A full spread.
YOU DREW TEN CARDS:
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Environment
Seven of Cups
Cups: Interacting. Emotions and relationships of all kinds. Dealing with people. Think of two people toasting each other with wine glasses.
Seven: Going deeper.You become aware of deeper levels of meaning and hidden motivations. You’re no longer satisfied with superficial answers.
Strange chalices of vision. Divinatory Meanings: Fairy favours, images of reflection, sentiment, imagination, things seen in the glass of contemplation; some attainment in these degrees but nothing permanent or substantial is suggested. Reversed: Desire, will, determination, project.
Feelings of indecision swirl around you. Choices must be made, but you’re not giving yourself fully to the task at hand. You’re spending too much time dreaming about the future when you should be acting on those dreams instead. Draw on those inner energies and begin moving from thought to action. Reversed: Indecision is replaced with desire to take action, which will lead to positive outcome, sense of fulfillment. Time to pursue that dream, see where it leads.
Fantastic visions rise out of the cups — wreaths, jewels, snakes and towers — all resting on clouds. A man garbed in black contemplates the strange prodigies. Divinatory Meaning: The seeker has had too many different ideas and desires, all in the realm of the imagination; great dreams; castles in the air. Some attainment but nothing substantial as yet. His forces have been scattered. Reversed: Good use of determination and will; a project about to be realized.
Ambition and hope. Think about what you are doing.
Love enters complete action in the world, colored by humanism and generosity.
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Obstacles
The Star
The first step in a search for truth. A hint of a larger truth which has yet to be perceived in full. Reconciling opposites by dissolving their individual identities.
Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says — hope and bright prospects. Reversed: Arrogance, haughtiness, impotence.
The Star is a card of calm and peacefulness. Hope and joy. Comforts and pleasure. Things feel good. There is order in nature once again. We can rest and reflect and turn our gaze to the heavens. The Star will guide us to our destination when we are ready to begin journeying again. The Star will illuminate the path for us. It will also protect us under the night sky.
The Star is another card of personal reflection, meditation, and contemplation. It’s a reminder to turn our gaze inward and be guided by an inner light; to trust ourselves and our intuitions. We’ve come so far, learned so much, at last we are becoming enlightened.
The card also tells us to be at peace with ourselves, be true to ourselves, and bring love into our lives. The card encourages us to feel good about ourselves.
On a spiritual level, The Star is our link to the higher plane. It tells us to open our minds and let the light shine in. To grow in spirit, awareness, and knowledge and to apply all we learn in pursuit of even higher knowledge.
Reversed: Eyes closed to future possibilities. Gaze focused downward instead of up to the heavens. Feelings of insecurity and disquiet. Need to latch onto your dreams again.
An eight-pointed star signifying radiant cosmic energy and surrounded by seven smaller stars, radiates solar energy on the young girl kneeling on the land, her right foot upon the water. She pours the Waters of Life impartially from two ewers into the pool of universal consciousness and onto the earth — which represents matter. The bird is the soul resting in the tree of life.
The Maiden is eternal youth and beauty. She is Mother Nature and is identified with the Empress and the High Priestess, as well as with the woman in Key #8 who tames the lion. The card represents the Waters of Life flowing freely and perpetually renewing creation.
Divinatory Meaning: Hope, courage, inspiration. No destruction is final. Unselfish aid will be given. Good health. Spiritual love. Reversed: Stubbornness, pessimism, doubt.
A card of good fortune and hope, regeneration and recovery after a long period of adversity. Like the promise of each new dawn, another and better day is upon us. You can now find enlightenment in the future and belief once again in your dreams. Reversed: Warns against becoming blinded by the light. Take care since all that glitters is not gold.
To act in the world, to find your place.
The Star represents a stage in which an individual finds his or her rightful place to act in the world ina way that will embellish and nourish it from the spot the individual has made his or her own. It sometimes prompts us to not decide between apparently irreconcilable options but to conciliate the two. This card is traditionally seen as a sign of luck, prosperity, fertility. It symbolizes generous action. It is also associated with divine love, hope, and truth (which emerges from the well completely naked). It represents a creative realization that presumes its author has found his rightful place.
The Star’s conscious and generous relationship with Nature points the way to ecology, shamanism, and all the beliefs that take the planet as a living being into account. If The Star is spilling her jars into the past or into emptiness, we will need to ask why she is wasting her energy this way and what unresolved knot is indicated.
“In the infinite multiplicity of beings and things, I have found my place — in the world and in myself, for it is the same thing. I no longer need to keep looking, I no longer hold any image of myself; I am in my rightful place. Here and everywhere I am attached by my own choice.”
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Above
Four of Cups
Cups: Interacting. Emotions and relationships of all kinds. Dealing with people. Think of two people toasting each other with wine glasses.
Four: Making it happen. Your efforts result in concrete manifestation. Initial success.
A young man is seated under a tree and contemplates three cups set on the grass before him; an arm issuing from a cloud offers him another cup. His expression notwithstanding is one of discontent with his environment. Divinatory Meanings: Weariness, disgust, aversion, imaginary vexations, as if the wine of this world had caused satiety only; another wine, as if a fairy gift, is now offered him, but he sees no consolation therein. This is also a card of blended pleasure. Reversed: Novelty, presage, new instruction, new relations.
Material pursuits no longer satisfy. Time to reassess, reevaluate, turn inward for answers. Looking for new, more fulfilling, satisfying challenges, pursuits. Answers to your questions are within reach. Reversed: Ready for new challenges, relationships. A sense of excitement is in the air. Feeling revitalized, refreshed, and invigorated. Ready to resume past relationships, renew friendships.
Seated under a tree, a young man contemplates three cups on the grass before him. Out of a cloud in the sky comes a hand offering him another cup. He is nevertheless discontented. Divinatory Meaning: Discontent with environment, but hesitancy to embark on a new venture. Contemplation, dissatisfaction with material success, re-evaluation of one’s earthly pleasures. Reversed: New instructions, new relationships, novelty.
Expressive of emotions, but beware of over-indulgence.
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Below
The Hanged Man
Betrayal. Being discovered doing something unethical. Being accused of something, rightly or wrongly. Being made an example of. Being embarrassed. Voluntarily submitting to public humiliation.
Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy. Reversed: Selfishness, the crowd, body politic.
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Behind
Two of Pentacles
Coins: Obtaining. Providing for yourself. Establishing a comfort zone. Taking risks with resources. Think of the thoughts and feelings you experience when you buy a lottery ticket.
Two: It takes two. A dialogue. Weighing and comparing different possibilities.
A young man in the act of dancing has a pentacle in either hand, and they are joined by that endless cord which is like the number 8 reversed. Divinatory Meanings: On the one hand it is represented as a card of gaiety, recreation and its connexions, which is the subject of the design; but it is read also as news and messages in writing, as obstacles, agitation, trouble, embroilment. Reversed: Enforced gaiety, simulated enjoyment, literal sense, handwriting, composition, letters of exchange.
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Ahead
XIII
XIII – Death. Something has come to an end; it will only continue in a new form. Our shortsighted view of life as unchanging is challenged. A warning against hubris: you too can be brought low by natural forces.
End, mortality, destruction, corruption. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism.
The Death card strikes fear in the hearts of most people when it should be welcomed. It is not an evil card. It is a card of change, of transformation. It is the darkness that precedes the light, the death that is necessary for rebirth to take place. It is another turn on the Wheel of Life. Death and life go hand in hand. Both are linked as part of the eternal process. Life ends in death. And from death comes new beginnings. Where The Hanged Man represents a suspension between two states, death symbolizes the end of the old and the start of something new. Death tells us to be open to new adventures about to begin. Reversed: Fear of change, especially the future. Clinging to old ideas or values that are no longer relevant. Not a good time to make the break. Stop grieving for the old ways or what you’ve lost.
The mysterious horseman, Death, rides a well-bridled horse, and moves slowly across a field. He bears a black banner emblazoned with the mystic rose, which signifies life. On the edge of the horizon, the sun shines between two towers. All are powerless before the rider — king, child, girl, fall prostrate before him, while a priest awaits his coming with clasped hands. The card represents the death of the old self — not necessarily physical death. The sloughing off of fleshly desires. He who realizes that death must be conquered by the regeneration of the soul is on the way to attaining eternal life. Divinatory Meaning: Transformation, change. Sometimes destruction followed or preceded by transformation. The change may be in the form of consciousness. Sometimes it may mean birth and renewal. Reversed: Temporary stagnation, tendency to inertia.
This is not as ominous as it seems despite the title and image. Whatever card came before it will be strengthened by this card. To continue to grow in the future, sometimes the only way is to lay the past to rest in some sense. Then your soul can be reborn. You can expect a strong spiritual rebirth. Any setback that you may be going through at this time can bring you a new understanding and new hope. Reversed: Foresees distraction without renewal.
“Permanent impermanence, I am the secret of the sages: they know they can only advance on my path. Those who incorporate me become powerful minds. Those who deny me, seeking vainly to escape, lose the delights of the ephemeral. My permanent destruction opens the way to constant creation.”
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You
Seven of Pentacles
Coins: Obtaining. Providing for yourself. Establishing a comfort zone. Taking risks with resources. Think of the thoughts and feelings you experience when you buy a lottery ticket.
Seven: Going deeper. You become aware of deeper levels of meaning and hidden motivations. You’re no longer satisfied with superficial answers.
A young man, leaning on his staff, looks intently at seven pentacles attached to a clump of greenery on his right; one would say that these were his treasures and that his heart was there. Divinatory Meanings: These are exceedingly contradictory; in the main, it is a card of money, business, barter; but one reading gives altercation, quarrel; and another innocence, ingenuity, purgation. Reversed: Anxiety about money.
You have a lot to show for your efforts, but you are not sure if your achievements are what you want. Weighing your options about the future. Also, taking a moment to reflect on your gains. Reversed: Difficult choices facing you about finances. In doubt about which way to turn. Afraid wrong choices could lead to loss or debts. Be careful not to make rash decisions. You want to abandon project, undertaking.
A strong young farmer leans on his hoe as he watches his crops growing. Is he indolent or just contemplative? Divinatory Meaning: Pause during the development of an enterprise. Possibly a stalemate with more energy needed before it can proceed. Growth or material possessions without effort. Reversed: Cause for anxiety over money. Little gain after much work. Unprofitable speculations.
Career advances ahead; use caution.
Spiritualization of matter and materialization of spirit have been achieved. Ideas move into action in the world and produce money.
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Others
Eight of Swords
Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.
Eight: The efficiency expert. Through use of discipline and structure, you reach peak efficiency.
A woman, bound and hoodwinked, with the swords of the card about her. Divinatory Meaning: Bad news, violent chagrin, crisis, censure, power in trammels, conflict, calumny; also sickness. Reversed: Disquiet, difficulty, opposition, accident, treachery; what is unforeseen; fatality.
You’ve boxed yourself in and not allowed yourself any options. You are holding yourself back — and for no good reason. You need to cast off the blindfolds and cut yourself loose. Reversed: You’ve removed the veil from your eyes and can see, think, and act without restriction. You can put your fears behind you and start moving forward again. You feel a great sense of release and relief.
A bound woman standing in a watery waste is surrounded by swords. She is blindfolded. Behind her on a high crag stands a castle. Divinatory Meaning: The seeker does not know which way to move in a situation. Bondage, crises, waste of energy in trivial detail, censure. Reversed: Freedom, relaxation from fear. New beginnings now possible.
Difficulties will end with patience.
The Eight of Swords represents the Buddhist ideal of emptiness. The intellect achieves perfection: emptiness. This card indicates that the mind has ceased to identify with its concepts. It is a powerful concentration, a trance state or deep meditation in which the duality of opposites dissolves in celebration of the present. The solution to problems becomes obvious, beyond the powers of reasoning. In this state of nonthought, all revelations are possible. If we want to read this card negatively, we see it as intellectual blocks; all illnesses affecting cognition, from coma to amnesia or aphasia; the fear of emptiness; or stupor.
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Illusions
The Pope
Spiritual wisdom and authority. Orthodoxy. Petitioning another for help, or someone is petitioning you. A person who deserves respect and, at the same time, wariness.
Marriage alliance, captivity, servitude; by another account, mercy and goodness; inspiration; the man to whom the Querent has recourse. Reversed: Society, good understanding, concord, over-kindness, weakness.
The Heirophant is the link between God and man — the high priest on earth. His are the ways of tradition. He is our spiritual guide who transcends the material world.
The master of the sacred mysteries wears the triple crown of a pope, signifying the creative, formative, and material worlds. He holds a sceptre terminating in a triple cross. At his feet are crossed keys, a gold one for solar energy and a silver one for the unseen forces of the moon. The two tonsured priests kneeling before him again indicate duality, for one garment is decorated with the white lilies of spiritual thought and the other with the red roses of desire. He may represent the Pope, but more likely the idea of a pontiff who is master to the masses. He is the ruling power of external religion, whereas the High Priestess teaches only in secret to initiates. Divinatory Meaning: Preference for the outer forms of religion. The need to conform, to be socially approved. Reversed: Unconventionality, unorthodoxy, openness to new ideas in any field. Danger of becoming superstitious. Can be the card of the inventor as well as the crackpot.
This card speaks of a spiritual rather than a worldly power and authority. The priest offers wisdom and rational knowledge, creative intelligence and inspiring perceptions. You are gaining insight and a stable understanding of your life and surroundings. This knowledge is not necessarily a religious one, but rather a profound and sensible understanding. The High Priest in this card may symbolize an influential friend, adviser or teacher. Reversed: Beware of lies and misleading information.
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To Come
Four of Wands
Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.
Four: Making it happen. Your efforts result in concrete manifestation. Initial success.
From the four great staves planted in the foreground there is a great garland suspended; two female figures uplift nosegays; at their side is a bridge over a moat, leading to an old manorial house. Divinatory Meanings: They are for once almost on the surface — country life, repose, concord, harmony, prosperity, peace, and the perfected work of these. Reversed: The meaning remains unaltered; it is prosperity, increase, felicity, beauty, embellishment.
Your accomplishments leave you feeling satisfied. Because your goals have been achieved, you feel a sense of peace, security, and happiness. You can take time to rest, relax, enjoy, and count your blessings. There’s a feeling of harmony in the air. Reversed: The same as upright, but with somewhat less intensity.
A garland is hung from the tops of four flowering wands; two maidens lift up bouquets of flowers; near them is a bridge over a moat, leading to an old castle. Divinatory Meaning: The coming of romance, harmony, prosperity, peace. The bounty of the harvest home, perfected work, haven of refuge. Reversed: Here the meaning remains unaltered; it is still prosperity, increase and bounty, but in lesser degree.
Unexpected wealth brings popularity.
Desire has become reality. The work of the artist enters the world and enjoys success.