A full spread.
YOU DREW TEN CARDS:
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Environment
The Chariot
Succour, providence; also war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble. Reversed: Riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat.
Victory. Heroism. The knowledge that one has made the right choice. Doing what is right as opposed to what feels good. Temporarily getting people or forces to do what you want. An uneasy marriage.
An erect and princely figure rides under a starry canopy in a chariot drawn by two sphinxes. He carries the wand of authority and the will. The shield on the front of the chariot bears a symbol typifying the union of positive and negative forces. The white sphinx is a symbol of mercy; the black one of stern justice. Both the carnal and spiritual urges are under the strong control of the charioteer. The car symbolizes the combination of heavenly and earthly powers. The human personality is the vehicle through which the self manifests its dominion over all things. He drives the chariot by the strength of his will and the magic wand, but the tension of his will may weaken and the sphinxes may pull in different directions and tear him and his chariot in two. Divinatory Meaning: Conquest, success for those engaged in artistic pursuits, triumph over money difficulties, ill health and foes. Advantage for the seeker will result if he resists his lower promptings and masters his animal passions. It is a card of those who achieve greatness. May also betoken travel in comfort. Reversed: Sudden collapse of a project, decadent desires, perhaps an unethical victory, vengeance.
This is a symbol of movement, possible travel, usually coupled with progress and achievement. An important stage has been reached in your life’s progress. You are overcoming obstacles and achieving success through your worldly life and personal dynamism. Reversed: Beware of too much forcefulness, which could lead to ruthlessness.
Action in the World
The Chariot is the preeminent representation of action in every domain, in the self and in the world. The Chariot knows full well where it is heading. The Chariot is often seen as a conqueror performing powerful actions, or a lover with a triumphant sexuality. Sometimes he heralds a voyage. In all cases this is a card that is moving forward toward success.
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Obstacles
Nine of Swords
Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.
Nine: You deserve it. You receive rewards due to your own efforts.
One seated on her couch in lamentation, with he swords over her. Divinatory Meanings: Death, failure, miscarriage, delay, deception, disappointment, despair. Reversed: Imprisonment, suspicion, doubt reasonable fear, shame.
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Above
Strength
Strength. Inner strength. Fortitude and resoluteness. Avoidance of distraction and temptation.
This signifies the need to face new developments with courage, fortitude and moral fiber. The card implies setbacks and difficulties to overcome. You will need an inner strength and resources to overcome these adversities. Reversed: You will not be able to overcome your obstacles due to your lack of moral and spiritual strength.
Creative Beginning, New Energy
Justice. Equity, rightness, probity, executive. Reversed: Law in all departments, bigotry, bias, excessive severity.
The Justice card is about bringing balance and harmony into our lives and what happens when we don’t.
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Below
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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Behind
Three of Wands
Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.
Three: Having a plan. Formulating a strategy to accomplish a goal.
A calm, stately figure, with his back turned, looking from a cliff’s edge at ships passing over the sea. Three staves are planted in the ground and he leans slightly on one of them. Divinatory Meanings: He symbolises established strength, enterprise, effort, trade, commerce, discovery; those are his ships, bearing his merchandise, which are sailing over the sea. Reversed: The end of troubles, suspension or cessation of adversity, toil and disappointment.
You are reaping success from your efforts. Like the ships on the card, the results are starting to come in. Now that you’ve proven what you can do on your own, it is time to form partnerships and alliances with others so you can seek their advice and work together as a team. Reversed: Achievements may not last. Your alliances are not proving to be productive. Goals seem elusive. Control is slipping away. Best to take time to reassess and regroup. Be wary of advice from others.
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Ahead
Six of Wands
Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.
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 laurelled horseman bears staff adorned with laurel crown; footmen with staves are at his side. Divinatory Meanings: The card has been so designed that it can cover several significations; on the surface, it is a victor triumphing, but it is also great news, such as might be carried in state by the King’s courier; it is expectation crowned with its own desire, the crown of hope, and so forth. Reversed: Apprehension, fear, as of a victorious enemy at the gate, treachery, disloyalty, as of gates being opened to the enemy, etc.
Once again, through hard work, intelligence, and a clear understanding of the objectives, you achieve your goals. You have the drive, ambition, and desire — and a belief in your abilities — that lead to success. But even though you’ve earned your place, you’ll have to work to keep it or someone might take it from you. Victory cannot last forever. Reversed: Victory eludes you. Not strong enough for the challenge. Letting others beat you. Keep trying, you may be successful yet. Need to develop faith in yourself and a desire to win.
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You
The Lovers
Love and attraction as forces which overpower rationality and social mores. Romantic triangles and complications. Sensual motives underlying seemingly virtous actions. Choice. Choosing goodness over sensual satisfaction. A marriage or committed relationship. Creating a formal mechanism by which two energies can be combined.
Attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome. Reversed: Failure, foolish designs.
On its simplest level, The Lovers represents the act of union between the male and female spirits. Man and woman together are a potent creative force.
On another level, the card speaks to the next stage of a development — the point at which we move forward to begin building for the future with another.
A third meaning relates the male and female sides to a personality that exists within each of us — men and women alike. The male side represents the intellect, which is linked to the outer world, through conscious thought and reason, whereas the female is our connection to our unconscious self.
The card also acknowledges the emergence of sexuality within each of us — a change in our physical bodies and emotional and intellectual framework that both separates man from woman and at the same time creates the dynamic tension that draws us together. Similar tensions exist within ourselves as we try to live in both the external and unconscious worlds simultaneously.
Divinatory meaning: Choice between diverse allurements; the struggle between sacred and profane love. Attraction, beauty, harmony of the inner and outer life. The power of choice means responsibility. Reversed: Parental interference, danger of marriage breaking up, quarrels over children. The possibility of wrong choice.
This is the card of your emotional life with its ups and downs; it suggests conflicts of the flesh as opposed to those of the spirit. It also points to a good relationship or marriage and flows over into the making of positive decisions in your life. Reversed: A wrong choice will be made. Sexual infidelity may rear its ugly head, and you may be in for sexual difficulties as well.
Union, Emotional Life
“I am the sun of the Arcanum, the white sun: almost invisible but casting my light upon all the figures. I am this star: the joy of existing and the joy that the Other exists. I live in ecstasy. Everything fills me with happiness: nature, the entire universe, the existence of the Other in all its forms — the Other who is none other than me.”
“I am the awareness that shines like a bright living star in the center of your heart. I renew myself at every moment; at each instant I am being born. At your every heartbeat I am uniting you with the entire universe. It is from me that come the infinite connections joining you to all creation. Ah, the pleasure of living! Ah, the pleasure of becoming one! Ah, the pleasure of doing what I love! Messenger of the permanent impermanence, I am reborn every second. I am like a newborn archer launching arrows at everything his senses can capture.”
“I am not kindness; I am not ambition for well-being or triumph. I am unconditional love. I will teach you how to live in wonder, recognition, and joy.”
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Others
The Magician
I – The Magician. Tricking or taking advantage of others, or you are the one being tricked. Thriving outside society’s norms; “beating the system”. Physical or mental dexterity. Travel.
Skill, diplomacy, address; sickness, pain, loss, disaster; self-confidence, will; the Querent, if male. Reversed: Physician, Magus, mental disease, disgrace, disquiet.
The Magician is one of the most practical of the Tarot symbols. He represents the powers we each possess to create meaning and purpose in our lives. With one hand pointed to the heavens, the other pointing downward, The Magician tells us that this creative power resides both within and outside ourselves — but always within reach. The Magician seems to be saying, “Open yourself to the forces surrounding you, the life-giving powers, the powers of creation — draw them to yourself, transform yourself into whatever you wish to be.” Reversed: You are blocking your creative energies. Or you are afraid to experiment, to try new things. Your self-confidence is lacking because you are unsure of yourself. At the same time, the card could be telling you not to be so self-assured, that what worked once may not be right this time.
The Magician has above his head the cosmic lemniscate shaped like a figure 8 on its side, symbol of eternal life. Above his waist is a serpent devouring its own tail — a well-known symbol of eternity. In his right hand is a wand raised toward heaven, while his left hand points to the earth. He is drawing power from above and directing it into manifestation. On the table are the symbols of the four suits of the Minor Arcana, signifying the natural elements of life: air, fire, water and earth. Roses and lilies in the garden about him show the cultivation of desires. He represents the personal will in its union with the Divine, which then has the knowledge and power to bring things into manifestation through conscious self-awareness. Divinatory Meaning: Will, mastery, skill, occult wisdom, power, diplomacy. The ability to take power from above and direct it through desire into manifestation. Reversed: The use of power for destructive ends. Weakness, indecision.
This card is only one step away from the Fool. It relates more to a stage magician or entertainer than a character of high holy magic — more like just another trickster you might meet along the way. This is a fortunate draw because it suggests progress, moving forward in your life towards success. It also tells of a deeper, worldly understanding of your environment. This card suggests that a decision needs to be made with confidence, but that it should be well thought out. Reversed Meaning: Beware of hesitation or unwillingness to confront reality.
Beginning and Choosing
The Magician bears the number one. This figure contains the whole in potential; it is like the original point from which a universe emerges. For The Magician all is possible.
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Illusions
The Hermit
Solitude. A search for spirituality. Turning away from institutionalized wisdom. A search for virtue. The passage of time. Patience.
Prudence; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption. Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution.
The Hermit is alone on a snowy mountain peak far above the weary climbers below, for whom he lights the way. His lantern is a six-pointed star, suggesting “Where I am, there you also may be.” He is Absolute Wisdom, the goal of existence, while the Fool typifies the same Absolute before manifestation. Consequently Tarot #0 is a youth looking upward in the morning light, while Tarot #9 is a bearded ancient looking down at night. Every practice in occult training aims at the union of personal consciousness with the Cosmic Will which is the cause of all manifestations. Divinatory Meaning: Silent council, wisdom from above, prudence. A meeting with one who will guide the seeker on the path to material or spiritual goals. Attainment. Possible journey. Reversed: Immaturity, foolish vices, refusal to grow old, the perpetual Peter Pan.
The figure in the card is shown to be moving away from spiritual concerns. A reevaluation, inner growth and personal development are called for here. There may be a person you should turn to for consultation about your future. Reversed Meaning: Guard against foolishness and stubbornness. Do not rush forward blindly. Stop to think about your actions and be open to wise advice.
I have arrived at the end of my path, there where the unthinkable presents itself like an abyss. Faced by this nothingness, I can no longer move forward. All I can do is retreat, while contemplating the road I have already traveled. With every step I take backward, I form a reality before me.
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To Come
Five of Wands
Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.
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 posse of youths are brandishing staves, as if in sport or strife. It is mimic warfare, and hereto correspond the divinatory meanings. Divinatory Meanings: Imitation, as, for example, sham fight, the strenuous competition and struggle for the search after riches and fortune. Hence some attributions say that it is a card of gold, gain, opulence. Reversed: Litigation, disputes, trickery, contradiction.
The calm is shattered. You face competition from others for the same thing. The outcome could be in your favor if you are careful, act forcefully, and don’t give in. Be firm and stand your ground. Don’t let anyone get the advantage over you. Reversed: The conflict and disharmony are passing. New opportunities will be forthcoming. Positive change is in the air. Be ready for it. Also can indicate healthy competition.
A group of young men are shown brandishing wands as if in combat. It may be mimic warfare. Divinatory Meaning: Strenuous competition, strife. Struggle in trying to attain riches and success. The battle of life. There may be quarreling and a lawsuit. Reversed: New business opportunities. A compromise is reached.
Don’t let obstacles get in your way.
The Five of Wands carries a temptation, a new desire, and an energy to go beyond what has been known to this point. This can be initiation into hitherto unknown sexual practices or, in the creative domain, evolution toward unsuspected depths and a larger dimension. This is also the strength of the teacher or saint who is not afraid to use the energy of the Wand to heal and bless. In its negative meanings, the Five of Wands concerns perverse sexual practices, a conflict between sexuality and spirituality, creativity that requires drugs or alcohol to express itself, or a desire for evolution that has not been acted upon.