Elliot Adam's Blog, page 63
July 26, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Empress
“Unconditional love and nurturing.”
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When the Empress appears worries can no longer exist. The Empress is the ever-loving “Great Mother,” who encourages, nurtures, and protects all her children. The Empress reassures us that we are safe, protected, and have access to all the abundance we need. She lovingly holds out this truth, even when you are unable to feel it, see it or believe it.
The Empress archetype has gone by many names throughout human history. She's appeared in every land and in every culture since the dawn of time. There have been many attempts throughout history to repress her, discredit her, or forget her completely. However, after every "Dark-Age" in human history she always reemerges with a gentle smile. The Empress appears today to tell you that there is something important in your life that needs to feel loved, nurtured, and protected to thrive. She advises you that self-love will be your strongest shield moving forward.
Are you feeling safe, reassured, and abundant right now? What part of your life needs nurturing, love, and protection currently? Are you able to access the fearless place within you where love resides?
The Empress sits in her abundant garden. She looks kindly at you as you approach her throne. She wears the sparkling Crown of Twelve Stars, signifying her status as the eternal "Queen of Heaven." The crown symbolizes her ability to see "the big picture," or the eternal context of every situation. She sees the time before, the beginning, the middle, the end and the great beyond. Seeing situations in the context of the eternal is a great remedy for fear. It reminds us of just how small they are. The Empress reminds us we have so much more purpose in our existence than our fears would have us believe. The Crown of Twelve Stars reminds us of the months of the year, the signs of the zodiac, and represents all things growing at their appropriate time.
The robes of the Empress are covered with images of fruit, representing her power to bring prosperity and abundance to everything she nurtures. A shield in the shape of a heart lays at her feet, emblazoned with the symbol of Venus the Goddess of Love. This symbolizes that the Empress uses love to protect what she cares for. Her field of wheat signifies her ability to feed and nourish her children. She reminds us that there is more than enough for everybody. The Empress embodies comfort, love, and understanding. She is the nurturing face of Mother Nature, who gently guides you back to your authentic nature. She patiently waits with open arms, to unburden you of troubles, and wipe away all tears. The Empress can always be felt in the part of your heart which transcends fear and glows with love.
The Empress makes all things grow with the power of gentle patience. This loving force is always busy at work. It can be seen in our major life events and rites of passage. The Empress is also busy in the background of our lives, making the trees blossom, grass grow, and the generations to pass on their torches. Her loving energy is present when a mother holds her baby for the first time, and when an old man calls out to his mother before he is about to pass on. The Empress reminds you of the power of your highest ideals. This energy allows you to manifest whatever dream you are trying to create. When the Empress arrives, she unburdens you of worries because she places issues in the context of the "big picture." The Empress reminds you that all that really matters is love. Therefore, you can believe her when she whispers, "Everything is going to be okay."
*The Empress in a Love Reading:
New Relationship
The Empress archetype is a true romantic and cherishes the courtship phase of a relationship for as long as possible. Her archetype thrives on romance. Handwritten notes of affection, and decadent meals lovingly prepared will capture her (or his) heart. The more chivalrous you are in the early part of the relationship, the better.
Long Term Partnership
The Empress oversees nurturing, growth, and deepening commitment in relationships. It may be time to give birth to new conditions, such as buying a new home, creating new business, or even expanding your family through children or even pets. When the Empress appears, your relationship is likely entering a new cycle of love, success, and plenty.
Seeking Romance
The Empress is a sensuous archetype and will encourage you to flirt and freely express your romantic nature. It may also be time to connect with the Goddess of Love and Beauty within. Indulge in life’s delights. The Empress is a welcome guide toward your heart’s bliss.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
July 25, 2022
The Card of the Day: The World (Reversed)
“What needs completion or closure?”
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The World represents the successful completion of a life-cycle. This card encourages you to finish what you’ve started. The old is being completed, and loose ends are now being tied up. When the World appears, you are crossing an important threshold. The World symbolizes that you aren’t just completing a chapter of your life, but an entire volume. This card also rules important rites of passage. Magical new possibilities are opening to you now. Take a deep breath, summon your courage and boldly cross the finish line.
What are you working on finishing? What world have you been creating for yourself? Are you aware of new opportunities currently opening to you?
The World card is the zenith of the Major Arcana. The woman depicted on the World card has faced all the wonders and perils of the previous twenty-one cards. This image depicts her graduation. To mark this rite of passage she has been given not just one white magical wand, but two. The two wands symbolize total empowerment, perspective, and mastery. The right hand symbolizes assertive, outwardly directed energy. This was the hand the Magician uses to hold his white wand. The left-hand symbolizes receptive energy, directed inward. The wands symbolize that the woman has mastered both the active and passive parts of her psyche, the left and the right brain. She can give and she can receive.
The woman on the World card is a powerful Sorceress and knows it. She is not afraid of her future because she sees herself in the context of the Universal. She is past fear of death for she has faced it, along with her shadows to be born anew. She is aligned with her spirit's authentic purpose. She knows who she is.
The World reminds you that you can create miraculous changes in your life when you remember your-Self. Only by honoring your whole journey, with all its losses, successes, and disappointments, will you be able to accept wholeness. The woman on the card can send her energy out into the world to affect change, just like the Magician. They both hold magical, white wands in their right hand. However, this Sorceress has also done her inner-work. The wand in the left-hand symbolizes her mastery of the unseen, darker pathways on her journey. Acceptance of her entire path opens her to receiving. Not just the joyful, successful times, but the hard times as well.
Think back on your life’s journey. What hills and valleys did you pass through to arrive at this moment? Breath in the magnitude of your presence and perseverance! If you are here, you still have new purpose, and new work to do.
The World encourages you to finish whatever process you are completing. Completion can be frightening. It requires you to commit yourself to unknowable new experiences. When the World appears, allow yourself to feel excited about this rite of passage! Be proud of your accomplishments and your total journey. You now know thyself…and through you the Universe is conscious of a precious part of Itself too. There is powerful magic in remembering that you are infinite and limitless.
If the World appears reversed, it calls you to stop procrastinating, and complete that which remains unfinished. If your world feels upside-down, it’s source is often found in something difficult to let go of. Are you hanging onto something you no longer need? Do you keep confronting the same issue again and again? It’s finally time to grow and allow yourself to graduate to the next level of development. Close the door on a pattern that continuously prevents you from moving forward. You will know what needs to be released because there will be a twinge of resistance to letting it go. Often, the thing you are afraid to let go of also makes you feel comfortable.
Procrastination is often fear in disguise. By putting off completing one phase, you still hold onto the past, pretending that you need more time to let it go. Pivotal life-changes are rarely made with one-hundred percent assurance that everything will work out. Often, your best transformations come from having the courage to let go of old tired patterns and commit to a new way of seeing your life.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, while expecting a different result. The truth is, when your world gets turned on its head, it offers you the opportunity to release outdated perspectives about yourself and what you think is possible. Stop the insanity and do something new!
To help you get off the hamster wheel, you may have to reach out for the perspective on another. A trusted loved one can often offer you an understanding perspective of your experience if you ask for it. To get out of entrapping mental patterns, sometimes you need to get out of your own head. Go for a walk. Get into the World. Other cards may reveal clues as to what patterns need to be released. If you make a choice move on from the old and tired ways of doing things, boundless possibilities will await you.
*The World (Reversed) in a Love Reading:
New Relationship
When asking about another person, the World reversed can symbolize an individual who procrastinates or avoids maturing. Although they have great potential, they also harbor a lot of fear about their own success. The World reversed can also represent a frustrating situation that you are trying to get someone else to change with little success.
Long Term Partnership
When the World is reversed, it may feel as if your relationship life is constantly spinning on repeat. There is likely an ingrained pattern that needs to be broken. Although the World reversed represents repeated lessons, it can still herald eventual success if counterproductive habits are changed. Challenge yourself to apply a new approach to break old cycles.
Seeking Romance
The World reversed might appear when you are hesitant to abandon a counterproductive cycle because of the comfort you get from its familiarity. In order for a new door to open, the pervious one must be closed. The World reversed can also represent hanging onto someone who isn’t meeting your best standards. It’s time to graduate from second best and go for number one.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
July 24, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Devil
“Stand up to your inner saboteur!”
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Nobody likes to confront the Devil. The Devil can be a jarring image to confront. This is because he represents our shadow self.... the inner-saboteur. This is the insidious voice within that tells us that we aren't worthy, that we can't be successful, that we are stuck with our lot. Often this voice pipes up, just before we are about to make a huge breakthrough. This voice comes as a final test, to see if we what we really believe about ourselves. The Devil is known by many names but by far the most fitting is the Prince of Lies. The biggest lie the Devil tells is that he is more powerful than we are. Each day you have a choice.... To believe the voice that tells you that you are garbage........ or to hear your better angels, who remind you that you are worthy.
How does your shadow manifest in your life? Do you struggle with self-esteem? Do you feel trapped in a situation that feels beyond your control?
When you look at the image of the Devil card you can see a man and a woman chained to his throne. They are a "corrupted" version of the innocent and pure image of the man and woman that appear on the Lovers card. They sport horns and tails...symbolizing their enslavement to the animal parts of their nature. The animal nature is only concerned with survival and protection of itself. It is not enlightened, and manifests in the form of fear, excess, jealousy, anger, hatred, unforgiveness, and the pursuit of personal comfort over all else.
Look closer at the figures chained to the Devil's throne. The chains they wear are quite loose. In fact, they could step out of them at any time. This shows that despite the fearful size of the Devil, one can be free of him whenever they choose. When the Devil appears, this symbol calls your attention to the self-limiting thoughts and behaviors that are keeping you imprisoned. You can be free at any time, but you must stop "rationalizing" these behaviors away and confront them honestly. The Devil highlights any untruths you may be telling yourself, which are keeping you from being the best version of yourself. You are more powerful than your inner shadow. The shadow is real, but you are more powerful.
The best way to defeat shadows is to embody love. Be loving to yourself and to others. Don't get hooked into defending yourself in the face of someone else's shadow. Lovingly help someone else. Be of service. Be kinder. If you are feeling fear, help someone else feel braver. Challenge the lie that you are stuck. Send light and love to those people you can't quite seem to forgive. "Unhook" yourself from the Devil's chains.
By embodying your better angels, the Devil will lose all power.
*The Devil in a Love Reading
New Relationship
The Devil can signify a smooth talker whose slippery words are too good to be true. Your instincts are likely warning you, though you may try to rationalize them away. Follow your common sense, rather than hopes or desires. Unfortunately, people with low self-esteem who are desperate for love, get suckered by the Devil all the time.
Long Term Partnership
The Devil can highlight a destructive relationship pattern that must be faced honestly. It’s time to bring this issue to light, honestly. Destructive cycles are broken when something is done about them, not avoided. Seek out appropriate, caring professionals for added support. The Devil can also represent a partner who struggles with addiction.
Intimacy
Hands down, the Devil archetype could give you the best sex you’ve ever had. If you’ve been without passion or attention for a while, the Devil will hit your system like an intoxicating drug. However, beware of becoming addicted to a person who dangles you along. Great sex does not equate to true love.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, the Devil represents repeated destructive patterns it’s time to break free of. You must remain vigilant against the manipulative intentions of people who could prey on your vulnerability. Don’t repeat the destructive cycles of the past. Know your triggers and what deceptions you are susceptible to.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
July 23, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Six of Swords (Reversed)
“What feels stuck?”
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The Six of Swords represents moving on, from one place in your life to another. This card can indicate travel, changing careers, leaving relationships or even moving. The Six of Swords can also signify an elevation to the next level in your professional life. When this card appears, the changes you are experiencing are for the best. The Six of Swords suggests that you to go with the flow, rather than fight the current. If you surrender to where life’s momentum is currently flowing, you will speedily arrive at a safe harbor.
Where is the energy of change flowing in your life? What destination do you have in mind? What must you leave behind?
The ferryman is guiding two refugees, a mother and her child, to a new life. The skies are grey, and the mood is somber. The mother’s first duty is to protect her child. The refugees are leaving behind the past for the promise of a brighter future. The waters behind them are rough, but the waters ahead are smooth. In order to reach the safe shores, they must leave behind past troubles. Although the boat is not very comfortable, it promises to lead them toward the promise of a happier life.
Change is happening in your life too, and this usually accompanied by temporary discomfort. You may be unsure of your footing, and simple challenges may seem magnified. A small inconvenience can seem like a momentous stress when navigating lifer’s transitions. However, know that the changes occurring in your life right now are truly for the better. Don’t fight to stay in the old lands, for the metaphorical boat is taking you to new shores. The Six of Swords heralds an exciting time of movement. This card can also herald a trip or a journey. Distance will aid you in acquiring perspective, and awareness of your new opportunities.
Any discomfort you feel during these current transitions are normal and will soon pass. A better life is opening to you now. Try not to fixate on the discomfort you are experiencing. Channel any feelings of anxiety into excitement instead. Ride the waves toward progress. Go with the flow.
If the Six of Swords appears reversed, it directs your attention to what currently feels stuck. People get stuck when they habitually avoid the discomfort that naturally accompanies change. Don’t allow the discomfort of “growing pains” trick you into avoiding changes and taking risks toward your goals. Discomfort does not mean something is wrong, it means something is growing or changing. The choppy waters in front of the boat are rough...but the waters behind the boat are smooth. This indicates that you can always change the energy on the path in front of you, from rough to smooth by your willingness to leave your comfort zone.
Imagine that you are the ferryman in the card. On your journey you need to propel the boat forward by placing your oar into the river. Anticipate moments when the oar will periodically feel stuck in the mud. Your strength and determination can pull the oar free, allowing you to propel the boat forward again. Getting the boat moving again after being stuck is the tough part. However, once it gains momentum, the journey becomes easier.
The Six of Swords reversed urges you to pull your oar free. It may feel that things are stuck but this is an illusion. Stop fighting the waves and allow your best transformation. Sail over the temporary choppy waters. The promise of a safe harbor lies ahead. Anything in your life that feels stuck can become unstuck. However, you must accept the temporary discomfort of changing it.
*The Six of Swords (Reversed) in a Love Reading:
New Relationship
The Six of Swords reversed warns you not to settle for “any port in the storm.” You may have to move past a person who clearly isn’t meeting your standards. This card can also indicate a new love interest who seems a bit stuck. Making a choice, any choice, is preferable to sitting, hoping, and waiting for this person to take the initiative.
Long Term Partnership
This card can signify feeling stagnant in your relationship. An important issue needs to be resolved before you can move forward. Upright or reversed, the Six of Swords is a benevolent change card. Sometimes this card appears when one partner is making improvements while the other feels stuck. Try to motivate them through shared interests and activities.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, the Six of Swords reversed can symbolize that you’ve been feeling stagnant. It’s time to shake things up and transform the energy. Romance will not be found by repeating the same cycles or revisiting the same places. Open yourself to new experiences, locations, and activities. Plan a trip, or simply get out and about. It’s time to get the energy moving again.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
July 22, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Five of Wands
“The immaturity of the comparison game.”
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The Five of Wands traditionally represents competition, ambition, and struggle. It symbolizes the inner tension we feel when we are caught up in our egos, constantly comparing our “status” in relation to others. Early on kids are taught “you must be the winner!” Life is a series of competitions.... best at music, best at Monopoly, best at softball, best at spelling. You must win at each thing you try otherwise...........you must be a loser, a nothing, a failure at life. This sort of “all or nothing” thinking sets up impossible standards that can never be attained. As kids grow into adulthood, they carry this toxic baggage, feeling there is something wrong with them. No wonder so many adults struggle with self-esteem.
Do you constantly compare your “status” with others? Do you feel that you must be perfect at everything? Have you ever stopped to think how adolescent that is?
The adolescents on the card are competing.[1] Each is trying to prove that he has the biggest stick. Each of the competitors think there can only be one winner. They think to themselves, “Either I win this, or I am humiliated.” The teenagers on the card do not have the wisdom that age engenders. They do not see that each is an individual, with their own combination of unique skills. This is represented by their distinctive colored costumes and designs. Each figure in the card has condensed his whole concept of self-worth on a game of sticks! This is all or nothing thinking, and it is very damaging to self-esteem.
Think about it, could you ever attain being the richest, most beautiful, eternally young, perfect bodied, artistic genius? Oh, and smartest person in the world, best at every sport, every subject, every language, every artistic medium and every skill set known to man? Nobody can do that! The truth is we each have a unique combination of gifts. You might not be the best at each skill and talent you possess, however, there is no person on the planet with your unique combination of talents, skills, and abilities.
Today, catch yourself if you are playing the game of the big sticks! It’s ridiculous! You don’t have to win at everything to be worthy. You are special, unique and radiate a beauty that is all your own. Nobody does you like you. My favorite entertainer Judy Garland used to say:
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
*Five of Wands in a Love Reading
New Relationship
The Five of Wands can warn of childishness, immaturity, or incompatible values in a new relationship. Just because you prize certain qualities or expectations does not promise that the person you feel strongly about feels the same. This card can also signify an internal conflict about whether you should proceed with this person. Let your maturity to lead the way.
Long Term Partnership
The Five of Wands can highlight a simmering conflict that habitually boils over. This can come in the form of bickering, squabbling, or “scorekeeping” insignificant infractions. The point trying to be proved has nothing to do with the underlying source of the tension.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, you may still be feeling conflicted about a past love. Although you may feel hurt and angry, there is a strange attraction to revisiting the past. Before attempting a new relationship, seek closure for unresolved feelings first. This card can also signify unresolved anger that is frustrating your search for love.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
[1] Johannes Fiebig and Evelin Burger, The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot, (Woodbury, MN. Llewellyn Publications., 2016), 86. The authors of this book were the first to make me realize that these were adolescents competing in a struggle.
July 21, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Nine of Wands (Reversed)
“Releasing resentment.”
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The Nine of Wands illustrates that you win at the game of life each time you have courage and stand up for yourself. This can mean creating boundaries with others who want to control you or take you down a peg. It can also mean confronting your own self-limiting attitudes and expectations. The Nine of Wands symbolizes that a personal victory is achieved each time you stand up for your dignity, worthiness, and self-respect.
Do you have trouble standing up for yourself because you fear creating conflict? Is it difficult for you to feel proud of your strengths and accomplishments? Are you looking for the acceptance of others for validation of your worth? Is your greatest adversary the sabotaging voice in your own head?
The man on the card looks like Sylvester Stallone at the end of “Rocky.” He has stood up and defended himself against all comers for twelve rounds. He is bandaged, showing that it wasn’t easy, and he endured a few blows. He has created a boundary with the eight wands standing behind him. He is ready stand up for that boundary. Each wand he has acquired was hard won, and is a trophy proving his accomplishment. He is bumped and bruised but he is still standing. He is standing up for his honor. He is standing up for his achievements and his worth. Nothing is going to take him down. He has too much dignity to allow that to happen. He sees the proof of his worth.
The Nine of Wands represents pride, but not the sort that lashes out to defend a wounded ego. This sort of pride is the dignity one feels in building their own world, with blood, sweat, and tears. Be proud of the scars that life sent you in the past. They made you a survivor.
Even though things may have not have always come easy up until now, the school of hard knocks has made you formidable. The only possible opponent left to defeat may be coming from within. Stand up to the shadow voice within that tells you aren’t smart enough, talented enough, good enough, successful enough, thin enough, or strong enough.
This card appears when it is time to place boundaries up for the protection of all you’ve worked for. Perhaps it’s time to stop meekly saying “yes” when your heart is screaming “NO!” It is okay to go against the expectations of others by being honest. It’s time to stand up to bullies in the outside world, and more importantly within your own head. Embrace the part of you that is strong and stand up for what you know is right.
Be honest and clear with yourself and others. If you do you will win.
When the Nine of Wands appears reversed, it indicates that you may need to release a chip on your shoulder. The Nine of Wands always indicates hard fought victorious but when it appears reversed it can also indicate hard feelings as well. Feeling angry that your life is not easy is a self-limiting belief. If we stayed comfortable and conflict-free throughout our lives, we would never grow or improve. In fact, we would deteriorate mentally and physically pretty quick! This card calls your attention to any resentments you may feel, including those born out of a sense of the unfairness of life. Over identifying with life’s setbacks rather than with the aligning with the courage needed to overcome them can be psychically crippling.
At the heart of this card is a valuable lesson: Nobody gets a free pass in this life. Everyone has work to do on themselves. Everyone will experience, grief, pain, sadness and loss at some point. Everyone has their own struggles to overcome and that includes people with privileges you feel you don’t have. You may look at others and think they have it easier, but do you really know all their personal struggles and losses... or the ones they have yet to experience? This card asks you to stop comparing the challenges you’ve experienced in life with the perceived privileges of others. Be proud of your personal struggles and the personal victories you’ve achieved as a result. Honor your challenges as valuable teachers. Today, don’t resent the difficulties presented to you. Today presents you with an opportunity to be better. No more whining, making excuses or blaming others for where you find yourself on your path. Accept your challenges and turn them into opportunities. This will transform your perspective from one of victimization to personal strength.
*Nine of Wands (Reversed) in a Love Reading
New Relationship
When reversed, the Nine of Wands can represent a person who seems to have a huge chip on their shoulder. Although a painful experience from the past can explain why this person is disgruntled, it does not give them license to be unkind or rude. This card can also represent a person who habitually repeats an unhealthy relationship dynamic.
Long Term Partnership
Sometimes this card is associated with passive aggressive behavior that is masking one partner’s annoyance or anger. Try to lower the temperature and have an honest conversation without blaming or attacking. A long-standing resentment can be resolved, but only if an honest and compassionate dialogue is initiated.
Seeking Romance
The Nine of Wands can highlight unexpressed anger or resentment that is coloring your current attitude. Don’t allow past grievances to harden your heart toward future possibilities. You’ve been through the worst of it, and now it is time to create some optimism.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
July 20, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Three of Wands
“Life is still wide open and waiting.”
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The Three of Wands reveals that your life is like a large blank canvas. It is waiting for you to create a masterpiece that depicts your heart’s desire. Despite your fears, nothing has been irreparably “messed up” yet. There is still time! Time to take the courageous journey toward your bliss. The only caveat is, you must stop to identify what “bliss” is for you. If you can name your bliss, you are on your way to claiming it.
Are you clear on what you want out of life? If someone asks you what you want out of life, do you respond, "to be happy," without even knowing what that means for you? Do you think you've failed, or messed up with your life, and you that can't get it back on track?
Let me tell you something... That's just a lie from fear. It's not true.
The man on the card is considering his future. He's richly dressed, an important person in his small corner of the world. Yet he feels unfulfilled. The man is not looking at you, he's thinking about life. His life.
At first glance it appears he is overlooking a vast desert. A sandy wasteland with little promise. What kind of future is that?! But as always with the tarot, look closer... You will see that these are not barren sands, but the orange glowing waters of sunrise or sunset. Ships are crossing to and from their ports of safety. Sunrise and sunset are the magical times of "in-between." Transformations always happens at these times (see the Two of Swords). The man's heart is yearning to embark, to leave his small island home. Somehow, it has unconsciously always been his dream. He wasn't sure what he was missing, but now he knows. He took the time to stop, think, and get clear about what he really wants out of life. Now that he is clear on his objective, he can open himself to the wonders of the world. He's going to go for it!
Today the Three of Wands asks you to stop, overview, and think about where you are going. Is there something you still want to have, achieve, or be? Well you can still have it! The world is wide, open, and waiting. You just may just have to leave your own "small island" (a metaphor for your comfort zone). If you act on what you truly want for yourself, you won't ever regret it. Taking action in the face of fear proves your courage, which becomes self-esteem. Who doesn't want to feel more confident about themselves?
You can still have all you want, but you have to be clear about what that is. When you know it, it will be your treasure map, guiding you to unbelievable riches.
When you have your bliss, clear in your mind, ask yourself, "Am I doing at least one thing today that contributes to achieving this for myself? If the answer is "No," don't beat yourself up. Get up and change it. Make it priority number one tomorrow. Wanting to "be happy" isn't clear enough. What does happy mean for you?
Above the Temple leading to the Oracle of Delphi were the words: "Know Thyself."
If you really do take the time to know yourself, then all you desire can manifest like magic.
*Three of Wands in a Love Reading
New Relationship
The future is full of possibility for your new partnership. The success of the relationship is left to the choices you currently make. You are both be entering this union during a pivotal time of personal growth. This card can also signify exciting adventures abroad.
Long Term Partnership
The Three of Wands beckons you and your partner to start making plans for the future. You are both feeling free to make decisions that are in alignment with your mutual desires. A major transition is happening, clearing the horizon for unlimited possibilities. This card can also signify excitement about an upcoming trip or change of residence.
Seeking Romance
If you are single the Three of Wands reminds you that the world is wide open and waiting for you. You may need to leave the security of your deserted island to explore what is out there. Be open to the potential for happiness when this card appears. Your future remains a blank slate.
Preorder “Tarot in Love” on Amazon!
*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
Follow Elliot Oracle on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for weekly community readings!
July 19, 2022
The Card of the Day: The King of Swords
“Challenging assumptions.”
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The King of Swords appears to be a stern man. In fact, for many he is the archetype of The Man (The societal structures that unconsciously direct us to assume our place). The King of Swords asks us to examine how we might be limiting ourselves based on our own assumptions.
Are you unconsciously allowing old, fixed views to color your perception of yourself or others? Do you feel like you are limited, or can't get ahead because you're a woman, a minority, gay, poor, disabled or just feel like the deck is stacked against you? Do you look at others that are different from you with assumptions before you really get to know them?
All of us are raised in a world of assumptions. As children we are unconsciously presented with attitudes of racism, sexism, and phobias that color our eventual view of the world. People fear what they don't understand. People also find it uncomfortable to question a conclusion they arrived at long ago. When the King of Swords appears, he places you in contact with your own assumptions. Every now and then we need to challenge our assumptions in order to grow. Sometimes the assumptions that need to be released are narratives that you are unconsciously accepting from external society about how far you can go, and how much you can achieve.
The King of Swords is not an evil king. His real interest is preserving the security of the System. He argues that the way things are far better than changing his mind. Sometimes the King of Swords symbolizes a difficulty with changing your mind about something that seems settled. Although the King looks fixed, look closer... There are butterflies covering his throne. This represents that systems can be changed; assumptions can be transformed, and old divisions can be healed through understanding. The King of Swords can change his mind! Here's the biggest secret: The King of Swords is a part of us. The part that needs to lose its rigidity.
What part of you feels rigid? Are you dismissing whole swarths of people, simply because they have a different viewpoint, politics, ethnicity, or other social identifier? What calcified attitudes in the world would you like to see changed? Are you encountering these traits with someone else around you?
In order to change fixed attitudes, you must understand them. The King of Swords represents understanding things more acutely, so that you can make reasoned arguments and arrive conclusions that are evidence-based. The King of Swords is at his best when he applies critical thinking and logical arguments. Sometimes the King of Swords appears in the form of a loved one who challenges your own viewpoints and assumptions. They may say the craziest things, and may be incorrect with the facts, but they do serve in making you question your own conclusions.
You will never win a full on “battle” with the King of Swords. He’s heavily entrenched and armored. He can be a fixed personality, or he may represent an institution or organization that is set in its ways. When the King of Swords appears win him over with clarity, evidence and reason. This King can change his mind, but only if it makes logical sense to do so.
*King of Swords in a Love Reading
New Relationship
The King of Swords can represent a cautious courtship. The person you are asking about will likely want to be sure that you share the same values or world view before making a commitment. Dating this person can feel a bit like an audition process. This King maintains his guard until his mind is settled. This card might also represent a conservative person.
Long Term Partnership
The King of Swords represents a traditional relationship structure, providing safety and security. However, this card can also represent a partner who is entrenched in extremely entrenched in his (or her) systems and beliefs. A King of Swords will not deviate once his mind is made up; you may find yourself being the one who compromises more.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, the King of Swords could be telling you to stand your ground. If a person has proved to be not aligned with your values or moral code, it is okay to keep your distance. You may need to be careful and more discriminating in matters of love at this time.
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*This excerpt is a sneak peek at my upcoming book “Tarot in Love: Consulting the Cards in Matters of the Heart” from Llewellyn Books and available for preorder!
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July 18, 2022
The Card of the Day: The Lovers (Reversed)
“Healing relationships.”
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The Lovers represent love in all its forms. This includes relationships with lovers, friends, family, and especially yourself. The Lovers bring inner-balance and peace. They represent the different aspects of you, which must be brought into harmony in order to regain perspective. The Lovers card also represents choices. It reminds us that we can heal any situation, and free ourselves from suffering whenever we choose to view it through the eyes of authentic love.
Do you have difficulty with truly loving yourself? Are you able to open your heart and be completely honest about who you are, and what you feel? Are you able to look at where you are at in life right now with acceptance and inner-peace?
The Lovers are brought together in a state of harmony under the loving gaze of an angel. They are naked, and feel no shame for it. They don't need to "cover up" or "put on a front" to impress each other. The male gazes at the female. She in turn gazes up through the fog at the angel. The figures on the lovers card symbolize the different aspects of you that must be brought into harmony for inner-peace, and self-love.
The male represents your worldly, rational self. This is the part that works in the "real world." The male part of the self wants to mentally figure everything out with a rational explanation. He fears the unknown and yet is strangely attracted to the mysteries embodied by the female on the card. Status, strength, and reason matter to him. And yet, by himself he is incomplete. He needs to make contact with something much deeper than what he finds in the world. He sees this in the female. He gazes at her beauty and is mesmerized by her. She is the part he is missing. She is very precious to him and reminds him of what really matters in life. The male looks to the female for clues on what kind of person he should present himself to be out in the world. If the female is wounded it alters his perception of his value.
The female represents the psyche, your emotional depth, your capacity to feel. She is sensitive and kind. She loves beauty and comfort. She feels compassion, and wants all things to go smoothly. And yet on her own she would be incomplete. She has the tendency to "avoid conflict" at all costs. This leads to no boundaries, which then opens her up to harm. Without conflict there is no growth. She needs the male on the card to bring balance, healing, protection, and growth. She also "feels" too much sometimes. This makes her forget that there is a wider world outside of her feelings. In order to heal the wounds her sensitive heart, and find peace she must look to the angel.
The angel represents your higher-self, your super-consciousness. He looks down on the different part of the self with compassion, acceptance and perspective. He bathes the male and female aspects of the self with loving light. There is no judgment in the angel's face, only unconditional love and acceptance. He does not judge them for how they look, what they do, how much they have, or what may have happened in the past. The Lovers are below a misty cloud. It is not always easy for the different aspects of the self to see things from a spiritual perspective.
The gazing figures on the Lovers card show a formula for inner peace. The "external" worldly self (male) must know his real feelings (female) to find peace and harmony. He must make peace with his feelings by being honest about them. The nakedness of the figures mean baring it all. Releasing feelings of inhibition that keep you covering things up to maintain an image. But stopping at the realm of feelings isn't looking deep enough. In order to heal the wounds that all people eventually acquire, one must go even deeper within for harmony. This is the realm of the spirit (angel). Only the Angel is able to see things from a vantage point of complete perspective. No mist covers the angel's eyes. Only the inner spirit can truly validate the self. When you look on the naked truth of who you are with the eyes of the angel, there is nothing but love.
We fall out of harmony by attaching ourselves to only one aspect of our lives and losing the perspective of the angel. Ruminating with emotions too much we lose sight of the world's unlimited opportunities. Concern for status, or how we appear to others can bring an equal measure of suffering. The only way to free yourself from suffering is to love yourself enough to go within and seek your light. Seek the higher self. Look on yourself with wise, radiant, luminous eyes. The angel resides deeper within...beyond the pain. The level of where the angel resides is where self-love comes from. That is how to get it.
Today, it's time to love yourself. You may have to dig deep within to find it, but it's there, patiently waiting. Look at who you are with the eyes of your inner-angel. Then look at the other people in the world with those same eyes. This perspective will reveal a lot to you. Instead of feeling wounded by the actions of incomplete people caught in their own suffering, you can see how they have unfortunately forgot to be their better angel that day. Just like you occasionally do. Look on yourself and others with the love of your inner-Spirit. This will free you from all suffering, and restores harmony every time.
When the Lovers appears reversed it is time to restore harmony between in your relationships (personal, professional and familial). This card represents healing relationships. It also reveals that the things that are driving you crazy about someone else is highlighting an imbalance or disconnected part within yourself. Notice the three figures on the Lovers card. They are all aspects of you. They all need to communicate with one another. If they are not in harmony imbalance occurs and it most immediately show up in your relationships with others.
The Lovers reversed asks you to look at where disharmony may be occurring between you and another. Instead of getting angry at this individual ask, “What is this relationship challenge teaching me about myself?” How am I putting myself in a state of suffering? Why am I doing that?! Challenging people and situations are teachers. Frustrating people get on our nerves because they highlight what we cannot accept or face within ourselves. The show us our shadow, our opposite, the thing within we have a hard time loving or accepting.
The Lovers hold the secret to solving all internal imbalance and external drama: Love. It begins with acceptance. You cannot heal your own heart if you are busy blaming another (past or present) for your imbalance. Being miserable because of another is a choice. You don’t have control over them, but you do have control of creating harmony within your own heart and life. Once you decide to love and let go of the source of internal imbalance you will begin to see even irritating people in a new light. They are just teachers. What are they teaching you about your life currently?
When the Lovers appear reversed it is time to fall in love with your life again and let go of anything that is prolonging a sense of suffering. What part of yourself used to give you the greatest joy, making you feel empowered, full of possibility, and awake? Don’t romanticize the past, look at the truth it holds. When the Lovers appears reversed it signifies that the shortest route toward inner peace will be engaging with the neglected parts of your heart, talents, and abilities.
Heal your relationships by understanding yourself first.
*The Lovers (Reversed) in a Love Reading:
New Relationship
The person you are drawn to is likely your complete opposite. Although opposites attract; he or she may not share your priorities, values, or goals. Time is needed to gather more data and to reveal if love is true. The reversed Lovers challenge you to honor your authentic values, even when your perception may be distorted by intense attraction.
Long Term Partnership
The Lovers reversed can highlight a relationship challenge that can be resolved with healthy communication. Try to consider there are two sides to every story, and that your manner of communication may not be identical to your partner’s. If the relationship is normally healthy, harmony will likely be restored by understanding the other person’s perspective.
Seeking Romance
You are either healing from a breakup or can’t seem to get over a past relationship. This card can represent a relationship that you continually try to resurrect, even when nothing changes. The harmony you seek will not come reviving a dysfunctional past.
Heal your relationships by understanding yourself first.
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July 17, 2022
The Card of the Day: Strength
"You are stronger than you think."
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The Strength card is a symbol of inner fortitude, which helps us prevail in the face of life's challenges. Strength is something that needs to be reinforced every day. Just as muscles need to be continuously used to maintain their power, so too does inner strength need to be exercised. Every time you act in your own best interest despite your fears and inner weaknesses, you are developing strength. Strength is a choice. You can either buckle to what keeps you stuck and afraid, or you can choose your excellence.
At what time in your life did you feel you were at your strongest? Do you sometimes forget you are that same person? Do you need to get back on track by standing up to inner weaknesses which have been keeping you stuck and afraid?
The woman on this card does not sport bulging muscles, but she is the epitome of inner strength and confidence. The lion on the card represents her "animal" impulses, such as fear, anger, belligerence, and other out of control behaviors. She confronts her lion by gently closing its mouth, thereby not allowing it to consume her. The infinity symbol above her head shows she is eternally confronting the lion. Her strength is part of her now. It has been habitually reinforced, by confronting and overcoming weakness every day.
Strength is not manifested by large displays of power, but by gentle, compassionate, self directed corrections in the form of good decisions. Strength is also not just used once and then you're done! It is a daily routine that becomes so much easier with time. Its also important not to make self corrections because of how "guilty" you feel. These inwardly directed corrections should come from a place of self love and compassion, or they won't work (later the lion will rebel and revert, if it has guilt to latch on to).
You are definitely more powerful than you may give yourself credit for. Human beings get stuck in ruts, and sometimes it feels that we can't change something because we've been acting that way so long that it is just part of who we are. You are not anything/behavior that depletes your majesty! If something has been running amok like a wild lion that you feel can't be self-controlled, think again. Every day you have the power to rise up and be excellent. You have the choice to direct your own life or leave it to the shadows. Being strong in the face of your inner beast can feel difficult at first, but with continued positive action the lion is always tamed.
Make at least three choices today that gives you power over the beast. This will affirm your strength.
*Strength in a Love Reading:
New Relationship
A Strength personality will seek a mate who is as vibrant as they are. They don’t seek a perfect partner but do desire someone who is improving their life in some way. A Strength person will be repelled by anyone who appears unmotivated. In the beginning of a relationship, this person seeks energy, attention, passion, action, and fun.
Long Term Partnership
Strength can signify a relationship which has weathered many challenges. This card can also appear when one partner must exert self-control over their own desire to maintain the balance of the union. Strength often implies a continuing challenge which must be habitually confronted. However, the foundation of this partnership is strong.
Seeking Romance
If you are single, Strength appears to advise you to engage in some form of self-improvement. Work-out at the gym. Seek a more fulfilling job. Return to school. Engage in Spirit-work. Cultivate a talent. Participate in activities that strengthen your confidence and self-esteem. This will stoke the fires of your presence and confidence.
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