Manifestation with the Watery Suit of Cups

This morning I taught a class on YouTube about the Suit of Cups. One of the things I love about teaching these sorts of classes is that I always get new ideas of how the cards work. Tarot is infinitely expansive; there are always new ways to see, understand, and process the cards.

My big unexpected take-away from the class was about how much we can use the element of Water and the suit of Cups in our practices of manifestation.

When I speak of manifestation I am speaking of prayer, of Law of Attraction, of Creative Visualization, and of magick. Use whichever words feel most comfortable to you. The premise is the same, however we might speak of it. When we want to bring something in to being, we must imagine it and see it clearly in our mind’s eye. In this way things move from thought to form.

Had I given much consideration to it, I might have more easily seen the suit of Pentacles as a suit of manifestation, since it is of the Earth element, and therefore already solid and real. I might have seen the suit of Swords as a suit of manifestation, because it is the suit of Air, and therefore related to the powers of the mind, where all manifestation begins. I might have even seen the suit of Wands, because of the passionate, spiritual motivation that we derive from the element of Fire.

But did I ever see Water as manifestation? Well, the Seven of Cups is one of the two cards that I strongly see a card of manifestation. The other is the Two of Wands. When I see either of these cards, I am inclined to ask my client to consider what they want to manifest at this time, and to encourage them to put their energy into bringing their desires into being. If both cards appear together, the need and ability to manifest is especially strong, and should not be ignored.

Truly, all four tarot Aces invite manifestation, and it was with the Ace of Cups that our discussion of manifestation began. Each Ace offers a beginning, an essence, a concept, and a jumping-off point. Each Ace is a seed from which something might grow.

What came to me very clearly was this. Everything I have ever learned about manifestation and magick includes a specific central point. The emotion that we put into our vision is paramount in our ability to bring that vision into being. Without feeling it, without emotion driving it, the manifestation will not have life.

While some tarot cards can speak of, and offer opportunity for, manifestation, we can use any tarot card to bring something in to being. Each card carries an energy. Tarot magick is simply the practice of using specifically chosen cards to bring us the energy we want, or to banish from us the energy that doesn’t serve us.

When we study the suit of Cups we might see instruction on how to channel our emotions toward manifestation. We might specifically see a story of manifesting more love in our lives, and on the planet.

What do you see about manifestation in the suit of Cups?

Tarot Study Online Opportunities

I have been a tarotist since 1985, a professional tarot reader since 1993, and a tarot teacher since 1995. My first (and some of my favorite) teaching gigs were through adult education programs.

I have also taught tarot in churches, shops, nudist resorts, yoga studios, military bases, assisted living facilities, festivals and conferences; basically anywhere I could find an audience. I teach privately as well. At this point quite a few of my students are now professional readers. Many, many more continue to use tarot as part of their spiritual path, and as a tool for personal growth.

While it is very exciting to be able to help train new tarot professionals, I always stress that the importance of learning tarot is not about being able to use tarot professionally; learning tarot is its own reward. Everyone who learns tarot benefits from ownership of that life-enhancing body of knowledge.

In 2011 I began teach tarot online, providing both free and premium webinars. I chose Cisco’s WebEx as my platform and began teaching a series of five premium webinars, two free webinars and my free monthly Global Tarot Circle. This year I will add to those offerings.

My webinars repeat regularly. I try to keep class sizes small, so there is opportunity for me to interact with students, and for students to interact with each other. Those who feel that webinars aren’t “personal” enough enjoy the one-on-one attention they receive in my webinars.

When I first started presenting webinars three years ago, mine were amongst very few other available tarot webinars.

Now it seems that every day I get an email encouraging me to take a different tarot webinar.

I think being able to take a variety of tarot webinars is a good thing. Most tarot webinars are very affordable. The enthusiastic student has the opportunity to study with many different tarot professionals.

I believe the more teachers you have, the better.

I’ve specifically noticed a few webinars that offer to teach you to become a successful professional tarot reader quickly and easily.

I can promise I will never do that. In my opinion, there is very little that is quick or easy about the process of becoming a skilled professional reader.  Professional tarot is not for the faint of heart. If you don’t want it so much you can taste it, you don’t want it enough. If you don’t have some natural talent, no amount of study will make you a great reader, although your life will certainly be enhanced by your study.

Different teachers bring different experiences to the table.  Some have been reading for years, others are just starting out. Some of the people teaching professional tarot reading have not been full-time professionals for very long, or ever. Some have not had the experience of reading tarot in a variety of venues, and have never had to handle the challenges that they are asking to prepare you to handle.

No matter whom you choose to study with, if you are open to learning, you will learn. Each person has something valuable to share. That knowledge is so readily available in such a variety of presentations and formats is a blessing.

Learning tarot is an unusual thing, because each of us has a unique tarot style. To learn to read tarot is to develop your own style. No one can teach you that.  Tarot teachers must provide the environment, the knowledge and the inspiration for each student to find their own tarot voice. That’s why I think the expanded field of available webinars is a good thing. Each teacher will have their own valuable perspective to share.

The culture around psychic work in general changes so much every year. Professional tarot is very different now than it was ten years ago, or twenty, from my perspective. I think everyone who has read tarot professionally has something important to teach us. However, I think there is some value in having at least one tarot teacher amongst your resources who is currently actively engaged in the actual process of professional tarot reading.

When I learned tarot in the 1980s, I had eight hours of  class time in our local New Age shop, a shaky video that I rented from said shop, and  tattered copies of  books by Eden Gray and Mary Greer.

Now, the internet offers a wealth of tarot information for everyone, from hobbyists to professionals, beginners to experts. Our technology has advanced to allow us to have real-time classes that join us together from across the globe.

Please, if you are interested in tarot, take some tarot webinars. Try mine, and try all the offerings you can find. You will have an easier time developing your own tarot style if you learn from a great variety of people and pull from each lesson the things that resonate for you.

At the same time, you will understand your teachers’ perspectives best if you understand their background and their own level of experience.

If professional tarot is your calling, by all means get out there. Professional reading can be the greatest career adventure ever.

Not everyone who loves tarot loves professional reading. If you don’t feel called to read professionally, don’t think your tarot path is any less important or valuable than a professional reader’s tarot path.

Never let anyone tell you that reading tarot is a quick and easy way to make a bunch of money.

If you want a quick and easy way to make money, get a job. If you want to embrace a spiritual tool that allows you to access personalized wisdom from the Universe for yourself and others, learn tarot.

To see my current webinar schedule, visit my Continuing Education website, and my Tarot Circle website.