Tag Archives: Knight of Cups

Card Reading 101, Card Spreads, Lenormand Cards, Tarot Cards

Lenormand and Tarot Combo Reading: Employment Advice

Male X is a 29 year old husband and father who’s been working as a maintenance man at a property management company for the past two years. When he became frustrated and disillusioned with his job, he applied for, and was offered, a similar position at better pay, with a competitor. When he told his company he was leaving, they counter-offered, matching the competitor’s pay. After going back and forth, unable to come to a decision, his worried wife contacted me for a reading. She wanted to know which job was the better choice, for both her husband and their family.

I decided to consult the Lenormand and the Tarot to see what advice and insights they could supply concerning the two jobs.

First, let’s see what the Lenormand cards had to say:

Job #1 (current job)

Blaue Eule Lenormand 9 Bouquet - 35 Anchor - 28 Gentleman
9 Bouquet – 35 Anchor – 28 Gentleman

 

Job #2 (potential new job)

Blaue Eule Lenormand 30 Lilies - 20 Garden - 6 Clouds
30 Lilies – 20 Garden – 6 Clouds

Blaue Eule (Blue Owl) Lenormand (c) 2008 Konigsfurt-Urania

 

Lenormand was quite direct about Job #1, showing Male X’s professional skills (Bouquet) as a maintenance man (Anchor + Gent). The cards also reflected that the company appreciated his skills (Bouquet) and that there was likely longevity (Anchor) for him at their company. The overall impression I got about Job #1 was that of stability (Anchor) and appreciation for his services (Bouquet).

Lenormand was equally descriptive regarding Job #2. While the company seemed to have pure motives (Lilies) in presenting itself as a pleasant and enjoyable workplace (Lilies + Park), such a presentation was deceptive or not what it seemed to be (Clouds). I got the impression things might change here (and not for the better), and a future with this company was unpredictable at this time (Clouds).

Wanting to get additional information and insight, I consulted the Tarot:

I decided to cast an Options Spread where three cards for each option are drawn. Underneath each option, I drew a card to give insight or advice on what Male X should consider before making a decision. The final card suggests the Probable Outcome.

 

Options Tarot Spread Employment Advice
Options Tarot Spread Employment Advice

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck (c) 1985 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

 

Job #1 is shown by VII-Chariot, XIX-Sun and Knight of Cups, while what should be considered is signified by the 4 of Swords.

All three cards describing Job #1 are positive, giving the sense of a reputable (XIX-Sun), take-charge (VI-Chariot) type of company that has Male X’s best interests at heart (Knight of Cups).

The 4 of Swords as insight or advice suggests Male X might feel stuck in neutral at Job #1. He may feel tired and discouraged and long for a change of pace.

Job #2 is shown by 2 of Cups, 10 of Swords and 7 of Swords. What should be considered is described by 4 of Pentacles.

I almost had to slap my head at how literal these cards spoke to me: “First they woo you (2 of Cups), then they stab you in the back (10 of Swords). There is deception (7 of Swords) surrounding Job #2. Beware.”

The 4 of Pentacles as insight or advice suggests Male X, despite the discouragement he feels about Job #1, may feel too scared to make a change at this time. Perhaps he will want to hold on to what he already has.

Ace of Wands as the Probable Outcome suggests that a new chapter will begin. This could be a raise or promotion (Job #1), or a new job (Job #2). You can see the Tarot did not make the decision for Male X, but rather, leaves it up to him after he considers the advice and insights in the spread.

 

What actually happened?

Before consulting with the wife, I also ran a horary astrology chart which indicated Job #1 was more stable and that Job #2 possibly might not be able to live up to its promises. The chart also suggested that Male X may have “pre-decided” on Job #2 (probably due to his frustrations with Job #1). I gave this information to the wife, along with my interpretations of the Lenormand and Tarot cards, being very careful not to paint Job #2 in a totally negative light, because I did not want to influence Male X’s decision. I did suggest, however, that perhaps Male X could talk things out with his current employer, since the cards seemed to indicate the company was reputable and had his best interests at heart.

I counseled that in the long run, bettering himself either via specialized education or moving up in the company was more important than either one of these jobs. She agreed, and the consultation ended.

I heard back from Male X’s wife a few days later. She told me not only did Male X ultimately decide to stay with Job #1, but he also wanted to pursue an educational program that would enable him to earn more money in an entirely different profession in which he had genuine interest.

As of this date, Male X has taken the first step to a new career by attending an informational workshop for the educational program he is interested in pursuing, and seems satisfied with his decision to stay with Job #1.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

Card Reading 101, Card Spreads, Tarot Cards

Tarot Guidance Using the 5 Pointed Star Spread

The querent is a female artist who’s hit a dry spell. Lately she’s been worrying, thinking maybe she’s lost her edge. She fears she’ll never be able to produce the quality of work she’s produced in the past.

“It feels like my creative well is dry,” she confided. “At first I thought I could shake this off, but it’s been a few weeks now and it’s starting to scare me.”

Her question was simple: How Can I Replenish the Well?

I decided to cast a 5 Pointed Star tarot spread to address her question. This is a positional spread where each point of the Star discusses a certain aspect of the problem/ situation/ circumstance of concern.

After thoroughly mixing the cards, I selected the following cards to address her question:

 

5 Pointed Star Tarot Spread - Replenish the Well
5 Pointed Star Tarot Spread – Replenish the Well

 

Position 1: The nature or basis of the situation/ issue/ circumstance, or the reason for the question:

Page of Cups as the nature or basis of the situation suggests a couple of things to me. First, it literally suggests creative (Cups) thoughts (Pages). Second, it gives a sense of perhaps being overly emotional about the situation and not trusting her own intuitions, which certainly could put a damper on generating new ideas.

Position 2: The querent’s thoughts or mindset, conscious or unconscious:

Quite literally, 0-The Fool is zero. Nothing. Coupled with Page of Cups as creative thoughts, we see the querent’s situation capsulized in the first two cards: as far as creative thoughts / new inspirations are concerned (Page of Cups), there are none (0-The Fool).

Position 3: Additional information or comment that may impact the situation (can be known or unknown):

2 of Pentacles in the third position suggests a sense of uneasiness/ imbalance, and perhaps a fear of disappointing self or others. There is also a sense of discouragement. These feelings could be causing her to bounce back and forth, between hope and despair, accomplishment and the lack thereof, which could be stifling her creative faculties and affecting her ability to make careful, balanced decisions.

Position 4: The Answer, Advice or Solution:

Knight of Cups suggests the real problem is a lack of faith in herself and her abilities. She needs to re-develop her self confidence. Knight of Cups suggests she should learn to recognize whether she’s acting on fear-based emotions or out of genuine enthusiasm for her passions and interests.

Position 5: The Probable Outcome based on the current energies surrounding the situation/ issue/ circumstance:

Queen of Pentacles furthers the advice of Knight of Cups. If the querent follows the advice of Knight of Cups and resurrects her faith in herself and her abilities, she’ll be better equipped to take on her challenges and figure out effective ways to deal with them.

Clarification Card: Ties the reading together and often gives a direction to consider for achieving a suitable outcome:

V-Hierophant is a card of tradition, encompassing specific, daily routines and rituals. Instead of worrying about a lack of inspiration or a dearth of ideas, perhaps the querent could set a daily schedule that would put her in front of the computer (she does digital design) whether she feels inspired or not. Sometimes the Hierophant can represent an older or more experienced person who passes his or her knowledge on to a student or apprentice. Perhaps the querent could consider offering online classes to beginners who would love to learn the basics of digital design, and in doing so, recover some of the spark and excitement she believes she’s lost.

Hopefully, one or more of the insights provided by this reading will help the querent in resolving this issue.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

Card Reading 101, Card Spreads, Tarot Cards

Shining the Light Spread Using Tarot Cards

This is a simple yet effective spread that will give you insight and guidance on a situation, issue or circumstance that is concerning you.

I’m using the Tarot Cards for this example but it could easily be adapted to any card deck including Lenormand, an oracle deck or playing cards.

Shining the Light Spread Using Tarot Cards Instructions:

1. Write down a brief, honest synopsis of the circumstance, issue or situation that is concerning you. (If you’re tempted to skip this step, don’t. You won’t have to write a book — just a few words or sentences will do, and the act of writing will help you focus on exactly what it is you want to know.)

2. Mix the tarot cards while thinking about your circumstance, issue or situation. Ask the cards to “shine the light” and give you some useful advice.

3. Continue mixing the tarot cards until it feels like you’re done. (Trust me, you will know when to stop.) Then turn the deck face up and search for IX-THE HERMIT. Select the cards to the immediate left and right and place all three cards face up on the table.

Here’s an example:

A 49 year old female querent who was unhappy at her day job wanted to know if she could turn her creative hobbies into a money making venture that would eventually be able to support her.

I asked a few questions to help her clarify the matter, then mixed the cards, asking them to “shine the light” and give the querent some practical guidance .

After turning the deck face up, I found IX-THE HERMIT and selected the cards to the immediate left and right:

 

Knight of Cups - IX Hermit - Page of Swords
Knight of Cups – IX Hermit – Page of Swords

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck (c) 1985 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

 

Knight of Cups is associated with creative ventures. It can indicate a need for faith in oneself and also speaks to following the path with heart. Page of Swords suggests a need for logical thinking and decisive action. In this tarot card reading, IX-THE HERMIT shines the light on the message, “if you have faith in yourself, follow your passions, pursue a path that is personally meaningful to you, and act decisively, you can achieve your goal.”

The key word in this message is “can.” The cards aren’t predicting the querent will achieve her goal, simply that she can. The suit of Swords is comparable to the playing card suit of Spades, which often correlates with worries, problems or fears. When a tarot card spread — even a short one like this example — ends in a card from the suit of Swords, it often indicates that the querent may encounter problems.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins