Celtic Cross Tarot Spread
    What do you think of it?

    The question for Day 6 of the Challenge is:  What was the first Tarot spread that you learned?

    I can’t actually remember, but the one that DOES stick in my mind is the Celtic Cross spread from the TABI Training course, so that must have been one of the first.

    And when you think about it, the Celtic Cross tarot spread looks nothing like a real Celtic Cross, does it?


    Certainly it’s one of the most popular spreads but I’m not very sure of its history.  I know that it’s mentioned in A E Waite’s ‘Pictorial Key To The Tarot’ but I’m unclear as to whether there are any written records of it before the clever clogs of the Golden Dawn got involved….

    If anyone has any more info about this, I’d love to hear from you!

    There are lots of variations on the Celtic Cross theme and, of course, I luff it to death because, not only is it a good-sized spread to use,  it has a significator!

    And since this blog is about Court Cards, anything that promotes the Courts as A Force For Good is FINE by me 😀

    Why do I bother with a significator? Primarily because it allows me

    a) to gain some insight into my client’s view of themselves – if I’m letting them pick a significator based purely on the imagery of the card.  I like them to explain to me why they’ve chosen the card that they have – it can be very revealing!

    b) to get my head in the zone by taking my client INTO the spread with me.

    I like to use the Druidcraft Tarot court as significators, because they are so expressive.  Doesn’t matter what deck I’m using, it will be the Druidcraft Court they select from!  Why don’t I just use the courts from the deck that I’m working with?  Well, if I do that, then the card used as the significator cannot possibly come up in the reading.  But by using a different set of 16 courts, I have the full 78-card deck at my client’s disposal.

    Anyway, enough of me, what about you?  What was the first spread that you learned?! Share it – one can never have too many good spreads at your disposal!

  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 5

    Tarot, 30 Day Tarot challenge, Tarot Thrones
    My first Tarot client wore these!
    Any time I see red Dr Ms, I think of her 🙂

    Question:  When and where did you give your first reading?

    My first proper, paid reading was at Witchfest in Glasgow.  Can’t remember the year, but there were two other stalwarts from TABI who had travelled up from England to take part in this annual event.

    I was as nervous as a very nervous thing.  In fact, I’d say I was as nervous as the MOST nervous thing and as we set up our reading stations I realised that I was the most poorly prepared of the trio.

    Well, it was my first time!

    The tables were using as reading stations were pretty tatty and my colleagues produced the most wonderful reading cloths and swathes of silk to prettify their stalls.  I had nothing.  Well, I had a supermarket plastic bag and I contemplated turning it inside out and using that. Even I knew that would look even more rubbish than the chewing-gum bobbled tabletop. In the end I just went with the naked table. Brave.

    My colleagues had bowls of sweets, business cards and a myriad of different decks.  I had my Rider Waite Smith.  And was developing perspiration stains under my arms.

    Soon there were lots of people queuing up for readings, but such was my nervousness, I kept directing my potential sitters to the other two readers.

    Then the lovely Sharon announced that she and the other reader were going for a cup of tea.  Basically, to force me to read!  Well, I’m assuming it was that.  Maybe they were just fed up with me looking like a frightened puppy in the corner.

    And so it came to pass that a very sweet girl wearing purple feathery wings and red Doc Marten boots (and other clothes!) became my first paid reading.

    It was nerve-racking – but really good fun!

    She was very pleased with her reading – and that was it!  I’ve never looked back.

    So, you know what’s coming next…..tell me about YOUR first Tarot reading! Was it fun? Was it a disaster?

  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 4

    You’re going on a journey……
    and acquiring an expensive habit

    Question 4: How long have you been reading the Tarot?

     Bought my first Tarot deck yonks ago – but couldn’t read with it without referring to the Little White Book, which is no way to read Tarot cards!

     I joined TABI (The Tarot Association of The British Isles) in, I think, 2003 and undertook their training course. I could read the cards competently after that.

    However, it’s an ongoing process – you are always learning and discovering something new to add to your knowledge about the cards.
    That’s what I love about them. I hate using the expression ‘it’s a journey’ *rolls her eyes* but hey, yanno, it IS a journey!

     Hey, it’s just dawned on me that I’m 10 years THIS YEAR in the Tarot world!!!

     A DECADE!! <- yes, shouting 😀

    *suddenly feels august, sage and yes, Mary-Beard-like*  That is, now that I think about it, longer than my marriage lasted.  Mind you I have stuff in the fridge that lasted longer than my marriage 😀

    So it’s my 10th Tarot birthday – anybody bring a party tooter? Bottle of sherry?

    So – now YOU tell ME how long you’ve been reading the Tarot! I also have a question for you – Do you think that knowing someone has been reading for decades makes them a better Tarot reader than someone who has been reading for a shorter period of time, but who’s studied until their eyes bled and their credit card squeaked for mercy?

    *pops open the Pringles crisps, pours self a small sherry, twangs the elastic on her party hat under her chin and waits for pals to turn up*

  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 3

    Question 3 in the Tarot Challenge:


    Do you have more than one deck that you use, and, if so, do you have a favorite? If not, why do you like the deck you have chosen?


    I think that most Tarotists develop the compulsion to add to their deck collections!  Sometimes it is just the amazing art that attracts you to a deck, sometimes it’s a system or mythology that you love to work with.  Sometimes it’s just the thrill of the new.  Yes, I am a Tarotholic.  I am only about 4 days ‘clean’ and not anticipating to run to many more.  I love, love, new decks!


    I do have a favourite.  Actually, a couple of favourites.


    My comfy-slippers deck is the Rider Waite Smith – either the Original or the Centenary Edition.  Yes, they’re pretty much identical, but the Queen of Swords looks a lot less po-faced in the Centenary Edition, I think!


    I have loved the DruidCraft Tarot since I first laid eyes on it and I can honestly say that I use it every single day.  I love the ethos behind it.  I love the art of Will Worthington beyond words.  


    I am his biggest fan.  *said in same tone of voice as Kathy Bates in Stephen King’s Misery* 😀


    I’ve used The Druidcraft in lots of posts on this blog – too numerous to list!


    My newest love is Alexander Daniloff’s Tarot which I love TO DEATH.  It’s one of those decks that just sings out to me – the colour, the style of the artwork, the humorous touches.  Right up my Tarot street! I’ve already written about his Court Cards – you can check them out here


    I’m also a teeny bit in love with the Lenormand Revolution Oracle by Roz Foster and Carrie Paris.  Again, I am absolutely loving Roz Foster’s artwork across the cards.  The overall effect is a consistent, clean and damned attractive deck.  Now all I need to do is learn how to read with it!


    A good Tarot deck is, for me, something that has plenty of symbolism in it to get the ol’ juices flowing as far as intuition goes.  


    I’m increasingly drawn to old decks – perhaps I’m searching for interpretations, lost over the years and hundreds of decks that have now been published.


    So – why don’t you tell me what YOUR favourite Tarot deck is – give me a link to it.  Help me feed my addiction 😀

  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge

    Beginner’s Tarot Mind!

    I found this over on Tumblr at the end of last week and thought that it might be fun to do.  However, I won’t be making blog posts about myself on a daily basis, but will take 30 days in total to do the challenge.

    The challenge originated here:

    http://78keys.tumblr.com/post/36652622634/30-day-tarot-challenge

    So the first question is:

    Q1:  What got you introduced/involved in Tarot


    Like lots of people, I had a dabble with the tarot when I was much younger.  I bought a Marseille Tarot deck from a lovely bookshop in Glasgow (John Smith & Sons) which sadly went defunct with the arrival of Borders and Waterstones in the city.

    I couldn’t read them without referring to the LWB!  It was a lot of fun, but I didn’t really gel with the images on the cards – but there was simply no choice around at the time.

    Everything was going swimmingly with my readings until I did one that indicated The Empress (ie my mother) was going to be the Incoming Influences and in the likely outcome Temperance Rx indicated that I might be unwell.  Well, who wants to be ill? I put the cards away and forgot about it.

    Within weeks, my appendix burst spectacularly and I was rushed into hospital.  On discharge from hospital, I was looked after by my mother.

    I know.

    SCARY.

    I was ill for 10 weeks after the operation – a swab had been left inside me.  I thought I’d never feel well again.

    So the cards were put away in a bag in a drawer and never looked at again until….

    I watched a TV programme with Jane Ross and Michelle Knight.  Michelle was teaching Jane to read Tarot cards and I just fell in love.

    Tefcat on the Children of Artemis website recommended that I join TABI to learn how to read properly.

    I joined.

    And TABI went on to form a core part of my Tarot development 🙂

    Now – YOU have a go!