Tag Archives: tarot

Tarotcast for the week of August 5, 2018

Eclipse Viewers

The last and fifth eclipse of 2018 will be this Saturday.  I don’t know about you all but I have been feeling them.  In Astrology the one common concept is that eclipses are transformative times for people whose Sun, moon or ascendant coincides within five degrees of the sign and degree of the eclipse.  This year we had two pairs of eclipses in Leo-Aquarius and one odd-ball solar eclipses in Cancer.  (You can look up the degrees here to see if it affected you.)

Eclipses are usually paired one solar and one lunar, a fortnight apart. This usually happen at least four times a calendar year and unusually from 5-7 times (next seven is in 2038).  We have one more set of five in 2019 with Cancer and Capricorn pairings, and then we will have six eclipses in 2020.  Thank the heavens things calm down until 2027 with five and 2029 with a six eclipses.   But all this made me wonder how do we predict the number of eclipses?

Let me just say the answer to that question is both simple and complex and it is still evolving.  Simply it involves the orbit of Earth and Moon orbital planes in comparison to the Sun which varies 5 degrees.  And because of that sometimes the moon Earth and Sun aren’t aligned to cast shadows.  Complexly even today scientists are adding on to the precision of that shifting number because of the interplay of Earth’s tides, rotation and tilt and the distance of the Moon.

The Universe does not run like a clock.  The most interesting concept to me as I study Astronomy and Astrology is that the both prove that the Universe is alive.  The definition of a living organism in its broadest form is something that is made of parts that interact with each other, it reproduces, and it syntheses energy to live and grow.  This is something I see the planets and stars do on a daily basis.

P.S. Please share.  Also, I have put up another quote to download for your vision board.  Enjoy.

Aries – Nine of Wands

The Nine of Wands is about perseverance.    For some reason this week you believe you need to take on more than you actually need to do.  You have nothing to prove about your strength or your can do ideas of how you run your life.  This card challenges you to lay just one thing aside this week to lighten you load.  And for some of you rams you literally need to be careful of straining your back.

 

Taurus – Nine of Swords

The Nine of Swords is the card of worry.  Worry is just an aspect of fear.  Take this week to look at your fears and see if there is any truth in them in the here and now not the past and future.  Then take action with the present worries, and let the past and future worries disperse in the mist of unchangeable and uncertain.

 

Gemini – Eight of Swords and Seven of Pentacles

Eclipse watchers squint through protective film as they view a partial eclipse of the sun from the top deck of New York's Empire State Building Aug. 31, 1932. (AP Photo)

Ok lovelies, you all got the Eight of Swords again, so some of you are still holding on to things that are binding you to a hindering reality.  LET GO.  And then move on to the energy of the Seven of Pentacles which is investing into long-term goals.  Your challenge is to let go of the past and start planning for the future. This literally a good time for you all to invest- so contribute to your 401K, buy stock, make improvements to your home if you own it, etc…

 

Cancer – Nine of Pentacles

Where last week collaboration was the key, this week the Nine of Pentacles says you get more done alone or with just a chosen few.  Your challenge is to see your successes and bask in them before you get back to work.

 

Leo – King of Pentacles

This is your second King, so lets’ just glance at the King’s energies.  Kings are the manifestors of the deck.  To get two in a row in your birth-month means this year the energy of manifestation is available to you.  You can make some long-awaited projects happen this year.  Last week the King of Wands wanted you to focus your energy on what you actually want.  The King of Pentacles is the resource man asking you now that you know what to focus on, what do you physically need to make that happen?

 

*Virgo – High Priestess

FEB 22 1979, FEB 26 1979; Pupils At Stephen Knight School, 3245 E. Exposition, View Monday's Solar Eclipse; They let sun shine over their shoulders and look at image projected through small hole of paper onto another paper.; (Photo By Ernie Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The High Priestess in her simplest form wants to stare out the window and watch the world go by, reading a book like the Three-Body Problem, or get a divination reading .  In her more complex form she might be challenging you to go on a retreat, write your own book, or cast a spell.  The challenge is seeing the bigger picture while seeing the synchronicities in the details.

 

Libra – Page of Cups

The Page of Cups is the card of innocence.  The challenge with this card is seeing things with fresh eyes and if you do you will find the solution or answer you need.   If you are having a hard time with this – hang out with children, watch Anne with an E, or anything out of Miyazaki’s animation studio.

 

*Scorpio – Hierophant and Five of Swords

June 1927: A group of nurses observing a solar eclipse through special dark glasses. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Ok two cards for you this week.  First the Five of Swords forewarns, this week is going to be bit chaotic.  The hard thing with this card is that you really have no control over it and most likely there is no way around it.  The Hierophant comes to the rescue advising the more organized and prepared you are for this week, the easier it will be to navigate in and around the chaos.  Also the Hierophant highlights that there is an important lesson you will learn by the end of the week that will come in handy in the near future.

 

Sagittarius – Knight of Pentacles

The journey continues with the Knight of Pentacles.  The Knight of Pentacles means you are on the right path and your challenge is to get into the grove of your personal pace. All the Knights (movement) are all easy cards for your sign, so enjoy the journey and the wind in your hair.

 

Capricorn – Six of Rods

The Six of Rods advises you to take a moment this week to notice how far you come from the beginning of this year.  This is your half way point from your birth year.  The challenge is not to sit on your laurels, but to ask what am I going to do with the next 6 months.

 

Aquarius – Three of Cups

Companionship is the key this week.  You have been out of the loop.  It is time to call old friends and lift the glass even if it’s on FaceTime.

 

 

Pisces – Six of Swords

The Six of Swords’ lesson is about lightening the load that you carry with you.  Whether that is mental or physical, you need to prioritize and hone down what you are carrying into your future.  One thing with this card is that being by water can help in this process.

 

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina

Tarotcast for Week of July 22, 2018

Velveteen Rabbit

One hundred and thirty seven years ago today Margret Williams was born.  Forty one years later she wrote her famous book The Velveteen Rabbit.  Most of her children’s books center around toys coming to life and conveying human emotions.  She wasn’t the first to do this; there was Steadfast Toy Solider by Hans Christian(1838) Anderson or a couple years earlier than her book the Raggedy Ann(1922) stories by Johnny Gruelle.

It is interesting that Margret’s and Hans’ stories are the ones that have held up through time.  Their commonality is that they are sentimental but sad stories.  Both toys are forgotten, thrown out, and die.  However through the alchemy of love are transformed into something else.  It is interesting that both these authors chose inanimate objects to tell this story instead of their living counterparts.  Maybe these tales and ones like them ask a deeper question – what makes us real?

My favorite part of her story is the exchange between the Velveteen Bunny and the Skin Horse.  You can read the entire exchange as you read down the forecasts. I have added its parts sequentially at the end of each forecast – for fun and contemplation.  They may or may not add to your reality.  😉

P.S. Please share.  Also, I have put up another quote to download for your vision board.  Enjoy.

 

Aries – Ten of Rods

The Ten of Rods say you are carrying too much at one time.  Sometimes we take on more than we should because we think or believe we should handle more.  Whether that choice is to prove something to yourself or old mental baggage that someone has loaded on you, you do not at this time need to take on so much responsibility.    The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces.

 

*Taurus – Hermit

Last week the Star challenge you  to not hide the suffering and sorrow of the world when, so in the Star’s simplest form asked you to stand and say “you are not alone” or in its complex form to help find positive solutions. This week you pulled the Hermit card that still continues the theme of healing.  The Hermit advises you need some alone time. Your mind needs solitude to heal your own wounds before going out in the world.  However, you are also challenged when you are with people who you are bringing that healing message to others.  He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else.
Continue reading Tarotcast for Week of July 22, 2018

Tarot-cast for Week of July 15, 2018

Japanese woodblockA couple of years ago I told you all about the Library of Congress Jukebox, an amazing collection of old musical recordings.  Now I want to introduce you to its collection of Japanese woodblock prints and drawings.  Ukiyo-e, pictures of the floating world, arose in the city of Edo, now Tokyo, in the 1600s.  This art form showed mostly the leisure culture of Japan, though subjects from travel, myth, legend, literature, history, and daily life were also popular. This art form was little known for the 200 years because of national seclusion, a policy adopted by Tokugawa shongunate.

Though there are many genres and traditions in this collection, the art Yokohama-e is the most prolific.  This subset arose from two expeditions in 1852 and 1854 by American naval officer, Matthew Calbraith Perry.  He is considered instrumental in opening up Japan to the Western World.  Edo print publishers sent Ukiyo-e artist to the port city of Yokohama to sketch these foreigners. I love the intersection of cultures in this form.   Our paths so   frequently cross now that we, as global citizens, seem to forget that separate cultures still exist. We still need to be as fascinated and inquisitive with each other’s culture to realize diversity is the key to evolution as well as connection.

P.S. Please share.  The pictures below are from all time periods.  Also, I have put up another quote to download for your vision board.  Enjoy.

 

Aries – Queen of Cups

The Queen of Cups is the creator and nurturer of emotions.  The challenge with this card is knowing when your cup isn’t full enough to create or nurture emotions with a positive outcome.  This week self-care and compassion is due to you first before it is possible to give it to the world.

 

 

*Taurus – Star

The Star is the card of healing and hope.  With the Queen of Wands last week, this is another week of looking at your work and purpose and asking – is what I’m doing or saying inspiring hope and healing?  The challenge is realizing that we need to go to through the Tower (destruction) to get to the Star.  And in so doing, we should not hide the suffering and sorrow in the world but at the very least stand and say “you are not alone” or at the Star’s height to help find positive solutions.

Continue reading Tarot-cast for Week of July 15, 2018

Tarot-Cast for Week of July 8, 2018

This week’s artist is Josef Florian Krichbaum.  The definition of quirky is characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits.  Quirky is exactly what I love about JFK’s art.  Each painting has something unexpected, a twist of a foot, a dog looking directly at the viewer with a paw in mid-step, or the theme of over-sized headdress.  There is a sense of awkwardness but also a sense of joy.  In short his paintings make me smile.

Quirkiness or more precisely a joyful unexpectedness is what makes me smile in my own life.  An unexpected outcome is the part of what makes a good joke. Or unexpected scenarios bring joy – like when a child hugs you “just cuz”, your partner gives you a hand-picked flower, a dragonfly sits upon your toe, or even a stranger says Hi.

The unexpectedness, good or bad, seems to give things more energy.  Hence, we try to control the unexpected bad by doing what is expected or planning every moment of our lives. However, this over planning and social conformity stops us from having moments of unexpected joy and creates shame for our own quirks.  I challenge you to allow and highlight the quirky or unexpected joy in your life. Whether that is spontaneously doing something joyfully unexpected, or proudly let your freak flag unfurl. I expect that this will make you smile.

P.S. Please share.  I’ve add more works from Josef Krichbaum and please go to his website his sketches are also so cool.   Also, I have add quotes to your forecast and put up another quote to download for your vision board.  Enjoy.

Aries – Two of Cups

Last week the Magician challenged you to experiment and see that the key to success are learning and building on your mistakes.  This week continues that theme with the focus shifting to relationships.  The solution is not so much learning from past mistakes but finding new ways to connect. Remember unconditional love is to truly seeing and saying  I like you just the way you are – Mister Rodgers.

 

Taurus – Queen of Wands

The Queen of Wands embodies spiritual creativity.  Your challenge is being mindful of what you create.  She asks- What are you communicating with your creation?  Will it improve the world? That challenge is daunting unless you remember the quote from Mother Theresa- I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
Continue reading Tarot-Cast for Week of July 8, 2018

Tarot-cast for Week of July 1, 2018

Bathing 1911 Duncan Grant 1885-1978 Purchased 1931 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N04567

Bathing was painted in the summer of 1911 by Duncan Grant.  It was part of a decorative scheme, “London on Holiday” for the dining room of Borough Polytechic, London.  He was influenced by Michelangelo’s male nudes and the summers he spent at the Serpentine in Hyde Park, a site at the time associated with gay culture.  I love it because even though it shows seven separate figures, it also represents the continuous motion of a single figure swimming.

I also choose this painting for the beginning of July, not only for its representation summer and my favorite pastime swimming, but it also brings to light how the gay community has grown to include a large group.  If you have read my blog for a while, you know I’m not big on singling out a group for celebration for just a time period, like black history month or gay pride day.   I think that when we really evolve as a society, we will not solely highlight a month or a day to celebrate a group or movement.

However I would like to point out that the “gay movement” seems to have grasped this idea and evolved to now be named LGBTQ2+.  And even though June 28th does represent a very important day in queer movement history, Gay Pride is celebrated around the world on a variety of days and showcases a variety colors or the rainbow.  That is the beauty of this movement it is about inclusion not isolation.  It celebrates love.  So like this painting there can be many individuals but the movement or action is perceived in the joining.

 

P.S. Please share.  Below are more of Duncan’s work.

*Aries – Magician

Take this week to experiment and bring your amazing imagination into the real world.  The challenge is to let yourself experiment and know that the key to success is learning and building on your mistakes.

 

 

Taurus – Page of Swords

The Page of Swords is the most inquisitive of the cards.  When it comes into a reading it means that you need to listen and ferret out information before putting anything into action.  So your challenge this week is to ask question and really listen to the answers you get.  You will need this information in the coming weeks.

 

Gemini – Two of Cups

The Two of Cups is about exploring relationships.  Sometimes you do so well by yourself you forget to invite other people into your life.  The challenge this week to get to know someone better or create some romance in your life.

 

 

Cancer – Seven of Pentacles

South of France 1922 Duncan Grant 1885-1978 Presented by the Contemporary Art Society 1929 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N04443

The “building” energy of June continues this week with the Seven of Pentacles.  This card represents the work that needs to be done.  This week is best spent working on the projects that you have already begun.

 

*Leo – Wheel

Artist : John Baird (Australia, b.1902, d.1986)<br /> Title :<br /> Date : -1954<br /> Medium Description: oil on canvas on paperboard<br /> Dimensions :<br /> Credit Line : Purchased 1954

The Wheel foretells there will be opportunities this week that can change your fate.  The challenge is engaging in the variety of opportunities without putting all you faith in one basket or outcome. Spin the wheel often.

 

Virgo – Nine of Pentacles and Page of Swords

These two cards tell you that you will feel more informed if you keep to yourself or only hang with a chosen few.  Do not listen to the general public their information is not helpful to you this week.  Heed your own counsel.

 

*Libra – Star

Oh you needed this card after the past couple of weeks.  The Star is the card of healing and hope.  Take this week to pull away a bit and heal.  Your challenge is allowing the time to heal.  If you do, you will gain the hope and insight you will need to carry on with a lighter load.

 

 

*Scorpio – Temperance

James Strachey 1910 Duncan Grant 1885-1978 Purchased 1947 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N05765

The Hanged Man card told you to sit back and enjoy the slow lane last week.  And now Temperance is here to increase the pace, but your challenge is not to increase the pressure.   This week your lessons are around moderation and taking the time actually needed to complete your tasks.  Do not go by the time or pace dictated by others but the one you know that will produce the best product.

 

Sagittarius – Ten of Cups

Dancers circa 1910-11 Duncan Grant 1885-1978 Bequeathed by Sir Edward Marsh through the Contemporary Art Society 1953 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N06181Last week, The Empress challenged you to grow by knowing what to sow, where to sow it and how to tend to it for the longer haul.  This week continues that theme, but with the caveat that the end result should include creating joy.  So your challenge is to be more of the wild horse this week then the human part of yourself.  Run or drive with the wind blowing through your mane/hair.

 

Capricorn – Queen of Cups

The Queen of Cups focuses again on your emotions this week.  Where last week the Page wanted you to play, the Queen wants you to pull from all your emotions to create.  This week you might find that you can be pushed emotionally by outside sources.  The challenge is to see that each of these encounters is a way to interact with and use your deeper emotions – think emotional alchemy.  Overall, this card wants you to make friends with your heart.

 

*Aquarius – Justice

The Mantelpiece 1914 Duncan Grant 1885-1978 Purchased 1971 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T01328The Justice card tells you that in the long view all things will balance out fairly in the end.  The challenge this week is keeping your emotions off the scale during the process.  Rely on the facts and your logic this week.

 

 

Pisces – Knight of Cups

Grant, Duncan; Still Life with a Staffordshire Figure and a Wine Bottle; Charleston; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/still-life-with-a-staffordshire-figure-and-a-wine-bottle-73829The Knight of Cups asks you to create some movement in your emotional life.  However, the challenge with this knight is not to wear your heart on your sleeve while doing so.  You can kick around in your emotional waters but don’t swim to the deep end.

 

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina

 

Tarotcast for the week of June 17, 2018

Ende illuminated manuscript

Happy solstice, summer to those of you on the northern hemisphere and winter on the southern side.  In honor of the illumination of half of Earth,  I picked the art of Illuminated manuscripts.  In its truest form, it is manuscripts that are gilded with gold or silver.  However, it has expanded to all text that are illustrated from the 6th century to the late 14th in Europe.  The amazing thing about this work is these are our first picture books.

Above is an example of Illuminated art, that is unique for it is illustrated by a woman, Ende.  She helped illustrated the  illuminations of the Apocalyptic Visions of St. John the Divine in the Book of Revelations in the Mozarabic style in the late 900’s. This style is heavily influenced by Islamic art forms on geometry, rich color, ornamented grounds and stylized figures.   Illuminating manuscripts were typical done by monks; however, she most likely was a nun.

There are two other hands discernible in these group of manuscripts.   It was a typical process that each individuals did a certain type of illustration for the work, but no others signed these sheets. She signed the work as DEPINTRIX (painter) and DIE AIUTRIX (helper of God).  Was her signature meant to illuminate more than its pictures?

P.S. I have added examples of this type of work from a variety of periods.  Please share.

Aries – Seven of Swords

Undated Sotheby's handout photo of King Arthur fighting the Saxons from The Rochefoucauld Grail, in French, illuminated manuscript on vellum, c.1315-23, which is estimated to sell for £1,500,000ñ2,000,000, when it will be offered in Sotheby's London sale of Western Manuscripts and Miniatures on 7th December, 2010. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday November 11, 2010. The illuminated 14th century manuscript containing what is believed to be the oldest surviving account of the legends of King Arthur is to be sold for up to £2 million, it was announced today. The Rochefoucauld Grail, a colourful, illustrated account of the knights of the round table, Merlin and the Holy Grail is said to be one of the finest medieval texts in private hands. It is due to be sold by auction house Sotheby's in London for a price estimated between £1.5 million and £2 million. See PA story SALE Manuscript. Photo credit should read: Sotheby's/PA Wire<br /> Copyright in this image shall remain vested in Sotheby's. Please note that this image may depict subject matter which is itself protected by separate copyright. Sotheby's makes no representations as to whether the underlying subject matter is subject to its own copyright, or as to who might hold such copyright. It is the borrower's responsibility to obtain any relevant permissions from the holder(s) of any applicable copyright and Sotheby's supplies this image expressly subject to this responsibility. Note that the image is provided for a one-time use only and no permission is granted to alter this image in any way.

The Seven of Swords is about taking responsibility for your actions. Of course, we should do this all the time, but when getting this card this week your challenge will be around being aware of the reverberation of your actions.

Taurus – King of Pentacles

The King of Pentacles is the mini version of the Emperor.  This week is about building your empire whether that is your business, your home, or your home-life.  The question is:  are you happy with what you are building?  If not take this week to reassess what you need to do to feel “self”-made.

Gemini – Five of Cups

Last week the Devil arrived for your birth month. This card came to show you the coming year will bring in your last act to the old, and  begin a new life or evolution.  This year will challenge to stay focus on your path and stand firm on who you are or want to be.  So for this week the Five of Cups arrived to have you go through the emotions of letting go of the old way of life.  This card reminds you that you need to go through a mourning period for the past before you move on to a brighter future.

Cancer – Ten of Pentacles

The “building” energy of the past two weeks continues this week with the Ten of Pentacles.  But this card reminds you that it is as important to enjoy what you build as much as building it.

 

Leo – King of Wands

The King of Wands challenges you this week with a question to answer or maybe a demand:  How can you increase the creativity and passion to your work this week?

 

Virgo – Four of Wands

This week the Four of Wands recommends spending time at home or under the shade of an oak tree. This is the card of comfort, coziness, and a sense of well-being.  The only challenge with this card is seeing the little details of life are as important as the big things.

Libra – Five of Pentacles

The Five of Pentacles challenges us to ask for help when we are low in energy, funds, or resources.  This card shows up to remind us when we are exhausted the first thing you need to do is stop and realize that you are, and then look to a peaceful space or friends for help.

Scorpio – Queen of Swords

It is another week of strategizing and preparing with the Queen of Swords.  This queen is the personification of strategy and communication.  The better prepared you are at what to say this week the easier the week will flow.  Watch your words.

 Sagittarius – Ace of Pentacles

The Ace of Pentacles foretells new beginnings on the material plane.  This is a great week to plant something, to start a project, or invest in your future.  Things grow from each thing you do this week.

 

Capricorn – Six of Swords

The Six of Swords challenges you to do some conscious exploration this week.  Whether that is in your world or in your mind, pay attention to what surrounds you.  The challenge is to take note or pocket those things or thoughts that grab and then keep your attention.  You will find them useful trinkets for future wanderings.

Aquarius – Eight of Pentacles

Last week the Magician challenged you to experiment with new things.  This week is the opposite with the Eight of Pentacles.  This card advises you to spend this week honing your craft.  The challenge is to only spend time on things you already are good at.  Keep your magpie quality of collect and trying new bright and shine things at bay.

Pisces – Seven of Cups

Last week, the Judgment card challenged you to be a more evolved and thoughtful you.  This week takes on a lighter tone with the Seven of Cups.  Sevens are the cards of explanation and contraction.  This card has you explore how your dreams can expand or contract your future.  We have a tendency to unrealistically dream or dream to small.  The best advice with this card is to dream just out of reach, so with a bit of effort you will obtain your goals this week.

 

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina

 

Tarot-Cast for Week of June 10, 2018

This tarot-cast’s art work is done by Maryanne Pollock.  To me, her pieces  bring to light duality in myself and my environment.  For example, the piece above makes me smile and feel calm in the same moment.  It also reminds me of diatoms and algae looking through a microscope and stars and planets looking through a telescope.  Another example is her White Desert project from 2015 which was thoughtful and now even more eerily relevant piece about refugees.  I found this project touching on duality through the lens of age and small/global community (time and space).  Her art reminds us that in our seemingly polar differences there is similarity and a sense of connectivity.

Gemini is a sign of duality and connectivity.  Where we can feel seemingly opposing things within a moment and yet when we stand back can see the ribbon of commonality. Gemini is  the month in the northern hemisphere where we feel the last cool breezes of spring and the beginnings of summer’s hot days.  Where in the southern hemisphere we feel the last bit of warmth of fall’s sun and start to feel the cold wind of winter with in moments.  And  in both where weather can change in a blink,  sunny one moment and a downpour the next. The Gemini sign reminds us that life is not simple and that in many ways “one” does not truly exist.

P.S. Please share.

Aries – Three of Swords

The Three of Swords in the coming week there will be three events that trigger your insecurities.  The challenge is to make each event one of healing rather than anguish.

Taurus – Seven of Cups

The Seven of Cups is the card of dreams.  Pay attention to your dreams this week.  Not only the ones you have when you sleep, but also the ones you have when you are awake.  Let your mind wander in the realm of possibilities.  The only challenge is blocking your brainstorming with limitations.
Continue reading Tarot-Cast for Week of June 10, 2018