#As Above Tarot

[devonellington]

Tues. March 21, 2023: Hints of Spring

image courtesy of Jill Wellington via pixabay.com Tuesday, March 21, 2023 New Moon Cloudy and chilly My interview with the Boiler House Poets Collective went live on The Rumpus yesterday. You can read it here. I hope you had a lovely day. It’s time to curl up for our regular Tuesday catch up. I booked my hair appointment online on Friday for yesterday. I also ordered my saucer chair…

[formulanni]

Charles Leclerc as The Magician Tarot:

the Magician is interpreted with energy, potential, and the manifestation of one's desires; the card symbolizes the meetings of the physical and spiritual worlds ("as above, so below") and the conduit converting spiritual energy into real-world action.

(When the Magician appears in a spread, it points to the talents, capabilities and resources at the querent's disposal to succeed. The message is to tap into one's full potential rather than holding back, especially when there is a need to transform something.)

[socialdragonflytarot27]

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

Charlotte's Art History Tarot - Card 0 - The Fool

Art: Wanderer Above the Sea Fog – Caspar David Friedrich

interpret this card

[theswedishpajas]

🌞👆♑️👇🌜

[raevenlyreads]

Above and Below

For the ABOVE + BELOW Card Draw, a Signifier card is chosen to represent a key element of your query. I then shuffle and search for the Signifier, and read the cards above and below it. The cards below speak to negating forces, something holding you back, a struggle. The cards above offer help, advice, and a way forward.

For this read I used The Nameless One tarot and Oracle deck by Xia Hunt. Querant asked for a reading regarding mental health, so I chose to seek out The Star, a card of quiet voices and small lights.

For this spread and more, check out my Ko-fi Commissions page

Read on for interpretations and card close ups

Signifier

For this read, I chose The Star to serve as the focus for your query about mental health. The Star is the quiet place within us, a light that can only be seen when all others are dim. It takes deliberate effort to listen to it, and hard work to get to a place where you can hear it. It is private, unique to you, and something only you can truly know.

Above

The Above position is that which assists, a force that aids you, a path through. The Six of Blades offers this blessing: “I am safe and protected during both my spiritual and physical journeys.” It eases the way forward, offers closure and the chance to put the past to bed.

Below

The Below position is that which hinders, what holds you back, what makes the path difficult. Normally, the Four of Blades is a respite, a chance to rest. Here it is reversed, indicating that perhaps you have not had time to rest, or a safe space to do so.

Synthesis

In this read, I found the sheer depth of The Star’s placement to be significant. Mental health is a journey, and this placement suggests that on this particular issue, you have a long road ahead of you. The Above says the way is clear, but the Below urges you to clear up whatever obstacle is keeping you from getting the rest you  need. Such a long journey needs places to stop along the way, a chance to put the burden down, to get away from it. Build yourself those safe spaces, those places to rest, and your healing can move forward.

If you're interested in a reading of your own, check out my ko-fi page, DM me, or send me an email at raevreadstarot@gmail.com

[tiktaaliker]

the magician ability / skill / logic

reversed deception / failure / misuse of power

[psychewritesbs]

Liebstod is a German word for a kind of love that is so unreal and so Divine, that it can only be achieved in death.

But Death is not to be taken literally as the ultimate archetype of endings, but one of transitions and new beginnings--an archetype of ego death from which a new third is born.

[entropyvoid]

Wheel of Fortune - Baizhu

Meaning: Change, cycles, fate, decisive moments, luck, fortune, unexpected events

Genshin Tarot Series

[theinternetisaweboflies]

[thewormsdontstop]

Simon!

Two of Swords

Previous card

Next card

[socialdragonflytarot27]

Tough 💊 to swallow for some. 🤣

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

Charlotte's Art History Tarot - Card 0 - The Fool

Art: Wanderer Above the Sea Fog – Caspar David Friedrich

pull this card

hi everyone! I'm so excited to share the first card in my art history tarot deck!

the fool is a card about new beginnings, taking a leap of faith, returning to a more childlike mindset, and embracing the world with openness and perhaps a bit of naiveté

I chose Wanderer Above the Sea Fog for this card because I feel like it really captures this sense of wonder. the valley below the figure is obscured with mist, yet they stand near the edge of a rocky outcropping, ready to venture into the unknown. additionally, this painting was created in the romantic era, and one of the key elements of romantic art was the experience of the sublime. the sublime is something like transcendence or being completely absorbed by emotion. romantics believed you could achieve the experience of the sublime through emotions like terror and horror, but also awe and wonder. the immense beauty of nature was a popular theme for romantic painters since it could evoke any and all of these emotions depending on the place or time. I've always felt that the "wanderer" in this image is struck by the wonder of nature and is thus experiencing the sublime here, and that sense of awe and wonder ties in perfectly with the meanings of the fool

[ayashitetsuko]

Izzy the Hierophant: The Major Arcana that reminds us to get back to work

As a tarot student, I am fascinated by the interpretations made by fellow tarot enthusiasts in the Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fandom, on which Major Arcana card best represents Izzy Hands. Popular fanmade decks such as The Cat Bandit Tarot by artist Jennie Planet see him as The Devil—a force that keeps the lovers apart—and Judgement—beating Ed down when he was already at his worst. Valid as they are, these interpretations see Izzy as a negative influence, but I like to offer an alternative take. 

I see Izzy’s energy and role in the canon (and eventually, in my personal life as the viewer) as the Hierophant. An energy often found uninspiring, but when used correctly, it can help people make their dreams come true. 

In her book The Holistic Tarot (2015, North Atlantic Books), tarot master Benebell Wen uses Tradition, Conventionalism, and Institutionalism as the keywords that explain the Hierophant card.

“The Hierophant is a holy man, an important figure in his society … People rely on him to be a channel between heaven and earth. In a reading, the card typically indicates a desire to follow conventions and norms, a traditionalist—one who holds traditional values,” she writes. 

The Hierophant is often seen as the card that calls for querents to be conservative. Instead of thinking outside the box, it expects them to open the manuals and follow the instructions. When discussing making our dreams come true, the Hierophant energy is often seen as an obstacle—curbing creativity and exploration in favour of traditions. 

We did see these traits displayed by Izzy in various scenes, such as in Episode 4 when he demanded Ed to come up with a defensive plan after they noticed a Spanish ship coming their way or when he threatened to blackmail Lucius for … you know what he did.

While these scenes might cement Izzy’s role in the story as the Bad Guy, his role is also a reminder of the importance of maintaining a structure—even on a pirate ship. Because this structure, no matter how dull it is, enables us to function and create the impact we want in our personal and professional lives.

The Hierophant energy

The Hierophant card is known for having a restrictive–perhaps even oppressive–energy. In my early days as a tarot student, I tended to roll my eyes whenever it showed up. It was not the kind of nuance I wanted as a young person. But eventually, I learned how the Hierophant energy could positively impact one’s life when used wisely. Instead of preventing progress, it can help with it. 

As someone who works in the tech startup community, I regularly meet people driven to succeed. Buzzwords such as “innovation” and “disruption” are being thrown around lightly; everybody wants to be the next big thing that changes the world. Big ideas, even the most unrealistic ones, are cherished and encouraged.

But people are being brought back to Earth rather quickly in this industry. There are even statistics to prove it: Up to 95 per cent of startups fail simply because they cannot find product-market fit, according to various sources. In layman’s terms, they create products and services that nobody needs. This is why startups are commonly advised to implement rigorous market research and product testing to prove that their ideas work; to have the discipline to do more than just talk.

On an individual level, the Hierophant energy is one I tap into to achieve my goals. To be productive, I need to run my days smoothly. This means clearing my housekeeping tasks before leaving home, logging off social media during work hours, and ensuring I eat my vegetables to stay healthy. They are boring AF, but they provide me with a structure to keep the machine well-oiled.

When I look back on my life, all the times I managed to achieve and create something good for myself (and hopefully others) are when I stopped daydreaming and started implementing the Hierophant energy into my daily life. While it is important to explore new ideas, all of them will be pointless without the structure that ensures it is being developed properly. 

Now, back to Izzy

One might see Izzy as a traditional pirate who is resistant to change. I mean, what the fuck is even a retirement? It does not exist in this line of work. 

This context places Izzy as a counter to Stede Bonnet’s “fresh, groundbreaking” ideas about piracy. It is easy to see Izzy and his beliefs as outdated and needing disruption. But we must remember that piracy is a dangerous business. While pirates generally entered the business with a ready-to-die mindset, a structure that allows the crew to be functional and prepared to handle risks should be appreciated instead of being seen as a threat. 

This is especially more relevant in a situation where a leader struggles to function properly. Ed is a smart and gifted captain, but his short attention span and mood swings have made it hard for him to function on some days and for the crew to maintain their trust in him. His wit may have allowed them to survive another day, but will it be sustainable without a system to ensure that? What happens when he is having his moment? At the very least, they would need a plan.

This is a calling for us to look into our own lives and see: In which area do we need a first mate to yell and remind us to focus?

--

This article was first published in Above All Else: An Appreciation of Izzy Hands, a zine dedicated to Con O'Neill's Izzy Hands from Our Flag Means Death.

[witchofbonesandkeys]

It’s Henry Rollins’ birthday, so I decided it would be a good day to share this Black Flag-inspired tarot spread I came up with:

RISE ABOVE

1 - the thing (situation, emotion, etc.) you are trying to rise above 2 - what’s holding you down 3 - what will help you rise/your chance to break free 4 - what might happen once you rise above

[ladyjuliapearle]

Day 23 of Inktober was Celestial.

I wanted to make a celestial body originating from astronomy, but decided to go a diffrent route.

Everyone reads tarot cards differently, and I've seen these hands from clouds (The Ace of ...) as a power from above helping out.

A celestial hand providing opportunities and helping out.