A full spread.
YOU DREW TEN CARDS:
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Obstacles
Seven of Wands
Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.
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 on a craggy eminence, brandishing a staff; six other staves are raised towards him from below. Divinatory Meanings: It is a card of valour, for, on the surface, six are attacking one, who has, however, the vantage position. On the intellectual plane, it signifies discussion, wordy strife; in business– negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition. It is further a card of success, for the combatant is on the top and his enemies may be unable to reach him. Reversed: Perplexity, embarrassments, anxiety.
You are facing adversity and challenge — and still holding your ground. You must draw on your inner strength and personal faith to deal with this latest challenge. Something is coming to a head. An unexpected confrontation looms on the horizon, yet you are not afraid. Reversed: Not willing to confront your problems. Would prefer to turn and run. Feeling a sense of anxiety. Uncomfortable about what’s ahead. Disturbed by choices facing you. Lacking willpower.
A young man on a rocky hill grasps a flowering wand. Six others rise up against him. In Queen Elizabeth I’s time, men fought in this manner. Divinatory Meaning: Man holding his own against adversaries. Strife, stiff competition in business, war or trade; success against opposition; courage in the face of difficulties. Reversed: Perplexity, embarrassment, anxiety. This card is also a caution against indecision.
Today’s problems lead to future.
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Above
Six of Swords
Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.
Six: Keeping it going. You’ve established a pattern or rhythm which allows things to run smoothly. Things are going well and you’re in a position to be generous with others or even to give up some of your goals for others’ benefit.
A ferryman carrying passengers in his punt to the further shore. Divinatory Meanings: Journey by water, route, way, envoy, commissionary, expedient. Reversed: Declaration, confession, publicity; one account says that it is a proposal of love.
You are able to navigate through your problems. And even though your difficulties still face you, you are learning how to deal with them, how to live your life in their presence. You are trying to look at things with a more open mind by putting distance between yourself and the past. Reversed: You don’t feel like you are making any progress. You are trying to paddle against the current. You aren’t able to look at your problems afresh or put them behind you.
A ferryman carries passengers in his boat to the opposite shore. The waters are smooth; the swords do not seem to weigh the boat down. Divinatory Meaning: Passage away from difficulties; journey by water; success after anxiety; sending someone to represent you in an undertaking. Reversed: Unfavorable issue of an affair. No immediate way out of present difficulties. A stalemate.
Difficulties surmounted, a trip may bring good news.
The first step into pure joy is an intellectual experience. Poetry finds its source in the Six of Swords.
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Below
Four of Swords
Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.
Four: Making it happen. Your efforts result in concrete manifestation. Initial success.
The effigy of a knight in the attitude of prayer, at full length upon his tomb. Divinatory Meanings: Vigilance, retreat, solitude, hermit’s repose, exile, tomb and coffin. Reversed: Wise administration, circumspection, economy, avarice, precaution, testament.
Once again it is time to back away from your troubles, to make time for quiet contemplation. Your problems will still be there when you return, but you’ll be energized and able to approach things with a clearer head, wiser from your rest. Reversed: No time to rest. Action is needed. You are being called back. Because you may not be ready to act, take care before committing yourself. Use caution.
The effigy of a knight lies at full length upon his tomb, in an attitude of prayer. One sword lies beside his tomb, while three hang over him. Divinatory Meaning: Rest from strife; retreat; solitude. Hermit’s repose; convalescence after illness; exile. Not a card of death. Reversed: Activity, social unrest, qualified success. Use precaution, economy and circumspection.
Harmony, calm, reprieve from struggle.
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Behind
King of Swords
Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.
King: Controlling. Using force and authority to impose one’s will.
He sits in judgment, holding the unsheathed sign of his suit. Divinatory Meanings: Whatsoever arises out of the idea of judgment and all its connexions — power, command, authority, militant intelligence, law, offices of the crown, and so forth. Reversed: Cruelty, perversity, barbarity, perfidy, evil intention.
Use your experiences of the past to guide your thinking. Be fair in making decisions that affect other people. Reversed: Lack of compassion can cause hurt to other people. Don’t be so strict that it borders on cruelty in your dealings with others. Don’t allow prejudice to cloud your vision.
A stern king, his sword unsheathed, sits in judgment. Behind him on a banner are the butterflies of soul. They are also found on the queen’s throne. The cypress trees of Venus stand out against a stormy sky. Divinatory Meaning: A man with dark brown hair and brown eyes, he has the power of life and death. It may betoken a wise man, a counselor full of helpful ideas; whatever rises from authority, military, and government concerns, law, judgment. Reversed: A man who can be cruel, barbarous, unjust. Caution in matters that may result in a ruinous lawsuit.
A thin-faced, sharp-featured, clever man will help with professional advice.
He supervises his thought and puts it into action in the world.
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Ahead
Ace of Cups
Ace: There’s a first time for everything. Beginnings. A seed that will grow.
Cups: Interacting. Emotions and relationships of all kinds. Dealing with people. Think of two people toasting each other with wine glasses.
The waters are beneath and thereon are water-lilies; the hand issues from the cloud, holding in its palm the cup, from which four streams are pouring; a dove, bearing in its bill a cross-marked host, descends to place the wafer in the cup; the dew of water is falling on all sides. It is an intimation of that which may lie behind the Lesser Arcana. Divinatory Meanings: House of the true heart, joy, content, abode, nourishment, abundance, fertility, holy table, felicity hereof. Reversed: House of the false heart, mutation, instability, revolution.
A new outpouring of emotions: first love, new appreciation for life, a spiritual awakening. A journey that begins with special blessings. Good fortune shines on you. An acceptance of life and all the joys it brings. A sign of fertility. Reversed: Emphasis on material over spiritual. Closed off from nurturing love or from your true feelings. Denying the wonders of life. Not ready for emotional involvement. Neither giving nor receiving love.
A hand reaches out from a cloud holding a cup from which five streams of living water fall into the lake below — a symbol of the subconscious mind. A dove of peace holds a wafer marked with a cross as the dew of Spirit descends onto the water lilies, which are symbols, like the lotus, of eternal life. A reminder here, that when you keep your mind filled with the Spirit it will fill your material cup to overflowing. Divinatory Meaning: Abundance in all things. Love, joy, fertility. Nourishment from spiritual sources. Reversed: Hesitancy to nurture love, instability. The good beginning is cut short. Materiality.
Filled with love to overflowing, great abundance.
Symbol of Love in Potential
Symbol of love in potential, a cathedral that is still closed yet full, it can symbolize all the feelings, all the possibilities of the heart from amorous enthusiasm to mysticism; a great disposition to loving and being loved; a capacity for love that is as yet unemployed but immense. With the Ace of Cups, love appears like a chalice, a question on the horizon that will color the quest of the reading’s subject. It is also the base of communication, religion, in the sense of connecting to the Other and of transcending yourself to reach the Divine. Its negative aspects would be suffering, jealousy, bitterness, lack of affection, a never-sated neediness, and smothering affectivity.
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You
Five of Swords
Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.
Five: Challenging yourself. A monkey wrench. Things don’t go as expected and you’re challenged to grow. Or you may be deliberately challenging yourself.
A disdainful man looks after two retreating and dejected figures. Their two swords lie upon the ground. He carries two others on his left shoulder, and a third sword is in his right hand, point to earth. He is the master in possession of the field. Divinatory Meanings: Degradation, destruction, reversal, infamy, dishonour, loss. Reversed: The same; burial and obsequies.
All your emphasis is on winning. But victory itself may not be much of a reward. It could even be a loss in the long run. You must think of all the consequences that may arise — especially those who might get hurt, including yourself — before you come out swinging. Reversed: Same as upright, but with stronger emphasis on likely defeat and feelings of pain, loss, and despair that follow.
A man looks scornfully at two dejected figures, whose swords lie upon the ground. He carries two swords on his left shoulder, and a third sword, in his right hand, points to the earth. Storm clouds fill the sky. Divinatory Meaning: Conquest over others through physical strength. May betoken a threat to the subject of the reading. Reversed: Weakness, chance of loss and defeat. Stormy weather ahead.
Further struggles may bring defeat.
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Others
The Sun
Well-being. Warmth. Security. Peace. Innocence. Optimism. Clear perception of that which was glimpsed in the Star and obscured in the Moon.
Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment. Reversed: The same in a lesser sense.
In The Sun we are free. Free of our burdens, our material concerns. We have traveled far since beginning the journey as a Fool, and yet we come to this stop along the way even younger than when we began. That’s because we are young in mind and spirit. Enriched by the past experiences of our lives, we begin a new stage in life on a higher plane, wiser and more confident. We have been reborn many times on this journey. And we will be reborn many times more.
A naked child mounted on a white horse holds a banner aloft. The child rides without saddle or bridle because he represents perfect balance and control between the self-conscious and the unconscious. He seems to have emerged from the walled garden behind him into the glorious sunlight. Four sunflowers, corresponding to the four kingdoms of nature — mineral, vegetable, animal and human — are turned toward the child, signifying that all creation turns to man for its final development.
Creativeness, life forever renewed. Nature, the mother of all growth and life.
Attainment and material happiness. Good marriage and happy reunions. Achievements in art, science and agriculture. Studies completed, liberation; pleasure in the simple life. Reversed: Future plans clouded; possible broken engagement; loss of a valued object unless vigilance is exerted; voided contract.
At the end of the long and dark night will always be the light. Let the sunlight warm you and give you strength to overcome any difficulties that may rise up before you. Wholeness and harmony can be achieved if you can keep the sun in your heart. This is a card of triumph and rewards greater than gold. Reversed: Complete failure, loss of hope. At best only minor success can be attained.
The beginning of a new life in which past difficulties are left behind.
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Illusions
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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To Come
Ace of Wands
Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.
Ace: There’s a first time for everything. Beginnings. A seed that will grow.
A hand issuing from a cloud grasps a stout Wand or Club. Divinatory Meanings: Creation, invention, enterprise, the powers which result in these; principle, beginning, source; birth, family, origin; the beginning of enterprises; according to another account, money, fortune, inheritance. Reversed: Fall, decadence, ruin, perdition, to perish; also — not unclouded joy.
New beginnings. The birth of an idea that leads to action. The start of an enterprise or new challenges. You are filled with a sense of optimism, eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement, and boundless energy. You can sense the potential. You are looking forward to what’s ahead. Reversed: Difficulty in getting something started. False hopes. Misdirected energy. You are lacking motivation, ambition, or drive to face the challenges. You don’t want to attempt anything new.
A hand comes out from a cloud holding a flowering wand. In the distance is a mountain peak surmounted by a castle. Divinatory Meaning: The beginning of an enterprise, creation or invention. A birth, the starting of a family or of a fortune, possibly an inheritance. Reversed: The new enterprise may not materialize. Clouded joy, false starts.
Fresh starts bring spiritual awakening.
