tarot talk

Tarot Talks: World Tarot Day 2019 Experience

Truth be told I forgot this day even existed despite it saw its 16th annual celebration this year. Typically I refrain from global social media challenges such as Tarosophy Association’s High Intensity Tarot Training (HITT) workout challenge.

Using only the 22 major arcana draw a card at random and follow a task list that’s based on the card drawn. Once task is complete pick another card and so on. See full challenge here.

I managed to complete 3 tasks. Each time I picked a card I felt the double-edged sword; one side told me to keep it simple, the other side felt it needed to be a grandiose achievement. I opted for the K.I.S.S (keep it simple, stupid). Sharing to my social media I actually wondered whether anyone would consider my completed tasks a cop-out. Really? Thoughts can be strange and funny things.

Looking at the cards I drew throughout the day – Strength, The Magician, The Tower – as a reading onto itself makes a heck of alot of sense for me.

“I am stronger than I think. I have all the tools I need. Clear out the old to make room for the new.”

I have been shifting on an internal and external level, which is reflected in these cards. I am looking at Strength as taming the wild beast that lives in us all. To me this currently is reflected by all my old social programming. The mind and behaviour conditioning and patterns that, when left unchecked, can cause a host of problems for me including anxiety, unmet and unrealistic expectations, insecurities, and more.

Magician is the will to do so, creation, making it happen. This is the action that is backed by the Strength card. The actual *doing* and facing of the fears. I also see this as journaling; gratitude journal, bullet journal, and personal journal. These tools have allowed me to take greater control by crystallizing the abstract thoughts into an actionable course.

Tower is the shifting moments. I have metaphorically and literally been clearing out all that no longer serves me, all that no longer “sparks joy.” The paradigm shifts and “ah-ha!” moments that come with it are all happening through doing the work of examining my own thoughts and beliefs. In a physical sense my house appears to be in shambles as we declutter (hubby and I both reformed hoarders).

All-in-all today was a good experience with the HITT challenge and am pleased with outcome. Was a great reminder that I have been facing fears, seeing the magic in the world, and making room for the new.

Brightest blessings,

~☆~Phoenix Rose ~☆~

Tarot Talks: Apophenia Tarot – The Chariot

The Chariot.
Photo credit: Phoenix Rose
This comes from the Apophenia Tarot by Steven Archer. The deck’s stark imagery is captivating, in my opinion.
When I was gifted the deck I did not know much about Archer. The deck had no guide book and on his website the artist said there would never be a book. I admire his brazen honesty. Archer stated that he only created the deck because his fans kept pushing for it, that he himself is an artist and not into tarot at all. The cards are a fan bit and nothing more. The title, apophenia, makes so much sense given his statement. As someone who has read tarot for half of my life I can see how, as an artist, Archer did a great job with this deck. I feel artists have a way of channeling things and end up with something they didn’t know they knew.
One card in particular struck me. The Chariot. Pictured is JFK, the First Lady is not with him, but the Lincoln Continental, the grassy knoll, and arrows imply his assassination. What does this have to do with the traditional image and symbolism of The Chariot?
I began my search on the now defunct Aeclectic Tarot forum to glean an ounce of insight into this deck. I was not surprised to see many complimenting the artistry, however I was shocked that this deck is a deal-breaker for some readers because of the Chariot card.
Some could not find the correlation between JFK and the Chariot meanwhile others found it in poor taste. A few non-Americans were not fazed because their patriotism lays elsewhere. Some even went so far as to say they would never buy this deck, would not even want to be read using this deck because of the Chariot card. Some were truly offended.
As a Canadian, I am well aware of JFK’s impact and lasting reputation, however I feel no offense to his image being used; I just want to know how I can correlate the seemingly unrelated symbolism. 
First things first, the traditional meaning of the Chariot. This card is about victory and success, not the dumb-luck kind, the kind that comes of hard work and perseverance. Having an almost aggressive attitude towards achieving goals. Being a bit self-involved. This card can relate to the military and leadership. This card is about making decisions between obedience and rebellion. Indicates travel and movement. Balance between masculine and feminine, as above and so below, to achieve success. It also has an adolescent energy about it; the part of the Fool’s journey where he’s gaining sight of his ability, honing skills, and striving towards mastery.
Photo credit: Google images
Now let’s take a gander at John F. Kennedy. He experienced much illness throughout his short life (perseverance for success against the odds). He was the US’s youngest elected president (adolescent to mastery energy). He climbed the so-called ladder to success through his school career, had a stint in journalism before getting right into politics, served in the Navy (perseverance to achieve goals). He has great leadership skills; was a lieutenant in the Navy (leadership and military energy). As a president he had his share of scandals, think Marilyn Monroe, he also made decisions that were not favorable to other politicians and powers-that-be (self-invloved, as well as rebellious, and tough decision making energy here).
I can really see how JFK ties in. Now I’m looking at it like how can he not be on this card, it’s too appropriate. The arrows threw me. As previously stated, I figure they imply his assassination. 
Or does it? Let’s look at arrow symbolism. Arrows symbolism speed, travel, movement, and swift action, which aligns with The Chariot. Arrows signify thoughts and nothing moves faster than a thought. They also indicate piercing the outer layer to get to the heart of the matter. In the card the arrows are shown piercing the outer layer. This goes with the energy of decisions, making choices that may change our current situation, or at the very least change our perspective on our current situation. In Christianity arrows are also related to the hunt, lightning, and divination.
Arrows can also be a sign of love when considering Cupid’s arrows. Could this point to JFK being known as a ladies man? His known and unknown adultery? Another aspect I see with these arrows of love is the romanticizing of him as a president. The historian, Carl M. Brauer, in 2002 said that the public’s “fascination with the assassination may indicate a psychological denial of Kennedy’s death, a mass wish … to undo it.”

Photo credit: CNN archive 
The Chariot is a card of self-discovery, and in the reversed position it’s about overcoming obstacles to achieve success, but at what cost? The reversal indicates riding for a fall; overconfidence, rash in actions, car troubles, problems on the road, delays, easily deflected from your course. I would say Kennedy had one hell of a set back during his travels to Dallas on that tragic day. The reversal speaks of the conflicts and opposing views. JFK had very much opposing views when compared to other prominent political powers. He scrapped Eisenhower’s methods in the White House. He did not allow the false flags that the Chief of Staffs wanted to play out on American soil to win favor in the war on Cuba. Among many other things which link to the meanings of the Chariot.
The more I read about JFK the more I can see the relation to The Chariot. This isn’t even touching on the conspiracies that surround him and his assassination. However, the arrows could suggest the theory of more than one shooter. The two hidden arrows might point to the unknown, and questionable, information surrounding his untimely death. 
Photo credit: Google images
Kennedy in his role of president and all he went through to get there is absolutely in line with Chariot energy. Archer could have chosen JFK speaking at a podium, or the inauguration with Kennedy’s famous line, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” However, Archer chose not the moments of leadership or critical decision-making, instead he chose to show the result of those actions. 
As I stare at the image of Kennedy’s missing hair and gaunt complexion I wonder if this a zombie, JFK persevering even in death. His decisions in life, his actions and behaviours live on, despite all he was up against. His spirit pushes forth and 56 years after his passing his story is captivating, the more I learn the more I want to know. He was a man who promoted world peace in the midst of wars. This is the spirit of the Chariot, perseverance, making decisions and taking actions, even if others disagree, pushing forth in the face of adversity. Haters gonna hate.
Alternatively, this points to understanding there are consequences to our actions. Whether positive or negative, we take action and we get results. When we make rash decisions or act in haste we may wind up taking some hits. Should we let that stop us? Probably not. We should recoup and regroup, change course if necessary. Keeping with the self-discovery energy of the Chariot, only we can be responsible for ourselves and our path in life. We could be asking ourselves not what others can do for us, but what we can do for ourselves.
Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Recommendations and resources:

Learn more about Steven Archer here:
http://www.egolikeness.com
Buy the deck here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935738267/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_smhvCbBHKTSG7

https://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=250261

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy

Mary K. Greer’s Complete Book of Tarot Reversals
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1567182852/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_urhvCbFM9ZJAB

Tarot Talks: Choosing a Deck

A conversation happened recently where a good friend was asking about the concept of how tarot decks have to be given to you, that you shouldn’t buy one for yourself. He threw out his deck based on this information he was told. While this old wives tale has a mysterious allure to it, almost a romanticism that somehow makes a deck more special, it is still just an old wives tale. There is an adage to “the deck must be given” and it’s “or stolen.” I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not becoming a thief to acquire a deck, not in today’s day and age when they are so readily available!

Our fore-mothers, the old wives that made up all these tales, I do not wish to discredit them. There are still nuggets of truths that are valid today, though some things just no longer hold truth, and we need to use discernment in the now-moment.

I have been given decks that I absolutely adore. My first deck, Rider-Waite-Smith, was given to me. I did my best to use and connect with it. However, I didn’t really connect with it. I struggled with reading from it. I had it for a few years before I decided that I want a new deck. I was also gifted Mythic Tarot within this time, and it was without a book, I was lost with this deck and rarely ever touched it.

One day I found the Essential Tarot, a deck by Hansen-Roberts, and bought it on the spot from a local bookstore. I LOVED the artistry on the cards. Beautiful work. It is based on the RWS system, so I was familiar with it, but these pictures *popped* for me. I also enjoyed the accompanying little white book that came with it.  I used these cards with great success for the next decade.

I have since moved on from using the Hansen-Roberts deck. I picked up the RWS deck again and use it with much more success than I ever have. I have over two dozen decks now, half given and half I purchased by myself for myself. The ones I tend to connect with the best are ones I have been able to pick myself. This isn’t a truth across the board. I have picked decks that have ended up being a flop. I have also been given decks that have worked fabulously.

My point here: you do not have to be given a deck – or steal a deck – in order for it to “work” or for it to be “real.”

The skill to read comes from the reader, not from the cards. The cards are merely a tool to unlock your intuition. In this day and age with all the different artistry, and even pop-culture based decks, I would say choose a deck you feel you will connect with. It will be much easier to learn from if you enjoy the tools you are using.

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Tarot Talks: Thinking About Thinking

Something I have learned reading tarot is how important it is to understand that the future is written in sand and not in stone. We have the power of choice in most situations. Yes, there are situations beyond our control – recognizing those situations and letting go of trying to control them is the most liberating feeling. Distinguishing between what we can control and what we can’t control is a line that has not been clearly defined in this society.

What you can control: your actions/behaviours and your thoughts. With the added caveat to controlling your thoughts – you cannot control what thoughts pop into your head – what you can control is what you think of, and do with, those thoughts. Confused yet? I promise it is an easier concept than reading about thinking of thoughts. As humans we are metacognative: the ability to think about thinking. As an observer/seeker stand point, we are able to observe the thoughts that pop in our heads. If we believe those thoughts to be true then our behaviour and physiology follows suit. If we disbelieve the thought that pops in our heads then we dismiss it, no harm, no foul.

Creativity machine: is this where thoughts come from? We have a creative centre in our brain/mind that constantly shoots out thoughts and ideas, especially when we are looking for answers. This can be something as simple as looking for the T.V. remote and our creative centre shoots out the thought, “look under the couch cushions.” This creative centre has no sense of right or wrong, reality or fantasy. It may shoot out the idea that the T.V. remote has been zapped into thin air and no longer exists because you’ve been looking for an hour and haven’t found it. Yet, you know that this could not possibly be true. You couldn’t control that you thought to check the couch or to check outer space, but you could control whether either of those thoughts made any sense, and you most certainly controlled whether you moved your body and checked under the cushions.

Indirect control: feelings/emotions and physiology. We can’t directly control our feelings. Any advice that suggests you get your emotions under check you have my permission to throw that advice in the garbage. Emotions are information and we are meant to feel them, even the uncomfortable feelings that no one actually wants to feel.  They all hold merit and serve a purpose. We indirectly control our emotions through our thoughts and actions (yes, through our very own thoughts and actions, no one else’s!). Physiology is another meter/gauge that gives us information. Our emotions usually need to be processed through our bodies. Such as stress, high amounts of adrenaline is released and our physical bodies need to process it. This is why stress is one of the top causes of death/illness.

WTF does any of this have to do with tarot readings? Tarot helps us to distinguish what we can and can’t control, gives us insight into ourselves, empowers us to take control over our own circumstances, and shows us when to let go. We just need to start looking at readings as messages of divine guidance, and stop looking at readings as a fortune cookie.

What we absolutely cannot control: other people, period. We cannot control what someone else is going to say, think, or do. We can only control how we react to what they say, think, or do (what they think is none of our business, but that is a post for a later time). We cannot control whether they stay in a relationship – we CAN create an environment that will encourage them to stay, but ultimately it’s not our decision. We cannot control how others treat us – we CAN treat ourselves well, with love and respect, as it shows others how to treat us, but ultimately it’s not our decision how the other person acts. Tarot cannot help anyone gain any know-how into controlling someone else, it may show what is likely to happen, but ultimately tarot will only show you how you can take control of your Self.

I will end today’s post here before it gets too lengthy (this is a subject I could go on and on about).

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Tarot Talks: Spreads for Navigating Your Life

I have spoke through a couple posts now about spreads. I feel like I’ve been avoiding this. I have no idea why, they are just tarot spreads!

As stated in last week‘s post, I listed some of my favourite questions to ask to get an open-ended reading (the intent is to be as objective as possible). This week I will talk on how I do my layouts. I use the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid. I have used intricate layouts such as this name spread described here, it was very time consuming and convoluted.

Starting out with a small spread and working from there is always the most helpful. Three or four cards, plus one or two clarifiers – only if needed. Take note of any “jumpers” from the deck when shuffling. For me, if a card jumps/falls out of the deck when shuffling I don’t always include it in the reading. If it lands face down I put it back in deck. If it lands face up I feel it was trying to be seen. Also, knowing the difference between whether you are a good shuffler is not, e.g. cards always fall because the deck is huge and your hands are small. Sometimes fallen cards are just fallen cards and not meant as a message for the querent.

Spreads:

Past-Present-Future – this is a classic spread that most people use. You can add a fourth card, which I sometimes do, as the “Overall Message” card. What is the overall message that these three cards is trying to tell you.

Should Do-Shouldn’t Do – this can be done as a 3-card spread as well, lay the middle card first, this represents you in the now-moment. Lay one card on one side to represent what you should do, another card on the other side for what you shouldn’t do. It may be useful to also look at reversed meanings for the “shouldn’t do” card, as it may give further insights.

Advice spread – this is intended as a daily spread that I found by Tarotphelia on Tarot Forum. I do not use it daily. I find this is a good birthday spread, or I use it for guidance as for month ahead. 5-card spread, draw a card for each question: What should you do? What shouldn’t you do? What is the unexpected? What will make you happy? What spiritual advice do you need?

Winging It – this is where I flip one card at a time, up to six cards. Read the first one individually, then tie the second one to the first, as so on. This is lass structured and can be more difficult to do, as humans tend to only see what we want and this method of reading can have us falling into self-fulfilling prophecies (a whole blog onto itself)!

Moon Spreads – there are many full and new moon based spreads you can find online or in books. The following are my two go-to spreads. Draw a card for each question.
New Moon, 5-card spread: What energies are abundant for me during this New Moon cycle? What can I do to aid or ease it? What goals or challenges should I set for this New Moon cycle? What do I need to let go of from the last New Moon cycle? What advice do my Spirit Guides have for me?
Full Moon, 5-card spread:What is my most important insight for my life at this time? What message does spirit want to give me at this time? What do I hope for in my life? How can I live inside that hope? Outcome.

Brightest blessings,
Phoenix Rose

Further Resources for Spreads:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=203788
https://www.jeannemayell.com/41-tarot-spreads-for-tuning-into-yourself/
365 Tarot Spreads by Sasha Graham
–
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Tarot Talks: Effective Questions in Tarot

I find there are two types of people that come to tarot: those with very specific questions, and those who have no idea what they want to know. As a reader it is easier to read when specifics are involved, however looking for too specific an answer does not allow the cards to offer alternative possibilities. The best is to find an easy medium between specific and open-ended.

Focusing on one aspect helps to narrow down the reading because every card holds many meanings depending on how you read them. The Big 3 topics that most people want insight on: career, relationships, and health. Your question does not have to be limited to one of the Big 3, but it’s an example of choosing an aspect that you want to focus on.

Asking, “where is my career/relationship/health heading?” Is focused enough onto a topic and open-ended enough to give many possibilities.  However, it may still be too open-end. Your career may take a fabulous turn, but that may not happen for 10 years down the road. You can put a time frame to your questions. “Where is my career/relationship/health heading in 6 months?” is a more effective question that is focused enough that you will know what aspects of the cards to read, and is open-ended enough to give various vantage points.

My favourite question to ask tarot is: “What aspect do I need to see which I am not already seeing?”
You can ask this in regards to overall life, or in a specific area. Open-ended and all-encompassing readings can get convoluted, as cards about money, love and health will all pop up, and they may or may not be related to each other.  Information overload is not something that you want to do in a reading.

Stay away from yes/no questions in tarot. Although there are methods that can be used with the cards to answer yes/no questions, they are not always accurate, how you have to divide cards may not give an equal amount of yes/no cards, therefore favouring one answer over the other. To avoid this often a complex method of reversals and this and that… it’s too much. Get a pendulum for yes/no questions! Tarot is a deeply profound tool that can help unlock hidden aspects of yourself – it’s a journey of the soul.

If you have a specific scenario, or are at a crossroads an effective question that I find works well is, “what do I need to know about this?” You can replace/add to “this” with your specific scenario, e.g., “what do I need to know about this relationship?”

To recap, here are effective and open-ended questions:

  • What do I need to see that I’m not already seeing?
  • What do I need to know about this?
  • What are the possibilities?
  • What are my options?
  • What is the Universe/Angels/Higher Self/Spirit Guide trying to tell me?
  • What is the most effective way to deal with this?
There is a plethora of tarot spreads that can be found all over the internet and in tarot related books. Decks often comes with sample spreads. You can also create your own spreads if you cannot find a spread that answers what you are looking for.  Next week I will go over some effective spreads that I frequently use.
Brightest Blessings!
Phoenix Rose

–
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Tarot Talks: How to Be Objective in a Reading

Last week I said that I would be posting sample questions and spreads for using tarot to navigate your life. However, I am going to go a different direction given a conversation I had this week with some dear friends in the tarot community. I do apologize and will get to it in a future post. This seemed like a more pressing thing to talk about as even the most skilled readers will ask other readers for input in interpreting cards for themselves. This is because it can be difficult to remain objective when you are too close to the situation.

We can’t see the forest for the trees.

How I learned to become objective for myself is to read cards for other people. Not close friends and family. Reading for absolute strangers (you can find many groups where readers do free exchanges). Reading for people or situations you know little about can have a great impact on exercising your intuition. One mistake I made reading for myself is that I would look up every single possible meaning of each and every card. I was on information overload. Not knowing which interpretation to accept. It was stressful to say the least.

When reading for others is when I stopped stressing over possible meanings.  If I did a 3-card spread I would literally only read the meanings of each card that pertained to the other cards in the spread. Nine times out of ten this hit the nail on the head for those I read for. This lesson is two-fold because I learned how to connect the card meanings to each other, which is common for any newbie to struggle with.

The following are some methods to remain objective in a self reading (or reading for a situation you’re too close to):

– Act as though you are reading for someone else, what would you tell them based on the cards you see?
– Act as though it is your Spirit Guide / Guardian Angel who is giving you a reading, what would they say to you through these cards? What kind words, advice or encouragement are they trying to send you?
– Make note of all the things that come to mind from your reading, ask another reader their input without seeing what you’ve noted, and compare what interpretations line up.
– Pick a book, or website, of interpretations that you don’t normally use and use strictly those interpretations (www.biddytarot.com is a great resource)
– Read for someone else, often there are messages in there for the reader as well as the querent.

Most important thing is to relax, breathe, and don’t take the reading too seriously. We can only perceive from our current mindset. If we are in a bad mood we are likely to only see the negative aspects of a card. Sometimes I take the cards at face value and see what humor I can see in the pictures (see below memes). It’s a valuable lesson in shifting focus. As that’s what you have to do to gain an objective perspective. Remove yourself from the center of the storm and get a bird’s eye view for more clarity.

What are some methods you use in remaining objective in readings?

Images found on www.facebook.com/dankesttarotmemes

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Tarot Talks: Navigating Your Life Using Tarot

In last week’s Tarot Talks I spoke of comparing yourself with the have-nots in life and how tarot can take you out of that head-space and provide clarity and offer a different perspective. This week I would like to go a bit further into using clarity provided by tarot. This is a bit of a paradox because tarot can sometimes have us raising more questions than answering the ones we came in with.

It is true that tarot is complex, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Learning it’s language –  I don’t mean memorizing the instruction book either – and how it speaks to you is the key to a successful and insightful reading. Oftentimes tarot gives insight into different paths when we find ourselves at a crossroads.

I don’t believe that tarot should be used as a GPS, but rather should be used as a compass. GPS systems have a set destination and you follow exactly where the voice tells you to go. A compass on the other hand tells you where True North is and it’s up to you to go in the direction that would best get you to where you want to go. Unlike an actual compass tarot may also advise that East will get you closer to your goal, or show you the downfalls in taking West. Either way, you are the decider.

When using tarot for self development shift your focus from seeing tarot as a thing that tells you what’s going to happen to seeing tarot as a tool that allows you to make better informed and more effective decisions in your life. This is the first step in empowering yourself and gaining clarity in your life by using tarot. Self-reflective and open-ended questions are best to ask in a reading.

Next week I will be talking more about effective questions and spreads to start using tarot as a spiritual compass. Stay tuned 🙂

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
–
Connect on social media:
FB – www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca

Tarot Talks: Stop Comparing and Start Gaining Clarity

We all search for clarity in various ways. While the motivations may be different for the individual, it all comes from a place of comparisons – wanting what others’ have that we don’t, believing the grass is greener on the other side, or even comparing our current reality to what we think our life “should” look like. This place of comparing emphasizes our insecurities and doubts. It makes our frustration signal rise and the downward spiral begins. We become clouded and need to clear the way to make more effective decisions in our lives.

Tarot is a tool that helps move from a place of comparing to a place of clarity

Tarot is a tool to help gain clarity into a confusing or frustrating situation. The place of comparing isn’t necessarily a negative thing, as humans we need to be able to compare, make sound judgments that could literally mean life or death. We tend to take this comparing to other levels: jealousy, envy, self-doubting, insecurities, and feelings of worthlessness. This was not what our filters of comparison was designed for.
When we are angry or frustrated it often means that we are not in balance. We see, hear, think something that does not line up with our quality, or ideal, existence. Uncomfortable feelings often urge us to act upon “fixing” what may be wrong. This is the process of acting out of anger and winding up with results that actually made things worse for us.  

Tarot can assist in seeing things from different angles and gaining a new perspective, it can help interrupt our negative thought and behavior patterns and suggest new thoughts and behaviours that can assist in getting more effective results.

We have not been taught to listen to our intuition much less trust it. Tarot is a direct line of communication to that inner voice, Higher Self, that sometimes seems to scream at us, though we may be too wrapped up in our own BS to even notice. Thoughts appear, we have beliefs on those thoughts, we have stories we tell ourselves – which may or may not be true – we have all these things circling our minds and it gets muddled up with the voice of our Higher Self which is trying to guide us on our life’s purpose, trying to guide us to succeed and attain our goals. Our mind gets all muddled up with thoughts that we don’t know whether we are legitimately supposed to do something or not. We can no longer tell if it’s our intuition or is it just self-doubt.
A dear Soul Sister of mine said, “we wouldn’t need tarot if we trusted ourselves and didn’t let insecurities hinder us.” One of the first things that you learn in tarot is to trust your intuition. Above all else, no matter what the interpretation books say, go with your intuition and gut feeling on what you see within the cards.  

Tarotists don’t have all the answers, and we are not full of clarity and enlightenment, we are humans and often seek other readers to help us gain clarity in situations.  

Sometimes we cannot see the forest for the trees, and that is okay as it’s a natural part of life, learning, and personal growth. It is normal as humans to need things mirrored back to us to get deeper understandings, and this includes understandings about our own Inner Being. When we compare to others and focus on our have-nots, or to the should-haves it will cause only frustration for ourselves. When we start using tools such as, but not limited to, tarot we can start self-reflecting on our thoughts and behaviours and begin creating a quality life for ourselves. We can start tending our own garden, plant the seeds for the things we want to see grow and weed out the things we do not want. 
Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
–
Connect on social media:
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–

Tarot Talk: Importance of Interviewing Your Decks

Have you ever been really excited about a new tarot or oracle deck that you just received, but then you start working with it and you just don’t seem to mesh well with it even though you really want to?  This has happened to me on a couple occasions until I learned what a deck interview was.

It’s important to learn how to best work with your decks.

A deck interview is a spread that can help you determine the “personality” of your cards.  Instead of answering typical questions about you and your situation, you are asking the tarot cards questions about themselves.

The point of doing this is to help you to work with the deck in a more meaningful way.  I learned the importance of this when I first started using Healing with the Angels oracle cards by Doreen Virtue.  I was new to working with angel decks and I thought I would use this to study the archangels.  For some reason all my readings and spreads were way off in left field, and I ended up feeling progressively disconnected from this deck the more I used it.  I came across the below “New Deck Interview,” laid the spread and in the “what are your limits as a deck?” position the “Study” card came up.  Once I stopped trying to use it for study purposes I was able to better open and receive its messages.

“Never just remember how to do something, understand how it works”
-Adam Dachis (read more here)

Here is a break down on my latest deck interview. The Seekers Oracle by Barbara Ford and Alysa Bartha.  I usually note the first thought/feeling that comes to mind when I see the cards, I also check the included book for any keywords that feel helpful in determining what I will get out of working with this deck.

(I switched position of 2nd and 3rd cards from original spread)
New Deck Interview
…5……6…
……4……
…2……3…
……1…….
1. Tell me more about yourself; What is your most important characteristic? 
“Power of Three”
Power of 3 transcends time and space. Wisdom, protection, wish fulfillment. 3 card draws work best.
2. What are your strengths as a deck?
“Ring of Fire”
Allows heaviness of life to give you strength. Fine tune your focus. Mindfulness.
3. What are your limits as a deck?
“Tree of Life”
Unmoving. Unchallenging.
4. What do you bring to the table; What are you here to teach me?
“The Architect”
Connection. All view points are equal. Balance. Do not compare yourself with others.
5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?
“The Seer”
Lifting the veil. Embracing gift of second sight. Connect to own inner wisdom.
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
“Sacred Scarab”
Protection, rebirth, regeneration. Balance. Potential unfolding like the lotus. Be a leader. Have healthy boundaries.
In summary, this deck will work best with 3-card spreads – one card may not have enough info and more than three cards may become too convoluted.  This is an empowering deck that can help when I need some positivity.  Because it’s limitations for me are “unmoving, unchallenging” this may not be the deck to use when I need some flat out kick-me-in-the-ass messages, because it will not waiver from a balanced and uplifting perspective.  Though, this deck will be great to use the imagery for meditation and reflection, and can assist in embracing my gifts.
Now, what if I was to use this deck to try and get some kick-me-in-the-ass messages?  I wouldn’t be receiving that message at all.  I might say, “oh, this deck is too fluffy in it’s messages.  I need something to tell me flat out what I’m doing wrong, not something that’s only seems to give trite advice.”  Since I now know how best to work with this deck I shouldn’t have any issues in receiving its messages. 
Every deck will work differently with every person.  You may have the same deck and it could be real hard on you, and not positive and uplifting at all.  Doesn’t mean that the deck is bad or that you aren’t a good reader, it just means that you need to make sure you are using the tools appropriately.
Do you have any new deck spreads that you use? Comment below!  Would love to hear your experiences with interviewing your decks.
–
–

Please contact me if you have any questions, or topic suggestions for future Tarot Talks posts.

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
–
Connect on social media:
FB – http://www.facebook.com/phoenixrosereadings
Twitter – @PhoenixRoseCM
IG – echoside_phoenix_rose
Pinterest – phoenixrosecm
–
Shop – EchoSideCreations.etsy.com
Blog – EchoSidePhoenix.blogspot.ca
–
–
–
Template of New Deck Interview:

****** 5 ****** 6 ******
********** 4 **********
****** 3 ****** 2 ******
********** 1 **********

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
2. What are your strengths as a deck?
3. What are your limits as a deck?
4. What do you bring to the table — what are you here to teach me?
5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

I have seen a few different spreads, but I like this one the best. Sourced from FireRaven listed on Tarot Forum.
–
–
If you liked the featured deck, check out their shop on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/494758639/the-seekers-oracle-card-deck-barbara