Between Reader and Querent – Ending the Tarot Relationship

"The Source" from "OSHO Zen Tarot"©
by Deva Padma

Most relationships alter over time and the relationship between a tarot reader and their client is no different.  In a healthy relationship, both parties grow and become more than they were when they first met.  So it is with a good tarot relationship.  The basics are pretty standard.  Keep everything confidential.  When you’re with your client, be present and pay attention to their needs. Always tell the truth.  Know what is your baggage and don’t impose it on the querent’s spread and never let them impose their baggage on you. Boundaries, people, boundaries.

The whole keeping your own baggage sounds like plain, common sense and therefore a no–brainer.  It is common sense, but it is more difficult than it sounds for a reader new to professional tarot reading.  Tarot readers are intuitive and each one of us has his, or her, own process.  We are also empathic and here in lies the difficulty.  To ‘read’ for someone you must tap into their energy flow and in doing so, allow it close enough to yourself without letting it overwhelm you. With that flow comes the querent’s fear, their skepticism, their frustration, confusion, anger and any number of thoughts and feelings.  Our job as readers, other than to lay out brightly colored pieces of card stock, is to see past those emotions and interpret what the cards are saying. 

The Celtic Cross spread delivers a lot of information and most

From Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen's
"Wizard's Tarot"©

 readers use a variation of this format.  The most insightful positions in this spread are position #7, the querent’s view of the situation, or their mindset going into the reading, and position #9, what the cards want your client to consider about themselves or the situation – what can’t, or shouldn’t be ignored.  These positions strip the reading down to its essentials and are more important in a sense than the outcome cards, #6 and #10.  When properly viewed, these positions can have a lasting, positive effect on the client.  They are also the positions where the querent gets slapped in the face with their issues, if slapping is required. Sometimes, when the slap is too hard, or the information too difficult for the querent to face over the long-term, the querent will decide to end the tarot relationship.

Readers are people, highly sensitive, open people, but still people.  When a client is dissatisfied we tend to look inside ourselves first.  Sometimes that’s appropriate, but more often than not, it isn’t.  Long-term clients leave readers because either the issue that lead them to the reader in the first place has resolved itself, or the card patterns in the readings haven’t significantly changed over time and the querent becomes dissatisfied with the readings.  As tarot readers, we know that the card patterns haven’t changed because the querent’s responses and actions in the situation have not changed. Definition of insanity: continually repeating the same actions and expecting a different result. 

It’s important for the reader not to take on more than their share of responsibility for the end of a relationship with a querent.  Consider the components of the relationship I mentioned earlier.  Use it as a checklist. As a reader, did I show up on time? Did I give them my full attention?  Did I judge them by my own standards?  Did I keep a respectful distance between the querent’s issues and myself?  Did I honor the boundaries of professional conduct?  If you did all those things, then release your client with love and move on.  They have taken another step in their journey and you are not meant to go with them for whatever reason.  Know that you helped as best as you could and that you operated from the highest of intentions.  As tarot readers, we stand by the path and hold up a light. Whether or not someone chooses to use our light to help them find their way is always their choice and never ours.  

LADY ORACLE

July 20th, Saturn Turns Direct While Uranus Gets a Retrofitting

Saturn, the hall monitor of the Zodiac, turned stationary direct of July 20^th.  No doubt some of us are singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” on this one. Saturn’s retrograde had us not only re-structuring the systems in our lives, but stepping into our own power ( 2 of Wands), both of which can be a tad rough when we’re doing it as part of a group process.  Saturn is the planet of rules, regulations, work ethic and limitations. Its retrograde affects all of us to some degree. Since March the majority of Earth’s population has been asking where we fit in the big picture – and not always in the nicest of ways. 

Saturn offers us inspirational challenges. It wants us tough

#21, The World from "The Wizard's Tarot"©
by Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen is tarot's
association for Saturn

enough to weather life’s storms and practical enough to resist complacency during the sunny periods.  Keep in mind that whole rules, regulations and limitations thing.  Saturn currently resides in Scorpio which means that our challenges are geared towards transforming, not only our perspectives, but our lives as well. Saturn in Scorpio is ambitious. This is an optimum time to implement new career building strategies.  Saturn wants you to fall in line with self-discipline and lasting achievement.  Scorpio offers you insights into the motivations of others.  Use this information to benefit yourself and advance your position, but not to the detriment of others. Karma’s bite can sting as much as a scorpion. 

While Saturn comes back on line, our rebel child, Uranus, goes into retrograde.  The planet of freedom and rebellion asks us to take note of happenings in the world around us both near and far.  Where do we fit in the mix? Do we effect positive change, or are we content to merely rattle sabers and throw sand into well-oil gears? Uranus is transiting Aires. That’s a cardinal fire sign in first position on the wheel of the Zodiac.  Aires cherishes that number one spot and true to form, wants you to guard your position in life (7 of Wands) as well. This sign is known for battering its way through obstacles – hence the name, Aires the Ram.  While that characteristic comes in handy, there’s no small amount of egocentricity involved with Uranus in Aires. Bear in mind that our egos only become twitchier during Uranus retrograde. Keep your debit card in your pocket and don’t hand it over to your ego during this transit – retrograde or not – because your butt has to cover the charges.

Uranus and Aquarius rule the eleventh house and it’s here

The Fool is tarot's card for Uranus
From "The Wizard's Tarot"© by
Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen

we keep our group identity, our goals and our associations, or friendships.  Uranus in retrograde asks us not only where we fit in, but why we align ourselves with certain groups. (7 of Cups – why we make the choices we do)  What is our reward for choosing a particular group?  Now comes the toughest question.  How does our risk and reward benefit the world at large?  Uranus retrograde isn’t for wimps. It likes us to consider defining moments.

There are infinite life lessons in planetary shifts and to one degree or another, we are all affected.  Sometimes we’re up to the quest and other times we’d much prefer to watch a marathon of “Lost” episodes.  What we must keep in mind is that as part of the family of man we are each responsible for what happens within our reach and in this digital age our reach is global. Nothing happens to one of us that does not affect the whole. This is a lesson in responsibility that when learned, makes Saturn proud.

LADY ORACLE

P.S. Aquarians stay focused. You're in the 11th House with Uranus AND Saturn.

Venus in Cancer, July 18, 2014 – “With Fronds Like These, Who Needs Anemones”

“Finding Nemo,” is one of my favorite movies and every time I 

Kris Waldherr uses the goddess Venus for
#6, The Lovers in her "Goddess Tarot"©

watch it, I chuckle over Marlin the Clown Fish’s rather lame joke. If you’ve ever visited a tidal pool and poked an Anemone you know that stimulating their fronds makes them quiver and close up in an instant. Venus’ transit of Cancer this month turns all turns us into untral-sensitive creatures who react instantaneously to both negative and positive romantic stimulation.  We also become incurable romantics. 

Mercury has been in the sign of the crab since July 13th.  (See blog: “July Astrological Trends”) That’s a witty intellect.  Venus is another story.  The goddess of love rules the seventh and second houses of the Zodiac, dealing with primary relationships and self- esteem, respectively.  Cancer lives in the fourth house where we house our family and foundations.  The fourth house is ruled by the Moon, which gives us insights, but can also make Venus’ attractions remarkably strong this month.  Don’t worry, though.  You’re unlikely to throw everything away for love. Cancer is too practical for that.  Venus in Cancer makes us want to hug the world, or at least our corner of it.  We all become more sentimental and our romantic roles, more traditional in the game of hunt and chase. We want to woo and be wooed as the situation dictates.

#3, Estsanatlehi (try saying this three
 times fast!) represents the Empress, Venus' tarot
 association from Waldherr's "The Goddess Tarot"©

If there’s a down side to Venus in Cancer, it’s the heightened sensitivity we have during this transit.  Cancerians are shell people.  Much like an Anemone, they close themselves off when they become confused, or hurt. They have a need to hide emotions. Expect a little tug of war inside yourself with the need to emote and the need to protect your super sensitive feelings.

Venus in Cancer is a great transit for summer romances (as opposed to summer flings).  Enjoy the idea of romance and romantic gestures.  Think about possibilities, but stay away from obsessing on a particular person.  Like the summer, keep it light.

LADY ORACLE

Full Moon in Capricorn, July 12, 2014 – “Blending Ambition, Motivation and People Skills’”

One of the names for July’s Full Moon is Thunder Moon,

The Emperor, from "Wizard's Tarot"© by
Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen
authority, structure - my pick to
represent business

ostensibly because summer’s heat and humidity leads to lots of thunderstorms this month. It’s an apt description for our Full Moon arriving on July 12th in twenty degrees of Capricorn, the Goat ( See Blog: “When the Zodiac Gets Your Goat” for mythology). A Full Moon occurs when the Sun is directly opposite our Moon. The signs Cancer and Capricorn are also opposite one another on the wheel of the Zodiac making July’s Full Moon one of opposing energies. However these forces can be harnessed for your benefit if you know how to apply them.

Sun in Cancer carries an emotional and intuitive charge. (See Blog: “Cancer the Crab, They’re all They’re Cracked Up to Be”) It is a cardinal sign ruled by the Moon and the element of water. People born under the sign of Cancer are tender-hearted, sensitive and highly creative with a strong emphasis on home and domestic relationships. Our New Moon in Cancer (See blog: “A Terrific Night For a Moon Dance" ) was very powerful for setting July’s emotional tone. We felt comforted and excited, like rolling in puppies – warm, wiggly and joyful. And our Full Moon in Capricorn? Not so much. This is a moon for negotiating and deal making.

"Wizard's Tarot's"© version of #14,
Temperance. Strive to balance this
Full Moon's polar energy

Sun in Cancer opposite Full Moon in Capricorn makes us work to maintain balance between our intellect and our emotions. Where Cancer is intuitive and emotional (at times too much so), Capricorn lives in its head, putting knowledge into practical application. Capricorn is self-contained, remote, while Cancer, though self-protective, joins the emotional fray. Cancer’s drives are geared towards home and the domestic life, while Capricorn teems with ambition and the need to publicly excel through career and achievement of personal goals.  

During the Full Moon period (three days prior and four days after) we can combine the energy of these two strong, but opposing signs to gain ground in our professional lives.  Capricorn’s drive to excel makes July’s Full Moon an excellent moon for reclaiming sales territory, or presenting sensitive portfolios to investors. It’s a motivational moon. Let Capricorn’s natural ambition and knowledge off the leash.  The key to maximum success, however, lies in knowing your subject.  All the hubris in the world can’t bring home a deal if you don’t know your subject inside and out and can effectively communicate that knowledge.  Here’s where you can let Cancer’s intuition work for you as well.  Read people – co-workers, client’s, bosses, the barista down the street.  While Capricorn’s energy has you focus on the goal, let Cancer establish the human connection.  When presenting material or doing a sales presentation, let Cancer’s emotional subtext help you metaphorically pick up your client and take them with you to the safe and logical conclusion that working with you is the smart thing to do.  If you don’t understand this concept then it’s time to break out the classic motivational speakers.

Lunar phases deal in an emotional framework, but they are

6 of Wands from "Wizard's Tarot"©
Victory, leadership

also about culmination and fruition during the Full Moon cycle.  July’s Full Thunder Moon can be a time of advancement for you if you do your homework and apply what you’ve learned.  Be brilliant!

LADY ORACLE 

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Astrology Trends for July 2014

Kris Waldherr's "Goddess Tarot"© brings
us Laskshi to represent #10, The Wheel.
#10 is tarot's card for Jupiter

July changes the astrological template we’ve lived with for the past year. Say goodbye to Cardinal Crosses for a while and so long to the stalemate that’s had you butting your head against walls since early spring. The big stories this month are Jupiter’s move from Cancer to Leo on July 16^th and Mars’ move from Libra to Scorpio on the 25th. All the reconfiguring you’ve done during Mercury retrograde is about to pay off people.

Jupiter has been hanging out in Cancer since June of last year, offering us the opportunity for financial and emotional growth. Jupiter expands the energy of the house it occupies. When our planet of fortune moves into confident Leo, we’ll put our growth to work for us in creative and exciting new ways. Leo offers a bold, at times, swaggering energy.  The next twelve months offers us a 'can do' philosophy. Don’t wait for someone else to supply the opportunities.  Assume a leadership role in your own life and create them.  Look for career advancement through big ideas. If you’re not certain how those ideas come into play, relax. Leo’s confidence will see you through. Jupiter’s transit of Leo lasts until August of 2015.

Thoughts translate into effective action under Mars in Libra.

Leo's tarot association is #8,
Strength, seen from "Tarot of the Pagan Cats"©
by Magdelina Messina and Lola Airaghi

Mars wants us to make the social connections that help us put our plans in motion. Timing is on our side right now. Those important introductions will happen through cosmic design, so pay attention. What seems like random chance right now it universal tumblers clicking into place, setting us up with the resources we need, both personal and joint, for the launch party that is Mars in Scorpio.  Mars' Scorpio transit carries vibrancy and ambition ­– two things that are highly useful in accomplishing goals.  However, keep an eye out for flairs of stubbornness.

Saturn in Scorpio turns direct on July 20^th.  Beef up your personal boundaries.  All the retrograde restructuring you’ve implemented gains momentum, working to transform areas of your life.  We have an increased sense of personal power and will be up to Saturn's challenges.

#21, The World, seen here from
"The Wildwood Tarot"© by
Mark Ryan and John Matthews,
represents the planet, Saturn

Mercury restarted its journey through the Zodiac after ending retrograde on July 1^st.  The planet of intellect will continue to hang out in Gemini (remember there was a backslide to Gemini during retrograde) until July 13^th when it returns to Cancer.  Mercury in Gemini helps us to access information files that we’ve uploaded from a variety of sources. It’s rapid fire intellect and hallmark wit are both incisive and amusing.  Look for sharpened communications skills, written as well as spoken during the first two weeks of July. However, when Mercury moves to Cancer on the 13^th you’ll see your mental focus shift to thoughts of home, family and stability.  Your communications will be heart-felt, delivered with understanding and respect.  Be careful not to over-think, though and allow Cancer’s strong, emotional component to cause unnecessary fretting.

Other monthly developments include Venus’ move to Cancer on July 18^th, Uranus’ retrograde on July 21^st, Sun in Leo on July 22^nd, Saturn turning direct on July 20^th, a Full Moon in Capricorn on the 12^th and a New Moon in Leo on the 26^th.  Whew! July is a pivotal month, setting up some significant changes that will stay with us into the next year.  Stay balanced through meditation.  Avoid excesses and most of all,  enjoy the opportunities this changing skyscape offers us.