Tarot Diva, page 24
let the situation hold us back in other respects? How did we go
from the clarity7 of the Ace of Swords to the darkness of the Ten
of Swords? By mistrusting, doubting, and distorting ourselves.
By not paying attention to our intuition. By letting others rain
on our parade or letting old habits get in our way.
A beautiful sunrise is about to bust forth in the background of
the Ten of Swords. Will you let yourself experience it? It is a
golden dawn. The sunrise speaks of waking up and seeing the
world in a completely new way, evocative of the Judgement
card. When an issue is resolved, do you let it hold you captive or
do you brush yourself off to greet the new day?
The trick to the Ten of Swords is letting our mental bondage,
our spent issues, disappear so we are free to be ourselves—no
constraints. Use this exercise to free yourself from swords.
You may also do this meditation to release yourself from the
hurtful things, tine or untrue, that people have said and that
you believed at one point.
Write down ten hurtful things people have ever said that hurt
you:
•
Did someone tell you you were fat?
•
Did someone call you a slut?
•
Did someone tell you “Nice girls don’t do that”?
•
Did someone call you ugly?
•
Did someone tell you you couldn’t follow
your dream?
•
Did someone say you were stupid?
•
Did someone ignore you?
•
Did someone say you were perverted?
•
Did someone tell you you were weird?
•
Did someone say you were no good?
Now, look at your list of ten accusations and write the opposite affirmation. If you wrote: “Susie told me I was stupid,” your affirmation will be: “I am brilliant!” Do not reiterate a negative
in your affirmation. If you wrote: “Dad told me I was ugly,”
your affirmation should sound something like: “I am gorgeous
on the inside and out.”
I am a woman in process ... I try to take every conflict, every
experience, and learn from it.
Oprah Winfrey
Take your list of ten affirmations and your Ten of Swords
card. Place the card and your list in front of you on the table.
Take a comfortable seat in your chair. Visualize yourself inside
the card, an observer seeing a body on the beach at night with
ten piercing swords. Walk over to the body and recite your first
affirmation out loud. Yell it if you want! After you have done so,
imagine you lift one sword from the body. Turn behind you
and throw it into the dark abyss, watching it dissolve into black
nothingness.
Go to your next affirmation and say or yell it. Then remove a
second sword and throw it into the dark abyss. Do so until all
the swords have been removed and you have stated all your
affirmations. The body disintegrates into the sand. You take its
place and watch the sun rise slowly over the peaceful water and
distant mountains. As the yellow and orange sun warms your
face, smile to yourself as you greet a new day. Free. Open. You.
In all your glory!
[contents]
Suit of Wands
A C E O F WANDS
Aces in tarot represent a fresh start, a new beginning, a gift.
An ace is the beginning, the first card of the suit. An ace is
where everything is established. Think of the start of a play: the
curtain goes up, an actor appears on stage—the appearance of
something new like an ace. At intermission, things are challenged, whipped up, like in the fives. The curtain falls at the end of the show and all is resolved, just like the tens. But you
can’t start anything dramatic without an ace.
Many aces in tarot show a mysterious hand emerging from a
cloud, and this hand offers a gift. The gift of the Ace of Wands
is passion, desire, sparks, spirituality, force, business, motivation. intention, and your ability to experience all of it.
The Ace of Wands signifies being passionate and fired up—
you get really excited with an idea. You decide to move your
business in a new direction. You reconnect with someone inspiring or see a performance that fills you with exhilaration.
You discover you have the capability to create something amazing. After all. aren’t magic wands full of power? The Ace of Wands gives you a tool to direct your power.
The wand on the card represents your burning passion; it’s
also a symbol of the male phallus. The leaves sprouting off the
top are the fruits of your labor, the result of your passionate action.
GRATITUDE EXERCISE
The easiest way to usher in Ace of Wands energy7 is through
this gratitude exercise.
Do This Exercise When You Are:
•
Needing to get pumped up
•
Needing to get your creative juices flowing
•
Wanting to whip up something out of thin air
•
Moving a project along
•
Needing an extra push
Experiencing gratitude takes the attention off yourself, placing
it on the world and the gifts around you. You’ll feel energized,
alive, and eager to experience the passion, excitement, and
amazing gifts your day brings.
To inrite Ace of Wands energy7, place the card where you can
see it. Fill in the blanks below, writing your answers on a
separate piece of paper or in a journal.
My greatest, passion is
. and I am grateful because
I get really excited when I
. and I am grateful be-
cause
My blood gets pumping the second I
. and I am
grateful because
The most, passionate person I know is
. and I am
grateful because.
The person who gets my blood racing is
. and I am
grateful because.
My greatest spiritual understanding is
. and I am
grateful because.
The successful person I look up to is
. and I am
grateful because.
I feel great, when I
. arid I am grateful because
I lose myself in the moment when I am
. and I am
grateful because.
I feel magic when I
. and I am grateful because
Ladies, if the thought of the male penis as the symbol
of forceful creativity and spark bothers you as sexist,
just recall the circular wreath on the World card. This
may be understood as a woman’s birth canal—literally
giving birth to the world. Like it or not, male and female energy7 is taken very7 literally in tarot. Feel free to select a more feminist deck if that is to your liking.
Two o f Wands
GOAL-SETTING SPELL
The Two of Wands is about creativity and doing something
amazing with your passion and talents. The figure on the card
holds a small world in his hands. The world he holds recalls the
World card. Is it a snapshot of you looking out the window,
dreams in hand? The Two of Wands is really about seeing the
big picture of your life. The Two of Wands suggests planing
and plotting how to get exactly what you want. Never forget the
fire, passion, and activity7 associated with wands. The Two of
Wands suggests the work that is to come in making your goals a
reality7.
It is a proven fact that people who set realistic goals for themselves will reach them, find satisfaction, and create new goals.
What do you have working to your advantage while goal setting,
diva? Why, the tarot, of course! These cards can aid you in setting goals.
Take the Two of Wands and place it where you can see it. Remind yourself that the figure on the card is you and that you hold the world in your hands. You are the weaver of your own
destiny.
Bath water with 2 sliced lemons
2 red candles
Two of Wands card
3 pieces of paper
Pen
Tarot deck
Prepare a bath with two thinly sliced lemons floating in the
water. Lemon is magically used for longevity and refreshment.
Its bright, sunny color is a reminder of your certain success,
and it softens the skin. Bathe and reflect on the variety of things
you want to do with your life, your time, your effort, and your
energy. Think about the quality of your time and how you
would like to be spending it. See if you can imagine where
you’d like to be five years from now. What is your lifestyle?
What are you doing? How do you look? Who surrounds you?
How do you feel?
Exit your tub and come to your table. Open your space. Light
your candles. One candle represents your passion; the second
candle represents your intention.
Examine the Two of Wands as it reflects you. Know that you
hold the world in your hands.
Begin writing out your goals. On one piece of paper, write six-
month goals; on the next paper, write one-year goals; and on the
last, write five-year goals. Put time, effort, and thought into each
one. Reach for the stars, yet be realistic. It is also important to
list goals you know you can reach. Fulfilling realistic goals fosters good feelings about yourself.
When you have written down all your goals and feel satisfied
with your lists, pull a random tarot card for each goal. The cards
will give you hints with their advice. They may suggest which
goals are easily attained, highlight challenges to overcome, or
give you a fresh idea on how to proceed. This is the meat and
bones of Tarot Diva, because it is your intuition that provides
you with the valuable advice you need in order to make your
goals come true. And your goals will be reached if you put work
behind them.
To finish your spell, take the two candles, merging the flames
together into one, reciting:
Passion fills me
Intention runs free.
The power o f my goals is set
I look forward, no regret.
With love and light and harm to none
I do declare this spell is done.
Three o f Wands
M A N IFESTIN G SPELL
The Three of Wands shows a fellow similar to his friend on
the Two of Wands, yet an action has been set forth. Rather than
thinking about what he wants, the figure is literally waiting for
his ship to come in. The most exciting part of working with
tarot and magic is watching the results come back to us, often
in the most surprising of ways. A surprise is indicated in his
body language, his back to us, indicating there is a gift yet to be
revealed.
If you always do what interests you, at least one person is
pleased.
Katharine Hepburn
Presumably, you've performed the goal-setting spell suggested
by the Two of Wands. Now select one particular goal you wish
to manifest quickly. This could be to bring an opportunity to
you, such as a new job; manifest a wish; or grant a desire. Select
your desire with great care. As the old saying goes; “Be careful
what you wish for, cause you just might get it.” In the case of
this spell, assume you will. This spell is inspired by the Asian
ritual of setting candles afloat in bodies of water. You will use
this ritual to set your manifestation free. Collect your twig. leaf,
and bark from the ground.
Mint or peppermint candy
Red candle
Paper and pen
Large leaf, twig, and piece of bark
String (optional)
Body of water (stream, lake, river, pool)
White votive candle
Fireproof container/matches
Three of Wands card
Perform on a waxing moon. Place the mint in your mouth. As
you feel the spice slip over your tongue, feel energy spread
through you. Light your red candle, feeling passion grow as you
do. Write your desire upon a piece of paper.
Fashion a small boat. The leaf is a sail, the twig is a mast, the
bark is a boat. Place your written desire, folded, upon the boat.
Bring to a pool of water and light the white votive candle, placing it on top of your desire. Set the boat, candle, and wish free to the waters. Contemplate your desire as you watch it sail away.
Extinguish the candle if there is any chance whatsoever of igniting real fire via dry brush or arid conditions. Attach a string and pull the boat back to extinguish if need be.
Four o f Wands
CREATIVE PROJECT SPELL
The Four of Wands suggests stability7 of work, passion, and
excitement. A wedding or May Day celebration is pictured in
the card, and the four wands remind us of the stability implied.
When the Four of Wands shows up in a reading, it ensures successful completion and reason to celebrate.
Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.
Sarah Bernhardt
No matter our work, we all have projects we’d like to get off
the ground and complete to the best of our abilities. Perhaps
you’d like to write a book, paint a painting, remodel your living
room, reorganize your finances, or plan your wedding. Anything you pull together may be considered a creative project, even if it doesn’t utilize traditionally creative elements.
In order to ensure success for your given project, cast this
spell. Watch the world bend to aid you in surprising ways.
You Will Need:
Red candle
Pen and paper
Four of Wands card
The Star card
The Magician card
The Wheel card
The Empress card
Write out an outline of your project—what you want to create.
Take the Four of Wands and place it in the center of your
space. Then recite the following:
The Four o f Wands is my project.
It is stable and strong.
Getting this off the ground won’t take
long.
Now, arrange each of the following cards at the four corners
of the Four of Wands, starting in the upper right-hand corner
with the Star and placing the remaining cards—the Magician,
the Wheel, and the Empress—in a clockwise fashion.
Say the following for each card:
The Star:
The Star offers inspiration, hope, and
light
Its magic surrounds me through the
night.
The Magician:
The Magician is my conduit to the Divine
Completion, satisfaction will be mine.
The Wheel of Fortune:
Forces and fate around me spin
They all line up to help me win.
The Empress:
The Empress shines with creative light
She works through me with all her
might.
Focus on the Four of Wands in the center of this spread, and
say:
Four o f Wands, stable and true
Good work is what I shall do.
With love and light and harm to none
I do declare this spell is done.
Five o f Wands
JACKSON POLLOCK EXERCISE
The Five of Wands shows us five youths in the midst of a
skirmish. They may be fighting angrily or they may be fooling
around playfully. Whatever the intention of their scramble, one
thing is certain: there is an intense amount of energy7 raised, flying around; anything could potentially happen.
Love the moment, and the energy of the moment will
spread beyond all boundaries.
Corita Kent
There is a sense of chaos within the Five o f Wands. We often
feel confused when chaotic energy rears up in our lives. We
should remember that it will all add up to something even if we
are not sure of the outcome.
Jackson Pollock, famous modern artist of the mid-i900s, set
the art world on fire with his seemingly random paint swatches
and streaks thrown upon his canvas. These streaks of paint created an ordered chaos, incredible to look at. The great news is that Pollock is one of the easiest painters to emulate, in terms of
style. In this Five of Wands Jackson Pollock exercise, you will
capture the energy7 suggested by the Five of Wands.
You Will Need:
Five of Wands card
A canvas of any desired size
3 colors acrylic paint
Paint cups
Paint brushes or sticks
Newspaper and protective floor covering
Purchase a canvas of any desired size and at least three colors
of acrylic paint. Mix your three colors to create any other colors,
if desired. Five colors are great to choose, as it reminds you of
