Author: innowen

Today’s draw is the Knight of Cups. As part of the Cup family, this fellow wears his emotions on his armor. He’s imaginative, thoughtful, and desires to save the princess. In the classic Rider Waite Smith deck he holds out a chalice in front of him as he sits on his horse. I’m also posting this a day late, due to the sad news that Robin Williams passed away. As I now stare at this Knight of Cups, on his horse, I can’t help but think of Robin Williams. A passionate actor, whose varied roles spanned the whole of human emotion. He was a figure of creativity, fought for what’s right, and in the Fisher’s King, he sought the Grail. He was this knight and he touched many of our hearts through laughter and acting.

In my life, I struggle with Depression as well. Yes, that’s a capitol D there. It’s a horrible monster that disempowers our ability to recall the good things that this Knight of Cups loves. I am fortunate to have my family, my friends, a wonderful counselor, and a strong connection to Tarot and my divine helpers. This card, reminds me that I am NOT alone. That I am blessed, we ALL are blessed, with the gifts of emotion and how we can share these feelings with one another. Creatives struggle hard with Depression…I think it’s due to the fact that we seek out the answers to what it means to be human and it brings us to those dark places so we can reveal the whole of humanity.

I may not know you dear reader, but know that I AM with you. Whether or not you call me for the cards, I am there to remind you that you are special. You have purpose. And that you you can do it, whatever it is. Thank you.

Today’s my birthday, and I know I’m late in posting this. I had a fantastic birthday party yesterday. In addition to the surprise of my parents flying into town, my beloved friends RoseRed and Drew Robinson flew up on Friday. Talk about an amazing gift. I was delighted to have them arrive for my 40th. They flew home today, but not after I could take them to Powell’s Books (the prime store on Burnside). While we were there, we met a lovely lady who was celebrating her birthday by gathering pagan and tarot books. Awesome coincidence.

Today’s card isn’t going to be randomly drawn. I’ve hand selected it. If you add the numbers for today’s date up, and do some fancy reduction, you end up with seven. The seventh card of the Major Arcana is The Chariot. This card represents the energy my life’s path will take this year. I’m excited to say that I AM totally embodying this archetype by running around and taking my life in the reigns. Less than two weeks from now I will be at BATS and I am totally stoked!

Edited later: So, I wrote this before the party started, on Friday evening. When I got home, I was totally surprised by the arrival of RoseRed and Drew Robinson, two of my favorite people being at my home. I should’ve known something was up when I saw The Lovers card and recalled, that it was Rose’s birth card. But I didn’t. So yeah, thanks Tarot for helping to conspire with and for me!

Happy birthday party day to me! In true awesome Tarot-style, today’s card is The Lovers. Today I get to be surrounded by great friends, family, and yummy food (and cuppy cakes— in two flavors) and fun times. My husband promises that this will be “the greatest birthday party ever (TM)” and I totally feel that fun times will be had by all.

I predict that by the time I go to bed, with a full belly and a smile on my face, that today, indeed will be a perfect Lovers day and the greatest birthday party ever.

Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More by Ian Eshey
Self published, 2013
Rating: 3 decks

Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More attempts to demystify spreads and show the reader how to harness the power of a good spread. Eshey uses the introduction to frame the rest of the book. He explains his philosophy and how a reader can get the most out of the book. The rest of the chapters break down various spreads by theme. He starts out with many of the most common spreads readers use, and then delves into spreads used for love, money and other topics.

This book is a great beginner’s guide to spreads. Eshey takes the time to delve into some popular spreads that can often confuse new readers. He shares the layout of what that spread looks like, then he breaks each position down into what it asks and gives you a example from his real life. There is a wide variety of spreads and examples from Eshey’s own life in this book.

What I didn’t like about Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More is that sometimes the stories Eshey uses doesn’t add up and really seem to answer the question that the querent gave at the beginning of the “session.” Many of the stories, don’t give a specific card and how that card relates back to the position of the spread. I also found that in Chapter 2, his image for the “Card of the Day” spread doesn’t seem to align with the description. This threw me off a bit.

Other than the stories being a bit too fitting and not using actual cards, I liked the book. The introduction was were I got my biggest bang for my buck with how Eshey describes his take on the purpose of spreads and how to get the most out of them. He includes many key tips for getting the most out of a spread and I was impressed how he distilled the purpose of the Major, Minor, and Court cards with ease.

Bottom Line: If you are new to Tarot and want to understand spreads and see how they can work for you, then you’ll like Tarot Spreads for Love, Career and More. Eshey’s philosophy of “people like to play,” so “make an experience interesting, you get more and more immersed in it. It really is as simple as that.” I think that beginners and advanced Tarot enthusiasts alike can find insights from this book.

Today’s draw is Page of Cups. From yesterday’s The Sun surprise visit of my family in town to today’s fun of flights of fantasy with my friends discussing writing projects it’s been a fun trip. The Page of Cups is a curious person. They delight in imaginative things and flairs. Today I spent the day with my family, as I took them through the Bridgeport stores (oooh, the pretty shirts and stuff I found for my trip to BATS. If you’re coming, you get to see the new outfits! Thanks Mom!) looking for fun clothing that fits my fantasy.

Currently, I’m enjoying a hot chocolate while sitting with two of my favorite writing partners. We’re discussing our current workloads and project lists and supporting the ideas we have going on. It’s a lot of Page of Cups and I love it.