The Deck Bonding Challenge

The Deck Bonding Challenge

One of the ideas I tossed around when I was looking at challenges to create for myself for the #100DaysOfTarot, one of the ideas I tossed around was a deck bonding challenge; to take my “Start Here” material and organize it into small chunks that someone could do daily while still using their deck for regular readings. I initially scrapped the idea since I don’t have a new deck I’m working with at the moment but my girlfriend asked me to write the challenge out for her to do with her deck. 

If you want to see someone doing this challenge in June, I’d recommend checking out @petrosophia, she’s kickass. I’m biased of course but she’s also just objectively a very reflective person, which is helpful if you want someone to follow along with. 

Before You Start

I’d recommend reading all of my “Start Here” section but especially my posts on not learning tarot cards like flashcards and on reading vertically. 

The important concepts here are the narrative approach to the Major Arcana/the suits and, well, reading vertically - taking all of the 1′s then all of the 2′s and so on. 

What to Do Each Day

On days the prompt says to ask the deck a question, shuffle and draw three cards. Use the book to look up the meanings if you need to. Make any notes you might want to keep or make a post about it. 

On the other days, select the cards listed and start with your first impressions. What story do you think is being told? What’s the emotion of each card? What’s the action? After you’ve made notes of your first impressions, make notes of the book’s definitions for each card as well. When you’ve completed a suit - say all of the pentacles - write a brief one or two sentence summary of the story being told. When working vertically, jot down three keywords after you’ve finished taking notes. 

For the two signifier questions, feel free to either select one and reflect on it or shuffle and draw one then reflect on it. Or hell do both. See how closely your pick matches you deck. 

You might also consider combining these prompts with the SOAP Journaling framework. 

Why Do This Challenge

The benefit I see with this challenge is that it allows you to develop a framework understanding of your deck over the course of several weeks which I think is more approachable for a lot of folks. I’m also just a firm believer that a little structure goes a long way. 

But feel free to play with this structure. Do all the Pentacles at once if you please. Maybe you need to break down the Vertical Reading into smaller chunks. Maybe you’re using a playing card deck so you just omit all of the Major Arcana. This is just a starting point. 

And I’m excited to see what y’all do with it! 

The Prompts

1   Ask the Deck: What are your Strengths? (Draw 3 Cards)

2   Ask the Deck: What are your Weaknesses? (Draw 3 Cards)

3   Pentacles 1-4

4   Pentacles 5-7

5   Pentacles 8-10

6   Pentacles Page & Knight

7   Pentacles Queen & King

8   Swords 1-4

9   Swords 5-7

10  Swords 8-10

11  Swords Page & Knight

12  Swords Queen & King

13  Wands 1-4

14  Wands 5-7

15  Wands 8-10

16  Wands Page & Knight

17  Wands Queen & King

18  Cups 1-4

19  Cups 5-7

20  Cups 8-10

21  Cups P&K

22  Cups Q&K

23  Major Arcana 0 & 21

24  Major Arcana 1-5

25  Major Arcana 6-10

26  Major Arcana 11-15

27  Major Arcana 16-20

28  Vertical Reading - The 1’s

29  Vertical Reading – The  2’s

30  Vertical Reading - The 3’s

31  Vertical Reading – The  4’s

32  Vertical Reading – The 5’s

33  Vertical Reading – The  6’s

34  Vertical Reading – The 7’s

35  Vertical Reading – The  8’s

36  Vertical Reading – The 9’s  

37  Vertical Reading – The 10’s

38 Internal Signifier – Who am I Internally (Select or Draw a Card)

39 External Signifier – Who am I Externally (Select or Draw a Card)

40 Ask the Deck: What do you want me to know? (Draw 3)

Which tarot card represents each star sign

In tarot, different cards can be associated with each zodiac sign based on their symbolism and characteristics.

Here are some commonly suggested tarot cards associated with each star sign:

1. Aries (March 21 - April 19): The Emperor

2. Taurus (April 20 - May 20): The Hierophant

3. Gemini (May 21 - June 20): The Lovers

4. Cancer (June 21 - July 22): The Chariot

5. Leo (July 23 - August 22): Strength

6. Virgo (August 23 - September 22): The Hermit

7. Libra (September 23 - October 22): Justice

8. Scorpio (October 23 - November 21): Death

9. Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21): Temperance

10. Capricorn (December 22 - January 19): The Devil

11. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18): The Star

12. Pisces (February 19 - March 20): The Moon

Please note that these associations can vary, and some individuals may have different interpretations based on personal beliefs or traditions.

Quick Diagnosis Spreads

I have a long form post in the works about my philosophy when it comes to spreads so keep an eye out for that but I thought it would be helpful if I shared some of the spreads that I work with. 

I’m much more likely to use these spreads listed here when I’m drawing cards for myself or someone close to me. That’s usually because I’m pulling them in response to a particular situation where the bulk of the information I need is already present and I’m just looking to uncover what else I might need to consider. 

Most recently, I used the first one listed here when my girlfriend lost a stone that was very important to her at a Beltaine celebration. She felt that it was significant and not merely an accident but wasn’t sure how to figure out what had happened and why. So I used the first spread I’ll show here to figure out what had happened from the perspective of a deity she works with and how to resolve it. 

So I recommend these spreads for similar situations but I’m sure they would also make for good quick spreads when reading in social situations too where you don’t want the reading to be to lengthy but you want to give people something interesting and meaningful. 

The Story 

1: Past

2: Present

3: Future

4: Resolution/Ultimate Outcome

This is spread is very action oriented which is why I used it in the situation with my girlfriend - I already know my girlfriend and who she is in that situation. What I needed to know was what had happened more precisely. Also the resolution card here was very helpful because it showed us when the issue would be resolved which is separate from the future/what is going to happen next. It let us know what she had to do in order to make amends in the situation. 

The Character Arc

1: Signifier 

2: Past

3: Present

4: Future

I’m not a big fan of doing third party readings (though I totally respect people who do it ethically) so I don’t often use this for anyone other than myself. It helps me understand how I might be seen in a situation or what I’m bringing to the situation along with the actions that resulted. Times I’ve used this spread are after a bad date, after fighting with a coworker, and trying to locate the source of sudden anxiety. 

The Present (Elemental) Self

1: Current Financial/Material Situation (Earth)

2: Current Intellectual/Academic Situation (Air)

3: Current Career/Passion Situation (Fire)

4: Current Relationship/Emotional Situation (Water)

Optional 5th (not shown): Whole Self/Spiritual Situation (Spirit)

I mostly use this one when I want to check in on myself or when I feel out of balance. It’s a good weekly spread and I might go back to doing it on Sundays like I used to. It’s a good quick scan to see what’s going well and what needs some more attention. I’ve also used this spread to open with a querent at a party or social situation and then followed it up with one of the above ones when they ask “okay well how do I fix that?” It’s a little less overwhelming than bigger spreads, goes a little faster, and stays more focused which definitely has some pros when you’re trying to get through the like 10 people who’ve all decided they want readings from you and they’re going to get progressively more intoxicated as you go. 

Conclusion

These are just a few examples of the quick diagnosis spreads I use. Use them for others, use them for yourself. These have been working well enough for me to keep them around for almost 10 years so they’re well tested. Try them out yourself and let me know what you think! 

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, let me know!

*I never claim my way is the one true way. Take what is useful and leave the rest.

**If you wind up using this stuff in another setting, I’d really appreciate it if you could cite me. This is my art. Don’t steal, please credit.

Nonbinary November Tarot Challenge

I’ve been having such a great time doing @tarotprose’s amazing #MonthOfSpreads2 challenge that it inspired me to design another Tarot challenge to do in November.

As the holidays get closer, I tend to creep back toward the closet with regards to my gender. I throw on dresses more even when they make me uncomfortable and style my hair more like a pixie cut – not like the crew cut it is. I do this because I want the holidays to be fun and avoid conflict but the price I pay is not being fully myself in those moments. I wanted to set the tone but creating a challenge that helps me focus on my gender and being true to it even when the pressures of family and friends of friends make that hard.

Cis folks are welcome to participate. We all have complicated relationships with gender and how we perform it, even those who identify with their assigned gender. Examining it can help us unpack in what ways we uphold oppression too. Just know this challenge is created for trans folks, nonbinary ones in particular.

Use the hashtag #NonbinaryNovemberTarotChallenge

I’ll be randomly selecting 3 people who post their readings in that tag to win readings from me; one small (3-5 cards), one medium (6-8 cards), one large (10-14 cards). So the more you complete, the more likely you are to win. I’ll draw for the readings on December 4th so you’ll have a chance to catch up if you wish.

Complete the challenge at your own pace. Work ahead, skip days, catch up in a marathon session.

For brevity’s sake, prompts are below the cut. Happy Divining! 

Keep reading

A Spread for Cards that are Hard to Read

Do you have any of those cards that when they turn up they make you really uncomfortable and you never feel like you can properly describe their meaning to someone you’re reading for? I know I do – The Lovers, The Queen of Wands, and The Emperor have haunted me since I started reading. Cards that are difficult to read can teach us a lot about ourselves and can help guide our shadow work.

I’ve been toying with this spread a little and I wanted to put it out there for others to try out. The idea is that you let the deck speak to what’s blocking your understanding of a given card – which if you’re interested in shadow work, often highlights areas of ourselves that need to be given attention.

The spread is laid out as follows.

Method

Shuffle the deck and find your chosen card. Place it in the first position. Take the cards immediately following it or proceeding it depending on which will have enough cards to fill every position in the spread. An alternative is to draw the card, put it in first position, shuffle how you choose, and draw the top cards to fill the remaining spots.

Positions

The first card is pretty straight forward. Choose a card that’s giving you trouble, that makes you uncomfortable every time it comes up. I think people tend to pick major arcana cards here but don’t be afraid to pick a minor card. All blocks have something to teach us

The second card is how your past influences how you read this card. It could be an event, a belief, an unresolved fear – anything really. Our past often dictates our expectations of the future. So when a card is difficult to read it often points to an expectation we’ve picked up from our past and it either challenges that expectation or confirms something uncomfortable.

The third card is how your perception of yourself is influencing how you read the first card. Similar to the second card, when a card is difficult to read it often challenges our image of ourselves. It may make us feel like bad people when we think highly of ourselves or vice versa, highlight an area we’ve struggled with, or make us question the narrative we tell ourselves.

The fourth card is how others in your life inform your reading of the first card. Often we see other people in the cards, ones we like and ones we don’t. Our feelings for or about that person will often undermine how we read this card in relation to ourselves and to other people.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh card are all what those influences can teach us about ourselves. The lessons they highlight can also offer clues as how to unblock your reading of the main card.

Conclusion

I hope folks find this spread helpful. I’m still tweaking it and toying with it. If you use it to create something new or come up with a different way to do a similar task, please reblog and/or let me know! I’d love to boost more materials on this.

As always, take the best and leave the rest and if you have any questions let me know!

How I Read Tarot Cards Differently

I never want to give the impression that I think my way is the best way – I think that’s why I’ve held off writing too much about this. Too often when people talk through how they approach their practices or the trouble they have with other practices, people assume that their attitude is one of elitism. Some people have asked me to expand on how I see my style of reading tarot as being different from others and I want to speak to that.

But know this first – I genuinely don’t give a fuck how you read.

Reading Systemically

I’ve often written about how I see Tarot as a system, not a set of individual cards, and this for me is a really key difference between how I read and how I see other people reading.

As goodbonestarot pointed out in the comments on this post, one card draws are very popular now. When I was learning, the dominant line of thought I was exposed to was that one card draws were a way to interact with the deck daily in a less energetically draining way than a full reading and were only really meant as learning exercises.

It seems to have shifted toward what I call “the drive thru divination” approach – that you should be able to roll up to someone’s ask box, shoot them a question, and get everything you need from a single card. I think a lot of this has to do with all the enthusiastic beginners Tumblr has who are trying to learn and practice on other people in a safe way – and that is absolutely good. But since Tumblr has a lot of beginners who are learning from other beginners who are learning from other beginners, I wonder if there isn’t some acceptance of that just being Tarot. That cards in total isolation is how to do Tarot.

Reading systemically for me is one part ye old internet Tarot elders of 2008 telling me that’s how it’s done and one part thinking systemically is how I do everything in life.

I’m queer. I’m nonbinary. I’m disabled. I’ve been pretty much constantly broke my whole adult life. I come from two very disadvantaged and exploited regions in the US (Appalachia and the South).

Thinking systemically is a matter of survival for me. I cannot turn it off.

I often joke that my approach to the minor arcana is “proletarian” – for good reason. Tarot resonates as a system of divination because it speaks to the lived reality of day to day people. The experiences of day to day people are largely shaped by systems out of their control. It makes sense to me then that Tarot should be similarly reflective of those truths. Both a system and shaped by systems, it’s roots in the lives of ordinary people.

People’s lives don’t happen in isolation. Experiences might seem episodic but they’re not isolated. They are both what they seem on their face and deeply tied to forces and themes far beyond the bounds of their immediate circumstances.

The reason why people get so spooked when I land a reading is not because I eloquently relay the traditional meaning of the cards but when I can see how all the threads connect, when I can see all the things that were or weren’t their fault, when I can know how badly they wished things had gone differently but the systems they live in decide differently.

Reading Emphatically

I’ve sensed in a lot of readings people give on here a sort of distance between themselves and the cards and by extension the people they’re reading for.

I can’t read that way.

One of the reasons I will always ask if someone is okay with a friend or someone else hearing what I say during a reading is because it’s incredibly personal, or at least it should be in my book. Empathy is one of the greatest tools a diviner can have. When I look at say a Nine of Swords, I’m not just looking at the surface meanings – I’m feeling the way I feel when that card has been present in my own life. I’m feeling the total anxiety, the way your stomach drops out from under you, the tension, the grief.

When you can speak precisely to how a person is feeling, nothing really compares.

But people are so hesitant to go there, to be vulnerable with the person they’re reading for, to get real. They look at cards like puzzle pieces when they’re actually full and complete experiences, real and powerful.

I don’t think it’s okay to read for another person if you aren’t okay with knowing very personal things about them and in turn being known.

I read with my whole heart. Wide open. Every time.

Reading Magically

There’s been an assumption I’ve run up against recently where people think because I’m a respectable intelligent person, I must just be using the cards are a tool of self reflection or similar.

I want to let everyone know: I am not. I believe this shit.

I believe the Universe thrives in randomness, that it wants to connect with us, that its larger forces are evident in more micro experiences. I believe that cards are a tool for my intuition, a skill I use apart from them to great effect too.

Contrary to popular belief, I can be intelligent AND believe this is “for real”.

I’ve consistently had atheists walk out of my life as believers in “something”. I’ve probably converted more people to some flavor of pagan in my life than I ever did to Christianity. As one ex put it, “too much weird shit happens around you for me to ever be certain something ISN’T out there.”

I believe in the cards and I believe in the universe and I’m not going to couch that in “self-reflection”.

Conclusion

This is probably way more than y’all ever wanted to know and I’m not sure I even answered the question. The way I read tarot is different because I’m an empathetic believer in the system I use and I treat it as such. I’m not saying I’m special in that regard. It just seems different from what I’ve seen. But I’d love to know more people with similar leanings. I’d love to grow and help grow.