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21 The World

Keywords: finished; completion; self-satisfaction; the circle; sacred space

Archetypes: Oscar winners; gold medalists; New York Times Best Selling Authors; Einstein, the Pope; Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Correspondences:

Number/3

Planet/Saturn

Element/Air

Astrological Sun Sign/Scorpio

Upright Interpretation: The World is rife with positive possibilities; it’s letting us know that anything we’ve been working on, or working for, will be finished up soon with positive results. It’s saying, “Good job! You’ve come full circle.” But it’s also letting us know that just because one thing has reached a conclusion, not all things are done. Life must move on, we’ve got a lot yet to do. The circle, almost a universal symbol for this card no matter what deck, represents Sacred Space; it is a safe place where you can concentrate with confidence on all the Important Stuff. The world is your oyster, go forth to create, to build, to invent, and to enjoy.

Reversed Interpretation: Life, along with it’s projects and any important activities, has stalled. What do you need to jump-start Life again? Look at the people around you, look at the circumstances surrounding you, look within yourself. You’ll recognize it; the question will be…Can you fix it? Of course, there are those things in life we have no control over; and then, there are those things in life we only think we have no control over. Learn to discern between the two.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I grab life by the brass ring.

2. I will finish what I start.

3. I will seek completion that heals.

4. I celebrate the sacred.

5. I willingly step into the Sacred Circle.

A Tarot Reading for The World:
The World ~ 7/wands ®; Page/swords ®; King/swords

World, you tell us when to drop our defenses.  “For god’s sake,” you say, “it’s time to start trusting, to start allowing people and experiences into your heart and life.  It’s time to flick that chip of your god-damn shoulder and realize that no life is a life worth living without trust.”  New relationships, new love, life experiences will be by-passed totally, completely, unwittingly, because you do not trust your own heart, you do not trust the heart of others, you do not trust the universe to bring positive energy and experiences your way.

You have finished something; you have come full circle; they cannot hurt you now.  Dear World, you let us know when we’ve gone through a stage, a rite of passage, when we’ve successfully reached a pinnacle in life and can either plan for another, or set back and take a deep breath and a break from all the pressures that we’ve put upon ourselves.

You give us our voice, help us find our strength.  You urge us across one of many finishing lines we’ll find on our journey in life, urging us forward, whispering in our ears as we run with the wind towards the yellow ribbon, pushing out our chests, throwing our arms open wide, pumping our legs as fast as our muscles will allow.

Taste victory, The World tells us.

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©2015 Amythyst Raine

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20 Judgment

Keywords: karma; “uh-oh”; conscience; tribulation; revelations; last chances

Archetypes: angels; guardian angels; General Patton; your mother; Dog the Bounty Hunter

Correspondences:

Number/2

Planet/Pluto

Element/Fire

Astrological Sun Sign/Aquarius

Upright Interpretation: Judgment lets you know that it’s time to pay the piper; it’s time to take accountability for anything in your life that has hurt someone, anything that disrupted the natural flow of nature. We’re all guilty. Even the little things count. If you believe in the theory that everything in the universe is connected by a fine strand of energy, then everything that we touch has rippled through the universe creating change, disruption, growth, improvement, or devastation. If the whole world believed in this theory, we’d all tread more gently on this Earth.

Reversed Interpretation: “Uh-Oh!”, warns Judgment on its head. You fucked up, it’s telling you, but this card is also warning you that it might not be too late. You still might be able to make amends, to fix whatever you broke, to make positive change where you might have created havoc, hurt someone or something, or generally crashed through an area of life like a bull in a china shop. “Fix it!”, Judgment is shouting at us.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I will tread on this Earth without leaving a mark.

2. I will right a wrong.

3. I will fight for justice.

4. I will promote honesty and integrity.

5. I will not pass judgment on others.

A Tarot Reading for Judgement:
Judgement ~ The Emperor; The Magician ®; Ace/wands

Justice and Judgement are sisters, fraternal twins locked in a wicked alliance.

Judgement, you wreak of power, sometimes misused, often misinterpreted, and most definitely feared.  You make the guilty cringe and the innocent question themselves.  You draw us up short, with a sharp jerk on the noose you’ve placed around our necks, startling us into a new dimension, or shoving us into past expectations, and human emotions that wreak of guilt, self-doubt, and sometimes even shame.

You are an internal power struggle against all things…good and evil; being strong and being weak; being a failure and being successful; being pious and being blatantly hedonistic; being faithful and being unfaithful– to a partner, to ourselves, to divinity, to the universe, to dead expectations.  Judgement, you stand before humankind and make us tremble with trepidation, conjuring the energies of old doctrines, outdated morals, and Dante’s Hell.

Tarot Study Guide
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©2015 Amythyst Raine

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19 The Sun

Keywords: happiness; contentment; illusion; peace

Archetypes: Snoopy; Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blond); Mr. Rogers; the smiley face

Correspondences:

Number/1

Planet/Sun

Element/Fire

Astrological Sun Sign/Leo

Upright Interpretation: This card has been described as that big slobbery spaniel dog that jumps all over you in joyous unbridled enthusiasm, which can be a wonderful thing in itself, but it can also be too intense and overwhelming for the more quiet gentle soul. Happiness in large big drafts in short intervals are probably better for our fragile skeptical human nature. No one is going to be yippity-skippity glowing in sunshine one hundred percent of the time, but they sure will be riding a wave when this card is shining upon them. It’s so bright as to be blinding.

Reversed Interpretation: Sad days ahead, maybe a bout of melancholia, a feeling of wistfulness, as though happiness is right at our fingertips, but just as we reach for it, it slips painfully away. We seem to have drawn a very definite line between utter happiness and total despair, leaving a large (and more normal) gray area to be forgotten by some, taken for granted by most, and tripped through without a lot of thought by those few lucky souls who traipse through life oblivious, unfettered by anything. Know that the darkness is not forever and the Sun will shine again.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I smile in the face of despair.

2. I look for the silver lining.

3. I’m thankful for all the positive energy and people in my life.

4. I shine.

5. I spread light where there are shadows.

A Tarot Reading for The Sun:
The Sun ~ 2/cups; 4/pentacles; Ace/cups

Your brilliance is a thermostat for our happiness.  When your rays are blinding and our eyes water as we try to look directly into your shining face, we are happier than we believe we will ever be again.  When the golden touch of your light is dimmed in the least, fragile humans that we are, we feel doomed to coming disappointment, unhappiness, and despair.  Your energy is all or nothing, or so it seems.  We feel your intensity so keenly that any change in your mysterious persona, throws us into panic.  Oh, dear, humankind, you may be moving out of happiness into another state.

Sun, you are a magician, fodder for our whimsical hearts.  We are either happy in love, working on changes and improvements, or “it’s complicated”.  (Did a soft gray cloud just brush past your shining face?).  Human feelings have been relegated to “hot” and “cold” sensations, a system of grading that directly touches on your presence, or your absence, dear Sun.  And “heat”…oh, the heat of your searing surface.  You are the great master for indicating human feelings and levels of passion.

“Learn to be happy with what you have”, The Sun tells us.  “If you can’t learn ‘satisfaction’, you will never be totally happy at any point in life, because you will never experience the complete and awesome sensations of being satisfied.  Nothing will ever be enough.  You will spend your life on a futile endless search for more, always more.”

These are the lessons of The Sun.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

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18 The Moon

Keywords: women’s mysteries; secrets; occult mysteries; lies; deception; goddess power; polar opposites

Archetypes: Mother Goddess; Dorian Gray; feminists; Katherine Hepburn; Hecate

Correspondences:

Number/7

Planet/Neptune

Element/Water

Astrological Sun Sign/Pisces

Upright Interpretation: The Moon is every beautiful exquisite torturous moment of deception and denial. It’s the mystery of truth. The Moon propels us forward, to venture deep within ourselves. It bathes us with the silver light of self-awareness. For some Pagans, this card exemplifies the Goddess and all her feminine mystery. For others it’s an unnameable energy that envelops them in personal awareness, revealing misconceptions, secrets that are whispered on the winds, a darkness so intense we cannot bear to look upon it, yet so beautiful, we cannot stand to look away.

Reversed Interpretation: The dark aspects of our psyche, and often of someone connected to us, is intensified. The mystery is deeper, the deception more twisted, the energy more unsettled. The Moon like this is a warning. Take heed, it says, the gray-black mists of the inevitable are slowly winding their way through the corners of your life, and if you don’t take action, they will catch up to you. And you’ll look at it, mesmerized by the beauty and mystery of it all, and you’ll have to pause to wonder…Do you want to change your course, or do you want to embrace it?

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I embrace the Feminine Divine in me.

2. I embrace the energy of the Moon.

3. I follow the Magick.

4. I have learned to discern a liar.

5. I grow stronger and more beautiful each day.

A Tarot Reading for The Moon:
The Moon ~ The World; Justice; Queen/wands

You send us through portals on a whim and a prayer, ignoring our pleas and screams of protest, unaware yourself of where this new passageway will take us.  You just know that we have to go.  You grab us by the shoulders and stand us before a mirror, forcing us to look at ourselves, our lives, and our direction with unabashed clarity and often cruel introspection.  Be gone self-deception, you command.  Finish what you start; wipe the slate clean; find the truth; avoid the dark places if possible…all these you whisper in our  ear.

Life isn’t always fair, you state firmly and calmly, almost nonchalantly.  Justice is subjective, just like art.  It all depends upon your perspective as to whom is getting the fair end of the stick.  Again, warnings of deception, whether coming from outside sources,  or from the dark corners of our own minds, filter through the symbolism on your face, the images you carry.  You are rife with warnings, really wanting us to avoid the pitfalls and potholes before us, but knowing that we must choose to do so, we must choose our path, we must learn by our mistakes…and we must learn by our victories.

You tell us to get a firm grasp on life; be vigilante; be forceful when the need arises; avoid the dark side of life, the dark side of our psyche, but don’t be afraid to go there when necessity rears its ugly head.  Be in control, be strong, get organized, don’t waver before duty, don’t cower before life.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

17 The Star

Keywords: perseverance; concentration; one-track mind; diligence; endless possibilities; miracles; magick

Archetypes: The Nutty Professor; Dorothy (and her crew); Dr. Seuss (his manuscript was rejected 80 times before he hit pay-dirt)

Correspondences:

Number/4

Planet/Uranus

Element/Air

Astrological Sun Sign/Aquarius

Upright Interpretation: This card reminds me somewhat of Temperance, except the angelic figure on Temperance is robed and this woman is naked. What this card deals with is more “out there”, more viewable, more public; and whatever circumstances it surrounds, it’s going to open up the can, whether there’s any worms in there or not. This card is a defining moment, it is every defining moment you will ever have in life; and we all have more than one. It’s brilliant; it has Super-Star quality; it is unembarrassed, intent, directed. This card validates all your hard work; this card acknowledges that you gave it your best shot. This card isn’t afraid to bare all to the world, so don’t be shy.

Reversed Interpretation: It’s okay to fail. All you can do is try. If your best efforts got all fucked up, it might– or it might not– have been your fault. The main message here? Get up off your knees, wipe off the dust and dirt, the mud and the blood, and get your ass in gear to try again. Don’t give up…that’s the main message. If you give up, you will not succeed for sure. If you try, you might be victorious. I know, this sounds like a flip of the coin; but hey, that means you’ve got a 50/50 shot. Don’t waste your opportunity.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. My light shines like a beacon for positive energy.

2. I’m an achiever, a mover, a shaker.

3. I will make a wish upon a star.

4. I revel in the brightness of my spirit.

5. I will, I am, I do.

A Tarot Reading for The Star:
The Star ~ 2/swords ®; 9/wands; The Sun ®

You ignore everything, screaming at us silently to succeed, ignoring all the major sign posts or indications there could possibly be any other outcome.  You squelch every question or doubt.  You force us to take our blinders off and jump into our dreams and goals, secret wishes and desires, with both feet, not knowing, or seeming to care, where or how we actually land.  “Just do it– do it NOW!”, you yell at us from your heavenly vantage point.

Beautiful Star, you warn us with brilliant light and a magical touch, to let our guard down, to expose our underbelly to the world and dare it to all be okay, knowing that what we needed all along is an incredible abundance of confidence and a total shedding of that wicked Killer-of-Dreams…fear.  “You’re strong!”, you shout at us through your brilliant glory.  “You can do it”, you call to us, on your knees at the pool of all life.  “You are SUCCESSFUL!”, you proclaim to us and the heavens.

“Happiness comes to all of us in different degrees,” you calmly state with a quiet voice, letting us know that life is life and we are human, and the level of happiness we achieve can only be understood from our earth-bound perspective.  But there’s more, you hint broadly with a wise smile, knowing that many of us must find the key to this happiness on our own and the New Existence it will open.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

16 The Tower

Keywords: free-falling; jumping ship; shit hits the fan; cataclysmic; inevitable; Warning

Archetypes: Wrong-Way-Corrigan; Gilligan; Larry, Moe, & Curly Joe

Correspondences:

Number/7

Planet/Mars

Element/Fire

Astrological Sun Sign/Sagittarius

Upright Interpretation: Oh, my– she says with a weary sigh. I can’t tell you how many catastrophes, or catastrophic changes, this card has heralded in all its shitty glory. Even when the changes are good, or at least necessary, this card and the events it warns of are never easy. It makes me tired, anxious, and spell-bound for my clients, usually all three at the same time. You’d think, with this card coming up as a warning, that it would make facing the future and what’s coming easier, but it doesn’t. It just laces life with an unusual amount of unwanted Anxiety. (Where’s my Valium, the three figures on this card ask, as they plummet to the earth.)

Reversed Interpretation: Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? (They always ask after a shot, after you’ve had a tooth pulled, after you’ve faced something– anything– that you’ve been dreading). And your answer?…Hell, yes! It was a stupid question, it always is. So the calamity might be behind you, or it might not have been as bad as you thought, but you’re still going to have to lick your wounds and pull yourself together for Life’s next round. Hopefully you’ve learned a few things from the experience, coming through the fire storm wiser and more profound. If not, believe me, as long as you’re living you can be sure of one thing– there will be a next time. It’s part of this insane process called LIFE.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I can take it; I can handle it.

2. I will survive it.

3. I will not let adversity get me down.

4. I will land on my feet, like a cat.

5. I will be ready for the next upheaval Life throws at me.

A Tarot Reading for The Tower:
The Tower ~ 9/pentacles ®; Knight/swords ®; Judgement ®

Tower, you taunt us mercilessly, making sure that aside from everything we’ve come through, all we have endured, we shall never be satisfied; not with ourselves, not with the outcome, not with the present, not with the past.  You wreak, dear card, of sacrifice at no price, of an unhealthy self-ego, of dissatisfaction and restlessness that will haunt us through our dreams, through this life, and possibly through the next.

You wield a sword of profound cruelty, even when the truth is carried within its tempered steel, a truth that you choose not to soften, but to let lay bare everything within us that we are terrified of, everything we try to hide, everything we choose to keep somewhere within the darkness of our psyche, that cobwebbed nook in our brain where all the Old Things lay.  As this knight charges forward, completely oblivious to the destruction of his words and his actions, so you charge forward in our life, leaving a path of destruction behind…old wounds laid open once again.

And you dare to open the door to judgement…Or do you, in some profound and twisted way, force us to come to terms with life on a primeval level?  Perhaps paving the way clear for new growth, new starts, renewed motivation and determination.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

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15 The Devil

Keywords: addiction; vice; weakness; self-inflicted adversity; gross materialism; unhealthy obsessions and compulsions

Archetypes: Satan; addicts– alcohol, drugs, sex; Michael Myers; the boogeyman;

Correspondences:

Number/8

Planet/Saturn

Element/Earth

Astrological Sun Sign/Capricorn

Upright Interpretation: This card is a bitch. It’s sly and sneaky; it has no conscience; and it lives to deceive. How many times has this card come up and I knew that the person sitting across from me was an alcoholic, or a drug addict? Lots! But I’ve never come right out and actually revealed this. How can you look someone in the eye and name their private demons out loud? That’s why this card is a bitch. At the other end of it all is the victim of someone else’s addictions sitting across from you, and you aren’t going to tell them anything they don’t already know. It sucks. You tend to pick up your skirts and try to gingerly dance around this card, when in truth, you should lay it all out on the table– the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Reversed Interpretation: It’s all in the past; whatever the demon was. They’ve beat it, or they’re trying to, maybe still clawing their way out of the pit, with the cold skeletal hand of their vice gripping their foot. Give it a kick! Come on, you can do it! Encourage, rejoice, celebrate, support, and monitor these people. They often win the battle, but discover that the war is a life-long endeavor. Anyone coming out of this will be stronger for it, tempered by the trials and tribulations. But never forget– he will still be there, The Devil, standing behind them, breathing down their neck.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I will recognize my demons.

2. I will fight my demons.

3. I will have victory over my demons.

4. I will forever watch my demons, always on guard for their return.

5. I will have dominion over the weakest part of myself.

A Tarot Reading for The Devil:
The Devil ~ 6/pentacles ®; The Magician ®; The Emperor ®

Tricky, tricky, you are, a Master of our addictions and faults.  You take away our material wealth, our earthly, physical strength.  You take away our personal power.  You steal all hope and break our spirit.  You hold false authority over us; and we don’t realize, sometimes for a very long time, sometimes not until it’s too late, that we have the ability to take it all back.

You rob us of the means to care properly for ourselves and others.  You rob us of the ability to think clearly and responsibly.  You are a thief that steals talent, ability, self-confidence, and motivation.  You play on our human faults and frailties.  You dig deep within the blackness of our soul, those edges and small nooks that should not be touched, and you resurrect our worst nightmares, our most destructive tendencies.  Then you feed them.

Eventually, Devil, black demon of our worst fears and most secret desires, some of us find strength and courage to stand up to you, to face you and look deep within your empty black eyes.  We stand close enough to smell your foul breath, and from some miraculous part of our soul comes the strength to break the chains that bind us to you.  The thing is, we have to be wise enough to realize that, although free of you for the moment, you have not left us.  You will always be hovering around the parameters of our world, waiting for one weak moment, waiting to snatch us up once more and bind us to the darkness of our souls.

Tarot Study Guide
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©2015 Amythyst Raine

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14 Temperance

Keywords: adaptation; purity of thought; discipline; principles; integrity; clear conscience

Archetypes: Glenda, the Good Witch of the North; the archangels; your guardian angel; Grandma Moses; Abraham Lincoln

Correspondences:

Number/3

Planet/Jupiter

Element/Fire

Astrological Sun Sign/Sagittarius

Upright Interpretation: You are doing everything right, by the book, with a clear conscience. Your mother would be proud of you. Is everything going to work out, just because you’re doing everything the way it should be done? Not necessarily, but at least you’ll have nothing to feel guilty about. Life, at this point, will at least feel stable and grounded, and you might get to catch your breath for a brief moment before the universe throws you another curve ball. Only in the movies do the good guys always win.

Reversed Interpretation: Someone isn’t playing by the rules. Tsk, tsk, the bad guy may be masquerading as a saint, keep your eye on him. The double edged sword of Sagittarius is telling us that now would be a good time to jump out of the box and think between the lines. It’s okay, really, it is, if you have to break a few rules here and there to get a positive outcome for the Bigger Picture. Think “Hunger Games”, “for the good of all”. It’s kind of scary, isn’t it?

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I will aspire to balance in all things.

2. I will aspire to fairness.

3. I will aspire to decency.

4. I will embrace the attributes of saintliness as positive energy.

5. I will spread these aspirations to everyone I touch.

A Tarot Reading for Temperance:
Temperance ~ 9/pentacles; Judgement; The Magician

You are deceptive at times, dear Temperance, your angelic calm countenance hiding all the emotional turmoil that lays beneath the surface.  How do you stay so calm in the face of adversity?  How can you expect us, mere humans, to do the same?  Maybe it’s all a trick; you’re not making eye contact, not on any card that I’ve seen.  (If I don’t look at them, they won’t panic, you think.)

What’s it all about anyway?

It’s all about learning to accept who you are and your lot in life.  It’s the idea that if you aren’t satisfied where you are, no matter where that is, you won’t be satisfied anywhere.  (And I mean this both literally and figuratively.).  Once we learn to accept where we are, and we figure that we might as well make the best of it and give it all we’ve got to make it livable and desirable, the Universe says to us– You’ve got it, by golly!– and then it hands us something new and unexpected on a silver platter, another rung up the ladder.  And we think to ourselves, okay, that’s what it was all about, huh.

It’s all about learning what Judgement is, really, and learning when to pay attention to it, when to apply it, and when to avoid and ignore it.  Whose judgement are we passing anyway?  Who has the authority to pass judgement on us?  Life is subjective, that’s what you’re trying to tell us Temperance.  You’re saying that if everything in our world is checking out okay, on every level, and we’re not being harmed, or doing harm, then it’s good.  It’s all good.  The hell with what anyone else thinks.  I think this is all part of the first lesson following on your tail, learning to accept ourselves, even if society, or family members, or the snob down the street doesn’t.

So, for the big picture, just out of curiosity, what are you trying to convey to us, Temperance?  That power comes from within?  That when we allow other people to judge us unfairly, we hand our power over to them?  That everyone has phases or moments in life when they aren’t as strong or powerful as they thought they were, or they thought they should be, but it’s all a temporary state anyway.  I know what you’re saying Temperance, we’ll get our power back– just keep our heads down and stay with the program, whatever that might be.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

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13 Death

Keywords: Transition; change; evolution; self-deception; The End– Fini

Archetypes: The Grim Reaper, Old Man New Year, Howard Hughes, Valdemort

Correspondences:

Number/9

Planet/Pluto

Element/Water

Astrological Sun Sign/Scorpio

Upright Interpretation: Bow before the universe and kiss the ground, because you’ve just escaped an unpleasant fate. Does this mean that from this point on life will be all easy and rosy? No, absolutely not, in fact it will probably get worse before it gets better, because you are in for some Big Changes, like it or not. The skeletal figure on this card, ironically The Grim Reaper, is here to drag you through a major life transition. It won’t do you any good to fight it, off you’ll go, kicking and screaming all the way. Persevere.

Reversed Interpretation: After reading the morning news and all the tragic things that have happened to people all over the world, you sigh with relief, because this is happening to Someone Else…well, don’t feel so lucky so fast. Look over your shoulder. Fate has just caught up with you, and it’s going to bite you in the ass. The black energy of Scorpio is unmistakeable when this card is reversed. It’s scary, as though every boogeyman you’ve ever been afraid of all throughout your life has just congregated right outside your front door– and he’s knocking, expecting you to let him in.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I will not be afraid of change.

2. I will accept and learn from the transitions of Life.

3. I will listen for the voice of Spirits.

4. I will embrace the inevitable with courage and fortitude.

5. I will teach my children to juggle and adjust to the bumps in Life’s road.

A Tarot Reading for Death:
Death ~ 3/cups ®; 6/swords ®; The Sun

Death, in your most cynical manner, you say to the world, “What do you have to be happy about?”.  And in the next breath, you pull the rug out from under us, you disrupt our lives, you tear down all that is familiar, all that was previously solid in our existence.  And just when we are totally flustered and on the brink of breaking emotionally, you say, “Wait a minute.  Open your eyes and look.”  And we do.  And you’ve laid something new at our feet, something fresh and promising and newly birthed.

Dear Death, though you inspire shudders upon those who first view your face from the confines of your card, you are there to support us and guide us through life.  What a paradox that seems to be, but it’s true.  When we don’t have enough courage to leave something negative behind, you deliberately start slamming doors and throwing open new routes, revealing unexplored passage-ways.  With a gentle hand on our back, you say, “It’s time to move on now, let’s go.”

Death, you take us by the hand, reassuring us that the storm shall pass, that the clouds will part and The Sun’s rays will burst forth again.  You look down on us through dark and hollowed skeletal eyes, and within this blackness we see the shining light of hope.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

11 Justice

Keywords: scales of justice; fairness; truth; honor; the-principle-of-the-matter

Archetypes: Karma; Judge Judy; King Arthur; Dennis the Menace

Correspondences:

Number/6

Planet/Venus

Element/Air

Astrological Sun Sign/Libra

Upright Interpretation: This is easy, I’m Libra, and I’ve been cursed with the insane tenacity for justice so beautifully inspired by my sun sign. The iconic figure on this card will give up a lot for The-Principle-Of-The-Thing, even when this type of sacrifice may seem pointless and even silly to the multitudes. Sometimes it might even seem unnecessary to the Libra making their point, once some time has passed and things can be put in perspective. But, never-the-less, by god, we’re playing by the book here.

Reversed Interpretation: Someone is going to get away with a load of crap, bogging people down, beating the system, cheating the public, or some poor individual who doesn’t even see it coming. The system failed; yes, it did, when Justice is standing on her head. But never fear, once she rights herself and the blood returns to her brain, she’ll be thinking clearly again…and so will you.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I will rise to the occasion.

2. I will not suffer injustice without putting up a fight.

3. Always take the high road.

4. I fight for “the principle of the thing”.

5. Live beyond reproach.

A Tarot Reading for Justice:
Justice ~ The Lovers ®; 10/cups ®; The Sunday

“All is fair in love and war”, so the old saying goes; but in reality, no, it’s not.  Within both realms, Justice, you are hiding the best and worst of everything that humanity can dredge to the surface of life.  Love is often described as a battle field by the more cynical individuals, and this perspective most often comes from having fought the fight, having survived the skirmish, perhaps with a few wounds and tender spots to show for it.  And war?  The injustice that surrounds this event, no matter where it’s fought, no matter who the participants, is a glaring blight on humanity.  “Imagine”, as John Lennon once said, in his song of peace and acceptance.  And that’s what you’re trying to tell us Justice, to be fair, to do things right, to be kind.

We don’t always get everything we wish for, but then again, it seems like some people always do (the golden children).  Life isn’t always fair, this is what you’re trying to tell us, Justice, like a parent talking to a child (as we stand before you with arms crossed defiantly on our chest, with a clenched pout plastered to our mouth, with eyes stubbornly averted from your glorious face).  Humanity can behave like a group of children who have never grown up, children who are spoiled, children who feel entitled.  You’re trying to tell us, Justice, that during our lifetime there will be moments of pleasure in wishes granted, but don’t expect to receive everything you desire, and when you realize that it’s not coming to you, learn to accept this fact with grace and dignity.

As you sit upon your thrown, sword raised to the heavens, the scales of justice held in your capable hands, your voice can be heard:  Happiness comes to those who do things right, those who try to be fair, those who treat others with dignity, those who fight for justice in this world upon so many levels, and in so doing bring a rush of positive energy and a flash of pure spirit.  Sweet Justice, as you look out from the center of your card on humanity, with that placid calm expression on your face, you try to assure us…Everything will be okay.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

10 Wheel of Fortune

Keywords: completion; a game plan; success; Lady Luck; the gambler; taking chances; all your eggs in one basket; winning the lottery

Archetypes: The Gambler (Kenny Rodgers); Robin Hood; race car drivers; politicians; business women

Correspondences:

Number/1

Planet/Jupiter

Element/Earth

Astrological Sun Sign/Aquarius

Upright Interpretation: There is the immense relief of getting something accomplished, of meeting a deadline, of coming to the end of a monumental task, the satisfaction of having completed a job-well-done. This is a happy cat-chasing-it’s-tale card, but with a game plan, a touche to the world. If no one else understands where you’re coming from, or how you’re going to do what it is you’re planning to do, know that you– and the universe– will have it all straight.

Reversed Interpretation: The cat’s still chasing it’s tale, but this time it’s going in mindless circles with no game plan and not a clue as how to stop the merry-go-round to get off. You’re a long way from done, says the reversed Wheel of Fortune. Everything is left open, up in the air, with nary a solution or set date of completion in sight. Get a grip. Don’t let life, or unforeseen circumstances, rule the outcome of your day, your week, your month, or your life.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I won’t be afraid to take a chance.

2. I won’t be afraid to take a chance while using Common Sense.

3. I won’t let an opportunity pass me by.

4. I will learn and live, love and grow, by grasping at Life’s impossibilities.

5. I can do it; I can do it; I can do it!

A Tarot Reading for The Wheel of Fortune:
Wheel of Fortune ~ The World ®; 10/pentacles; Queen/cups ®

Everything is spinning, including the Earth and human lives, spinning towards their destiny, spinning out of control, spinning onto other levels, spinning closer towards endings and beginnings.  Your movement, Wheel of Fortune, is dizzy and off-center, a little tipsy maybe, as if you’ve had a glass or two of wine, or something even stronger.  There comes with this movement a sense of closure or completion, a sense of fulfillment, a sense of relief.  Are you playing with us, or with yourself, dear Wheel of Fortune, as from the center of your card, you boldly and firmly state, “What goes around, comes around.”

Lady Luck, they call you, and with this power you wield, you either drop golden coins on surprised recipients, or you empty the pockets of those daring enough to face off with you one too many times.  It gives the world pause for thought.  Is life just really one big chance?  Are we here to fulfill a destiny, or are we nothing more than numbers spinning on some luminous game of chance in the center of this big black universe?  And what is destiny, after all, and what constitutes riches and golden precious coins.  All of these things may be something different for each individual, and it’s this glaring fact that you chase us with.

Wheel of Fortune, you inspire us to follow our dreams, to listen to our intuition, to open our arms to visions.  You remind us of the connection we have with Spirit and the laws of physics, and the hard reality of life.  You remind us that chances often come from the most unexpected direction and source, and you fill us with a sense of hope.  If life is a game, you tell us, we all have an equal chance to win.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

9 The Hermit

Keywords: solitude; reflection; meditation; anti-social behavior; loner; out-cast; innovative thinker

Archetypes: Cinderella’s Fairy God Mother; Gandhi; Jesuit priests; cloistered nuns; Robinson Crusoe

Correspondences:

Number/5

Planet/Mercury

Element/Earth

Astrological Sun Sign/Virgo

Upright Interpretation: This guy has great things going on in his head, but he’s just too shy to spread some of these insights and this incredible wealth of knowledge and ideas. Sometimes it’s the quiet people who have the most to offer. We just have to look below the surface and take some time and effort to crack the shell these people put up around themselves. Solitude (the good kind) is highlighted with this upright card. Take time to just “Be” and “Think”, the Hermit is telling us.

Reversed Interpretation: The reversed Hermit is pathetic. He’s neurotically insecure, which makes him try harder to impress, or to make sure he’s the center of attention. He’s usually a churning mass of jealousy, tends to be pissy when someone disagrees with him (or doesn’t validate his egotistical impression of himself), and has little regard for other people’s feelings. The reversed Hermit tends to be an asshole. If you meet him, you kind of wish he’d crawl back into the solitary hole he climbed out of.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. Being alone can be a positive experience.

2. I will use this solitude for growth & reflection.

3. I will create my own path.

4. I will walk my own walk.

5. I will celebrate MYSELF.

A Tarot Reading for The Hermit:
The Hermit ~ Ace/swords; The Sun; King/pentacles

The strangest thing about being alone is that it’s often easier to find your voice.  It’s not overshadowed and drowned out by all the voices around you, all the thoughts, ideas, opinions, and judgments of others.  And it’s so easy to be strong and confident in your own voice when you’re by yourself, but when you re-emerge in the world (and you will), all your self-doubts and insecurities will rise once more to the surface.  It’s like someone once said…alone in your own surroundings you feel like a Queen in your ratty old sweater; but out in the public domain, you cower beneath the scrutiny of the world even when cloaked in expensive clothes.

The Sun will teach you, Hermit, to be truly happy.  You have to learn to be happy all by yourself before you will find happiness in the company of others.  The Sun is going to shine on you, Hermit, it’s going to make you happy in spite of yourself.  It’s going to throw big rays of golden light on all the boogie-men in the dark closet of your mind so that you can see them for what they really are…puny harmless impressions of wanna-be dark things that go bump in the night.

In your solitude comes great strength, Hermit.  But this endless cool blue pool of solitude can only spread out so far from the core that is you.  Eventually, it will touch something of the world, maybe an individual, maybe an idea, maybe a gallant cause.  You will be pulled back into the fray of the world, Hermit, but I suspect that you will be able to maintain the cool calm exterior you like to show the world.  It’s all about control, and you’re an expert in this area.  Just remember, real control often shows it’s face most notably when it’s relinquished.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

8 Strength

Keywords: power; perseverance; hidden strength; taking chances; beating the odds; persistence; determination

Archetypes: the cowardly lion; Rosa Parks; Tinker Bell

Correspondences:

Number/1

Planet/Sun

Element/Fire

Astrological Sun Sign/Leo

Upright Interpretation: This card is all about getting a grip on life– anything, anything in your life that is causing confusion and consternation, anything that’s messing you up. It’s about the Little Guy and how he can conquer the world, regardless of other people’s doubt and negativity. It’s about perseverance, and holding out, and hanging on during extraordinary challenges. This card is shouting, “You can! You can! You can!”. Get off your ass and get some balls, is the unceremonious message from Strength…don’t give up!

Reversed Interpretation: You threw in the towel! You gave up! You didn’t give something a fair chance; you lost faith; you let other people’s opinions influence you in a negative way. When Strength is reversed, it means that someone isn’t trying hard enough. If you’re not going to give a project your all, why bother? If you’re not going to put everything into it to get the most out of it, why start? Strength reversed is an ominous indication of defeat.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I can.

2. I will.

3. I did.

4. I’ll do it all again.

5. I cannot lose, I will succeed, I am success.

A Tarot Reading for Strength:
Strength ~ Queen/swords ®; 9/swords; 8/pentacles

The image of cold steely strength that you would like to hold up to the world as the image of your true and inner self isn’t quite the whole story.  Being strong doesn’t mean that you’re invulnerable.  We all have our weak spots, our sorry soft feelings, ideas, emotions, and mentality.  Strength, sometimes you’re strong because you’re secure enough to admit your own weaknesses.  It’s only by recognizing them that we can conquer them.

Sometimes Strength feels that they must be strong for everyone.  By thinking that you have to shoulder the cares of the world, you’re opening yourself up to all of the negative energy that goes with this, and energy is a very real tangible thing.  All of this negative energy will be too much for you, even if you think you know how to keep it cleared out.  It will be still be too much for the amount you’re taking in, for the sense of responsibility you feel.  Let it go, Strength.  Sometimes you’re doing more of a favor to someone when you let them come face to face with their own problems, it’s the only way some people learn to shoulder their responsibilities.

Oh, what a glorious thing you are, Strength.  It’s your rippling magnetic positive existence that gives most of us the determination to work hard enough to realize our dreams, to reach our goals, to meet our highest potential.  Without you, Strength, where would we be?  What are you anyway?…this tiny shining crystal in the center of our being.  Sometimes we think you’re not there, and then you burst out unexpectedly in a glorious ray of colors.  Stay with us Strength, we need you.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

7 The Chariot

Keywords: movement; progression; progress; activity; controlled chaos; decisions; choices; leader-ship; “hang on for the ride”; giddy-up; “move ’em out”; strength; purpose; in charge

Archetypes: the Bionic Woman; Margaret Thatcher; Hilary Clinton; Whoopi Goldberg; Katherine Hepburn; Cat Woman

Correspondences:

Number/2

Planet/Moon

Element/Water

Astrological Sun Sign/Cancer

Upright Interpretation: Oh my gawds, this card is hair flying, rampaging down the road at 100 mph. It’s the idea of “going somewhere fast”; of “git ‘er done”; it’s crazy in-your-face super hyper energy. It almost makes me tired just contemplating the movement and speed associated with this card. The image of The Chariot is a single driver in a small horse-drawn (or in the case of the Rider Waite deck– sphinx drawn) carriage. This implies to me that You are in charge, that You are at the helm of your ship, and it is You who has the power to control the direction your life will take, the decisions that you make. It’s all going to come down to You— you’re not going to be able to blame anyone else for your choices.

Reversed Interpretation: “Be careful!”, says the reversed Chariot. This is a train wreck (or chariot wreck) just waiting to happen. When this card is reversed, you are feeling all the pressures of this card mentioned above. It means that Life, or someone else, is in a hurry for you to make a decision. You’re being rushed, and this means that you might make a rash decision. Whenever life comes barreling at you too fast, whenever you feel that the wheels are spinning out of control, remember that you have the power to stop and step off, step back…take some quiet time to reflect and regenerate.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. When I’m ready, I’m ready.

2. I will relish every single minute of my wild ride through Life.

3. I will run, with the wind in my hair, and the sun on my face.

4. I will learn to traverse the rocky road.

5. When the horses are tired, I’ll stop and rest.

A Tarot Reading for The Chariot:
The Chariot ~ Temperance; 5/pentacles; 3/cups

Life is all about movement.  It’s about careening through this journey from one end of the spectrum to the other.  It’s about being able to find balance, and to BE balanced throughout the whole crazy process.  The thing is that each of us has something that will help us maintain control (and sanity), but some of us have a harder time identifying just what that something is.  So that is the question…What keeps you grounded?

In most instances, there is no black or white, just shades of gray, but for The Chariot this is an exception.  Life is filled with hills and valleys, highs and lows, peaks of rapture and blinding bliss, as well as depths of deep black despair.  The Chariot usually tries to ride the high road for most individuals through most of their lives, but ever so often the road traveled takes dangerous dark twists and turns, and all that you can do is hold tight to the reins and ride it out.  Don’t flinch from the dark parts of your life, you can conquer them by learning from them and using this knowledge to put forth something positive.

The incredibly over-the-top highs in life are as sparse and punctuated as its black depths.  And maybe there is a reason for this.  Extremes in both directions are overwhelming, and perhaps human beings can only take them in small doses.  The high points are precious gems.  Hoard the diamonds you find along your journey (life); pick them up and protect them like a priceless treasure.  Put them in your pocket (your mind) to keep and bring out on darker days, so that you remember there is a Light.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine

tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com

6 The Lovers

Keywords: passion; sex; lust; bonding; couples; love; romance; more sex; more passion

Archetypes: Romeo & Juliet; Brad & Angelina; Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor; John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Correspondences:

Number/5

Planet/Mercury

Element/Air

Astrological Sun Sign/Cancer

Upright Interpretation:

“Let’s get something straight between us.”, says the male figure on this card to the female figure on the other side of this card. And between them, there is indeed something straight– a big old mountain rising out of the ground, stretching into the blue sky. I also find it significant that they each have their Very-Own-Tree; his going up in flames, hers decorated with the proverbial apples and a snake. It’s an eternal story line, this card…love and relationships, and the differences between men and women, and how does it all work out anyway? It’s usually a story-in-progress.

Reversed Interpretation:

Ack! Not everything is all hunky-dory, usually a long way from it. What is perfection, anyway, where relationships are concerned? Is it even practical to use these two words in the same sentence? Attraction and compatibility are two very different things, one doesn’t always mean the other will follow. Damn! It’s always the good looking individual you’re attracted to, and it’s usually a recipe for disaster. “Head’s Up!”, says The Lovers reversed…watch out for the train wreck.

Study Questions:

1. What is your first impression of this card?

2. What does this card mean to You?

3. Are there details on this card that especially stand out for you? If so, write them down and explain.

4. How does this card define relationships?

5. How does this card define financial circumstances?

6. How is this card relevant to health issues?

Affirmations for Meditation:

1. I rejoice in the physical union of sex.

2. I embrace my sexuality, whatever it may be.

3. I believe in love.

4. I will find my Soul Mate.

5. I will respect myself and my partner.

A Tarot Reading for The Lovers:
The Lovers ~ The Sun ®; Page/cups; The Fool ®

Don’t expect happiness to be a steadfast requirement with relationships.  If this were true, what would all those romance writers have to write about?  The opposite most often follows for the majority of humanity; and I’m not going to count those rare soul mates who claim to recapture their connection lifetime after lifetime.  They’re a different story all together, and they make the rest of us love-starved mortals choke.  Most of us stumble through the very human journey of finding a mate, building a relationship, and continuing a relationship, or abandoning it for another, with great determination to Be Happy.  If you don’t automatically expect happiness, you might be pleasantly surprised at how the universe will tickle your fancy.

Stay alert for unexpected opportunities for love, whether this will come through synchronistic signals and events, or whether this comes from a gazillion other places.  Think of how often someone might have missed a magical connection because they were so busy watching the distant horizon for True Love, waiting for their Knight in Shining Armor to come galloping out of the sunset. They didn’t pay any attention to the individual who said hello at the coffee shop, or the guy who came to change the furnace filter, or the friend of a friend who showed up unexpectedly at a party and handed them glass of whatever.  Don’t look so far out into the yonder, that you miss what’s right in front of your hopeful little face.

Don’t expect a perfectly paved golden journey once you find Love.  Unlike Cinderella and Snow White, this is just the beginning, not a happy-ever-after ending.  There is no such thing as Love without strife; Love without moments of disconnect; Love without some disappointments from time to time; Love without compromises; Love without giving in; Love without standing your ground; Love without good days and bad days.  Life is a journey and love is just part of it, and it’s laced with potholes, dead-ends, and lots of dusty gravel roads.  It’s a journey alright; it’s a process, and there are so many of us who will give up in the midst of it all and take a detour.

Tarot Study Guide
A Complete Listing

©2015 Amythyst Raine