Exploring the Thoth Tarot

10 Disks Wealth

2012-01-06T17:29:00.000Z

This is a powerful card and possibly the greatest manifester in the deck - being a 10 it is the end of the suit of disks, and the corresponding position on the tree of life (Kabbalah) is Malkuth - the place at which the physical universe is manifest. Disks is the realm of the physical too so there is a double reference to things being physical and concrete in the world.

It is connected to Mercury in Virgo. Mercury rules Virgo and so these two are happy together, the energy of mercury bringing the energy of manifestation, creation and change into direct experience. Mercury brings energy and movement to skillful, attentive Virgo so we can use money wisely with this card. This card is also the last of the whole series of steps of manifesting spiritual reality into earthly form through all the pips cards starting with the Ace (Kether) of wands - where all is possible and going through the realm of spirit (wands), thought (swords), emotion(cups) and finally earth(disks) to come into being. The next step once this is achieved is to start again with a new manifestation so the 10 disks also takes us right back to the ace wands again with all its potential.

On the card are 10 disks arranged in the shape of the tree of life with the biggest disk at the bottom indicating the importance of this position in this card - the home of the 10 Each disk has a different symbol on - but they all are correspondences to Mercury - excepting the symbol at Hod on the tree of life (lowest coin on the Left hand side) This position is connected to Mercury anyway and the symbol here is the Sun, there is the implication here that the wealth and created things must be used and kept moving in order for more to continue to flow otherwise the 10 here becomes a stagnation and low energy card rather than one of continued wealth. The suns energy helping to keep things moving. So we are warned against greed and clinging to the wealth we are receiving.

In many ways when this card comes up it is telling us that we have all the wealth we need both financially, emotionally and inner skills, but that we must use these with skill and precision in order to keep things moving, allowing the energy to continue to flow rather than to stagnate in a pool. It is very much a time to get out there and show the world your riches on all levels and use them to make the world, including your own, a better place.

9 Cups

2011-12-30T17:28:00.000Z

This month I am going to present you with my musings on the 9 cups, happiness.

This is not a card questioned all that often being positive so many times when it arises and unlike the RWS deck this card doesn't have the 'smugness' about it. It does indeed portray solid dependable happiness, the feeling of your life being structured such that things are flowing and people help you as you need and you extend yourself to others easily and effortlessly. It is not joy though, happiness is a great feeling, but joy does have something more ethereal to it ad though your life is flowing and things are working well there is a sense of sameness and somehow a lack of spirit to it. It is good for a time or as a background, but as a continued state it can feel somewhat lifeless. I am happy enough, but where is the challenge, the growth and the joy of change and transformation from one moment to the next so it is a card like all others with its downside. However when I see this in a reading it is usually very positive and adds the positive impact of the other cards around it. The exception being 4 cups which also carries the energy of stagnation out of excessive comfort and together these cards can indicate a real need for risk to come into your life.

The card is Jupiter in Pisces so as such is all about extending oneself effortlessly to help others, and to help situations around one. Spiritual service and the highest love are represented by this card. As we offer to others we receive at the same time. All struggles of need of love and personal gain are over and we can see and accept the love in all things, situations and people. However it can show up on the negative side if surrounded by more difficult cards as indicating the feelings of 'happy happy' - being out of touch with reality and not acknowledging the shadow side within oneself, others and situations before us. If we face the truth then true happiness can be found, joy, true joy, in effect can be the outcome. However we need to accept the truth of the situation to truly experience the joy potential of this card.

In the majority of cases this card is great news when it turns up in your reading, you have achieved a good sense of happiness in your life or the situation enquired about. I also have seen this card represent networking successfully in a business reading, and really forming the client base you need on the basis of honesty, truth and the ideals you stand for rather than some kind of temporary connection through hope of all problems being solved. Its the soft sell ideal.

In a personal sense a group of supportive friends around you is likely where each has each others growth and highest interests at heart - so a community rather than everyone being the of the same opinion, each can extend themselves to want the best for the others even if that is different from what one would choose for oneself. In many ways this is the highest form of love.

Queen of Cups

2011-12-23T17:27:00.000Z

She is watery water, so is a strong emotional character. The queen here is mirrored in a pool beneath her - what you see is what you get, as above so below, she is a woman who will not hide her feelings but expresses herself as she is in the moment and then is is gone - She has a maturity about her when it comes to emotions and knows that emotions held in are only going to fester - rather than this she expresses herself and lets it go. Yet despite this it can be hard to fathom this woman she is shrouded in mystery and you can only just make out her face, she is a woman of deep intuitive understanding and has known her own depths - because of this she may be a mystery to many people - yet her understanding and empathy for others is very high. She is a mother type and nurtures all those around her, instinctively knowing what is needed when.

Her power comes from her self awareness and self acceptance and she is comfortable in emotional territory - nothing phasing or scaring her as she knows all she sees in another is also within her. Using her own map she can help others charter theirs.

She reflects others in her behaviour and presents people often with a mirror for their own selves. As she does so she offers an opportunity to others to be as aware as she is herself. Many do not take it. But their response does to affect her - she may therefore be seen as a master of illusions, and sometimes you may not know who she really is in herself she reflects you so well. But none of this matters to the Queen - for she knows herself and that is all that is required - to those who know who they are they can understand and see of the queen too. As both their own reflection and also the truth that she is deep down.

She is someone who is psychic, mediumistic, and understands the symbols of the other planes. She can be lost in them if she has not healed her own psychology. She is receptive and feminine, loving and patient. There is no rush to action only being and experiencing the world as it unfolds. Whatever that may hold.

Prince of Swords

2011-12-16T17:26:00.000Z

This month I am going to look and chat about the card - Prince of Swords. This card has many different aspects and as a court card can both represent a person with certain qualities as well as the querants own self, qualities they are expressing and also events around the querant.

As an event this card is talking about cutting off from someone or some people. The idea being that you need to be following your own path and not be influenced by others who are not actually in your shoes. It is time to break patterns of behaviour that leave you feel trapped and either unable to move forward or any movement made is difficult as you are pulled in many directions. This aspect can be seen easily through the fiures that are trying to pull the chariot - each in a different direction the chariot not moving very much at all. You are in charge though and hve the sword of discernment to cut those free who are going in a different direction to you - so you can put all your energy into your own goals and thus move forward much faster.

On an internal level these diverse pulls can be coming from different aspects of oneself each wanting a different thing and when this card comes up it is time to make some clear decisions about what your direction really is and to heal voices or decisions from the past that may be trying to stop you.

In relationships if this card comes up is is very likely that the relationship it refers to is needing to split as each is pulling in a different direction, sometimes there is hope of resolution if both parties can speak openly about their direction and agree to differ and not hinder the other from there pathway, however more often than not it has come to a point where each person has learned what they needed to from the other and it is time to go separate ways.

This is a swords card and in a person of youthful age, so represents someone who is logical and clear thinking - who will find solutions to problems and no longer allow blocks to get in the way of their progress. Obstacles can be removed by applying logic and will to the issue. However this is the healing power of the card, often when first active in your life there will be a sense of jumping about from one goal to the next - one place to the next not quite committing to anything and dissipating your energies - however what is called for is to not please everyone and to get clear about what of the myriad of possibilities really speaks to your heart. Usually it is actually quite clear what way is the way to go, but it is the fear of cutting off options that prevents that decision from taking place. This card suggests it is time and you will loose nothing by letting go of the paths you know are not the right ones right now.

Rational thinking can be a curse as well as a gift, You can dream ideas and plans but do nothing with any of them, get stuck in analysis whilst never getting to the emotional core of the situation. The application of what has heart and meaning to you is needed to fully use the discrimination and mental activity of this card and character. Often whether this is available can be seen from the surrounding cards.

The yellow suggests mental powers and possibly self esteem coming from recognition of intellegence, the green is the desire - the drive - the feeling of loving each idea that arises, and also the idea of using love as a force to decide between pathways which each bring their positive qualities to you. As you immerse yourself in a deep love for who you are your decision becomes clearer.

Living With a Card

2011-12-09T17:25:00.002Z

Often when we read tarot for ourselves with the Thoth, we have a position in the spread which is the main focal point - it might be the outcome card, it might be the 'card to focus on' it might be the 'key'. Whichever it is the card that we are most drawn to and seek answers from. Sometimes in readings this card is the very one that we understand the least - or in this particular reading it seems not to provide the direct answers we usually gain or expect. This is a good time to build your tarot knowledge, both in a traditional way and in a very personal way.

These, perhaps confusing, yet central cards hold a key for us. There are a number of different ways to approach this:

the academic study
the meditation
the journey
the holding the card with you through life

I want to focus on the last of these here this month, but before I do I will briefly talk about the others to give you an idea of what I am not meaning with the last one.

The first is to go to the books you have, the online resources you have access to and to read all anyone has ever seen in the card and go with those statements and concepts you have a intuitive reaction to. You are starting to gain a deeper understanding of the card and how it relates to you specifically in your situation and you are adding to your remembered bank of card meanings.

In this section I would also include studying the things that have been associated with the card by the deck creator, so you may also be going to references about the astrological associations of the Thoth card you have, the Kabbalistic position of the card, the meanings of the sephiroth or path connected to the card etc. Perhaps even looking further into that into the associations from the Kabbalah correspondences.

All of this can lead to great depth and often when we experience a one of card's many meanings it stays with us much more strongly than others we have just read about. So picking out the parts that you feel a ah-ha with of a click is a powerful way of learning.

Then we come to the second way of working with the card - to do a traditional meditation on the card - sitting quietly and still in front of the card and allowing the different parts of the card to draw you and to wash over you - once quiet within and at peace with the card then you can allow intuitive understanding and inner wisdom to arise within the session. Also within this there is the Inner Discursive method of meditation where you can allow yourself to first describe the images you see within the card and the to allow yourself to think about what this image means and what other concepts and situations also are connected with the image.

There is then the creative visualisation, pathworking or journeying technique where you prepare yourself for an inner journey in your usual manner and then allow yourself to walk directly into the card, initially seeing some or all of the pictures on the card but as you progress you see the environments change and you may travel on a very personal journey into different terrain even with the same card on separate occasions. This gains you intuitive insight as you assess and reflect on your journey after you return you ordinary consciousness.

Then we come to allowing the card to work with you.

In many ways this allows all the above to process within you - but it can also be done on its own. You look at the image and see it clearly in your minds eye, then you take it with you in your mind as you go about your day to day activities. You set your unconscious mind to work on the issue of finding this cards true message to you. As you intend this you then can forgot about the card and watch out for patterns of action, behaviour or events around you in your day. Any time something stands out to you hold the card in your mind and against the activity or event.

Ask yourself what is the connection between these two things - if any?

Sometimes a connection will clearly be made and you can log this as a confirmation of a certain slant of meaning of this card at this time for you.
Other times there is a tenuous connection - this you can hold in a 'maybe this' pile and wait for further confirmation or a missing link between two things the card and that event to show itself to you.
Sometimes there will be no connection - here you can leave the situation as being about a different part of the process you are in currently - perhaps it relates to one of the other cards in your reading, perhaps it is just in a different realm of your life.

You can also look out for connections between your thoughts on the topic you have asked about, when you find yourself reflecting on the issue and exploring it in its own nature then remembering the card and looking for these same connections, the card its images, energy and possible meaning and the relation of this to your situation of enquiry.

As you work through the process of a card you can find its meaning and your understanding changes, you begin to see the whole story of a card rather than just the initial concepts your intuition and mind was able to latch onto. When flowing at its best you can experience moments where exerything feels very connected - both in your life as well as how it is mirrored in your reading and this specific card.

As we set intentions like this with our unconscious often these processes of inner analysis take place almost by themselves, we come in and out of awareness of the process through our day. As we become more conscious of this process we start to become conscious of our own intuitive and inner being knowledge making its voice known in our conscious world - we come to know what we have been seeking for, often triggered by the tarot, and sometimes feeding back into a depth of knowledge of the tarot for future use with others.

You can encourage this process by having the image of the card about you - perhaps as a backdrop on your phone or desktop on your computer, or just out by your side when you are working.

Have a go at this process yourself, see it working in your life. All the processing of understanding the meaning of the card to you are valid and worthwhile, and if we use them together then our learning process becomes a very rich and personal experience which accelerates our own inner growth and the skills we have to offer others.

5 Wands Strife

2011-11-28T15:37:00.003Z

5 Wands - Strife

This month I picked a card to work with for these Thoth tips and came up 5 wands - strife.

Sometimes people see this card as being a hard card to work with - indicating stresses and strains and general difficulties in making things work as they wish. It can indicate conflict with others and with the situation in general. However it is a card which also indicates that the effort expended is worthwhile. The intense, clear yellow, reminiscent of the sun, in an indication of self esteem being the background of the effort expended. The wands themselves have behind them the motivation of flames of passion and energy to move things forward despite the difficulty. This car apply to both business situations and also personal relations.

The 4 wands preceding the 5 is in balance and now the energy builds and needs to face conflict next to create the changes needed to achieve the overall goals being worked for. This can be likened to breaking out of the old ways of success and facing new challenges to keep business projects afloat. It can also be the stage of a relationship where you have decided that the relationship is good and worth investment in time and energy, however the honeymoon period is just over and with the areas of commonality fully explored - now the territory of how you are different from each other is broached. This brings conflict, but also respect as you gain a measure of each others integrity and ability to hold their own. You also work out the ways you can deal with the conflicts between you that enables both parties to be both respected and also honoured in their individuality as well as in your togetherness.

The pheonix heads on the ends of two of the wands indicates the ability to come through this time of conflict renewed and refreshed, the lotus's on the other two wands indicates the love that is still there and influencing the conflict as it arises, for love is within conflict as well as within peace. The main forewand has upon it a symbol of the sun and the guiding principle of self esteem, personal self value and from here value of others as individuals with their own perspectives. You hold your own, discipline yourself, and work with the conflict rather than run from it.

The efforts expended with this card can be compared to training for a sporting achievement, the effort required needs discipline and the building of stamina, the competition - or conflict - is what enables, or rather sparks, the growth to take place. It is the striving for the highest outcome in a situation and being prepared to go through personal difficulty to achieve it whilst also holding true to ones own values and respecting ones limitations. A card that can bring powerful growth and success.

4 swords - Truce

2011-11-21T15:32:00.003Z

4 swords - Truce

This card is one of balance in the realm of the mind. There is a place of seeming peace that has been reached - yet this has come by way of compromise there is a force represented by Jupiter of desire to move things on and expand, to grow - but Jupiter in Libra has that balancing force of Libra acting on it preventing full expansion unless all desire it. The peace is kept at all costs. When this comes up it is a time to allow the balance to be as it is for the time being - recovery and recuperation can take place in this period of time. No striving, just resting with things as they are. It can be a good time to begin to realise what will need to change when the energy shifts from this place. Anything that has been sacrificed to bring this peace will need to be recovered for truth to be reclaimed and integrity regained. It is a force of love that is keeping this balance - there is no error. Awareness is needed though and the strength to allow the waters to be stirred when the time is right. What has been un said will need to be communicated, what has been conveniently forgotten needs to be remembered. The blue of communication in the background it punctuated by the yellow of self esteem. The self esteem and desire for the truth is building in this phase, whilst the situation is stable. The rose of love and beauty in the center is being held back by the swords coming to this focal point of seeming peace. Only when the courage to face the truth is taken then can the rose truly be seen in its full glory. So gather your strength and resources and make ready for the uncovering of the truth. For the truth will set you free. The cross is a protective symbol you may have been kept from the truth by another and their motivation may have been one of protection and the idea that protecting you from the truth would hurt less - however this premise is false and needs to be challenged as you have the strength and self esteem to face the truth and once it is know it can be dealt with effectively. So do not keep the peace with others to protect them rather understand that there is a great respect in knowing someone has all skills needed to deal with whatever the truth is in a situation.

Affirmations

to go with this card include:-

Through openness we attain clarity
I am at peace within myself
The trust sets me free
When I am at peace in myself nothing can disturb me
I trust that I and others have all the skills we need to face the truth of the situation

Numerology

2011-11-14T15:36:00.002Z

Numerology

Numerology is the synchronicity of numbers as a reflection of the universe. How numbers add up, subtract etc brings meaning. It is an old tradition and there are many well used and accepted ways of determining aspects of our character. This month I am going to look how we find our soul and personality numbers and relate them to the Major arcana of the Thoth deck. I will use my own numbers as an example.

So My birthday is 4th June 1966

that's 4/6/1966

To find out your personality number you add up the digits until you come to a number under 21

so

4 + 6 + 1966 = 1976

then reduce this down to a number under 21

1 + 9 + 7 + 6 = 23

2 + 3 = 5

So my personality number is 5 and this matches to the Heirophant in the major arcana.

In my case my soul number is also 5, however if your first number under 21 is something like 14 then you can reduce this further 1 + 4 = 5 so someone with a personality number of 14 - which is Art also has the Heirophant as their soul number.

If you have three numbers under 21 then the middle one is the creativity number. for example if your first number under 21 is 19 then this reduces to 10 which then reduced to 1

So your Soul card would be 1 - Magus

Creativity card 10 - Fortune

Personality card 19 - The Sun

So once you have your card you can see the essences that will play out in your personality and the lessons you are learning in your soul in this lifetime.

For me I am the Heirophant both in personality and in my soul growth..

This shows in my life as a need to teach and also to learn constantly, all through my life I recognise this energy. There are aspects of wanting to find the higher purpose in all that life presents before me - both in my inner world and in my outer expression within the world. As I look at the Heirophant card I see my determination and sometimes stubbornness in the bull - and also the determination to overcome obstacles that present themselves to me in my path from the elephant - often looking to the highest view to understand and overcome the block in front of me. My intuition (high priestess on the card) guides me as I walk forward and aim to both learn and teach all who would be open to learning. I have a tendency to like rules yet also fight against them, finding the highest rules, the spiritual laws, that govern all things wherever possible. Knowing too that I am ever as a child and will never understand it all, nor should I - retaining the innocence of incarnation in this world - though we can touch other planes, experiencing then in many and varied ways, we can never forget that whilst we are living in the physical we can't fully comprehend the magnificence of the whole, nor assume we can truly know another's pathway fully - though we are sometimes privy to snapshots in time of another's life, only our own soul truly knows our destiny over time and space, lifetime through lifetime.

The Heirophant is ruled by Taurus so Taurean energies are apparent also, The love of beauty, creativity and art. A strong connection with nature and the earth and the fixed nature of change coming slowly and in a considered way. More details on Taurus can be found on Skyscript - an excellent astrology resource

Princess of Cups

2011-11-07T15:53:00.000Z

This month I picked a card to see what would be of use to talk about with you all...

Princess of Cups

This is a beautiful card of self worth and value. Princesses as we have seen before correspond to the position 10 on the Kabbalah - Malkuth, this is the point of manifestation of the suit. The princesses are the manifestation of the potential we find in an ace. So here we have an emotional new start, where much work has been done in the emotional relam and can now be put into practice on the physical plane.

So in relationships, this is a card of emotional freedom, there is no need for jealousy, manipulation, power games etc. These things have been explored and now are no longer needed. There is trust and freedom and also joy. The swan of her head is a symbol of freedom but also a symbol of monogamy and trust between people. She holds the lotus upright and high and is able to see love everywhere and through everyone.

She offers her talents and skills to everyone without wish for reward, yet also without pushing herself on anyone - she quietly helps out and moves on, she needs no recognition and is able to protect herself through her own innocence and comfort with her vulnerability. She seems to sidestep power games that others offer her invites to play, effortlessly. She is pure and capable, receptive and free.

The dolphin symbolises love and trust as well as the idea of loving guardianship of this world and all that is in it.

This card is earth of water and so is the physical practical application of emotional knowledge and understanding. So she is empathic, understanding and loving in all she does.

As a card representing a person she can also represent a sensitive young child - or someone older with the apparent innocence of someone very young. With this youth or youthfulness comes simple wisdom and ways of seeing the world which cut through the complexities we often have learnt to use as resistance to doing what is in our heart. The answer and the truth is often so much more simple, but almost too hard to see for our doubts. The princess can see through these things and get to the core by trusting her own views on the world and trusting what is in her heart. She lives by the truth that all is love ultimately.

Thoth and the Weather

2011-10-31T15:52:00.000Z

Thoth and the Weather
This is something I am recently working with, as I go out into the mountains on regular occasions I have decided to see what the Thoth has to say about the weather - from time to time I will update you to my findings. Please feel free to discuss your own findings on this thread.

So last weekend there were two choices for walking in the Brecon Beacons I picked a card for each,

The Black Mountain area - Queen of Swords
The Beacons themselves - Hanged Man

This was for the physical experience of the mountains rather than our personal or emotional experience.

The Associations that came up for each were as follows:
Queen of Swords:- She is sitting on the clouds, has her head in the clouds, there is a feeling of height and being able to see the view below. So I felt this was a good indication of the cloud cover being high and we would be able to see around us for the most part of the walk. She is also someone who is quite detached and cool headed in things which I associated with it being colder than usual - or than it had been recently.

Hanged Man:- He is upside down, perhaps we would experience an inversion - a relatively unusual occurrence where the top of the mountains are in clear sky and the clouds are below in the valley, This is a card of water, so there is suggestion of rain or fog, and with the ideas of trust and surrender I have the association that we wouldn't be able to see where we were going but would have to trust in our skills. So low cloud, some rain and fog, possible inversion too.

We chose to go to the Black Mountain area, and experienced a small portion of the time in some mist, but overall the day was clear we could see far across the land - there was snow on the tops which was unexpected, yet not from the Queens indication of cold. We could also look across to the Beacon area from where we were and there was indeed some inversion going on around the peaks there and a lot of white cloud which would be experienced as fog, with possible drizzle.

A positive set of associations with these cards I feel.

Beginning to work with Astrology and the Thoth tarot

2011-10-24T15:50:00.001+01:00

Beginning to work with Astrology and Thoth

Many of the Thoth cards have astrological symbols on them. Looking at how the astrology connects with the card meaning can help us read the meaning of a card in the spread, especially if certain signs or planets reoccur through the spread giving an indication of how the planet's or sign's action is influencing the situation in the reading.

When reading a planet in a sign think of the sign being the arena that the planet is acting in. So Venus in Cancer can be thought of as the creative, beautifying, sensual energy of venus acting in the arena of Cancer, the place of family ties, loyalty, home, protection and safety. So we have the feel of ties between people being pleasurable and the idea of attraction - ideal for the card 2 of cups love.

However we can also take this further and look at some of the other attributes of Venus and cancer together and see that in some spreads this card could also indicate an artist - perhaps someone who works from home and expresses homely ideas through their art. The connection to the home and beauty in this card can also represent making a home beautiful, furnishings and colours, comfort and sensual place to be in.

Someone who is very generous (Venus) with their family (Cancer). Venus also represents values, how we value ourselves and others, so in the playground of cancer we are looking at self value within the family, family position. We can also see a possible avoiding of looking at the truth with cancers sidestepping nature and Venus's ability to please others even if ultimately it serves our own needs. Perhaps too you might say that love is maintained by using tact and diplomacy coupled with a high self value.

There is a tendency of cancer to hold onto things and Venus is about emotional things, so we have the holding of relationships, a possible clingyness and a tendency to go over the past. There can also be a link to historical interests, archaeology, and the like.

There is a love of food and music with Venus, and in the realm of cancer then family gatherings, particularly the women of the family (Venus also) gathering to enjoy good food, most likely in a home or very homely setting.

You can discover other connections looking up attributes of both cancer and Venus and allowing your intuition to combine them to bring further meanings to this card and spread in which it is found. If you also are taking into account other attributes such as numerology and Kabbala then you can further refine and understand both the card and your intuitive messages from it at a specific time.

6 cups - Pleasure

2011-10-17T15:48:00.002+01:00

6 Cups Pleasure

This is a wonderful card of harmony and joy. The sixes in the Thoth deck correspond to Tiphareth on the Qabalah and as such as the most perfected point of the element they are in. Here we have joy in just being, the cups are not over full nor empty, they are in a balanced state of harmony connected together with the passion of expression of the self. It is life coming easily and also sexual pleasure, the idea of no goal, just enjoyment of the moment, sensuality and self expression in the now. The cups are all about the emotions and emotional realms so when this card comes up you can be sure to be enjoying the time or area of life represented (unless in a difficult position... 'what to avoid' for eg)

The card is connected with sun in Scorpio so there is a feeling of the positive emotional feelings being creative, fertile and productive. Also the idea of commitment to the moment, Scorpio is the fixed water sign, and as such likes to maintain the feelings of this moment and delve into them deeply. So this card represents getting the most out of the good time that is with you. Allow yourself to fully experience the pleasures available to you as with everything it is a peak time and will not be maintained for ever so enjoy every moment while you can. In this sense it can also represent a holiday, or 'honeymoon period' of a relationship.

It's position of Tiphareth also indicates the highest expression of spiritual joy in a physical way - Tiphareth being the point at which the son of God is made man ( in Christian symbolism) for the 6's The 6 cups is the highest pleasure one can experience through earthly experience, one of the ways to gain this is through sexual pleasure and this card brings this association and energy forward to us.

Both the Scorpio sun and Tiphareth in the emotional world, indicate passion, desire and expression of deep emotions in a positive way.

There is movement in the sea below - the emotional arena must keep moving to prevent stagnation as was once experienced in the 4 cups, so with this knowledge this pleasure is not clinged to despite the delving into its depth. It is as it is and the honesty of the moment is experienced as an eternal truth until the energies change for more development of the soul. It is a card of experiencing the joy of renewal of positive emotions about oneself as well as about others. Celebration and fulfilment, enjoyable activities in what ever area of life the reading indicates. It is a wonderful card to experience.

Learning the to read with the Thoth tarot Deck

2011-10-10T15:48:00.000+01:00

Learning to read the Thoth deck
Why read with the Thoth tarot deck? Often the deck we chose to read with is just a personal choice of what we are drawn to and this is reason enough, if you are drawn to the Thoth then it can work for you as a deck. It may be it is the beautiful imagery, the knowledge that it has been designed with many layers of correspondences or the reputation that this deck will give you very direct readings that appeals to you, or perhaps it is just a feeling it wants to work with you that has brought you to consider owning this wonderful deck.

I feel this deck is indeed a very powerful tool, there are so many systems of thought represented in the deck in so many ways that it can tap into our collective unconscious very easily and bring us to intuitive meanings easily particularly if you are focused on your inner world and how we can better manifest our potential in this lifetime. The deck is balanced with its depictions of the happiest times of our lives and also the hardest times of our lives. So you can build a trust in this deck that it will tell you the truth of a situation. When it is difficult it won't pull the punches however it also shows the way to work through and overcome the difficulties through working on ourselves. Every situation we experience externally brings with it a lesson we can learn from and by using the Thoth tarot to help us work through these lessons it opens the doors to our inner wisdom and healing.

So it is balanced, beautiful, multi-layered, direct and has no taboos - all topics can be expressed through this powerful deck. Crowley, I feel, was an excellent scholar of so many esoteric pathways, he also practiced all he learned and, though he had his own issues, throughout his life he was strong enough to follow his own heart and direction searching for the truth in all things despite being bedeviled. By using the Thoth we are given his study in correspondences through so many systems as a starting point and we then begin our own journey into our inner worlds to find our personal connection with the realms beyond the mundane.

Many people however, despite the attraction of the Thoth - find that they don't know where to start once they have the deck in their hands, that somehow there is a resistance to working with it. It might be you have tried to read with it and have been put off by the direct keywords on some of the cards and the feeling of darkness that may be alongside these words. It might be you have read some of the books about the deck and have found the information from so many systems of thought coming together in one deck just seems overwhelming, how will you learn all these things and be able to use the deck. Perhaps you have heard of the reputation of Crowley and are nervous to be associated with some of the darker sides of his life. So the first place to start with reading with this deck is to look at your associations with it in the beginning and see which of these are really true for you and which are just getting in the way from someone else's viewpoints that you have taken on as true.

Once you have acknowledged your misgivings and possible blocks to using the deck you can then move forward. You can start working with the Thoth from wherever you are at the time. You bring to it your current knowledge even if incomplete and allow your intuition to grow from your current place. You may know some astrology, or be familiar with the Kabbalah and these can help you access the cards intuitively as well as your own life experience. When you see an image on a card you can allow yourself to free associate with it, this loosens up any tendency to censor our intuitive thoughts and though many freely associated images my be relevant only to ourselves initially, in amongst this you very often find something close to an intended meaning for the card. With practice and continual self awareness you can come to know the sense of true intuition in you as opposed to wishful thinking or projected meanings.

The depth of information included in this deck doesn't have to be known fully and intellectually to use the deck well - the images are universal, though we may know nothing of the connection of venus to love, or what the symbol is for venus we can know the keyword love, we understand the colours are soft and bring a feeling of love in the 2 cups for example, we see two sides to a water feature perhaps in the card, each necessary for the balance of it yet each is both separate and connected. Already we have gained much meaning from the associations on the image as well as with the keyword and the feeling from the colours. We have a start to the energy of the card. When we add the association of water with emotions and the number two for partnerships, the meaning develops further.

Self awareness if important though I feel, through self awareness we gain access to the fullness of ourself. Our shadow side - the parts of us we would like to deny - often hold the greatest 'gold' for us. As we get in touch with these, the anger, rage, jealousy, we would rather not have, acknowledging their existence, it makes us whole and shows us how we can be more of who we are - for every part of us we lock away and declare is not good enough, we also lock away some gold of our true nature which to be balanced we need. As we lock away anger we also lock away our ability to stand up for ourselves in the face of a bully for example. As we access our own shadows we are less likely to see them - or project them into others and thus we will see our clients more for who they are rather than who we are projecting onto them.

Another method of accessing your intuition is to journey into the card using a guided visualisation technique and to meet and converse with the characters and elements depicted in the card. People often experience the card landscape changing as they do this and additional images and messages come to them through the cards journey. This technique is good to open out your intuition in a general sense as well as when connected to a specific card image. It is also excellent to use to develop ourselves and our lives, clearing out issues and projections in our outer worlds, and also making our intuitive channelling for others clearer and more accurate.

Often when we are using our intuition we are tapping into what Jung called the collective unconscious and here lies the archetypal energies that the tarot embodies in itself. These energies are also represented by astrology and also the Kabbalah and consequently when the images on the Thoth were created the symbols associated with these archetypes were represented on the cards. This is the case to a greater and lesser extent with all tarot as each card can be said to be an archetypal energy - however with the Thoth the correspondences are well worked out and can be seen in so many different systems that there are many different access points to the cards energies. We just have to allow our thinking minds to step back enough to access the collective and so be shown the meanings needed.

When I work with the Thoth I start from the Jungian approach suggested by Gerd Zeigler in his books on the Thoth, this gives a good starting to point to understanding the depth of process that goes on within us and also how the tarot relates to this - it also shows us how to gain the healing potential from the most difficult of the cards. Sometimes if we work with the tarot for ourselves it is very hard to see how a card which on the surface is very negative is not actually gloom and doom for us - whilst it is telling the truth of a difficult time it is also pointing the way to work with this within ourselves to create healing and thereby bring peace within us.

I feel to work with the Thoth in this way on your own personal journey also adds to the ability to have to work with others in their lives and be able to stand alongside another and indicate the way forward when you have covered the terrain yourself - for you to 'know' the card on a deep level and how it acted within your own life you are then able to have a deeper knowledge of it when it is active for another in a reading you may be doing.

Using all these techniques you can then form a truly personal relationship with the deck, no longer soley based upon someone else's meaning or an accepted meaning of a card, you have your own library of experience to draw upon as well as your intuitive access to the card and its archetypes.

From this stage of development you can then gather your own associations for cards from others use of them and how they work for them in their lives - you can add to your system of knowledge information from traditional sources - taking a deeper looking into the astrological correspondences and understanding how the astrology on a card can add another layer of meaning to it. Here too additional practical situations, issues, people, places, careers etc can be linked to cards through the astrological association. Similarly with the Kabbalah, Hebrew etc. Each system you are drawn to learn and use adds yet more information you can intuitively draw upon in a reading. By coming from this intuitive approach you can prevent yourself being blocked by the intellectual systems as you approach a reading, allowing the things you have learned intellectually to spring up from within you when they are needed rather than feeling overwhelmed about what a card could possibly mean from your intellectual mind.

So get out your decks and have a go, ask yourself about your blocks to the deck (perhaps even ask the Thoth itself too through a reading) and allow yourself to get to know your deck intuitively. If you are interested in an online course to do this within then take a look at my website for details of what we offer and how to apply for a place. http://www.tarot-training.co.uk

Black Magus

2011-09-28T12:30:00.000+01:00

Black Magus
In some version of the Thoth deck there are three images for the Magus. You can see them here http://taroteca.multiply.com/photos/album/99Labelled The Magician, The Magus and The Magus. They were never intended to all be used at the same time in the deck. The publishers had the slots for two more cards when making up the deck and decided to include these two extra discarded versions of the Magus for interest.

Gerd Ziegler in his book 'Tarot: The mirror of your relationships' Labels the three cards as three aspects of the Magus and suggests the possible use of them all. I personally have found it excellent to have the three included in my deck and find it really adds some power to the readings to have two cards that lean strongly to the positive or negative where the other cards are so much more balanced.

The Magician is seen as the White magus and embodies all the qualities of the positive magus, communication for the good of all. The focus on the light exclusively, open and honest communication, no lying or manipulation just the truth as the person sees it.

The Magus with the figure balancing on a tightrope type image is considered the Transcendental Magus and is the card Crowley intended to be used in the deck. This magus has the powers of dark and light at his disposal and actually is not thinking about whether something is right or wrong to do - it is like he has transcended duality and so can used things that on the face of it would be seen as manipulative but are 'right' for him to use as this is his pathway forward when viewed from the spiritual standpoint.

The Other magus with the dark figure behind is considered the Black Magus and this card represents going against the will of the whole. Fighting against ones path and basically is a 'no not this way' It can also come up in situations of abuse and manipulation, difficult relationships where there is a power difference that needs to be addressed. It can also point to someone who has found themselves so keen on a particular outcome they have begun to try an control people and events too much. Sometimes just realising you are trying to control things and releasing your control to a higher energy can release the difficulties in a situation instantaneously. So this card is powerful when it comes up and brings with it a lot of healing and also trust and faith in the higher processes that go on in our lives. The caduceaus in the front of the main character I feel indicates healing is possible from abusive situations and they can be released from having power over the person any longer. I feel it also represents situations where you are feeling controlled by someone from your past and are finding it hard to break free from that conditioning, whatever you try it seems so hard to actually control your own patterns - paradoxically the feeling of controlling others and situations that are out of their control, helps you feel you have control over life which basicially feels out of control either in the present or the past.

As this awareness comes to us we are able to then address the situation and start to look to higher planes and trust that our highest path will be shown - that the way we think we have to go is actually full of the hard work of swimming against the current and is not a productive way for us at the time. We change our direction when we get this card and let go - allowing something else to come in its place, perhaps another has the answer we seek and we haven't been listening, perhaps we need to allow our intuition to have more space. Perhaps we need to leave a relationship rather than stay to make it work. Perhaps we need to view things from a higher perspective.

If you get this card in a reading and find it hard to understand its context you can always pick another in response to "what happens if I just stop what I am striving for to allow something to change the situation outside of myself... "

For those that only have the one card in the deck, then this card can embody these concepts both the dark and light depending on the position in the reading and also your intuitive understanding of its message at the time.

6 Wands Victory

2011-09-21T12:29:00.001+01:00

This is a wonderful card of success, usually after a time of struggle and effort. The 6's in the Thoth relate to the Tiphareth point on the Qabbala. This is the point at which spiritual forces come to earth - it is the messiah node so to speak and so the 6's in each suit are the most perfect point of that suits energy. Here we have the suit of wands and so are dealing with the realm of spirituality, passion, life force, creativity and the like. This perfection can not be made without effort, even if the picture is painted effortlessly it is the years of experience of painting, drawing and looking that goes into make that effortless creation. In the same way this card expresses a perfection coming forth after much experience and work.

The wands have fire between their joins and it represents the stability and strength that comes with this victory. The phoenix heads are the rebirth, the new that rises from the flames, the transformed and renewed state.

There are also lotus wands and winged suns, the lotus wands can signify the love that runs through this success, love of a spiritual nature rather than of the romantic kind, love that runs through all good works. The winged suns the reference to spiritual self love and how self love also is an important quality for success to be true, as success is the external manifestation of the internal riches and wealth - we need to recognise and accept our inner wealth in order to manifest success on the material plane, and here with spiritual value too.

Often when this card comes up it is the success of breaking an emotional pattern or healing an issue that was deep rooted - so often relates to having completed one of our soul tasks in this lifetime.

The card is ruled by Jupiter in Leo and so is also indicative of the success being very visible to the public (the leo pride and charisma) and in many ways furthering other people (Jupiter expansion of knowledge or spirit) and not just being of benefit to the individual, but also the wider sphere is affected by your success. Astrological associations can include liking for showyness, film, theater, socialising, confident leadership particularly with things helping others, religious activity with ritual, councilors, church leaders and other prominent figures can also be associated with this card.

Queen of Swords

2011-09-14T12:28:00.000+01:00

This months card for you all is the Queen of Swords, a card I have a great fondness for.
She is a woman who can stand back from the situation - her naked top shows she is open and her heart connection with others is unhindered and at the same time she is able to stand back emotionally from any situation and use her sword of discernment to see whether the situattion is for her higher good. She makes an excellent counsellor - someone who you can go to with your troubles assured that she will not get over involved or attached to whatever decision to decide to make and will support you throughout your journey on the path ahead. She is depicted as in the clouds and higher giving her a higher perspective too which also helps her give good advice and support as well as understand the bigger picture. She has removed her own masks yet still has the ability to use them when needed. She can relate to others need for privacy and masks to. Her favourite mask is one of silence and withheld behaviour - helping her stay detached - at times overly so. but in the main she is someone to trust. The clouds are of air and she is rational in her approach though knows her heart she will not act upon it without a rational knowing alongside. It can be that at times she rationalises her emotions too much and keeps the talking and thinking about it going without grounding this with action or actual feeling the situation she is involved with.

As with all court cards these qualities can be seen as part of the persons development who the reading is for, their need to take this position or their need to let go of it. As well as representing someone in the life of the querant who is important in the situation for some reason. Often both can be true and applicable as we often attract people to us who mirror elements of ourselves we are needing to study further to either increase their action on our life - bringing the counsellor out in us for instance, or that we need to let go of, the actual person in life perhaps bringing conflict to show the inner conflict when an extreme use of the Queen of Swords is not helpful in life and that more balance is needed. As the tarot reflects our position in life so to those around us, and we can do a reading for ourselves by looking at who are are attracting at any one time to see what elements of ourselves we are working with. Bringing more love to those parts of ourselves we dislike and also balancing those parts we over do.

What does she say to you now? Are you in need of a listening, impartial ear to help you right now? Do you sometimes withdraw and intellectualise to avoid feeling your feelings?

Ace of Swords

2011-09-07T12:28:00.004+01:00

This months card for you all is the Ace of Swords. This card is an ace and as such representative of new beginnings in general - being the suit of swords then this beginning would be on a mental level, and is associated with air. You can tie this with new plans, turning over a new leaf and making clear decisions about your future - where you want to go, what you will need to do to get there and setting your intentions. All creations and activities begin with a thought and this card is about getting clear in your thoughts and as you do so the path before you opening up and becoming clearer too.

As you look at the card we have a sword pointing up towards the heavens, you can see this as the sword of discernment, the sword which will allow you to cut away the options that are not for your highest good and to embrace those that will carry you forward in your life in a positive growing sense. The sword can be seen to be focused on this highest plane as it points upwards, and this indicates that will to create the highest reality on Earth that you can at the time.

We can see it coming out of clouds - leaving behind confusion and doubts, the air clears and the truth can be seen and known and once the truth is revealed then decisions become a lot easier to make about your next steps. The sun in the background a reminder that it is a new day and new beginning and also that the day begins from a place a high self esteem, self love and confidence. This card often appears after a time of worry or confusion and when you have going round and round in your mind for so long you are now able to make a clear decision - your self confidence increases as a result of making the decisions that are necessary. Speaking the truth to those who need to hear your point of view. Clearing the air in cases of conflict and allowing you to be free of any entrapments and able to walk your path forward on your own destiny rather than anyone elses.

I see the crown around the sword as spirits crowning and support of whatever you decide at this time, as you use your intellect to make the decisions needed and put your intention to spirit then spirit can respond by setting the wheels in motion to create your desire. It is a good time to write a list of the qualities of the type of life you are trying to create, type of event, or type of relationship as you get your own intellectual mind clear about what you are wanting then you also send a message to spirit and allow things to take the direction you intend.

Our intentions are more powerful then you can image, our intentions shape the life that unfolds before us, when we are not clear then the results are also not clear as we become discerning and focused we also set about the energy to create clear and focused outcomes in our future.

The symbols on the sword are the word of the Law, the sword is the one used by the magus in magical rites of creation and the snake of the handle is the energy of transformation that flows through the discerning sword as it cuts away the unchosen and illuminates the choices made to bring the required change into being.

IT is however the beginning of the journey and not the result or harvest of your dreams and desires, you are setting things in motion but much may happen on the journey to creation being complete. This card however does have you setting off with a good start.

Prince of Cups

2011-08-30T12:30:00.001+01:00

Prince of Cups
This month I am going to muse upon the Prince of Cups the card drawn for you all this time...
This card is particularly powerful in the Thoth deck I feel. It talks of emotional exploration and the connection with another both emotionally and very often sexually too. A time for open exploration in a relationship, of all the desires and fantasies each partner has, nothing censored and all shared with the view to love and connect on a deeper level. Though as a court card, this card can represent a person who is youthful in outlook, free and prepared to try anything once, he also follows his passion and desire wherever it may lead and so often may indicate that the relationship - though very passionate, open and caring may not last forever, and when the exchange of ideas and feelings has been done then each person moves on with greater integration in their lives. Of course in a committed long term relationship, the freedom aspect of this card can indicate that the two partners are able to be freer than perhaps they once were - to both express and experience feelings and desires with each other - even if some of the fantasies involve others, without jealousy or discomfort. It is like all the truth is set free for the possibility of transformation of each person.

The building of love is less the focus than personal discovery honesty and truth coloured with spiritual clarity. It is like the love is there and assumed - no long needs to be the focus to grow - but grows through the open acceptance of each other and each persons respective growth path.

This card can also represent travel to foreign lands - by air in particular for the purposes of self development and growth - rather than just a holiday, a sense of wanting to be changed by the experience and this being the main goal.

This card is also about allowing yourself to face what your true desires are in life - not just in the relationship realm but also in career, family and spiritually - it asks us to look at what is it we really are inspired by - what would give us the greatest pleasure. As we acknowledge the deepest desires in ourselves we come to see that perhaps our dreams are not so impossible and perhaps we can indeed create our world in the image of our desires and all will be well. In fact it turns out it is what we are here to do. Great insight into the self can be attained by allowing our unconscious to have more free reign on our lives and showing us where we are going and how that differs or not from what we truly want in this life. All is allowed, once acknowledging that our wants and needs are as important as others we can express ourselves and often our assumptions about others responses is incorrect and there is more space to move then we have allowed ourselves. Set yourself free! Embrace it all and allow yourself to be changed by the truth within you.

My Associations with the simple image forms:
blue - communication
purple - spiritual force
flower - love and the attainment of spiritual love
snake - transformation, sexuality
cup - emotional being
naked prince - open and honesty
bird - freedom, strength, power, over view of the world and emotional being, accepting all seen
wind - freedom, making a difference, allowing movement to cause change outside oneself too
chariot - secure base within the freedom, vehicle for movement forward
water - flow, change, emotion, depths of unconscious
Prince - Tiphareth on the Qabbala - connection between spirit and earth, tantric sex, transformation of spiritual self through the connection with another human in an open way channelling the Source energy of all that is by finding all that is within the self, the dark and the light, particularly accepting all emotional forms within the self.

6 Swords - Science

2011-08-23T12:29:00.001+01:00

6 Swords - Science
This month I picked a card with the intention of "what card do the the people on this list need to know about this month" I picked out 6 Swords Science. This card was one of the cards I had difficulty with for a long time, it seemed unintelligible somehow. However I have come to know it well and appreciate its lessons. I will just talk here about the associations that have built up for me over the years and how it has come to show itself to me..

So the basics, as a 6 it is a perfected number and corresponds to the position of Tiphareth on the Qabala and this is the position of beauty and perfection of heaven on earth. So it is the peak of the swords suit here. The place where the intellect is at its highest point. Understanding all the world in an intellectual sense. On the card are the windmills of air showing movement and flux of the winds I feel rapid thought and understanding too . On a personal level it is that feeling when you feel you are suddenly coming to understand things that were once a mystery to you - the click and ah-har moment we experience at various times in our lives.

So this card is associated with science in the general sense of the word - logic, computers, information and communication of these 'facts' However this is only one aspect there is a deeper level - the sense of how the universe makes sense and the universal laws of spirit. You can see the cross in the center as a representation of this. This card I feel is about coming to that understanding of how the world 'really' works from a spiritual perspective. Understanding the spiritual laws deep in yourself. You may at one time read about concepts of manifestation, magick and the spiritual laws written by mystics and masters throughout the ages, but this is only the beginning, real understanding only comes when these writings are internalised and become a part of your knowing - this card is about that knowing... the sense that you knew the words all along about a concept but that one event or click that has happened means that suddenly you feel the knowledge as part of you, you 'know' in the deeper sense of the word. Often it is a place you come to which when you try and describe what you 'know' you find yourself using phrases and concepts that seem well known to both yourself and others, and it is hard to explain what the real difference is when you really understand the concept you have known on the surface for such a long time.

So this card is about learning and about studying - both on the surface knowledge of something - as well as the deeper 'knowing' of something. This knowing brings with it a feeling of self esteem as you understand your own position within the world and knowledge - represented by the yellow surrounding some of the shapes.

There is also a sense that you can step even further along this process - you have the logical understanding of the world and then the click of knowing, to the final stage of creating sometime new. Having original thought and being able to come to a new understanding that perhaps another has not fed you in any way. Something out of your own creative well. Not creativity in the sense of self expression but more in the sense of creating new concepts and thoughtforms to describe and explain the world out there or within.

There is balance and harmony of thought here. Taking a step into more mundane readings this card aslo might indicate a group working well together to create ideas and solutions that are more than a sum of the parts or people who come together. A braintank, brainstorm, to come to group solutions. I would also indicate work with computing, information delivery and data related things in all forms.

The underlying nature of the world can be expressed through geometry, numbers and mathematical concepts, this card can also represent the mathematical ways we express the world around us and on a mundane level this card could indicate a skill with figures and understanding of the science of the world in the usual sense. With science at its edges of exploration becoming as if a spiritual system, or coming as a way to talk of events known by spiritual students for many years, quantum physics, electromagnetics, kirlian photography etc, the boundaries between science and spiritual beliefs merges - I feel this card shows us how the two can be united.

Applications being taken currently for the September Thoth courses http://www.tarot-training.co.uk. Email or pm myself Emma or Semele if you are interested on emma@tarot-training.co.uk or semele@tarot-training.co.uk

The Princesses

2011-08-16T12:26:00.000+01:00

The Princesses
This month we are going to take a brief look at the princesses in the Thoth deck. These cards are rather special they represent not only people - young children or a youthful person, but also the energy of the card as part of yourself and in the Thoth also are connected with new opportunities. On the Qabbala they are associated with Malkuth, the 10th Node which is all about the physical manifestation of spirit in which ever realm you are dealing with (wands, cups, swords or disks).

They are associated with beginnings ... a new start. Things have been prepared for internally and can now become manifest. The Princess of Disks is in particular a very good card to represent building up something new in a perfected way. Being the princess (new beginnings) and being a disks card it really is a perfect manifestation in the physical world. The princess of cups is more the perfection of a new emotional beginning, full of trust love and self value. Whereas the Princess of swords is more about new ideas and ways of thinking about the world being expressed and shaking the status quo. The Princess of Wands shows a rebirth of the self with its focus on spiritual matters and that no longer are the old ways going to restrict and hold back progress of the spirit. She has been set free and is now about to follow her passion wherever that may lead.

Ace of Cups

2011-08-09T12:24:00.001+01:00

Ace of Cups
This months Thoth tip is centered around the Ace of cups. This card is very bright and shows a overflowing cup surrounded in many colours, blues and reds and spiritual whites. It is fed from the source by a brilliant white light. In many ways this is like our own deep souls, fed from the source and lighting the way in the darkness.

There are three interlocking circles in the center of the cup and these can be seen as ideas of the triple Goddess, the trinity, the upper triangle of the tree of life, Isis Osiris and Horus and other 'tri' aspects of the God head - The card itself being the highest potential of the emotional world and the top of the Tree of life - love connected to the highest source.

I have often seen this as a commitment to love in a relationship and the possibility of children from that union. The very beginning of things - the emotional desire for union with another. Love and new relationships are also very frequently shown through this card. It is primarily the connection with the source of all love though, our own high self esteem and unconditional love of oneself. When you find yourself in this place it is like nothing external can touch you as you know you have all you need for joy within you. One of my favourite cards and a good one to meditate upon when you are feeling low. It can also mark the start of an important love relationship where love is the foundation and that each person has love for themselves as the root of love for the other and so the relationship loses its needy feel.

Suggestions with this card, if it comes up for you:
Meditating on Love as an energy source to motivate all action.
Focusing on unconditional love of yourself, even just to acknowledge that this is possible even if you are in a place of feeling low can help you move towards it.
Copy the card with paint or other colour medium to bring its energy into your life
Imagine yourself sitting in the center of the cup and allow yourself to receive its healing energy from the course and rebuild you.

No Spread Positions

2011-08-02T09:54:00.003+01:00

No Spread Positions

One way of working with the cards is to just lay out a number of cards, somewhere between three and 9 is a good amount and then just to allow your intuition to guide the reading as to what is relating to what. lay the cards in a pattern and this can help you visually relate them together in messages. If for example you use 9 cards then setting them out so they are in three rows of three gives a way to look at them. Each row can be a separate message in a separate area of life, you can read the columns and also the diagonals and the one in the center can be the key that links all areas of life together.

You can read the rows and columns together as above, also you can read the whole set of cards in a much more 'random' or intuitive way. You do this by posing a question in your own mind - What is this relating to? for example, and then allow your eyes to be taken across the cards until a card and a specific image on the card catches your attention - read this image as the answer to the question, you might like to then follow it with a question of what came before it? and do the same thing. Then what needs to be done about it? What will the outcome be? etc until the reading feels complete. You can also ask a question of a totally different aspect of life, ok thanks for that information on work now what about the querants love life, and continue as before. It is good when you start to decide whether you are picking cards for the whole of the persons life and situation or whether you are asking for information limited to one area. If it is limited to one area then you would want to draw new cards for a different area. If you make it for the whole persons situation then there is not need to do this.

All of our lives intertwine and the themes of growth often run through all areas of our lives - sometimes one aspect we may have worked through the issue so it has the answers whereas in other areas the work is still in progress. For example if you are finding that the issue of saying no to people is coming up in the personal life of someone (or yourself) you may find that this issue is around in the family arena as well as the friendships, but perhaps at work it is not a problem, the cards representing this success at work can be used as guidance for the personal life. It can all fit together very well like this. Using your intuition to be your guide in this way.

Have a go with this approach - do it playfully and without preciousness and your intuition will open out to you more and more. If you would like to let me know how you get on.

5 Disks - Worry

2011-07-26T09:54:00.003+01:00

5 Disks - Worry
This card is all about the struggle on the physical level - 5's are about the struggle and strife to attain the perfection of the 6's - it is an inherent part of achievement - the work that goes into it and as this card is a disks card the level we are working on is the physical level.

The pentagram is shown reversed and the point that goes downwards usually is pointing to the sky and this is where the physical world has become more dominant than the spiritual. The card shows how we are putting material concerns about the spiritual concerns and so are out of balance. When the physical world is in service to the spiritual then things are in the right place and role and this card challenges us to do just that. To drop our worries about the material plane - work, finances, home, organisational issues etc and look to the spiritual perspective to help us through this period of time.

The darkened blue is the difficulty in communicating clearly and the yellow the struggle for self worth and self esteem to show through, though the yellow also feels as if it is making progress and certainly all is not lost at this point.

Each point of the pentagram is representing an element - earth, air, fire, water and spirit and each of these needs to be in balance and in its right place for creation to flow.

We see too the card is connected to Mercury in Taurus - This can be seen as the card having the positive attributes of the patience needed to thoroughly think things through and come to a practical and workable solution, but also with the 5 energy in the card that this practical approach is sometimes not enough alone and we have to reach up to our spiritual higher view of the situation to see more creative and self honouring possibilities to clear the worry of the situation.

Affirmations connected to this card are of the nature of....
I allow creative solutions to arise by being present in the now
I communicate openly and easily
I honour myself and my needs

Looking at a spread overall

2011-07-19T09:51:00.003+01:00

Looking at a spread overall
When you look at a spread overall, even a small one or just a few cards, notice the prominent colours, the prominent shapes and anything that links the cards together in this way - when you have seen the shapes or colours then allow your mind to free associate about what the colour or shape feels like - hot/cold, happy/sad, intense/clear, solid/flowing etc and use this over all image to get a feel for the subject matter of the reading and also the way this situation needs to be approached. When you have looked at it from this angle then you can start associating with the positions you have put the cards in - the prominent cards are in the past or future, or are they the whole event. etc. You can also free associate with this elements more physical practical things, what is coming into your mind.

As an example I have picked 4 cards, past Knight cups, present Hanged Man, future Prudence and key Knight Wands Immediately there is a colour connection with the past and present being very blue and the key and future being very red and orange. I see blue as a cool restful colour and this is indicating a period of rest, possibly with family (the knight) and possibly enforced on me (the Hanged Man) I am drawn to the greenyness of the blue in places in both cards and see this as being a loving thing to have done - to have rested and spent more time with the family. The key and future cards though are very different with the oranges and yellows. I associate passion with orange and yellow with self motivation and self love. The change seems huge - time to get going, I have rested enough, its ok to get going again, take some risks and generally move towards my goals, with the warning in the future that I need to still be aware of my limits and allow my self love (the green) to protect my newly flourishing dreams. If I look after myself then I will be able to maintain the development I have started. So with colour associating and the mere basics of meaning for each card then a clear way forward is seen.

When you first start doing this you might want to journal your thoughts each time them refer to them a few weeks or months later to see how your associations matched with your experiences etc. You may even want to extend your card of the day to 4 cards for the day which you briefly look at the associations you have only. Let your mind be free and catch the glimmers of images that go wandering through your mind when you do this, they are often more accurate than you could imagine.

Looking at the Darker Cards

2011-07-12T09:50:00.002+01:00

Looking at the Darker Cards

When people first come across the Thoth deck often their first impressions along with the glorious artwork is that some of the cards seem so harsh which dark images and heavy keywords such as failure, ruin, defeat, futility. Sometimes this leads people to fear reading with the deck as they are unsure about how to present these cards in a positive light for someone.

One way to access the healing power of these cards is to see the keywords as being fears... so fear of defeat, fear of failure, fear of ruin, fear of things being futile etc. This helps a person find their own responsibility in their lives rather than feeling that everything is out of their control and they have no way of stopping the difficulties.

We are all creating our own reality all the time, every thought, decision, and approach we take to things effects how things will turn out. Often too the things we fear most are the things we call into being as with thought creating reality it matters not whether it is a fear or a desire the emotional energy is there behind it to bring that event forward. Thankfully in these times there is a huge gap often between the time of thinking or feeling the thought and the manifestation of it. Consequently if we can become aware of our fears then we can also turn them around and help ourselves let go of the fear and so avoid it becoming manifest in external reality.

So if I get ruin - 10 swords in my reading - I fear that my world will collapse around me and all the good things I have achieved will be cast away in the storm. As I become conscious of this fear I recognise how I have the power to trust that all is for the good and make things turn around and that I need not create my fears. Focusing on the heart in the card I see that coming from love I can transform these negative thoughts. I can look back into my past and see how perhaps I am believing that things won't work out from a time in my past and that I can now let go of this and defuse the amount of emotional energy attached to this fearful thoughtform.

In doing this I have control on the situation - whether it be in concrete terms having lost a job, wanting to chose a new way of life, wanting to move house of whatever, defusing the fear leads to a more positive outcome. Picking further cards to see what this outcome might be can show the pathway forward - more fear cards suggesting that there is a number of layers of fear to work through before contacting the deep love and peace within. It shows us a pathway forward and where to focus our energies to create the life we want and how to denature the fears which ultimately will create learning situations for us to help us access that love within, if we don't manage to clear the fear at the outset. There are no mistakes only learning and the journey forward in our lives.

So when the heavier cards appear see them as hints from the universe as to where in yourself you need to look - what fears are around for you consciously or unconsciously and then come to awareness and let go of them to take the healing power of your situation.

Introduction

2008-01-26T10:32:00.003Z

I am going to be posting intuitive psychological and astrological thoughts about various cards from the Thoth deck here. I intend that the card drawn will have a message for those who read the blog in some way. So its for you... if you are interested in learning more about the Thoth, intuitively and from a psychological perspective then take a look at my website for online tarot training courses

So watch this space....

Love and blessings to you all