by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
In the middle of our walk of life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost. - Dante, The Divine Comedy Known also as the Prophet of the Eternal and Magus of the Voice of Power, the card of The Hermit is ruled by Virgo. Virgo is concerned with personal service, health and creating order and meaning. You have lost your voice and your personal power by being too much out there in the world. When The Hermit turns up with his lantern, he is telling you that you need a period of self-reflection, quietude and getting back to the Source. The light needs to be turned within. External concerns for you have scattered your energies, and stolen your energy. You need to withdraw and rebuild your resources so that you can turn up in the world with strength and love. The Hermit is shown solitary and deep in isolation in the forest with only a lantern and a staff to help him find his way. The isolated forest is a symbol for the unconscious, or entering into that unknown aspect of our psyche which has the ability to both enrich and terrify. Willingly entering this territory is a great feat and a sign of the culmination of maturity - it is the willingness to undergo individuation and is really in essence, coming home to one's true nature, shedding the persona that we have previously relied on falsely to face the world in order to fit in. A time of quietude and meditation is needed to connect to our own Soul and this task should never...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Hermit is ruled by Virgo, he is the Wise Man who beckons The Fool and leads him to the most inner regions of his psyche - for a woman, this card is also the Animus, who yields depths of spiritual wisdom that enriches her whole being. This is an important card to draw - it speaks of the need to withdraw, to seek solace and wisdom in your Soul because the world can sometimes be a confusing and deceptive place, when all you want is to find a pure and true answer. And yet for all that it is a very positive card. This card indicates you are about to go on an important journey, not to another land, but to the vast interior of your own self, wherein lie all the answers. Courage is needed, and trust in self. Your travels begin in hope, but you must endure the darkness before you come out again into the light, and come out again you will. Be true to yourself, and meditate on The Hermit's guidance and careful quiet wisdom which you will hear if you just listen. You need to tie up loose ends in your life, make sure there is no room for misunderstandings and errors. This is a time when you will shun your normal sources of diversion and pursuits, and activities that once amused you will emerge again with a vitality and joy that you forgot you ever possessed. Surround yourself with people who have an empathetic understanding and intelligence, and will not burden your mind with well-intentioned but ultimately useless advice. The foundations of...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Wheel of Fortune is one of the cards of the Tarot that is greeted with excitement and anticipation when it turns up in a reading. Surely it means that your luck is about to change for the better, doesn't it? The Wheel of Fortune is also called the Lord of the Forces of Life and ruled by Jupiter. The forces of life are not always apparently positive. life demands that sometimes we are on the rise, on the way up, and at other times we are on the decline, or on the way down. It's a little bit like our energy - we can't always be bouncing along full of energy, motivation and fun. Sometimes we need to be quiet and still, regathering our energy to go at it another day. Jupiter is also often greeted with enthusiasm, being the planet of luck and increase. But it is also sometimes indicative of overdoing it - especially in the good things in life. So it very much depends on your attitude and where you are on the Wheel at present. This card in general indicates a positive change in circumstances where things really start to go your way, especially if you have been struggling and striving and working hard to make a difference in your life - you are about to make a positive and lucky breakthrough. And because life is also about ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments, it can also indicate that from a position of riding high on the Wheel, there will also be times when you need to traverse the bottom of the Wheel as well,...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Wheel of Fortune is Lord of the Forces of Life and ruled by Jupiter - it represents new beginnings, breakthroughs and self-realisation. There is great momentum granted with this card and you will feel yourself drawn towards what feels like your fate. An opportunity for learning more about yourself, your place in the world, and how you create the world around you is possible now, but only if you are willing to embrace the changes that this will bring/ There is sense of karma with this card - and yet karma is a more complex idea than most would have you believe. The Wheel brings the concept of reward and suffering, and the inevitability of experiencing first the one, followed eventually by the other as if the Wheel was an automaton, and moving like the seasons and all the Worlds. How do you escape the inevitability of that? And yes you can. The secret of the Wheel is your point of referencce. If you are chained to the wheel (where most of humanity will feel themselves to be - bound and helpless) then you will most likely experience the ups and downs, the joys and the sufferings that certain texts that many are fond of quoting will tell you is your lot. But think for a moment, by shifting that very point of reference and instead of being on the merry-go-round you were instead at the centre, directing the action of the Wheel, how would that differ? It feels very different doesn't it, if you let yourself be there. It is always a choice, whether you see that now...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Strength card is a celebration of the Higher Self subduing and integrating the instinctual animal nature that is tamed by a loving spirit. It is aligned with the Virtue of Fortitude and with Leo. It endows one with self-discipline, great courage and power with gentleness. It also gives one a lust for life, an appreciation of what life is capable of offering if you allow it. Strength is much more about inner power than outer machismo. It is the feminine quality of strength that endures heartbreak, disappointment, delays and tragedy with a quiet animal grace that knows these things will pass and that the life force will always win. It bestows on a woman an allure and magnetism that is irresistible and has nothing to do with physical beauty, although that is often in evidence too. Rather it comes with a confidence in herself and her knowledge of her worth that she does not need to see reflected in the eyes of a lover. This is a very positive card, which tells that love and faith can move mountains. Any difficulty that you face now will not be overcome by anger, or effort, or despair, but that loving attention and deep compassion will dissolve any problems. It also indicates a love of nature and special bonds with pets and other creatures, which serve to open one's heart more fully and without judgement. Under the influence of this card reconciliations are possible now. Also a fortuitous time to uncover and follow your passion and bliss, whatever form that may take. Where have you been holding back and not living...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Hanged Man is known as the Spirit of the Mighty Waters and aligned with the Element of Water. Being of Water, the meaning of this card is hard to catch and hold. It represents sacrifice, and willing sacrifice at that. In mythology, this card is linked to the Nordic god Odin, who willingly allowed himself to be tied to the Great Tree of Knowledge for nine nights and suffered greatly - his reward was the esoteric knowledge of the Runes that were gifted to him for his ordeal. This reminds us of the ancient ritual of sacrifice of the King in the tree grove. It was sacrifice for the survival of the tribe, and the echoes of this ancient tradition are still recognisable in belief systems today. There is also the motif of sacrifice of one's current state of consciousness to emerge with a greater consciousness, and this requires that one must die to oneself, or let go of ego concerns in order to emerge in a higher conscious state. That is all very well, but what does it mean to the person who is looking for happiness in love or struggling to pay the electric bill or who is dreading suffering through another groundhog day at work? If one is honest, then there is a sacrifice at play here. Clinging to what is known and comfortable always comes at a price, and often that price is sacrifice of one's dreams and hopes. After all it is better the devil you know than one you don't? So on the other side of the coin is the willingness to...
