Corrine Kenner's Blog, page 6

The Repairman

Astrology in Action: The Sun Sign Spread

One of the easiest tarot and astrology readings you can try is a simple comparison between the two cards that represent your Sun sign. First, pull the Sun card from your tarot deck. Then pull the card that corresponds to its sign.

Which Major Arcana card corresponds to your Sun sign? How do the two cards—your Sun and its sign—complement or contradict each other? How do they describe your personality, individuality, and sense of self? What can you learn from your first tarot and astrology spread?

Sample Reading: Celeste’s Midnight Sun

The Sun and Moon from the Wizards Tarot (c) Corrine Kenner and John Blumen

When Celeste was born on March 7, the Sun was in Pisces. That means her Sun card is paired with the Moon, the card that corresponds to the sign of Pisces.

Oddly enough, Celeste has always been a night owl. She feels most alive after dark, when the Sun sets and the Moon rises. Her emotions ebb and flow like the tide, and she cycles through life like a living lunar goddess. She even looks like a creature of the night, with pale skin and wide-set, luminous eyes.

“It’s true,” she exclaimed, when she saw the two cards side by side. “I am the Moon! That explains so much. I like the Sun as much as anyone, but I’d much rather live my life by moonlight.”

“Astrology in Action” posts, like this one, illustrate tarot spreads and sample readings. They’re intended to illustrate the principles of combining tarot and astrology, and they grow longer and more complex as the book proceeds. 
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Excerpted from Tarot and Astrology by Corrine Kenner

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The Writer’s Guide to the Death Card

The Death Card
Excerpted from Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner

Believe it or not, the Death card isn’t a bad omen. It’s not a portent of doom or imminent destruction. Instead, it’s a card of transition; it heralds the completion of one chapter of life, and the exciting new start of another.

The Death card almost never refers to an actual, physical death. In practical terms, it’s more likely to suggest a release, a change of form, a transformation, or the little deaths of sex and sleep.

When the Death card rears its ugly head in a tarot reading, it could also refer to a death that’s already transpired—especially if that passing has gone unnoticed or unacknowledged. It may call for the release of old habits, old patterns, and old relationships that have served their purpose and now should be relegated to the pages of history.

In a story reading, Death may represent a dead person, grieving survivor, health worker, hospice aide, medical examiner, mortician, or spiritual guide.

Key Symbols

Grim Reaper. Death is the proverbial pale rider on a white horse. He marches across the battlefield of life, mowing down all those in his path. He is the ultimate equalizer, a democratizing force, and he will eventually conquer the king, the bishop, the maiden, and the child alike.

Thermodynamics. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy is never created or destroyed—it’s simply converted from one form to another. While the Death card does suggest an ending, it also promises a new beginning.

Don’t Pollute. Death has been this way before: the field is littered with body parts on their way to the recycling bin.

Dry Bones. The skeleton has always represented the bare bones of the matter.

Farm Tools. A scythe can only mean harvest, even if it refers to the harvest of souls.

Armored for Battle. Death wears armor of black steel, the familiar battle wear of a king’s knight. This warrior, however, has nothing to lose. He knows that his victory is inevitable.

Mystic Rose. Death carries a black banner emblazoned with a mystic white rose, a symbol of life and resurrection.

River Crossing.  The small ship in the background is sailing on what seems to be the River Styx—the mythic landmark that separated the land of the living from the land of the dead.

Sunrise, Sunset. The rising and setting sun has symbolized death and resurrection since the time of ancient Egypt.

Passageways. The sun is stationed between two pillars that are reminiscent of the pillars behind the High Priestess, Justice, and the Moon. In every case, the pillars represent a gateway, or a passage to another world.

Numeric Significance. There are thirteen lunar months, or thirteen full moons, in every calendar year. Thirteen is sometimes thought to be an unlucky number, because there were thirteen diners at Jesus’ last supper. In the tarot, the Death card is number thirteen.

Keywords

Upright: Transition, transformation, rebirth, re-creation, regeneration, change, transformation, alteration, mortality, corruption, loss, failure, annihilation, destruction

Reversed: Destruction, corruption, loss, failure, annihilation, inertia, sleep, lethargy, loss of hope

Myth and Legend

The Death card, like all of the cards in the tarot deck, is an allegorical image. It’s probably based on similar images that were developed during the fourteenth century, when the Black Death swept across Europe. It suggests the danse macabre, the allegorical images of dancing skeletons that were generated as a result.

Even now, the black-robed figure reminds some people of the priests who perform last rites at the bedsides of those who are very ill. The Grim Reaper is also a variant on the ancient psychopomp, a conductor of souls.

The card also hints at the myth of the Phoenix, the mythical bird that burns and then is reborn from its own ashes. The bird is a symbol of destruction and purification by fire and subsequent rebirth from the ashes. It’s a metaphor for transformation and change, metamorphosis and rebirth. It doesn’t represent the loss of energy; instead, it symbolizes a conversion.

Astrological Associations

While most people fear death, those who are born under Scorpio’s influence are unafraid of darkness. In fact, they’re fascinated by the interconnected mysteries of death and sex.

Scorpio rules the eighth house of the zodiac chart, where astrologers look for information about sex, death, and other people’s money. Scorpio, in turn, is ruled by Pluto, the planet of death, regeneration, and unavoidable change. And on a related note, Pluto is assigned to the Judgment card.

Scorpio is a water sign.

Literary Archetypes

Death can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the destroyer, the fates, the gatekeeper, the guardian angel, the guide, the judge, the psychopomp, the shadow, the shaman, the sorcerer, the thief, and the trickster.

Death and Your Writing Practice

While most people dread the sight of the Death card in a tarot reading, writers tend to celebrate its appearance. That’s because the Death card can portend a dramatic shift in a story. It can introduce an element of danger: it’s dramatic and life altering.

As a writer, you are a type of psychopomp—a conductor of souls, and a guide to hidden worlds. No land is too dark or too frightening for you to explore.

On a practical note, the Death card can also remind you to eliminate words, phrases, scenes, and chapters that don’t move your story along. “To be a good writer,” Iris Murdoch said, “you have to kill your babies.” When the Death card falls in the course of your writing practice, it might be time to cull the herd.

Writing Prompts

Write about:

Someone who is on his deathbed
Someone who has died
Someone coming back from the dead
A killer
A psychopomp
The Grim Reaper
Life after death
Communication with the dead
A ghost
How your characters will die, even if their deaths have nothing to do with the story you’re developing

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Pixie Smith’s Shakespeare

The Folger Shakespeare Library has a treasure trove of watercolors from Pamela Colman Smith, the artist who painted the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck.

During her lifetime, “Pixie” Smith was well known for her set designs and costume illustrations — which is one reason her tarot cards often look like theatrical scenes.

Images copyright © Folger Shakespeare Library ®; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

Related Images

Do you love Pamela Colman Smith’s artwork? Treat yourself to a copy of Susan and the Mermaid.

Fortune-Telling Bacon

This seems legit.

It’s official… There’s nothing that bacon cannot do. Now you can skip those phony psychics and tarot cards and let Fortune Telling Bacon let you know what’s up.

Available in a package of 50, the bacon strips magically react to its holder by the way it curls. As expected, the future doesn’t look good for vegetarians.

Moves Left – Chewy Goodness

Moves Right – Crispy

Both Ends Move – Sizzling Hot

Sides Curl – Canadian

Flips Over – Spicy

Curls up Entirely – Greasy

Lies Motionless – Vegetarian

[link]

The Tarot Card Guide to Love and Romance

The Fool. When you get the Fool in a romance reading, it’s time to take a leap of faith. Be a fool for love! Pay attention to your basic needs, but don’t let anything keep you from jumping into new adventure and climbing to new heights.
The Magician. Feel confident in your own “magical” abilities, in every area of your love life: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical. Don’t be afraid to take center stage and let the spotlight shine on you. You might even want to try a little misdirection or sleight of hand. You may need to engage the help of a lovely assistant.
The High Priestess. Let your intuition be your guide. Don’t reveal all of your secrets.
The Empress. Nurture yourself, and devote your energy to your creative side.
The Emperor. Work to establish more structure in your life, and to bring order out of chaos.
The Hierophant. Be more traditional. Follow established guidelines. Now is not the time to rebel or reinvent the wheel.
The Lovers. While an appearance by this couple could encourage any hopeless romantic, the Lovers also signify a choice to be made between two equally strong desires.
The Chariot. You’re in the driver’s seat, and it’s time to get your love life in gear. Even if you don’t know your ultimate destination, start moving. The journey is the destination — and getting there is half the fun.
Strength. You are stronger than you realize. Draw upon your reserves of courage and fortitude.
The Hermit. Let your light shine, and wait patiently for it to draw others to you.
The Wheel of Fortune. There will be highs and lows, but what goes around, comes around.
Justice. Try to find more balance in your life. Be fair to yourself and those around you.
The Hanged Man. You may need to spend some time in limbo. Hang around, and see what happens. Relax, and try to get a new perspective on your situation.
Death. Not the frightening specter that most of us expect, the card of Death is one of transition. Your old life is ending, and you’re about to make a fresh new start.
Temperance. Keep one foot on dry land, but feel free to dip the other in the watery world of your emotions. Remember that life is a balancing act, and your safest route might be the middle ground.
The Devil. Avoid temptations, addictions, pride, and materialism. Don’t be fooled b y someone who seems too good to be true. Try to look beyond the glamour and glitter.
The Tower. A bolt from the blue could shake you to your very foundations. Prepare for a sudden flash of illumination and insight.
The Star. The card of faith and hope, the Star is a shining light in the darkness. Remember the power of creative visualization. Write down your fondest wishes, and picture them becoming reality.
The Moon. There’s nothing like a full moon to inspire romance and ignite passions. Pay attention to the waxing and waning of your own emotional life, and be aware of how others reflect your moods.
The Sun. Get out and celebrate! This is your time to shine. Let your radiance light up the lives of others, and let your warmth draw them to you.
Judgment. It’s time to forgive and be forgiven. Let go of old grudges, hurts, and disappointments, and prepare for a brighter, better future.
The World. Celebrate your successes and your individuality. You should feel as though you’re on top of the world! Be the living embodiment of everything you’ve learned in life.

– Corrine Kenner

Showtime’s Tarot App

Clever!

The TV network Showtime wants to lend South by Southwest attendees a hand — a hand filled with digital tarot cards. The cards, which will appear in the SXSW app, will help people map out the hottest events, parties, bars and restaurants to check out in Austin in March.

Users will pick three tarot cards to get a “reading” of the top trending activities based on real-time data pulled from the SXSW schedule, Foursquare and Twitter.

The tarot cards — disguised as ads because Showtime sponsors the app— will look like this:

IMAGE: SHOWTIME

Tarot cards, which are often used to map spiritual pathways, make frequent appearances in Showtime’s upcoming horror series Penny Dreadful. The show will premiere May 11 and tell the origin stories of such scary literature characters from the Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and Dracula sagas.

Users can tap the banner ad to access the tarot cards, then pick three cards to get a read of where to go next. Results will include trending locations, timely sessions, themes and hot topics.

Source: Let Tarot Cards Choose Your Next Party at SXSW This Year.

“Wicked” Writing with Tarot and Astrology

Here’s a new novel from Jillian Kleine Der Lowe — an author who uses Astrology for Writers and Tarot for Writers as part of her writing process!

Margo Bond Collins interviewed her on Words, Words, Words.

What is your personal writing process?

I put together a music playlist that inspires the moods of the different characters in my stories. I also put together collages with pictures that remind me of the characters, locations, etc. Sometimes, I write journal entries for the different characters, to get a feel for them. I’ll listen to my playlist and just daydream up the whole story, as if I’m watching it on a movie screen. Then I just start writing while my playlist is playing. I also like using the books Astrology for Writers and Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner. I use Lo Scarabeo’s Astrological Oracle, Karma Cards and the Mystic Dreamer Tarot. This is so much fun, especially given my chosen genre. It gives a mystical and otherworldly feel to the whole writing process. I also keep notebooks filled with everything you can imagine… Dialogue, journal entries, notes, pictures, etc.

Her story looks like a lot of fun:

Angels and demons and dragons… Oh my! Earth: it’s the promised land for Kin, beings from the Astral Planes. Some, beings of light. Others, the Fallen, beings of unimaginable evil… Seven Cyn, a confident and empowered modern woman, is Kin and a CIA Operative. With her best friend Leon in tow, she flies to Wales in pursuit of an ancient relic, the Spear of Destiny. Then throw the enigmatic Luc into the mix as he and Sev discover a love that defies the stars.

Yet, there is a catch… Sev has been tasked with ending his life. Along with a twisted pixie named Ace, they uncover the location of the Spear and end up in a race against time with the survival of the whole entire Universe left hanging in the balance in a battle between good verses evil. This unlikely odd-coupled menagerie comes up against a shadow government run by Dark Entities and Fallen Angels possessing mortal souls.

Will Sev unlock the secrets of the Spear in time to avert universal disaster or will the Universe fall into utter darkness? Has Sev finally bitten off more than she can chew?

You can read the whole interview with Lowe on Margo Bond Collin’s site.

You can also get your own copy of Wicked at Amazon.com.

The difference …

The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline. ~ Steve Smith

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