Sunday morning five-card spread

To make up for having skipped a few daily card draws, I did a proper five-card reading today. The deck is Maggie Stiefvater's Raven's Prophecy deck, which is the only deck I have that actually came with a really good tutorial book, which I am incorporating into my notes. I still don't know who gave me this deck, only that they apparently less-than-three me. I less-than-three you too, anonymous benefactor!

I think this thread overall gives a lovely coherent narrative, one that I enjoy very much and hope turns out to be true. I sort-of meant to ask about work things but kept spacing out and having my mind wander while I was shuffling, so I think this spread is probably just about life in general. (Life in general and work have not been keeping very separate as of late; perhaps that is part of the problem the spread addresses.) Also, so much for doing tarot as a mindfulness exercise LOL IT'S SUNDAY MORNING DON'T ASK ME TO FOCUS.

Card 1 is the Queen of Swords, represented in the Stiefvater deck with an illustration of "the cutting blade emerging from the pool of truth." I now have three different ways of reading the Queen of Swords, but they all sort of converge on a theme. In the elemental scheme I learned as a little gothling, the Queen is, like all queens, concerned with matters of emotion, but she's not got the most fluffy and compassionate approach to it--she approaches these questions logically and in an intellectualized manner, like they're just puzzles to be solved. The Louis book names this card "Intelligent and Solitary," and in her upright position calls the Queen "A woman alone. Head over heart." This Queen is ambitous, analytical, fiercely intelligent, sarcastic, independent, career-minded, and possibly not very emotionally expressive or receptive. She indicates a time of "going it alone"--since this is in the "Past" position in this spread, she may most likely be here to indicate "You have learned to be independent during periods of loneliness" and indicates that I have been interested in matters of my career and ambition rather than emotional matters. The queen can also indicate that prospects for romance are bleak--this wasn't a romance reading (I don't think--my mind wandered a lot; it was a long shuffle), but they certainly have been for the past several years, only mostly on purpose. Stiefvater gives the Queen keywords of "Clarity - honesty - critical - insightful" and notes that the Queen sees the truth--then she tells it to people, often without regard for whether they want to hear it.

This is not really an entirely positive or negative card, but I think it does encapsulate much of what I've been fixating on for the past several months, or possibly years, but especially the past few months. I've definitely been focused on ambitious matters and on learning a lot of things, often at the expense of being able to chill out and enjoy myself, and I've had a lot of periods of conflict and stressing myself out trying to do to much but unwilling to give up on any of it.

The second card, the "present" card, is Major Arcana 11, "Justice." Justice is, for once, one of the cards that represents exactly what it says on the tin--a fair outcome, getting what you deserve, balance, having to make a careful and reasoned decision. Stiefvater advises/warns that getting your just rewards is often hidden--that you may feel that you've gotten away with something bad or had something good you did go unrecognized, but the universe has an absolute sense of justice and will always pay you your behaviors back--or forward. According to Louis, this card indicates that issues of fairness are prominent and that justice will previal, and that I should think carefully and examine both my conscience and others' point of view before making any decisions. As the "present" card, I think it largely indicates that at the moment, things are starting to shake out to be wherever they're "supposed" to be--whether that will ultimately be good or bad for be depends on how I've been behaving. Combined with the Queen of Swords, I'm hoping it means some of the work I've been doing will pay off, but it could just as likely mean that all the things I've been failing to attend to will finally catch up with me.

The third card is the "hidden influences" card, here the Seven of Wands: "Holding firm," in its upright position representing a position of advantage or holding your own. Stiefvater's illustration shows the flames of creativity being sheltered from a harsh rain. The Seven of Wands is a bit of a conflict card, but a positive one--it represents holding your ground and not giving up, promising both an attack of some sort and the reassurance that you're in a position of superiority and have the resources and strength to emerge victorious. It advises that I will need to "call upon your reserves of strength and courage." This is an interesting card to have in the "hidden influences" position, I think, since it seems to indicate that I'm defending against something without realizing that I'm up against it. I thought I'd done a pretty good job of obsessively cataloguing everything that's in my way at all times, since I tend to be petty and impatient like that. But perhaps the hidden aspect is that I'm better prepared than I think I am? These sorts of questions are why I read tarot.

The fourth card is the "advice" card, which, to my surprise and delight, turned out to be the Three of Cups, "Celebration," in its upright position also meaning exactly what it says on the tin. Stiefvater calls it "the party card" and shows a bunch of ravens having a grand old time, corvid fashion. This card represents friendship, joy, relaxation, that sort of thing, and generally shows up when there a "joyous occasion" is coming, so get ready! In career readings (which this one... might be?) it tends to represent a hobby rather than a career pursuit. It is a great card to have as an advice card because I think it is telling me to stop working so hard and go party. The occult forces have spoken: time to stop bugging out about the magazine and go have a margarita! I hear and will obey, occult forces.

The "likely outcome" card for this spread the Major Arcana X, the Wheel of Fortune, which represents a change for the better. It promises me good luck, opportunity, advancement, rapid change, "a set of circumstances that promises beneficial change and continuing progress," a new cycle or chapter in life, rapid changes that "offer new opportunities to improve your life," and a "chance circumstance" that may "end past difficulties and herald a period of good fortune and success." Hopefully this new period comes with some extra money--that is a lot of what I have been stressing about and working towards over the past several months, and it has unfortunately shaped a lot of how I spend my leisure time. Travel would be nice too. Good fortune can mean so many different things! But this, according to how five-card spreads work, is only the most likely outcome if I follow the advice, so it is clearly imperative that I celebrate stuff.

This thread was also intended to be sort of for the upcoming week. Magazine deadline is early Thursday morning, so hopefully we will have "getting that off to the printer's without major mishap" to celebrate. Plus it is Lil's birthday dinner on Wednesday. Plus Labor Day weekend is coming up. Overall, I am hopeful that it will be a good and busy week. If I celebrate all the things worth celebrating, I guess it'll all turn out OK?