Hello again my lovely readers! I’ve got a little more on tarot reading for you today. I know, it’s been a while, but things generally calm down enough in the winter months that I can be more active posting to our blog.

Recently, we started advertising more of our tarot reading in the store. Both Jac and I have been getting in practice, and finding ways to hone our skills so that we can better do readings for those that visit. I decided to try an Instagram “reading a day” challenge, and pulled out one of the newest decks in my personal collection to practice with.

The deck I am using is Ostara Tarot. It is an artist collaboration deck with work by Molly Applejohn, Eden Cooke, Krista Gibbard, and Julia Iredale. This does make the imagry vary a bit from suit to suit, but not so badly that it feels disjointed.

Today’s challenge was a three card spread. I decided to focus on recent stresses in my life, hoping for some advice on how to handle them.

So without further ado, the card spread!

For one, we will note that all of the cards ended up reversed. This is likely because as this is a new deck, while I shuffled significantly it’s possible they are still nearly all in one direction. So I evaluated based on both upright and reversed meanings. This guidebook does have better guides to the reversed meanings than most, so I am not as hesitant to use them.

Basis of the Situation: The World. For me, the very first thing that came to mind when looking at this card was a feeling of being overwhelmed. There is so much… everything! The World is also a card of cycles, and as the last card of the Major Arcana, a card of completion. A lot of unrest and work in my life is finally reaching a point of completion I have hoped for. I just moved into a new home, and the sale of my old one is finally going through, After two years of regular travel between multiple homes, I can finally settle back in with my husband. It has been so active for so long, it is hard to actually feel that completion. That difficulty reaching a sense of closure is one of the meanings indicated in the reversed card. It is also a warning to let things complete in their own time, and not to cut corners just because you want things over with.

The Now: Four of Cups. A woman with three cups in front of her disdains the fourth cup that is being offered. The image is one of being closed off, of not letting people in. With that sense from The World, there is also a feeling of so much being on the plate, you don’t want to add to it. But these are not bad goings on – these are good things, opportunities, and connections. It may seem like a lot, but you need to open up to them. Reversed also indicated coming opportunity, and a desire for connection. Share what you feel and let yourself be content. This also connects with recognizing when something is complete and embracing that!

The Outcome: Six of Cups. This is a card of innocence and fresh perspective. Since we are starting with The World, this is also a card reminding us of new beginnings. One cycle is over – it is time to remember the childlike joy of beginning something new. It is hard when you are looking at everything that still needs to be done, but there is also still opportunity to be embraced and fulfilled. Reversed reminds us not to dwell if things of the past are not fulfilled to our expectations.

So much of this reading can be summed up well with a great message for the new year: Letting go is hard, but as cycles come to an end it is time to embrace the new!