The Empress
Today's deck is the Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan.
I was really lucky to have had my first profesional tarot
reading done by Ellen Dugan. It was
really awesome because afterwards, we had a chance to talk about the cards and
inspiration for them. We talked about
reversals. This particular deck is printed
in such a way that it is very easy to not use reversals. Reversals are an interesting concept, with
some people viewing them as 'opposite' meanings and others taking an approach
that upright cards represent external influences whereas reversed cards represent
internal influences.
Me? I don't care for reversals much, and I think it has to
do more with not liking upside down cards than having an issue with two
meanings.
Ms. Dugan is also a published fiction writer, and at that
time, I was not (I am now: my novel is
called Spell Me the Truth and is available on Amazon). I was still toying with the name as well as
whether to pursue self-publication or attempt to get an agent to represent
me. I eventually decided on
self-publishing. We also talked about the prologue to my
book. Her advice was that I should cut
the prologue, and I did take that into consideration. However, while I did not take her advice ultimately,
that does not mean I ignored it. I
thought very hard about what she had suggested, and her reasoning about it –
prologues are generally frowned upon.
That said, there are exceptions to every rule. While I ultimately kept my prologue, there
are strong reasons for it.
Shortly after my reading by Ms. Dugan, I went to New Orleans
and had my cards read there. I did feel
more connected to the reading I had with this deck by the author. The one in New Orleans used the Ghosts and
Spirits Tarot deck, which is not one of my favorites. (Okay, I’ll be honest, I don’t like that
deck at all.)
Of the two readings, Ms. Dugan’s was a lot easier to follow. She used a more logical reading format than
the one in New Orleans.
The Witches Tarot is actually my husband's deck, not mine. He bought the Witchy Tarot because he wanted
a witch tarot. I do not recommend that deck at all, but because
of it, he did not have the tarot he wanted, so I got him this one. Between us, we presently have over 50 decks,
so I will be using a different deck every day. Some will be mine and some will
be his.
So anyway, onto the Empress card
First impressions:
she makes me think of Vikings, and I feel Freya. This image does have a few glare flares from
my overhead lighting, because the cards are very glossy.
She is sitting on a throne, surrounded by symbols of
fertility.... the rabit, the wheat. She
wears a crown of stars, symbolizing her connection to the planets and planetary
bodies. She seems herself to be
pregnant. This is a card of fertility,
creativity, embracing of the divine feminine within. She is in nature and part of nature. The Empress does not belong in a stuffy
room. She belongs outdoors, in nature,
because she is nature.
The spread I am using today was given to me by Mitchell
Haygood. It's a basic five card spread,
but really beefed up. The basic spread
is Situation, Past, Present, Near Future, and Outcome; however, it is built in
with clarifiers. I don't normally use
clarifiers, but they are frequently helpful.
First Card - The Situation
- the Ace of Wands. This card is
the beginnings, it's passions, it's fire.
This card is about opportunities.
So here I am seeing a card that is telling me that there are
opportunities on the horizon, and to be aware of things that are going on
around you. Don't be so focused on
where you are that you're not checking out what surrounds you. Allow the wind to take your ribbons and show
you new things.
Crossing the first card -- things that can help or hinder:
The Hermit -- the
first of our Major Arcana in this situation.
The Hermit is a reminder that sometimes you need to take a moment to
learn, meditate, be at peace with yourself, or seek out a teacher. So when crossed with the Ace, it does seem
to mean that improviing yourself can open up opportunities -- it might mean
taking a few classes in an area of interest.
Second Card: The
Present. The Six of Pentacles -- this is
a card that I do like. Who are you in
the situation. ARe you the man in green
who is in a position to help others by sharing what he has, or are you the
children who are receiving from the man in green. This card is absolutely saying that there is
bounty in both giving and receiving.
sometimes you give. and sometimes you have to let someone give to
you.
Present Clarifier 1 - The Lovers. As is traditional, there is an angel between
our lovers, but instead of standing between, this angel feels like she is the
matchmaker who put them together. The
lovers is a card about partnership, despite the name. Clarifying the Six of Pentacles, it does
speak of the relationship between giving and receiving, the partnership of this
action. The ebb and the flow.
Present Clarifier 2 - The Empress. As earlier stated, this is about creativity
and fertility and nature. How does she
relate to the Six? Perhaps what is
being given is not money, perhaps it is knowledge or compassion. While Pentacles are often thought of as
representing money, the root of it is security. The Empress is a very grounded
individual. She is nature and nurture.
Third Card: The
Present
Seven of Pentacles.
This is a card that I always feel represents a situation that is nearing
fruition. We see a farmer here standing
next to a bush. Is it time to harvest
the crop, or should they bloom a little more.
This card is reminding us to look at where we are and evaluate whether
or not we are ready to gather in our harvest.
It also may mean that you've gotten everything out of a circumstance
(job, relationship, etc) that you can and that it is time to move. A warning is that if you let the situation
continue after it is time to gather the resources, they could dry up as well.
Present Card 2: The
Four of Pentacles. This card always
makes me think of a miser. This is
about holding onto things for far too long.
As a clarifier to the Seven of Pentacles - this is a perfect
card. So in this situation, I would say
that it is definitely time to gather the harvest, collect final data, or break
free from relationships. It's really
important to evaluate why you're holding onto it ... is it emotional or
logical?
Present Card 3: This
is the Two of Pentacles -- so at this point, I'm very much feeling that the
queerant really is focusing on security.
They don't feel secure or they are very risk averse because of a fear of
losing security. This would also mean
refusal to leave questionable situations to move to more productive or fulfilling
ones. This person is very rooted. However, the past -- this is balance. There is a balancing act going on here.
Fourth Card: Near Future:
This is represented in the King of Swords. The King of Swords is a wise man, who uses
his knowledge for his people. As a
card, of the near future, this indicates that the querant is in a position
where they could be asked to share knowledge, and is being encouraged to be
generous with that knowledge, recoginzing that the knowledge used for the
betterment of all is the best application.
Near Future clarifier 1:
the Three of Pentacles. This is a
card about cooperation, working with others.
Using multiple methods to learn.
Our card shows a man who is working with his cat familiar. He is very focused on his task. It's a great card in conjunction with the
King of Swords, which is about using knowledge wisely.
Near Future Clarifier 2:
THe Knight of Wands. I always
see him as a bit impetuous He may ride
off without all of the information he needs, so this is something to
consider. Work with others, share your
knowledge, but don't go off half-cocked
Fifth Card: Outcome
Strength - Strength is pretty self explanatory. Don't let worries or fears stop you from
living your dreams. You will only find
the inner peace you're seeking when you test yourself and trust yourself. Doubt will only lead to disatisfaction..
Crossing this: Advice
or Warning - Seven of Wands -- you might feel like everyone is against you, but
you don't have to back down just because of this. You can still fight for what you
believe. Remember, believe in yourself,
and don't let the naysayers stop you from attaining your goal.
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