Romance Reading

Someone asked me to do a reading on what is blocking them from true love, and requested I use my Tarot of the Sweet Twilight.  So let's see what the cards have to say:

1. What do you need in a relationship?
2. What you will bring to a relationship?
3. What behaviors or beliefs are blocking you from what you want?
4. How can you transform those things to put you on the path to get what you want?
5. Outcome if you follow the advice of card 4.

1. The Empress III- You are all about the love and passion! The Empress is ruled by the planet Venus. You love romance and need to be courted and treated like the precious gift you are, even to be spoiled. But this can NEVER come at the price of your independence. I'd also say that your...eh-hem... shall we say... "earthly desires"... Oh hell, we're all adults here! You are NOT playing about your sex! LOL You are very sensual and adventurous and sex is a huge part of how you express your love for your partner. You also need to nurture and to be nurtured in return.  But I wonder if this can lead to problems by you finding men with mamma issues. Either they are mamma's boys or they don't have good relationships with their moms and expect you to fill that role. You are extremely protective of your partner and loyalty is of the utmost importance. Not just fidelity, but let's say someone was mistreating you or being unfair. Even if you were somehow wrong in the situation, your mate had better defend you tooth and nail in front of others, and be a little careful when mentioning the situation in private as well. You are very emotional and can be a bit moody, but your love is as rock solid as Mother Earth herself, and you need a rock solid commitment.

2. 4 of Wands- This is known as the marriage card. You are looking for the real deal and are looking for a partner who will be your rock, your refuge. Again, I feel that passion is a key component and you have plenty of it given the fire of a wand card, but you will bring a lot of stability, comfort and security with it. Your partner can come to you and talk and express their deepest, inner-most feelings or fears and know they have your total attention and concern. (This also may be where you need to watch for the mamma issues. You may want to take over and fix things, in stead of letting them handling their own problems and you just stand by and support them) You also have the ability to make them feel at ease just by your presence because you are very intuitive and aware of what is going on inside of them. You make your partner feel inspired and motivated to work at creating a good relationship because you are.

3. 9 of cups- You may not be getting what you want because you may have a few unrealistic expectations. This also shows that you may tend to be extremely emotional and get swept away with the fairy tales we were all sold about what love is/should be. I'd also say a bit more inner transformation with regard to self-love needs to take place.

4. 2 of swords- Find balance between your head and your heart. I feel like you get swept away with the passion and emotion and don't always see things for what the really are and that makes you either turn cold or lash out at the other person. But before you get involved, this card is telling me you need to take a good long look at what you really want so you can make better choices. Sometimes even if we don't know what it is we want, we know what we sure as hell don't want. Write those things down in two lists and then refer back to it to make sure the choices you make in partners is in sync with your choices on the list.
    Another thing it's saying is about communication. Start working on how you communicate with others you are close to now so that you'll have better skills with your partner.  I'm wondering if you clam up when you are upset and then when your emotions get to a point you can no longer hold them in, you come on like a hurricane and slice them to ribbons with the words you use. Make sure you get enough alone time to sort through the things in your head, but don't make your partner feel like an outcast when you do. Explaining that this is crucial to you feeling even and balanced and that it doesn't mean you don't love them or that you are rejecting them will go a long way.

5. Knave (page) of pentacles- You have the strong potential to set the ground work for a solid and stable relationship. I love to see pentacles in romance readings because of they symbolize growth and strength that is long term and steady, not fly-by-night. Being a page, this also addresses healthy communication skills. If follow the advice of the previous cards, you can end up feeling confident about the choices you make and get tangible results. For some reason I feel like your mate may not fit the "norm" of who you or others around you may expect or think you should be with. But as long as you both share the same values and goals, you'll have something that is healthy and has the potential to evolve and grow.

Emotional Transitions

I've been getting emails I signed up for from this very interesting sounding self-help lady, Lissa Rankin. She was an OB/GYN who had a very successful practice but she gave it up to pursue her true passions in life and decided her calling now was to help the rest of us learn to purse out dreams. (I'll add her link) This email was about  transitions in life. More often than not they are forced upon us; death of a loved one, loss of a job, moving. It can so often be so difficult and painful. Even if it's a marriage that you know you need to get out of, a job you know you should leave, a move you know you should make. I've been through all of the above and each time didn't want to let go, to go through the painful transition. Why the hell does it seem so much more appealing to stay with the devil you know than to try out the one you don't?? What if the one you don't know is an angel who's getting a bad rap? Lissa makes a very good analogy of the transition of birth. How the fetus is in the warm safe womb and has to leave and what an unpleasant and very scary experience that is. But once this transition is forced upon you, there is no turning back. You either keep going forward or you perish. She goes on to make another profound analogy with regard to the transition of death. For a nano second it almost made death sound appealing. Not all in a way that makes me want to rush the timing of mine along mind you!! But in a way that makes it seem not at all a bad thing when it has happened to my loved ones or when it will happen to me. So maybe.....just maybe....if I can see death as a really cool transition that I will have to make at some point not matter how scary it may be, then maybe I can see all the transitions I am making right now as a good thing, no matter how terrifying and and imposing they seem.

The three cards I drew today speak right to this. The 8 of Cups calls to me first. It's all about not wanting to leave a situation that has a very deep emotional hold on you even though you really should let it go. How perfect since I emailed a certain someone last night that I had told I was going to pull  away from yet who I am so drawn to, so deeply. The woman in the card is trying to  move forward but it's like that tree branch shows how this man is so deeply in her head. They both look so sad. He doesn't want to let her go, but he is because he knows he can not give her what she deserves. He has his hand on his heart. I think this is my answer for every time I wonder if her really does have feelings for me. It also shows how scared he is to give it to me. He has such a far away look in his eyes. He is remembering how I was there for him during his deployment in a way that many other Soldiers have told me was so amazingly loyal and loving that it was probably overwhelming and frightening for a him since he has never had anyone like that in his life, definitely not during his last deployment. That far away look also shows him thinking of all the  pain in his heart from his past and lack of belief that he can do anything to change his life and heal some one the damage of his past demons. Like that damn glass in his hand and the woman pouring out the contents in the glass she is holding. He, like most Soldiers, is an alcololic and I want to pour every last drop around in right down the drain. This is where I get into trouble and can't cut her hair in the picture that is the symbolic cord between us, but I so know I need to. Yet why does that feel like makes me yet another person abandoning him.
The 9 of Cups in this deck (like so many cards in it) is such a new spin on it. The woman is under the water. The 9ofC is about wish fulfillment and dreams coming true. As a Buddhist, the Japanese feel to the imagery is screaming a couple of very important things. We believe in the limitless potential of every human being, yet how we get so clouded in our minds due to fear and doubt. I always preach this to the afore mentioned man, yet clearly I need to remind myself of my own limitless potential. The other thing is that in order to do that I must chant more often than I have been. (We chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo) In the picture she is reaching up to that swan sitting in the light of the gorgeous full moon. The full moon is all about giving birth to whatever you have put your energy into, a time when life is at its fullest potential. I feel like her. Under all that water, just drowning in fear and doubt and insecurity. Only she is not drowning is she. She looks so afraid, but also tired. She is also reaching up to that swan, a wonderful symbol of transformation and self love and acceptance. The beautiful koi at the bottom is like he is cheering her on. My subconscious mind. I may have a long way to go, but i need to remember I can do this. Or, I can not....and drown in the sea of self-doubt.
The last card is Temperance XI. Patience---ugh. Not one of my finer virtues I must say in matters where it should be, yet I have an overabundance in matters where I shouldn't. It's funny that this card is ruled by the sign of Sagittarius, my Soldier's zodiac sign. The desert makes me thing of him in Iraq. This card has a lot to do with a relationship that you have a problem with (not necessarily a romatic one mind you). I feel like in spite of that, it is saying I need to put myself on a pedestal like this woman has and attend to the other aspect of this card. It is said that the angel on Temperance XIV is Raphael, the angel of healing.
The spread is now reading like a story from left to right. I've got to make the transition and get from under the sea of emotions that are holding me back from healing my own life. Maybe the best way I can help this man is to live my life, create my own happiness and lead by example. 

Today Was a Good Day

Ok, can't find a quite spot to do my reading LOL! But I can say for sure this is a wonderful reading lol! 8 of Wands, 3 of Wands, and 9 Cups. And the bottom card is the 10 of Cups. First thing that comes to mind is how the wands are coming up out of those dark storm clouds and into the bright sunshine and then you see in the next card how it looks like a the continuation of that scene. The Sag symbol says how lucky I am, and also that I  need to call Jacqui b/c it's been way too long since i have! For some reason the flags on the back of the ship on the 3ofW reminds me of the ones you see on a used car lot LOL. What the hell?? And the top balloon looks like an ice cream cone lol! And the 9ofC is the wish card. All that food makes me think about the fact that H (Helen) and I are going to lunch since the 10ofC in this deck is her animals and house in the picture.

When I look up the meaning of the elemental dignities I really am reminded of how powerful of a tool that can be to give readings more depth and understanding. The sites that Catherine (Tarot Elements.com)  and Doug (taroteon.com) have are so educational! I very strongly suggest if you are interested in expanding your tarot skills no matter how new or how experienced you are at tarot! (link to Catherine's site will be below this post) This is what they say of Fire/Fire/Water or Water/Fire/Fire 3 card spreads:

"These triads are moderately strong.

There’s a real desire and impetus to move forward and get things moving with this combination, but it’s really being dogged by an emotional tug, perhaps a conflict of interests; guilty feelings of putting work before love maybe? However, it’s still action over emotion.

Douglas: The central card will still have a slight influence over the client’s life. This triad brings images to mind of eagerness and enthusiasm for a project just begun but…, resistance to that project. As with most things, despite what we want to happen, things inevitably slow it down; whether that is the client’s inner emotional resistance, or the environments apathy. Overall, things move forward, but expect resistance."

This makes so much sense! (checking elemental dignities E.D. almost always  does) I do have to be mindful not to let my emotions of anger and sadness get the best of me given my current situation (water) and keep my ass in gear and moving, stay motivated and energetic (fire) NOT apathetic  about my life and the fact that this is really a whole new opportunity with a lot of possibilities!
------So not that I'm home and it os like 6 hrs later, I can see even more how the cards were talking to me. The 8ofW was because we were zipping all over today. Helen is a very zippy one lol. That card also means messages, letters, phone calls ect. often from a romantic interest. I got a really cool email from a certain someone how still makes my heart skip a beat and makes me very tingle-y in naughty places ;-D

 The 3ofW was to show how well we do get along,  I did have several moments were I truly felt so much gratitude for my life and the things I DO have. Like when I saw the man crossing a very busy street in his wheel chair. Or the homeless man on the Blvd. Or how generous H is!!! She got me the coolest, schnazy new slippers that are made like boots, furry, black and with silver sequins!! HA!! How freakin' cool are they!!!

And the 9ofC is to remind me of how my wishes actually have come true from all of this crap. I SO did NOT want to have to go back "home" and see my roomate's b/f!! We got along so well (or so I thought...) with the exception of him!!! I have been wishing to have pets, and now I live with 3 (2 of whom look like the ones on the 10ofC) and possibly 2 more yet to come LOL! I wished for a non-smoking house and always felt so guilty that my old roomate tried so hard not to smoke around me (the b/f so did not!) and H hates smoke as much as I do, so that is perfect!

I'm a very lucky girl and today was just as wonderful as these cards said it would be!