I still had a few cards left in the Major Arcana to go through,

but I don’t want to leave you guys hanging on the Minor Arcana.

There are four suits in the Minor Arcana: Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles.

Each suit has an Ace through 10 with four face cards.

The cards within a suit all fall into a category:

The Cup cards are all associated with relationships and connections.

Wands are action cards.

They require movement, 

Most of the wand cards often call for a directing of energy.

Swords are conflict cards.

For me, they are similar to the vibes of Justice in the Major Arcana:

Cold and cutting straight to the truth.

In my experience, swords can be brutal, but the truths they reveal are worth it.

Finally, the Pentacles.

Pentacles deal with material wealth and money. 

Finances are their forte.

They can be really helpful when you need to make a daunting decision.

I also got a comment asking about doing readings for guidance, (I responded but I don’t know if everyone can see it).

The answer is literally all the time.

I used to get panic attacks and anxiety spirals all the time.

Doing a reading really helps slow your mind down and focus on something other than your thoughts or whatever is stressing you out.

Can’t think of a question in the middle of a panic attack?

Understandable.

My go-to for when I want to do a reading just because is to ask the question “What do I need?”

There are also other ways to use tarot cards to help your mental health.

Tarot is a great meditation tool.

There are many different methods that you can research online if you are interested,

but the most basic way to meditate using tarot is to choose a card and really visualize the aspects of the card in your life.

It’s great for the mind.

Tarot is a seriously interesting research rabbit hole to go down.

For example, every card is associated with a star sign(s), numbers, and even medicinal plants.

If you do get interested in researching this topic or topic related to tarot,

you might run into “rituals” or “spells” (I put them in quotes because they are referred to differently based on context, culture, religion, etc.).

Like tarot, the modern-day perceptions of these practices are very skewed and are probably not what you think.

But it is important to do your research before you try to replicate something you find online.

There are what are known as closed practices,

which means that the practice in question is significant to a specific culture,

and the people from that culture have asked others to stop appropriating it.

An example of this is burning White Sage, which is an Indigenous practice that mainstream pop culture picked up a few years ago.

And that’s all folks,

I hope you guys enjoyed my blog posts as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Happy reading!

 

The Hanged Man is a powerful card even within the Major Arcana.

When he appears it often means that there is a major decision that you are waiting to make.

Most likely there are outside factors that you are waiting on to make your decision, possibly making you indecisive.

The Hanged Man represents the period of suspended action that the querent is in before this decision.

Depending on the other cards in the spread, this could be a calm period, or one full of anxiety.

Look to the other cards to figure out what the best path is:

should the querent make a decision quickly, should they let things sort themselves out (this is true with the Tower), is there a situation they should really get out of before making a decision, etc.

Speaking of sticky situations, when reversed, the Hanged Man could indicate that you are at a standstill within a situation.

Almost like your aspirations are on the back burner.

But when he appears reversed it means that the period of standstill is coming to an end for better or worse.

Alright, now for a card with a potentially bad rep: Death.

The human relationship with death has become dread. 

Dread of the unknown, dread of the inevitable.

But this card is far from dreadful.

When the Death card appears, it is a good sign of change.

That through change, the querent will grow into a better version of themselves.

Kind of like the relationship death has with nature:

In the winter, everything dies, only to be reborn again in spring just different.

Death is the balance of nature and the world, trust that the change this card foretells will lead to a better spring.

When reversed, it represents a reluctance to change.

That you are resisting something that needs to happen, no matter how painful it might be.

It could also mean that there is a negative change being brought by outside forces.

Onto a more sobering card, Temperance.

Get it… sober and temperance? Okay, any who, Temperance.

Temperance represents balance, and the idea of moderation.

Patience is a virtue and Temperance is all about looking before jumping into extreme situations.

When reversed, Temperance indicates an imbalance or conflict.

Beware addiction when Temperance reversed appears with the Devil.

Speaking of the Devil, lets dive into this controversial card.

It’s easy to just dismiss the Devil as the stereotypical implications the name usually carries.

But as everything in the Tarot, this card is more complex.

The Devil represents inner constraint.

That there is a bond keeping you from achieving true happiness, but that bond is ultimately held together by the querent themselves.

You might be under the illusion that there are outside forces messing everything up, but in reality, something that you are doing is causing self-torment.

This card urges you to assess the real reasons behind your issues:

is there an obsession holding you back, maybe an unhealthy relationship, or even addiction.

Take caution against things that could make your situation worse.

Overall, the Devil gives the same message reversed or upright,

but when reversed it could indicate that past addictions are affecting your path, especially if it appears in the past position.

The Strength card is one of the most graceful and beautiful cards in the deck in my opinion.

Strength represents the ability to overcome through calm patience, persistence, and confidence in oneself.

Look to your instincts and natural reactions to guide you through whatever lies ahead.

Strength represents a careful control over personal and environmental aspects.

This card is mostly positive but when reversed it could indicate self-doubt or an unhealthy reliance on external opinions.

Another possibility is that you have been listening to your instinctual reactions too much without any control/self-discipline.

Moving to the Hermit.

The Hermit card is what it sounds like: isolation.

The Hermit indicates that it is a time for introspection and self-care, which often means isolation.

The broad nature of this card particularly means that it is affected by others in the spread.

If the Five of Wands is in your spread with the Hermit, it could mean that you are isolating yourself by being overly confrontational.

Paired with the Lovers, look to spend alone time with your significant other.

When paired with the Star, you are on the right track and need to trust your path.

Can you find the balance between solitude and loneliness?

When reversed, the Hermit could be telling you that you really need to take time by yourself,

or that your time of solitude is over, and you need to move forward.

While the Hermit feels like a calm comfort, Justice is cold and to the point.

This card acts quite literally Lady Justice.

When Justice appears in your readings, it means that there are decisions that need to be made.

This card urges you to look for truth and be a fair judge of a situation.

When thinking about this card as a the querent themselves or someone in the querent’s life,

this card represents a person who can see through any B.S. to true intentions.

Beware the brutal aspect of the truth.

When reversed, Justice indicates dishonesty or that things are not what they seem in your situation.

Is someone lying to you, or are you lying to yourself?

For a change of pace, next is the Wheel of Fortune.

There is a quote from a TV show that I used to watch that perfectly encompasses this card:

“Life can’t ever be all good or all bad. Eventually, things have to come back to the middle.”

There’s a reason people say life is a rollercoaster, and this card tells you to just ride it.

Control what you can control, let go of what you can’t.

Which sometimes feels like a lot.

This card can speak to new beginnings or the cycles of life, but it also deals with luck.

When reversed, a possible interpretation is that your luck has run out, and things just aren’t going your way.

Maybe certain external forces are affecting your path.

This is certainly a card for externalities, but just remember,

everything passes, either enjoy it while it lasts or persevere until it gets better.

No one can resist time.

Last week, we went over the High Priestess.

This week, it’s time to introduce you to the male counterpart of the High Priestess, the Hierophant.

Just like the High Priestess, the Hierophant deals with the intersection of the conscious and the unconscious worlds.

What makes the Hierophant different is that he represents institutions or the hierarchy and traditions that can accompany them.

Think of him as being focused on sharing knowledge with an institution.

For this reason, he is often associated with higher learning and leadership. I have also seen him show up with religions as well.

When he shows up in your reading, it often means that you should continue, or start to be a part of some type of structure or system such as school, church, community, or maybe fitness.

Be careful when he appears with the Hermit, your work in an organization might be too isolating.

His reversed indicates that there is a need to question those that are running the show, or to take another look at how you place in an organization.

Is it time to let an organization go, or should you be playing a deeper role within its hierarchy?

Look to the other cards in the spread to tell you how to interpret the card.

Next to the Lovers.

In relationship readings, everyone loves the Lovers! But don’t get so caught up in the face value of the card that you lose its complexities.

This card represents attraction, connection, and yes, love.

But different types of love depending on the where the card is in the spread and what cards surround it.

They could represent the love of a parent, platonic love, or the influence of soulmates. Often this card indicates marriage, commitment, or fundamental friendships.

Another aspect of this card is that of decisions or change. Choosing the right path for yourself is emphasized by the Lovers.

In order to find the right path, look plainly at your true desires and embrace them.

Which leads to the Lovers reversed.

I once did a reading for a close friend who was in a funk and just not happy with how things were going.

When the Lovers reversed appeared, I was confused because he was not in a relationship and did not plan to be.

Turns out, he was struggling with his sexuality while living in a deeply religious household (the Hierophant was also in the reading).

The Lovers reversed indicates inner conflict or imbalance. A kind of guilt or disharmony with yourself. Just remember, it is human to love.

And loving yourself, easiest thing in the world, right?

In another reading, the Lovers reversed could also indicate a lack of mutual feelings, or people not being on the same page in a relationship.

Is there dishonesty or an interloper messing with your balance?

Now for the Chariot.

The Chariot is a card of ambition and self-discipline.

It speaks of struggles that are then overcome through work to achieve victory.

Whenever I look at this card, I picture classic Greek chariot racing in a large amphitheater. The Greek athletes worked through incredible feats of strength but enjoyed tremendous amounts of glory in their victory.

This card encourages passion and intellect to succeed in your trials and is most potent when in the future position.

When in the future position, the Chariot urges you to keep fighting in your struggles and your success will be guaranteed in the future.

That being said, when reversed the Chariot warns of being too focused.

Do you have tunnel vision, or are you sacrificing too much for a short-term victory?

Success might ask you to give up more than is healthy, really assess how far you are willing to go for your ambitions.

The Chariot and the Magician are a dangerous pair but are still full of a lot of potential.

You don’t necessarily have to quit your drive, but just be aware of the price that victory comes with.

Alright, we are starting back up with The High Priestess.

The High Priestess speaks to the unconscious.

She is the guardian to the realm of dreams, intuition, and the more mystical aspects of the spirit.

Basically, trust your gut but more elegant.

She is also a strong symbol of the feminine energy.

When she appears in a reading, your feminine side holds the answers to success.

When paired with cup cards, it is especially true that you need to focus on the emotions and connections around you, rather than the intellectual components.

There is also an element of change within this card.

Allow her guidance to increase your intuition and creative powers.

When reversed, The High Priestess warns of disconnect between you and your inner voice.

Be careful of relying too much on external feedback.

When paired with The Hermit, or another isolation card, take some me time to really reassess your issues by yourself.

Similar to The High Priestess, The Empress is also a very feminine card.

Her femininity is more maternal than the priestess, often spoken as “the fertility of the mind and body.”

When she appears, this is a time for new ideas, and that people will be attracted to you (not necessarily sexually/romantically, but just generally).

Speaking of fertility, she has a very homely, maternal, comforting aspect to her.

With cup cards especially, she speaks of settling down in relationships.

Marriage?

Babies?

All in her wheelhouse.

She encourages connection but be careful of her power in you.

Her reversed aspect cautions against giving too much of yourself away.

Are you the therapist friend?

Are you using your feminine energy to care for others, when you yourself need to care for your feminine energy?

Her reversed could also indicate an imbalance.

That you or someone you know is acting with too much masculine energy and the feminine is being suppressed.

This card has also been known to appear reversed when someone is having fertility issues or has a strained relationship with children.

The Emperor is the other half of the coin to The Empress.

He represents masculinity and the power of the mind over feelings.

He represents someone strong in authority, life experiences, and knowledge.

The classic patriarchal picture of the protector and the provider.

Think of him as an older sibling, father, or brother.

When he appears, trust the facts and the data in front of you.

Whenever I do a reading for myself, he often appears as someone else in my life.

I know to follow the person who has more experience and try to contribute my own experience to the situation.

When reversed, beware of a domineering personality.

Is someone abusing their power? Or acting like a tyrant?

Now don’t necessarily throw all logic and authority to the wind but look for more balance.

Look for structure calmly to try and flip this card back to the positive.