Meaning in the Wasteland

Serpent tarot spread for when you feel stuck and aren’t seeing things clearly. Snakes have long been symbols of change and transformation, knowledge, and desire. Let the serpent steer you toward the right path and give you guidance

One of the most common misconceptions about astrology is that your sun sign describes your personality. This isn’t true. In every branch of astrology except in a tiny sliver of the modern, pop astrology community, the sun refers to something else—your ego, your life’s focus, or key lessons you’re here to learn. In traditional astrology, your sun might not refer you at all.

If you’re a new student of astrology, this might surprise you because there’s a good chance that you got into astrology in the first place because you found that your sun sign described you well.

When it’s at its best, astrology is a mirror. It should never show you a picture of yourself you don’t recognize.

If you’re looking for a place to start, I recommend Steven Forrest for evolutionary astrology, Howard Sasportas for psychological astrology, and Kelly Surtees for traditional astrology.

And there’s my astrology tag, too. I’ve been around the block a few times and try to share what I know.

One of the common misconceptions people have about astrology is that people behave like their signs. The truth is that everyone has every sign somewhere in their chart. 

Keeping up the Firefly examples from yesterday, we all have Aries in our chart, an inner warrior who protects us and looks out for our own interests and needs to get into a little bit of trouble like Jayne. We all have an inner Libra who has a deep soul need to create harmony and keep the peace like Inara, and we all have an inner Sagittarius like Mal, a wanderer who needs to believe their actions mean something and takes it as a deep soul wound when their faith is betrayed. 

That we have all of those signs in our charts doesn’t mean that we act like those characters. We have the same needs they have, but we go about meeting those needs differently. You might be like your life to be harmonious most of the time, but you drive like you’re engaged in mortal combat. You may need to bounce from one job to another, but you need a peaceful, cozy nest that will always be there to come home. 

The signs are just a description of the sorts of challenges you’ll face and an instruction manual for how to respond to that challenge in a way that maximizes happiness.

This first one I called “A Path Forward” and it kinda weighs three options for moving forward in an uncertain situation.

Card 1: Represents you. You could choose an indicator, if that’s your sorta thing, but I’m a glutton for punishment and like to let the deck tell me exactly what sort of disaster I’m being at any given point in time.

Card 2: What Crosses You. Basically a big influence causing the period of indecision, stagnation, and tension.

Card 3: Represents the Path You’re Currently On. Meaning, based upon the patterns you’re following and the energy at hand, this is the way things are headed.

Card 4: Road Block! This is what’s keeping you from moving forward on the path you’re currently on.

Card 5: Alternate Route #1. This can be an option you’ve already considered or a suggestion someone (heck maybe the cards suggest it) gave you.

Card 6: Road Block for Alternate Route #1. Self explanatory.

Card 7: Alternate Route #2. Just like the first alternate route, this is just another possible path to take.

Card 8: You guessed it, this is a Road Block to Alternate Route #2. But don’t worry, there are still three more cards left in this reading.

Card 9: Overcoming the road block for the path you’re on. This should be a practical action to take towards pushing through and continuing on your way.

Card 10: A means of overcoming the road block for Alternate Route #1. Again. Practical action to take. A means of clearing your options.

Card 11: A means of overcoming the road block for Alternate Route #2.

This spread is meant less to be an outcome thing, and more of a means of examining some options when it feels like you’re spinning your wheels.

The second spread I’ve (for now) called the “Key to Your Purpose” spread and is meant for those existential “What do I wanna do with my life?” sort of times.

Card 1: Again, this will represent you. Just like the last spread, you can pick an indicator, or let the cards call it like it is.

Card 2: What Crosses You. The big influence/situation that’s got you feeling this way.

Card 3: The Path You’re On. What you’re currently doing!

Card 4: The Thing You were Meant to Do. What it is you’re being called to do. It could align well with Card 3. It might not.

Card 5: The Turning Point. The means of moving from the path you’re on, to the path you’re meant to be on. Like turning a key that unlocks a door.

Cards 6-8 are practical actions to take in order to achieve this. Card 5 gives you the big picture, but 6-8 are meant to be the little steps to take.

Card 9: Your Purpose. Sort of an outcome card. This card should (hopefully) grant some closure. A goal to work towards. A purpose for life that is achievable through the advice given in the earlier cards.

Hope these are helpful to someone!

This is the daily spread I created for myself some time ago. It’s what I typically revert back to after trying new spreads and finding they don’t really mesh as well. Likely means I should just stick to this one and learn to enjoy my own creations.

The Surrender

ℨ𝔬𝔡𝔦𝔞𝔠 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔰 𝔥𝔞𝔱

Pull The Fool out of your deck and cast your cards around it.

1. What do I have faith in?

2. What do I carry with me from the past?

3. What unseen danger lies ahead?

4. What do I strive for?

5. Where do I feel most enlightened?

6. What happens when I follow my bliss?

7. Am I following my dreams?

8. What potential exists?

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot by Rachel Pollack – deep and rich with information, no list is complete without this book.  If I did have to pick a favorite, this may be it.

Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners by Joan Bunning – based on her online course, this book will get any tarot newbie reading the tarot proficiently in no time.

Mary K. Greer’s 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary Greer – novel ideas to expand your tarot skills.

The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (Special Topics in Tarot Series) by Mary Greer – I’m a fan of reversals (they are not mandatory by the way) and this is THE book for those of us who choose to read upside down.  (Honorable mention:  Joan Bunning also has a good book on reversals, Learning Tarot Reversals )

The Complete Tarot Reader: Everything You Need to Know from Start to Finish by Teresa Michaelson – this book has a massive amount of information – it’s like a little encyclopedia

Tarot Masterclass by Paul Fenton-Smith – this book is rarely mentioned but I think it is pure genius.  Not just a tarot primer but also a great section on being a professional tarot reader.  (Honorable mention: Fenton-Smith also has a great beginner’s book, The Tarot Revealed: A Beginner’s Guide )

The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols by Angeles Arrien – featuring the Thoth deck, this book will help you to understand tarot clearly – even if you do not read with the Thoth deck

The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Marianne Costa – This profound book gets super deep with the Marseille deck.  How I wish I would have had this book when I first started out!

Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis – loads of interpretations and a slant towards  beginners, this is the book I recommend to all my students

Understanding the Tarot Court (Special Topics in Tarot Series) by Mary Greer – face it, the Court cards are one of the hardest suits for any tarotist to master.  Greer spells it all out with clarity.  LOVE this one.

Tarot: A New Handbook for the Apprentice, Classic Ed (Connolly Tarot) by Eileen Connolly – this is the first tarot book I ever got my hands on.  It’s still a treasured favorite.  Some might be put off by her Christian undertones but I find the interpretations to be pure gold.  I love all of her works.

SuperTarot: New Techniques for Improving Your Tarot Reading by Sasha Fenton – although this is out of print, it is worth searching for a copy. The techniques contained within will help you expand your tarot skills.

The Secret Language of Tarot by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone – a fantastic book detailing the symbols in the tarot cards.

Tarot for Life: Reading the Cards for Everyday Guidance and Growth by Paul Quinn – A modern book with real life examples of tarot readings, this one will help you bring your readings to life.

Best Tarot Practices: Everything You Need to Know to Learn the Tarot by Marcia Masino – another great book that tends to be overlooked, this one has novel exercises and good advice on reading tarot professionally.

Tarot: Your Everyday Guide by Janina Renee – this book focuses on using tarot for dispensing advice.

Beyond the Celtic Cross: Secret Techniques for Taking Tarot to an Exciting New Level by Paul Hughes Barlow and Catherine Chapman – a very different approach to tarot – card counting and elemental dignities explained in a conversational format.

Rachel Pollack’s Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings by Rachel Pollack – once again, Pollack delivers an impeccable and thought provoking book with new insights for the modern tarot reader.

Classic Tarot Spreads by Sandor Konraad – I’ve had this book for years and learned many a good spread from it.  (Honorable mentions:  Learning Tarot Spreads by Joan Bunning and Tarot Spreads and Layouts A User’s Manual For Beginning and Intermediate Readers by Jeanne Fiorini)

The Spoken Cabala: Tarot Explorations of the One Self by Jason Lotterhand – based on the Thursday night talks from Lotterhand, this book will give you some insight into the Kabbalah and how it relates to tarot.  (Honorable mentions:  Tarot and the Tree of Life: Finding Everyday Wisdom in the Minor Arcana by Isabel Radow Kliegman for a glimpse on how Kabbalah weaves through the Minor Arcana plus The Tarot Workbook: Understanding and Using Tarot Symbolism by Emily Peach which is a great Kabbalah/tarot primer for beginners)

Tarot Decoded: Understanding and Using Dignities and Correspondences by Elizabeth Hazel – every single dignity and correspondence you can imagine is featured here.

Who Are You in the Tarot?: Discover Your Birth and Year Cards and Uncover Your Destiny by Mary Greer – this is a fantastic book that gives deep insights on your personality, life and journey based on your “birth card”.

Tarot for Beginners: A Practical Guide to Reading the Cards by Barbara Moore – the easiest beginner book out there, this one will appeal to absolute newbies and those who are really sure they can’t “get it”.  Moore shows you that you CAN.

Tarot 101: Mastering the Art of Reading the Cards by Kim Huggens – excellent exercises, good reading list suggestions and a unique format make this book one you cannot miss.  Good for all levels.

Use this spread to answer any question. Pull The Empress from your deck and place her in the center, casting your cards around her.

1. What do I love?

2. How do I nurture others?

3. What emotion is flowing?

4. Who am I?

5. What power do I exert?

6. What stability do I maintain?

7. What is being born?

8. What fertile grounds await?