#ixofwands

I received a tarot deck as a gift from my love last Christmas. I failed, entirely, to get to know the deck before asking difficult and in depth questions. I failed, entirely, to come to know the deck and what aspects of the universe it was knowledgeable in, to understand that there would be limits to what it could tell me, to accept that I had essentially asked a stranger to jump into my life and tell me everything I demanded to know.

And so, I rushed, I demanded, and I was disappointed. At the time, I was taken aback by, mistrusting of, and disappointed in the deck, and I put it away. I know now that this was not the fault of the deck, but rather the fault lies solely at my feet. I chose now, at this turn of the wheel, to reconnect with this deck, to take it slow and have it unfold before me. Autumn is my favourite time of year. It is full of change and to me it has always been a time of forward motion, of new ideas and creativity. Autumn is followed by the quietest time of year, winter, where I have always felt time slowing, expanding, allowing me to work on all of the new ideas and projects I dreamed of during the autumn. What a perfect time to begin anew with this tarot deck. Mabon is almost upon us, the wheel turns again and the seasons will change quickly, and I feel full of new energy and am clamoring for that change and for the growth that comes with that change. I have been reading The Little Red Tarot (http://littleredtarot.com/), and came across a wonderful “interview” spread, that allows you to get to know (or reconnect) with a tarot deck. This was intriguing, and I made sure to save the post. Yesterday evening I set up my altar, something I have been putting off since I moved house in July, lit Dragon’s Blood incense, sat silently to ground myself, and spread my cards for a new shuffle. To begin anew, I placed my cards in order, and then spread them across the cloth. I must have spent about 5 minutes spreading them around, mixing them up over and over, and then I made a proper shuffle; hand-over-hand, a 3 split shuffle, hand-over-hand, until it felt right, until it felt complete. I was nervous. Incredibly so. Would the deck be able to tell me that it would be positive? Or would this reading be fraught with sadness, negativity? I was anxious about the outcome, and so I held the cards for a while until I came to realize that the cards were just the cards; they would try to tell me what they could, and it would be up to me to make the most of it. I couldn’t fault the deck for what it told me, I could only use what it said to navigate the world around me. The cards would not be to blame, they were just messengers..

The Interview Spread Beth has given the following as a basis for what to ask when pulling cards for this spread, and being nervous and uncertain to start with, I stuck to them word for word.

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic? 2. What are your strengths as a deck? 3. What are your limits as a deck? 4. What are you here to teach me? 5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you? 6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

I held the deck fully in my left hand, trying to sweep away any other thought. I folded my right hand over the deck and my left hand, loosely, but enough so that the deck was firmly within both of my hands. This felt right; a firm, yet loose hold on the deck, both hands encircling it, pushing my energy into the deck; hope, nervousness, excitement- an overall positive energy, with no doubt creeping in. I was ready to pull.

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic? The Hierophant

2. What are your strengths as a deck? IX of Wands

3. What are your limits as a deck? II of Pentacles

4. What are you here to teach me? The Lovers

5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you? Wheel of Fortune

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship? Strength

With each pull I reflected on what the card may mean in this context. I wrote about what I thought, and then re-centered myself and pulled the next. It was challenging to be so focused; I am a busy person, a being of hyperactivity and multi-tasking, but I pushed on and the more I pulled and thought about the cards, the less I felt the need to move on to the next thing. Once the reading was completed, I assessed the overall outcome. First off, four out of six cards are major arcana, something that surprised me at first, but the more I thought about it the more I came to see that this made sense. Why wouldn’t this deck tell me about deeply rooted things, about themes that hold one back or set one free? I took this to mean that the deck was there to help me assess what I need to understand in order to feel that freedom, and to understand what was keeping me from it. My feelings and understanding of the cards that came as a response to the interview questions were positive ones. The Hierophant I took this to mean that the deck was there to be a mentor, to teach me more about tarot in general, but also to teach me about myself and the world around me. IX of Wands To me, this card means that this deck’s strengths involve giving me the confidence and strength to continue on with my tarot practice, even when I feel myself faltering. It may mean something more than this, in other aspects of my life, but I will keep that in mind with future readings. II of Pentacles This card is characterized by balance and change in regards to worldly possessions. As the response to the question of limits, I took this to mean that this deck is unable to see or provide insight into this realm of my world. I was not upset by this, for it is the deck letting me know that any questions I would have regarding this aspect may not be answered as it is not something it can fully see or grasp. The Lovers This card ties in with relationships, unions, desire, and joy. To me, the deck is telling me that it is here to teach me about my relationships with others, and how to seek out joy in those relationships. I also feel it is a bit more personal, and perhaps this deck would be best suited to readings centering on love, but I feel as though I will be able to work with the deck regarding relationships of all types, and focus on happiness and gratitude. Wheel of Fortune This one was a bit of a punch in the gut, I’ll admit. I am a planner, a scheduler, someone who is anxious without a plan. And here this card appears, the deck telling me that I need to trust it, and that everything that occurs, that I am taught or revealed, is fate, is destiny. The best way I can learn to collaborate with the deck is to trust it, to let it show me what it wants to teach me, and not resist the knowledge even if it makes me uncomfortable. To grow, you have to be ready to grow out of things, including ideas and habits. Strength This reveal brought such a smile to my face. The Strength card is bound up in emotion, and to me this means that the deck wants to work toward the outcome of mastering my emotions and becoming brave, having courage and patience. I look forward to this, and the knowledge that this deck wishes for us to work together in order for me to overcome something that has been a great burden in my life. Emotions are not the burden, but being subject to the anxieties and inner turmoil that exist within me has wreaked some havoc on my ability to see clearly and attend to things in my life with patience and a level head.

I feel as though this was a great introduction to this deck, and that we will develop a good working relationship. I no longer have unreasonable expectations, and know that there are aspects this deck may not be able to assist with. I am looking forward to moving into specific readings, with all of this information in mind.

~ Merry part