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Posts Tagged ‘tarot reading’

Podcast Interview with Ally Bishop

Posted in Tarot, Tarot Today, Writer's Life, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 05/01/2015 | 2 Comments »

Happy New year!

At the end of 2014 I was interviewed by the highly talented Ally Bishop at www.upgradeyourstory.com on blogtalkradio.

We talk writing and tarot. Have a listen, and not only will you hear my dulcet tones, but also enjoy a few tarot tales and ghost stories.

2015 is going to be a year of change and I’m planning big things, with a new website under way, and loads of interactive events for you to join in with. More podcasts, webinars, and Google hangouts are all planned.

On some of these I’ll be teaching tarot, so if you have specific areas of tarot reading you’d like to learn about, let me know.

Keep up to date with how my new website build is shaping up by following my blog, or chasing after me on social media. Let’s keep in touch in 2015.

 

 

 

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Tarot and Timing Events – The Empress

Posted in Tarot, Tarot and Timing Events, tagged , , , , , on 11/06/2014 | Leave a Comment »

New blog post on my sister site ToniAllenBooks

When reading Tarot timing events is often tricky. In my latest post I’m offering insight as to how to judge when an event will happen if the Empress is chosen.

Tarot Waite Empress and Marseille EmpressCome and join me at ToniAllenBooks

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Tarot and Timing Events – The Magician

Posted in General, Tarot and Timing Events, Tarot Major Card Meanings, Tarot Today, Toni Allen Books, tagged , , , , , , on 26/05/2014 | 218 Comments »

New blog post on my sister site ToniAllenBooks

Marseille and Waite Magician

Marseille and Waite Magician

Ever wondered how to use Tarot cards to time when something will happen? Now you can find out in my series of articles Tarot and Timing Events. The second post is all about interpreting The Magician in relation to timing future events.

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Tarot and Timing Events – The Fool

Posted in General, Tarot and Timing Events, tagged , , , , , , on 24/05/2014 | 5 Comments »

New blog post on my sister site ToniAllenBooks

Marseille and Waite Fool

Marseille and Waite Fool

Ever wondered how to use Tarot cards to time when something will happen? Now you can find out in my series of articles Tarot and Timing Events. The first post is all about interpreting The Fool in relation to timing future events.

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The Fool – tarot card interpretation – Waite versus Marseille

Posted in General, Tarot, Tarot Card Meanings, Tarot Major Card Meanings, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 13/08/2013 | Leave a Comment »

I’ve never been a great fan of the Waite deck. Perhaps that’s because my first introduction to tarot cards was through the symbols on the Marseille deck; and because they’re ancient symbols I’ve always classed them as the real deal. Sure, I’ve studied the Waite deck, but I’ve never felt comfortable with it. I’ve never been happy about his ‘correction’ and thus transposition of Strength and Justice. Let’s remember, he was in The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret occult society, where only those in the inner sanctum were permitted certain knowledge. So why did he suddenly publish such a big ‘secret’ for the masses to discover? Or was he trying to confuse us and make the tarot unusable as the sequence is out of synchronisation?

The big Strength/Justice debate is for another post, because today I want to explore the symbolism of The Fool and how reading the card using the Waite deck you can get a vastly different interpretation than by using the Marseille deck.

Let’s start by looking at the two symbols side by side.

Marseille and Waite Fool

Marseille and Waite Fool

To fully understand the Marseille tarot image we need to know a little bit about medieval lifestyle and symbolism. Nearly everyone thinks the dog has bitten the Fool and ripped his trousers. Bad doggie! Not so. In medieval times villages had a dog that would bark and shoo away strangers, which is what the dog in this picture is doing. It’s a warning, not an attack. The dog is saying ‘you’re not welcome here, you’re an outsider.’

Does the Fool care that he’s an outsider and doesn’t fit in their society? Not at all. The fact is that his trousers aren’t ripped at all. In medieval times each leg of men’s hose/trousers were held up separately and if you wanted to do the modern day equivalent of sticking two fingers up at someone you’d drop one side of your hose and show them your bottom. It’s a poo poo. It’s saying ‘Up yours,’ and ‘I don’t need to be a part of your society.’

If you look closely at the image of the Fool you’ll note that he’s walking on firm ground and using his stick to lean on and guide him. In tarot a stick is a baton/wand and this symbolises that he’s relying on his own nature to see him through. His head is tilted up slightly and there’s a suggestion of pride in being himself. He knows who he is.

He has a bag slung over his shoulder (and please don’t get too bogged down in the fact that he’s holding in his left hand and it’s over his right shoulder, because this image is redrawn from a wood-block and stencil deck, and those wood-carvers made many, many minor mistakes, which they later fudged over) and we don’t know what he has in that bag, apart from the fact that it’s what he needs to sustain him. Most likely food for his journey. It’s a secret, but he’s travelling light and has everything he needs to get by.

This version of the Fool shows him to be independent, a free spirit, a free thinker, and unburdened by the need for physical possessions.

Now let’s look at the Rider Waite Fool.

Waite Colman-Smith Fool

When looking at the Waite deck it’s useful to know, not only that Waite was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but that the artist Pamela Colman-Smith was an illustrator, mainly of posters and children’s books, and also designed theatre costumes. This gave Colman-Smith a rich background of stories to fire her imagination; and it’s said that she was natural story-teller, which would have made her popular in the days before T.V. and radio.

Waite-Smith have their Fool holding his head high too, but so much so that he isn’t paying any attention at all and is about to walk off a cliff. Suddenly personal pride is turned into vain arrogance, and stupidity. Well, they do say that pride goes before a fall.

There’s no naked bottom poo-pooing going on here, in fact the Fool is well dressed, and quite a dapper fellow. Waite described them as “gorgeous vestments.” The little dog is now white and cute looking, not a threat at all, with a much greater suggestion of it being a faithful friend who’s barking and warning him of the danger ahead. The dog has become the voice of his conscience, warning him to wake up and pay attention. Yet the Fool is oblivious, happy in his own tra-la-la world. Waite describes this as, “His countenance is full of intelligence and expectant dream.” Personally I’m not so sure of the intelligence, but I will agree with the dream. If we’re focused on our internal visions then we are not paying attention to the world around us.

He no longer leans on a stick, so there’s no suggestion that he relies on his own true nature, instead he holds a white rose high in his left hand, most likely a symbol of his beliefs; possibly The Societas Rosicruciana of which Waite was a member.

The other symbol of importance in the image is the radiating sun up in the top right hand corner. If you give a group of people a piece of paper and ask them to draw mountains and the sun, most of them will position the sun up in the top right hand side of the image. Now, why is this? As human’s we unconsciously acknowledge the right as going forwards, and the left as going backwards. Future and past. Therefore placing the sun to the right is a sign of hope and a desire to go forwards, while if it’s positioned on the left there’s a desire to re-live the past. The Waite-Smith Fool’s sun is positioned to the right, but the Fool is facing away from it and heading to the left, the past. He is turning his back on the future. By comparison the Marseille Fool is walking to the right, towards the future.

Arthur Edward Waite was a very clever man, and I often wonder if he was trying to hoodwink us with these designs and hide the truth, or whether he let Pamela Colman-Smith get on with creating pretty pictures and then made up interpretations for them. In The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, which was originally published as a pamphlet to go with the boxed set of cards, Waite says, “His act of eager walking is still indicated, though he is stationary at the given moment; his dog is still bounding. The edge which opens on the depth has no terror; it is as if angels were waiting to uphold him, if it came about that he leaped from the height.” Personally I don’t buy into his explanation for the Fool looking like he might step over the edge at any moment. It’s a poor excuse.

Unlike Crowley, who was very vociferous about teachings, Waite liked to keep his cards close to his chest and wrote very little about each tarot card design. He never wrote anything about why the cards had the images Pamela Colman-Smith designed and his explanations in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot are at times flaky to say the least. Let’s face it, Waite didn’t like to share his secrets, or at least he wasn’t in the habit of sharing them on paper.

With any tool we use we have a choice of manufacturer, quality and design. It’s the same with Tarot. We’re all individuals so we choose the pack of Tarot cards that appeals to us at a personal level, and using Tarot is a highly personal experience. If you read the image alone and are not familiar with the meanings of numbers and how the system of tarot works as a whole, then you will end up seeing the Fool as foolish and dreamy if you use the Waite deck, and bold and free if you use a Marseille deck. Ultimately, the choice is yours…but I know which I prefer.

*******

For beginners and more experienced tarot readers I have two books available in many popular formats.

Ever wondered what the Fool tarot card means in a tarot reading about sex and relationships? Find out in…

Sex & Tarot

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Sex & Tarot from iTunes

Paperback via Lulu (possibly best price)

Kindle UK  Kindle US Paperback Amazon UK  Paperback Amazon US

Also on Nook and other platforms

The System of Symbols, a new way to look at tarot

System of Symbols cover

Available from Kindle UK  Kindle US ITunes

Paperback via Lulu (possibly best price) Also on Nook and other platforms.

*****

If you’ve enjoyed this article please follow my blog so that you’ll be kept up to date when I post new articles and tarot interpretations. If you’re not on WordPress come along and follow me on Facebook ToniAllenAuthor or @listansus. Come along and follow me anyway, it would be great to meet you.Toni Allen Logo

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How to lay out a tarot spread

Posted in General, Tarot, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 09/07/2013 | Leave a Comment »

I’m currently working on a new tarot book aimed primarily at people beginning to learn tarot. One of my aims in writing my book is to simplify various elements of tarot and help beginners see how the cards work together in a reading. Currently it’s a work in progress, but while writing a lot of ideas are filtering through as to what elements of tarot reading people find most difficult to grasp.

System of Symbols coverI’ve been teaching tarot for many years and one thing I’ve noticed is that finding the right tarot spread is often a confusing journey when starting out as there are so many spreads to choose from. What students are looking for is a spread that is easy to use, and can be quickly built upon to create an in-depth tarot reading. Many of the people I have taught have found the tarot spread I devised and outline in my book The System of Symbols, a new way to look at tarot becomes the spread they continue to use because with practise it is very easy to understand and make your own.

My new book is going to teach a really simple tarot spread, with lots of comprehensive guidelines on how to fully understand how the cards work together…but that book isn’t completed yet. In the meantime I’d like to share an excerpt from The System of Symbols, a new way to look at tarot on how to lay out a tarot spread.

Tarot Spread

First the shuffle

There is much ritual written and expressed about the keeping of Tarot Cards and the shuffling and cutting of the cards in preparation for a reading.  Although I have many packs, which I use for teaching purposes, I keep one pack especially for readings.  Some people say that Tarot Cards should be wrapped in silk to protect them from negative vibrations, or perhaps kept safe and sacred in a wooden box.   Each to their own, nothing is right and nothing is wrong.  Mine are kept in the same cardboard box they came in, their protection….respect.  They are only taken from their box to be used for a reading.  They are kept shuffled in a mixture of upright and reversed, and never stacked in order for teaching purposes.  I do not let students handle them for study; or take them to lectures or workshops, where they might become “sorted”.  I call them my “working pack.”

I do not start a reading until my client and I are sitting comfortably, opposite each other across a low table.   I take the cards and shuffle them while asking the client if there is any specific reason why they have felt the need for a reading.  They do not have to give a specific answer, a simple “yes” they have a problem, or “no” they’ve never had a reading before and have come out of interest, will suffice.   I then hand the client the cards and request they shuffle them.  When they have finished I ask the client to place the cards on the table and cut them with their left hand.  I then ask the client to place the bottom part of the pack on the top and hand them to me.   The reason for asking the client to pass me the cards is that if they put them on the table and I pick them up then I am making a decision about which way round the pack is used.  This crucial determination must remain with the client.  It’s useful to practice both disciplines initially to see what occurs.  For example, let clients place the pack on the table and see just how many lay it sideways on, unable to make a decision about which should be its top or tail.  Then investigate asking clients to pass you the pack, and watch just how many people unconsciously turn the pack around 180 degrees, so that the end initially facing you is now facing away.

Tarot spread

The Initial Spread

Once the shuffle and cut are complete it is time to lay out the first six cards of the spread.  I start by placing them face down, then explain the meaning of their positions before turning over only the first five cards to start with.  See diagram.

Positions 1 & 2

These cards sit in the centre of a downward axis representing the present time in the questioner’s life.  I call them “the central pivot point” of the current situation.  Card number 2 crosses card number 1 and by its symbolism will indicate whether it is helping or hindering something at the core, or heart, of the situation.

Position 3

This card also sits on the axis of the present time and represents “the mind;” which includes thoughts, aspirations and desires.  It quite simply suggests what is on the questioner’s mind and might additionally indicate what they would like to happen, or intend to happen.

Position 5

Again on the line of the present time, but this time representing the “physical world,” that which is manifest, or happening in the questioner’s life.

Position 4

This card represents “the past,” but it is that part of the past which has helped create today.  We are working in the realms of cause and effect, where every action has a reaction somewhere in the future.  This card of “the past,” can therefore indicate the cause behind current circumstances, early conditioning or obstacles which have been overcome.  On occasions it indicates residue from previous incarnations which has created present life karma.

Once the questioner has recognised that these initial five cards are relating to their life and personal circumstances I turn over card number 6.

Position 6

This card represents “the next step in the future.”
I then take cards from the top of the pack and place them in positions 7 to 12.

Tarot Spread

Positions 7 to 9

These cards sit on the top line and continue to represent “the mind,” and the client’s thoughts and wishes on the problem as the future unfolds.

Positions 10 to 12

Likewise these cards sit on the bottom line and continue to represent “the physical world,” and what happens as the reading unfolds in the future.
I then take cards 13 and 14 from the top of the pack.

Positions 13 and 14

Cards 13 and 14 continue to represent the future unfolding, the base card once again either being helped or hindered by the actions of the top card.

Once these cards are laid I spread the entire pack out, face down, and ask the questioner to take further cards, to either add information to what is already there or proceed into the future.  At this point cards can be taken in response to questions, either concerning what has already been outlined or other issues.
This spread is fundamentally simple and very easy to use.  Practice will bring confidence and show you endless possibilities.  Each card will slightly change according to its position in the spread; for example a card depicting sorrow will symbolise hidden sorrow when appearing in the line of “the mind,” and open grief when seen on the line of “the physical world.”   Continue to build upon this theme and you will find that a card showing sorrow in “the mind” might well be directly above a card on the physical level showing happiness.  Thus you will be able to deduce that your client is inwardly very unhappy but puts on a smiling face to their family or friends, who probably don’t know how unhappy the client really is.

*******

For beginners and more experienced tarot readers I have two books available in many popular formats.

Ever wondered what the Moon tarot card means in a tarot reading about sex and relationships? Find out in…

Sex & Tarot

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Sex & Tarot from iTunes

Paperback via Lulu (possibly best price)

Kindle UK  Kindle US Paperback Amazon UK  Paperback Amazon US

Also on Nook and other platforms

The System of Symbols, a new way to look at tarot

System of Symbols cover

Available from Kindle UK  Kindle US ITunes

Paperback via Lulu (possibly best price) Also on Nook and other platforms.

*****

If you’ve enjoyed this article please follow my blog so that you’ll be kept up to date when I post new articles and tarot interpretations. If you’re not on WordPress come along and follow me on Facebook ToniAllenAuthor or @listansus. Come along and follow me anyway, it would be great to meet you.authorsdb_badgeToni Allen Logo

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Combination Tarot Card Meanings

Posted in General, Tarot, Tarot Card Meanings, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 28/05/2013 | 433 Comments »

Anyone reading this who doesn’t have a WordPress blog will probably not be aware that WordPress has a very informative stats page for our blogs. One of the key features of most interest to me at the moment is not how many visitors, but the search terms being used to bring people to my blog. By reading the search terms used I’ve come to the conclusion that when studying tarot a lot of people are looking for precise meanings of tarot card combinations, and that is what has brought them to my blog. Combining tarot cards in context is the art of tarot, and it’s good to see so many people wanting to explore more in-depth interpretations.

rs-6cups-death-tarotNow, for me to write every tarot card combination would take a lifetime! So, what I’ve decided to do is to take a small selection of the REAL search terms used and give interpretations. In fact, the title of this post, combination tarot card meanings, is a real search term used by someone. I daresay that the people who originally used these search terms will not arrive at my blog again, but maybe they will, and hopefully these interpretations will help.

One thing to note is that because I haven’t written about all 78 tarot cards yet that people are only finding my blog via the cards I have mentioned, so if you think that some tarot cards are missing, that’s the reason why.

If you have a tarot card combination that’s confusing, or not easily explained, post it at the bottom of this article and I’ll write an interpretation for you as well.

lovers. 6 cups, death tarot combination

With this combination I don’t know the context of the reading and whether the questioner was asking about, romance, work or another issue.

The Lovers card is primarily about decision making, but it’s also about the stage of growing up and having to make our own choices in life. The 6 of cups is all about the past present and future, and followed by the death card there is a firm idea of putting the past behind us and moving forwards without looking back.

So, the choice is to let go of the past. With the death card as the final card the implication is that once this decision is made that there is no going back.

tarot sun card reversed his feelings

tarot sun reversedWith this combination I have a clearer idea of what is being asked about. His feelings; so this appears to be a romantic question. The tarot Sun reversed is a card of renewed bliss and contentment. It usually means that the person it is referring to has had emotionally hard times in the past, but they have now recovered and learnt to love and be happy again. This person will not have forgotten the past, but they do not dwell on it.

As this is a romantic question I have a strong feeling that the person who asked this question has in some way acted as a healing catalyst for him. He has found happiness again and probably never thought he would.

So, his feelings will be ‘renewed happiness and joy.’

the tower love life tarot prediction

The Tower is all about shocks and upsets. This certainly doesn’t bode well for a love Tarot the Towerlife prediction. It can mean that the person you become involved with continuously picks away at your personality, finding fault with everything you do, which undermines your self-confidence. It can also mean that there’s a big shock ahead, such as discovering that your lover is already in a relationship or hasn’t been completely honest with you.

So, if this is a new relationship then it’s probably best to get out quickly before you get hurt.

If the question was asked in a more general way then it means that you have a tendency to be drawn towards challenging, destructive relationships.

strength tarot card as a final outcome in love

Marseille Tarot StrengthThe Strength card is all about holding back negative or overly passionate behaviour. Here the questioner is asking about the final outcome in love. With the strength card as a final outcome it suggests that the couple are not being completely open with each other and are on their best behaviour. There is probably anxiety over showing anger or negative emotions for fear of losing the partner. It also means that there can be reservation about being completely passionate sexually, and sometimes I have seen the Strength card mean that no sex happens at all.

So, as a final outcome for love this is very reserved and not the complete wow that we would all like love to be.

devil tarot card meaning stage of life

This is very interesting because the questioner has added ‘meaning stage of life’ and I Marseille Tarot the Devilwonder if they’re using a spread that has this as a designated part of the layout. The Devil tarot card refers to guilt and bad habit, but with reference to a stage of life it can mean that the questioner is in the habit of apologising for everything they do and thus for their very existence. Very often people who feel guilty about existing start their sentences with ‘Sorry.’ i.e. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to upset you.’ On the other hand it could mean that the questioner is just about to fall into some bad habits, or is taking action to break bad habits. I would be interested to know what the rest of their spread looked like so that I can place the interpretation in better context.

six of cups with the judgement tarot relationship

6 cups-judgement-tarotI’ve seen this combination come up in a tarot reading for relationships on several occasions. As the six of cups refers to the past and the Judgement card is about an awakening it means that you meet someone you used to know but see them in a whole new light. I recall one client who had bumped into an old school friend and she said, ‘Like wow! I didn’t recognise him. He’d got rid of the glasses and was wearing contact lenses, had smartened up his hair and…well, I’d never even considered him as a potential boyfriend before.’ It’s not always about looks, but it’s always about seeing someone afresh and wondering why you never noticed how sexy or kind they were before.

eight of cups tarot card astrology and suicide

Rider Waite 8 Cups tarotThis is a very serious question that someone is looking for an answer to, but I decided to include it to show that not everyone is searching for love and romance. I’m not going to include the astrology part of the question, just the eight of cups tarot card and suicide. The eight of cups refers to leaving a situation that has become stuck or boring and moving on to somewhere better. It is always a fearful journey that people will put off and make excuses not to make. Usually it’s seen in the context of leaving a secure job or a long term relationship. However, when the key word here is suicide it suggests that the questioner believes that death will be a better place to be than the one they are in now, and that it’s a journey they are contemplating.

todays sex tarot

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Well the simple answer to this one is to buy my book sex & tarot and to shuffle your tarot deck, spread them out and choose your own sex tarot card for today. Sex & Tarot is full of fun interpretations for your sex life.

dream come true tarot card

The tarot card for a dream come true is the seven of Cups reversed. When the seven 7 cups reversed tarotof Cups is upright it refers to daydreaming and wishing for something. When it is reversed you have what you wished for in your life. This can be anything. Sometimes it’s as simple as wishing that someone would send you flowers on your birthday because it’s never happened before, or having more leisure time. Remember, there’s power in thought so be careful what you wish for.

If you have a tarot card combination that you’d like an interpretation for feel free to post it below.

*******

For beginners and more experienced tarot readers I have two books available in many popular formats.

Ever wondered what the Death card means in a tarot reading about sex and relationships? Find out in…

Sex & Tarot

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Sex & Tarot by Toni Allen

Sex & Tarot from iTunes

Paperback via Lulu (possibly best price)

Kindle UK  Kindle US Paperback Amazon UK  Paperback Amazon US

Also on Nook and other platforms

The System of Symbols, a new way to look at tarot

System of Symbols cover

Available from Kindle UK  Kindle US ITunes

Paperback via Lulu (possibly best price) Also on Nook and other platforms.

*****

If you’ve enjoyed this article please follow my blog so that you’ll be kept up to date when I post new articles and tarot interpretations. If you’re not on WordPress come along and follow me on Facebook ToniAllenAuthor or @listansus. Come along and follow me anyway, it would be great to meet you.Toni Allen Logo

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