Future Tarot

“The Ten of Swords is the Dark before the Dawn.” *
Any hardship culminates in an apex of fatigue and horror. One is surrounded by the sense of the insurmountable, faced with what feels like an inevitable failure and crushing defeat. The Ten of Swords embodies this darkness. When all the odds seem turned against you and you cannot see beyond this moment to the brightness beyond.

When I see the Ten of Swords in a reading it reminds me of a great battle. Surrounded by the enemy, the remaining troops are torn between throwing down their swords and ultimately feel that their fight is one that ends in their death and has been for naught. From this perspective, we are the men, gazing into the maniacal faces of our enemy, our muscles heavy, blood seeping, swords an half-height, weary with fatigue and awash in hopelessness.

What we fail to see, hidden from us by the shadows of the army on every flank is the golden gleam of fresh armor, bronzed horses, glimmering swords, and the banners of long awaited reinforcements just cresting the horizon. Here, in the darkness of what seems like imminent defeat we fail to see our salvation.

That, is the Ten of Swords.

Kimberlee Ferrell describes the Ten of Swords as, “hitting rock bottom, being a martyr, or having a “woe is me” attitude. Things couldn’t be worse, but the bright side is that the only way left to go is up.”

This card shares similar qualities to the Major Arcana, Death. The card itself shows that in it’s most literal sense and offers a dark image of hopelessness and defeat. Yet on the horizon is a bright new day and we are reminded that every ending is a new beginning as the circle turns.

In a reading, the Ten of Swords might indicate a need to find acceptance within yourself and to allow change to occur. Often, the greatest pain is caused by attempting to hold back the winds of change. One must create room for new life by letting go of that which no longer aids.

The Ten of Swords portends a difficult experience of loss or release, but a new awareness and a positive sense of relief that the difficulty is finally finished will eventually follow the pain of this experience. Though this card may seem negative at first glance, it is a card of hope and an indication that our troubles will not be permanent. ~

This card might also be telling us that things are not as bad as they seem. The Ten of Swords often appears as melodrama or even hypochondria. It is the making of a mountain out of a molehill. When the card appears in a spread it may be advising us to reevaluate our position and to look at the bare facts without emotional excess.

The Ten of Swords appears to be a card of terrible misfortune, but surprisingly, it often represents troubles that are more melodramatic than real. The man on this card has quite a few swords in his back. Wouldn’t one be enough? Isn’t ten a little excessive? Perhaps this gentleman’s suffering – though sincere – is exaggerated as well. *

On the other hand, it may mean “you need to convince someone that it IS that bad while they are insisting that you are exaggerating.”

What are you letting go of this week? Have you felt hopeless and fatigued by your situation? Perhaps you can see the light of a new dawn on the horizon. What insights do you feel the Ten of Swords brings?

Nancy, who runs an informative writer’s blog over at Writerly Stuff, wants to know about her financial state in the new year.

Miss Michele, 2007 was a horrible year, personally and financially. It’s the financial part that has me discouraged. Hubby hasn’t worked in almost a year, and, well, my job isn’t paying enough (especially with living expenses so high). Plus, the company I work for was just recently bought out, so my job isn’t too secure (I’ll add here that I had to take a fairly big loan on my 401k and needs to be paid back, and that’s scaring me even more). I’ve tinkered with the idea of doing freelancing on a part-time basis, but I’m not sure I have any skills or ideas that someone will pay me for. So…three things: Will I keep my job, or will I have to look for a new one? Should I go into freelancing? Will I bring in enough extra money to pay off the 401k and pay off a major chunk of our credit card debt? Sorry for the ramble. I look forward to your reading – and thank you!

That’s a lot for three cards to reveal, so Miss Michele will ask the tarot: “What is in the future, career-wise, for Nancy?”

The cards indicate 2008 will not be as bad as Nancy fears. The card in the past, Strength, is one of Miss Michele’s favorite Major Arcanas, showing that Nancy weathered the storm with incredible inner strength. She doesn’t realize it, but she has the self-confidence, power, patience and faith to improve her situation. The eight shows the end of a cycle to make way for new growth.

In the Near Future, we see the situation that is ending in the Knight of Swords. Swords show sudden, tumultuous change. New people may be coming into your life with new opportunities. (That’s a good thing!) But beware of “quick fixes” for your problems. Don’t be tempted by a scam. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Now I’m sure Nancy won’t get bamboozled by Publish America, but beware of temptations more subtle that look like a way out of debt.

This card also indicates Nancy’s forthrightness. When she wants something, she goes after it, and this will work in her favor.

The Outcome could not be better: The Nine of Cups. The jolly fellow on the “wish card” arrives to tell us that all Nancy’s worries will be assuaged. She will get what she needs.

Unsatisfied with the conclusion, Miss Michele draws one more card, asking, will there be a career change for Nancy?

It looks like a new job opportunity will come about, with the Page of Swords. There is an emphasis on creativity, paperwork, inspiration and creative writing. I can’t say Nancy will leave her job, but she will definitely pursue her writing with a new vigor, and, in conjunction with the Nine of Cups, I’ll go so far as to say she’ll see income from the endeavor.

At the start of the year, Mysti took advantage of a year-long overview reading from Miss Michele. She posted an assessment of the reading on her own blog. The comments are particularly interesting because of Mysti’s knowledge of numerology. Check it out and decide if you’d like your own 13-card year-long spread!

Although the day is half over, Miss Michele is pulling a card for the day… The Hanged Man. This shows significance as a Major Arcana… I am finally seeing my writing from a new perspective. I can’t go into details here, but I had one of those a-ha moments… not a Tower moment, but seeing things from a totally new perspective and feeling a lot better about my career following this change in perspective. Negative influences are passing from my life because I have released the status quo.

I’m also, quite literally, waiting for something exciting! Miss Michele will be on the air tonight as a guest of John Ale at Radio X.

What many readers may not know is that Miss Michele was “born,” years ago, on John Ale’s blog. In fact, it was while speaking with the radio show host that I decided to re-launch the persona on my own blog.

The Hanged Man, however, tells me I won’t see financial and promotional results from this radio appearance right away, but Miss Michele is in the start of a good phase.

Miss Michele has a reader question!! Happy dance!

Siddow asks:

What is the best way to deal with the obstacles in the path to my goal?

There is no way around it. Miss Michele feels called to do a simplified Celtic Cross spread to uncover the answer to this question.

Six cards for the price of three, a two-for-one sale. Consider it a “thank you.”

P.S. to readers… Miss Michele is joking… for the month of November, tarot readings are free! Just post your questions here!

On to Siddow’s question and answer:

At a glimpse, your answer is: hard work and learning.

Patience will help, too. Two major arcana cards in this spread indicate these obstacles are big ones–you are striving for a lifestyle change. You feel like you are almost there, but outside influences are holding you back. That is true–only because you are allowing them to.

Card #1, The Two of Rods, shows your experience to date.

You’ve been given (or created for yourself) some wonderful opportunities that got you on the path to success, perhaps jump-started your quest. But you were restless–change wasn’t (and still isn’t) coming quickly enough.
You’ve paved the way, built a strong foundation.

Card #2, the Eight of Cups, tells us where you are now.

Travel or a move is indicated; this assertion is supported by the Two of Rods and the Wheel of Fortune. This could be a physical change of residence or simply a shedding of your old lifestyle or a change of workplace. (Miss Michele isn’t clear on this!)

With the foundation firmly in place, you’ve said goodbye to your past lifestyle to focus on your new path. And though you feel as if anything would be better than your past situation, you don’t know what you’re walking into, and it’s scary.

Eights indicate progression to a new phase, moving on, and setting new priorities. You have two 8s in this reading! Keep moving forward. The only thing holding you back is fear of the unknown. (The obstacles will take care of themselves when you are ready).

The Near Future, the card in the #3 position, is the Three of Pentacles. You’ve got a grasp on things, now, and are using your talents to move ahead. You begin to enjoy the first rewards of the work you’ve been putting in. Hang in there!

Card #4 symbolizes you, Siddow, in the environment of the future. The Hanged Man, is the #12 Major Arcana–which breaks down to the number three.

That means you’re in a period of personal growth and creativity. But you’re tired of waiting. Things are at a standstill. Your business moves slowly. You’ve put in the work, you’ve reaped some rewards, but you believe it’s time for things to come to a head.

It’s not quite time, though. The Universe knows this. Take this waiting period to look at things from a different perspective.

Card #5 tells us the Best You Can Hope For, if you continue the path you are on. Remember–your fate is not pre-determined. The cards show only one possible path.

However, this isn’t a bad situation at all! The Wheel of Fortune (number 10, then end of a cycle) shows financial and emotional success!

As the Wheel turns, your luck will, too. You’ll need to make a decision and jump full-throttle into this new life, if that is what you want! Grab it, it’s yours!

Finally, card 6, the Outcome, shows more work ahead, in the Eight of Pentacles. The opportunities presented lead to still more chances to learn and improve. Overall, your work will be fulfilling–your time and effort is paying off.

The only obstacles in your path seem to be a desire to have everything today. Keep doing what you’re doing, keep learning, don’t give up.

A change of residence could be indicated to help you better fulfill your goals. If you are contemplating a move, go for it!

I already know what kind of day today is going to be. I was set to write this post about 4 hours ago, when my computer decided to reboot itself because Firefox had to “perform updates.”

Then I posted a story for critiquing with an obvious error.

But I got what the psychic community calls a “hit” with my reading yesterday (unfortunately). Most of my readings have come true, over time, but it’s interesting to see such quick results!

The Wheel of Fortune is supposed to tell of positive change coming in the future, possibly a windfall, money coming in. Or a new car.

Yesterday morning, my husband got up to go to work and found a dead battery in our Blazer. (Our only vehicle–as a freelancer, I don’t need transportation during the day. In a pinch, my bicycle gets me back and forth from the grocery store very nicely.)

Hubby had the same problem coming home. Dead battery. And dead battery charger. Headaches ensued, after a long day at work. He made it home fine after fixing the charger. But who needs that?

“That may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.

“It’s dead?” I asked.

“I’m not sure what’s wrong with it THIS TIME, but all the problems just seem to be getting worse. Might be time to look into a new car.”

We had wanted to wait for my freelance income to stabilize a bit, but it looks like we may be car shopping this weekend.

I know I promised a reading here everyday, but I’m honestly not sure I *want* to know.