Articles

Oct 29 2014

Free Daily Tarotscope — Oct 29, 2014 — Eight of Cups

Author: Mel and Chris • Discussion: 2 Comments

Eight of Cups

Today you may be taking a serious look at what (and whom) in your life you need to put behind you.

The Eight of Cups may seem like a difficult card, and the decisions that accompany it may not be a walk in the park, but in the end it can be tremendously empowering.

Here we see the goddess Persephone walking empty-handed into the unknown. Eight golden vessels stand upright behind her, reflecting the difficulties associated with walking away from something that was once fulfilling.

This should be a period of cleaning out closets, weeding unhealthy relationships from your life and letting go of outdated beliefs and fears. It’s cathartic in the sense that it forces you to look at what’s no longer working for you and to do something about it.

There is a natural sense of purpose associated with this card, even if it brings with it some sadness or loneliness. It may be that the Universe has something different (better) in store for you, and it may be that your current life circumstances are leading you down a different path.

It’s the difference between “fate” and “destiny” — or more specifically the difference between letting life happen to you and making it happen yourself.

You’ll have to remember that the emptiness and loneliness you feel is temporary, and a necessary part of getting to the other side.

Aug 02 2014

Free Daily Tarotscope — Aug 2, 2014 — Page of Wands

Author: Mel and Chris • Discussion: No Comments

Page of Wands

Today, with Mercury and Jupiter coming together in Leo you should be feeling more creative, enthusiastic, energetic and alive. The Page of Wands combines the fearlessness, restlessness and impulsivity of the Page with the fiery, dynamic, passionate energy associated with the Wands (or Fire) element.

This card is about racing toward your goals with the sort of fierce determination that propels you toward the finish line. There’s no conserving your energy or plodding along methodically when it comes to the Page of Wands. It’s all go go go and get it done now!

You may be rushing toward a deadline, scrambling to outsmart your competitors or planning an adventure — but even in that case there’s little planning involved. It’s more about chasing after your goals and striking while the iron is hot.

In this version of the card we meet the Greek god Phrixus, charging toward Colchis on his golden ram as he races to outrun his assassins. He raises his wand triumphantly in one hand and guides the ram towards his destination with the other.

This is the essence of the Page of Wands. It represents the urge to get the ball rolling, make things happen, and fearlessly go after your goals without worrying about consequences or pitfalls.

Jul 28 2014

Free Daily Tarotscope — July 28, 2014 — Ten of Swords

Author: Mel and Chris • Discussion: No Comments

Ten of Swords

Today, with Venus opposing Pluto and Mercury squaring the Nodes, you may have to think about surrendering to the knowledge that the Universe has something different in store for you than what you’ve been holding onto.

The Ten of Swords is similar to the Death card in that it forces you to accept — once and for all — the need to put something to rest. It could be a relationship, a job, a hope or plan for the future, or it could be a set of belief systems that are no longer aligned with your principles.

Out of all the cards in the tarot, this one best describes the process of conceding defeat and letting go of the fight — thus liberating yourself from further heartache and misery.

In this version of the card, we see the goddess Athena intervening on behalf of Orestes, who lays crumpled in a ball at her feet. He’s been relentlessly chased, taunted and tormented by the furies, avenging his mother’s death.

Orestes is not blameless here. Even though he was acting on direct orders from Apollo, he’s still committed murder. He’s beaten himself up mercilessly, and is consumed with guilt and shame. But Athena steps in and intercedes: “enough,” she says. “Enough.”

If you look closely though, you can see that while Orestes lies defeated at her feet, the sun still rises in the background.

Jun 20 2014

Free Daily Tarotscope — June 20, 2014 — The Hierophant

Author: Mel and Chris • Discussion: No Comments

The Hierophant

Today as Chiron turns retrograde, you might be looking at how some of your own life experiences — including those that have brought you pain — have led you to express more kindness, compassion and understanding toward others.

Chiron was known as the “Wounded Healer” in Greek mythology. Chiron the planet represents a similar dynamic in astrology. It refers to the point of “woundedness” — which so often results in immense compassion and understanding — in the natal chart.

Unlike other savage and unruly Centaurs, Chiron was intelligent, wise and humble. He was a teacher as well as a healer. He taught medicine to the ruling class from a specially prepared cave. He was known as a great healer, but having been accidentally pricked by a poisoned arrow, was unable to heal himself.

I love this version of the Hierophant card, which is usually so steeped in traditional religious symbolism that it’s hard for many to relate to. But all of us have a vast amount of untapped wisdom locked away in our own private “caves.” Sometimes this wisdom is hidden even from ourselves. And this is where embracing the Chiron retrograde archetype comes in.

This is a time of turning inward and accessing previously undiscovered gifts. Often it’s those experiences that have broken us down that lend themselves to our greatest strengths. The retrograde encourages us to look within and to break through some of the traumas that have been holding us back.

Jun 10 2014

Free Daily Tarotscope — June 10, 2014 — King of Cups

Author: Mel and Chris • Discussion: No Comments

King of Cups

Today is all about getting in touch with your feelings and emotions. As with all of the court cards, the King of Cups may refer to an individual in your life, or it may represent an attitude of mindset that you need to adopt.

In this version of the card, we see the Greek god Orpheus, son of Apollo and Calliope, known as a passionate and loving priest. He sits on golden throne at the edge of the sea, a chalice in one hand and his lyre in the other. A pair of crabs, the symbol for the astrological sign of Cancer, are etched into the armrests, while another crab — this time a living one — emerges from the sea and scuttles onto the base of his throne.

Today’s Moon is in watery Scorpio, and for at least part of the day conjunct Saturn and in trine to both Jupiter and Chiron. The conjunction with Saturn lends an air of authority and discipline, while the trines to Jupiter and Chiron add sensitivity, vulnerability and compassion. What better representative of those energies than Orpheus himself?

Orpheus was a great minstrel whose hauntingly beautiful melodies not only lulled the sleepless dragon to sleep, but gained him entrance into the Underworld to retrieve his beloved Eurydice, after her tragic death. And retrieve her he did, almost making it back to the entrance before he defied the god Hades’ one condition: “Don’t look back.”

Feb 06 2014

Free Daily Tarotscope — Feb 6, 2014 — the High Priestess

Author: Mel and Chris • Discussion: No Comments

High Priestess

Today you may be given cause to delve into the deepest regions of your psyche, where instinct, perception and intuition all reside. The High Priestess — seen in this version as the goddess Persephone — is a dynamic, mystical force that relies on harnessing inner knowledge and wisdom.

Persephone started her descent into the Underworld as a frightened and lonely girl, dragged into the darkness against her will. But here we see her transformed from the fearful child and into her rightful position as Queen.

She stands between two pillars (one black and one white) as guardian of both worlds — with a pomegranate in one hand and bouquet of narcissus flowers in the other.

Each of the these symbols reflect important stages in her journey, as well as the dual forces of nature that are implicit in this card.

The High Priestess refers to getting in touch with your intuition. Listening to your inner voice. Heeding your psychic impressions. And tapping into the vast reservoir of wisdom that you may not have taken the time to nurture in recent months.

While you may be apprehensive about exploring those realms, the answers to your most pressing concerns are right there at your psychic fingertips, if you only you allow yourself to trust in them.

Oct 31 2013

Decisions, Decisions — the Lovers Card

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

If you’ve ever found yourself in the uncomfortable position of being torn between two lovers, you’ll know exactly how difficult it is to make a choice.

You may have looked at others in that situation with disdain — only to find yourself later on in the exact same predicament.

You may have been on the painful receiving end of your loved one being tempted by another, or — even more painful — having given in to those temptations.

The lovers card, for all its exciting-sounding prospects, is a card of difficult (and sometimes next to impossible) choices. It doesn’t generally refer to the kind of passionate love affairs that you read about in romance novels. No. Someone usually gets hurt. Sometimes that someone is you.

This card refers to choices that must be considered, sacrifices that must be made, and consequences that must be accepted.

It can also refer to the union of polarities, as in the Mary-el version of the card.

The figures here are about as opposite as they can get: male and female, young and old, black and white. The female figure is strong and aloof, the male passive and vulnerable, Yet they flow together in an intimate embrace.

Even so, there’s an apparent emotional disconnect in this rendition. The female figure stares off into the distance while the males gazes downward.

Oct 21 2013

The Temperance Card — Finding your Center

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

So many of us struggle with finding balance in our lives, whether it’s between head and heart, career and family, or material vs. spiritual progress, etc.

The Temperance card encourages us first and foremost to seek that balance and to find our personal “Center.”

In the Archeon Tarot, we see an angelic figure: youthful, graceful and innocent.

She stands watch over two totem animals, a lamb and a tiger.

She appears to be tending equally to both of her charges.

The lamb represents peace, harmony and gentility.

The tiger represents passion, strength and a wild ferocity.

Her manner of tending them is different for each.

She keeps a cautious hand above the tiger at all times while watching over the docile lamb.

She maintains her sense of balance and equilibrium, all the while staying present in the moment.

Ask yourself in what ways taming the inner beast and activating the inner lamb can most benefit you now?

Continue Reading…

Oct 14 2013

Ace of Wands — Following your Bliss

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss,
you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living.
When you can see that, you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid,
and doors will open where you didn’t know
they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you
that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.

~ Joseph Campbell

Continue Reading…

Oct 04 2013

Nine of Pentacles — Attracting Abundance and Prosperity

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

“Whatever we are waiting for –

peace of mind, contentment, grace,

the inner awareness of simple abundance –

it will surely come to us,

but only when we are ready to receive it

with an open and grateful heart.”

~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

Sep 26 2013

Ten of Swords — a New Day is Dawning

Author: Melodie • Discussion: No Comments

“What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

What do you do when you come to the end of as arduous journey and find yourself facing a very painful reality?

Perhaps a relationship has run its course, and you’re forced now to finally put it to rest. Or maybe a dream you held onto for far too long is proving itself to be impossible to achieve.

You know that you’ve given it your all — you’ve fought a worthy battle — but you realize it’s time to let it go: once and for all. You just don’t have any more “fight” left in you.

So what do you do? Do you lay down and die, or do you surrender to the knowledge that the Universe has something entirely different in store for you?

Most renditions of this card are somewhat harrowing to look at.

The imagery is often full of scenes of danger, fear, bloodshed and defeat.

A man is beaten down to within an inch of his life, 10 sharp daggers plunged into his back. Or a Christ-figure hangs limp from a war-ravaged cross, a pool of blood collecting at its base.

Sep 17 2013

Five of Cups — Everybody Hurts

Author: Melodie • Discussion: 4 Comments

Today we’re going to be looking at the Five of Cups: arguably one of the most challenging cards in the Tarot. Challenging in the sense that it’s not easy to find much ‘positive’ about this card — which is precisely the point.

The Five of Cups — this version from Timothy Lantz’ wonderful Archeon Tarot — speaks of sadness, disillusionment and discontent, even at times when things are not as bad as they seem.

As someone who speaks every single day with clients who are unhappy in their relationships, it came as no surprise when I pulled this card.

I even wondered if it wasn’t such a good idea to start with something so “negative” right out of the gate. But there are positive aspects to this card too, and important messages—even if they’re not readily apparent. We’ll start with the not so good:

I remember telling someone once that everyone I knew was either in a relationship and trying to get out, or not in a relationship and trying to get in. And while this may have been a slight exaggeration, the 5 of Cups turns out to be an appropriate representation of that sentiment.

It describes a sense of unhappiness or disillusionment in your current state of affairs, whether you’re involved in a relationship or not.

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