Witch's Market

Last night we went to the Witch's Market. I had my fortune told. Normally, I don't go to professional readers as I can do it myself for free, but this reader had such a warm and friendly aura that I decided to give it a try.

 Attika K. Bast, tarot reader

She used a Thoth deck to do a past, present and future reading, as well as a pendulum forecast as part of the bargain. The cards are the kind I've been drawing in my own readings, though being Thoth, having somewhat more intensity.

The card representing the past was balance - meaning, she said, that a situation that had long been unbalanced had recently come into balance, allowing me to move forward. (True). Present was Lust, the Thoth's version of Strength - though connoting more of an energy and passion. She interpreted this as currently trying to find the thing I was passionate about, a purpose in life. (Also true - I've mentioned this a few times recently on this very blog.) And then there's the future card - Indolence, reversed. Uh-oh.

Indolence is the 8 of cups, though of course much more grim. An almost fatal laziness leading to hopeless disappointment. My card was reversed, though, so she said it was a toss-up whether I would give in to the hopelessness and fatigue or fight against it despite the enormity of the struggle.

Being that depression, anxiety, fatigue and lack of confidence are profound influences in my life, this was also a likely truth. Not one I'm proud of, but one I have to face all the same.

We used the pendulum part of the reading to expand upon this question posed by the final card. Despite the tricky bits of the reading, we ended on a good note.*

Afterward we talked a little shop - always nice (and a relief, really) to do with another experienced tarot reader - and then I went on my way.

My family did a bit of shopping among the vendors, as well. Beeswax candles for protection and to invoke the Green Man, fancy handmade soaps with herbs and spices. Not pictured are my husband's "sexy man" scent blend and teen son's magical lip balm. We all smelled AMAZING on the way home, let me tell you.

Also I bought a corset. No, there is nothing particularly magical about a corset, but it was there and I've been wanting one. For my posture, you understand.

It was a fun night with a good atmosphere and we hope to return soon.

*I know very well this is a classic part of the fortune teller's game - you never  never, never let a client leave a reading with a bad taste in their mouths. You never let them leave without some sort of hope - to do so is irresponsible. We both knew that was a crappy card, and she helped me find solutions around it like a good reader should. 

In The Month of Jupiter

This is part of a dream I wrote about over on the Fortean Times forums, on February 28 of this year
...
I was laying out tarot cards, but in an unfamiliar pattern. Like this;

It was a reading for events in the "month of Jupiter" (whatever that might be.) In the dream, the placement of the cards was in a very specific order, but in waking life, I wouldn't even be sure how to read this. The individual cards are lost to memory, but the meaning was "a great upheaval, resulting in a greater good."
...

I wasn't sure what was meant by the month of Jupiter, but suggestions on the forum made it out to be most likely June, or maybe July. The dream did have a hot-weather feel to it, so I'm inclined to agree. Being that it's now June, it seemed a good time to bring it up.

The subject of the dream reading was not personal, but political and world events. The sense was that something being tenuously held together would finally break apart, leaving something better in its place.

This could apply to many things, but it will be interesting (if perhaps unsettling) to see what the month of Jupiter might bring.

A Storm Is Brewing...

And not just the 2016 presidential election. I mean a literal storm is brewing, in the sky above my house. There will be lightning before long.

But about that election...

I know well the trouble with using tarot to predict the outcome of an election. Or predicting too far in advance. How could I forget Bush v. Gore, when I had been reading the cards every day for months? It had come up Gore every time - until the day of the election itself. Then the cards wouldn't read at all. They wouldn't even shuffle. They had suddenly become slippery, and I knew something was amiss.

Call me crazy, but I had the unnerving feeling that some invisible hand had reached in and changed things - changed the channel, as it were. Or (tarot being what it is) had altered the probablities. I was down at the corner shop when FOX news called Florida for Bush way too early. (Of course it had to be at the corner shop, because no way were we watching FOX news at my house.) I walked back home, shaking my head, because it was obvious something was off. Well, we all know what happened after that.

With this in mind, I've been hesitant to do too much forecasting in regard to this year's election. Not that I've done none - are you kidding? This contest is making me very nervous, so of course I have - but am showing admirable restraint.

First I read for the conventions, because I was worried there would be danger there. The cards showed nothing you wouldn't expect, and - proving that I'm not much a psychic without the medium of the cards - showed that Trump would become the Republican nominee. I'd thought for sure the GOP would give him the bum's rush. The outlay for Clinton showed her in a very strong position. So far, so good.

The next time I felt anxious enough to do a political reading was Monday night, before the first debate. I was anxious, but there was the benefit of knowing the outcome in a couple of hours. The layouts were interesting. I won't bother with all the details, just the striking ones.

The majority of Clinton's cards were strong (the high priestess, strength, the ace of swords etc.) and in the future position, the magician in the upright position. The reading for Trump, on the other hand, was mostly weak, from a political standpoint - (the devil, five of wands, seven of wands reversed). Most striking: in the future position, he also had the magician, but reversed. So far, it was pretty clear - it looked like Hillary Clinton was going to open a can of Whoop-ass on Donald Trump.

That's why the final outcome card in each reading was so strange. (final outcome meaning the debate, not the election.) For her, it was the three of swords, for him, the nine of cups, otherwise known as the wish card. Say what? Clinton would win, but be emotionally distressed, Trump would lose but be triumphant?

Then I realized my mistake. I was reading the reactions of the candidates themselves. It was entirely possible that Clinton might win, but feel less than great emotionally. Trump might lose, but feel that he won - or get what he wanted from the debate, anyway. It occurred to me, too, that Trump might want to lose because he doesn't really want to be president. He might want to run for president, but not actually want the job. 

Regardless, I realized what I really needed to know is what the public perception of the debate would be. I threw down a quick couple of yes/no readings. Would the majority of people watching the debate feel that Clinton won? 6 up - definite yes. I asked the same for Trump. 5 down 1 up - so most people would say  no but a small percentage would say yes.

I laid out a full reading. What would be the majority opinion about this debate? The final card was most telling: the king of wands, reversed. Ah, so Trump would bring out his blustering, authoritarian side. It had been something the papers had been wondering about all week. I wasn't so sure myself. The presidential debates are high stakes, surely he wouldn't go that route.

But the cards are right far more often than I am. It only took about 15 minutes for them to be proved correct. By midnight, all reports showed the reading had been spot on.

Again, so far, so far, so good. But I will continue to exercise restraint. No reading for the election itself until it draws closer. I will do another reading before the next debate and time permitting, throw them up on the blog.

We shall see.

Tarot For The Week

Tarot reading for the week of September 24-30 2011

Covers - the five of swords

Crosses - the ace of swords

Beneath - The magician

Tthe influence just passing away - 9 of pentacles reversed

Crowning - The knight of swords

Before - The sun

What I'm feeling - the king of cups.

What others see - The heirophant reversed.

What I wish - The six of swords

Final outcome - The emperor reversed.

Upon first reading, the main thrust seems to be that I can fritter away my energy on petty squabbles and pointless worries, or direct the energy into positive action. There is a chance for both according to these cards, but the final card indicates that I may come up against authority and pressure to conform and so end up too weak to channel it properly. Whatever the case, we shall see next week.

Update - October1st 2011

As much as I tried to avoid the feelings of defeat indicated by the five of swords and escape the battle wounds indicated by the reversed emperor, the tension was much too much and the end of the week has been a difficult time. I do feel significant pressure to conform and do the right thing but often fail at doing just that. Alas.