Saturday Posts

How to Read Tarot Cards Reversed (in a way that really rocks your readings!)

I confess – I don’t usually read Tarot cards reversed. I always shuffle my deck so that all cards remain upright and if by chance a card happens to be reversed, I turn it right side up.

Why? Because I feel that incorporating reversals often adds unnecessary messiness and confusion. It’s like watching a foreign movie that’s dubbed and then trying to read lips and translate the other language and compare it with the language you heard to see how it matches up. Arrrgghhh!

ace of cups reversed
Hanson-Roberts Tarot

Maybe that’s a bad analogy…but you get my drift! You don’t want to make extra work for yourself if you don’t have to. But having said that….

A few Tarot pros – namely Mary K. Greer and Radleigh Valentine – have inspired me to try reading with reversals. And you know what? It’s FUN!!!

So why read Tarot cards reversed? For starters, it adds a new dimension to your readings and it spices things up. It’s like adding a pinch of cayenne to your reading (or a red lacy thong).

When should you read with reversals?  Only when you are totally bored of reading your Tarot cards upright. When that no longer feels challenging for you, its time to consider incorporating reversals. However, if you are just learning Tarot or still find it challenging enough, don’t bother with reversals, it will just make your head hurt!

Okay, so here’s the BIG question: How do I read a reversed Tarot card?

In 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, Mary K. Greer describes 13 different ways to read Tarot reversals. Such as seeing a reversed tarot card as blocked, unavailable, unconscious, overturned or changing direction (to name a few).

So there isn’t just ONE way to read a reversal. You can experiment and see what fits best (and I will be writing more about this in future blog posts).

But if you are brand-new to reading Tarot reversals, its best to start with a simple approach so you don’t drive yourself bat-shit crazy.

When I was at Doreen Virtue’s Certified Angel Card Reader workshop in April, co-teacher Radleigh Valentine explained reversals this way:

When a Tarot card is reversed, it simply means that you need to pay extra attention to that card. The card’s message is just that much stronger. So if you do a reading and one or two cards are reversed, you would give special emphasis to those reversed Tarot cards.

For example, lets say you get The Empress upright in your reading. The message may be that your sense of creativity and abundance is at an all time high. Yay! But if you get The Empress reversed it means holy shit! You need to pay attention to your creative yearnings because this is IMPORTANT!!!!

So by now you might be thinking well which is it? Do I read reversals as “blocks” or do I read them with “emphasis”?! Give me something solid I can go on here.

Here’s a super-juicy secret about reading Tarot cards:

You communicate to your deck how you will read with it, not the other way around.

try this

 

Next time you do a reading, shuffle the deck so that at least 1/4 of the cards are reversed. Hold your deck in your hands, close your eyes and mentally tell your deck that you intend to read the reversed Tarot cards in the same way you would if they were upright, only with a stronger emphasis.

Now your deck knows what language to use when communicating to you.

So you don’t need to worry that you are wrongly interpreting the reversed cards. If you intend to interpret them that way, you are doing it right. So don’t be thinking “but what if it is actually indicating a block?” It isn’t. Unless you intend that all reversed cards symbolize blocks.

So once you’ve got your reversed card (or cards) in front of you, try reading it upright first and then reversing it again. Notice how reversing it changes the vibe or meaning for you.

In the comments below, tell me what reversed Tarot cards you got when you tried this. How did it deepen the reading for you? Do you normally read reversed cards? If so, what is your method?

How to Read Tarot Cards Reversed (in a way that really rocks your readings!) Read More »

What’s YOUR Business? Plus, My Blog Turns 1!

This week my blog/website turned 1 year old! As usual, the anniversary snuck up on me and I almost forgot.

As I look back over the past year, I realized that what I love most about having this website/blog is….

1. A good excuse to buy Tarot decks that I don’t really need

2. Connecting with other like minded Tarot-lovers (this makes me feel normal and not just some crazed deck collector)

3. Reading your comments!!! This is perhaps my fave part about my site 🙂

4. Allowing my evil, man eating twin Veronica to make guest appearances

So I want to invite you to share your own business in the comments section below. Whether its a spiritual, woo-woo-esque or totally conventional business, feel free to tell me what you like most about it 🙂

What’s YOUR Business? Plus, My Blog Turns 1! Read More »

5 Quirky Decks That Look Really Cool

I am always on the lookout for new Tarot decks, even though I need another Tarot deck like a hole in the head! These Tarot decks really caught my eye…they are all a bit bizarre, but there is something fascinating about them 🙂

The Housewives Tarot

housewives-tarotThis crazy 1950’s housewife inspired Tarot deck will crack you up. Created by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum, it features horrid items like jellied salad, sewing machines and greasy haired men.

It reminds me of my grandmother’s old Woman’s Day and Family Circle magazines which, incidentally, featured douching ads on nearly every page. Apparently douching was big back then. I wonder if this deck features any feminine hygiene products? I will find out soon because I ordered it and its in the mail as I write!!!

Click here to check it out on Amazon.com

housewives-tarot
The Housewives Tarot

 

 

 

 

The Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot

baroque-bohemian-cats

Like all cat-themed decks, this Tarot deck looks downright hilarious and bizarre. But that’s what I love about cat decks!

Upon taking a closer look at these cards online, I realized there was more to them than just a bunch of cats dressed in silly outfits. Each card has appropriate symbols and it looks like a very readable, fascinating deck.

This deck is high on my list of must-have Tarot decks!

Click here to buy on Amazon

The Halloween Tarot

halloween-tarotAs a Halloween lover, this deck appealed to me immediately. Tarot and Halloween go together like Boursin cheese and a crusty baguette and I am kind of surprised there isn’t more Halloweeny-themed Tarot decks out there. Unless you count all the gothic, vampire decks, which I suppose are pretty Halloweeny.

The Halloween Tarot has creatively incorporated Halloween symbols like pumpkins, ghosts, bats and imps into the four suits, replacing the standard pentacles, cups, swords and wands.

I plan on getting this deck before next Halloween so I can do some special Halloween readings!

Click here to check it out on Amazon.com

 

Zombie Tarot

zombie-tarotI couldn’t believe it when I saw there was a Zombie Tarot! Interestingly, it was created by Paul Kepple, the same guy who created the Housewives Tarot.

I am not really into zombies or dead things – I find the whole concept really repulsive, although I have a friend who is completely obsessed with zombies. So if you are sick like that, then this deck was made for you!

Read more about this deck on Amazon

 

The Kitchen Tarot

KitchenTarotThis deck really caught my eye! It isn’t as bizarre as the others, but its wildly creative. Artist Susan Shie has put a culinary spin on the Tarot by associating each Major Arcana card with something kitchen themed.

For example, The Heirophant is a fridge and The High Priestess is a teapot. Her art is super yummy – I love love love it all. You can read more about her art and Tarot deck right here. The cards are actually prints of her quilts (first I thought they were paintings, but no!)

The Kitchen Tarot is only the Major Arcana – the full deck is not yet completed and according to her website, probably won’t be for quite some time. So I will wait patiently….

Check out the Kitchen Tarot on Amazon

Do you own any of these decks? If so, what is your experience with them?And are there any wild and crazy decks that you’ve come across lately? Let me know in the comment section below…

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Phallic Symbolism in Tarot: What all Those Wands and Swords REALLY Mean by Veronica Noir

My evil twin Veronica Noir is back with a vengeance and she’s writing about her favorite topic – penis symbols in the Tarot. Why do I let this depraved woman write guest posts on my blog? I will never know…

Have you noticed how there seems to be a suspicious amount of phallic imagery in the Tarot? No? It’s just me? Well anyway…

Wands, swords, scepters, torches, pillars and walking sticks – it seems like anyone whose anyone in the Tarot is triumphantly grasping some kind of pole.

Before you scoff at this idea, I want to you grab your Tarot deck and have a gander. You will notice that nearly every Major Arcana card features someone holding a long, hard object. I am not being crude here – just telling it like it is!

king of cups
In case you were doubting this King’s potency, he is wielding a giant phallus in this left hand (Rider-Waite Tarot)

The Minor Arcana cards are no exception to this rule, either. The entire suit of Wands and Swords feature numerous phallus-like symbols on every card.

So what’s with all the phallus’s????? This is a question I have been meticulously pondering all week.

So lets start with talking about what a phallus (aka penis-shaped object) symbolizes.

A phallus represents male energy. Think power, potency, fertility, passion, action and extroversion.

The suits of Swords and Wands are “male” suits. The Swords suit deals with thought/mind/rationality, which are stereotypically associated with maleness in our culture (even though we all know that’s just silly!) And the Wands suit symbolizes passion and action which is, again, is often associated more with masculinity than femininity.

The other two suits in the Tarot – Pentacles and Cups – are female suits. The Cup and Pentacle both symbolize the womb. The suit of Cups is all about emotion, feeling and relationships, while Pentacles is about home, health and the body – all things typically associated with women.

judgement
Trumpet or phallic symbol? You decide… (Crystal Visions Tarot)

To sum things up, the Suit of Swords and the Suit of Wands represent extroverted qualities – and the penis is the perfect symbol of extroversion since it is literally extroverted. Vaginas and wombs are literally introverted, therefore, the female suits of Cups and Pentacles stand for introverted qualities.

I hope I haven’t lost you in all this rambling about penis and vagina symbols. Anyhow…

Try this:

Ask yourself “what is my relationship to power?” Now, choose a Tarot card. Notice if there is a phallic symbol on your card.

What is the phallic symbol doing? Is it penetrating someone from behind like in the Ten of Swords? Or laying limply on the floor like in the Four of Swords?

How is this symbol being held? Proudly or nonchalantly? Is the phallus a burden like in the Ten of Wands and Two of Swords, or is it something you want to steal, like in the Five of Swords and Seven of Swords?

Some other cool questions to ask are:

  • What role does passion play in my life right now?
  • What do I need to know about “taking action” in my life?
  • How is my masculine energy showing up for me?

Whenever a penis-like object shows up in a reading ask yourself what role it plays in that card. Then relate it to either power, passion or action. And voila! Magical insights explode onto the scene!

In the comments below, tell me what card you chose and what you think the phallus symbol means to you….can’t wait to read these comments 😉

Veronica Noir is a lover of Tarot, writer of erotic fiction and The Daily Tarot Girl’s evil twin. She lives for cappuccino cheesecake, bitchy cats, eavesdropping in coffee shops, conspiracy theories and the occasional skinny dip.

Phallic Symbolism in Tarot: What all Those Wands and Swords REALLY Mean by Veronica Noir Read More »

Decode Your Celebrity Obsessions With Tarot

I was standing in line at the grocery store yesterday, reading Star magazine (my trusted news source) when an idea for a really fun Tarot exercise came to me.

Do you ever wonder why you are fascinated by particular celebrities or fictional characters? I do. And I figured there had to be some deep, twisted psychological explanation for it. So I decided to consult my Tarot cards to get the juicy deets…

Step One:
Ask yourself what celebrity/fictional character do I find most fascinating? (or, which celebrity do I have a crush on?). Then, go through your Tarot deck and pick out 1-3 cards that best represents this person. These are the qualities that you are powerfully drawn to, whether you realize it or not.

If you don’t care about celebrities or fictional characters and have no idea who anyone is, then you can substitute a real person in your life – preferably someone you feel drawn to and find extremely intriguing. Like the long-eyelashed mailboy at your office, or the neighbor’s wife. Or your spouse, I guess.

the-fool-tarot-card
Rider Waite Tarot, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Whoever it is, ask yourself who they would be in the Tarot. Are they the bright eyed and bushy tailed young man in The Fool? The stuffy, constipated Emperor? The spazzy juggler in Two of Pentacles? Or perhaps a combination of the three?

Step Two:
Ask yourself what that Tarot card means to you right now.

  • What significance does it have in your life?
    • Does this Tarot card embody the traits you wish you had?
      • Or the things you are missing in your life?
        • How do you express the energy of this card in your life right now?
        • If you have chosen more than one card, look for repeating symbols and similarities

When I did this Tarot experiment, I picked James Bond as my fascinating fictional character (the Daniel Craig version). I am intrigued by the way he coldly kills people, rides motorbikes on rooftops, heartlessly kills people, jumps out of moving trains and kills people, all without giving it a second thought. So sexy!

The three Tarot cards that, for me, represent James Bond are The Moon, Five of Wands and Eight of Cups. The Moon because he is so mysterious, Five of Wands because he always seems to be in a tussle with someone, and the Eight of Cups because he is always scampering off into the night after bedding some foxy lady.

Without boring you to tears with the details of my personal life, I will say that these three cards accurately reflect what’s going on for me right now.

The Five of Wands represents an inner struggle of conflicting interests (I want to do this… no, I want to do that), Eight of Cups reveals that I am indeed turning my back on something and The Moon illustrates my desire to keep my life very private and my feelings hidden.

In the comments below, tell me what celebrity (or person) you chose and what cards you picked to represent them and why….can’t wait to hear!!!!

Decode Your Celebrity Obsessions With Tarot Read More »

What’s YOUR Guilty Pleasure?

For the past 340 days, I have blogged about Tarot. And I have loved every minute of it. But I woke up this morning and thought I want to write about something different today.

dairymilk-chocolate-barSince I am currently taking a writing class called How to Be a Guilty Pleasure, I have been busy crafting an epic list of all my guilty pleasures (of which I have many!) and in doing so I have realized something. You can really tell a lot about someone by their guilty pleasures…

And lately I have been itching to know more about my audience (YOU!).

So I would love it if you shared with me your ultimate Guilty Pleasures – those things you love to do but hate to admit (for example, watching all the Twilight movies. Alone. In a dark theater. While scarfing down Kit-Kats and Cheese Crisps). Its okay, I won’t judge.

But its only fair if I first reveal my own Guilty Pleasures. But just so you know, I don’t actually feel guilty about any of them. Here goes….

1. Camping out in metaphysical bookstores

twilight2. Paranormal Teen Romance Movies (like Twilight and…well, I can’t think of any others right now)

3. Dairymilk’s pretzel and peanut butter chocolate bars (sometimes consumed whilst viewing the paranormal teen romance film mentioned above)

4. Naps for no reason

5. Watching bellydance videos on YouTube

6. Listening to Reggae music while I make curry and it rains outsidephilippa-gregory-novel

7. Hot baths in the afternoon, while reading the latest Philippa Gregory novel

8. Going to the movies alone (you have no choice when you watch crap like Twilight)

9. Sipping tea out of a fancy, rose-painted teacup

10. Writing scathing film reviews of terrible movies (for example, the fourth installment of Twilight)

11. Lurking in health food stores, reading the labels on everything and harassing the staff

gameofthrones12. Watching Game of Thrones until 3am

13. Devouring freshly popped popcorn covered in coconut oil and pink Himalayan sea salt. Pairs nicely with #12

14. Obsessively googling my latest celebrity crush like a crazed stalker (right now its Kit Harington from Game of Thrones – the dude who plays Jon Snow. But next week it will be someone new)

15. Traipsing about in a long, grey cardigan, disintegrating bedroom slippers and grey sweatpants (sometimes done in conjunction with #14)

16. Petting horses at the Summer fair. I love doing this!

17. Last but not least…..shopping for Tarot decks and books on Amazon. If being hopelessly addicted to acquiring new Tarot decks is wrong, then I don’t want to be right!

Okay, now its your turn 🙂 Dish your top 3 (or more) guilty pleasures in the comments below….and don’t hold back!!!

What’s YOUR Guilty Pleasure? Read More »

6 Ways to Choose a Tarot Card

Pick a card, any card!

But is there a “right” way to choose a Tarot card?

No – but there are many different ways to choose one! In my video below, I demonstrate my 6 favorite ways to choose a Tarot card:

*Tip: Always use your left hand when choosing a Tarot card, as that is your intuitive hand.

1) Fall-away Method:
Hold the deck in your left hand and tilt to one side. Part of the deck will fall away, revealing a gap – choose the top card!

2) Cut Method:
Simply cut the deck using your left hand. This is the easiest (and most boring!) way to choose a card.

3) Doreen Virtue’s Method:
Shuffle the cards until you feel its time to stop. Choose the top card. This is all well and good unless you are OCD like me and can never stop shuffling.

4) Card Hand Method:
Fan the cards out like you are playing a mean game of poker, except that the cards should be facing out so you can’t see them (maybe I should have called this one the drunk poker method).

5) Fan-out Method:
Fan cards out on a table, Magician style. Either choose the card your eye is most drawn to, or float your hand over the cards and stop when you feel tingles in your palm.

6) Pop-up Method:
This one’s hard to explain in words – so watch the video (its right at the end).

*A note about “jumpers”: If a card jumps out of the deck when you are shuffling, you must choose that card, or at least leave it out and make sure to include it in the reading. These cards are extra-special!

So tell me (in the comments below)…which method do you like to use? Or, is there a really cool method that I’ve completely overlooked?

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What to do When Your Tarot Reading Makes No F*%king Sense!

We’ve all been there before. You ask a question, draw a Tarot card and low and behold the Tarot card you choose makes absolutely no f#*king sense.

What to do? It can be tempting to just reshuffle and redo the reading, but chances are the second reading won’t make any sense either….and you will feel like you kind of cheated.

Yesterday I did a three card Tarot reading for myself regarding launching my new Life Purpose Coaching services. I asked for insight into what my potential clients deepest concerns and needs were. The three cards I got were:

my-tarot-reading
Hanson-Roberts Tarot

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this miserable trio. The Knight of Pentacles made a bit of sense, but the Seven of Swords and Five of Pentacles had me confused.

I was about to walk away from the reading, but then I remembered a technique that I mentioned in a previous blog post about “encore cards”….

If a Tarot card does not make sense in the context of the reading/question, notice which symbol your attention is drawn to first. Then, ask yourself what that symbol means to you.

When I did this for the Seven of Swords, my gaze was drawn to the little birds flying in the sky (which is weird since its the least obvious thing in the card!). To me, these birds represent having a “bird’s eye view” and understanding the big picture and how things connect.

The snowflakes in the Five of Pentacles jumped out at me and in my opinion they represent uniqueness and understanding one’s unique gifts and talents. Suddenly, these cards were making total sense in the context of my Life Coaching question!

After I had this epiphany, the traditional card meanings made complete sense as wellSeven of Swords was trying to tell me that my potential clients would need help with making thoughtful, practical plans.

The Five of Pentacles was showing me that overcoming “poverty thinking” would be a theme and the Knight of Pentacles was displaying the importance of moving forward with deliberate intention and thoughtfulness.

Now it’s your turn! Think back to the last time you did a Tarot reading that left you scratching your head. If you remember what card(s) you got, recreate the spread and try this technique. Or…simply ask a question, draw a card and intend for it not to make any sense – then you can test out this Tarot trick! 😉

Feel free to share your results in the comments below!!!

What to do When Your Tarot Reading Makes No F*%king Sense! Read More »

What Do You Look For in a Tarot Deck?

Note: all Amazon.com links in this article are my affiliate links

I am often asked “how do I find the right Tarot deck?” and I always say just pick a deck that you are drawn to.

But today I want to go deeper with this…

As someone who has many, many Tarot and Oracle card decks – most of which I hardly use -I am obviously drawn to different decks a lot! Perhaps too much. But I have noticed that I go through phases in regards to the type of decks I enjoy and so I have come to this conclusion:

The kind of Tarot deck you are drawn to says a lot about you and the what’s happening in your life!

I went through a phase a few years ago, where I was very attracted to busy decks like the Paulina Tarot and Shadowscapes Tarot. As long as there was a whole crap-load of stuff going on in every card, I was into it!

ace of wands...
Paulina Tarot

At the time I was going through a very exploratory phase in my life – trying lots of new things, traveling, taking classes and switching jobs – so this made perfect sense. Now I tend to be captivated by simple Tarot decks, whose cards express their message without any rambling or chitter chatter, like the Mystic Meg Tarot.

Tarot cards with simple art make me feel like I have enough breathing room to relax and let my intuition come into play. When I was first getting into Tarot I felt that more symbols and “stuff” on a card meant more information. Now I feel that less is more.

I feel that my newfound lust for Tarot simplicity reflects my efforts to de-clutter my life, as well as my recent irritation with people who talk too much and never get to the point!

So for those of you who want to know how to pick the right Tarot deck, I would suggest that you notice what is going on in your life right now. Are you in a state of transition or are you comfortably settled? Ask yourself what am I wanting more of? Do you want excitement, adventure and thrills or comfort and relaxation?

Tarot Tip: Choose a Tarot deck that reflects your life and the things you want more of.

So, with this in mind, what do YOU look for in a Tarot deck? Have you noticed yourself being attracted to particular types of Tarot/Oracle cards? What do you think this says about you? Tell me all about it in the comments below!!!

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When the SAME Tarot card keeps showing up….this is what it means…

Have you ever noticed how sometimes the SAME Tarot card will just keep showing up in your readings? Perhaps this card even appears when doing a Tarot reading for someone else.

What does this mean?!

I have noticed that with nearly every Tarot or Oracle deck I have, there is a particular card unique to that deck that I will pull repeatedly. For example, with my Magical Mermaids and Dolphins oracle card deck, I almost always get the “Ready, Set, Go!” card. It was happening so frequently that I actually looked the card over to see if there were any sticky bits or something that was causing me to choose it again and again. But there was nothing.

four of swords
Four of Swords from the Robin Wood Tarot

There was a time a couple years ago when I kept getting the Four of Swords Tarot card in my readings. To me, the Four of Swords is about meditation, rest and going within. It didn’t make sense to me at the time since I felt I had a perfect balance between action and rest. And yet the Four of Swords kept coming up. Even today, I am not really sure why that card kept coming up for me.

So what does it mean when you keep getting the same card in all your readings?

I feel that repeat appearances (lets call them encore cards) are your spirit guides, higher self, angels or The Universe trying to get a message to you. If you keep getting the same card it means you haven’t properly heard or understood the message.

Here is my 3 step process for de-coding the meaning of these encore cards:

Step One: Be open to the card meaning something slightly different from its traditional meaning. Really pay attention to the symbols in the card, what these symbols mean to you and how the card makes you feel.

Step Two: If the card suggests a particular action (for example, the Four of Swords suggests meditation), try taking that action and see what happens.

Step Three: If you still keep seeing this card after taking action, close your eyes and ask your guides or higher self what message they are trying to send you via this card. Be open to any guidance, impressions or feelings you receive.

However, sometimes encore cards are not an urgent message but a reminder that your spirit guides are always with you. This is especially true if you keep getting a positive card (like The Star or The Sun) when you are going through a rough time.

profoundly-clairvoyant

When I read with my Angel Therapy oracle deck, I always, without fail, pull the card that says “you are profoundly clairvoyant”. I think this is kind of funny because I don’t always see myself as profoundly clairvoyant – perhaps moderately, but not profoundly! I have decided this is just my spirit guides confirming that I am on the right path and to keep working on my psychic abilities, even when I doubt myself.

So what card, or cards, keep coming up for you lately? And what is your theory on repeat cards?
I would love to hear all about it in the comments below!

 

When the SAME Tarot card keeps showing up….this is what it means… Read More »

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