Name: Sue

Date of Birth: 4 April 19**

Star sign: Aries

About me: I’m emotionally driven by nature. Creative, introvert. Stubborn and selfish but also crazy generous at times. I can be excessive and extravagant. I avoid conflict and I’m passive-aggressive. I can be loving and warm but I can also be a cold bitch. Don’t cross me. I’m a perfectionist – I expect a lot from myself and others. Dry sense of humour and I can be very sarcastic. I’m a flirt and a tease. I love men – I get on far better with them than women. I tend to be self-centred and I love to have my ego boosted. I like my independence but sometimes I like being looked after. I prefer to be around strong people with positive energy as I’m easily affected by others’ moods and vibes. I’d say I’m a loyal person.

Question: none.

Layout: Thirteen’s Calendar Spread.

CARD ONE: January -

Four of Swords –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Recharging your batteries, the need for rest and relaxation.
  
• A truce, the need for renewal, a slow period, recuperation, recovery, repose.
• Relief from stress, inactivity, withdrawal.
• Meditation, introspection, peaceful surroundings.
• Getting away from it all.

Situation and Advice:

Feeling stressed out? A temporary truce is needed, now is the time to take a break and rest after a period of struggle. You need a period of rest to calm your mind and rejuvenate your body. Now is a time to relax, and regroup your forces. Obtaining distance from your daily routine will help put things back into perspective. Seclusion. You need seclusion to deal properly with your situation. Look inward for a real change. Meditate daily. You can!

This cardt is a card of solitude and the need to experience time apart from others to gather one’s thoughts and feelings. Following upon the painful image of the Three of Swords, the Four of Swords indicates our need to spend time alone to reevaluate our lives and situations. Solitude, although often difficult to bear, is necessary for us to be able to “recharge our batteries” and rejuvenate our spirits. Despite the fact that we often desire to get out into the world and interact with others to get our minds off our troubles, sometimes it is more beneficial to us to find a place apart and spend a little time by ourselves. This solitary experience always bears fruit in an experience of greater inner strength and confidence. If we are able to face ourselves directly and not run away from our difficulties we will ultimately become more alive and more aware of the good in our lives, and we will develop the inner strength necessary to cope more readily in the future.

The Swords cards all stand for trials of some kind, but the four suggests feelings of peace and stillness. Why is this card different? Because it represents the challenge to be quiet! Sometimes resting and doing nothing is the ultimate challenge. Activity can be a habit that is very difficult to break. There is always so much to do, and modern society beguiles us with its attractions and distractions. The result is we forget to stop and be still. In readings, the Four of Swords is often a sign that you need to slow down and get some rest. If you are recovering from an illness, allow yourself quiet time to heal. Even if you feel completely healthy, you are risking getting sick if you don’t take a break.

The Four of Swords also represents taking the time to think things over without hurry. It is important to step back and gain perspective. This is especially true when you are facing an ordeal or big event. You need quiet preparation time to gather your strength and center your energy. Sometimes the Four of Swords implies that you are or could be shifting focus from the external to the internal. When we are silent, we can more easily go within.  Stillness holds its own rewards, but they must be recognized and sought.

The Four of Swords indicates a time when you can relax. Some actions may be abandoned during your retreat from the situation. The retreat maybe necessary to regroup your resources and conserve your energy. Your work environment will be very unpleasant due to tension you can cut with a knife. You will want to help or make amends with your family, but are at the end of your rope. This could also indicate a death if other cards or categories support it.

This card represents the negotiating mind, the conflict/resolution mind, or the meditating mind. In any kind of negotiation, one must be open to staying in balance and non-positional. The truce-making process is a four fold process that’s experienced on all four levels of consciousness, mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. Truce is an opportunity to move through conflictual issues. In order for conflict resolution to be successful, there are four peaceful principles that come from native tradition which is referred to as the four-fold way. In order for truce to be truly experienced, one must show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and not be attached to the outcome. The results of this is renewal and regeneration. This usually means that in the next four weeks, or next four months, there will be an opportunity for truce making or conflict resolution or negotiation of important issues or with important people in your life.

Questions to ask yourself, while considering this card:

• Am I stressed out more than usual?
• How can I relieve some of the stress?
• Who am I in conflict with?
• How can we call a truce?
• Can I take on the challenge of rest, relaxation and silence?

People:

• Someone in need of a rest.

CARD TWO: February -

Three of Pentacles -

Keywords and Phrases:

• A job well done, beneficial use of talents, early stages of accomplishment, first rewards.
• Work involving status, a chance to earn big, superior ability, increased status, sincere effort, high standards.
• Expertise, doing the job the right way, success through skill, job satisfaction.
• Attention to detail, improvement in work conditions, advancement, recognitio, approval.
• Confidence, work done for others, making improvements to home or property. Possible change of residence.

Situation and Advice:

This card shows developments on the physical plane, you will be rewarded for doing a competent job, and for making use of your skills, knowledge and talents. Persistence – clear priorities and commitments – your mind, heart and spirit moving in the same direction. You love your work, you are well informed and you can make great progress now. You have great skill, ability and talent – use them. Recognition is possible – your efforts will finally be rewarded. You are aware of the harmony that can result when you use your best skills in cooperation with other capable partners. You have the ability to create and work out practical plans for any project – advancing step by step because you recognize and value the role of each person in any endeavor. You ground your vision in the practical world through physical effort.

Clarify your priorities and commitments – stick with the endeavors that you want to make stable, solid and tangible in your life. Support your creations with patience and tender loving care. Combine love with wisdom and hard work with play and with a proper nurturing attitude your creativity will pay off and you will reap the harvest. Hard work and dedication to your goal will result in mastery. Your best work combines both your spiritual understanding and your technical skills with energy and desire – it can raise you to higher levels. It should be rooted in the reality of the world and the needs of the community. Practical work, done consciously and with commitment can serve as a vehicle for self-development.

Questions to ask yourself at this time -

• How do you work with others?
• What are you working on?
• What is your goal?
• What skills are you using?
• Are you willing to persevere?
• How are you taking or expressing criticism of the work being done?

You may apply your stalents to improving your home, which would involve painting and redecorating. This is a good time to focus on the home. In terms of relationships, be aware that you’re probably not giving enough emotional involvemnent, and are placing too much emphasis on materialism, social considerations and family pressures.

People:

• Hard workers. Talented individuals.
• Perfectionists.

CARD THREE: March -

Wheel of Fortune -

Keywords and Phrases:

• A change for the better, good luck, advancement, opportunity, important developments.
• Rapid change, the upside of a cycle, fate, destiny, progress.
• New doors open, a fortunate turn of events,  a lucky break.
• The end of one phase, and the start of a new one, improving circumstances.
• Gambling, taking chances, lady luck.
• A new vehicle, everything changes.
• “You cannot step into the same river twice

Situation and Advice:

You are entering a new cycle involving a fortunate set of circumstances that promise beneficial change and continuing progress. Forces in motino stimulate change and growth. Rapid changes offer new opportunities to improve your life. A chance circumstance may bring about the end of past difficulties and open a new chapter in your life.  The finger of fate works in your favour.

Emotionally – your strongest feelings are where you will find your talents. Spiritually – to seek your fortune is to grow. Mentally you must “risk” misfortune to grow and physically you are rewarded as your talents manifest themselves. Look for new opportunities – change is exactly what you need. Examine new ideas carefully before you discard them. Exercise your strength and prepare to adapt to new and different circumstances. Treat everything as an opportunity. Do it with an optimistic mind, fearless heart and sense of service to the planet and this good karma brings success and rewards to all levels of life. First you get an idea, then you get fired up about doing it – you choose a suitable means to achieve it, you are required to go through the “blood, sweat and tears” of the process and finally – you see the results. Maintain a steady pace – things are not always as they “seem” on the surface.

Keep planting the seeds you wish to reap – they will develop in time. As your inner, mental images exteriorize – new situations and experiences must fit your existing “belief” structure. New ideas cause change and you can change or alter your experiences by changing and altering your beliefs. To prevent a “limiting” belief from creating reality – you must first become aware of it, so that you can change it according to the reality you want. To change a physical effect – you must change your original belief and as your beliefs change so will your experiences.

The Wheel represents the laws of Karma – the simple explanation of “fate”. The actions you take in this life, build up a certain destiny for you in the next and if you create a great many “negative” situations in one lifetime, you will create the “psychic” need for punishment, so you will choose a lesser or diseased body in your next reincarnation. It is only your limited understanding that prevents you from directly experiencing the truth behind this “fate” or karma.

Enlightenment is remembering – gaining the full knowledge to perceive that your life is only a “form” created by your desires. Release your desires and you are released from the Wheel. The pattern of your life can not become visible until you step away from it. Withdraw to see the whole pattern of where your life has gone and where it is going. Though your body dies – your soul continues. If you wish to release your true self, you will need to free your soul from your “ego” habits, fears and defenses. Facing your “imagined” terrors of the darkness will lead you into the light of truth. The Wheel signifies change in the circumstances of your life and change requires reaction. Accept new situations – adapt quickly to them and seek their true meaning and value.

Discovery of true faith/trust  and in self – acceptance. The mind begins to know the spiritual as the mind and heart cooperate and you begin to “pay attention”. You begin to realize that you must give equal time to your internal environment and its sensory input as well as the external environment and input from the five senses. A new level of energy and inspiration – a voluntary change. You only reach this point after you have served yourself well and are as strong and capable as you are willing. The will to take a chance, to spin the Wheel – you now realize there is such a thing as chance. Faith is not “suspense of doubt”, it is the quest itself. The wheel represents the ups and downs even in faith. The healthy act of “letting go” is actually an assertion of our will. A balance of give and take.

Questions to Answer:

• What life-changes are you experiencing?
• How are you adapting to these changes?
• What effects are you feeling from circumstances you put in motion previously?
• Is there something you need to resolve?
• How are your horizons expanding?

People:

• Gamblers, chance-takers, lucky people.
• Those who make their own luck.

CARD FOUR: April -

Eight of Swords –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Feeling trapped, an oppressive environment, blockage, forced restraint.
• A vicious circle, lack of self-assertion, fear of the unknown, inability to move, feeling boxed-in.
• Intellectual imprisonment, feeling caught in a vice, holding yourself back.
• Lacking confidence to proceed, a barrier, problems with communication.
• Anxiety, worry, self-induced unhappiness, emotional pain, self-censoring.
• Misunderstanding, indecision, fear of exercising your own power, reluctance to exert yourself, lack of faith in yourself.
  
• Negative feelings that hinder productivity. Saying ‘no’ makes you feel guilty.
  
• “I keep running into a brick wall”.
• “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t”

Situation and Advice:

This card represents fear, blockage, limitation and restriction that are often self-imposed. You may be acting as your own worst enemy because ofyour fear of the unknown and your reluctance to try something new or to assert yourself. You are stuck in a rut of your own making.

You ability to communicate may be temporarily impaired. You may be caught in a difficult situation from which there seems to be no escape. But there is. It is important to realise that the trappings and limitations are caused by your refusal to open your mind to the truth of the situation. You must face your fears before you can make an important decision. With courage you can overcome your anxieties and resolve the problems around you – if you can’t see things clearly, ask for advice, and heed wise counsel.

You feel you are being held back, but it is important to realise than you cannot be help back unless part of you wants that. The trick is to find a way to overcome that, and free yourself from the bonds of fear and doubt. When this card appears it is not to taunt you, or tell you something you already know, the reason for its manifestation is to show you that you can escape your situation, just as quickly as you put yourself into it. No matter how difficult your situation, the Eight of Swords shows there are always options and ways to escape. You may not think they are plausible, and you may not even know they are there, but they are. They are waiting to be put into practice.  Stop being angry, aggressive, hasty and excessive, this will only make your situation worse. Let go of these qualities and accept the mental clarity and peace that the Swords suit idealises.

With that new and perfect vision you should be able to see a way out of every problem you encounter.

Ask yourself:

• What am I afraid of right now? Why?
• Are these realistic fears?
• What would happen if I faced them?
• What is trapping me right now?
• How can move forward?
• What actions/behaviour is holding me back?

People:

• Someone who feels trapped, someone who feels confined by a relationship.
• Someone who is going in circles.

CARD FIVE: May –

Death -

Keywords and Phrases:

• Major transformation, necessary and profound change, liberation, the dawning of a new era.
• Leaving the past behind, the end of a cycle and the start of a new one, entering a new way of life.
• Death of the old self, empowerment, rebirth, renewal, sudden inevitable change.
• Transition, cleansing, purging, revitalisation, stripping away the worthless matter.
• Grieving the loss of a former lifestyle, inevitable endings.
• Spiritual regeneration, the shedding of outmoded attitudes.

Situation and Advice:

A major change is about to take place – transformation is imminent. A momentous alteration in your life structure is about to occur. A situtation is coming to an end, and a new era is born. Now is the time to rid yourself of attitudes toy have outgrown to pave the way for a new stage in your life. A loss is possible. All that is useless and outdated must be discarded. You must let go of old, unproductive ways. Only rarely does this card mean the death of someone you know (for instance, if you asked about someone’s health or asked about a sick friend/relative).

Humans naturally fear the unknown, and so Death is our greatest fear, since it is the greatest unknown. The majority of us are unaware that our mind and spirit die all the time, constantly shedding old beliefs and acquiring new ones. The Death card is not a card of death – it is a card of transformation. Nothing is destroyed, because nothing can be destroyed, there is only transformation.

The only reason the transformation shownn by Death is so catastrophic is because it is being held back, fought by those too afraid to realise that change is beneficial. Every change happens for a reason, and Death is a force, like the Justice card, in that it is absolutely fair – everyone is equal before the energy of this card.  So if there are big changes happenning in your life, it is only plausible that you are the reason for them. There’s no point in fighting death/transformation, it only makes things worse. Accept that change happens and let it do what it must.

When this card appears, big changes are heading your way, usually this change refers to something in your lifestyle; an old attitude or perspective that is no longer useful and you have to let go of it. This is a card of forced sacrifice- but this does not mean it is not for your own good. Sometimes you cannot see how your attitudes are hurting you, and when this is true the Death card is your wake-up call. Death is not simply destruction, it is destruction followed by renewal. Even though one doory may have closed, another is opening. Will you have the courage to step through?

If so, take a moment before you go forward, to look back. Is there anything you are carrying with you that is no longer necessary? Let it go, now, before you proceed.

Consider these questions:

• What attitudes/opinions/methods of yours are no longer productive?
• Are high expectations disappointing you?
• What transformation are you resisting?
• Why are you afraid of change?

People:

• Those undergoing life changes.
• Agents of change.

CARD SIX: June -

The Chariot –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Clear purpose, determination, being able to carry on, initiative, self-assertion, willpower, control, conquest.
• Success, dominion, centredness, inner peace, triumphant progress, single-mindedness, ambition.
• Mastery, courage, skill, energy to fight for a goal, great effort, achievement, the drive for success.
• A journey, news, winning, victory resulting from personal effort, recognition.
• Control over conflicting forces, inner struggle, conflict of interests, ability to stay on top.
• Steering a middle course, balancing conflicting emotions, charging ahead through struggle and conflict.
• Coming out on top, strength of will, going with the flow.
• Transportation, communications.
• “I am the master of my own fate”.

Situation and Advice:

The Chariot suggests a need to stay centred and take control of competing forces to carry on. You are capable of a calm sense of command, providing you steer a middle course between conflicting thoughts, feelings and wishes.  At the same time, you may feel unable to speed up the outcome, so the best course of action is to go with the flow of the forces you have set in motion.

You may be struggling to assert yourself, because you need to resolve a set of conflicting interests. You will be able to stay on course after making a firm resolution. Your strategy should be to move forward with a clear sense of determination and purpose. You will conquer your difficulties and emerge victorious. Your strength of will and purpose will enable you to come out on top.

This card also deals heavily with emotions – especially emotional control – the power of the mind to shape the desires of the heart and direct them to meaningful expression. This is not the card of control by suppression, but rather control by harnessing and directing emotions to be used to the greater good.

The triumph over both positive and negative emotions is shown by two horses of different colours pulling the Chariot. Though on their own they would run wild, going whichever direction they chose, here they move only forward. So they still have some power, but this power is directed by the man holding the reins. Balance is needed.Through controlling your emotions, you will eventually learn to contol yourself. Nothing is beyond you if you believe in your own power.

Ask yourself -

• What conflicting emotions am I experiencing?
• How are they pulling me in different directions?
• How can I focus them in one direction?
• What lessons do I need to learn here?

People:

• Victors.
• Those at peace with themselves.

CARD SEVEN: July -

Ace of Cups -

Keywords and Phrases:

• Stirrings of the heart, emotional renewal, an upsurge of new feelings, the power of imagination.
• Emotional and spiritual nourishment, love, happiness, friendship, kindness, peace, sensitivity, contemplation.
  
• The start of a creative enterprise, joy, ecstacy, abundance, the stirring of love.
  
• Tender feelings, falling in love all over again, compassion, social life.
• Partnership, a positive work relationship, health, romance, a loving union.
• Fertility, a gift.

Situation and Advice:

The Ace of Cups indicates a new beginning in your emotional life. If you’re already involved in a close relationship, this is the time for emotional renewal. You are about to be blessed with love and happiness. The beginning of things emotional and creative – the experience of joy, transcendent love and happiness. Your mind is filled with the spirit of love – you have the capacity to accurately express the internal feelings you experience. It is time for you to open your psychic, spiritual and unconscious channels. Be receptive to all the hopes and doubt that arise when you pursue any goal. Pay attention to the little details and you will be blessed with spiritual sensitivity and insight.

Your “emotional” acceptance is required before any project can develop and flourish. LOVE gives your life meaning – it represents your clear, open, trusting, spiritual heart. Sexual/emotional potential applying to relationships and to creative projects. May be a proposal of love or of marriage, or a new kind of commitment – the offering of oneself to another. The offering of oneself to the world through one’s talents and energies. Ecstasy is yours if you have the courage to completely live out the full range of all your emotions – do not censor or deny any feeling – they are all divine. Ecstasy is emotional intensity that comes from truly living and living is “feeling” – feel everything! Live life in all its passion and boredom, in all its pleasure and fear, in all its quiet satisfaction and raging anger, in all its ups and downs – be totally living and loving. Be emotionally honest – feel your deep spirituality and love completely. The ultimate and successful completion of emotional and/or creative matters to the highest standards.

Questions to Answer:

• What is making you feel good right now?
• What would you like to do to indulge yourself?
• What or who is offering you nurturing or love?
• What messages are you receiving from your dreams and visions? What does your heart feel most open to?
• How can you commit yourself to maintaining these feelings of love?

People:

• lovers, compassionate persons.

CARD EIGHT: August –

Ace of Swords -

Keywords and Phrases:

• A sense of power, strength in adversity, great force at your disposal.
• The power of intellect, freedom, determination, mental energy, courage, fresh ideas, the power of words.
• Something good emerging from the bad. Beginnings of success, right timing, inevitable change.
• Concentrated energy, overcoming obstacles, a focused mind, logic, order, discipline, balanced action.
• The power to think things through, hitting the mark, authority, will-power.
• Every cloud has a silver lining.
• Think before you act, mind over matter.

Situation and Advice:

This card appears at the start of an intellectual enterprise – probably a promising venture that has developed out of adversity – out of something bad, something good emerges.  Your capacity for logic, balance and order are needed.  In the right hands, the sword is a powerful weapon that can serve the needs of justice and authority. But the sword cuts both ways, and when in the posession of those who seek to use it for evil, its power becomes wholly negative.

Every Sword card in the Tarot bears the duality but the Ace is particularly susceptible to it. It is the beginning, the spark of potential that will influence all that lies ahead. The Sword by itself can never be positive or negative. The bearer of the sword determines whether he will wield it with clarity and truth of purpose, or with anger and agression.

The Ace of Swords shows the beginning of a situation whose potential is as double-edged as the blade of a sword. There is great power, even excessive power at times, in both love and hatred. The Ace implies the use of such power to further one’s ends, but what it does not imply is the manner in which those powers will be used, or the end that the means seek to achieve. No matter what the goal, there is always great power behind the attempts to reach it when these attempts are powered by the Ace of Swords. Very little can stand in the path of this energy without being destroyed.

Unlike the force of the Ace of Wands, a natural force, the force of this Ace can be invoked and wielded by anyone whose heart is strong. Note that, in many cases, strength and purity do not necessarily go hand in hand. Weapons are borne by the violent and unjust much more often than the righteous, and this is perhaps why the Swords suit as a whole is full of grief and crisis. But the Ace does not show either triumph or defeat; it has the potential for both lying within it. It is up to the bearer of the Sword to tap that great potential, and it is his actions that decide what will become of it.

As a primarily spiriutal card, the Ace of Swords often represents an insight or a breakthrough in the world of the spirit. Lucid understanding and mental reasoning reach their peak under the influence of this card, and achievement of goals suddenly becomes a lot easier. You can clear away the fog that has kept you from seeing the inner truth, and you can cut away all the bonds of the past that have held you back. The time to act is now, and if you set your mind to accomplishing your goals, you can achieve anything you desire. But be careful that you do not cut yourself with the sword’s two-edged blade.

Consider -

• Are your emotions a double-edged sword?
• Which side will you choose to use?
• What do you hope to accomplish?

People:

• Dominating persons, sharp-tongued individuals.

CARD NINE: September –

Queen of Swords –

Keywords and Phrases:

• A woman alone, head over heart, strong will, sharp wit.
• Ambition, analytical ability, aloofness, thought dominates feeling.
• Perceptiveness, keen insight, fair judgment, right decisions, communication, independence.
• Career-mindedness, diplomacy, standing up for yourself. Being alone.
• “I wasn’t born yesterday”.

Situation and Advice:

This is a card of ‘going it alone’ – now is the time to stand up for yourself and be clear about your wants and needs. Autonomy, aloofness and independence are key themes of this card. You have learned to be independent during a period of loneliness – now you are far more interested in career and ambitions than emotional matters. This card warns that your emphasis on cool, rational thought has strangled your emotional expression.

The Queen of Swords is another of those mysteriously ambiguous court cards in which the masculine and feminine are in conflict – she never shows her emotional side, but her judgment can sometimes be swayed by her heart, and because of these conflicts she is neither a good confidante nor  fair judge.

The Queen of Swords has been through many trials, many conflicts in her life. She has weathered them with strength and courage, standing steadfast in the face of misfortune and sorrow. She has lost loved ones and experienced pain; but instead of letting these experiences make her bitter, she has let them temper her and strengthen her resolve. She is realistic and pragmatic; she is a loyal friend and determined ally.

The Queen of Swords brings these attributes into your life either directly to you in your approach to life or in the shape of a relationship in your life with a person of Queen of Swords characteristics.

The Queen of Swords is portrayed amongst the swirling air that governs her suit. She has wings to lift her mind above her earthly problems. She bears a third eye of intuition, a sixth sense of wisdom. Butterflies symbolizing change after incubation fly around her. She has been through hard times and has become stronger, she is able to cut through illusions with clarity.

The Queen of Swords presents us with a feminine image who has discovered her strength and wisdom through the trials she has borne in her life. Experience and life learned through difficult, painful lessons have seasoned her expectations. This might have taught her to be pushy and extreme in getting people to see her point of view.

The Queen’s ability to perceive the truth despite the web of lies will prove useful here – tapping her power will help you see what us hidden. Her stoicism and her stiff upper lip are a sign that she considers painful experiences to be learning experiences, and perhaps you should too.   She learns a little from everything she does and everyone she meets, and everyone who talks with her goes away a little wiser, whether they realise it or not.

Ask youself:

• do you feel you’re being deceived by anyone/anything?
• Are you ignoring your intution when it’s trying to tell you something important?
• Are you letting your heart cloud your judgment?
• Who can you turn to for objective advice?

People:

• A distant, uninvolved parent.
• A woman who has known sorrow and now remains aloof.
• A female advisor.
• A strong-willed, ambitious yet cold woman.
• A career-minded woman who has little interest in developing her love-life.

CARD TEN: October -

Prince of Wands –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Change is in the air, creative energy.
• An important even related to an enterprise, new people, new ideas and experiences.
• Not wanting to settle down, an important visitor, perpetual motion.
• Quick decisions, swift action, haste, adventure, challenge.
• Love of fun, sense of humour, optimism, generosity, confidence, vision, perspective.
• Relocation, flight, movement, getting away.
• Sexual adventures.

Situation and Advice:

Change is in the air – a matter of considerable importance is emerging in your life. When this card enters your life it can be one of three things – a person around you, an event you will experience or a part of yourself you must bring to the surface.

Any vent that enters your life quickly and unexpectedly is ruled and predicted by the Prince of Wands. This energy moves with the speed of a raging fire pushed onward by the wind. The Prince often represents the coming or going of an important matter – and you can rest assured that these comings and goings will be swift. Sometimes he shows that an important person will be coming into your life, or leaving it. Such person, when shown by the Prince of Wands, shares his spontaneity and kinetic outlook on life. Though he may seem gruff and abrasive at first glance, underneath that armour he has a warm and generous heart. He will be highly supportive of those he considers close to him.

He typifies the ‘knight in shining armour’ stereotype – because he is always swooping into situations, saving the day and then moving on to the next adventure. This suddenness hides a deep sense of morality and honour – he is always ready to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But he cannot stay in one place too long, there is always more to do.

If the Prince of Wands shows an energy within yourself hat you have to bring to the surface, this shouldn’t be hard to do. In fact, keeping it in may be harder than letting it out, so don’t fight it. Your confidence levels will rise to the surface and you’ll feel ready to take on the world. Tackle any challenges that come your way, and be willing to help others who lack your determination and skills.

When the Knight of Wands shows up in your reading, it’s time to ask yourself these questions:

• How am I growing?
• How much energy am I putting into my own self-growth?
• Who is radiating creative or sexual energy in my life?
• How am I changing?
• What opportunities are entering my life right now that I feel passionate about?

People:

• Travelers, negotiators, movers, competitors.
• Those who enjoy being alive.
• A young man who acts quicky and decisively.
• A person who does not want to settle down.
• An exhilarating lover.
• Someone who is easily distracted.

CARD ELEVEN: November -

Four of Pentacles: (reversed) –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Unwarranted fear of poverty, problems with the budget, lack of financial security, carelessness.
• Trouble letting go, failure to delegate responsibility, inadequate payment for services rendered.
• Delays, obstacles, envy, suspicion, fear of failure.
• selfishness, money problems, an unbalanced budget.
• Lack of fulfillment.

Situation and Advice:

You may be having difficulty spending wisely, saving money or balancing your budget. Concerns about securit, financial and otherwise, preoccupy your mind. You may be holding tightly to something, when you should be letting go. An excessively defensive or timid attitude may be holding you back. Delays are possible.

Emotional excess – you have acted without giving yourself time to think. The energy has been released – allow yourself to experience the generosity and freedom as you begin to give your life some structure. Grasping material possessions to tightly only closes you off from personal development. Honor your inner and outer limits now. Once you have become completely centered and stable within yourself, having found the security “within” – you will no longer need to hold onto anything in the material world. You will recognize that when you are confronted with loss or obstacles, you need only establish new plans and have them ready. Opposition can delay future plans, so when a situation is unstable – put a halt to unnecessary spending.

New – Contentment of the moment may lead to an important oversight. Greed and other forms of physical insecurity not justified by circumstances – miserliness out of fear that you will not have enough for yourself. Refusal to use your money or resources – hanging on to them will eventually lead to ruin, just as a body not used – atrophies. Acquisitions in order to impress rather than for true personal appreciation. An undesirable turn on the physical path.

Questions to Answer:

• What is keeping you centered?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• How are you powerful?
• What gives you a sense of security?
• What do you want to hold on to or possess?
• Who or what do you need to protect?

People:

• Poor money managers, powerless individuals.
• Ultra-conservatives, those who worry too much about money.

CARD TWELVE: December -

Five of Swords: (reversed) -

Keywords and Phrases:

• (+) Being cleared of wrong-doing, treachery revealed.
• (-) Loss, manipulation, underhandedness, false pride, deception, unfairness.
• Suspicion, paranoia, an exclusive focus on winning.

Situation and Advice:

You are experiencing despair after things didn’t turn out quite the way you’d planned . See how your mind creates doubt and pessimism – look directly at your defeatist thinking. You defeat yourself with your own doubt and skepticism. It is time that you look at changing your own attitudes – let go of your pride and release this narrow view point – your own “ego” is inhibiting you. An old wound has been opened and you are experience fear associated with that memory – thoughts that history might repeat itself or that you could be hurt again. Your vision has been distorted by the past. Allow yourself to be sensitive to this deception in a personal situation – be receptive to the things that are causing you all these emotional problems. When you are involved in an unfair decision that is hard to correct – be patient with your emotions.

Too much or too little mental freedom leads to uncertainty. Too many or too few choices.Your mind looks at itself ineffectively and will tend to be too passive and lax or will be over enthusiastic and cause havoc. Criticism of self and others can be harsh and inaccurate. A sharp tongue. A sense of mental loss rather than gain. Anger, confusion, argument, covering things up, impulsive, impatient, hasty, nervous, stubborn, complacent. Inappropriate worry, sadness, depression, disappointment, guilt or shame.

As you focus on this card, ask yourself:

• Do you expect to get “stung” in this situation?
• What are you afraid of?
• Why don’t you feel good about what you are doing?
• What do you need in order to feel good?
• What would be the ethical thing to do?
• What is so important to you that you have to prove everyone else wrong?

People:

• Bullies, malicious enemies.

CARD THIRTEEN: your year in summary -

Two of Wands -

Keywords and Phrases:

• Off to a good start, a period of wating.
• The early stages of an enterprise, the need to wait and see how matters develop, not much actively happening.
  
• Completion of the first stage of a project, faith in the future, transition, sincere effort.
• Achievement, ambition, pride, ownership, partnership matters.
  
• Growth, preparation for success, foresight, headed in the right direction.
• Waiting for a reply.
• Where do I go from here?

Situation and Advice:

After the initial power of the Ace enters your life, that power must be shaped and directed towards the area in your life where it will be most useful. This is the energy of the Two of Wands, a card of applied power. A cohesive vision of the final destination starts to form, and though this first impression may be incorrect, that really does not matter at this time. There will be plenty of time to change your course later if you are not heading in the direction you want to be. What is important now is to get moving towards your goals, whatever those are.

This card deals a lot with the power of the Will to accomplish great things in the world. Without the initial vision there can be no final success, and without determination the goal can never be reached. The Two of Wands is a card that embodies that determination to go out into the world and succeed. It is much the same as the Magician’s power, so the color scheme of the Two of Wands often resembles the Magician’s. On the Rider-Waite version, the red and white flowers on the stone tile match the Magician’s robes. This is the energy of the Magician brought down to a more manageable level, a level at which you can direct its course.

When this card’s energy enters your life, you will find the ability to make your dreams into reality, to achieve your highest ambitions. Now is the time to understand how we create our own reality every second of our lives. It is also time to learn how we can use that to our advantage. Boldness and daring are unlimited when this energy is under your control, so go into the world and show your power to everyone. All of the Twos are associated with unions, and the Two of Wands can show that it is a good time for friendships, but beware of relationships where all the power lies in the hands of one person.

Personal power is another theme of this card. The Two of Wands is a reminder that we are always in control of our lives, and though we may be surprised by events from time to time, the reins remain in our hands waiting for us to use them. This is why it’s important to plan ahead, and know where you are headed before you set off on your journey. There is no place for uncertainty and hesitation, but fortunately, this card gives you the energy to rid yourself of those. You deserve to be the creator and the ruler of your life. Allow your inner power to show itself – you’ll be surprised by what you accomplish,

People:

• A partner, someone involved in negotiations.
• Someone waiting for an answer.

Name: Po

DOB: 11 August 19**

star sign: Leo

About me: I am an introvert, really shy at first, not that sociable, more of an observer. I read and write a lot, quite a nerd at school, intellectual, love sports and reading and writing, hate public speaking, hate fruits and spiders, hate being at a party where I don’t know people well. I hate people who try and judge you when they don’t know you well.

And the question: What I really want to know is, will I be in the UK forever or will we get to move? Otherwise if that is no good (plan B), I would love to know more about my work situation and if I will be in Science forever, or if I will get anywhere in my writing.

Layout/Spread: Pillars of Thought Spread. (The pillars are of contrasting energies, ideaologies, or for that matter, they can represent two topics.)

CARD 1 & 2: These are the base foundation, where things began, the structure upon which the current situation has been built.

1. The Emperor:

Keywords and Phrases:

• The world of grown-ups, masculine power and control, self-assertion, status.
• Dealing with autority, temporal force. A man of influence.
• The outer world, the structures of society, the order we impose on the world.
• The drive for achievement, success, respect and stability.
• The impulse to create something of lasting value.
• Regulation, dominion, rational thought, mind over matter.
• Security, ambition, strength, exuberance, fearlessness, firmness.
• Stability, leadership, wisdom, head over heart.
• Self-control, completion, achievement, recognition.
• Becoming your own person, material wealth, a job promotion.
• Establishing a project on a firm foundation, rational understanding, facing the music.

Situation and Advice:

This card suggests you have the ability to use rational thought and direct action to achieve success. You may receive a job promotion in recognition of your excellent organisational skills.  This card represents the power of the mind to shape the world. Such action does not take place at the command of will, but through the command of the written/spoken word. It indicates balance – male/female, mind/body.

The Emperor is the archetypal Father – wise in the ways of the world, knowledgeable of how to live as part of a structure, along with everyone else. He has a strong and powerful heart, as every father should, but he shows this side of him through the imposition of strict rules and guidelines, as most fathers do. He is protective and creates order from chaos and wishes nothing to disturb that order.

This card teaches many things – first of which being that every rule has an application and a reason for being. If we understand this, then his world may not seem so restrictive after all. This card also reminds us that power should not be corrupted. Rule your realm, with a firm hand, but remember to be just. Listen to the counsel of others, but remember that the final decision is always yours. Take what you have learned, and pass it on to the next generation. If you have power, take care that you use it wisely.

Examine and scrutinise everything around you – don’t be fooled by illusions and deceptions. Skepticism is not a bad thing, if it is used moderately. In areas of business, you are encouraged to consider all the facts, revisit your strategic plans, reconsider our partnerships & re-evaluate your allegiances. When you are unsure of circumstances, the Emperor reminds you that sometimes “doing” is the only substitute for “knowing.” Another tip – the Emperor is a master of his own making, and when he shows up in a reading, you would do well to realize our own inner strength and motivation is what makes you a leader.

When considering what this card means for you, ask yourself the following questions -

• Am I leading by example?
• Am I being inflexible? Too practical?
• Upon what resources am I calling in order to be the best master of my own destiny?
• What’s my strategy to accomplish these goals and are they realistic?

Above all else, the Emperor shows the benefits of structure and logic ruling over the emotions and lesser desires. Although domination of the mind over the heart is not always wanted, in some cases it is necessary, and sometimes welcomed. When hard choices must be made, it is important to maintain your concentration and focus, and this is something the energy of The Emperor allows you to do. When he manifests as a part of you, let that part of you shine through and take control – enjoy the assertiveness and confidence it brings. Forge ahead, and do what you know is right. If you can master yourself, you should have little problem mastering the world and all the things in it.

People:

• A father, a person of power or high position. An opponent, an important rival.
• Someone in power, an organiser, a mentor, a company you work for.
• Those who are direct and forceful.

2. Ten of Swords: (reversed) –

Keywords and Phrases:

• (+)The worst is over, a change for the better, improvement, the end of a cycle and a new beginning.
• Accepting help from others, light at the end of a tunnel. Every cloud has a silver lining.
• (-) Drastic change. Chronic drawn-out problems, recurrence of past difficulties. Disruption.

Situation and Advice:

Examine things from every angle and thoroughly pin down all the aspects of your situation. You are blocking reality, seeing only what you want to see. Fearing that everything is going to come tumbling down around you. Stretch yourself in your search for knowledge and with diligence you will develop wisdom.  A Karmic lesson has been completed and there will be steady improvement now. When you are suffering from the aftermath of deep personal hurt – you need spiritual guidance. Go deep within and seek “inner” counseling – allow yourself to experience the peace – let go and rest in the presence of your “inner” strength. You are never alone and you can trust in the assurance of their guidance and protection.

When considering what this card means for you, ask yourself the following guiding questions:

• In what way are you feeling paralyzed or unable to act?
• Where do you feel that you have no choice?
• What are you being forced to accept?
• What is being sacrificed?
• What problem can you now let go of?
• By totally accepting defeat, what are you now free to do?

Bear in mind that there is always such a thing as second chances, it is just up to you to decide whether or not you think it is something worth pursuing. Knowing when to cut your losses is a valuable lesson to have learnt.

People:

• Survivors, the long-suffering, those who have near-death experiences.

How these two cards relate to the layout:

The Emperor teaches that everything happens for a reason, that there is structure and logic to our World, and the events that occur in our lives. He reminds you that you are in control of your life, that the decisions are yours alone to make. He shows us that order can be created from chaos, and instructs that sometimes it is better to follow your head, than your heart. Build on the foundations of your past, examine the past, but don’t forget about the future.

The Ten of Swords, reversed brings drastic change. But the old saying that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ rings true here. The worst is over. Keep in mind The Emperor’s teachings that ‘everything happens for a reason’ and know when to ask for help, and when to walk away. Learn from your mistakes.

CARD 3 & 4: what was and now cannot be undone, where things are flowing from, how the energy is being channeled.

3. Prince of Swords –

Keywords and Phrases:

• An unexpected situation, an important event related to a matter of intellect.
• New people. new experiences, swift or impulsive action.
• Quick solutions, mental stimulation, leadership, ambition.
• Confidence, fearlessness, assertiveness, aggressiveness.
• Decisive action, persuasiveness, new ideas, force of intellect.
• Mental challenges, professional advice, analytical problem-solving.
• Restlessness, diversity, versatility, mercurial energy.
• Communication, strength, use of force, single-mindedness.
• Resoluteness, protection during difficult times.

Situation and Advice:

You may enter into a situation of frenzied conflict with excitement, only to have it pass quickly and chaotically out of your life. Expect to be active, and on the go. Swords often indicate a period of struggle or competition, in which you need to take swift and firm action to come out on top. A strong, assertive and gallant young man may come to your rescue. If you put your mind to it, you are capable of strong, steadfast commitment to a goal.

Now is a time to follow your head, rather than your heart. Be strong, make decisive choices, and be practical and clear in your thinking. Sound professional advice can spell the difference between success and failure. Swords have difficulties with emotions and do not bode well for romantic endeavours, unless you learn to communicate your emotions more effectively. This card also warns against rash and impulsive behaviour.

This card can manifest in your life in one of three ways – as an event, a person or a part of yourself. It is rare that it symbolises an event, but if it doesm the event is the sudden coming or going of a problem. Or the unexpected arrival or departure of a person. A person represented by this card will seem almost totally emotionless, it’s not that they don’t have emotions, it;s just that they supress them, and don’t see the value in having them. The heart is the centre of compassion, and also the centre of fear, and this person holds their heart firmly in control so as to be almost fearless and they never anticipate defeat. Since he never anticipates defeat and never shies from a challenge, he is the perfect person to help implement new ideas and life plans.

Dangerous as it may seem to assume the personality of the Prince of Swords, it is sometimes necessary to do so. Whenever you feel afraid or indecisive, call on this energy to give you confidence and clarity. His impartiality is also desirable when making tough choices, but do be careful not to act too hastily, or rashly, else the effort will be wasted.  His refusal to back down makes him a pillar of strength.

People:

• A champion, a leader, a strong decisive person.
• One who gets what he or she wants.
• Someone who is more at home with thoughts, than with feelings.

4.  Seven of Wands –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Holding firm, taking a stand, success in a competitive undertaking.
• Matters coming to a head, keeping your ground, maintaining your position.
• Having an advantage, feeling undaunted.
• Courage, strength in adversity, self-confidence, assertion, devotion.
• Challenge, confrontation, disputes, opposition.
• A career change, coping successfully, learning, teaching, writing.
• A sense of purpose.
• Against all odds.

Situation and Advice:

A situation of conflict is coming to a head, and you are able to view the matter from a superior vantage point. You may feel pressured as you enter this time of confrontation, challege and opposition. You will need much inner strength and courage to overcome the odds and face the competition. You have the upper hand, even if you don’t realise it.

Perhaps a prior achievement has placed you in a competitive situation, to achieve success you will have to take a firm stand, and defend your position. You will be able to hold your own in an argument. Your devotion to the cause will win the day. You have the strength and tenacity to face the competition that is entering your life or business ventures.

Do not give up the struggle. If you make the effort, you will achieve victory. The best strategy is to tackle one problem at a time. Your hard work and thoughtfulness will pay off. This is a time to be particularly observant. If your question is about career, you will be able to make a successful career move. You will enter a period of new learning. You will be asked to teach or write about what you know.

This card teaches you not only about the value of courage, but the value of fear in your every day life. Feal your fear, and use it to fuel your efforts. By facing your fears and turning them to your advantage, you grow even stronger and ready to face the next obstacle in your path. Indeed, there can be no courage without fear to inspire it. That fear does not need to be your master any more, if an opportunity calls you, cast away your doubt and go for it with courage in your hands. If you feel that now is the time to take steps towards your dream, throw hesitation out the window and let nothing stand in your way.

This card appears to remind you to stand up for yourself and for what you believe in. It is also important to re-evaluate where you stand, or you might end up fighting yourself.  It is also a good time to consider what is worth fighting for – this prevents you from wasting energy.

Though the odds may seem insurmountable, remember to hold your ground, and victory will be yours, eventually. Inner courage is a force far greater than physical strength.  Commit yourself to your goal and let nothing deter you from it. What may feel like frustration is actually progress. The true victory here will be attained by making a stand, not the result of that stand. Refuse to accept less than what is right, and in the end you will triumph.

People:

• Those who have the advantage, those who hold their ground in a struggle.
• Those who make things happen.

How these cards relate to the layout:

These two cards represent what was and now cannot be undone, where things are flowing from, how the energy is being channeled. Now is the time to follow your head not your heart, but to avoid impulsive decisions. Think things through, from an impartial perspective. Ask advice if you need it. If you decide to follow your dreams, be persistent and you will succeed. Success is your choice, it comes to those who make it happen. Do not back down in a situation of conflict or confrontation, but you must know exactly what it is you’re fighting for.

CARD 5 & 6: what is now and is becoming the past, what may or may not be out of the sphere of influence, where the energy is now but not always where it is headed.

5. Justice -

Keywords and Phrases:

• Being judged, a fair outcome.
• Harmony, equilibrium, restoration of balance, fairness.
• Prudent money management, strategy, accountability, integrity, examination of conscience.
• Carefully considered choices, clear vision, a sense of proportion, the power of intellect.
• Rationality, a just outcome, the right decision, clear-cut perspective.
• Contracts, binding agreements, powers that enforce justice.

Situation and Advice:

Justice appears when you must weigh many factors to make a reasoned and thoughful decision. This card reminds you to deliberate carefully and wisely before reaching any conclusions. It is a card of calm and balance. You would do well to examine your conscience and consider the other person’s point of view before making a moral choice. Issues of fairness are prominent. An impartial third party may assist you in ensuring that a fair outcome is reached. If someone has wronged you, you may receive an apology soon.

The Justice card’s prime message is that of accountability. Justice appears to us when we know we should do something and we’re not doing it.  Justice serves as a loud message from our conscience. Remember Jiminy Cricket in the cartoon Pinocchio? The Justice card is to a reading as Jiminy Cricket is to Pinocchio – a little (sometimes nagging) voice that lets us know we should do the right thing. Justice in a reading is a call to examine what we’ve done in the past, contemplate future actions – balance the equation – take responsibility and be sure in all matters we remain as even-minded as possible in our endeavors.

Keep in mind the Justice card is staight-forward and to the point. There is no hiding, no making excuses, no procrastination. Lady Justice cuts down all illusions and exposes the heart of the matter for what it is. The Justice card can help you take a look at your responsibilities and obligations and see that you’ve been falling short of the mark.

Ask yourself the following questions when considering this card:

• Is my life out of balance?
• What can I do to be more balanced?
• Am I being honest with myself?
• Am I taking healthy responsibility for my actions?
• Where do I place blame for my actions and my life’s circumstances?
• Have I been neglecting some of my obligations and commitments?
• Do I need to take some time to re-examine my life because I’m out of balance?
• Can I keep a proper equalibrium – do I have an even temper & even mind?

People:

• Judges, witnesses,authorities. Someone who must make a decision.
• Someone who apologises.

6. The Lovers –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Choice, union, sharing, trust, duality.
• Short trips, health, healing.
• A romantic meeting, sexuality.
• A partnership, a major choice, an important decision.
• A fork in the road, an ordeal, temptation.
• Being put to the test, reviewing an important relationship.
• Thoughts of love and marriage, choosing one of two divergent paths.
• The road less travelled.

Situation and Advice:

This card often appears when you are faced with a crucial life decision, and must choose which path to follow. It can herald a romantic adventure, often with a trial or choice involved. You may be preoccupied with the progress of an important relationship. This card warns you to consider all potential ramifications before making an important decision, before making a final commitment. Somehow, you will be put to the test before you can enter the next stage of development.

You are at a fork in the road, and need to choose which direction to proceed in. This card also reminds you that before you can be sure of love with another person, you need to love yourself.

When considering this card, ask yourself some important questions:

• How do I feel about trusting others?
• How do I feel about my relationships?
• Am I being honest about my relationships?
• Do I need to pay closer attention to my health?
• What relationships in my life do I need to re-examine?
• Am I always on my guard or can I allow myself to be vulnerable?
• What will it take for me to have a passionate, loving, trusting relationship?

People:

• Lovers, couples, someone on the horns of a dilemma.
• Good friends, business partners.

How these two cards relate to the layout:

Justice is all about balance, and weighing the variables. The Lovers is all about harmony, unity and duality. Justice reminds you to read the fine print, and The Lovers cautions you to consider the potential consequences of all your actions. Whatever decision you make needs to achieve balance in your life, in terms of career, family, love, self and spirit. So choose wisely, even if it means taking a completely new direction.

CARD 7 & 8:  what is the projected outcome at this time, can also represent what can be altered or what can not be altered, how the flow appears to be engaging.

7. Eight of Cups –

Keywords and Phrases:

• A change of heart, leaving, walking away.
• Breaking loose, going off into uncertainty.
• A turning point, feeling disenchanted with a situation.
• Leaving the past behind, turning your back on a difficult situation.
• Looking inward, searching for meaning, rejecting an outmoded lifestyle.
• Directing energies to a new interest, abandoning previous concerns.
• A job change, a relocation. A month’s time.

Situation and Advice:

You are leaving an unsatisfactory situation and moving on to something new, you have gradually become aware that your needs are not being met, and have had a change of heart. Now you want to break loose and try something different. Perhaps you are seeking to fill a void in your life, it may be time to sever old emotional ties and become your own person. Often this card indicates that matters will take one lunar cycle (one month) to work themselves out. Travel and a change of residence are strong possibilities.

This is a time to let go,  because old involvements will simply not work out – reflect on what you have learned, because you are maturing emotionally and it is time to pursue something more satisfying. You seek more meaning in your life. As you walk away from the past, the future awaits you. The old books say the Eight of Cups means assistance from a blonde woman – who knows?

You have emotionally over-extended yourself. Go deep within yourself now and regenerate your energy – search for a deeper meaning in life.Take time out for yourself and search for meaning – a purpose that is worthy of your total commitment and dedication. . Rest and you will regenerate as new ideas begin to germinate.

Your basic fortitude and hope for the future are strengths that other people depend on – some people are too needy, making you feel manipulated and used without a return of energy. Avoid this psychic drain and take time out to care for your own needs.  Prepare to leave this stable situation and journey into the unknown.

Your heart is opening wider, getting larger as you love expands beyond the immediate circle of mate, family and close friends into a more universal love. A blending of the masculine and feminine energy. Emotional efficiency creates and abundance of reliable interactivity – emotional stockpiling. The emotional foundation, the package itself is on the move. Two’s, lessons learned in accommodating both, that set the stage for the highest emotional lesson – love of self and love of others must balance as they move toward becoming one and the same. Extroversion and inclusion,

As you consider this card ask yourself:

• What do you feel weary of or dissatisfied with?
• What relationships or values are no longer relevant in your life?
• What or who is drawing on your energy and leaving you feeling emotionally drained?
• How can you withdraw or take time to renew yourself?

People:

• Seekers, someone who is departing.
• One who is leaving an unsatisfactory situation behind.
• A helpful blonde.

8.  Five of Swords: (reversed)

Keywords and Phrases:

• (+) Being cleared of wrong-doing, treachery revealed.
• (-) Loss, manipulation, underhandedness, false pride, deception, unfairness.
• Suspicion, paranoia, an exclusive focus on winning.

Situation and Advice:

You are experiencing despair after things didn’t turn out quite the way you’d planned . See how your mind creates doubt and pessimism – look directly at your defeatist thinking. You defeat yourself with your own doubt and skepticism. It is time that you look at changing your own attitudes – let go of your pride and release this narrow view point – your own “ego” is inhibiting you. An old wound has been opened and you are experience fear associated with that memory – thoughts that history might repeat itself or that you could be hurt again. Your vision has been distorted by the past. Allow yourself to be sensitive to this deception in a personal situation – be receptive to the things that are causing you all these emotional problems. When you are involved in an unfair decision that is hard to correct – be patient with your emotions.

Too much or too little mental freedom leads to uncertainty. Too many or too few choices.Your mind looks at itself ineffectively and will tend to be too passive and lax or will be over enthusiastic and cause havoc. Criticism of self and others can be harsh and inaccurate. A sharp tongue. A sense of mental loss rather than gain. Anger, confusion, argument, covering things up, impulsive, impatient, hasty, nervous, stubborn, complacent. Inappropriate worry, sadness, depression, disappointment, guilt or shame.

As you focus on this card, ask yourself:

• Do you expect to get “stung” in this situation?
• What are you afraid of?
• Why don’t you feel good about what you are doing?
• What do you need in order to feel good?
• What would be the ethical thing to do?
• What is so important to you that you have to prove everyone else wrong?

People:

• Bullies, malicious enemies.

How these two cards relate to the layout:

You are letting go of an unsatisfactory situation, and looking to the future, making changes, and severing ties. Focusing on new goals and targets. Be careful that your focus isn’t entirely on winning, this will only sabotage your efforts. Be wary of being too suspicious or paranoid, this could also sabotage you. Don’t be your own worst enemy.

CARD 9 & 10: what energy is above all, what is the final destination, what can be predicted to come true at this time, how things are forming to conclusion.

9. Nine of Pentacles –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Relying on yourself, being self-sufficient.
• Attainment, gain, desire for financial security.
• Material comfort, leisure time, cultivation, self-worth.
• Refinement, well-deserved success.
• Mastery of one’s resources, material benefits.
• The ability to be alone, but feeling lonely.

Situation and Advice:

This card depicts a woman, in solitude, enjoying the finer things in life. She is reaping the benefits of having used her talents and resources wisely. She is alone, and at peace with her surroundings, she is in control of her thinking and of her destiny. She has a sense of self-worth and is completely capable of managing her own affairs. But a feeling of incompleteness surfaces at this time.

But the capacity to be alone is one of the most important milestones in emotional maturity. You will not feel secure in a relationship, until you have attained that milestone. It goes hand-in-hand with the ability to love yourself before you can expect others to. You will experience mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and financial profit if you choose to follow what has heart and meaning to you. Organize your life and the rewards will follow, which comes as a result of unifying your wisdom with your love in a creative way which facilitates tangible gain in all areas of your life.

Recognize that you feel incomplete only because you are still seeking goals, a purpose – “inner” satisfaction. Continue to seek what you have not found and you will succeed. Complete the “work” of your self-development – have confidence in your self-discipline and patience. You will succeed in “creating” yourself out of the material given you by the circumstances and conditions of your life – the ability to KNOW when others only guess.

Follow your goal to the end and do not allow impatience to get in the way. Materialize, manifest and realize your dreams. Harvest the fruits of your labors and prepare to plant again. Certainty is the mark of a truly evolved person and to achieve this you have been required to give up normal companionship in order to achieve self-reliance, producing a certain loneliness in the pursuit of your goals. You have had to give up spontaneity, recklessness and wandering. If the sacrifice “appears” too great – perhaps you do not value enough the rewards of your self- development. True discipline never cripples – it allows one to soar.

Questions to consider here:

• What are you earning by your endeavors – material wealth, security, status?
• How are you enjoying what you have earned?
• How are you spending your leisure time?
• How do you give thanks for all that you’ve gained?

People:

• A self-sufficient person, someone concerned about the environment,  a person of grace, beauty, talent and skill.

10. Queen of Cups –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Deep feeling, nurturing, queen of emotions, sensitivity.
• Otherworldliness, intuition, perception, a choice based on sincere feelings.
• Imagination, dreams, kindness, empathy, the sixth sense, sympathy, affection.
• Introspection, creativity, mystery, prophecy, counselling.
• Love of music and art, generous.
• The stirrings of the heart.

Situation and Advice:

This card suggests an opportunity to turn inward to examine your feelings about a matter – your hunches and intuition are reliable guides. Pay special attention to dreams and psychic perceptions. A loving friend may come to your assistance, or you may have the opportunity to show someone how much you care. Your mother, or mother substitute may play a significant rold in the near future.

No intuition is more powerful than that of the Queen of Cups, she is often like a mirror, reflecting the hidden depths of others back to them, so they can see their own mysteries for themselves. However, her cup is closed, and her own secrets remain invisible to all, even to herself sometimes. Such is the paradox and fluidity of the Water element. Hardly ever manifesting as an event, the Queen of Cups is almost always found either in people near you, or in yourself.

A Queen of Cups in the real world feels right at home in the realms of the subconscious. If she is not psychic, she will posess extraordinary insight into the behaviour and motivations of others. As such, she is often a gifted counsellor and healer, ready to provide a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold whenever they are needed. She is beautiful by almost all standards, because her beauty is the purity of her spirit, and such magnificence has a universally recognizable allure. Even when not physically attractive, she still attracts others to her.

It is from this that the Queen’s more negative qualities arise. She often loses herself in her fantasies and daydreams, and though completely confident in her instincts, more often than not she is totally unable to apply these instincts to anything in the real world. At music, poetry, mothering and artistry, no one can compete with her – in everything else she is mediocre, at best. Spending as long as she does in the spiritual world tends to make her quite uncomfortable when she has to leave it. She places much importance on relationships because she sees herself as unable to stand alone.

A Queen of Cups lies within each of us, and in some it is closer to the surface than in others. When she appears in reference to an aspect of your own personality, the Queen of Cups should be taken as a suggestion to think carefully about how you use the vast stores of spiritual wisdom you have access to all the time. She can be a sign that you should use you intuition to guide you – or she can be a warning that you are thinking too much with your heart and not with your head. This can cause your dreams to grow out of control… and out of reach. Like all of the Cups court cards, the Queen encourages a moderate approach to intuition and wisdom. The heart may see farther, but sometimes you will have to look at things with your eyes.

Ask yourself, when considering this card -

• Am I spending too much time dreaming about something, and not enough working to achieve it?
• Is my intuition telling me something important?
• Am I ignoring my intuition?
• What are my creative outlets?

People:

• One’s mother. One who feels deeply, one who understands her feelings.
• An artistic, emotional, imaginative woman.
• Someone who is too easily influenced.

How these two cards relate to the layout:

Once you have achieved what you sough to, you will still feel incomplete. Once you have completed your self-development, and have recognised the value of being alone, you can then be assured of moving on to the next stage. Of finding a suitable companion. Remember that sacrifices made now, will be rewarded later. The Queen of Pentacles reminds you (as do many of the other cards in this layout) not to think with your heart, but with your head. Temper this with reliance on intuition, and you will not be able to go far wrong.

Date of Birth: 26 June 19**
Starsign: Cancer
Born in Zimbabwe

Traits - Procrastinate a lot. Want to always prove I’m right. A softie, I cry a lot. Love taking photos. Hate being bored, have to learn new things all the time. Need to know that I’m adding value to company or people’s lives etc.

Question - should I leave stockbroking now, or stick around until we maybe leave the country? I have another option on the table, plus the photography thing on my plate.

Layout: 3 Card Spread for Clarity.

CARD ONE: What is the real issue? This is cutting through all the ‘well it could be this or that’, this card represents the real issue to look at.

The World -

Keywords and Phrases:

• Reaching a natural conclusion, the end, fulfillment, attainment, culmination.
• Harmony, well-being, the end of a phase and the start of something new.
• A journey’s end, reaching your goal, achieving a prize.
• Completeness, wholeness, unity, a job well done.
• Completion of a cycle, success, liberation, an ideal state of being.
• cosmic flow, the promised land. expanded horizons, the end of the rainbow.
• A pleasant surprise, the best possible outcome.
• Travel, a journey, change of job or residence.
• Readiness to start again. It’s time to call it a day.

Situation and Advice:

You have reached the final stage in your striving to reach a goal. All is well and success is at hand. Everything is progressing smoothly according to plan. You will receive what is rightfully yours. You feel whole and complete and you will reach the promised land. After this period of completion, you will begin a new life cycle and will need to cope with fresh experiences. Prepare to start something new. Travel over long distances is a possibility now.

This card shows you that you have achieved all that you can, in the situation you are in. It’s time to set new goals and desires. It is time, once again, to step into the unknown. The World is yours for the taking.

People:

• Winners, achievers, world travellers.
• Those who have reached their goals.

How this card relates to the layout:

The real issue is that you have completed a cycle in your life. The World is yours for the taking, but in order to do so, you have to step into the unknown, begin something new, learn something new. In order to hold the World in your hands, you need to give of yourself first.

CARD TWO: What do you need to do? This is the action/ direction of energy card, usually quite practical or at least giving a focus.

Nine of Cups: (reversed) –

Keywords and Phrases:

• Unrealistic desires, too much of a good thing, hedonism.
• Complacency, vanity, self-congratulation.
• Superficial values, deprivation, unable to be compassionate and empathise with others.

Situation and Advice:

The nine of cups is a card of satisfaction and wishes. Now, when it is reversed, it suggests that you may be disappointed that your wishes are not materialising. Perhaps there are a lot of desires that you have and hope for from this life, but there is some frustration because these aren’t being fulfilled. Your wishes may not be materialising due to some inactivity. You need to get up off that seat and get those dreams you really want.

In the reversed position, the Nine of Cups can point to disappointments due to imperfections and mistakes, smugness, overindulgence, greed, superficial or materialistic values, shallowness, gluttony, and excessive preoccupation with gratifying your own desires, often times at the expense of the needs of others.

It can also point to a wish that is not yet fulfilled, perhaps because it is desired too intensely or you are sabotaging your own efforts. Sometimes this card shows up reversed when you are going through a depression or lack of self-worth. Material success, assured future. Physical well being. A love of sensual pleasure. You will get wish, with some effort on your part. Satisfaction with life. Things will eventually go your way if you really try.

Greater awareness – the rejection of “surface” values. Never allow yourself to think that this is all there is! Remain loyal to your purpose, to yourself and to others. Having completed your work, prepare your mind to move on. You have the ability to integrate and balance your feelings in deep and expansive ways for your own emotional happiness and well- being and that of others and this will bring about victory and liberation.

You may be overdoing it emotionally. The emotions may have become ends in themselves, goaded on by the ego. Everything exaggerated for effect. Sensitivity to a fault; your feeling everything – pain is everywhere. You could be thriving on the pain itself, rather than recognizing pain as the initial part of the positive lesson to be learned. A person stuck here may never get beyond the pain – a nasty form of addiction.

Questions to Answer: How have your wishes been fulfilled? What pleasures are being experienced? What do you feel smug about? What do you want to manifest in your life? Can you visualize it in detail?

People:

• Smug people. Hedonists. Sensualists.

How this card relates to the layout:

Complacency will prevent you from reaching your goals. You must constantly challenge yourself, and constantly seek to improve yourself, and your skills. Allowing yourself to become stagnant, or over-indulgent of certain aspects of your life can become harmful.

You need to set goals that help you achieve both materialistic and spiritual fulfilment. Goals are about more than making money. Resist this temptation, reject these superficial values, in order to achieve balance.Don’t spend too much time focusing on what ‘might be’, focus on what is. Learn to love the reality of your life, not the potential.

CARD THREE: Where will all this lead you ? This is to give you a sense of purpose and reason, as well as to point you in the right direction further from your immediate feelings.

Three of Swords: (reversed) –

Keywords and Phrases:

• The pain is ending. The worst is over.
• It is always darkest before the dawn.
• Things can only get better, discard outmoded beliefs and attitudes.
• Revelations which part the clouds of ignorance and self-delusion. Thinking unemotionally. Clear judgments and sound advice. Being one’s own counsel.
• Attention to details. Order and organization. New approaches to old problems.
• Decisions made with firmness and conviction. Honesty. A certain mind.
• A period of testing and teaching.
• The objects of thoughts, choices and decisions.

Situation and Advice:

Learn to be receptive to circumstances which are not constructive learning situations and consciously make the choice to remove yourself from any situation which produces sorrow or negative vibrations. Become aware of your natural “inner” sources of creativity and release any dependency on others for your ideas. Concentrate your efforts on organization – see the past as a whole picture. Stop limiting your viewpoint by focusing only on the smaller aspects which created the sorrow and heartache – this only causes confusion.

Be the peacemaker – never be afraid to say you are sorry. Always think before you speak so that you will not feel sorry after it’s too late. When something “appears” so painful that you find yourself trying to push it away – trying not to think about it and avoiding any reminders of it – realize that this attitude only keeps the pain within you and actually increases its hold on you. Learn to accept your situation so that the healing process will not become blocked. Allow yourself to experience the pain – give yourself the right to grieve and release the heartache. Let it go – then, once the upset, pain and tears have gone – open the door to new experience. Your aching heart will need someone.

Some difficulty exists in integrating lower emotions into requirements of mind. Mind may not be integrating/using heart energy properly. Difficulty with self-expression or expressing too much.  On one extreme, anger/loss of control – on the other extreme, placid to a fault. Misunderstanding and misuse of mind in relation to heart.

Questions to Answer: In what ways are you suffering? Feeling jealous or hurt? Has anyone hurt your feelings? What are you feeling sorrowful about? Who would you like to hurt or “get back at”? Can you look at your relationships with truth and honesty? What do you fear most within your relationships?

How this card relates to the layout:

Before making changes in your job/residence you need to examine your relationships. Resolve any past misunderstandings or lingering ambivalent feelings. Sort out how you feel about each person in your life, and if there are people who only bring negativity, it is time to banish them from your life. If a situation makes you feel uncomfortable, avoid it. Learn to apologise. You can apologise, even if you’re right – learn to keep the peace.

Learn to look at your life as a whole – stop looking at it through the lens of a camera, it does not allow you to see it all. At this point in time, while you are making decisions, you need to step back, get some objectivity, look at everything in it’s entirety. Viewing things in isolation will lead you to making a slanted, biased decision. Right now, you need clarity and true perspective. Stop keeping things bottled up inside, learn to share your emotions.

Motto: In mundo privato. (in a private world)

Ruled by: Uranus

Element: Air

Key words: Everyone

Number: 0

Corresponding Cards: none

Imagery:

Four concentric circles range from lightest (by the Fool’s feet and over the mountain range) to darkest (by the bells on his cap). The 4^th circle contains the sun – making the total sum of circles five. The sun represents the super-conscious. The sum is surrounded by bright stars in a dark sky.

There are five circles, five birds, five crystal shards, a flower with five petals and five mountain peaks – the number 5 is associated with challenges and disruptions – crisis and adjustment. Adaptation, disruption, challenge, freedom, breaking out of a rut, variety. In Astrology, the 5^th Harmonic relates to the search for order and form, to bring order out of chaos. The number is also associated with the 5 senses.

The number of the card – 0 – stands for nothingness and potentiality, immortality and the continuous circle of life: birth, death and rebirth.

The Fool is poised to leap over the edge of a cliff, his feet do not touch the Earth, and he is depicted as dancing. He is taking a chance, beginning a journey.

A white dog leaps at his feet – could be barking playfully or growling in warning at the potential danger. Dog represents the animal nature of the Fool, and refers also to the five senses. White is the colour of purity, illumination, daylight, joy, happiness, life, truth, enlightenment. Use your five senses to achieve enlightenment

He is moving to the left, the unconscious side, he is abandoning his ego-self ad entering the archetypal realm.

His clothing is multi-coloured, and symbolic of spring – which is associated with rebirth and transformation.

The mountain range in the background – snow is indicative of frozen mental attitudes.

The river symbolizes progression, and a journey that must be undertaken from start (the source of the river) to end (the ocean). The river flows out of the picture on the card, showing that the journey the Fool undertakes continues in proceeding cards.

Dominant colours:

Blue – skies, oceans, rivers. Spirit. The unconscious. Idealism. Intuition.

Gold – sun, illumination, truth, the divine.

Red – life, strength, courage, vitality, wine. (in vino veritas)

Interpretation:

UPRIGHT:

Keywords and Phrases:

The beginning of a journey, a leap into the unknown. Innocence. Spontaneity. Potential. A fresh start. A new chance, a novel experience and a new way of perceiving the world. An opportunity. The start of an adventure.

An important decision. A surprising solution. Significant and unexpected circumstances. Time for change. An open mind. An unexpected influence

Originality, optimism, childlike wonder. Purity of action.

Freedom from bias. A new phase of life. Excitement about discovery. Surprise.

Being born again. Trusting with faith. Freedom from inhibition. Trust in a higher power.

Leaving the past behind to start something new.

Homosexuality. Bisexuality. Zero is the number of pure potential. All things are possible. ‘To boldly go where no man has gone before’

Situation and Advice:

When the time comes, as it always does, when the old rules, conceptual structures, prejudices and beliefs are no longer adequate to the challenge at hand, then the Fool is needed. He lives in a private world, and so is not bound by the shared conventions, preconceptions or norms of society.

It is through chance that transformation will occur. Many lessons must be learnt, and trials undertaken before the Fool emerges rejuvenated and reborn as The World, in Card 22 . On a personal level, there are times when customary thought patterns have outlived their usefulness, then it is time for the Divine Madness of the Fool – there are no rules for this, for it is the rules that are under attack.

The only escape is the blind leap over the cliff, we may hope for the best, but there are no guarantees. By taking this leap, you take a conscious step towards the irrational – the Fool represents an intentional source of chaotic, irrational, random action intended to break rules and conventions. He allows you to escape from your self-imposed bounds.

Because he is bound by no rules, he is truly the Beginning – the Uncaused Cause. Such a break from the conventional is necessary for psychological health. We must honour ‘the bad’ in order to make ‘the good’ possible.

Without the notion of Zero, our system of mathematics becomes meaningless. Similarly, the Fool is an essential part of the Tarot, because he is the spark that sets everything in motion, the divine breath that gives life and inspires the first step towards completion and fulfillment. The Fool is the cause behind all effects, the power behind all manifestations and the seeds of the end sown in every beginning.

The Fool is unmoulded potential, pure and innocent, neither positive nor negative, yet containing the possibility of both. He is the unconditioned soul about to come into manifestation for the first time to start learning the lessons of the world. His approach to life is strange and unconventional, because he does what is comfortable to him – the only approval he requires is his own. He has total faith in himself, and disregards the shock of others, who feel the need to follow the traditional way of thinking that asserts ‘we do it this way because it has always been done that way, even though we may not know or understand why.’

The Fool does not hide himself from the light, because he is the Light – innocence and perfect trust, fearlessness and self-reliance of children. The Fool stands for new beginnings, the first steps along a new path, the first words written onto a blank page. Such beginnings have the potential for either negativity or positivity, depending on the choices made and path followed. But this should not be your concern, because when a journey begins, no one can know, or should know, what will happen on the way to the destination.

Never let another person control your life. Live in the present and trust in your own abilities – that is the way of the Fool. This new beginning might go anywhere, and you may need to go with the flow. A new relationship might be about to start, or an unconventional person may enter your life. The people you meet now might be participants in a new cycle of personal or professional growth.

Take risks with childlike optimism, with any new experience there is always the risk of failure and the certainty of change – it is the degree of change and how that change will appear that is always uncertain. But the Fool has no qualms about taking changes, so you should not either.

On occasion the Fool will signify embarking on an actual journey. Especially when other travel cards appear upright in a spread – such as the Chariot, the Wheel of Fortune, the World, Six of Swords, Eight of Wands, or Prince of Wands.

People:

A newborn. A child. Those starting anew. Mystics. Dreamers. Innocents, adventurers, visionaries. Wanderers. Innocent or inexperienced people. Eccentric, independent and unconventional people. Bisexual or homosexual people. Someone about to make an important decision or begin a journey. Those who mark the beginning of a new phase in your life.

REVERSED:

Keywords and Phrases:

Foolishness, fear of the unknown. Impulsiveness, poor judgment. Risk. jadedness. Inexperience, gullibility, unfounded optimism. Lack of foresight, unexpected problems, idleness, thoughtlessness. Lack of follow-through. Wasting energy. unwarranted orthodoxy and conformity. Lack of perspective. Head in the clouds. An obsession. Throwing caution to the wind. Playing with fire.

Situation and Advice:

When reversed, the Fool warns against taking risks unless you carefully consider the situation. You may feel you are standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall off. You may be foolishly obsessed with your own point of view. Your current situation causes you to fear the unknown or what the future may bring.

Avoid excessive optimism and closing your eyes to the risk entailed in a venture – an impulsive decision or unwise gamble will work to your disadvantage.

Unexpected problems may arise. You may be in a precarious situation caused by your own, or someone else’s idiocy and recklessness. Your judgment may be deficient or you might not be receiving sound advice. You must strive to keep matters in proper perspective. Someone around you may be making foolish decisions. You yourself might not be using sufficiently prudent foresight to ensure genuine happiness.

Someone may not be as committed or as loyal as you think they are. You or your partner may be fickle and indecisive about the relationship. Remember that infatuation is not the same as love.

People:

Gamblers. The foolhardy. The uncommitted. The reckless.

“A little bit about me…hmmm…where do I start…I’m a complicated but simple person…logic tends to get the better of me once I’ve gotten over any conclusions I’ve jumped to, which is generally all the time. I’m a very happy person & love life, I think that this is one of the first characteristics people would notice about me…I tend to smile & laugh a lot! I am a social being with lots of different friends but also keep a close few friends who I can rely on for anything & talk to about everything. I’m impulsive, assertive & very bossy, as well as creative & opinionated. I tend to be domineering quite a bit of the time, have a very strong personality & try to remain independent. I am very family-orientated & rely on my folks & sister for their sound advice & loving, warm personalities although sometimes I think that I’m too influenced by them…sometimes I wish I could really take a step back & make a decision for myself, on my own without any input from them…then again…we wouldn’t be such a close family. I am highly ambitious, love to write & want to make a difference in the world…as cliched as that may sound…it’s the truth! I really believe that I’m here to do something special…what that is I have no idea!

I was born on 28 February 2008 and am a Pisces…hurrah!

I guess my question to you would be…(this is hard to narrow it down)…will I be a rockstar? No, just kidding! Next…um…will I be successful over & beyond my expectation & dreams that I have set for me?

If that’s too hard…I’ll be a cliche & ask…will I meet my Mr Darcy anytime soon?

Right, that should set you off Kief…I look forward to it!”

Question: what does my current life path hold for me, with regards to career and love?

Layout: Map of Life Spread

Card One: Relationships and love

Prince of Swords (reversed):

Keywords and Phrases:

· Trouble, a quick exit. Conceit, bad judgment, impulsivity, excessive haste.

· Rash actions, quarrels, selfish behavior.

· Too rapid a pace, lack of focus, extravagance, slyness.

· Belligerence, excessive force, time to lay low.

· When the going gets tough, get going. Trying to catch flies with vinegar instead of honey.

Situation and Advice:

This is not the time to initiate a new relationship. Someone may be actively opposing or upsetting your plans. Someone is about to depart suddenly and without warning from your life. Your own thinking is scattered and out of focus, you need to cultivate patience or will only end up in conflict with those around you.

Avoid harsh words and impulsive decisions, your dictatorial behavior is causing you hassles in the relationship aspect of your life. Take a step back, evaluate your interactions with others and try to see where you could be a little more easy going and co-operative. Perhaps you are projecting the wrong image to people, or are coming on a little strong. This presents itself as a classic case of trying to catch flies with vinegar instead of honey.

This card could also represent a person – already present in your life, or about to enter. This person will be an extremist, with the ability to convince you of anything. Beware his lies. Beware his rash behavior. It is better to avoid someone who has the power to sway you so easily. This person is nosy and two-faced and devious. Now that you have warning of his presence in your life, the best reaction is evasion. After all, prevention is better than cure. People represented by the suit of Swords have difficulties with emotions and do not bode well for romantic relationships. Starsigns associated with the Swords suit are those of Air – Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

Card Two: Career and work

Seven of Wands(reversed):

Keywords and Phrases:

· Feeling daunted, overwhelmed.

· Giving up in the face of opposition, chickening out, uncertainty, timidity.

· Lack of confidence, running from a challenge,

· Anxiety about a decision, running from change.

· Fear of the future. Missed opportunities, not taking the bull by the horns.

· Her bark is worse than her bite.

Situation and Advice:

The Seven of Wands reversed is an admonishment to persist in pursuing your goals, despite opposition. You can triumph if you do not retreat from confrontation. If you give up now, you may miss valuable opportunities. The confrontation you fear is likely not to be as bad as you thought. You need to confront your insecurities.

Confidence is vital. Assert yourself. Clear the air. Stop fighting yourself, and start working towards your goal. Shying away from making a decision is not helping anyone, least of all yourself. Stop talking, and start doing. Once you have made the decision, you will realize how easy it was, and will have the energy to progress positively. Most importantly, don’t let others take advantage of you – know your worth, and make sure you get just reward for your efforts. Don’t settle for second-best.

Card Three: Wellbeing and happiness

Princess of Pentacles:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Good news about money and finances, willingness to learn.

· Slow and steady progress, patience and persistence.

· Duty, realism, determination.

· The beginnings of a solid foundation, beneficial change.

· Scholarship, mentorship, learning from someone.

Situation and Advice:

You may soon have the opportunity to make money or be engaged in a new business venture – be sure to do your homework so you can be in a position of advantage. Thoroughness, hard work and persistence will pay off in this regard. You are about to receive a letter or written communication that will change the course of events. Be careful of contracts at this time. Read the fine print. This card can manifest in one of three ways in your life.

1. An event. Material or career matter – a new job. Even if the opportunity doesn’t appear much at first glance, look closer. There is more to it than you think. It’s up to you what you make of it.

2. A person – someone young of body, but old of mind. Diligent worker, uses common sense instead of intuition, does things by the book instead of taking risks. Despite this, this person is open to new ideas and will see the best in every situation, and exactly how to exploit it for personal gain.

3. As an aspect of yourself – manage responsibility. Gather your resources and use them wisely, only through such wisdom can success be achieved. Develop a passion for learning and new ideas. Apply knowledge with enthusiasm and express your new ideas and you will find success.

Think practically in all situations, and you will not fail.

Card Four: Friends

Justice:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Being judged, a fair outcome, harmony, restoration of balance.

· Order restored. Accountability, integrity, examination of conscience.

· Carefully considered choices, clear vision, a sense of proportion.

· Rationality, a just outcome. The right decision.

· An apology, justice will prevail.

· “Put yourself in my shoes”

Situation and Advice:

Justice usually appears when you must weigh many factors to make a reasoned and thoughtful decision. This card cautions you to deliberate carefully and wisely before you make any conclusions. It is a card of balance.

You would do well to examine your conscience and consider the other persons’ point of view before making a moral choice. Issues of fairness are prominent. An impartial third party might assist in bringing about a fair outcome. If someone has wronged you, you may receive an apology soon. If you acted unjustly, you are about to face the consequences.

The Justice card’s prime message is that of accountability. Justice appears to us when we know we should do something and we’re not doing it. Justice in a reading is a call to examine what we’ve done in the past, contemplate future actions – balance the equation – take responsibility and be sure in all matters we remain as even-minded as possible in our endeavors.

Keep in mind the Justice card is straight-forward and to the point. There is no hiding, no making excuses and especially no procrastination. Lady Justice cuts out all illusions and exposes the core of the matter for what it is. The Justice card can help you take a look at your responsibilities and obligations and see where you’ve been falling short of the mark. This is not a negative experience. There is no judgment or disapproval here. Justice simply exposes the facts as they are with no bias.

Because the Major Arcana do not apply directly to physical life, it follows that Justice does not apply to laws made by man. Justice refers to the laws of cause and effect, stating that all events are connected and each present state is the result of past states. From the law of cause and effect develops the law of Karma. Showing that all your actions will be returned to you, eventually. Be mindful of your actions.

This card teaches the hardest lesson of all – you do not get what you expect, or even what you want. You get what you deserve. If you deserve good things, then they are awarded without ceremony. You simply get back what you have made for yourself. What you deserve remains for you to decide.

Righting any wrongs in your past must be done before you can right wrongs in the present. Before you judge others, make sure you are prepared to judge yourself, and be sure that you are not guilty of the same errors as they.

Card Five: The Next Step

The Magician:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Focused energy, ability to achieve your goal, transformation through willpower.

· Ability to harness creative forces, creative visualization.

· Ability to make decisions, new skills, self-confidence.

· Trial and error learning. Problem-solving ability. Sleight of hand.

· Adaptation to change, virility. Being in the limelight.

· Creating new projects of lasting value, action.

· The lungs, the hands, the five senses.

· I am the master of my own fate. I am the captain of my soul.

Situation and Advice:

You are about to take advantage of the expertise you gained in a period of disciplined training. you are able to use special talents to achieve your goals. The time is right to initiate new projects, because you are the master of your own destiny. Any tools you need will be at hand. You are able to master new situations and focus your attention to realize your potential. At this point, your potential is unlimited. Market yourself well.

Creative visualization is beneficial at this time. Your organization skills will come in handy. This card tells you that you are able to manipulate forces to get what you want. This card urges you to observe, experiment, remain adaptable, refine your skills and learn how to manipulate the world. A wish alone can change nothing. But a decision can change everything. A desire to create is nothing without the ability to do so.

Change your desires into actions, your goals into achievements.

Card Six: The Outcome

Wheel of Fortune:

Keywords and Phrases:

· A change for the better. Good luck, opportunity, important developments.

· Rapid change, the upside of a cycle, fate, destiny, progress.

· New doors open, a lucky break.

· The end of one phase and the beginning of a new one.

· Games of chance, lady luck. A new vehicle.

· Karma, everything changes.

· “You cannot step into the same river twice”

Situation and Advice:

You are entering a new cycle involving a fortunate set of circumstances that promise beneficial change and rapid progress. Forces in motion offer opportunities to improve your life. A chance circumstance will bring an end to past difficulties and herald a new period of good fortune.

You need to make an important decision that will influence the unfolding of events in your life. A new chapter is beginning. The finger of fate is pointed in your favour. Every path leads somewhere.

Sometimes the wheel literally also refers to a new vehicle.

“Name: Stef

Birth date: 29 December

Star sign: Capricorn

Little about myself: Happy, friendly, down to earth person. Divorced mother of two (but you know this J), moving house yet again at the end of August. Anything else?

Question: this is a strange question but I always wonder if I will EVER meet someone that I’ll be happy with, my kids are growing up and I don’t want to end up alone one day, for some reason relationships never seem to work with me or for me and I’ve actually come to a point recently where I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m single and probably will stay like that, which is no good. I’m not worried about getting involved any time soon but one day you know! Am I very predictable?? LOL… ok you can stop laughing now

Oh wow, this is so exciting!!!

and thanks again!!”

Question: will I ever meet someone I can be happy with?

Card Layout: Five Card Relationship Circle

CARD ONE: What are the qualities you should be looking for in a partner?

Prince of Swords:

Keywords and Phrases:

· New people, impetuousness, not wanting to settle down.

· Perpetual motion, change of environment, departure from what is customary.

· Quick decisions, swift action, adventure, challenge, ambition, charisma, energy, haste.

· Love of fun, sense of humour, enthusiasm, optimism, excitement. Generosity, love of sports, athletic.

· Confidence, vision, perspective, an abrupt change.

· Relocation, flight, movement, getting away.

· Travel over water, a journey, sexual adventures.

Situation and Advice:

Change is in the air, a matter of considerable importance is emerging in your life, you may be about to move or try to get away from an oppressive situation or person. An important person from afar may play an important role in your life right now. Your confidence and enthusiasm is needed in order to make the change.

Romantic relations are promised. With the bonus of an exciting sex life. This person will find it difficult to express emotion. It’s not that he has none, he just suppresses them and doesn’t see their value. He is almost entirely fearless, and will succeed where others have failed. He never doubts himself or his abilities, and this allows him to achieve the impossible. His refusal to back down makes him a pillar of strength. All of his negative qualities should be monitored and kept in check, lest they get out of control, and that’s definitely not what you want!

People: travelers, debaters, movers. Competitors, this person will have no problem committing as long as they are given many interests and distractions. Sportsman. Loves a challenge.

CARD TWO: What do you subconsciously want from a relationship?

Five of Swords:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Wounded pride, arguing, spite, sabotage, severing of ties, failure, misfortune.

· Negative thinking, muddled opinions, not considering the consequences, selfishness, domineering attitude.

· Thoughtlessness, tactlessness, blaming, destructive behavior, revenge, deceit. Is that all there is?

· It’s only important whether you win or lose, not how you play the game.

· Be careful – you just might get what you want.

Situation and Advice:

All you have experienced recently is wounded pride, spite, failure and severing of ties. You have been prone to negative thinking and have not considered the consequences of your actions properly. A past relationship has led you to think that you should be the dominant one, and this has led to thoughtlessness and destructive behavior. You have, in short, been your own sabotage.

You have been too focused on the long-term, on the outcome, that you haven’t taken time to play the game. Revel in dating and all that it brings. Revel in the challenges, without regard to fear. You might be expecting too much, before you’re ready for it. Getting all that you want, before you’re ready for it is worse than never getting it at all.

Choose your battles, know when to give in, and when to fight. Also, it is important to know what is worth fighting for.

Don’t let your past defeat you.

CARD THREE: What obstacles will you face?

Seven of Swords:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Doing the unexpected. Cunning, cleverness, escape, duplicity. Moving to a new location, sabotage, evasive tactics, avoidance, indirect action.

· Brain over brawn. Self-defeating actions, an elopement.

· Being your own worst enemy, escapism.

· Feelings of defeat or deception.

Situation and Advice:

You may be feeling uneasy about something you have done. You may wish to escape or run away, but you need to avoid self-defeating actions. Do not become your own worst enemy. Be careful of what you say, it is likely to lead to a misunderstanding that was completely unintended. A battle of wits is likely.

This card indicates moving onward while leaving part of your life behind. Be careful of deception, but don’t be paranoid. It’s a hard balance to strike, so listen to your intuition. This card can also mean indecision. If you have done something ‘wrong’ in order to get ahead, or if you do something you thought was ‘right’ and has put you in a precarious situation, your ethical system will be challenged. If you have to compromise your values in order to achieve the goals you have set, you should either revise your ethics or the goal you have set – probably the latter. Sometimes the end doesn’t always justify the means.

This card also shows you something you are prone to do – get involved in something, and then get scared and try to back out. This is self-defeating behavior. A victory is only worthwhile if it is completed. Get involved. Stay involved. Admit the truth, don’t be afraid of it. You must learn to triumph over difficulties you have a tendency to create for yourself. Don’t beat yourself up about things you ‘ought to’ or ‘should’ do. Do what feels right or feels good, that’s usually the best indicator – trust your gut instinct. This card speaks about the things that we are afraid of. Some fears are very natural and healthy, indicating dangers you should rightly be wary of. These are the fears that keep you safe.

However, often many of your fears are self created. They are the things that prevent you from enjoying life to the full. Fear can make you cut yourself off from the world and withdraw into yourself. Fear can make you suspicious of others; you imagine heartbreak and imminent betrayals all around you.

The 7 of swords asks you to look at the ways in which you are limiting yourself through the terrors of you own imagination. It asks you to recognise what it is that prevents you from realizing your dreams and inspirations. And then, this card asks you to open your eyes and see things as they really are. Not scary and dangerous after all, but full of possibility and hope. It is then that you are able to take action!

CARD FOUR: What is the best advice for you right now?

Queen of Wands:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Balanced family and career interests.

· Ambition, centre of attention. Competence. Versatility, passion.

· Warmth, courage, confidence, foresight.

· Attractive, mature, energetic woman. Love of home, independence of thought.

· Generosity, the power of positive thinking

Situation and Advice:

Use your mothering and nurturing talents at this time. You have the ability to care for and sustain all forms of life. You will be building wealth through kindness and generosity, these are known as the ‘riches of the heart’. Work on issues of trustworthiness and reliability – you have a tendency to either trust too easily, or not at all. You need to find the balance.

Look for someone who makes you feel the way that you want others to feel around you. You exude an aura of warmth, compassion, generosity and do your utmost to make people feel comfortable. So why shouldn’t you look for the same in a partner? These are good qualities to have.Focus on family and career, all else will follow thereafter. You may have to wait, but what you want will come.

CARD FIVE: this card represents you, ultimately.

Ten of Pentacles:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Strong family ties, comfort, sound advice.

· Family matters. A comfortable home, happiness.

Situation and Advice:

This card shows enjoyment of family, enjoyment of a traditional way of life. You are secure in your home, in your position as mother. You wish for the additional security of a partner. You will soon lay down the foundations for a firm, satisfying relationship. This person will be involved in your family as well. You are also teaching your family important skills right now. Teaching them about how relationships work, and erasing the effects the past has had on them. This is important, because you blame yourself and worry about the impact on their emotional well-being.

When drawing the Ten of Pentacles in a reading, it symbolizes everything positive in the suit of Pentacles. Wealth, material abundance, family happiness, happy home, traditional marriage, loyalty, love, your wishes will come true.

If you ask for advice, be prepared to take it.

“17 June

Born at 14.05ish (so I’ve been told)

Gemini

I’m an easygoing type who’s given to laziness and sloth-like tendencies. I’m generally extroverted. I like to think I’m ‘creative’ but I do have my bleh days. I’m quite a dilletante and find I’m interested in too many things all at the same time. I’m distracted quite easily. I’m a terrible procrastinator, I would say this is my greatest flaw.

All I’ve ever really wanted to do is write, like seriously write. books and stuff.

As for life situation – recently married, still quite blissful and gaga over the husband. I’ve recently discovered my domestic side and thoroughly enjoy cooking – so much so that I’ve been thinking about possible venturing into food writing. I’ve been feeling a bit stifled in my job these last months, but things are picking up and I’ll be doing more of what I enjoy”

Her question: Should I leave my job to pursue full time masters in creative writing next year?

Card layout: 6 card C-A-R-E-E-R layout.

CARD ONE: ‘C’ stands for ‘creative expression’ – what you bring to this career

Eight of Wands (reversed):

Keywords and Phrases:

· Wasted energy, excessive speed, hassles, out of control.

· Being too pushy impulsiveness, insecurity, pressure, haste, ill-considered decisions.

· Precipitate actions, opposition, fights. On strike.

· Upsetting news. Miscommunication. Dismissal.

· Delayed news or messages. You’re acting like a chicken with its head cut off.

· Haste makes waste. Stop the world, I want to get off.

Situation and Advice:

You may be feeling overwhelmed by the fast pace of events. Perhaps you are in a dither and squandering your energy in fruitless directions. Your hasty actions don’t get you anywhere you want to go. Be careful not to force things because you might meet with violent opposition. Expect delays.

Do not get carried away with things at the spur of the moment. Take time to think about your actions. There may be some arguments on your home front. You may be rushing into a decision. You may be jealous of some people. Do not act spontaneously without thinking about the consequences.

You are feeling tired and unmotivated. Take a break to recharge, before making your decision. Test the water before you jump in with both feet.

People: those rushing fast to get nowhere. Pushy people.

CARD TWO: ‘A’ stands for action – how this helps you reach your goals.

Six of Cups:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Nostalgia, sharing, an honest, talk, rekindling love.

· Thinking about old times, happy memories, karmic ties.

· Unearthing buried emotional treasure.

· Sentiment, family values. A job offer. A move.

Situation and Advice:

You have the opportunity to renew an old acquaintance, someone from the past will re-enter your life. Some matter with roots in the past will come to fruition. This card advises it is important to recover and deal with old memories.

An old friend may bring news that leads to a job offer or change of career. You will need to review some past aspect of your life, during an honest talk with a trusted partner or friend. You may have the chance you use old skills that have lain dormant for a long time. In the midst of change and crisis, looking back at what you have endured is a good way to assure yourself that, whatever trials lay ahead, you will meet them and you will overcome them as you have others.

This card is also associated with fertility and childbirth. It is a good idea also to see the world through child-like eyes – children see the world as a perfect place, and their hearts are totally open to experience all the myriad pleasures of life. When this card suggests a path to follow, it tells you to open yourself to all possibilities. Live in quiet harmony with those around you.

Live in the moment, remember the past and dream for the future.

People: old friends, those who are like family to us. Those connected with one’s past.

CARD THREE: ‘R’ – stands for ‘responsibility’ and tells you about things to be aware of

Ten of Pentacles (reversed):

Keywords and Phrases:

· Financial loss, disapproval of family members.

· Money difficulties, lack of motivation, worry.

· The burdens of wealth, fights about money.

· Unsound financial speculation. Restructuring finances.

Situation and Advice:

You may feel there is a threat to your security. This is not the time to take a financial risk. You may have the opportunity to increase your income at the expense of job satisfaction or burnout. Money may be tight for a while, and you will probably need to restructure your finances. Perhaps you will need to sell something to make ends meet.

You are likely to feel burdened by responsibility and commitments to those close to you. You may resent the demands your family is making on you about your choice of partner. You may feel you were pressurized into marriage for the wrong reasons.

Too much of family traditions may be restrictive; fights may lead to wealth being lost. Mentally you may be dull and sloppy. You may have to live on a tight budget.

People: those beset with family problems, financially burdened individuals.

CARD FIVE: ‘E’ stands for – energy – what drives/motivates you here.

Queen of Wands (reversed):

Keywords and Phrases:

· The shadow of the feminine, egotism, narrow-mindedness.

· Unbridled ambition, demanding, ruthless competition. Deception. Envy.

· Moodiness, manipulation, domination, disorganization, untrustworthiness, emotional blackmail

· Interference , paranoia, feminism gone awry. The end justifies the means.

Situation and Advice:

A neurotic and rigidly inflexible woman may interfere with your plans by insisting on getting her own way. This ruthlessly ambitious woman will use any means at her disposal to get what she wants.

You or someone else may be resorting to emotional blackmail to block another’s efforts at independence. Beware of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Don’t try to impose your values on everyone around you.

This card also indicates that you imagine the worst in every scenario, while this helps you prepare for any eventuality, this can also have drawbacks. Stop seeing only the bad, and start imagining the good in every situation as well.

People: a strict woman. Someone who interferes. A busybody. A poor listener. Those who are always right, even when they’re wrong. Prudish persons who try to impose their values on others.

CARD SIX: ‘E’ stands for ‘earnings’ – what this career/job gives you.

Seven of Swords:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Doing the unexpected. Circumspection, guile, cunning.

· Cleverness, escape. Putting something over on others. Taking advantage.

· A job or career change. Moving to a new location.

· The need for discreet management. Indirect action.

· Caution, the need for professional advice.

· Running away, being your own worst enemy.

Situation and Advice:

You may be feeling cheated or uneasy about something you have done. You may wish to escape or run away, but you need to avoid self-defeating actions. Don’t become your own worst enemy. You will need to be crafty and diplomatic to deal with opposition and reach your goal.

Be aware that someone may be trying to take advantage of you or ruin your reputation in devious ways. They may take advantage of the fact that you are preoccupied with other things. Your unique worldview and ability to do the unexpected can save the day. A plan you made may not work out as intended. Seek professional advice. Be especially careful of anything you say or put in writing at this time. A battle of wills may be in the offing. Someone may be opposing your intellectual freedom and independence.

This card may also indicate moving onward and leaving a part of your life behind.

People: an ingenious person. Someone moving from one place to another.

CARD SIX: ‘R’ stands for relationships – co-worker influences, new interpersonal relations

Six of Pentacles:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Getting what you deserve. Helping others. Repayment of debts.

· Material gain, sound money management. Giving of your talents.

· Loans, grants, prizes. Financial assistance.

· Your work pays off. Enjoying the fruits of your labours. Teaching your skills to others.

· A business opportunity, a promotion, a bonus.

Situation and Advice:

This card represents a gift, a loan or the chance to participate in a business opportunity. Someone owing you is likely to pay up now. You will be dealt with fairly. Financial assistance is in the near future, and you will receive what is rightfully yours.

You may find someone to help you change career or jobs, or you may help someone by doing the same. You might be in line for a promotion or financial reward. This is a time for generosity, sound investment and sharing your wealth.

Ask and you shall receive.

Before I do a reading, I always select a ‘face card’ – a court card (this means from the kings, queens, princes and princesses) that represents the person I’m doing the reading for. This helps keep me focused. The card I chose for Angel:

Queen of Pentacles:

Keywords and Phrases:

· Practical manager, organization, fertility, prosperity, sensuality.
· Love of nature, hospitality, abundance, responsibility, resourcefulness.
· The good things in life, security, creativity, common sense.
· Nurturance, emotional maturity, learning.
· A beautiful environment.

This person is sensible and practical. A slow and steady approach is best for progressing with her. She is a good organizer. Voluptuous, someone fond of the good things in life. She is practical, with clear business acumen. She is maternal and nurturing. Down to earth. She is concerned with the well-being of others. She is immensely capable – both as a mother and businesswoman. She is a loyal, sensuous woman who enjoys luxury and has a good sense of material values. One who works hard for material success. A helpful friend. A team player. A provider. She sustains and nurtures life.

She has insight into both matters of money and matters of the heart, and through these she will find the path to spiritual enlightenment. She is the bridge between the worlds of the mundane and the spectacular. Step once across that bridge and delight in the opulence and pure beauty. She is ‘at home’ wherever she finds herself.

Now, let’s get to the reading….

CARD ONE: This card represents HIM

Ten of Cups:

Keywords and Phrases:
· Lasting happiness in a relationship, tranquility, unity, shared well-being, giving and receiving love, bliss, emotional completion.
· Good parent-child relationships, fulfillment, contentment, matrimony.
· Genuine friendship, partnership, compatibility, undying love.
· Realization of hopes, a happy occasion, a reason to give thanks.

Situation and Advice:
This card is an extremely positive card for matters of love, emotions, values shared happiness, spiritual growth and harmonious relationships. It carries the promise of affection, contentment and happy family relations. Prospects of marriage are obvious. This is honestly, the ‘true love’ card. There are no regrets from yesterday, no concerns for tomorrow, so live for today and appreciate the moment.

The only warning of this card is not to take anything for granted – don’t let your happiness slip away, don’t allow it to stagnate, but keep it in a constant state of growth and rejuvenation. Don’t go looking for problems. Sit back and enjoy what you have. The rainbow represented on this card reminds us that the greatest power in the world is love, and it is through love that we get a glimpse of heaven.

People: a happy family. Loved ones. A union.

CARD TWO: this card represents HER

Two of Swords:
Keywords and Phrases:
· Renewed action, the stalemate is over, movement, change.
· Able to make decisions now, the consequences of choice, taking the lid off,
· Facing your feelings, emotions break through to the surface, the ripple effect.

Situation and Advice:
You have recently made a decision, now you must wait to see how matters unfold; strong emotions have come to the surface and must be dealt with head-on. The stalemate that was your life is now over, and more changes are on the way. Your life can now move forward.
Your heart was once closed to love, but something has happened to open it. Your protective barriers have been broken. Stop avoiding what you know is the truth. Accept the love. The Two Cards usually represent couples – make sure the balance is maintained, and that your combined energies are put into achieving goals. Stop thinking of it as ‘him and me’ think of it as ‘us’.
People: someone who has recently made a decision of an uncertain outcome.

CARD THREE: this card represents the relationship

Princess of Cups:
Keywords and Phrases:
· Birth of new emotions. Increased emotional sensitivity. Love, warmth, attraction.
· The beginning of creativity, discussion of feelings. Tender emotions.
· A new phase in a relationship. Intuition, imagination, inspiration.
· Inspiration from a friend, news about a happy emotional event like a birth and/or wedding.
· A new stage of emotional development, emergence of hidden talents, a good idea.
· Good news about a birth or marriage. Starting a new project. A child. Children.

Situation and Advice:
You may soon be getting married or announcing an impending birth. You are entering a period of new feelings, a time of emotional rebirth. Emotional growth requires that you learn to trust all over again. A child will feature importantly in your future life. This will be an ‘out of the blue’ event that will be appreciated even more so because of its unexpected nature.

People represented by this card are true romantics at heart. In it’s masculine energy, this person values tranquility and is compassionate and gentle. He seems dreamy and detached a lot of the time, though beneath his calmness lies a bravery and studiousness. His ideas may seem elusive and impossible, but more often than not, their base is sold. Though he can be moody and impractical, because he is so rooted in the spiritual and emotional, this man is always willing to serve.

This card tells you never to stop listening to your intuition and believing in your dreams. If you cease to dream, your dreams can never come true because they do not exist any more. Dare to dream and anything becomes possible.

People: a comforting person, someone interested in learning about emotional issues.

CARD FOUR: this card represents how she sees him.

Four of Wands:

Keywords and Phrases:
· Haven. Refuge. A union reaching a special stage of development. Peace.
· Contentment. A happy and secure home. A sound partnership. Laying the foundations for marriage. A good investment.
· Productivity, comfort, a happy ending.

Situation and Advice:
This is a happy, positive card indicating rest and reward after a long struggle. You have reached a momentous stage in your relationship, and this must be celebrated. The roots you have laid are secure. This is one of the cards that traditionally signify marriage. You will enjoy working together on a new phase of your life.

While success can be enjoyed for a while, don’t rest on your laurels – you must never stop growing, learning and living. This card also represents childbirth. Work hard to reap these rewards. Order has been established – easy, natural flow of a life in balance.

People: happy or contented people.

CARD FIVE: this card represents how he sees her
The Empress

Keywords and Phrases:
· Queen of life, the mother archetype. Fruitfulness, prosperity, creativity.
· Nurturing, healing, love, harmony, union, continued growth, synthesis.
· Status, social standing, a beautiful home. Abundance, physical love and affection.
· Feminine sexuality, marriage, gain, fertility. Pregnancy, creativity, maternal instincts.
· Willingness to help others, birth, motherhood.
· Grounding in the life process. Fulfilled potential. Mother earth. Mother nature.

Situation and Advice:
The Empress is a card of good fortune, suggesting female creativity, fertility, sexuality and productivity. Your hard work pays off with material success. Sexual relations are satisfying. This card indicates marriage and pregnancy and childbirth (especially with the Four of Wands). All will go well with this pregnancy. You will literally ‘reap the rewards of your labour’.

You are able to share your feelings and give and receive love.

People: a mother, a wife, a woman of importance. A regal woman. An earth woman. Creative person. Woman of power and authority. For a man – this is the woman of his dreams.

CARD SIX: this card represents worldly, material, physical aspects of the relationship

Seven of Cups: (reversed)
Keywords and Phrases:
· Persistence is rewarded. a realistic attitude, determination. A good choice. Able to see the forest for the trees. Head rules over heart. Cutting to the chase.
· Success comes the second time around.

You have been scattering your energies, instead of pursuing a determined course of action. This lead to a feeling of disillusionment. Your first attempt at achieving a goal did not work because you did not apply yourself wisely or with proper focus.

With a realistic attitude, you can put things in perspective, and think about things properly to reach a desired conclusion. Focus on what you need and follow through with your good ideas. If you set clear, specific goals your hard work will be rewarded.

This card is linked to pleasure – particularly sexual pleasure. But can also refer to smaller, every day pleasure. Affection, gifts. There is a sense of sacrifice that comes with this gift. Giving up the past, in order to give the other person your future.

People: realists.

CARD SEVEN: this card represents where the relationship came from

Nine of Pentacles: (reversed)
Keywords and Phrases:
· Unwise decisions, dependency, loss. Deprivation, wastefulness.
· Rash decisions, foolish actions, entanglements, suffering the consequences of poor decisions.
· A guilty conscience, problems, setbacks.

Situation and Advice:
Your existence before your current reality was created by bad decisions, poor choices and dependency. You were entangled in difficult situations, and your guilty conscience kept you there.

You have managed to move past all your setbacks. If not for all the pain and suffering from the past, you would never be where you are today. Don’t regret anything from your past. Accept that it has brought you together.

People: those with a guilty conscience.

CARD EIGHT: this represents where the relationship is going.

Eight of Swords: (reversed)
Keywords and Phrases:
· Removal of an obstruction, unblocking something.
· A new beginning, overcoming fear. Taking off the blindfold.
· Freedom from restriction. Relief. Cessation of interference.
· Empowerment. Able to move again. Renewed faith in yourself.
· Appropriate self-assertion.

Situation and Advice:
You can now break free of limitations and confront anxieties. The pressures you face are beginning to subside. You are able to see clearly what surrounds you and to deal with factors hindering progress. Having conquered your fear, you are free to start again.

Be assertive and refuse restrictions others place on you.

People: someone who has escaped a confining relationship.

BONUS CARD: (this card fell out while I was shuffling – they usually bear added significance because they ‘make themselves known’.)

Ace of Cups:
Keywords and Phrases:
· New love. Ecstasy. Compassion, partnership.
· Health, marriage, loving relationship. Pregnancy, childbirth, fertility.
· Engagement, a gift.

Situation and Advice:
This indicates a new beginning in your emotional life. this relationship will lead to marriage, lasting friendship and a close emotional tie.

If you asked about pregnancy, motherhood is in the offing. You are about to receive a true gift. Of life and love.

People: lovers, artists, psychics, compassionate people.