Future Tarot

Sometimes love is meant to be. And sometimes it is hard work. Have you ever felt the potential for something more in a close friendship? Maribel needed to know how to harness the power of her new feelings for a man she has known a long time; but how do you change a friendship into more without risking the loss of something dear?

Your Present Self – The Chariot

This card indicates the journey of self-discovery you were on when you met Karl. It also shows your connection to him. The Major Arcana indicates the significance of the event, and the Chariot indicates a vision for the future that you both shared. This card also represents conflicting emotions from both of you – to move forward or to stand still – that is the question you both asked.

The Crossing Card – Three of Cups

The Three of Cups is, on its surface, an odd card to see in the position of “what blocks you.” I’m getting a sense that you were rushing things in the relationship – not outwardly, but your mind had things moving much faster than they really were. This card typically indicates a union, a marriage, a celebration… On the one hand, you were enjoying the friendship as it was – lighthearted and romantic. On the other, you wanted to rush forward into a deeper commitment. He sensed this and may not have been ready for it. Additionally, the bevy of three girls on this card tells me you may have been facing peer pressure to move the relationship forward faster than it should have been going.

The Crowning Card – The Two of Swords

The Two of Swords, showing a young lady, two swords in her crossed arms, blindfolded, is the perfect card to represent what you see… because, in reality, there are factors about this relationship you are refusing to see, even though you know them deep inside. You ask if perhaps his feelings were your imagination. Not imagination, per se, but certainly you feel more deeply for him than he feels for you. A good relationship needs balance… and the Two of Swords indicates a desire for (but lack of) balance in this relationship.

You stated in your question that when you try to contact him to discuss the situation, “Probably he misunderstands my honest intentions, and he does not give me a chance to explain.” This is exactly right… what he is seeing is intense desire, rather than your actual desire to pursue a strong friendship and see where it leads. It’s very hard for you to keep those below-the-surface romantic feelings hidden.

Aspects You Cannot See – Ace of Pentacles

This position in a Celtic Cross Spread is often called the Base of the Matter. Here, we get to the heart of the problem. He sees you as a friend. The Ace of Pentacles is a card of platonic relationships, business, practicality. The distance between you is a huge sticking point in his mind. It’s nearly pointless to pursue a relationship when you are so far apart.

However, the Ace of Pentacles does represent, as all Aces do, beginnings. There is hope here for a strong friendship, that will blossom like the beautiful white flowers on this card in the Hanson-Roberts tarot deck.

Influences That Are Ending – Ace of Swords

More good news comes in the Ace of Swords. His coldness is passing. He’s beginning to release the intellectual arguments that say it’s pointless to even speak to you, since nothing practical can come of it. He will realize how his words have cut like a knife and hurt you – and he will realize it’s not logical to hurt a friend.

Influences That Are Beginning – Judgment

As he reaches out to you, you will be judging him. Determining if, after the way he’s hurt you, he deserves forgiveness. Likewise, he will be judging your motives. Can you really “settle” for a friendly relationship without pushing (or hinting) for something more? Judgment will fall in favor of both of you.

Attitudes You Need To Change – The Moon

I felt as if this card, The Moon (another Major Arcana, indicating a significant message) supported my intuitive instincts about this reading. Where the Moon appears, self-deception may be involved. You may have misread his original signals. However, the cards following this one indicate his feelings may change in the future into more romantic feelings. Be patient and allow it to happen on its own.

Serenity Bly adds: “With the Moon I get a sense that you might be sending mixed signals to yourself, and therefore to others. It can be confusing to others to have a sense of shifting beneath the surface, one aspect draws them in while another pushes them away, like the tides. You may need to take time to find an inner balance and harmony so that you can lower your defenses, present a unified self to others, and strip away any misleading masks you wear.”

Miss Michelle adds to this: Inner balance is a huge theme in this reading, also represented by Judgement and the Two of Swords. Embrace the powerful Queen of Pentacles within yourself, the woman in control. Both you and Karl seem to be pushing and pulling, but you can set the example here and show certainty and confidence in your friendship.

How Others See You – King of Wands

This card sometimes indicates how others see you, but it can also indicate another person’s point of view or expectations for a situation. Since you asked specifically about Karl’s thoughts and feelings, the Tarot is answering your question with this card, as well as with the earlier Ace of Pentacles. Like the Ace of Pentacles, the King of Wands is practical, yet this practicality is tempered with loving kindness. Right now, Karl feels very warmly to you, but the passion isn’t there. For that reason, he’s putting up walls around his emotions, to avoid disappointment for himself or for you if things do not turn out as you both hope they could be.

There’s the irony of the situation – he wants a relationship with you, yet is afraid of it, afraid of being hurt and afraid it won’t turn into what he wants it to be so he’s running away and avoiding the situation – thereby insuring it won’t be what he wants!

Your Hopes and Fears – The Sun

Again, this Major Arcana shows us the importance you are placing on Karl and on this relationship. Your dreams are for a happy family with him or, at the very least, a return to the passion you first felt in the relationship. The reverse of this, of course, is also true—you wonder, if not Karl, then who? You fear being alone.

Potential Outcome – Queen of Pentacles

This beautiful card, a symbol of fertility, feminine power, love, potential, as well as practicality promises a favorable outcome. This card takes the Ace of Pentacles to its logical conclusion – you and Karl would form a perfect partnership – you already have the solid friendship, the physical attraction is there… all that’s lacking is the realization of what you two could have – and the confidence in yourself to make it happen.

Inside, you ARE the Queen of Pentacles – powerful, strong, wise, loving and competent. But you must first embrace these traits in yourself – and exhibit them to the outside world – before others (including Karl) will see them in you. When you do, the Queen of Pentacles will make the perfect counterpart to his King of Rods. Focus on yourself and the other pieces will fall into place.

Cindy asks, “I just recently started a relationship with a new man. What is the significance of this relationship? I’m looking for whatever guidance or insight they want to share. Thanks so much for your help!”

1. Your Present Self – Eight of Cups

You’ve had your share of heartbreaks and love gone wrong. You’ve learned to walk away from pain and sorrow. You’ve developed relationships that grew, for a time, and ended. I get the impression you’re not long out of a deeply emotional relationship and you are still carrying the wounds of that relationship within your heart.

2. The Crossing Card – The Lovers (reversed)

The way your heart it still tied to your past love is also reflected in The Lovers (reversed) as a crossing card. Often, The Lovers represent choice and in this case I feel like you’re doubting your past choices. A part of you reserves your heart because you’re yearning for an old love and feel like your choices are no longer yours to make.

3. The Crowning Card – Three of Cups

The Three of Cups shows clearly this new union. It’s a fond partnership that has the potential to be loving and giving. This new person in your life cares for you but also senses your reserve. He’ll champion for you, and your friends support your union, but you’re still not totally committed within yourself.

4. Aspects You Cannot See – Seven of Swords

Unfortunately, this could mean that your current love interest is shoring up his own defenses and preparing to walk away. He can sense your hesitation and is contemplating his own choices.

5. Influences That Are Ending – Page of Cups

In the past you’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on your own situation. You might have come across to others as being a little self-centered and insensitive but you’ve needed to discover your personal worth and that is one of the things the Page of Wands does best.

6. Influences That Are Beginning – Ten of Wands (reversed)

After spending time in introspection you’re beginning to feel caged and dominated. A part of me feels like your current love interest may be a domineering force but I also get the impression that much of your caged sensation comes from within your own thoughts. You’ve been very hard on yourself and unless you consciously take action to let go of dis-empowering thoughts you’ll continue to create obstacles to your own happiness.

7. Attitudes You Need To Change – Knight of Wands (reversed)

One of the obstacles that come from within is a strange sense of reserve. I’m literally getting a “jolting” sensation, stop, start, stop, start, stop. Like every time you let yourself go and live a little you catch yourself and slam on the breaks. The Knight of Wands needs to be free to chase, free to dream, free to charge forward with his inspiration and ideas. You need to embrace your inner knight and charge forward. Put aside fear or decorum and give into your passions and natural spontaneity.

8. How Others See You – Queen of Wands

You ARE a woman who is in command of her destiny. At least others see this in you. To the outside world you’ve already mastered your desires and you get what you want. You rule the animal kingdom with a core of strength and certainty. If others see this in you then it IS in you. Do you need to believe it of yourself?

9. Your Hopes and Fears – Two of Cups (reversed)

The fears that show up readily in the Two of Cups (reversed) are clearly the cause of past pain and anguish. You’ve felt abandoned and unloved in the past and you’re afraid of rejection and heartbreak. You don’t want to be alone and while you desperately hope to find a lover who can be “the one” you’re thoughts often linger on all the reasons you feel loving others is dangerous.

10. Potential Outcome – Ace of Swords (reversed)

Ultimately, going back to your original question, “What is the significance of this relationship?” the final card in this Celtic Cross Spread tells me that the answer is, “Learning to communicate.” For a very long time you’ve kept your own counsel. You’ve held your tongue instead of sharing your doubts, concerns, and pain. You’ve shown the strength of the Queen of Wands in yourself but hide your weaknesses. Doing this creates a sense of detachment and distance. Your new love interest has one foot on the threshold of your relationship, he’s not sure if he wants to leap in or leap out because he’s not getting clear signals from you.

The Ace of Swords in the final position shows a growing ability to communicate with the people in your life, to let them into your inner sanctum. Learn to let down your guard and open up to the people in your life so that you can embrace the true joy that comes with love. Heartbreak is real, yes, loving can hurt, but if you turn your back on the risk of future pain you’ll miss opportunities in the present to be very happy. Express your fears, talk about what you truly want, what your hopes and dreams for the future are, to this new love. Talking openly will strengthen the bonds of this relationship, but more importantly it will give you the tools you need to deal with all the people in your life that you care about.

With travel agents and exotic ideas filling her mind, Stephanie wanted to know what she might expect during her two week cruise through exotic waters and how spending those two weeks ship bound with her oldest daughter might affect their relationship. We drew a Celtic Cross Spread to find out what was in store for Stephanie.

The Three of Cups, the heart of the matter, shows your upcoming holiday with your daughter as a period of growth, an opportunity for you to explore your relationship together and, also, quite literally, just a time of celebration and fun. There’s nothing to worry about in that regard. You will have a good time.

Forces crossing you, in this case, forces working in your favor, shows up in the Nine of Pentacles… The purity of the mother/daughter relationship will be very strong, where your daughter will look to you as her female role model and mentor, and you will have the opportunity to give her what she needs. To plant the seeds that will help her solve her life’s problems and grow as a woman.

The past influences are showing in the third card, the Five of Rods. In the past, you’ve had battles of wills with your daughter. You never fully trusted each other, and there were patterns of trying to “one up” each other. This is your fear this time around, but it should not manifest as long as you keep your awareness of your role as the Nine of Pentacles mother-figure in your mind.

Influences passing out of existence are shown in the King of Rods. This trip, being “just the girls” will actually allow you personal growth, away from your husband. You will re-establish your own sense of independence and your daughter will be happy to see you not only acting on your own, but leading the way. You have the opportunity to temper this leadership with your feminine caring and softness and bring it back to your everyday life. This trip has the potential to change many areas of your life if you grasp the opportunity, which leads us to the fifth card in this spread.

The King of Cups “crowns” you, showing your goals, options and the possibilities that lie ahead. Maintain that sense of responsibility, tempering it with your feminine guidance and abilities as a good listener to maintain the energy of the trip and the strong relationship with your daughter that manifested on this trip.

The Three of Rods sits before you, showing, quite literally, the trip you’re taking, but, much more than that, the possibilities in front of you—both to explore your own independence and to strengthen your relationship with your daughter. Expect deep, potentially life-changing conversations along with fun memories on this trip, incidents you will laugh about for years into the future. Miss Michele loves this card, as it shows a man standing on the seashore, looking out onto the horizon, in awe of the possibilities in front of him, packed, and eager to embark on his journey, both practical and spiritual. This is also a card of detail, so be keenly aware of things like remembering your passport, tickets, following signs so you won’t get lost, confirming reservations, etc. There’s no bad cards in this spread that show hassles on this journey, but the Three of Rods is a well-prepared traveler.

The seventh card, The Chariot, is used to describe yourself and your state of mind. You’ve been looking forward to this journey for a long time. It’s been a major focus of your life and you want to make the most of it.

In the eighth position, the Eight of Rods, shows your environment and those around you. Things are moving rapidly, change is happening. Expect an element of adventure on the trip… be aware not to overextend yourself. Balance fun and activity with relaxation and self-exploration.

In the Ninth Position, the Seven of Cups shows your dreams, hopes and expectations about this relationship. The Seven of Cups is, literally, the daydream card… *nothing* is impossible on this trip! Dream of doing something wild and crazy? Go for it. Sit on the beach all day sipping margaritas? Do that. The world is your playground and nothing is out of reach. This card works with the Eight of Rods to show you will stretch your personal boundaries and try things you’ve always imagined but never had the gumption to do. Your daughter will experience this growth right along with you!

The Four of Swords in the tenth position shows what will come with this trip, and it holds a warning… for starters, you may return tired, possibly ill (nothing serious). Here is where the Three of Rods’ warning comes into play, as well. Don’t neglect the details of taking care of yourself, rest when you need it, balance fun with relaxation to emerge refreshed.

In reference to your relationship with your daughter… there will be a struggle to maintain all you’ve learned together on your trip when the stress and busy-ness of everyday life returns for both of you. Sit back, relax, and bring yourself back mentally to the mind-frame of the trip… remember that whenever things get challenging and you and your daughter fall back into your old behavioral patterns. This trip has the potential to change your lives, but you have to be open to that possibility and allow it to.

Keeping strong reminders of the trip—photographs, a scrapbook, special, wacky souvenirs—will help you maintain perspective.

I have to say that the Celtic Cross in my favorite spread. Miss Michele loves giving the six card readings but I broke my teeth on these meatier ten card readings and feel a real sense of journey from cards 1 through 10. When Teri asked, “How can I get closer to living my everyday life (job mostly) in a more fulfilling way?“, I thought the Celtic Cross was exactly the kind of spread to shed light on the issue. Lets see what they share with Teri.

The Significator: Knight of Cups
Teri’s life to this point has been an emotional journey, she has come a long way on a hard road and knows that the path continues ahead.

Crossing Card: King of Wands
I get the feeling, this King, while normally a very positive herald of new ideas, indicates a lack of focus. With so many ideas, new projects, and shifting interests it can be hard to give time or mind to any one aspect long enough to make significant progress.

Crowning Card: The Chariot
When I see The Chariot I often think of it as a fork in the road. Teri is at a point where life presents two choices but both create an inner conflict and confusion. Neither is a better or worse choice but remaining at the crossroads is not an option either.

Base of the Matter: Queen of Wands
What Teri cannot see about the choice above is the Queen of Wands who sits in command of her kingdom. The Queen is a warm, considerate, and creative woman, full of life and heart. She often heralds a time of personal growth and is a supportive influence in the near future of which Teri may not yet be aware.

Past Influences: Ace of Pentacles
The past shows a sudden influx of finance perhaps through a legacy or sale of material goods. The windfall is short lived but often comes when most needed.

Forthcoming Influences: Nine of Wands
It has been a challenging few months but there are calm waters just beyond this final hurdle. The Nine of Wands reminds me of the ultimate call of hope. When we are at the edge of reason, exhaustion wearies our features, and life has become weightier than we feel we can bare hope tides us through the final battle. Teri must gather her resources and know that things are about to get a whole lot easier.

Where One Finds Oneself: Seven of Swords
Because of the tough path behind her, Teri has set up barriers to her inner being that wards off those around her. In the past these defenses have served her cause but courage calls for Teri to let down her guard a little, to welcome the Queen of Wands into her heart. It is in taking a chance on others that she will flourish in the future.

View of Others: The Emperor
I suspect in large part because of the barriers Teri has built around her heart those around Teri often think of her as standoffish, high and mighty, even arrogant. What they believe and what is true are rarely the same thing but be careful of keeping apart from others. The Emperor is a powerful being, he wields lightening bolts and shapes the world, but also leads a relatively solitary life that may not give Teri the happiness she is looking for.

Hopes and Fears: The High Priestess
After the earlier cards The High Priestess in this position is rather interesting. In standard divination she is a spiritual being, deeply focused on the occult, seeing beyond the physical world into the heavens. She has a gentle nature and a central order to the way things should be done. I get the feeling that in this position she indicates a fear of structure, order, rules, and restrictions or perhaps an inner need for such things.

Final Outcome: Five of Pentacles
To find a greater fulfillment in life Teri may, ultimately, have to give up what she currently has. Teri, make a sacrifice of your current beliefs or securities rather than clinging to the little you have now. It is easy to feel we have too little and need to horde for the ‘rainy day’. The Five of Pentacles often shows a very real sense of walking away from what you’ve accomplished so far, of giving up what little you have. In a sense, you may need to begin again, to accomplish what you desire.

Congratulations to Rachel, who won the auction at Simon’s Auctions for a Spirituality Package. Rachel asked: Last year, I had a lot of success, work-wise. Will that continue, will I struggle… or will I do even BETTER?

1. The Significator

The Knight of Cups in this position shows that you are full of passion and a proud sense of accomplishment. You’ve had great success and are doing what you love. You are on a journey that, with each step, takes you closer to your desires and in knowing the path ahead you feel a great joy, your step is light and all the world is beautiful.

2. Crossing Card

Blended with and inhibiting this buoyant sense of love and harmony is The Tower. It forces you to recognise change. Change is always a positive force but the process can be painful. The Tower reminds us to let go of that which will not aid us in our ultimate goals, they will inevitably fall away no matter how hard you cling to what feels safe and real in the moment. Learn to embrace change rather than fear it.

3. Crowning Card

Your current joy and your fear of change are founded in the King of Pentacles. You’re doing very well, you feel secure in your financial footing and the material world around you is abundant.

4. Base of the Matter

The greatest issue you may not see shows itself in The Chariot. This is a conflict, usually a struggle within yourself to find balance between your baser instincts, your competitive nature, your sense of self-righteousness, arrogance and aggression war against a calm, easy-going attitude. Here, you must learn to bring both sides of yourself to a harmony where they can work together.

5. Past Influences

The Ace of Wands and Ace of Swords come together to show your past, a new and exciting venture. Business that embraces your intelligence and creativity. You have had a great deal to learn and often felt out of your depth but you embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and even excitement. It has been an adventure of new learning.

6. Forthcoming Influences

You’ve come away from those Aces as you gain experience and are coming into the Three of Wands. You have skill and a little experience. The earlier lessons are behind you. You have created a firm footing in your career and go forward knowing there is still much to learn. You continue to grow and as you continue to grow you come to greater knowledge.

7. Where One Finds Oneself

The Six of Wands shows that as you and those dearest to you celebrate your successes, you feel as if all eyes are upon you. You’ve attained a glorious victory and have good reason to celebrate but don’t allow this celebration to overcome your forward momentum.

8. How Others See You

Around you, others see you as The Hierophant. You are the teacher, the mentor, ready to pass on what you know to others. They look to you for guidance and direction, perhaps imitating you in the hopes of achieving similar success.

9. Hopes and Fears

Serenity’s favorite deck, The Mythic Tarot, describes the Seven of Pentacles in your situation perfectly. Your hopes and fears are highlighted with a question, “whether to continue to develop what one has already built, or to put energy into a new project.”

10. Final Outcome

The final outcome shows me that your fear of needing to start over is unfounded. You are on the right path and swiftly moving toward a greater understanding of your career and all that is involved in being successful. The Queen and King of Wands come together here, united in their dominance of thought and power. Your warmth, loyalty and compassion rise to the surface allowing you to guide others. You will be in a position to teach and to create lasting change for yourself and for those around you.