A few weeks ago I posted a dream-states survey and invited those who wished to partake to share their experiences. I received quite a number back and would like to start this by offering a heart felt thank you. Not only was I in awe of the feedback, but I felt a great sense of comfort knowing that this world I escape to each night is not mine alone.

With all that being said, I spent a great deal of time pouring over the participant's birth charts because I wanted to see if there were a few areas in particular where I could draw commonalities. Astrology is complex, and I am not an expert by a long stretch - but it was fascinating none the less. Unfortunately, based on the sample size I viewed, I couldn't conclude any obvious parallels, but I would like to explain what it was I was looking for. Before I do that, let me share with you some of the fascinating experiences some of our dreamers put forth. I've just included one or two quotes for each topic and I've added my own input as well.

If you haven’t already heard about the upcoming Threads of Fate oracle deck (live on kickstarter April 25th), let me be the first to tell you about it. Before I dive in though, please note that I received the cards I’m about to share so that I could spread the word and offer my thoughts. With that being said, everything I’m about to touch on is a true and authentic reflection of my opinion. Also, I don't typically agree to receive something that I suspect I wouldn't like...so there is also that. Back to business now...

The Threads of Fate is the brainchild of Blaire and Brit and while the aesthetic is pretty specific, I would wager if you’re a fan of the Starchild tarot, you’ll be drawn to this deck as well. And even better, if you have the Starchild tarot, I could see this as being a beautiful compliment to any readings performed with it. So, needless to say, there are some spacey similarities, but what the The Threads of Fate does for me anyway, is bring it back full circle. As above; so below - and as much as there are some of those ethereal or otherworldly imagery and vibes, there is also a lot here that is rooted is Earth. Actually, elements play a large role in the underpinning of many of the cards, and I think intuitively working with them, you’ll be able to determine what card occupies which space without so much as referencing the intended meanings.

P.S. This post has been updated to include a more complete worksheet. All links to the older worksheet have updated below to include the new material.

This post includes a downloadable resource: Flexing Your Cards - Exercise Sheet.

No, this isn't a post about how to get the most of your workout routine with the aid of tarot - though I'm sure it wouldn't be above their ability to assist with this either! When I talk about flexing, what I'm describing is a method of reading that allows you to bend and mold the card's standard meaning to fit the specific question being asked. Whether it be love, career, personal development, passion projects or anything else, a single tarot card can and should be able to provide suitable guidance, if you can adjust your lens ever so slightly. 

Of course, there are some cards that seem to speak fluent love or finances, but even if not; even if the card seems to be themed in an entirely different direction, doesn't mean it can't give you the answer you're looking for. You just need to know how to look at the card.

The other day, I was playing around with my method for reading probability, when I found myself asking not if something would or wouldn't happen, but what the pros and cons would be, should it occur. In that moment, I began contemplating methods to simply construct a spread that would tackle this sort of inquiry, and that was when this method for weighing pros and cons was born. It is inspired both by my "yes/no/maybe so" system and decision making method for reading the cards.

The idea behind weighing the pros and cons is that with most of what we experience and pursue in life, there are ups and downs. Sometimes those ups and downs are of equal impact, and many times the situation skews one way or another. If you're trying to determine the ups and downs or pros and cons or something, whether that be embarking on a new path, leaving a current relationship or having a difficult conversation - keep reading; this method is for you.

Part of understanding tarot for me, is taking the cards and looking at them through different lenses. Whether that be various correspondences, associations or just applying their energy through another form altogether - music, for example.

The process of doing this inevitably expands my personal understanding of the card and also helps to find real examples of it in everyday life. King Billy and the Royal Road, written by RC Ajuonuma and published by Silverwood Books is a piece of creative art that does just that. It is this beautiful and unique translation of the Major Arcana, in a way you've not seen it yet. 

When we arrive at The World, we’re coming full circle. Similar to the card’s traditional imagery, arriving at this state is much like closing the loop on the Major Arcana, encompassing all its lessons and learnings, and reaching a sense of completion orsuccess. It carries sentiments which mimic The Magician in some ways, with the elements present again. But, rather than laying on the table in front of us, they have been assimilated and now take a more lively form; a water bearer (Aquarius) to represent water, an eagle to represent Air, a lion to represent fire and a bull to represent Earth. These essences now all live within the seeker who remains naked, like the 2 cards which precede her, through draped in an elegant scarf and handling two batons. She is both poised and balanced; no longer commanding heaven and Earth, but rather one with them.

Tarot is such a versatile tool. My use of the cards is hardly limited to divination and even within the confines of divination as an approach, there are still so many practical applications. Today, I'm going to break down the different ways you can use tarot to help make decisions.

Before we get into techniques, I want to share with you a few instances where I've been able to navigate different life situations to arrive at a desired outcome. One of my first experiences with tarot as a decision making tool, was when I was house hunting. The market was (still is, really) a seller's game and options seemed not only limited, but not ideal. In a series of readings that spanned a couple of hours, we explored many different possibilities, all looking dismal, until we arrived at the one - the one we ultimately went for and couldn't be happier with. I write more about this experience on another blog post, if you want to read more!
While this was a major decision, I've also used tarot to help me make decisions where selling my home was concerned, making changes to my spiritual business and helping me navigate certain dealings with our builder. Yes, tarot has basically helped me navigate every part of buying and selling a home!

Preface: If you've found this article (or others) helpful, or have enjoyed the resources that I create, please consider joining me on Patreon. Even at $1 a month you are helping me sustain my work here while also unlocking access to content that has never been and will never be published in this space. Thanks!

Full disclosure - I am of the camp that believes Justice has found it's proper place as the 11th Arcana, though I know there are many who prefer it as the 8th and I am sure there are plenty of valid reasons why that makes sense. However, I'm here to discuss one of the reasons why the latter resonates more with me, and that is because in the 11th spot, based on numerology, it vibrates in line with The High Priestess.

While on the surface, Justice and The High Priestess appear to have little in common, I actually consider these cards to be two sides of the same coin and the secret to reading the tarot. A bit of a bold claim I suppose, but stay with me and we'll get to that...before we do though, let's explore the visual similarities and differences.

Someday you’re gonna look back on this moment of your life as such a sweet time of grieving. You’ll see that you were in mourning and your heart was broken, but your life was changing. -Elizabeth Gilbert

Last month's In-Depth had us exploring the Page of Pentacles, and when I posted about the article on Instagram, I received a request to cover the 3 of Swords next. Since I have just about zero agenda as it comes to these pieces, expect for the hope that I can produce them at a rate of one a month, I was open to the suggestion.

So here we are, my third In-Depth and in it we'll be taking a deep dive with that sometimes dreaded and often difficult 3 of Swords. I say sometimes dreaded and often difficult, because rarely do you pull this card to a rave reaction or sigh of relief. No, 3 swords piecing a heart doesn't exactly conjure up those warm and fuzzys. But, that's not to say there is nothing positive to be gleaned from its presence, but we'll talk more on that later.

Hey Friends,

Just an FYI to let you know that I'll be slinging cards at the next Moonlit Path event - Magical Holiday Market. It's located at Women on the Move at 2111 Dundas Street West in Toronto, so if you're in the area (or not) and want a reading, swing on by! It's free admission and I'll be there 1-5 offering 15 minute reads for just $20. There will be loads of other readers, practitioners and vendors on site - see flyer below for more details! Oh, and if you want to reserve a 15 minute slot with me before hand, get in touch and I'll pencil you in.

"Never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning." -Roy T. Bennett

It's been over a year since I've done an in-depth, but today I felt compelled to pull together another. I'd love to eventually have a full section on this site devoted to card meanings - but this will be a slow process and I'm not setting any tangible deadlines.

For today's selection, I threw it to spirit and asked what card I should focus on. Spirit responded with the Page of Pentacles and so, that is the card we'll be tackling! So, who is the Page of Pentacles and what may his presence indicate in the context of a tarot reading? Pages are typically considered one of three things. 1) An actual physical person in the seeker's life (or the seeker themselves) 2) Attributes that are symbolically relevant to the reading or 3) A messenger (more on that one later).

The last time we broached this topic, it was from the perspective of how to ensure your client (or seeker) will get the most out of a reading delivered to them via email. This time, I’m turning the tables to provide you, the reader, some key points to consider to ensure that you too will get the most out of the readings you perform. Why? Because if you want to do this, with any frequency and with the goal of sustainability - you better freakin’ enjoy what you’re doing!

I learned through trial and error for myself what worked for me and what didn’t. I also learned what I could and should expect from myself and what I could reasonably do given the time and resources available to me. This, of course, is entirely personal and so rather than tell you how to structure things, I’m simply going to raise some points for your own consideration. These are things that I learned the hard or long way and so now as I reflect back, I think, “yeah, I should have thought about that from the start!".

But alas, I live and learn and today, I take those livings and learnings and I present you with Delivering A Memorable Email Reading Part 2: The Reader’s Perspective. (I need a more succinct title!)

Sleep is a funny thing. We all do it and yet, we never really regularly compare notes. Growing up, I assumed my experiences with sleep and dreams were the same as everyone else's. I'm not saying they weren't, for the most part, but it's hard to distinguish what is common with what is perhaps more unusual if the experience is everyday (or, every night as this topic would have it).

Dreams for me have forever been a spiritual experience. I was always curious about this state and thought a lot about my adventures upon waking. Even as a kid, I'd wonder what they meant and dig for hidden context. In this post, I'm going to highlight various dream states that I personally experience, and provide my thoughts both on what they mean, how they can be achieved (if desired) and what to do with them once you're there.

If you've been in the tarot world for awhile, and unless you've been living under a rock, you've undoubtedly stumbled upon a widely known and regarded deck called The Enchanted Tarot, illustrated by Amy Zerner and written by Monte Farber. Now I don't mean you've owned it or even worked with it, but you've probably come across some of its images in your travels at one point or another. 

It's now been 25 years since its initial release and to commemorate, the deck has been repackaged with a few tweaks to breath it new life. I'm in the camp that certainly knew of this deck and had seen it through the years, but never actually worked with it. So when I came into the opportunity to receive it for prospective review, I was thrilled to dive into without any prior knowledge and to provide, truly, my first impressions of this modern classic.

Tarot has many uses, and one day I intend to write a blog post detailing the ones I go to most commonly, but today, I want to tackle just one - communicating with spirit.

Before we get into techniques, I first want to distinguish this method of using tarot from regular spirit-chat when it comes to divination or reflective readings. When I'm doing a reading, especially for others, I often refer to the messages received as having "come from spirit". So, when I send email reports out, I'll have lines that read "spirit says..." or "spirit wants you to know...". This is not me specifically communicating with a deceased loved one, for example, but simply put, I use the word "spirit" to describe a large body of otherworldlyness - i.e. your spirit guide team, your higher self, the divine source etc.

I haven't shared a tarot spread in a long while so I thought I'd put focus today on my 5-card go-to. I call this spread Past, Present Future, Focus and it's incredibly versatile because you can use it in cases where there is a question, but also in cases where there is not; the general "tell me anythings".

As a reader, one of my stumbling blocks can be quickly crafting something to perfectly suit the situation when I'm with a person live. With this spread though, it's as if I always have something in my back pocket that I know will apply to just about any inquiry.

Below is an image of the card placements and following that I will describe in more detail what each spot represents.

I'm lucky enough to be able to write this blog post because that means I've got my hands on the prototype of a brand new tarot deck by designer Arthur Wang; True Black Tarot. It's currently being funded on Kickstarter so if it calls to you, make sure to check out the campaign!

Because I'm working with a prototype, I can't tell you how a full deck reads, but I can give you my initial impressions on what I've been able to sample. Visually, it's nothing short of stunning - but that's just on first glance. They say the Devil is in the details and if that's the case then Satan himself must have a hand in this project. Everything has been done with such care and quality, and the more you look at each card, the more you see, but there is more here than just design. The cards themselves are crafted with very thick stock using enhancements that allow some details to seemingly shimmer and glow. There are no borders (often a preference for us readers) and the edges are hand-painted black - yes, hand-painted. I'm obsessed - and I think you will be to. I mean, just LOOK AT THEM!

Maybe you've been reading the cards awhile or perhaps you just started - whatever the case, you’ve probably thought to yourself at some point, “how exactly do these things work? or “why do they work?”

The truth is, no one can tell you for certain, but, it’s fun to play with theories. Below I’ve shared 5 ideas that may explain how or why tarot works. In terms of my own belief system, I don’t think one idea is more true than any other and I tend to think they all play a role and factor in.

These theories may ring true for you or you may have your own ideas which are just as valid (I’d also love to hear them, so please leave a comment if you’re up to sharing). 

As for my totally inconclusive list of reasons why tarot works, here it is!

Tomorrow is the much anticipated Solar Eclipse in Leo and depending where you are in this world, you may experience total-partial darkness for a brief period of time.

Solar eclipses are relatively rare and when they show up, it's a good time for us to take a peek at what's lurking in our shadows and what is attempting to find its way to light. It's also an opportunity to allow for some serious transformation to take place and depending where this eclipse is landing for you in your chart, it could mean a focus on different things.

To figure out where the eclipse is showing up for you, you need to locate what house Leo lands on in your natal chart. You can run a chart over at Cafe Astrology, which is an excellent resource that I use frequently since I'm definitely no Astrology expert. Once you've run your chart, scroll down to the bottom and find what house Leo falls in for you. There are 12 houses total and I've included a list below so you can reference what each of them means. Please note that I've included the natural sign that occupies each house to provide more context to that house, but your natal chart will show you specifically where the signs are landing for you.