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.

Stephanie is entering a phase of learning this year. She will be learning balance, discipline, money-making techniques and a stick-to-it-iveness that will serve her well throughout life. The Six of Pentacles in the year’s theme, while not a Major Arcana, Stephanie’s victories will be small but significant. Think: one step at a time.

A powerful man is a strong influencer, or perhaps it is a woman with male-dominant traits who figures prominently. This person is Stephanie’s inspiration as well as her drill sergeant, who gives her the strength and energy to keep going when she’d just rather not.

June: King of Swords

The person referenced above makes his first appearance in June, ruling with a bit of an iron fist, sword poised not so much for battle as to let Stephanie know it is there. The King of Swords will poke her with it if appropriate, if only to get her moving “for her own good.”

July: Wheel of Fortune

And move Stephanie does, straight into good things. The Wheel of Fortune heralds an unexpected windfall of time, money and energy puts Stephanie on the path toward what she wants to accomplish.

August: Three of Pentacles

This card indicates a journey of learning, honing a craft or skill into profits. It may also indicate a business endeavor with others, where the other person takes the lead in many areas. Just because Stephanie is behind the scenes, however, does not mean her contribution is inconsequential. To the contrary, the Three of Pentacles shows she is learning all she can, absorbing like a sponge, so she can take over.

September: Ten of Pentacles

This card indicates the fruition of that which was begun. Sometimes called the “Happy Family” card, the Ten of Pentacles is a Minor Arcana version of the Wheel of Fortune, which we saw earlier in the year. Hard work has paid off and profits are flowing in.

October: The Hermit

After a season of success, Stephanie is pulling back to re-evaluate her goals and ambitions. It may be time for a complete change of focus, or perhaps just a rest. Based on the cards surrounding this Major Arcana, The Hermit, too many people are counting on you for you to stay away long.

November: Page of Swords

It’s a young man! Or woman! With a great idea!
Miss Michele’s tongue-in-cheek exclamation points reflect the Page of Swords’ enthusiasm. There is no room for pessimism or naysayers here. Change is in the air, and it’s all for the better. Perhaps a new business idea, or a new direction for the existing business. Either way, this youngsters enthusiasm (and when we say youngster here at Future-Tarot, we mean the young at heart) will lift Stephanie out of October’s doldrums and won’t take no for an answer.

December: King of Wands

Here’s that strong male influence again, only he’s softened around the edges this time. The King of Wandssees the progress Stephanie has made and he’s willing to step back and gently guide her this time around.

January: Queen of Swords

This card, more than any other in the reading, represents Stephanie and her evolution over the past six months. She went from being a person easily led down whatever path others saw as best for her, to stepping up to be a queen in her own right, ruling with that sword. Miss Michele’s only warning would be to not lose touch of the softness that makes her uniquely Stephanie. Strength is good, so long as it’s tempered by tenderness. The Queen of Swords is sharp and shrewd, but it’s wise to remember she doesn’t know everything – yet.

February: The World

Just as Stephanie steps into her own, The World is waiting for her. Quite literally, February sees the culmination of everything she has worked so hard for in 2009. With her business going strong, it’s time to sit back, relax, and await the next challenge.

March: Two of Swords

And, as always, life moves in cycles and the change of seasons brings the start of a new cycle. The Two of Swords reflects a need for balance and factors Stephanie may not have considered in the past. For instance, with this reading for the last half of 2009 so filled with Swords and Pentacles, there wasn’t much time for romance, tenderness or even fun. What areas of her life was Stephanie neglecting and how can she make room for them?

April: The Chariot and Four of Pentacles

The Chariot holds the answer, as this Major Arcana predicts a journey. The journey is literal in this case, as well as figurative. Stephanie seeks direction – a cosmic and spiritual GPS if you will – to tell her what’s next in her life. A clarification card, the Four of Pentacles, provides that direction. Now that the Universe has been so kind as to grant your wishes, it’s time to let go a bit. You can afford to be generous – with your time, money and emotions. Take The Chariot, enjoy your vacation, let all your worries drift away… and tip generously. The Universe has plenty more where that came from.

May: The Tower

May brings a time when Stephanie wants to reinvent herself once again her trip brought new perspective, but she came home to a perhaps unwelcome surprise. Like the phoenix rising out of the ashes – that’s the preferred analogy for The Tower Major Arcana – everything will only be stronger with the rebuilding. She may come home from her trip to startling news, a home break-in, or simply changes beyond her imagination.

Theme: Six of Pentacles

The emphasis is on balance, learning and, above all, fairness. Her karmic lesson for the year, shown in the Six of Pentacles is to think more about others than about herself and, from that, good things will come.

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.

A year later it is wonderful to welcome back, Maisy, with another 12-Month Spread. Maisy’s husband and his strength figures *very* prominently for her this year. Her over-riding theme for the year is the King of Cups, and this is definitely Maisy’s husband; her protector, watching over her with love and kindness, but also strict when he needs to be about certain situations.

I feel like deception is a major force in Maisy’s life… I pointed this out last year, and I’m wondering, now, if it’s not self-deception in some way. The Five of Swords, Eight of Cups and The Moon all show up in this reading at different times, and they all *can* indicate deception, subterfuge or holding back the truth. (Maybe not intentional deceit, but concealing the truth.) I wonder if there’s someone in Maisy’s life who keeps returning – or even a “type” of client she keeps encountering – who is less than trustworthy? If not, it’s quite possible that Maisy has been concealing the truth from herself in a certain matter.

The Four of Pentacles, which was last year’s theme, shows himself in December, too. That’s the time of year when we should be most giving and generous, but Maisy may feel as if she does not have enough and so clings tightly to what she does have.

There’s no over-riding emphasis on any of the suites. We have two swords, three cups, two rods, one pentacle and five major arcana—another big year with lots of ups and downs, but a lot less emphasis on business and finance. Is Maisy undergoing fertility treatments? Certain cards in this spread, including the wands and swords, lead me to believe that may be the case. She has many cards showing transitions through a cycle – fours, fives, sixes and sevens. But The Magician in July shows the start of something big.

Okay, month-by-month:

June: Knight of Swords

Springtime brings the Knight of Swords, a card heralding rapid change. Maisy is jumping head-first into a project and I think that project may be what sparked her to get this tarot reading. As the flowers bloom and the Earth undergoes re-birth, Maisy is enacting change. She is not contemplating it, she is charging forward headfirst.

July: The Magician

This card, represented by the Number 1 and showing the start of a cycle, shows that Maisy’s “go for it” attitude in June has paid off. Now she is learning to use her talents to get what she wants and manipulate forces to her advantage. If this Magician indicates the decision to undergo fertility treatments, it could be successful.

August: Seven of Cups

This card, coupled with a fertility card (the Moon) in September *could* indicate a pregnancy. I’m not getting a strong feeling of that, though, and the cards nine months down the line don’t correspond. I suggest Maisy keep it in the back of her mind as a possibility. The Seven of Cups is the daydream card … the sky’s the limit for Maisy’s imagination. This card also sometimes indicates a spacey feeling, where she is in a surreal state (sometimes common in pregnancy). It could also indicate a period of planning for a business or any other aspect of life, and that’s what I am getting here. Maisy is having fun imagining all the possibilities ahead of her. Some people may call her a dreamer, but that’s okay. Let them laugh. Maisy knows what she is doing.

September: The Moon

This card indicates many things – self-deception, fertility, feminine intuition. I’ll take “door number 3” in this case. Maisy’s feminine intuition is just so strong, nothing can hold her back. It’s a good thing that Maisy’s husband, the King of Cups keeps her somewhat grounded in reality. The Moon and king together make a great partnership!

October: Six of Rods

As Autumn approaches, the Six of Rods indicates reaping your harvest. Known as the Victory card, the Six of Rods in the Hanson-Roberts deck shows a man on a horse and his younger sidekick riding off into the blazing sun, victorious, his bags full with the spoils of war. You’ve done it! Something tells me Maisy is on a spiritual voyage and this card marks a huge milestone for her in personal growth and development.

November: Wheel of Fortune

With victory comes good fortune, shown by the Major Arcana Wheel of Fortune in November. After the mid-year struggles, everything has fallen into place. Maisy, be generous with your wins.

December: Four of Pentacles

This greedy little gentleman in December, holding tight to his pentacles so no one steals them, knows plenitude but not true abundance. Abundance means having so much that you’re not afraid to let it go – you know the Universe has more to deliver your way. The Four of Pentacles often serves as a reminder, “give and you will receive; stop keeping score.” For Maisy, this could apply to money, gifts or even her time and energy. The holidays always seem stressful. Take a deep breath, act as if you have all the time in the world – and you will, Maisy!

January: Eight of Cups

This card indicates that Maisy is nearing the end of her spiritual journey, but is afraid to let it go. She has learned all she needs to in this cycle and winter 2010 is the time to reinvent herself completely. With the Eight of Cups, Maisy has learned to stop lying to herself—or purged the people from her life who have been lying to her, now it is time to move on because better things await.

February: Death

This card strongly reinforces the Eight of Cups. In fact, as the Number 8 Major Arcana, it is simply the Eight of Cups in its strongest incarnation. The Death card demands you to let go of a situation that isn’t working… step forward. Maisy must do this, to pave way for much better things. (Didn’t I say that already?) Seriously, this winter, get ready to let go – perhaps kicking and screaming – to old beliefs, people, tasks, places… whatever isn’t working for you, Maisy, get rid of it.

March: Four of Rods

The Four of Rods provides great incentive to listen to the tarot’s advice to let go. This card indicates a happy celebration. A birth. The purchase of a home. A wedding, anniversary, party.

April: Five of Swords

Miss Michele had trouble reconciling this card with the rest of the reading… earlier in the year, it would have made sense, as it represents Maisy still clinging tightly to things – material or beliefs. The only thing I can say is that she has taken a few steps forward, and now she is taking one back. This is the storm AFTER the calm, if you will. The Five of Swords may also indicate empty victory – Maisy thought she had achieved all she wanted, and now discovers there are other paths to conquer.

May: The Chariot

You’ll do it… when Maisy sets her mind to it, things will move rapidly and she will regain the spiritual and emotional ground she lost – and then some. The Chariot also indicates a much-needed journey, a change of scenery. It might indicate an actual trip, or another change of mind that puts Maisy in a different “place,” so to speak.

Again, the King of Cups as the over-riding theme is Maisy’s anchor, her sanity, in a year characterized by many emotional ups and downs and personal growth. Maisy, you will not be the same person in May 2010 as you are today, but you will like – ACCEPT – the new “you” much better.

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.