by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
Known also as the Spirit of the Mighty Waters and ruled by the Element of Water, The Hanged Man represents letting go, breaking through old patterns and sacrificing something to achieve something of greater value. The Hanged Man has links to Nordic mythology in the trials of Odin who willingly hung himself on the Tree of Life for nine nights and emerged with the knowledge of the Runes and other wisdom. In this regard he is a Shaman who faces the unknown with its risks and also with its gifts. When contemplating the imagery of the card, at first appearances it looks rather dire. But if you turn the card upside down, and look at the man's countenance, he is rarely looking distressed - in fact he looks quite peaceful. There is a clue here. The Hanged Man represents sacrifice yes, but it is a willing sacrifice and so should not be feared, rather it is a time to contemplate what no longer serves you in your life and what you should relinquish in order to bring in new energy and possibilities. He can represent having reached a point where there is nowhere to go with one's will - there is something greater to which you must surrender, while admitting that you have nothing left but to let go. But it is in the letting go that allows new forms and possibilities to arise and out of that comes new life and new inspiration. He can also bring a time of waiting, where nothing you do - no coaxing or cajoling or wishing or praying - will make things go...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
Known also as the Spirit of the Mighty Waters and having affinity with the Element of Water, the Hanged Man represents letting go of old forms and surrendering to the truth. This card is aligned with Odin, who hung on the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil, for nine days willingly to gain the wisdom of the Runes. There is a willingness now to see things in a new and fresh way - a different perspective if you will. The old forms and structures are no longer valid, and you have been released from viewing the world in the same old way and now must find a new pattern with which to continue your life. There is a sacrifice required, and it is a giving up of the old well-worn path. It is not a material sacrifice that is required, but a sacrifice of the will to something greater than the ego. You have stayed firm and steady and true, and yet in the end it has not served you. It is time to be washed clean of your old beliefs and let go to new possibilities in the future. It is a sacrifice of the personality, of the mask that you have worn to fit in and so it is time to find your true face, and the relief that comes with this is a blessing. Whenever we have to let go of our way of being in the past, and face an unknown future there will always be uncertainty, a little fear, and even pain. And yet there is so much better in our future if we will only cease...
by estellew | Apr 12, 2013 | Major Arcana
Ruled by Scorpio, the Death card is not a card to be feared - so please don't write in to tell me that is is bad! It is a positive indication that a major transformation is about to occur. To tell you the truth, when I draw this card for myself I am very happy because it means that the stale and useless parts of my life are about to disappear and make way for something fresh, new and wonderful. And I am still here. So this card refers to the death of the old, redundant structures, ideas and beliefs that we often cling to, even when we know they have outlived their usefulness and in fact may be harming us. It is the leap of faith into the great unknown, the journey of the caterpillar who goes to a long sleep and does not know that he relinquishes one form of energy to emerge finally as the ultimate symbol of grace, beauty and perfection, the butterfly. The Death card indicates the disintegration of old relationships, which will often be painful, but necessary. On the other side of this release is the rainbow that comes after the storm, and the Sun emerges to fill you with vitality and a new lease on life. With the relinquishing, your experience will be entirely dictated by your attitude to change. If you insist on clinging to the old structures that no longer serve you but harm you, then you might suffer some discomfort. But if you can embrace change with acceptance or even a willingness to truly let go, then there will...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
Known as the Child of the Great Transformers, the Death card is often misunderstood and greatly feared, when really it is an extremely positive card in terms of personal growth and transformation. Ruled by Scorpio, this card refers to deep transformative experiences that occur throughout life, and also has ties, through it's Pluto ruler, to the underworld. The Underworld is also the Unconscious and so this card refers to a heightened experience of the Unconscious - intuition, hunches, subtle energy that appears to come from nowhere and so is considered to be mysterious and something to be feared. It need not be so. I have drawn this card for myself several times, and I am still here to tell the tale. And I haven't lost anyone in the process, so it is time to look into the real meaning of this card. Along with the motif of regeneration is that of renewal - as the Phoenix rises from the ashes, a new more evolved form takes place. The fact that the Death card appears towards the centre of the Tarot Trumps, and not at the end, indicates what kind of a "Death" this card symbolises. It is the death of the ego, the old way, the childish and immature phase of life and represents initiation into individuation, the path of following finally your true path, your bliss. To get to this part of life, something inside has to die, and often needs to be mourned for once this part of life changes, then there is no going back. That is the nature of true knowledge - once you learn...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Temperance card is the Daughter of the Reconcilers and Bringer-Forth of Life . Ruled by Sagittarius, it represents balance, creative power and transformation. Sagittarius is representative of the larger part of life that we often are unaware of or even ignore. It is a vision quest that is designed to bring out our true and unique artistry and let it have its place in the world, so that it can touch and expand not only ourselves, but others as well. The art of Temperance is that of blending the opposites, balancing discordant properties to create a third thing, one of beauty. There is much creativity with this card - it is a time of searching within yourself for the essence that makes you unique and bringing that out into the world and in your experience. The wellspring of sustaining life is within you and ready to be acknowledged. There is alchemy at work here and it is truly magical. In order to be whole we need to integrate both our light and our dark aspects. It is when we can do this successfully that we avert evil and suffering because we acknowledge these aspects in our own nature and therefore do not need to experience it 'out there'. This is a Mystery and can be the beginning of a lifetime of learning and a journey of becoming more of who you truly are. It is up to you now to create harmony in your surroundings and you have the energy and the will to manifest this now. This is a positive card, and one of great power, where you are...
by estellew | Aug 7, 2015 | Major Arcana, Tarot
The Temperance card is also known as the Daughter of the Reconcilers and the Bringer-Forth of Life. It is ruled by Sagittarius and represents balance of the opposites. moderation, refinement and creativity. The figure represented in the sign of Sagittarius gives us one clue to its meaning - Sagittarius being the Centaur, it is the merging of human and animal, man and horse, which also represents logic and instinct. The merging of the opposites always results in a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. She is also standing with one foot on land and one in sea - fixed earth and mutable ocean, again a reference to balancing opposites. The Angel depicted in the card can be seen blending the contents of two vessels, and these are fire and water which are normally incompatible, This card also brings to mind the ancient Chinese symbol of the Yin and Yang, masculine and feminine and the importance of both concepts to an integrated wholeness. As the Bringer-Forth of Life, the Temperance card needs to merge the masculine and feminine to bring in something new, a new life and a new hope. And so when the Temperance card turns up for you in a reading it is to bring in something new, somthing that has not existed before. The opposites that it brings together are seemingly incompatible, and yet when they are brought together in the vessels of the Angel then a new form and way of being arises. Something that was not in your awareness, or in the field of possibility for you before is now coming and it takes life...
