Welcome to my personal blog.
Here you will find my musings, thoughts and observations, all inspired by my experiences as a full-time professional tarot reader.
Magic with the Two of Wands: Strength, High Rank and Wealth Without Shame
For the Spring Equinox Tarot Blog Hop, some magic and musing about wealth, inspired by the season, the Two of Wands and the Picatrix.
It’s Ostara, or the Vernal Equinox. That means it’s time for another Tarot Blog Hop. This time our wrangler, Joy Vernon, has given us many options for our seasonal task, ranging from your-head-might-explode-with-mystical-brilliance to share-a-seasonal-recipe.
I chose something in between.
Joy was inspired by her tarot group’s work with the Picatrix, an ancient book of astrology and magic.
Per the Picatrix, now is the time to use magic to manifest “strength, high rank and wealth without shame”.
Of all the options and information that Joy gave us, the thing that struck me most was that odd phrase, "wealth without shame", and its connection, via astrology, to the Two of Wands.
Tarot is a youngster when compared with the Picatrix. Yet, the connection between tarot and astrology allows us to assign the Two, Three and Four of Wands to the three decans of Aries (and thus the vernal equinox), and to the magical directives found within the Picatrix.
It’s also interesting to note that for each decan (third of an astrological sign) the Picatrix describes an assigned image. The knowledge that images hold power is something else the Picatrix and tarot have in common.
I have an affinity for the Two of Wands. To me, this card reminds us that everything is possible if we are willing to dream it, and willing to work to bring it into being.
The Two of Wands is the “Lord of Dominion”. The magic of the card is to recognize our own inner Lord of Dominion; to understand that we have sovereign power over the paths we choose and the lives we lead. Our only limitation is in our failure to recognize that power.
Because of this, I often think of the Two of Wands as the card of manifestation. There is something ouroboric about doing manifestation work with the card of manifestation that feels powerful to me.
That strange and archaic magical goal of strength, high rank and wealth without shame aligns with the Two of Wands for me, and fits my current magical musings precisely.
I have a problematic relationship with wealth that began even before my career as a successful full-time tarot reader. In an era when extreme wealth is enough to qualify a person to reside in the White House, I must assume that my own feelings about wealth are significantly out of step with the culture in which I live.
For better or worse, I was raised to believe that materialism is dangerous, that greed is a sin, and that there is a type of spiritual grace found only in poverty. My father was a United Methodist minister, whose faith translated into a commitment to social justice.
There’s a huge contrast between the Christianity I learned in Sunday School and the doctrine of the modern “Prosperity Gospel” that suggests that material wealth is a sign of God’s approval, and that impoverishment is an indicator of God’s disdain, which justifies our own disdain for the poor.
As a full-time tarot pro, I’ve had to deal with tarot enthusiasts who think I am a mercenary bitch because I make my living with the cards. I’m a red-headed Scorpio, so they may have gotten the bitch part right, but, mercenary? Little could be further from the truth.
The concept of wealth without shame invites me to consider the shame, or potential shame, I have felt about the prospect of acquiring some meager personal wealth.
While my father was a gentle pastor, my mother was an artsy hippie. Mom didn’t want to buy a desk, she wanted to make a desk with a wooden door laid across stacks of cinder-blocks. Her favorite store was “Sal’s Boutique”, the Salvation Army Thrift Store. From my father, I inherited a sense of spiritual mission. From my mother, a thrift shop aesthetic. Together, they impressed on me their favorite motto; “Live Simply, That Others May Simply Live.”
I am learning that there is a difference between simple living and self-denial. Self-care seems more important now than when I was younger. At some point, wealth becomes access to greater self-care, and that can’t be a bad thing.
Being a tarot pro adds another dimension to wealth-shaming. There is a school of thought amongst some tarot enthusiasts that it is somehow bad and wrong to take money in exchange for a reading. I won’t even justify that notion with an explanation.
However, it’s important to note that most pro readers go through an emotionally trying process to find peace with taking money for their services.
Another complication is that there exist pro tarot readers who routinely scam their clients by using scare tactics to extort expensive gifts and large sums of money. Much of the general population does not make a distinction between what that sort of tarot reader does, and what I do.
Because of this, In the general society within which I live, there is a cloud of shame and suspicion around the tarot profession. That makes it difficult to take the same pride in the rewards of my labor that most people have without thought.
There is a twist on "wealth without shame" that might feel ironic in that context. There are ways to make money that would feel shameful to me. As a business owner, I can choose to operate within my ethical boundaries. Never do I have to do something that feels wrong because I am "following orders".
I look to the Two of Wands, then, to manifest a new paradigm around resources in my life – a paradigm where I may enjoy the fruits of my labor (my "strength and high rank") without shame, and with an open heart and hand.
I picture myself with a globe in my hand, standing over the long horizon.
In the number Two I find the balance of fare trade. The wealth I receive is equal to my needs. The services I provide are a good value for all.
In the Fire of the suit of Wands I find my passion, my spiritual calling, and the life energy with which I create this new personal paradigm. May I use this energy to bring insight and healing to others, and may it bring me vitality and youthfulness long into my old age.
In this season of Spring, in the balance between light and dark, I hatch the metaphoric eggs of new ideas, new vision, new inspiration and new opportunities. I welcome new life bursting all around me.
May these blessings of the season be yours as well!
Up Uranus
I’m not much of an astrologer, but I always try to pay attention to synchronicity. And astrology is all about synchronicity, isn’t it?
Recently in a Facebook tarot group a member asked about elemental associations for the Fool. I chimed in explaining that the Fool is associated with the element of Air and the planet Uranus.
Last night my guest on Christiana’s Psychic Café was astrologer Jim Cummins. I asked him what the heck is going on with the planet. Jim explained it quite succinctly.
Apparently the planet-wide turmoil can be explained in a way that helps us see our own difficulties here in the United States through a larger lens. And, it has to do with Uranus!
From what I understood from Jim, Uranus and Pluto are influencing our planet in a way they have not since the early 1930s. This has been the case since 2010 and will continue until 2015.
Since Uranus is about the awakening of the individual and Pluto is about authoritarian control it is no wonder we are seeing problems between the desires of individuals versus the desires of governmental and corporate organizations all over the world.
Jim discussed this at some length from an economic perspective, a cultural perspective and a political perspective. If you didn’t catch the show last night, or if you would like to see it again, you can watch it in archive.
From a tarot perspective the Uranus is the Fool and Pluto is Judgment.
I love the idea of Uranus being the awakening individual. While not all the astrological associations in tarot resonate for me, the Fool as Uranus certainly does.
Uranus is deviant, individualistic and beginning a journey of awakening – that’s a perfect fit for the Fool. Uranus is curious, interested in scientific discovery and non-speech communication. Again, how Fool-ish is that?
In the Minor Arcana of tarot the suit of Air is typically Swords. The Swords cards are often rather gruesome and can be associated with sorrow, sadness and difficulties. This is such an interesting contrast with the Air energy of the merry Fool.
Air, the element of the mind, always gives us a choice in how we perceive things; even very difficult things. We can choose to be Fool-like and enjoy the adventure or we can choose to be dire like the Ten of Swords. The difference is easy to see.
Air is about powers of the mind. That includes integrity and communication, curiosity and discovery, intellect and reason. The Fool is in his integrity and unconcerned with worry or misunderstanding. The Ten of Swords shows the result of dishonesty, worry and unkind words.
We can use this comparison to help us choose the way we will face and perceive the troubles on our planet. Will we embrace the journey as the Fool does, or will we be overwhelmed by it, like the Ten of Swords? Air is about perspective and perception, too.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, an astrologer or a tarotist to see that our world really is a mess – worse than usual. I’m comforted by the idea that our struggles as a planet are necessary, as they are reflected and foretold by the stars.
I’m also comforted that our struggles reflect the awakening of the individual. As each of us becomes aware of our own Fool’s journey, as each of us finds the courage to truly be who we are and to truly challenge the monolithic authorities, we may create a new world for ourselves. Surely that world must rise from the ashes of something lost, and that will be painful. But clearly this change is already on its way.
Judgment, as the card of Pluto, reminds us of the power of rebirth. Perhaps the struggles of our time are simply the birth pains of something new and better on the planet.
It’s clear to me that the Universe wants me to pay attention and learn from Uranus right now. Uranus tells me to honor my inner Fool and proceed on the journey with joy, awakening to a greater level of truth and understanding. I must do this even as the old structures are crashing down around us.
I opened the show last night by pulling one card at random. I usually do this as a “card of the week.” The card I pulled last night was the Tower reversed. What an apt card for a discussion of the present and immediate future of our nation and our planet. The reversal does lessen the pain a bit, but the Tower still reminds us of a simple truth.
That which is built on a faulty foundation cannot stand forever. Uranus teaches me to be curious about what might happen next.