White Eagle Medicine Wheel Reading

Recently, I received a new deck, as a gift from a dear family friend: the White Eagle Medicine Wheel deck, by Native American spiritualist Wa-Na-Nee-Che. While I will be writing a piece on the deck itself later on this week, I wanted to share my first reading, using the Four Directions Medicine Wheel layout described in the accompanying book.

For this reading, the cards are laid out as shown below:

Each of the compass points corresponds to a different aspect of life: north pertains to mental attitudes, intelligence and wisdom; east pertains to creativity, ideas and inspiration; south pertains to trust, and to the emotions; and west pertains to the physical and material world. 

At the center of the wheel is the guide card. For this reading, I chose the Badger card. In the White Eagle book, this card is accompanied by the following rhyme:

Badger will organise

Day to day

Live life in order 

Is what it will say

Badger is associated with the gifts of tenacity and appropriate anger, is self-reliant, and can encourage these traits in others. For this reading, he seemed to be the perfect guide.

To read the cards, we first read cards 1-4 of the outer circle, then cards 5-8 of the inner circle. 

The Outer Circle

The first four cards highlight the more negative aspects currently influencing the life of the Querent. They are read anticlockwise, from north to east.

Card One: Otter - The card at the northernmost point of the wheel reflects our own negative attitude. The otter in this position suggests that the Querent is far too rigid with themselves, and needs to step outside of their comfort zone. Otter suggests a reluctance to try new experiences and challenge one's self. When the Otter falls into this position, the message is simple: LIVE A LITTLE!

Card Two: Hawk - The card at the westernmost point of the circle is associated with physical and material difficulties. The Hawk in this position suggests a need to focus on the interior world, on the self. It asks that we look at our health, at our weight and our bad habits, and make the necessary changes in order to move on with life. The Hawk reminds us that a healthy body is needed if one requires a healthy mind.

Card Three: Dog - The card at the southernmost part of the circle relates to trust and the emotions, and to hindrances in this respect. To find the dog here suggests either unreliability on the part of the Querent, or else a sense that one has become too dependent on others. Dog encourages us to stop looking to others for a sense of self worth, reminding us that a healthy attitude toward the self must come from within. Inner stability will translate into stability of relationships with others but also, the reverse is true. Inner instability will also manifest as mistrust and insecurity.

Card Four: Spider - Finally, the easternmost card of the circle pertains to creative blockages, and lack of clarity and inspiration. The Spider in this position suggests that the Querent is trapped, either in a prison of their own making or one of another's design. Either way, the end result is the same - an endless cycle of negative thinking and derivative thought, originality quashed by doubt and restriction.

The Inner Circle

The second set of four cards bring positivity back into focus, drawing our attention to the strengths we have, the opportunities around us, and the areas of life in which we will find our solution. These cards are read clockwise, from north to west.

Card Five: Horse - The northern card of the inner circle reminds us of our own wisdom. It is a great source of mental strength. The Horse in this position suggests an ability to endure suffering, to tolerate hardships and keep on going. A person with the Horse to the inner north is strong, and tenacious.

Card Six: Buffalo - The inner eastern card relates to our source of creativity and clarity. Here we find the Buffalo, which suggests a person who gains inspiration from others, from compassion and sensitivity. The Buffalo in this position reminds us that sometimes when we are lacking in inspiration we need only look to the people around us, that by tuning into them we tune into ourselves.

Card Seven: Elk - The inner card to the south reminds us of the strongest source of laughter, happiness and trust available to us. The Elk is a fitting card to find in this position, as it reminds us of our own ability to love, not just others, but also ourselves. If you find the Elk card in this position during a reading, you have valuable friends around you, and have a stronger support network than you may realise. Take care of others, and take care of yourself - by doing this, you will find that you are never emotionally lacking.

Card Eight: Snake - The card to the west within the inner circle pertains to physical and material balance. Snake in this position immediately suggests a need to rest, and warns against burning out by not taking the time to properly recharge one's batteries. It would seem then that for the Querent to enjoy good physical health, it may be time to take a holiday of some kind, a break from day to day routine. The message here may also be as simple as ensuring that you get enough sleep, if you wish to be at your best. 

Sample Zigeuner WahrsageKarten Readings - 13/9/11

Ok, so in this post I touched on the idea that the less specific your cards are (i.e. a deck that does not speak to you, or one with very basic card meanings), the more specific your layouts have to be. So here is a short reading to illustrate the point.

I pulled these three cards for a general feel of things, assigning them very definite meanings:

Card 1= Love

Card 2= Wellbeing

Card 3= Work

This is to give as little room as possible for confusion as to what each card might mean. As I have mentioned elsewhere, a lot of people find this deck to be frustrating, and vague.

The three cards I drew were:

Love= Officer

Wellbeing= Falsehood

Work= House

It helps to begin by putting the cards in some kind of context. You can make a lot more sense of things by using knowledge you already have: Officer, for example, does not mean I am about to have a romance with someone in uniform, as my circumstances (being in a relationship) quickly rule that out. But does the card have to represent a person? It could refer to an attitude, a need to take precautions, and be more grown up about things. It could also be a gentle nudge to 'make it official' and tie the knot!

Falsehood is another tricky card. In terms of wellbeing, I would read it as things seeming better or worse than they really are - someone bottling up emotions, or crying crocodile tears; false recovery from an illness, or symptoms which are more harmless than first suspected; a lack of faith, or cynical facade. It need not be a negative card, but merely urges us to be thorough, and to always be certain.

Work/House is very straightforward, and encourages projects in the home, self employment, and self reliance. Since this has been my main concern of late, the interpretation is very straightforward, and very encouraging.

But what if the cards had come out in different positions? How would it alter their meanings?

Wellbeing: Officer

As a card relating to wellbeing, Officer takes on a much more serious tone. It calls for watchfulness, caution, vigilance - perhaps even professional assistance. Of course this may take many forms, depending on the kind of wellbeing you are talking about - it could involve going for a checkup, seeing a counsellor, or speaking to a priest. But it certainly suggests that one must go through official channels in order to succeed.

Work: Officer

In a work context, the Officer is a new card all over again. This time, he warns of audits, of sticking to the rules and not taking unnecessary risks at work - but, if surrounded by positive cards, can also indicate promotion and professional respect.

Love: Falseness

Quite simply, deception or insincerity of the heart. But fret not - it is not always a sign that your lover is untrue, although it certainly can mean that. Often, when Falseness is one of the cards drawn in a love spread, you are not being true to yourself, or are not sure what it is you really want.

Work: Falseness

If you are a procrastinator, if you like to seem busier than you really are (guilty!), you can expect to see this combination. Also, if you are stuck in a job you don't like, as opposed to the one you really want. Think misapplied energy, putting things off, and a general lack of commitment.

Love: House

Here we see that love does not always equal romance. While the House card may mean a long weekend in bed with that special someone, it also indicates warm exchanges at home with family and friends, and suggests a person who really thrives in a homely environment.

Wellbeing: House

The message here would most likely be to take things easy, advising a period of convalescence during which you should not push yourself too hard or try to do too much. It may also indicate that for a general sense of wellbeing, one must first take care of more mundane matters, and take care that all is harmonious on the domestic front.

As you can see, depending on card positions, each card can mean any number of things. But there are common themes - Officer pertains to officialty, regulation, what is right and proper; House is a card of family, our home life and most private moments; and Falseness encourages us to take a closer look, and pay attention to what goes on around us, and ask questions.

A Daily Spread

Lately, I have been working through a book called The Tarot Workbook by Emily Peach. In truth, I am a bit of a workbook addict - something about making a Sephiroth from paper plates and clothes hangers appeals to the eight year old inside, I guess - and this one is particularly good. An interesting thing about the book is the absence of card images, which are instead replaced with blank rectangles. The idea is that the reader can place their own cards in the spaces as they work on each card. This is quite liberating, particularly if you are using the book with a deck other than the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which an increasing number of people do.

This spread is one of the many supplied by the author - if you like it, the book is available on Amazon, Alibris and eBay to name only a few. It is called the Daily Spread, and is intended for questions on a specific day, with an emphasis on beginning projects and things of that nature.

First, a significator (a representative card) is chosen for the day and month. The ones provided are as follows. Note that the spread uses ASTROLOGICAL months, not calendar months:

Aries (March 21 - April 19) - The Emperor
Taurus (April 20 - May 20) - The Hierophant
Gemini (May 21 - June 20) - The Lovers
Cancer (June 21 - July 22) - The Chariot
Leo (July 23 - August 22) - Strength
Virgo (August 23 - September 22) - The Hermit
Libra (September 23 - October 22) - Justice
Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) - Death
Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) - Temperance
Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) - The Devil
Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) - The Star
Pisces (February 19 - March 21) - The Moon

Sunday - The Sun
Monday - The High Priestess
Tuesday - The Tower
Wednesday - The Magician
Thursday - The Wheel
Friday - The Empress
Saturday - The World

We then lay out the cards:

Month Card                                         Day Card
                                     8

                                     9

                                    10

         1        2       3       4       5      6      7 

                                    11

                                    12

                                    13

Cards 11- 13 represent events leading up to do the day, with card 13 being least and card 11 most recent.
Cards 1 -3 represent events of the morning.
Cards 5-7 represent events of the afternoon.
Cards 8 - 10 represent the evening of the day.
Card 4 is an outcome card, and represents the overall tone of the day.

The Scales Spread

A friend taught me this spread a good few years ago. She called it The Scales:

Card One: The Situation

This card identifies the root of the problem.

Card Two: What is lacking

This card shows what there is a lack of in the situation.

Card Three: What is excessive

This card tells us what there is too much of, in the current situation.

Card Four: What is in balance

The fourth card shows us what we are getting right, what our strength is.

Card Five: Best Outcome

This card tells us the best outcome of the situation.

Example Reading:

To give an example, I used my Answer deck, though the spread can be used with many different types of decks. I have a new project in the works, a charity fundraiser of sorts. I asked the cards for insight into the situation:

Card One: Situation

The first card is straightforward enough. In a reading about charity, it is no surprise to see Generosity as the first card drawn. Quite simply, this card is about giving, of both possessions and your time.

Card Two: Lacking

The second card drawn is The Fool. In terms of a lack, this card seems to be reminding me to loosen up, and think outside the box. It is a reminder not to make a chore out of something which is supposed to be fun, and to find off-the-wall solutions. It may also mean that now is not the time to care about what others think, or about making a fool of myself.

Card Three: Excess

The third card is Heartbreak, in the Excess position. I think this card is a warning not to take things to heart. I do, I'm afraid, have a tendency to take failure personally. A little emotional investment is fine, but I think the message here is to not become weighed down by little disappointments, to learn from mistakes and move on.

Card Four: Balance

The fourth card, Challenge, is encouraging. It suggests that I am more than capable of making this work. Before doing the reading, I will admit to being a little concerned that I had bitten off more than I could chew. But as a card of balance, Challenge suggests that I have chosen a project which is exactly the right difficulty!

Card Five: Best Outcome

The fifth and final card is Strength. As an outcome, I think Strength is all about learning and growing. Perhaps it isn't really about whether I succeed, or by how much. It seems that it is more about the journey, and how we can all grow by accepting new experiences into our lives.

The Wishing Star

This is a variation of the classic star spread which splits a problem into levels. The positions of the cards mean different things depending on the type of question asked:

The centre card represents the core of the problem or question. The other position meanings are as follows:

In each instance, the extremes are placed at positions one and six. Cards two and three always explain card one, and likewise cards four and five give meaning to card six. For instance: In a Hopes/Fears reading, Cards 2/3 would tell you why you want the things that you want; Cards4/5 would tell us what you are basing your fears on.

Example Reading

Answer Deck

Star Used: The Ethics Star

Here is a test spread, to show you how it works.

First, we read the core, as this relates to the entire reading. The card here represents, in an ethics spread, by what standards the querent judges the world, and what makes them decide between good and evil. It is what you would call a moral barometer. Good Fortune as the core tells us that this person has luck on their side, and that this plays an important role in their character and moral decisions. This may mean someone who is fortunate to grow up in a stable family, or low-crime area, someone who hasn't really been exposed to the ugly side of life. Thus, the lesson contained in this card is to place yourself in another's shoes before you pass judgement.

Card One: Outer Self

Friend

The outer self card tells us how the querent would like to be seen by others. This card suggests someone who wants others to think of them as a friend, someone who portrays themselves as fun, helpful, and easy going. This card may indicate someone who is eager to be trusted, and loved.

Cards 2/3: Realm of Virtue

Peace/Fame

These two cards are intended to elaborate on the first, showing us why this person feels it is so important to be a good friend to others. Peace suggests that the querent simply wants to avoid conflict, as in the old saying 'anything for a quiet life'. It could be that the querent holds things back, refusing to speak their mind because they do not like to cause a scene. This is the card of a people-pleaser, a true mediator.

Fame suggests that this person's motives are not entirely unselfish. It represents that part of the querent that does good things simply for acclaim, and recognition. The card is not about considering others, and more about being seen to be a good person.

Card Six: The Inner Self

Judgement

The Inner Self is where we find the querent's true character. It is either a sign of how they truly are, or else the person the querent fears becoming, the part of themselves they keep locked away from the rest of the world. In this position, Judgement may indicate that a person is quite critical of themselves and others, but that they are able to keep this mean streak in check, turning such jibes into tactful, well-meaning advice. It could also mean someone who sets unrealistic moral goals (based on the surrounding cards), and so always sets themselves up to fail. There is also a hint of guilt in the card.

Cards 4/5: Realm of Vice

Deception/The Lovers

This is a realm of private thoughts and behaviour, of bad habits and secrets. Deception tells us that the calm, friendly outer self may be masking something entirely different, that the querent tries so hard to be friendly because of the problems they have getting along with others - that they are, in a way, overcompensating. Combined with the Lovers, there is a definite sense of guilt here, a feeling that the querent is not always true to what they want. It may be that, in their attempt to please everyone and seem like a good friend, they are neglecting their own wants and needs. It may also be that the person feels it would selfish to put themselves first.

Every once in a while, I lay out all five stars at the same time, to get a full 'Life Reading', and find that this works rather well. 

Zigeuner WahrsageKarten - Learning To Use The Cards: Timeline Spreads

As predicted, I have spent the day testing my new Gypsy deck in various types of spreads, from traditional Oracle and ZWK spreads to Tarot layouts.

I provided a test reading for somebody earlier, and their question involved a timeline spread, using the cards as an indicator of when something is likely to happen. Of course, this employs the cards as a fortune-telling aid as opposed to a tool for enlightenment, but I do enjoy both types of reading. I was curious about how the deck could be used in this way.

Earlier this month, I stumbled across this spread (the link is here) on Mary K Greer's Tarot Blog, an old - and almost forgotten - Yes/No Advice Oracle. Using this as my inspiration, I removed all the cards pertaining to romance from the deck (the question was about love), and set Lover to one side.

Next, I shuffled the remaining cards and chose four at random. I shuffled these, together with the Lover, and dealt the cards in a row:

Card One: The Next Month

Card Two: The Next Three Months

Card Three: The Next Six Months

Card Four: The Next Year

Card Five: Over A Year From Now

I then used position of the Lover to determine the timeframe. Example: If it was the third card drawn, you could expect love in the next six months. Then I interpreted the surrounding cards to clarify the situation.

You could use this spread for a lot of situations, such as finance and work (use Money, removing Fortune and Some Money from the deck), or awaited news (using Letter and removing Message). Of course, like Yes/No spreads, some say timeline spreads are too deterministic - but they certainly are fun to try.

Sample Spread: The Relationship Spread

I want to begin this post by stating that Tarot should not be relied on to solve all of your problems. Let the cards offer you guidance, by all means, but understand that the person you care for has their own free will, and that sometimes the best thing you can do is seek the help of a marriage counsellor, or the support of a trusted friend.

With that in mind, this spread is very good if you need to step back from a situation, and understand how the different factors in your lives are affecting the way you are with each other. I find it works just as well with friendships.

Shuffle the cards, and lay them out, like so:

Then we interpret them as follows:

Card One: This card represents your past.

Card Two: This card represents the past of your significant other.

Card Three: Your present relationship.

        Three A: Factors affecting you.

        Three B: Factors affecting your partner/friend.

Card Four: The future if you are together.

Card Five: The future if you are apart.

Card Six: Coming influences for your partner.

Card Seven, Eight, Nine: Coming influences for you.

Six Card Yes/No Spread

Yes/No spreads can be fun, and are always interesting to do. I found this one by chance on YouTube :)

Sample Spread: The Eight Chambers Spread

This is a spread I call the Eight Chambers Spread. It deals with the past, present and future condition of eight different ares of the Querent's life:

1- Physical: The health and well being of the Querent.
2- Mental: The concerns, ideas and stability of the Querent.
3- Spiritual: Sources of faith and belief.
4- Material: Wealth, success, goals of the Querent.
5- Emotional: Sources of love and joy.
6- Social: The Querent's interactions, friends and family
7-Perilous: Obstacles, worries and challenges for the Querent.
8-Overall: A look at the general circumstances surrounding the Querent.

Sample Spread: The 'Head' Spread

This is a spread I came across while learning about the Jungian approach to Tarot, and it is one of my all time favourites. I find it is best to use only every so often - I maybe do one a year. The layout of the cards is based on the Jewish Tree Of Life.

The numbered cards correspond to:

1 - (Querent) The querent's, state of mind                                        )Hopes
2- (Father) The querent's sense of wisdom and practicality            )and
3 - (Mother) The querent's sense of nurturing and compassion       )Fears
4 - (Mercy) Querent's good qualitities, what they feel they are able to do       )The
5 - (Judgment) The querent's intellect,what they ARE able to do                    )Querent's
6 - (Beauty) The querent's capacity for giving and selflessness,                     )Available
      what they feel they ought to do                                                                )Choices
7 - (Eternity) Lust and love                                                     )What the
8 - (Splendour) Recreation and relaxation                            )Querent would
9 - (Foundation) Creativity and art, inspiration                      )Like to do
10 -(Kingdom) The physical body, the essence of the querent           

Moving on to the vertical columns, Cards 3, 5 and 8 represent forces both practical and destructive in the querent's life; Cards 1, 6, 9 and 10 show areas of balance and moderation; and Cards 2, 4 and 7 show us areas of creativity, intellectualism, and liberalism.

This is definitely a spread for intermediate to advanced readers, and can offer quite a detailed insight into the querent's situation.

Sample Tarot Spread: The 'Spirit' Layout

   Okay, just a quickie this evening:

I love this spread, and have been using it for quite some time. It's a good one to use when you're not quite sure how you feel about things. Spirit in this case stands for:

State Of Mind - Your general mood

Purpose - Your motivation,what drives you

Intuition - What your gut is telling you, things you sense

Reason - What your head is telling you

Imagination - Your wishes and dreams

Trials - Challenges presented by the situation