Card of the day: The Universe has my Back

 Card of the day: The Universe has my Back

Indeed it does.. Just a reminder for you. Stay positive. Do not give up hope. If your career isn’t going in the way you expected or your love life is at a standstill or you have lost your job, please do hang in there and have faith. This storm will pass.

Deck Addiction

One thing I keep coming across on Facebook and other social networks is this craving and wanting and needing of new Tarot decks. Initially I joined in the madness professing that I wish I had this deck and that deck. Until I realized one thing, what ever decks I already have, have so much to offer me still! Every time I look at a card, I see a different symbol here and there and am able to come up with a new meaning. Each card is like a work of art, a painting in a museum. Everyone cannot ever own all the paintings but by just seeing copies of them can learn a lot. There have been books and books written about the Mona Lisa and yet she is a mystery. This is the same with tarot.

These 78 cards possess hidden mysteries and each card is so deep and special that new meanings come out of even the old decks which you have. In my opinion it's okay to splurge once in a while just for fun, but ask yourself.. Won't it be fun to revisit an old deck in my drawer which I probably haven't seen in a while, maybe in six months or maybe longer? Is there a particular Osho Zen card I can't get out of my head and feel like looking at and admiring it for hours and contemplate on it's spiritual message? Most decks are Rider Waite clones so essentially they water down the original meaning of the deck. I know this may be a controversial thing to say. But this is exactly what is happening with the Lenormand decks. People are lesser and lesser concentrating on the meanings of the deck and are getting carried away by the materialistic and commercial side of the decks. I don't think that Pamela Coleman Smith meant to make pots of money with her works. I get the feeling that many tarot deck creators are out to make a quick buck taking advantage of the new breed of Tarot readers, the Tarotholics. They will grab any deck which is new and well publicized. 

I'm not saying that buying new decks is evil. But there are some people who go crazy and waste their life's savings only to sell all their decks a year later in a distress sale. This hurts me, and I feel bad for them. I would never sell my cards, they're a part of me. 

Just like shopaholics who can't stop shopping for clothes, jewelery or makeup, aren't Tarotholics the same thing? Shopping and buying excessively just means that you are trying to fill a void within yourself and is a form of addiction. And being tarot readers, aren't we supposed to be atleast a bit more aware of this than other, say non tarot muggles? 

Some people buy clothes to stay in fashion and to be seen wearing then, to make others envious of them. Some buy them to keep warm, clothed and safe. Which of these two people are you? Are you buying your deck to enhance your inner self and feel warm and spiritually enlightened or to stand out among the tarot crowd and be the first one to get the limited edition signed copy? The choice is yours.. 

My Tarot dream

Dreams are what we are made of. Dreams are our true desires. Dreams are what we live for. Dreams help us dream more and more... I always had a dream, of growing spiritually. As a child, I always felt different from those around me. I was not interested in what other kids my age were doing. I was introduced to Linda Goodman at a tender age of 12. I was instantly attracted to astrology and the other sciences which she spoke about. I would sit for hours making lexigrams and doing numerology for my friends and myself. At the age of 15, I bought my first tarot deck. I was so fascinated by it, specially when predictions came true. I felt like the High priestess and felt my true self had come to the forefront. This is who I am. This was my dream. I did a number of things for my career. I did a course in creative writing, travel and tourism, masters in Literature, but I never stopped pursuing tarot. When I was 21, I was introduced to Angels and Angeltherapy. I did a few courses in Angel meditations and Angel therapy. Another dream I developed then was meeting Doreen Virtue and doing her course and also seeing an angel in real life! I hope I do one day!! I was also guided and attracted to crystals which I wore and read about all through my college life. I also did Reiki and was attuned to my healing side. I feel that the best is yet to come. I have also tried my hand at runes, Iching and the Lenormand oracle but the Tarot and the Angels have both called out to me time and again. It has been 15 years now since I have been doing Tarot readings. My dream is to do more and more, help more people and spread my love to the rest of the world. 

Life Lessons from the Hanged Man

The Hanged man can be a very frustrating card to come up in a reading. It shows a man hanging upside down and it reminds you of a death sentence. It looks like the man is helpless and stuck and has no help whatsoever. We all look for answers and solutions during a reading and when the hanged man appears, we do not get our required answers. 

But the Hanged man is one of the enlightened souls of the deck like the High Priestess and the Hermit. The Priestess gains answers from within, from her intuition and feminine gut instinct and the Hermit from his wisdom and experience so where does the Hanged man get his answers from? Patience..

Very often you will get a tarot client who wants a 'now now now' reading and many a time you can explain that such readings done in a hurried fashion can be misleading or will tell you the same thing which I am telling you: Hold on your horses and be patient. That is when the Hanged man appears, mocking the situation. You can't force or hurry answers to come to you, they will come when they are supposed to. The major life lesson of this card is Patience. 

When you're upside down you have a different angle of the situation. You begin to look at things in a different light. When there is a lot happening in our lives, we stop thinking, wondering, pondering. We only start doing. When we stop and stare, we can realize our mistakes and know what is going wrong.   

Meditation or contemplation are the two ways of getting out of any stagnant situation. Make the most of a situation by meditating or musing over things. Contemplation gives you more ideas and solutions. 

The Hanged man is a very positive card, and though on the outside it may seem that nothing is happening, a lot is happening within. Pay attention to this card whenever it comes up in a reading. Look at it as a sign to meditate, relax and make the most of a stagnant situation. 

Lessons from the Fool

The Fool is a very important card in the Tarot. It is the first card of the deck and though it seems like an inexperienced guy is just going backpacking, it teaches us a lot.

Traveling changes a person.. When you go on a trip all by yourself, the experiences and adventures you come across could never replace any bookish knowledge sitting in a classroom. Even the misadventures like the loss of a bag or stealing of your money just makes you more responsible and confident. After a trip around the world, once a person returns he is no longer the same. He has moved a few notches higher in his ladder of experiences. This is the journey of the Fool. 

So, this Fool teaches us many lessons and we can learn a lot from him. 

1. Be bold. Don't be afraid to travel alone. As long as you have your senses and gut instincts you'll be fine. 

2. Ignorance is bliss. He is carefree and couldn't care less. He doesn't care about what the world thinks like the Hierophant or if he is in balance like the Temperance or if his wishes will be fulfilled like the Star. He just knows.......that he needs to go on this journey and SOMETHING will happen which wouldn't happen if he was sitting at home twiddling his thumbs. Just go. Take a risk. Move ahead. And the Universe will take care of you. 

3. Be childlike. Be innocent and be foolish. The closer you are to being a child, the closer you are to god. Make mistakes as that's the only way to grow. 

Today remove a Fool card from a deck of your choice and just look at him: carefree, a wanderer just waiting for something to happen. He's the Hero of the story waiting to happen. 

Tarot for Newbies

Many people have asked me this question. Can anyone learn tarot or do I need to have some special 'gifts' of intuition? There are many myths surrounding these cards, many of them created to create an illusion, to make the reader seem very god gifted and psychic and sometimes scary, with jewelery and dark eye make up. Some of these tarot readers on TV and portrayed in film seem really spooky like gypsies who predict death and who throw curses on you if you make them angry. Naturally the people watching this are skeptical and some afraid of tarot and even don't want to get a reading done, forget learning it. There are myths about it in our Indian culture as well which I don't think exist in other cultures as well. It is said that a tarot reader can never get married or live a happy marriage. I have never heard this about a doctor or a teacher. A tarot reader is a profession like any other and it puzzles me as to where these rumours or myths originate from. Another myth is that you need to be chosen or gifted to qualify as a tarot reader. Each and every one of us is intuitive. We are all born with intuitive powers and have it in us to know the real truth. This comes in the form of gut feelings or hunches. Many of us act upon those feelings and many ignore them. The decisions made on the spur of the moment without logical thinking are usually the right decisions, which we realize much later in life. In today's world, so much importance is given to logic, that our natural intuitive way of thinking is blocked. The more we ignore our intuitive side, the more it eludes us. 

To be a tarot reader what you need is a will to help people genuinely, a willingness to access the intuitive side of yourself, a will to learn something new and you could do with a love for reading as there is so much material and great books being written these days so it is a delight for avid readers. And yes, you need to buy a deck of your choice, not necessarily have it gifted to you, ANOTHER myth! 

I hope I have busted some myths and broadened your view about tarot reading. So pick up a deck which you feel intuitively drawn to and access the world of Tarot- It's a completely different world where you will meet many like minded souls like you, on a path to self discovery. 

Deck of the Week - Sun and Moon Tarot

This week I will start a new feature on my blog called Deck of the Week where I will discuss different decks that have caught my fancy. Today I came across this wonderful deck called the Sun and Moon Tarot.

I have always been intimidated by the Thoth deck. While I have that deck with my since 2006, I have tried to understand it, but whenever I open the cards, I get a crazy mind-numbing head ache. I don't know what it is! Is it the energy of the cards? Is it it's busy geometric shapes? Or the influence of the Master of the Dark Arts, Aleister Crowley? I haven't been ale to figure that out. So far, I have stuck to the Rider Waite deck and it's numerous clones along with other angel, oracle and fairy themed decks which I connect with. So, I keep my distance from this deck, and anything Thoth related, knowing that some day I'll be able to face that deck. Till then, I need to prepare myself. I thought the first step would be to slowly introduce myself to the concepts of the Thoth through a non-intimidating, playful deck. That's when I met the Sun and Moon Tarot by Vanessa Decort. What I love about this deck is the images and the seemingly cute, almost oracle-like keywords on each card.Though it does have strong words used in the Thoth deck such as 'Debauch', the images are very happy and playful. Another key feature of this deck is that the figures have no faces. They have no eyes, expressions and features, which means that every time you look at the card, you can see something different.

Some of my favorite cards:

The Aeon: Judgement

The card shows an angel giving messages to women in the water, almost mermaids through her musical trumpet.

The Fool

The card shows the Fool going over the abyss, where there is a crocodile waiting for him with his mouth wide open! Now that is a different take on The Fool!

The Moon

The card shows a lonely maiden sitting perched on the moon. How I connect with this card! The world doesn't understand her and she contemplates by herself, the choices she has to make.

All in all I think, one must give this deck a try, specially if they are intimidated by the Thoth deck, as this deck  retains the philosophies of it, but doesn't water down the content and the meaning of that deck. 

Experiences with Exhibiting your Talents, Skeptics and Children

With my Tarot & Angel Cards at the Exhibition

I have been very busy since the last few days, and it is the reason for my absence on this blog. I haven't been able to post my Card of the Day as well. I have been busy with a Tarot stall that I held at an exhibition on April 19th and 20th. It was hectic, and a lot of fun. I thank my mom who stood by my side and helped me along the way. There were many ups and downs. It was HOT and on top of that, the fans would conk off at times. Some people wouldn't know what tarot was and referred to my cards as 'Magic tricks' :-S Some were skeptics, and then again, some were receptive. So all in all, it was an interesting experience to put up a spiritual stall among all other materialistic things like jewelry, clothes and watches. Whoever did a reading with me, were very happy and satisfied, and some skeptics who tried the cards for a lark were pleasantly surprised. I think I made a few of them converters.

With my mom at the Exhibition

Along with Tarot, I also did Angel card readings which as always, are so accurate, specially if you have 'no question' in mind. The Angel cards dig out your deepest secrets and give you guidance without being too intimidating, specially for first-timers and for children. There were so many children attracted to my stall (I guess shopping would bore them!). They asked such interesting questions such as 'Do I have good luck in my life?' and 'What will I be when I grow up?' There was a particular girl who was so curious about my cards, and asked so many questions.

Reading for children

This is an incident I want to share with you. A young girl, of 9 years old came to my stall and the cards said that she would be a doctor when she grew up. From the Goddess Guidance Oracle cards I picked 'Medicine Woman' which made her a healer of medicine. After sometime, her mother came running to me and said, I do not believe in predictions and fortune tellers, but you are the third person who has told me that she will be a doctor. She said, once she was crossing the road and an old man came up to her and told her that he was a face reader and that her daughter would become a doctor. After a few years, she met a man who looked at her daughter's palms and said that she would be a doctor. So, she was so pleasantly surprised when I told her the same thing. God bless the young angel! And may she become the best doctor in the world.

Lessons Learnt:

1. Never be skeptical - I was unsure of putting up this stall as most of the people there were not into Tarot. Go against the tide, and believe that you can bring about a change in people's attitude. Just because people are skeptical about you, doesn't mean to start to doubt yourself. Try and you can change them or get them to see your point of view.

2. Children are angels - This experience reiterated this fact to me. More than the adults, children were drawn to my stall like moths to a flame. I also did a few free readings for them. :-)

3. Word of mouth - That is the best form of publicity. Spread the word, to whoever you can about your business. Do not underestimate or think that your clientele is only a particular section of the society.

4. Meeting new people - This always happens when you do something new, you meet new people. It is always better to experiment and go outside than sit at home. I also made a new friend, who had a stall besides me. She had a kurti stall but has also done a course in graphology. She read my hand writing and was very good!


5.  Encouragement - I got a lot of positive feedback about my readings which was very encouraging and has increased my confidence in myself and my reading abilities.Do not be afraid to try anything new, you will only grow as a person and learn new things.

6. Only see the positive, not the negative - Learn to grasp only the positive and ignore the negative aspects. If you keep thinking about the negative aspects, you will never move forward. You will stay stagnant and be where you are.

Here's to many more exhibitions and experiences in the future! Cheeeeeeeeeeerssss!

Valentine's day with Tarot, Angels and Crystals

Spend your Valentine's Day with Crystals

How do I fill myself with love?

You can increase the love in your life by wearing stones or surrounding yourself with rocks and crystals which are aligned to the heart chakra such as ruby and rose quartz. Stones which are aligned to the heart chakra are usually stones which are pink or green in colour. Feel the cool and the calm vibrations of these beautiful stones on your heart and heal your heart of all past heart break. Fill your heart with lovely vibrations and heal your soul. Wear anything made of rose quartz : bracelet, pendant, ring or anklet.

Keep a rose quartz stone next to a photograph of you and your valentine and fill your mind with positive vibrations.

Spend your Valentine's Day with the Angels

How do I find my soulmate?

Call upon Archangel Chamuel, the angel of love and relationships and ask her to bring you close to your soulmate. Light a candle and close your eyes. Pray to her and say, "Archangel Chamuel, please make me meet my soulmate as soon as possible. Give me the guidance so that I can meet my soulmate soon. Fill my heart chakra with love and please heal any past heart breaks I may have had. Open my heart to love." Watch the below youtube video to connect to Archangel Chamuel.

Archangel Chamuel Meditation Youtube Video.

Spend your Valentine's Day with Tarot

The Lovers from the Legacy of the
Divine Tarot

Do the following Valentine's Day spread using any Tarot card deck.


Card 1: What does my valentine think about me?

Card 2: What do I think about my valentine?

Card 3: Does he/she love me?

Card 4: Do I love him/her?

Card 5: Is my valentine my soulmate?


Wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!!! Love is what makes the world go round. Love thy neighbour, and love thy self. Remember that, you must love yourself before you can love another. By accepting yourself and being what you truly are, you can be happy and make others happy.

Card of the Day - Feb 3, 2012

Osho Zen Tarot
Flowering (Queen of Rainbows)

This is a beautiful card belonging to the Osho Zen tarot. It shows an abundant woman, representing the Queen of Rainbows (Pentacles) and she is completely satisfied with what and who she is. She has a zodiac necklace and enjoys music and nature. She has bloomed like a flower and is maturing like one. Today's message is: Be like a flower. A flower is beautiful not only because of its colour and its appearance, it is because it emits a fragrance which reaches everyone who comes across it. This fragrance makes people take notice of it in a very subtle manner. You may feel like a garden of flowers right now, showered with blessings from everywhere.

I feel truly blessed at this moment, as I will soon be off for a 7 day vacation to Mauritius for my birthday!

P.S.: I will not be posting my Card of the Day posts for one week i.e. from Feb 7th to Feb 14th. 

Card of the Day - Feb 1, 2012

Rider Waite Tarot
The Magician

Today, work your magic!! You have the required power and the talent to do whatever you set your mind to. The universe is with you, guiding you always on what to do. Do not doubt yourself as you are different from the rest. Do not believe others when they tell you that you are not capable or that you will not succeed. You will get what you desire. Go for it!!

TarotBlogHop: How Can I Be a Better Candle?

Check out the Previous Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop blog by Jordan 

Welcome to the Tarot Blog Hop Chain!!!

 Creating a blog where so many other fellow tarot readers are involved gives you a sense of community. I would love to see what everyone has written about this one topic. I was thinking and ‘musing’ over what to write when I thought of devising a spread to answer the question ‘How can I be a better candle?’ So below I have ‘invented’ a spread and asked this question for myself.

How can I be a better candle?

A candle is a symbol of enlightenment and spiritual growth. It also aids in meditation and calms you down. Before a reading, the light of a candle can instill confidence in the reader and looking into its flame can give you clarity in your readings. Even a confused or an unfocused client is able to ask clear questions. Candles are used in meditations and in India there is one called Jyoti Meditation where you focus on the flame and imagine it entering and enlightening your body. The main use of a candle is that it can lighten even the darkest room, and bring light and clarity. So, how can we be a candle, meaning how can we bring light and clarity in our lives and the lives of others? How can I be a candle which shines its light on the world?

Different Candles for Different Purposes

I have classified our needs and desires into different candles for different areas of our life. You can try this spread at home and of course do not forget to keep a candle in between the cards to inspire you!! Once I went to a metaphysical store where they sold candles, and the store owner said that each candle corresponds to an area in our life which needs healing. If we need love in our life, we should light a pink candle. If we need to increase our intuition, we should light a dark blue or purple candle. Based on this I have formed a simple but effective spread called the Candle Spread. This spread is meant for bringing light into the different areas of your life.

The Seven Candle Spread

Ask your Tarot Cards, How can I be a better candle?  And remove 7 cards and place them as above.

Using the very spiritual and philosophical Osho Zen Tarot deck, I picked the following cards:

Card 1 – Pink Candle – How can I bring more love into my life?

10 of Water – Harmony

My life is full of love and harmony. I need to be calm and learn to love myself from within. Only true inner happiness can result in increased love in my life. If I love myself, I will be able to attract more love into my life.

Card 2 – Yellow Candle – How can I bring more happiness into my life?

5 of Water – Clinging to the Past

I have a bad habit of clinging to the past at times. Letting go of the past is a sure way of embracing the future. Forget the past and negative situations for a happy future.

Card 3 – Red Candle – How can I fulfill my desires?

IV - The Rebel

I know what I want, but I’m afraid to be a rebel, afraid to stand out. I need to stop thinking about other people and be a bit rebellious. I need to spread my wings out a bit more.

Card 4 – Purple Candle – How can I increase my spiritual development?

IX - Aloneness

This is the Hermit card. By spending time with myself, I can understand my inner self more. This card is aloneness, which is different from loneliness. Aloneness is a state of being where you are happy being by yourself and realize that you are alone in this world. Everyone has their own spiritual path, and their own way to reach there.

Card 5 – Indigo Candle – How can I increase my intuition?

8 of Swords – Guilt

Subconsciously, I torment myself and am guilty about something. I need to trust myself more and listen to the voices in my head.

Card 6 – Green Candle - How can I bring more success and money into my life?

Page of Fire - Playfulness

I do not need to worry about this, as success will come into my life easily. I need not worry about this aspect. I just need to enjoy what I am doing and surrender myself. Money should not be a criteria for happiness. I need to have more fun!

Card 7 – White Candle – How can I be a better candle?

Ace of Rainbows - Maturity

From the book: This figure stands alone, silent and alert. The inner being is filled with flowers – that carry the quality of springtime and regenerate wherever he goes. This inner flowering and the wholeness that he feels affords the possibility of unlimited movement. He can move in any direction – within and without it makes no difference as his joy and maturity cannot be diminished by externals. He has come to a time of centeredness and expansiveness – the white glow around the figure is his protection and his light. All of life’s experiences have brought him to this time of perfection. When you draw this card, know well this moment carries a gift – for hard work well done. Your base is solid now and success and good fortune are yours for they are the outcome of what has already been experienced within.

This is a wonderful card to come up. This coincidently also belongs to the Rainbow suit and has all the Seven colours of the rainbow just like the Seven candles of this spread! This is also the last card on the last page of the Osho Zen Tarot companion book! This card means that I need to mature and reach the stage of ‘spiritual spring’ in my life to be a better candle or an enlightened soul.I need to reach a state where my happiness does not depend on external things. Inner growth and inner maturity will make me a better candle!!

Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to self-discovery, Stephanie Arwen Lynch! 

Please check out the Next Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop blog by Krysten http://violettekitty.blogspot.com

Open Challenge American Idol winner

I came across this very cool website by Corrine Kenner where she and some other Tarot readers like Theresa Reed and Sarah Grisham will be talking about and predicting this years American Idol results. Corrine's blog post yesterday gives an 'Open Challenge' to all we tarot readers,astrologers and fortune tellers to use our psychic mumbo jumbo and predict the winner! Yeah, I know that we are just at the audition stages but its an interesting exercise in Tarot. I am suddenly feeling like Paul the Octopus! Nevertheless I thought I would remove a few cards and see what they have to say about this year's winner. I removed 3 cards using the Legacy of the Divine Tarot and got:

10 of Wands

Ace of Wands

Queen of Cups

8 of Wands

This year's winner will be a woman embodying the qualities of the Queen of the Cups. She will be emotional and have a traumatic personal life.She is beautiful and soulful, singing from the heart. She will probably sing soulful melodies like Melanie of X Factor USA. She will be hard up financially and has had a very disturbing and toiling past. For some reason I feel she will have brown curly hair and be in her 20's. She has good communication skills and will be a great singer right from the beginning. I got the 8 of Wands too for her. So that makes 3 Wands cards for her, which is great. Her career will rock after the competition as well! She is an ethereal beauty and will wear gowns and flowy feminine clothes. 

My New Website kareenatarot.com

Hey guys!! Today I have some great news. I have launched my website www.kareenatarot.com . Please visit it and give me your feedback!! Through the website, you can know more about me and more about Tarot and Angels. Spread the word! <3<3<3

Take a Chill Pill!

How do you deal with a situation when you are expected to do something but you physically can't? It seems really bad and you might even feel guilty not performing your duties, specially when you are under tremendous pressure from all sides. What should one do at a time like this? There is no point in feeling guilty and pressurized. If you are obliged to go to a best friend's birthday but you are busy at work, if a person wants an urgent tarot reading but you are tied up, or if you need to study for an exam but you are down with the flu. Sometimes we forget that there is another force among us that governs things. Things usually happen for the best. So if you are unable to make a commitment, just take a chill pill. Do not stress yourself.. because it is NOT your fault. Things are not under your control. You cannot plan your life like a cut-out and expect it to plan out that way. What makes life interesting are its uncertainties and unexpected occurences. You could miss a flight because of traffic or fall sick on your honeymoon. No matter what happens, always count your blessings, they will definitely be much more than your difficulties. Be thankful and appreciate whatever is going right, instead of focusing on what all is wrong in your life. By being grateful, we are inviting greater things into our life. Ignore the mistakes, and focus on the rewards. Sooner or later, everything works out for the best. Many times I am unable to do a tarot reading because of personal reasons like weddings or birthdays or lack of sleep or just not being in 'the mood'. Earlier I used to worry myself crazy, that I wasn't helping someone out. But only if I'm up and above will I be able to give a good and accurate reading which will satisfy me and my client. Do not play the blame game. Stop stressing yourself out due to circumstances which are beyond your control. Go with the flow of life. Let things be unplanned. Do not chalk out your every single move.

The most important mantra in life : Relax and take a Chill Pill

Which Court Card describes your personality?

A part of the Tarot deck of cards consists of Court Cards. These are similar to the Court cards in a normal playing cards deck i.e. Jack, Queen and King for the 4 suits: Spades, Diamonds, Clubs and Hearts. Similarly, in the Tarot deck we have 4 Court Cards for the 4 suits: Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands.

So we have 16 personality types which are : King of Wands, Queen of Wands, Knight of Wands, Page of Wands, King of Cups, Queen of Cups, Knight of Cups, Page of Cups, King of Swords, Queen of Swords, Knight of Swords, Page of Swords, King of Pentacles, Queen of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles and Page of Pentacles. If we use reversals, we can get 32 personality types by interpreting them differently if the card falls upside-down.

During different phases of our life, we embody different personality types. Sometimes we are blinded by love, sometimes concentrating on our career, sometimes we are a dutiful wife and sometimes a mean boss. Depending on the different roles play in our lives, our personalities keep on changing. So, how do we decide which Court card we are? When we do a reading, if a particular Court card keeps on coming in a reading when you ask questions about yourself, then that is you. Another way to find that out could be to remove the 16 Court cards from a pack and ask them which card is your personality. Knowing your true nature can help you in a number of ways. You will learn to be happy with the way you are and accept yourself. Many people are embarrassed of their true nature. They wish that they were more street smart and clever, while some wish that they can display their emotions to loved ones. Everyone's personality is unique and there is nothing to be embarrassed about because every personality is beautiful and has its plus points.

I did the following reading for myself using only the Court Cards of the Robin Wood deck.

What Court Card represents my personality?

PAGE OF SWORDS
Personalities and our Court cards will keep on changing depending on the activities and events going on in our life - if we are getting married or being promoted. These are not exactly stereotypes, but we can call them archetypes which are a part of our soul. The card I picked was the Page of Swords. He is quick, agile and alert. He tries out new ideas and combines physical and mental challenges. This is true because I am doing many things currently involving new ideas. The Swords rule thought and intellect. I am also in the nascent stage of my Ph.D so that's why the Page has appeared. This card represents logic, languages (I took past in an Italian cinema workshop), writing and speaking(my blog!), research (Ph.D), design, investigation, computers and technology( I do sit a lot on my comp these days). This card says that I need to be vigilant and watchful. I could also be defensive and suspicious. Also immature and inquisitive at times. I have an openness and hunger for new ideas.

What qualities should I add to my personality?

QUEEN OF PENTACLES
I need to adapt my airy ideas into material prospects like the Queen of Pentacles. I need to learn a lot from her. She is about hospitality, gracious living and material well-being. She is practical and resourceful with an interest in business, homemaking, nature and animals. She is an all rounder who equally balances her home life and career. I need to learn from her so that my balance doesn't  get too lop-sided. She cares about her body and food. Mostly, she is wealthy and good at corporate management. (I am so bad at that! :-S) She is a motherly person, down to earth and stable. I guess I  need to learn a lot from Mrs. Practical and Organized :-P

Adopting qualities from other Court cards helps us achieve a balance. Why don't you try this exercise and tell me what cards you pulled out? I could help you with interpreting it. :-)

You could also check out this link http://students-of-tarot.com/pers/index2.htm
It tells you your personality type based on the Myers-Briggs system. Its interesting, I got the Knight of Cups. Here is my personality copy-pasted from the website:

Introvert/Intuitive/Feeling/Perceiving

You are devoted and compassionate. You have a well-developed distaste for rules, orders and schedules. You are a natural born learner and can get so absorbed in your projects that you forget those around you. You are passionate about your beliefs and love ideals. You have very high standards for yourself. You are very creative, sensitive, reserved, and introspective. You respect the values of others and expect them to respect yours.

In relationships you are loyal and totally committed. You prefer a few deep relationships over a horde of acquaintances. Because you are somewhat reserved, you do best in one on one and small group situations. When you feel comfortable, you can be very entertaining and capricious. You are nurturing and supportive by nature. You greatest social challenge is to balance your need to withdraw into your inner-world with your need to keep a strong connection with those you care for.

Occupations Suited to Your Type Include: 

Actor, architect, artist, composer, editor, translator, journalist, librarian, musician, occupational therapist, psychotherapist, educator, researcher, scientist, and writer.


Suggested reading:


Understanding the Tarot Court by Mary K Greer
The Tarot Court Cards: Archetypal patterns of Relationship in the Minor Arcana by Kate Warwick-Smith

Anna Hazare and the Protest against Corruption

Anna Hazare is a social activist who recently has come into the news for fasting for 12 days at the Ramlila maidan for corruption. Are his intentions clear? What does he want? Will corruption ever end? Or will the Lokpal bill get passed? All these questions have their answers in the Tarot cards....

All opinions in this blog are what the Tarot has said and what I have received intuitively. They are NOT my own opinions.

I have asked the following questions using the Legacy of the Divine tarot cards :-

What are Anna Hazare's intentions?

Anna Hazare is determined to get the bill passed. He is disciplined and has organized this whole protest single handedly. He is a true leader who can lead the people. He wants to bring about awakening and make people realize the truth. He wants justice for the poor and the middle class. Because of him, there will be the awakening of a new youth in the country. Youngsters will be deeply affected by this movement and many will join politics forming new parties. People will rise from their slumbers and try and make a difference. He intends to speed up the judiciary system so that everyone can receive justice.


Will the Congress party disappoint us?

The Congress party is extremely corrupt. They have done a number of scams in the past and passed on money to different places. (I assume in the accounts of different officials all over the world) They have a lot of money but refuse to share it for the betterment of the country. All the power is in their hands. The future shows a bit of hope that the amount of corruption will reduce. There will be a leader who will offer to give some details of the corrupt officials. Anna Hazare is the peacemaker represented by the Knight of Cups. He is a loving man, a Number 6 born of the 15th of June. His name number also adds up to 33 i.e. 6. He loves peace and non violence. He will guide us towards a better future, exposing these corrupt people.

Will the Lokpal bill get passed?

Everything is in the hands of the Queen of Coins, I assume Sonia Gandhi. She is all-powerful and all the money is under her control. For a very long time there will be no change in the bill. The bill will not get passed because there are so many things at stake for Sonia Gandhi. We also have the 7 of Swords, a very cunning and sly card. The people in charge of this are very shrewd and will not let go this easily. Anna is like a Christ figure, he will create a protest, but the results look bleek. I know this is a pessimistic reading, but it doesn't look like the Lokpal bill will get passed. Even if it seems to get passed, it will have a number of loop holes which will make it useless.

My experience with Shamanism

 Shamanism.... I had heard this word before but never really delved into it as in what it really means or really involves. I came across this term yesterday when I was on the Tarot Town website. They have something called 'Gateway Spread Experiences' which involves an experience with Shamanism through Tarot. It says that it is an experience which will create magical shifts of awareness. I was very interested and became more so, after I read what Shamanism really is. It involves the interaction of our world with the spiritual world through Spirits and guides. I have been having so many profound dreams off late, where I have been travelling to different worlds, and when I wake up, I actually feel I have been somewhere. Also, today I read an article in the newspaper about Shamanism (Times of India Pg. 21). What a coincidence and what a great sign! Check out the TOI article and also Tarot Town. It is also a great place for tarot folk to exchange ideas.

The Gateway spread a week long process and I am very happy to have embarked on this journey. Tonight I will be entering Gate No.2 to find my Animal spirit guide. Wish me luck! 

Tips for a great Tarot Reading

I have noticed that when people come for a reading, they are nervous and some are anxious, if they have never done a reading before. They have preconceived notions about what a tarot reader looks like and should behave, courtesy film and media portrayals. The truth is that there is nothing to be afraid of as it is not woo-woo or related to the so called 'Dark arts'. We are not Voldemonts out here, but you can call us Dumbledores who help you see the future just as Dumbledore showed Harry Potter his past in the Pensieve, an object used to revive memories. So here we are helping you to get in touch with your inner self and realizing truths of your life. What's so scary about that? In fact it is exciting and can be a lot of fun. It can help you grow spiritually and guide you to do the right thing. Predicting the future just happens to come along with this all. We use the tarot as a tool to understand what is going on just like we look at natal horoscopes to understand our lives.

So, don't step back and don't be afraid. If you are getting a reading for the first time, here are some tips for you. By following them, you will get very clear and accurate readings as most of the time, the client that is YOU are responsible for getting a 100% accurate reading.

1. It is very important to be in a good frame of mind before a reading. So please see that you are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs or any other addictive substances.

2. Before starting the reading, keep your mind clear of all thoughts except the thing you want to ask about. Whenever asking a question, be focused and think of the question in your head while shuffling the cards and while the cards are being laid.

3. Shuffling is an important step as by doing this, your energies get immersed into the cards and they understand who they are dealing with. So, shuffle well. This is how the Tarot cards get to know you.

4. Framing the right question is important. Ask questions such as 'Will this happen?' or 'Should I choose between 'A' or 'B'?' or 'Is 'A' a good husband?' Avoid questions beginning with 'Where' or 'Who'? Because the Tarot can not spell out names or places like an ouija board. Like I said earlier, Tarot is not spooky.

5. You need to have faith in the cards, the tarot reader and also in yourself. After getting a reading, keep the faith. Believe that this will happen. If you do not believe, it is no point to do a reading and waste anyone's time.

6. Don't be hyper!! Don't run on with questions. Take your time and digest what is told to you first. Listen to hidden messages and advice which the tarot gives you. Sometimes this advice could be more important for you than your questions. It has come up in a reading, because it is SUPPOSED to.

7. Always pay a tarot reader his or her fee. Why? Because like any other services provided by so called 'professionals' like doctors and engineers, we too deserve to be paid. There is energy exchange going on. And you must be ethical.

I hope I have cleared things out for those who are unfamiliar with the Tarot and are afraid to get a reading done. Tarot is a window to the soul. Believe in it. Trust it and you will find the Truth. 

Tarot and India

Wish all of you a very Happy Independence Day!

Looking at today's Times of India was wonderful, as there was an eight page collector's copy of the original newspaper on August 15, 1947. That made me think: How much have we really changed and evolved? Gandhiji used to fast, now Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare fast. Earlier movies used to play in one or two theaters, and have 3 or 4 shows, now we have numerous multiplexes and sometimes up to 10 shows a day. Somewhere along the way, I think we have forgotten our intentions and the dream that our forefathers had, of a free and independent India. We have evolved greatly over the years in some aspects, but in others, we still lag behind. On the world map, we are great economically, but are also the foremost in poverty and corruption. So are we really going ahead or going backwards? India seems to be the land of contradictions and paradoxes.

There is economic development, with everyone affording cars, and then there is traffic and potholes. We have many malls and flyovers coming up, but we still are traditional at heart and celebrate all our festivals. We have become global, and learn languages like French, Italian and Spanish, but we have also not forgotten our native languages: Gujarati, Marathi, Sindhi, Punjabi and many more. On a spiritual level, we love our deities, we do pujas, and go to temples, churches and mosques and are deeply religious, but we also are evolving on a spiritual level, and believe in a high power. There is a lot of mingling of cultures, and we are a rich nation, full of opinions and full of intelligent souls. But, we need to ask a few things that linger in our minds. Are we happy? Are we really free? Is corruption going to be the end of us all?

I asked the Tarot a few questions about our country on today, our independence day.

How is the future of India?

3 of Cups
King of Wands
The Hermit


India is a mixture of people, and has a balance. We know how to have fun, yet we are responsible. We are happy go lucky and friendly, yet we are spiritual. The future looks a bit grim for the world. I see some major problems for the world financially, but India will be one of the few who will not be affected by it. Many nations will take advice from us as we are wise and experienced like The Hermit. The King of Wands card shows that a charming leader among us will lead the way.


Will we finally be meet an end because of corruption?


10 of Pentacles
The World
The Lovers


Corruption is a major problem not only in India, but all over the world, as signified by The World card. There is a lot of money everywhere, and a lot of money involved in everything. That is the main reason for corruption. There will come a time when money will not be given so much importance, only love will reign. Till that time, corruption is a world wide issue. Corruption is also an individual thing. We can choose not to be corrupt individually by not accepting or giving bribes and by listening to our conscience.
  It is an an individual choice. 

What do the future generations need to learn?


3 of Cups
10 of Cups
The Hanged man

We got the 3 of Cups again! Which is a good card to come up. Here in this question, I feel this card symbolizes the unity of religion. We must all love one another and live in peace. The 3 Cups could signify the three major religions Hindus, Muslims and Christians in our country. We must all live in harmony and so should the future generations. If we do, there is nothing stopping us from pure happiness and success. We must be conscious of maintaining a peaceful environment and not hurting anybody.

 I also took some angel advice for this question - The card which came up is Family Culture which says :

"Learn more about your family's stories and history" 
The future generations need to learn and remember what our ancestors did for us, they fought for our freedom and we must not misuse it. We pride ourselves on our rich and varied cultural heritage; we mustn't lose it, that is what keeps us different from the rest of the world. All in all this has been a very positive reading for India, I shouldn't have been so pessimistic about our future from the start.


I'm sure there are many more questions in your minds, but these are the basic ones which cropped up for me. If anyone wants to ask any India-related question, I can ask it and we can discuss it.

JAI HIND!