If you’ve been noting my lack of updates lately, then you’ll understand why my reading tonight was for the question: “How do I fit everything I want to do into my hectic schedule?”

I did the counting and pairing technique with my Thoth Deck. Lately, I have been cutting the deck in half, and then using the half deck as a source of the cards. That way, instead of 12 to 20 cards in a spread, I get 5 to 10. Much faster!

Anyway, I consider this to be a fire-realm issue… that of motivations and drives. Conflicting desires, and the like. So, after cutting the half-deck four ways, I read the fire pile. It had the following 5 cards in it:

If you aren’t familiar with the deck, that’s: 3 Cups + 9 Cups + 7 Cups + 2 Wands + 6 Wands.

Overview

Well, we got five cards, which indirectly relates this reading to the Emperor (Atu IV). That seems appropriate, since I’m trying to get my life under better control. The top card is the 6 of Wands, “Victory.” What strikes me about this card is the stable structure, and the orderly, slow-burning flames. The central card is the 7 of Cups, “Debauch,” and I see it as my main problem right now. I keep essentially fooling myself into thinking I’ve made the right changes and I’m set up to get everything done. In fact, I end up focusing on fun and ephemeral pleasures. So, that’s the basic answer, but how to get there?

The only other thing that jumps out at me, at the overview level, is that it’s all Water and Fire here. No swords or disks are present. This tells me that we’re talking about a kind of spiritual/emotional shift, rather than a problem I need to solve, or an action I need to take in my physical environment. Fair enough!

Counting and Pairing

Pairing around the current situation, we get:

• 3 Cups + 6 Wands: Joy comes from stable effort, and expansions in creative output.
• 9 Cups + 2 Wands: I get a deep satisfaction from putting effort into my businesses. Once I force myself to sit down and work, I usually don’t mind it at all. The problem, of course, is…
• 7 Cups: Illusions of Success, fooling myself, getting caught up in fun distractions

Now for the counting. No court cards here, which is appropriate since the question was internal to me, anyway. So, I decided to count from the top card and the central card, in both directions.

Counting from the 6 of Wands in either direction takes you right to the 6 of Wands. This reinforces the stability and self-sustaining nature of the card.

Counting from the 7 of Cups clockwise, we get: 7 Cups + 9 Cups + 2 Wands + 7 Cups. So, my procrastination does in fact bring me some happiness, and causes me to have to rush and spend extreme effort to get my actual work done. Then, back to more procrastination. Not a great cycle to be in… but in fact, it’s the cycle I’m in now.

Counting from the 7 of Cups counter-clockwise, we get: 7 Cups + 2 Wands + 6 wands. Here is the other option… expend a lot of effort and will to overcome procrastination, and get into the zone of stable and expansive effort.

So I know of the two paths, and I know I want to be on the one I’m not on… but how do I get there?

Unaspected Card

My counting hit four of the five cards. The untouched card is the 3 of Cups, “Abundance.” When a card is not hit, it is called unaspected (ever wondered where the title of my blog came from?). Unaspected cards can represent energies that the participants in the reading are unaware of. They are forces that could be brought to bear on the situation. In some ways, you can think of them as “advice” cards.

When I see the 3 of Cups in that position, I think of Mercury in Cancer, and I think that I could be smarter about the way I do things at home. I think I have been making smart improvements, actually, but this card tells me I’m not done. Also, when I get so busy I start to feel constricted, like there won’t be time enough for everything I have planned. The 3 of Cups reminds to enjoy the tasks I do accomplish, and even celebrate them. It also alludes to the fact that life is not a race, even when it feels like one, and that there actually is time for everything important in due course. Maybe this is the mindset I need, in order to see clearly how to make my way over to the stable 6 of Wands.

I did a reading with my Thoth Deck to describe the work I’m planning to do for an old client. He called me yesterday and left a message saying he’d like me to do additional work for him. I put out the following cards about the prospect:

I started out with just a three-card sentence. I got the Pricess of Cups, the Knight of Disks, and the 7 of Disks. But, given that two of the cards were court cards, I decided I wanted to fill in a bit more information. How will the energy of the cards interact to lead toward the 7 of Disks? So, I added the second row to answer that question.

I am represented here by the Princess of Cups. I am like the earthy part of water… I represent crystalisation of material out of seemingly nowhere. To me, this represents the support and development I do for people. Also, I live in a dream world!

My client is the Knight of Disks. Methodical, thorough, and slow-moving. He also has a fair amount of wealth at his disposal.

The 7 of Disks is the outcome of this meeting, which is labelled “Failure.” Not very promising! To elaborate, the 7 of Disks represents failure from a dramatic downturn in activity. The passivity of the earth element becomes too pronounced, and has negative effects. The coins on the card are made of lead, a reference to heavy-handed Saturn.

So, how do my client and I interact to arrive at lethargic failure? That’s why I wanted to see extra cards. Let’s see how they help!

I got the 2 of Cups as the energy between me (Princess of Cups) and the client (Knight of Disks). Hard to beat that! We will apparently get along really well this time. That was not always the case.

I got the 10 of Cups as the energy between the Knight and the outcome. And that, I think, may be the root of the problem. Things are going to go too well! He may offer me a lot of work, which is exactly what I should want, on paper (10 Cups). But, the attribution here is Mars in Pisces, and Mars never lets supposed perfection sit idly.

Note that every card in this spread is either of water or earth. There’s nothing inspired (fire) here, and no intellectual (air) challenge. To me, this is a recipe for boredom. And, I tend to put off projects that bore me. I will be inclined to drag my feet in the manner suggested by the grey-black leaden 7 of Disks. In fact, the last couple days I have been thinking a lot about interests and pursuits I have let fall away over the last few years. There just doesn’t seem to be time for everything!

Notice how the extra cards fill out the reading, without changing the meaning. That’s an important principle I try to stick to. You want to fill in additional detail… not alter what you’ve already seen. Avoid the temptation to add more cards just because you don’t like the ones you got in the first place!

Anyway, I’ve left the client voice-mail, but have yet to converse with him. It will be interesting to see how accurate this reading is! It will be even more interesting to see if I can work out a way to avoid falling into the 7 of Disks outcome somehow. Armed with this reading, at least I know to try…

Today’s reading comes from the Thoth Deck, one of my favorites.

I just pulled three cards about how my day will go. I got:

That’s the 5 of Disks, 6 of Swords, and 4 of Cups. So, I knew immediately what this was all about. I will be worried about my programming project, but it will turn out well. I have planned to get a lot done on that project today, so it’s natural to have some anxiety about it. I’d be surprised if I didn’t get the 5 of Disks! I was glad to see the rest of the sentence play out like it did.

Note that the attributions on the 5 Disks and 6 Swords both point to the planet Mercury. This is what ties it so clearly to my programming work… it’s a big thought exercise. Also, both cards are in fixed signs, which brings an element of perseverance with it. This is vital to a successful project, as well!

So, we have a somewhat passive apprehension upon analyzing the situation (5 Disks), counteracted by more active investigation (6 Swords), leading to a return of emotional stability (4 Cups).

For obvious reasons, I’m pleased that the 4 Cups is the strongest card in the reading. This is so on at least three fronts. First, it is the lowest numbered card present, giving it the highest energy. Second, it is of the suit of cups, bringing association with the Briah (or however you care to spell it), a “higher” world than those which the other cards represent. Thirdly, the air and earth of the other two cards interfere with each other (which makes sense because worry gets in the way of proper study, whereas scientific progress erodes worry), weakening each in the process.

I’ll also note that, elementally, we are missing fire in this spread. It makes sense to me, as my heart is not in this work right now… I don’t have any kind of spark or will for it at the moment. I’m just doing it because I know I should.

Thought for the day: in the Crowley deck, the 2 and 3 of Cups are titled “Love” and “Abundance,” and are situated above the abyss of Daath. The first card that can be fully expressed in the formative world is the 4 of Cups, “Luxury.” What a neat statement about the relative purity of love and abundance over worldly luxury! Not to mention, the 4 of Cups is associated with the moon, which gives it an extra dose of inconstancy. This all fits quite well with my views, which are mostly drawn from Buddhism.

I did this reading because the other day I was at a friend’s house, and noticed how nice and quiet her computer was. And then I realized how much newer than mine it was. My computer is a few years old now, which is unusual for me. But, I am not in the computer business anymore, so I don’t need to stay current as much as I used to.

Anyway, I started feeling jealous, and wanted to upgrade my machines. I did the following reading to see what I need to know about this situation. I used my Thoth Deck for this reading.

I dealt 9 cards in a line, and read them using the counting method. I was in a hurry, so I didn’t do a full analysis like last time. In case this image isn’t clear, the cards were: 4 Swords, 3 Cups, Prince Cups, 8 Cups, Queen Wands, Princess Wands, 2 Wands, Emperor, Lust.

Overview

So, right away I notice that there is no earth and almost no air in this reading. Kind of a surprise given that I was thinking about a purchase. This spread is by far dominated by fire, with two fire-sign majors and 5 fire cards of the total 9. So, this is a reading about my impulse to go buy stuff, rather than the money considerations, or the logical/practical considerations. Ok, fair enough!

I’ll also notice that there’s very little elemental disharmony… the fire and the water cards are all grouped together. At one boundary, fire and water are separated by sympathetic airy 4 Swords. Only at the place where 8 Cups and Queen Wands meet do we have steamy elemental conflict.

That last point is especially interesting, since I am taking the Queen of Wands to represent me in this reading. She is at the center of the spread, she’s bossy and forceful, and she’s feeling itchy about the stagnant water which had previously been a source of happiness. I’d say that’s fairly apt for this aging computer issue!

Counting

So, counting from the Queen, we get:

Queen Wands -> Emperor -> 4 Swords -> 8 Cups -> 3 Cups -> 8 Cups

… and of course if I had kept counting we’d bounce between 8 Cups and 3 Cups ad infinitum.

I interpret the sequence this way, and I do realize that this is a superficial take on the cards… I didn’t spend much time on this reading! Anyway, I read it as: “The Queen should impose order on this situation (Emperor) and make a decision in line with her will rather than jealuosy. She should do this by coming to terms (4 Swords) with the fact that her nature is to oscillate between happiness (3 Cups) and disgust (8 Cups) with the things in her life.

So, I’m going to sleep on it for a few days. And, the other thought that popped in my head while staring at the cards was: “You know, a responsible emperor would make the money needed for this purchase before spending it.” So, maybe it would be fun to set aside a computer fund, and try to find ways to make the needed money on the side. Interesting thought. It was funny because it doesn’t fit with my normal interpretation of the Emperor, but it does sound like what my father would say. So I think I made the connection that way.

Tonight’s reading was for the simple question “What do I need to know most?”

I decided to draw a string of 5 cards, and try to read them using the GD counting and pairing method I’ve been learning about. I’m definitely no expert at it, but as you’ll read, the results were quite good this time. I think so, anyway! If you are curious about the method, you can read about it in the book: Tarot and the Magus: Opening the Key to Divination, Magick and the Holy Guardian Angel, and at the supertarot site.

Anyway, here are the 5 cards I pulled. I used my Thoth Deck for this reading.

In case the picture’s not clear enough, the five cards were: 6 Wands, 7 Wands, Knight Cups, Queen Cups, and The Sun.

Quick Look/Overview

Well, right off we see that there is no Air or Earth influence in this reading. So, whatever I need to know most may not be logical, and may not be what I need to know tomorrow. Fire outnumbers water 3 to 2, which to me indicates a tug-of-war between interests in comfort and blazing a trail.

Comparing the cards to their neighbors indicates that 6 Wands is the strongest card in the string, as it has fire on both sides. The other fire cards have water on one side, and vice versa. The Sun, being the lone major card, is still quite strong in its own right.

I considered the alternatives, but decided that since this was a question about myself, that both court cards would represent aspects of me.

Pairing

By pairing the cards from the outside in, we get an overview of the situation, and the environment of the question.

6 Wands + The Sun. The two strongest cards in the string. I see this as grabbing successes when the environment lines up to support it. The 6 represents the kind of harmony that comes after strife (as compared to the unsteady balance of the 4, which hadn’t seen much adversity yet). We have Jupiter in Leo… determined and a bit showy… mixing with Sun energy. The Sun itself is about balanced opposing forces coming together in a productive way, though on a larger scale than the 6.

7 Wands + Queen of Cups. Here we have Mars energy from the 7 making for a rather uncomfortable Cancer Queen. She struggles to maintain an environment that’s comfortable to her. But…

Knight of Cups. Eventually when her will gives out, she becomes more of a Piscean Knight… giving up on creating a comfort zone, and instead retreating from the situation to find some peace.

So, altogether, we have a story that kinda goes downhill as it progresses… the strong energy that led to victory becomes more of an uncomfortable grind, from which I’ll eventually need to walk away.

Sounds like a warning against burning out, so far, no? My latest business venture has been heaping more and more demands on me. Customers pay, which is great, but they also want support and enhancements, which isn’t quite as much fun. Also, the advertising cycle is quite tedious… I repeat the same things about the product, over and over, and answer the same questions, over and over.

Very interesting! Let’s keep going…

Counting

Counting from the Knight, we have:

Knight Cups -> The Sun -> 7 Wands -> 6 Wands

Without doing any card interpretation, I noted two interesting things: (1) In a five card string, a 6 will terminate the path by returning to itself. Kinda brings out the harmony aspect of it, and points out that it can be self-sustaining. And I noted (2) The Knight visits every card except the Queen. In fact, if you count starting from any card, in either direction, you also never hit the Queen. She’s quite elusive!

Ok, so if you look at the sequence from our Knight, you see that it almost tells the overview story in reverse! The Knight experiences a kind of renewal or rejuvenation, and is able to fight his way back to victory. This sounds like a second wind in the context of the overview story. Like, perhaps a vacation or other kind of rest would do me good?

If we count from the troubled Queen, we get a longer version of the same story:

Queen Cups -> 7 Wands -> Knight Cups -> The Sun -> 7 Wands -> 6 Wands

So, the embattled, over-sensitive Queen eventually retreats, only to be rejuvenated and ultimately rebalance the off-kilter 7 Wands again.

That’s good info, but what really blew my mind was: If you start from the Knight, only you turn him around and count the opposite way, you go straight to the 6 Wands and stay there. And, if you count starting from a reversed Queen, the same thing happens! You bypass all the drama and go straight to the strong, majestic 6! This reads to me like a reminder that most so-called struggles in life evaporate if you have the right perspective. Like, from a Buddhist point of view, repetitive work need not be tedious or energy-sapping. You see? And the fact that both court cards do this serves as a reminder to me that I am free to make this realization at any point along the way.

Summary

What do I need to know most, right now? Obligations from my latest business venture are mounting, and I’m running out of energy, and it’s taking a toll on me emotionally. It could help to get away from those expectations and the tedium for a bit to recharge… but then again maybe an internal change of perspective would be a simpler and more permanent approach.