YOU DREW TEN CARDS:

1. Environment

   Seven of Swords

   Swords: Defending. Self-defense and setting boundaries. Think of drawing a line in the sand with a sword point.

   Seven: Going deeper. You become aware of deeper levels of meaning and hidden motivations. You’re no longer satisfied with superficial answers.

   A man in the act of carrying away five swords rapidly; the two others of the card remain stuck in the ground. A camp close at hand. Divinatory Meanings: Design, attempt, wish, hope, confidence; also quarrelling, a plan that may fail, annoyance. Reversed: Good advice, counsel, instruction, slander, babbling.

   Your attempts to deal with your problems are feeble, incomplete, and not well-planned. In the process, you are hurting yourself. Trying to solve things alone may not be a wise decision. It may be more than you can handle by yourself. Reversed: It’s a good time to seek advice from someone else, to learn what you need to know, to do a little listening, seek constructive criticism. Good results may follow.

   A man is shown escaping with five swords, with two still remaining stuck in the ground. A nearby military camp is depicted. Divinatory Meaning: Unstable effort, partial success. Uncertainty; a plan that may fail. The seeker finds someone trying to make away with that which is not his. Reversed: Good advice, counsel, instruction.

   Difficulties abound; be brave and conscientious.

   An active meditation turned to the needs of the world. The pacified mind can put its potential and spirituality into service of the Other.

    

    

2. Obstacles

   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.

    

    

3. Above

   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.

    

    

4. Below

   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.

    

    

5. Behind

   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.

    

    

6. Ahead

   Queen of Wands

   Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.

   Queen: Encouraging. Getting things done in a calm, understated way. Using persuasion rather than force.

   The Wands throughout this suit are always in leaf, as it is a suit of life and animation. Emotionally and otherwise, the Queen’s personality corresponds to that of the King, but is more magnetic. Divinatory Meanings: A dark woman, countrywoman, friendly, chaste, loving, honourable. If the card beside her signifies a man, she is well disposed towards him; if a woman, she is interested in the Querent. Also, love of money. Reversed: Good, economical, obliging, serviceable. Signifies also opposition, jealousy, even deceit and infidelity.

   An appreciation for life, relationships, friendships, family. Work, home life in harmony. All pursuits surrounded by a positive force. Reversed: Under the influence of someone who is narrow-minded, self-centered, domineering. Must guard against feelings of jealousy.

   A crowned queen wearing royal robes holds a flowering wand in her right hand, that of authority. In her left hand is a sunflower, signifying her control over nature. The lions on the arms of her throne are fire symbols, and the black cat is a symbol of Venus in its sinister aspect. The three pyramids are seen again. Divinatory Meaning: A blonde, blue-eyed woman, animated and magnetic. Generally she lives in the country, is home-loving and nature-loving. She is friendly, chaste, and honorable. If the card beside her is a man, she is very fond of him; if a woman, she is interested in her welfare. The card may mean success in undertakings and enterprises. Reversed: A virtuous but strict and economical woman. Opposition, jealousy, deceit, or infidelity are suggested.

   A strong, independent woman.

   The energy of the Queen is positioned between the 4 and the 5, between security and the appeal of an ideal. The Queen rests upon something that has been established, all the while knowing a new point of view exists.

   A sculpted wand is propped upon her lower belly; she is holding it with her right hand, while with the other she seems to be shaking a small artificial hand that is colored yellow. She is a sensual and seductive individual who shares points in common with The Empress. In full possession of her sexuality and creativity, she can be passionate, capricious, instinctive, and independent. She represents the satisfaction of a person who has begun to live on her creativity. Her sexuality is fully experienced, and she can symbolize an artist or an energy working, but she can also, in a more negative sense, represent someone obsessed with sex, venality, or excess.

   “I have dived into the incessant river of desire. Everything in me is exuberance. With the gluttony of a tornado I offer my burning cavern to every insemination. My voluminous hair is the foam of an ocean that gathers itself in a single wave. Universal power manifesting as sexual action gives me the supreme strength of seduction. I am ready to incubate countless eggs, to make all deserts flower, and to people with my works the harsh kingdom of the Queen of Pentacles. This is why I never stop opening myself and never stop calling. Without a generative intake I would not exist. It is this incompleteness that gives me my giant stature. Beneath my being outside of omnipotence I need to be used, fertilized, and directed. This is what seduction is: a lack transmuted into strength by desire. If I did not acknowledge this lack, if I aspired to complete myself, I would become castrating.”

    

    

7. You

   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.

    

    

8. Others

   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.

    

    

9. Illusions

   The Emperor

   Stability, power, protection; a great person; aid, reason, conviction. Reversed: Benevolence, compassion, credit; also confusion to enemies, obstruction, immaturity.

   Material power and authority. Safety and security. A reminder that even the mighty will fall. The necessity for earthly power to work in tandem with spiritual values. The fate of one’s kingdom, whether it be a nation, an office, or a home, depends on the spiritual state of its ruler.

    

    

10. To Come

    Eight of Cups

    Cups: Interacting. Emotions and relationships of all kinds. Dealing with people. Think of two people toasting each other with wine glasses.

    Eight: The efficiency expert. Through use of discipline and structure, you reach peak efficiency.

    A man of dejected aspect is deserting the cups of his felicity, enterprise, undertaking or previous concern. Divinatory Meanings: The card speaks for itself on the surface, but other readings are entirely antithetical — giving joy, mildness, timidity, honour, modesty. Reversed: Great joy, happiness, feasting.

    The time has come to seek higher meaning and purpose from life. Also time to say goodbye to friendships and relationships you’ve outgrown. You may also want to follow the path of The Hermit and look inward for answers. Reversed: Putting emotional pleasures ahead of spiritual needs. Hanging on to what no longer serves you or suits your needs. Not making an effort to grow or expand. Also, could mean that it is better for you to stay, not move on.

    A man with a staff walks away from the cups of his previous happiness. Streams, mountains and rocks lie before him. The moon turns an inscrutable face on him. Divinatory Meaning: The rejection and decline of an undertaking; abandoning the present situation; the matter may be of slight consequence for good or evil. May indicate disappointment in love. The subject may desire to leave material success for something higher. Reversed: Joy, feasting, merriment. The spiritual aspect is abandoned for the material.

    Disappointment, search for new roads less traveled.

    Perfection manifested by fullness, all love. Harmony, balance, profound union with divine love.