As readers, we are constantly experiencing “firsts”. If we are not prepared, they can throw us for a loop or effect our confidence. I remember one “first” that caused me to question myself for a while. Upon some honest reflection, I learned something about myself and what I strive for in a reading.

Here’s what happened: A client wrote to tell me how disappointed she was with our reading, saying it was the most negative she’d ever had. I did not remember it as being negative. I thought aspects of the situation we were exploring were negative. In truth, I thought some of the client’s attitudes were self-defeating, but the reading was what I always strive for: honest, practical, and useful.

Two people experienced the same reading. Two very different opinions about that reading. As is often the case, I think we are both right. The apparent disagreement is due, quite simply, to using different definitions for the same word or phrase, in this case “negative reading.”

The Reading

Before sharing my ideas about the definitions of the phrase “negative reading,” I’ll give an overview of the reading:

The client is concerned because she received a reprimand at work. She wanted to know if her job was in jeopardy and if she could transfer to another part of the company. She shared that she usually “rubbed people the wrong way,” knew she and her boss “would never see eye to eye,” and that her boss’s assistant was “mentally unstable.”

The cards showed that she was right to be concerned; current job was in jeopardy, that yes she could transfer in time. However unless she addressed the personnel issues that she would simply be repeating a cycle and experience similar conflicts no matter where she went within the company.

At this point I asked if she wanted to explore how to resolved the issues with the personnel (the boss and assistant). She responded that no, she had no interest in learning skills or techniques to work better with those people.

Then I offered to explore of options, which we did, for there were many Major Arcana cards (including Death) indicating a time of change and transformation. There was also the Ace of Pentacles and the Star, which showed me that she was perfectly positioned to find a path that would be so much more fulfilling for her than simply just taking another position.

As we ended the reading, I reviewed the major points and suggested practical steps to begin this exciting new phase in her life.

The Definitions

The client wrote to me the next day. She said that all she really wanted was to be assured that she would get another job with the same company soon. Because the answer was “yes, although it may take a while and you will repeat this same cycle, experiencing the same problems,” she considered it a negative reading.

So her definition of a negative reading in this case is reading that does not tell her what she hoped to hear.

My definition of a negative reading is one that describes a situation as hopeless and offers the client no options or actions to change the situation…or at the very least a way to view the situation that provides some comfort or understanding.

For me, what the client wants to hear has no bearing on whether the reading is negative or positive.

I suppose what also makes a reading negative to me is when the client acts like the 4 of Cups, not liking what is offered and refusing to see anything else in a positive light. It makes me sad.

How do you define a negative reading?

The Attitude

Attitudes toward money can be complicated. How we develop our particular attitudes about money are also complex. For example, we all accept the idea that our parents’ ideas and attitudes affect our own. But is it that we embrace their ideas as our own or reject them completely or something else? This article doesn’t pretend to approach any sort of thoroughness on the topic. Rather, it is an observation that you may find interesting.

Almost 4 years ago I left my very good, very secure job in order to be my own boss. I never thought I’d want to give up the security of a monthly salary. But I did and I can see how that dependence on security limited my prosperity.

How did that shift happen?

Does working for a salary reinforce poverty-focused thinking or support an emphasis on general lack?

Does working for one’s self create a more empowered attitude about finances?

The Epiphany

Over this past four years, my attitude about earning money slowly changed, but the realization that it changed came quickly. My partner still works a “normal,” salaried job with limited vacation days. When making travel plans, she mentioned that she didn’t have enough vacation days for our plans, I said, “just take it off unpaid.” I didn’t think much of it then, until it came up again a few months later and I said, again, “take unpaid time off.” But this time I added, “I can do some extra readings to make it up.”

That’s when it struck me: our household budget is no longer a zero-sum game AND I can easily earn more money whenever I want. I have finally broken free of the 4 of Pentacles mindset!

Stay with me here.

My folks gave me lots of great ethics and practices in terms of money and I am grateful for them. One reality, though, was The Budget. Every two weeks, my mom would sit with a notebook and a pencil and a pile of bills. Necessities were paid. If anything was left, luxuries were prioritized. And mostly I remember there not being enough. When I grew up and had my own income and responsibilities, I did the same thing.

In some ways it was comforting, knowing exactly what was allotted to me, even if it also dictated that my choices were limited. There was a set amount and I could do whatever I wanted…within that amount. My life was a zero-sum game. And it also promoted a sense of lack, of never having enough, of always having to trade off something.

One day, while all these thoughts was churning in the back of my brain (and probably even more so in my subconscious), I’d heard something I know I’d heard before but never really “heard,” if you know what I mean. Rich people don’t worry about losing money. That’s because making more is the easiest thing in the world. They did it before and they know without a doubt that they can do it again.

Through these years of working for myself, I’ve slowly come to realize that I am now operating from a totally different mindset in terms of money. It is a balance between my old ways (I still have a set monthly budget) and this new freedom (I feel confident that I can do almost anything I want). And I like it.

Does working for a salary, then, promote a poverty mindset or keep one bound by the rules of zero sum games? Does the tradeoff of security cost us our confidence in ourselves? Maybe one way to empower ourselves financially is to have a way to earn money outside of a regular paycheck. That would still allow security but also provide a way to move beyond that budget and to have a sense of freedom that might make the day job less oppressive.

If you work for yourself, how do you feel about personal income and prosperity? If you moved from a secure income to self-employment, how did your ideas of prosperity change? If you for a salary or wages, do you dream of working for yourself? How does the four of pentacles manifest in your life? How does the 9 of pentacles manifest in your life?

Tarot Blog Hop!

A group of wonderfully talented Tarot Bloggers have banded together to create a tarot blog train. We all agree to blog on a specific topic and post on the same day. We all link to the post before us (perhaps you arrived here through the Blog Hop!) and after us (so when you are done here, go on to the next!). It is a complete circle, so no matter where you start, you can continue on and see all the posts). What great idea, don’t you think? Please do visit the others by clicking the links at the top and bottom of this post!

 XVII, The Star: Imbolc

(from the Book of Shadows Tarot)

The card is from a deck that has been in progress for many years now, called the Book of Shadows Tarot (rumor has it that it will be released later this year). Today, since we on the Tarot Blog Hop are talking about Candlemas (also sometimes associated with Imbolc), it seemed an appropriate place to start.

This is the text for the book:

Imbolc (February 2)

The baby Sun God grows as he is nurtured by the Great Mother. Pagans begin calling to the Goddess, asking her to return from the Underworld. While Yule celebrates the return of the sun, Imbolc rejoices in the first signs of spring, when the snow and ice of winter begin to thaw and new lives begin. Imbolc means “in the belly” and Oimelc means “ewe’s milk,” signifying a clear connection between this holiday and the lambs soon to be born. During this celebration, witches focus on purification. It is a timing of cleaning things out, both literally and symbolically.

Divinatory meaning

Healing, hope, peace, comfort, guidance, direction, a light in the darkness, gentle refreshment.

Holy Days

As with so many holy days, many different paths have their own unique beliefs. For example, in the Christian faith this is the day where the baby Jesus was presented in the Temple and Mary, his mother, completed her time of purification. In western Christianity, the candles for the poor were blessed. The candles are for lighting and placing in windows during storms to ward off danger.

For me, The Star card represents the spirit of this holy day. The water in the card refreshes and purifies, and often that is the first step in healing. One usually cleanses a wound before any other treatment. The Star also symbolizes guidance, which makes sense since stars are also literally used for navigation. What I particularly like about the Star is that is it a gentle light. Yes, stars burn brightly, but the light has a soft quality. Because it is connected with healing, it feels more compassionate and more suited to someone who is likely in a compromised state.

Today’s topic is “How can I be the best candle?” How, therefore, can we meld the ideas of Imbolc, Candlemas, and The Star together to create an answer to this question?

1. Purify yourself.

I like to do this literally on several levels. Spring cleaning is often done at this time of year, and I don’t think that is a coincidence. Clean your home, office, car, etc. Clean yourself spiritually as well. Forgive, let go, right wrongs.

2. Prepare for future storms.

Take time to affirm your beliefs, for they are the things that will guide you best during the hard times. When life if chaotic and confusing, sometimes you don’t have time to or the distance/objectivity to think. In these times, you can default to your most basic beliefs. These are like those candles that Christians place in windows, providing guidance and protection in a storm. Prepare your candles by reviewing your faith or the ideals that you elect to live by.

3. Shine gently.

There are so many ways to shine in the world. One of the easiest, and also one that we often forget, is to simply live a life the bears witness to or exemplifies your ideals. By this I mean, let your actions speak for themselves, without judgment or dogmatism toward others.

Imbolc Spread

This is a spread that you can do to help you reflect as you prepare for the coming spring season.

1. Purify: what you need to wash away, let go of, or make right.

2. Prepare: what you can focus on and re-establish (or strengthen) in your life and that will serve you in months ahead.

3. Shine: how you can gently shine in your everyday life and that will be of service or inspiration to others.

Barbara Moore & Aly Fell

May 2012

Go where the past and future converge, into a world of roaring engines and gleaming metal, top hats and corseted silk gowns . . . where alternate histories play out in a film reel of fantasy, adventure, and magic. A wildly popular genre that is gaining momentum, steampunk—an eclectic literary, visual, and cultural trend—is exquisitely fashioned in this stunning new tarot deck. Retooling the gears of the Rider-Waite tradition with a steampunk edge, the artwork evokes our complex relationship with science and technology. The included manual provides tips, original spreads, and guidance in reading the tarot cards.

Order yours today!

Tarot Spreads: Layouts & Techniques to Empower Your Readings

Barbara Moore

April 2012

Add power, precision, and depth to your tarot readings—this friendly guide tells you how to choose or create the perfect spread for any question or purpose. Tarot expert and author Barbara Moore explains what makes a great tarot spread and why (including how the principles of design and psychological responses play a part), how to select a spread, how to use it once you’ve chosen it, and how to modify spreads or create your own. Moore presents simple techniques that will make tarot readings more fun, more accurate, and even give the querent more options and control in her or his own life.

Order yours today!

Self-publishing ebooks is so extraordinarily easy! I had no idea. After months of shuffling my notes, gathering my thoughts, writing, and editing, I was finally ready to upload my brand new ebooks. Thinking it would take a while with a huge learning curve, I set aside about half a day to figure it all out.

It was so easy, I had time to go to the gym AND sit in the hot tub and sauna. So if any of you are thinking of trying it, I’d encourage you to do so. It is not scary at all.

But enough of that…now it is time to introduce: Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guides!

You know that I like things practical, easy, clear, and effective. And while I love books that delve into the cards and new techniques, I also like guides that get you up and running quickly.

One of the best ways to become a good tarot reader is to read the cards. But so often people make it harder than it has to be. They tell themselves they have to understand every nuance before they can begin. They get a little paralyzed. The Quick Start Guides will, I hope, give people a sturdy enough foundation that they feel secure and enough confidence that they will just shuffle their cards and start reading!

If you do buy any of them, let me know what you think. My sincere hope is that they are helpful to people feeling a little overwhelmed on this glorious, rich path we call tarot.

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning the Cards

This Guide is designed so you can create basic card meanings efficiently and effectively. This Guide does not give you card meanings; it shows you how to create card meanings…your own meanings. If you are completely new to the cards, this is an excellent way to get to know your deck. If you have been studying for a while, this is the perfect way to synthesize all that wisdom and experience you’ve accumulated. In fact, I recommend that tarot lovers go through this process every other year or so as well as with each new deck that they acquire.

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Tarot Readings

Many students feel a bit stuck after learning the meanings, unsure of how to put the cards together into a coherent, relevant, and useful message or answer to a question. This is because understanding what a card means and doing a reading are two different things. PT’s Quick Start Guide to Tarot Readings will help you understand the process of interpreting a tarot reading with ease and confidence. This Guide details my process of conducting a reading. You can use this to read for yourself or for someone else.

The technique presented here is based on the methods I’ve developed over my twenty years of exploring tarot. In this Guide, emphasis is placed on my technique called “Scanning a Reading,” as this is one of the most neglected practices in the craft of tarot reading. Ironically, it is a process that helps create coherence in a reading and consequently is exactly what a new tarot reader needs to pull their readings together

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning and Reading the Cards

This Deluxe edition includes both Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning the Cards and Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Tarot Readings.
They are all available is just about every way possible: Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.

Kindle links:

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning the Cards (Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guides)

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Tarot Readings (Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guides)

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning and Reading the Cards (Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guides)

Smashwords links:

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning the Cards

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Tarot Readings

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning and Reading the Cards

 Nook links:

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning the Cards

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Tarot Readings

Practical Tarot’s Quick Start Guide to Learning and Reading the Cards

Last night, six friends and I played The Tarot Game by Jude Alexander.

None of us had ever played it before; I had read through the instructions twice. Four of the other players have quite a bit of tarot knowledge (even though they say they don’t). One has a better than average familiarity with the cards. One has very limited experience with tarot.

The object of the game is to have fun, tell stories, and create a reading for yourself. It is not “competitive.” Working together and helping each other is highly encouraged.

And we did have fun (including a rousing chorus of “YMCA”), tell stories, and create readings. And we plan on playing again.

Although the game comes with stones that players can use for markers on the game board, I gather up little tokens that I thought would be fun to use: a tiny Happy Buddha, a little elephant, a sea shell I found in Cornwall, a tiny crystal shard/wand, the tiniest, cutest ever pine cone (which I used), and “lucky pig.”

To begin the game, you determine whether you are a novice, enthusiast, or adept player. I told my group to ignore those titles and decide whether they wanted to do a 3, 4, or 6 card reading. The 3 card reading sheet has no positional meanings. The 4 and 6 cards sheets both have positional meanings. People picked based on what kind of reading they wanted.

After writing down our area of interest (or question) for our reading on our individual reading sheet, we got started. Each player rolls a die (or dice depending on where you are in the game) and moves to the space indicated. Each space tells you what to do: draw a Major Arcana card (for which there are another set of instructions and questions), draw from one of the three piles of cards and follow the instructions, or do a fun activity, such as “sing a song and have others join in.”

The three piles have different activities in them. One asks you to relate a personal story to a particular tarot card, one encourages you to use tarot to answer specific types of questions, and one has creative, imaginative activities to use with a randomly drawn card.

The deck comes with a generic text only deck. Instead we used, of course, my mock up of the Steampunk Tarot:

There are also activities that say “draw from a full deck,” so I pulled out another deck, Lisa’s favorite, The Tarot of the Magical Forest.

There are two other aspects of the game that add layers of richness.

1. A few spaces on the board are marked with an infinity symbol. If you land on one of these, you are told “freewill and infinite possibility in play here! Get up to stretch or dance, review an insight with the group; simply rest or grab a snack. Be as creative as you like here.

2. At the beginning of play, each player gets 5 blessing coins (coins with words like “acceptance,” “mindfulness,” or “loyalty” on them). Players may do whatever they wish with their coins…giving them to others out of gratitude or as encouragement, for example.

We all had fun, although at first, it seemed like people were looking at me, expecting me to tell them the “right” answer, or they were really hesitant to just go with what they saw. I refrained from “helping” too much and pretty soon everyone was comfortable and letting their creative juices flow.

What’s interesting is that it seems like people were more comfortable helping “interpret” or “play” with other players’ activities than they were with their own. In this way, the game is really a great way to explore.

It is a very social game…and not one to rushed through. Every play means stories and sharing and talking. We started at 7 pm and by 10 pm, we still had not finished. By finished we mean everyone having filled in all the spaces on their reading sheet. By 10, we just stopped playing. Whoever had spaces left just drew cards and filled in their sheet. This worked just fine.

We have a few tips we’d like to share:

If you want to streamline the game:

1. Eliminate the blessing coins. Some of us loved having them as part of the game; others felt like it made things too confusing and harder to focus on cards, the activities, and the readings. I say try the game exactly as written, then tweak.

2. Eliminate the random activity spaces. We decided for the random activity spaces, if we fell on that, we’d get to pick any of the three piles to draw from.

3. Eliminate the infinity spaces. After a few times landing on them, players in our group used their “free will” to take another turn.

So you see, the extras that add layers and richness are not enjoyed by all personality types. Some people have ideas of what makes a game a game and found anything that detracted from the objectives to be superfluous. Others enjoyed how the extras made it more of a social event than a traditional game. It is actually kind of fun and fascinating to see how people react to this game, both the structure and the content.

The materials for the game are a very nice quality. The reading sheets, for example, are so glossy and nice that they are hard to write on. We’ve decided to make photocopies and write on those.

As you can tell, we certainly have plans to play again!

If you’re curious, here is my reading sheet:

Here’s what I did:

1. measured and cut a piece of fabric 18 x 32

2. measured and cut (using a self-healing cutting mat, x-acto blade, and transparent quilting ruler) 25 3 1/2 x 5 inch squares of clear plastic (purchased at the fabric store)

3. hemmed the fabric sides and made a tunnel on the top to put a dowel through

4. used permanent fabric glue to affix the plastic pockets in place

5. cut and stitched the gold ribbon in place (because the glue didn’t seem to be sticking to the plastic very well, I made sure I also stitched over the plastic when I stitched the ribbon)

6. cut and glued the red ribbon in place

7. sewed on the decorative buttons

8. sawed the dowel to the right size and painted the ends, slipped dowel through tunnel

9. sewed tunnels on either end of a length of ribbon and slipped onto the dowel ends

10. shuffled a full tarot deck (I used the Tarot of Durer because of it’s beauty), slipped one card into each pocket, with the back facing out

11. hung the calendar

12. each day, I will randomly select one pocket and turn the card around

Example of the cutting mat and ruler:

Today, December 1, 2011 was my first day. The card was:

This is the 2 of Wands. On a lighter note, it looks like they are putting up their Christmas tree. The hedgehog “angel” on top is particularly sweet, isn’t it? More seriously, they are preparing for something. During December, we prepare for whatever End-Of-The-Year Holiday we celebrate, but we also prepare for facing the two darkest months of the year.

You can use any deck, of course, and make your calendar to suit your needs and desires. For example, you can use any color palette. If you prefer to celebrate Yule, use 21 pockets.

I plan on making another one with 4 rows of 7 pockets = 28 pockets. I will use this for a Card of the Day calendar and follow the Lunar cycle. This will be doubly useful, since I like to track the moon phases for my magical work.

The Tarot of Durer is hard to find in the US, but you can find used decks.

The Wildwood would be lovely for a Yule Calendar

The Sun and Moon Tarot, for some reason, seems like it’d be lovely in a calendar

If you book a 60 minute reading with me, you get your choice of one of three items (US only, while supplies last!).

The reading can be in person, via Skype, or over the phone.

The gifts you can choose from are:

60 minutes is a great length to:

• Plan for the New Year
• Find closure for situations and issues in this year
• Ask life questions
• Set goals

Also, a 60 minute reading is a great gift for someone who is curious about tarot or is looking for guidance on any issue–or for the person who has everything!

Readings booked now can be scheduled before, during, or after the holidays. You might want a mini-break to focus on you during the hustle and bustle or you might want to save it for New Year’s goal setting.

Book yours HERE (scroll down to Readings In Person/On Phone). In the message to seller space, include your gift choice and mailing address. Even if readings are booked for January, the gifts will go out right away.

Many of you know how excited I am about my forthcoming Steampunk Tarot. If you do not, take a side-trip over HERE.

(above: 8 of Pentacles, Queen of Cups, King of Wands)

While the deck isn’t technically out until May, I know it will be available in April, because we’re going to have it ready in time for the 2012 Readers Studio (April 27 – 29).

The Steampunk Tarot is, I am happy to say, now available on Amazon for pre-order. Why not reserve your copy now?

The Steampunk Tarot