Tarot Card Meanings - The Ten Planetary Trumps

Tarot Card Meanings - The Ten Planetary Trumps

There are ten major cards in the Tarot that correspond with the ten astrological planets.

The seven inner planets are ascribed as follows...

Sun = Sun
Moon = Moon
Mercury = Magician
Venus = Empress
Mars = Tower
Jupiter = Wheel of Fortune
Saturn = World

A variant occurs in the traditional Order of the Golden Dawn assignments. Decks that are derived from the Golden Dawn tarot attributions usually have the astrological Moon assigned to the High Priestess major card, and the sign Pisces assigned to the Moon card. I believe that this is an unfortunate error.

It makes more sense to me to assign Pisces to the High Priestess, and the astrological Moon to the Moon card. After all, the astrological Sun is assigned to the Sun tarot card. Why wouldn't the astrological Moon be assigned to the Moon card?

The sign Pisces also fits very nicely with the symbolism of the High Priestess - the 'Revealer of Mysteries'.

The three outer planets are assigned as follows...

Uranus = Fool
Neptune = Hanged Man
Pluto = Judgment

Originally, these cards were given the three elemental attributions: Air, Water, and Fire. And these attributions are still relevant and appropriate, but when the three elements were originally assigned to the tarot trumps the three outer planets were not yet discovered.

Cheers,
Patrick.

Tarot Card Meanings - Nine of Wands

Tarot Card Meanings - Nine of Wands

The 9 of Wands is a directional card (i.e. Sagittarius). It represents a push forward in a direction, or towards a purpose, that is only gradually becoming conscious.

To achieve the purpose of the 9 of Wands (i.e. to take the next step on your Soul Path) requires that the personal emotional attachments, blockages, insecurities, and fears (represented by the Moon) be overcome by the growing inner spiritual force of the soul (i.e. represented by the Sun).

When the 9 of Wands is reversed it sometimes means that a person is traveling back towards where they have come from... 'going home', for example. In mundane matters, this is not necessarily a 'negative' step - other cards tabled close to the 9 of Wands in the layout will indicate the outcome of the 'return'.

Cheers,
Patrick.

(Note: I am taking a patchwork approach to the tarot card meanings. And I will be adding further elaborations on their meanings in the future. If you would like to add your own observations about this card, please do.)

Learning the Tarot

Learning the Tarot

The first step in learning the tarot is to memorize some basic meanings, but the real learning starts when you begin conducting readings for other people... especially for people who you don't know.

When you do a tarot reading for somebody you know quite well you might find that it's very difficult to be accurate in your interpretation of the cards. The reason for this is that your mind (mental body) is already filled with preconceived ideas and judgments about that person. This web of subjective ideas in the mental body blocks the flow of the spiritual intuition (which is a faculty of consciousness located 'above' the mental body). The spiritual intuition is a more objective form of awareness, but it cannot penetrate or influence a mind that is already filled with subjective preconceptions about a particular person.

When you begin practicing tarot readings the cards will teach you their meanings themselves during the tarot readings you do for other people. In my experience, the 'right' cards always come out, but sometimes they are difficult to interpret due to the personal limitations of the tarot reader.

The tarot cards have esoteric, psychological, and mundane meanings. The mundane meanings are very useful during a reading because they reflect the mundane affairs of the client. They give you a physical starting-point from which you can then start talking about the more psychological aspects of the client's situation. The mundane meanings of the cards, when you have discovered them, add a 'wow factor' to your readings as well. You can really surprise your client with some accurate statements about their physical life circumstances when you know the mundane meanings of the cards.

Cheers,
Patrick.

Tarot Reading Techniques - Direction/Location

Tarot Reading Techniques - Direction/Location

If you ever need to determine a geographic direction or location during a reading, here is a method that I've used...

For example, if a tarot reading suggests a move of house, and the client would like to know where they are likely to move, then take note of the card that indicates the move in the reading. This card might be the Ace of Disks, or the Four of Disks, for example. (I use the Thoth Tarot deck.) It will be one (or more) of the cards that have already been tabled.

Direction

Gather up the tabled cards and give the deck to the client to shuffle.

Then take the deck and start tabling cards in relation to the various points of a compass: N, NE, E, SE, S, etc.

Keep tabling the cards in a cycle around the compass points until the key 'move' card appears. This will indicate the direction of the move.

Distance

If you wish to determine distance to the location, then gather up the cards and ask the client to shuffle the deck again. Then take the deck and start tabling cards in a straight row(s) left to right until the key 'move' card appears. Then count how many cards have been tabled. The 'magic' number will represent kilometers.

Of course, the tarot is not an exact science, and the future is somewhat changeable, but it's worth a try!

Cheers,
Patrick.

Jeb Bush - Astrology Chart

Jeb Bush - Astrology Chart

The United States presidential election of 2016 is expected to be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.

Jeb Bush is a contender for President. He has some major transits that suggest he will not be successful, however.

Transiting Pluto (4th House) opposite natal Uranus (10th House) (5 hits). The first exact alignment was on 4th March, 2015. The final hit is on 20th October, 2016. (This will be the critical hit.) 10th House related transits generally involve issues of leadership, and developments concerning life-purpose.

Jeb Bush also has transiting Uranus (8th House) opposing natal Neptune (2nd House) during this time. The middle hit of three is on the 10th September, 2016. This will contribute to his decision next year to, I think, pull out of the presidential race. It looks like there'll be some kind of business scandal, or financial crisis.

Cheers,
Patrick.

Tarot Reading Techniques - The Link

The Spiritual Link

An important part of my procedure when conducting a tarot reading is to strengthen the 'psychic link' that exists between me and the client. I achieve this as follows:

While the client is shuffling the tarot cards and thinking about their question I visualize a ball of white Light above our heads. This Light represents the One Unifying Spirit.

From the ball of white Light above us descends two rays of white Light - one that descends into the Heart/Soul of the client, and one that descends into my own Heart/Soul. I see these Heart/Soul points as globes of golden light.

I then also visualize a ray of golden Light extending between myself and my client linking our Heart/Souls together. This golden ray forms the base of the Triangle of Light.

My linking visualization symbolizes and reinforces the already existing connection that exists between my Soul and the Soul of the client. It aims to bring our higher 'super-conscious' spiritual connection into consciousness so that a more meaningful interpretation of the tarot cards can occur.

Another very essential part of establishing an effective psychic link with my client is to silently and sincerely entreat my Solar Angel, (i.e. Soul, or Higher Self) to guide me in my interpretations of the tarot cards so that my reading will be of utmost service to my client.

Blessings,
Patrick.

Tarot Reading Techniques - Timing

Tarot Reading Techniques - Timing

I have two approaches to determining the timing of events indicated in a tarot-reading...

1) Future astrological transits that reflect the astrological correspondences of the tarot cards. So, for example, if the Tower card comes up in a reading about the future I look for major transits to natal Mars in the client's astrological birth-chart. (The Tower is equivalent to Mars.) Astrological transits provide specific dates and general time-periods when significant events are likely to occur.

If the clients astrological transit list is not available then I choose the second option...

2) Tarot card positions. My method is as follows: After I have tabled all the cards that I feel are necessary in a reading, and have interpreted them to the client, I gather up the cards and hand the deck to the client. I ask the client to shuffle while we think about the question of the timing of particular events. Then I take the deck and start tabling cards in straight rows left-to-right. I keep tabling cards until some of the cards of the previous reading start appearing. I look specifically for the card(s) that previously indicated major future events (eg. the Tower if it came up in the reading). If it doesn't appear after about 30 cards are tabled I give up and say that the tarot will not reveal the timing of events in this instance. But if it does appear somewhere in the row(s) of cards, I count the cards from the first card I tabled to determine what numerical position the "event card" has in the sequence. I then interpret the 'magic number' as 'days', 'weeks', 'months', or 'years' until the event occurs.

Also, sometimes the 'magic number' signifies a date. So, for example, if the number is 11, it might refer to the 11th day of a particular month in the future.

Do you have a special technique you use for 'timing' that you'd like to share?

Cheers,
Patrick.

Astrological Coincidences

Astrological Coincidences

It's often the case that I notice a coincidence between astrological events and Jacob's Wheel phases. Here's a good recent example:

SA Progressed Uranus (12th House)  Square  Sun (3rd House) - 15 Jun 2015
Transiting Uranus (6th House)  Square  Sun (3rd House) - 28 Jun 2015

The coincidence of progressed Uranus square my natal Sun, and transiting Uranus square my natal Sun in the same month is quite impressive by itself, but having also a Uranus-Sun Jacob's Wheel phase occur on the same day as the Uranus progression adds to the novelty factor.

One-day Jacob's Wheel phase: Uranus-Sun [2/6] - 15 Jun 2015

I'm continually amazed at the 'magical' synchronous link that exists between traditional Western astrology and the Jacob's Wheel system of kabbalistic astrology.

If you're just starting out exploring Jacob's Wheel I recommend installing my free JW 8-hour Calculator...

JW 8-Hour Phase Calculator

Here's a link to my JW software folder...

JW Software Folder

Cheers,
Patrick.

Tarot Reading Techniques - The Shuffle

Tarot Reading Techniques - The Shuffle

At the beginning of a tarot-reading I fan the cards out face-down in a row on the table in front of the client and ask him/her to select 7 cards.

I then gather up the deck and insert the 7 chosen cards randomly back into the deck in reverse (upside-down).

Then I ask the client to shuffle the cards while thinking about a question or issue.

Then I take the deck and start tabling and interpreting the cards.

I think it's a good idea to reverse some cards in the deck because reversed cards teach you new card meanings. If you become stuck during a reading on what a reversed card means then simply interpret it as if it were in its normal upright state. You'll often find that the reversed meaning will suddenly occur to you as you're describing the card's normal upright meaning. If you don't receive an intuition about the reversed meaning, that's OK too, simply stick with the upright meaning and move on to the next card. (Sometimes, the meaning will occur to you later during the reading after some more cards are tabled.)

Note: Reversed cards are not "negative". The meanings change subtly in some way, however. In fact, none of the tarot cards are "negative". Some of the cards simply express significant challenges that need to be overcome.

Cheers,
Patrick.

Astrology & Tarot Tuition at Pushkar

Astrology & Tarot Tuition at Pushkar

I'm pleased to announce that I'm now offering personal tuition in astrology and the tarot.

The venue is Pushkar in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia.

Each tuition session costs $50 for 45 minutes, and is recorded live to CD or MP3. Bring a friend and the cost is $40 each. There is a maximum of two students per session.

I look forward to meeting you.

Blessings,
Patrick.

Signs on House Cusps

Signs on House Cusps

Have you ever wondered what is the significance of the zodiacal sign on the cusp of a house versus the zodiacal sign that occupies the rest of the same house?

In my experience, the sign on the cusp of a house represents what needs to evolve in the consciousness of the individual before the other sign(s) in the same house can manifest its full potential. The sign on the cusp is most easily expressed, but also tends to be expressed in an un-evolved form until it has been redeemed.

So, for example, let's say your Ascendant degree is 25 Cancer, which means that you have 5 degrees (i.e. degrees 25 to 30) of Cancer in your 1st house and then some of the sign Leo filling the rest of the 1st house.

This means that initially you might have some emotional attachments and insecurities that prevent you from fully expressing your Leo in the 1st house. It would normally be your tendency to become involved in security-based relationships that would hinder your full Leo expression, and it's not until you have overcome the "negative" Self-limiting influence of Cancer Rising that your Leo is able to shine its creative Self-expressive light through your being.

And the other houses can be interpreted using this methodology also.

Cheers,
Patrick.

Mercury Retrograde Strikes Again

Mercury Retrograde Strikes Again

Here's a good example of how the Mercury Retrograde period can coincide with a "false start". It's advisable to try and avoid beginning major endeavors during the Mercury Retrograde period because those beginnings tend to be premature (in relation to "perfect divine timing"). The plane took off on Saturday, 30th May, 2015. The current Mercury retrograde period is from 19th May to 12th June, 2015.

Sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 plane lands in Japan due to bad weather, delaying round-the-world voyage

The sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 has landed in the Japanese city of Nagoya, as bad weather delayed a landmark attempt by the plane to cross the Pacific Ocean.

"Weather deteriorating over Pacific, decision taken for intermediate landing in Nagoya and wait for better conditions," Bertrand Piccard, the initiator of the mission, tweeted.

The plane was in a holding pattern near Japan on Monday as organisers warned that bad weather in the days ahead could block its ambitious bid to cross the Pacific.

The seventh leg of the round-the-world journey was set to take pilot Andre Borschberg, 62, on a six-day, six-night flight from the Chinese city of Nanjing to Hawaii, on an 8,500-kilometre flight across the Pacific.

The bold attempt was called off just after 3pm Shanghai time on Monday.

Tarogeddon - A Tarot Game

Tarogeddon - A Tarot Game

Here's another tarot game I'm working on. It needs further play-testing, and the Mercury Retrograde period is a good time to do it.

This game is for fun, rather than "tarot learning", but to play it you do need to know the difference between the major and minor cards and the court cards.

Please let me know what you think, and please offer any suggestions for changes (if you have any).

Here are the rules, etc...