Category: Tarot

A smiling young man is gathering dropped swords while looking at two embarrassed opponents, one of whom appears to be weeping. He has won his battle, perhaps fairly, perhaps not, but he has some advantage over the competition and is happy that he has prevailed.

There are times when you need to decide to lose or that it’s best to surrender. Pride can make us blind to our own shortcomings. It can bait us into battles we aren’t prepared for or shouldn’t be fighting in the first place. You might have allowed yourself to be deceived, tricked, or goaded into fighting, and have lost the respect of those around you. As you struggle through your disappointment, you realize that the only solution is to learn from your mistakes, limits and weaknesses.

This card indicates conflict in your life. Worse yet, it is closely associated with defeat and betrayal. It is likely that the defeat will be traumatic, and you will need to surrender, retreat and regroup. Your may have suffered injury to your pride or self-esteem, but the Five of Swords is also a warning of a potential to get caught in the cycle. Handle defeat with grace, move on, and success will come to you.

The King of Swords is motivated to produce new ideas. He never shies away from speaking his mind, especially when it comes to producing new solutions to a problem. He is a problem solver, driven to come up with new and improved ways of doing things.

Although caring toward family members, he is at the same time distant. He is patient and careful with high ideals. He is the kind of person who takes the time to understand both sides of an argument before making a decision. Usually, he has strong convictions. His beliefs guide him, and he expects his family and friends to follow his guidelines. However, his ideals will always come first.

The King of Swords represents the professional aspects of authority. Often associated with those in legal or business careers, he most likely represents someone who will aid you in one of these fields. This person may be assertive, or even seek to dominate you in their confidence that they know how best to aid you. He is also honest and has patience. While they may be friendly, their primary motivation is unlikely to be emotional.

This image is of a farmer leaning on his spade and looking at pentacles that are growing like fruits. He has done all the work and all that is left is to wait and see what transpires. Having already waited for a while, he has started to become anxious and worries whether the fruits on this tree will ever be mature enough for harvesting.

The card suggests that you cannot achieve true success unless you are determined and refuse to surrender to doubt. Your patience may be running out, but you need to resist the temptation to see all that has happened as a disappointment. Falling prey to impatience would be a mistake. It is not yet time to reap the fruits of your endeavors.

A balanced card by nature the Seven suggests you will avoid failure, but fall short of runaway success in an endeavor. Or, equally possible, that you will achieve your goals, but not in the time frame you had hoped for. You will face setbacks, and in order to succeed you will need vision, perseverance and to take care to avoid becoming too hesitant or timid. Progress may be slow or difficult, but long-term success is possible with your investment.

The Queen of Cups is caring and very much focused on her family. Often a healer, guide or psychic, she knows what’s wrong even before you open your mouth. Somehow, she always has the right answer for any problems connected with family and love. She is often so modest that you may not even notice her. There is an air of mystery around her, and she can be very secretive. She can be an imaginative storyteller and is likely to have deeply held spiritual beliefs.

Friendly and caring, she exhibits the motherly traits of being loving, nurturing, protective and caring. Her strong intuition serves her well, and if a man draws this card it serves as a gentle reminder not to hide the feminine aspects of their personality and to be open to the entire spectrum of life’s emotions

Sensitivity, compassion and an affectionate nature are traditionally associated with the Queen of Cups, as is emotional security. She represents emotional openness and is a balance to the King. Despite her open nature, you will still find her influence to be largely passive. Particularly for men, her presence is a reminder to stay in touch with the intuitive and emotional aspects of their character. You should take her presence a gentle hand seeking to show you the power of your own inner aspects, whose power may be obscured by their quiet nature.

The Hermit card shows an aged monk carrying a lantern and using his staff for support as he faces a barren landscape. The Fool has had to deal with all the elements of life, hate, love, fights, compromise, success and failure. He needs to retreat to regain his energies.

This card suggests that it is time for introspection and reflection. You can socialize later, but now you need to take stock and enjoy the tranquility that comes from solitude. There might be a sense of frustration or discontent, but in the end, you will achieve clarity and illumination.

There are times in every life, when one must step back and make a careful examination of their situations and decisions through introspection. Finding the Hermit in your spread suggests this is just such a time for you. You are in need of a period of inner reflection and solitude, away from the current demands of your position. This retreat can be physical, or a search within. Only a deep reflection and honest introspection will lead to a solution.

A woman dances within an almond shaped surrounded by symbols of the four elements, all within the range of the woman’s sight and power. 

The World represents the closing of a chapter and the start of a new one. Everything is falling into place for you and things will come to a successful conclusion and end on a positive note. You are in a position to realize your heart’s desire.

The World is an indicator of the completion of a major and inexorable change, of tectonic breadth. This change represents accomplishment and a chance for you to bring about a desirable end to the Old and a good beginning to the New. It is indicative of growing maturity, a sense of inner balance, deeper understanding, and fulfillment. It suggests that you may be approaching a more final sense of enlightenment, and the security in the self that comes with age. It also represents the falling away of boundaries, sometimes in the effusive sense of the spiritual, but sometimes in a purely physical sense, indicating travels or journeys in the future.

A large wheel is turning, surrounded by symbols of change and transformation. The Fool has emerged from his retreat and recognizes it is time for change. Nothing remains the same whether you want it to or not. The time is ripe for new opportunities and fate might be in your favor. 

You need to take advantage of any good luck that comes your way and consider the repercussions of your actions. You might have to adjust your plans to take account of what is happening around you.

An angel stands above a pond with one foot on dry land and the other on the water pouring water between two cups. The angel is equally comfortable in the conscious or subconscious. This is the still point that brings everything into balance. The Fool realizes that he has been managing contradictory extremes: the material and spiritual. He wonders whether one needs to be surrendered for the sake of the other.

Temperance relates to patience, self-control and calm. It suggests that if you have been through difficult times recently, you will soon feel calmer and cope better. You are handling things well and are able to take diverse elements and make them work together to form a stronger whole. It represents a need for moderation and balance.

This card can show extreme ups-and-downs. The Knight of Cups veers from euphoria to melancholy, from distress to confidence. When referring to a relationship, this card can indicate a period of flux and quarrels over feelings. This is the knight of affection, represented by the emo teenager: one who is touchy, grouchy and profound. He plays music, spends extended periods alone in his room with the shades drawn, he composes dark-themed, yet impressive poems. He can become hopelessly enamored with something, profoundly and impractically, and will believe that his is the most genuine, the most extraordinary and most amazing love ever.

He may see himself as more aesthetic and spiritual than others and believe his love to be deeper than that of others. He thinks that those around him don’t understand him, and he may often be right. Sometimes, this card suggests you should guard against depression.

The Knight of Cups encourages you to remember that victory is not just an exercise in strength of arms, but can be achieved through cleverness and a savvy mind. He can also give in to distractions of flights of wild fancy, though, so you may also interpret him as a warning to maintain your focus. New initiatives in your life are likely on their way, possibly romance, and you must remember to seek novel paths to accomplish goals, but also not lose sight of where you are going. This card is also a reminder of the ups-and-downs of life, and that emotional instability is a part of it.