YouTube - Balthazar's Conjure: When the cards are just plain WRONG and the magic of the significator card
I've watched this video a few minutes ago now, and I'm still sitting here shaking my head, and experiencing a profound DUH! moment.
I've never been one to use personal significators within tarot because a) it takes that card out of play - you won't get the benefit of its influence/ meaning within the spread, and b) I never saw the point. And up until now, no one has ever presented me with a good enough reason to change my mind.
But if you add magick into the mix, and its power to attract the "right" cards - now I'm listening! This puts a whole new spin on things.
(So, yeah, yet another Balthazar video. I can't help it. I just click with his ideas. #sorrynotsorry )
YouTube - Balthazar's Conjure: Accurate Predictive Tarot and How NOT to Use Tarot to Hide From Life
Bloody hell. This blog is in danger of turning into the Balthazar Channel 📺. But I love his take on tarot, and this video is another winner.
Predictive tarot is a thing. Sure, I use tarot for "spiritual counselling" as well, but when I'm fortune telling I read the cards much like I would playing cards.
If you're using a deck that you've developed a deep intuitive connection with and you find you're having trouble reining in your interpretations, try using a completely different deck for predictive readings. I'd recommend a Marseille deck, or even a bog standard RWS if you don't use one already.
You could even limit yourself to just the trumps. 😱 Keep it simple, keep it clear.
YouTube - Balthazar's Conjure: Using the Tarot for Spirit Communication
This is right up my alley! A detailed and lucid explanation of how to converse with spirit using this particular method PLUS clear guidance on how to phrase questions for Yes/No enquiries.
"The Seven... shows a group of five 'arrows' on one side... and two on another... an image of being stuck between the Mortal Injury of Five and the conflict of Two - it is an image of being delayed or stuck, unable to move without harm..." - pg. 25, Hands of Fate, Robin Artisson.
I read that passage and suddenly thought of Pamela's Seven of Swords. I'm not suggesting the playing card meaning relates to the RWS meaning - but it is a curious visual coincidence.
Response to "Determining death with Playing Cards Cartomancy"
Angelo Dicostanzo is a playing card reading virtuoso. If you want to discover how reading playing cards works, watch any of his videos.
In his most recent video, he discusses a situation in which he was asked to determine how someone would die. Normally this is something he would not address (nor I!), but in this instance there were very special circumstances, and the resulting spread was too good an opportunity for learning not to share, on YouTube and in his group on Facebook - The Magic of Playing Cards.
And I want to share my "interpretive process" for this one, as well - as an example of how someone who comes from a different card reading background, with different meanings, and who doesn't even have a meaning for one of the cards, can pull it together. If I can, anyone can, is basically what I'm hoping to get across. 🙂
But I don't want to spoil the impact of Angelo's excellent video, so please watch it first before you read my scribblings...
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Watched it? Brilliant, eh?
So, here's how it went for me. 😏 The first thing that jumped out at me was the 9 of Hearts. This is my "Great joy or Good event" card, but traditionally it's thought of as the Wish card - you will get what you've been wishing for. As death doesn't quite fit into the great joy/good event category, I decided this card was showing that the person will die they way they want to.
At this point my rational mind piped up and said "Most people want to die in their sleep". That seemed reasonable, so I looked to the other cards for confirmation... "Mmm, they're not saying that." Let's pick them apart.
The Jack of Spades is my "False friend". Someone with negative intentions. Not aggressively malicious like the Queen of Clubs, but someone who's "not right", as my friend would say. And traditionally, the Jacks can represent thoughts, so here we have negative, misleading, perhaps sinister thoughts.
Then there's the 5 of Clubs. If you follow my blog you know that I read a with stripped deck of 32 cards, the lowest being the 7s, so I don't actually have a meaning for the 5 of Clubs. But I follow lots of readers who do use all 52 cards, and I've picked up a few things. When confronted with a card I don't "use", I consider its number, in this case 5, which for me is a number of Disruption, and the suit, Clubs being the suit of Actions. So this is disruptive action.
It began to dawn on me that this was heading in the "not natural causes" direction. I was hoping what I was looking at was assisted suicide.
But.... Why the dark presence of the Jack of Spades, when, ideally, assisted suicide is an act of love and respect? And the 5 of Clubs? True, even at best, such a death would be disruptive, but it seemed there was more to it...
The Jack is looking directly at the 5 of Clubs and on to the 9 of Hearts. And acknowledging tradition again, 5s can signify a hand. This was someone with negative thoughts, or thoughts perceived by others to be negative or misguided, taking direct, disruptive action - death by their own hand - to achieve their desired outcome.
In conclusion, I hope that demonstrating how I negotiated my wobbly way through this trying reading will encourage you to approach your readings with flexibility and creativity. Like I said - if I can do it, anyone can.
Ok, it's easier for me because I only use 32 cards, but you can count cards to get just 32 or 36* for a spread.
And I don't attempt to read every single card. I just home in on the interesting stuff. Laying all the cards out gives your deck the opportunity to hit you with some really juicy clusters and juxtapositions.
For instance, I've clearly left it too long to do a spread like this for myself because I'm sitting - Queen of Hearts - right at the bottom of the spread with all sorts of “stuff” going on over my head. And look at that line of three Aces with me staring intently at the bottom one. In fact, you could see that whole column as a situation “between” me and my Significant Other - King of Hearts – at the top of the spread. Who are those two Kings in the middle of the spread and what is their interest in the 8 of Spades? Perhaps the cards above can tell me more about them. And if you place a special significance on the first three cards of the spread, what might two 9s plus an 8 of Diamonds tell you?
There’s so much potential in a Grand Tableau – it’s entirely up to you how much time and energy you want to put into it.
*For 36 cards - take a 52-card deck and count by 3s through the deck, discarding cards 1 and 2, and placing #3 to the side. Repeat until the deck is exhausted (you'll have one card left over, discard it, and a pile of 17 cards). Take the discards and repeat the process - now you'll have two extras and 28 cards selected. Repeat one more time, so 3 times in all (the magickal 3 x 3 effect) and you'll end up with 36 cards and no leftovers - a nice symmetry.
Back in April I took part in an Instagram tag called #sibillaprile, where we looked at the Italian Sibilla card meanings and used the cards for daily draws and short readings.
At the same time I was beginning to try to communicate with my mother in order to resolve past issues (daughters, mothers - there's always issues). So I invited her to speak to me through the sibilla cards.
Mistake.
She took over! No matter what I pulled cards about, she was in there. I'd be like "How the heck does that relate to--?!... Oh. Hi Mum."
So we came to an agreement. I would have a card conversation with her every morning, and she would leave my cards alone the rest of the time. So far that seems to be working.
But dang! if she isn't better at using the cards to get her point across than I am at interpreting them. And she was never into cards when she was alive. How does she do that?
And here is a prime example that I just had to share with you. Yesterday was our granddaughter's first Communion (that side of the family is Catholic*). That morning I asked Mum if there was anything she wanted to talk about and La Fedeltà fell out. So I put it back in the deck, shuffled a bit more and then pulled the two cards before and the two cards after that card in the deck. I noticed that the next card was Donna maritata, the mother card, so I put that down as well - it seemed to be saying "Listen to your mother".
There was to be a garden party/buffet after the event, and I knew it was going to be a very hot day, so I took this to mean keep an eye on the granddaughter (Bambino-La Fedeltà) so that she doesn't overdo it (La Leggerezza: recklessness, Disperato per gelosia: get frazzled) at the party (Allegrezza al cuora). I also noted the tent and hat in la Fedeltà - stay in the shade.
I often check the card on the bottom of the deck for extra details, and this time it was Ammalato: Sickness.
Soooo, guess who got heatstroke, was violently ill all yesterday afternoon and evening, and had to take to her bed. Yep. Me!
I should have known the message was meant for me. I am my mother's Bambino after all, and she even appeared at the end of the spread.
To top it off, when I made a note of all this in my journal, I wrote that I was "sick as a dog"...
Oh haha, Mum, very funny.
*Apologies for the distancing tactic, but it matters to me, and I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Frankly, whenever I witness a Catholic ritual, I can't help but notice how much it resembles witchcraft. I mean - candles, bells, incense, recitations, transubstantiation... Just sayin'. 😉
YouTube: How 'Nandora Tarot' uses her Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling cards
This is so cool!
A lot of people struggle to use Gypsy Witch cards because the deck combines elements of Lenormand plus additional symbols, a full set of playing cards, and Near and Far placement meanings (like the method found in the "Philippe LeNormand" instruction sheets that came with early Lennie decks). They don't know which way to jump first!
I love that Naomi has taken this "disadvantage" and created a magical method all her own.
Want to receive a spirit message through your cards?
Would you like to use your cards to receive a message from a deceased loved one or a particular spirit guide?
Assign them a significator, a card that will be their "place holder" in the deck. For example, for me, my mother always appears as the Queen of Diamonds* when using playing cards, and the Bouquet when using Lenormand.
Shuffle the deck and then thumb through it face up until you find their card. The card before (on top of) it reflects what they want to talk about or how they're feeling, and the two cards behind (below) it expand on the subject or form the message about the first card.
Need more information from them or want to ask a question? Reshuffle and repeat the process. Don't overdo it though. When you start getting jibberish is when you know you've worn them out. 😉
*Because in traditional German courts this Queen is holding a carnation, my mother's favourite flower.
Somehow, I'd fallen off Angelo's notification list. I just thought he hadn't posted any of his excellent readings for a while. Then Kapherus shared a link to his latest post on Facebook. Hooray! New material, plus I now have the pleasure of catching up. 😁
Repost - The Journey Man: 5 Tips For Reading Tarot Cards
Declaring my bias up front, 1) I adore the Journey Man and 2) my method of card reading involves guides (not everyone works with guides; not everyone wants or needs to).
So, with that in mind, I bring you JM's 5 Tips For Reading Tarot Cards (or any cards), with my highest recommendation. 😊
I've just completed Toni Puhle's Kipper 101 course, and it was great! So helpful. The next session was supposed to be starting towards the end of November, so I thought I had a bit of time to draw it your attention. But, probably due to popular demand, she's brought it forward to Monday 31 October. Yes, Halloween. 🎃
Here's the link. Or you can message Toni directly on Facebook.
If you want to learn how to read Kippers the way German readers read them, I highly recommend you take this course. And let me know if you do. We can compare notes. 😃
There's an interesting play within the imagery here. Imagine Death's wrap extending underneath the table and appearing as the arm holding the Wand. Birth, communion, death. Repeat...
Perhaps because the results are so open-ended. What could the 4 of Swords be trying to tell me, for example? I should take a nap? I'll be visiting the hospital? I'm going to get a headache?
So when I spotted Christiane of Cosmic Faery Tarot's suggestion on "How to Supercharge Your Daily Tarot Card Draw" it seemed like an excellent solution. I have a bunch of old cards I'd saved for craft projects. I have a corner punch. I can do this!
And this was the result. A set of cards with "focus" questions on the back. Just shuffle and pick one and apply the question to your Daily. Random instant context.
I decided to print the prompts on a sheet of labels and stick them on rather than write them all out. I have a nice handwriting, but only for about two sentences. Then it deteriorates into a scrawl.
This was my first go (originally posted on Instagram). Looks like I should just kick back and enjoy the fruits of my labour. Ok, I can do this, too! ☺
John Ballantrae on "When a Yes-No spread gives an incorrect answer"
Hooray! John Ballantrae is back posting YouTube videos again. And he's starting out with a bang. There's a lot to think about in this one.
"...You (the reader) are not the one with the problem, or the one who wants an answer... Sometimes the questioner... knows what the answer is, or knows... the best route... to follow to move them in the direction of which they want to go. I think some part of the questioner knows that, and... that's the answer you get in a Tarot spread... The reader is the messenger... of what the person already knows...
With a reading, it's the questioner talking to the questioner via the cards... So what's going on isn't always what seems to be going on. So we have to think to the whole question of being 'right' and 'wrong'..."
I personally love the fact that John honours the questioner's desire for a Yes-No answer, and doesn't try to get them to change their question to something more "open ended".
A terrifically flexible spread generator
(click on Sun)
created by Tarot and card reader Bertrand Saint Guillain, featuring his Palimpsest Lenormand, Nicolas Conver 1860 Tarot and Triomphes de Paris
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And over at The Deceptionary you'll find a selection of
3-card reading generators
- using the Universal Tarot, Marseille (trumps only), playing cards, Psycards, Zener symbols, geomantic symbols and runes. You'll be given the description of a "querent", their area of concern, and three cards or symbols to interpret for them.
