The Importance of Daily Readings

An excellent way to get to know The Tarot Cards is by doing a Daily Reading for yourself.  Now, I don’t mean sitting down and doing an elaborate layout or Spread, with much thought given to the wording of questions etc.  What I mean is a simple one, two or three Card Reading for yourself before your day kicks off. I have got into the practice of doing this every day and it is amazing how accurate they turn out to be.  Doing a Daily Card Reading for yourself can be of immense help when you are not particularly feeling up to the day that lies ahead of you, or when you are lacking motivation or self-belief.  They are also helpful when we know of difficulties we are going to encounter, for they can give us that boost of morale we so badly need to get through them. They can also give us pre-warnings of problems that we are likely to encounter, and even offer some advise on how to handle them.  And so with our Daily Card Readings, we can step out into the world, or just even down the stairs, feeling more in control of our life and the day ahead.  With our Daily Card Reading we won’t suddenly be taken by surprise by events of the day, for we will have sensed them coming.

However, it does happen that our Daily Card Reading only means something to us, or is fully understood by the close of the day, when events have already happened, come and gone.  Then we glance at the Cards we drew that morning and say ‘ah, now I get you’.  Therefore it is important not to discard your Daily Card Readings just because we do not get what they are trying to tell us.  This is how we learn. By reflecting on them later in the day, we can see so much more that we didn’t see that morning. Hindsight gives us 20/20 vision, but again this is how we learn. As time goes by you will begin to make more and more connections with the Cards you draw for your Daily Readings, and will learn to trust them. However, no Reading should ever interfere with your free will. Remember, you own the results of your Reading and not the other way around.  You can do with them as you wish, act on them or ignore them, but never blindly follow them.  The more you practice these Readings, the stronger the energy builds. You will see the strength of this energy when you pull a couple of  Cards in the morning and they are just spot on with what you are planning to do with your day.  Let me tell you the way I do this, and I stress, it is very casual.  I am very busy writing this course and a lot of others things besides. I do not have the time for elaborate Spreads and much thinking first thing in the morning.

• I use a Deck that I have dedicated to myself. I only use these Cards for my own Readings. Therefore, a certain energy has built up around these Cards. The energy is my energy, and so I feel each time I use these Cards, they are becoming more finely tuned into telling my story for they have got to know me well.
• At the beginning of each week, I give the Cards a thorough Cleansing and Clearing by dealing them out into three separate decks while invoking The Violet Flame around them. Surrounding them with White Light will have the same cleansing effect. What this does is separate all the Cards of the previous week’s Readings and leaves them ready for the new week ahead.  I do not cleanse the Deck again until the following week but will certainly give them a very good shuffle each day. My Deck is now ready for shuffling.
• I give the Cards a good shuffle while simply asking my Higher Self ‘what do I need to know today?’ or ‘what should I be aware of today?’ or ‘what will help me with my day?’ or ‘how can I get the best out of my day?’.
• When I have finished shuffling, I pick the Card from the top of the Deck and the Card from the base of The Deck. I rarely draw any more for I am determined that these will be enough. However, if the Cards I have drawn are unsettling, then I sometimes pull a couple more for clarification.  I turn my Cards over to see what I have drawn. I may spend only two seconds looking at them, or possibly a couple of minutes if I am unsure as to their message.  Then I leave them down beside my computer where I will be working all day, and there they stay until the next day.
• If I have not received their message loud and clear, I will glance at them occasionally throughout the day to see if any information filters through from them.  Usually it does, but if not I will have a look at them just before I turn out the lights before bed. Sometimes it is only then that they become significant to me.  This can happen for many reasons.  On some occasions the day is almost over before a situation or incident occurs, or a phone call comes in bringing with it the news or information the Cards had indicated that morning.  Sometimes I just don’t get it, simple as that. When that happens, it is a humbling reminder that I am still a student, and also that maybe that day wasn’t particularly good for divination.  Any witch worth her salt will agree that there are some days that are better than others when it comes to making magic or craft-working.  As a Tarot Reader, you will experience this temporary glitch yourself.  I often hear from past students who have gone on to become Professional Readers of the terrible day they have had at a particular Holistic Fair or Card Reading Night when they have found it almost impossible to do a proper Reading for anyone.  Regardless of what level of Tarot Reader you are, it happens to us all from time to time.

Let me give you some examples of Daily Cards I have drawn in the last week.

Today, I drew The World and The Hierophant.  No rocket science needed here I thought to myself. The Spiritual Teacher of The Heirophant passing on his knowledge to the two disciples kneeling before him.  And how far was The Hierophant spreading his word? All around The World, that far!  Well, here I am today, sitting at my desk writing and typing my Truly Teach Me Tarot Course which is viewed daily by thousands of people around the world.  Two Major Arcana Cards and one being the very positive World Card suggested some very determined and committed work would be carried out today. The World was also telling me that I would feel happy with what I would achieve by the end of the day.  They almost feel like Destiny Cards and The Hierophant whispers to me of it being my duty and vocation to carry out such work.  Now I am feeling elevated and purposeful. My life has meaning and I am doing what I should be doing.

As I look again, I remember that The Hierophant channels divine information and acts as an intermediary between the spiritual and the physical. This makes me think about how I feel sometimes after reading back over my work, especially at a later date.  I sometimes question if I wrote it for I cannot remember typing it.  And where did I get all that information from?  Did I really write that? Maybe I am being helped in my writing at times by a higher source or power.  Gosh these Cards have certainly given me a lot to think about.

The Heirophant carries the number of 5, so I must remember to be as open in my teachings as possible. I must teach and not preach. The The World totals 3 and speaks of creativity, growth and progress. Their combined number is 8, a number of strength, commitment and hard work.  Yesterday, I felt almost overwhelmed by all the work and writing I had still to do. I cried to my partner over dinner, ‘will I ever be finished?’. I was feeling tired, had sore shoulders and a bad neck after eight hours of typing and questioned why I was putting myself through such torture/  The number Eight tells me that I have the strength and determination to see this through to the end, and that now is not the time for quitting after so much work has already being completed.  The World confirmed to me that yes, I would successfully complete and not to worry because everything was progressing nicely.

Looking at her again, she is also telling me to move my body more, to take breaks from the computer for exercise and enjoyment.  I was very stiff after yesterday. She is telling me that it is not healthy to sit for so long.  Just before I finish writing about my Cards today, I see something else about The World Card that has caught my attention.  I have been making some bunting for my niece and it is almost complete.  It will be for her new baby’s nursery.  This will be her first baby. She supplied me with the fabric, all in different patterns.  This evening I will be meeting with her to discuss which order she wants the bunting hung in. I will be bringing with me the long white cord and we will pin the bunting in order and in place while I am there.  My niece is very excited about getting the bunting. In the World Card, the circle of green laurel with the images at each corner are symbolically flashing at me likening them to the bunting hanging on the cord.  The figure in the circle is also suggesting to me my niece’s baby which is due to be born soon. Maybe I am mad, but the more I look, the more I see.  Nice Cards, thank you Universe. 

Earlier in the week my partner, who also does his Daily Cards drew The Knight of Wands and King of Pentacles.  Let me fill you in. He has put an offer in on a house in Dingle on the South West Coast of Ireland.  His offer has been accepted but he needs to secure a small mortgage to make up the shortfall.  He had spent weeks in and out of the building society bringing them all the documents and paperwork they had required, and at times demanded.  No sooner would he have all his details handed in, they would be back on to him looking for more and more.  This has been going on for weeks and on the other end of things, the vendor has been getting restless.  My partner was told a month ago that he would have word on his loan application within a week. By the end of last week he still had heard nothing.  On Monday morning he pulled these two Cards and brought them to me.

I immediately told him not to expect any news in relation to his mortgage application that day.  I could see clearly what was going on. Here was my poor partner, depicted as The Knight of Wands and that told me enough.  I already knew he was very frustrated with all the delays. Normally he is the quiet and calm type, but in recent weeks he has been getting tenser and tenser about the whole situation.  The Knight of Wands was rearing to go, impatient and dreadfully frustrated that he was not being allowed to move forward with his plans. He wanted to move now and was finding it hard to restrain his horse. I could sense an outburst coming soon and I hoped he would not let all hell break loose on the phone the next time he spoke with them.

The Knight of Wands is overwhelmingly eager with what he wants to do and where he wants to go, but not everyone shares his enthusiasm and desperate need to be off.  Just look at who he is up against when it comes to his mortgage application being decided upon, The King of Pentacles of all people, well why am I not surprised? The King of Pentacles would strongly represent banks, building societies and lending institutions.  The King of Pentacles is not going to allow himself be rushed into making any rash decisions where money is concerned, regardless of how urgent The Knight of Wands thinks it is. The King of Pentacles is not a risk taker, neither is he a gambler.  He will want to make sure that all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed before he will sign off on my partner’s mortgage.  Maybe they wanted more paperwork from him?

The King of Pentacles represents the old establishment so my partner is up against the system here.  He will have to wait and hope for the best, for this guy is going to be thorough and methodical. If that means an extra week or two to wait, then there will be nothing he can do about it. The King of Pentacles is the big bull and won’t be budged until he is ready.  I pointed to the golden Pentacle sitting on The King’s lap and explained to my partner how symbolic this Pentacle was.  ‘See that, he is holding what you are looking for and so badly want.  At the moment, he is in possession of this golden egg’. Wouldn’t you just love to reach into that picture and take it from him saying ‘thank you very much, but I will take that now’? However, The King of Pentacles is telling you to be patient a little while longer while he does all the maths. He is a man of his word so will not leave you waiting for ever.  So you best put away that wild horse of yours and take off that armour my poor man.

Yesterday I pulled two Cards asking ‘what is it that I need to know today?’. I drew The Page of Wands and The Ace of Pentacles. Aha I thought, these are more like it.

I instantly called my partner down the stairs. Beaming, I showed him the Cards I had just pulled. ‘Look, says I, good news is on the way’. The Pages of The Court Cards are long known for their role as messengers. They deliver the post and news in The Tarot.  The Page of Wands would bring good news in relation to a course of action, movement, travel and career.  I had no doubt that this Page was going to bring news in relation to my partner’s loan application. Because he was Upright, the news would be good and especially so because the other Card drawn was The Ace of Pentacles. ‘Look’, I pointed to it. ‘The Golden Egg, and it is being offered to you’.  I put my hand on my heart and told him that after looking at the Cards, news was imminent and his mortgage application had been approved.  He was going to get the money and it would be enough for him to secure his dream little cottage in Dingle.  Great stuff.

Well the postman came and went yesterday but there was nothing from the building society in the mail.  We rang the building society on the chance that word was with them, but not yet in the post.  Neither of us could wait any longer.  No, they had heard nothing yet. We would have to wait.  By 5pm yesterday evening, we still had heard nothing.  It was the close of business and nothing more could be done for the day.  My partner went upstairs to read his book, and I suppose sulk a bit. However, he was back down the stairs a few minutes later and couldn’t contain himself.  He had been reading his book when he noticed the alert light flashing on his phone. Picking it up, he saw that there had been a missed call. It hadn’t rang, we would have heard it. The signal is bad where I live so sometimes calls go straight through to the voice mail.  Yes, the missed call person had left a voice message.  He had listened to it and between broken signals and noise he could hear that it was the girl from the building society calling him about his mortgage application.  She was ringing him to let him know that word had arrived in their office just at closing time of his approval in principle. She asked him to ring her in the morning but, yes, it had been approved.  Of course it was too late to ring her back but the Cards were right. Now he is running around full of life, just like a kid, just like The Page of Wands. excited and enthusiastic about the road ahead.

Just let me share two more with you.

Last week I pulled my usual Daily Cards and got The Three of Pentacles and The Empress.  It didn’t take me long to work them out.  Due to my developing TMJ Disorder, I have been suffering badly with my jaw, head, neck, shoulders and arms. My balance has also been seriously affected.  TMJ involves multiple treatments so I have to do many things to get relief, and also need to attend the maxillofacial consultant in November. My jaw has become misaligned and is causing havoc throughout my body.  One of the therapies I am using to help my jaw and muscles work properly is vocal coaching/singing lessons.  It was my pharmacist who suggested this as a form of therapy for me and not my doctor.  I suppose that is the way it goes these days.  Doctors seem to be too busy to even look at you.  Well I started my singing lessons about two months ago and now go for one each week. I cannot tell you the difference it has made in my life, not only is it helping my jaw, it is also opening me up as a person and helping me to realise undeveloped potential.

After 51 years on this earth, I have discovered that I am a natural soprano and am now be trained in that direction.  I am hitting notes that leave me stunned.  I have this powerful voice I knew nothing about, and my self-confidence and self-esteem have soared as a result. I always loved singing, like a lot of us do, but I never thought that I could sing.  It really has been amazing.  Anyway, who better to understand that then The Empress herself. A lover of drama, music and artistic abilities, she often appears to let you know that you have untapped potential in these areas and insists that you do something about them. It is The Empress who encourages you to join the local musical society, choir or drama group for she loves anything that is creative.  She herself is a wonderful singer and greatly supports those who are trying to develop their own abilities.  Well, she was there in my Cards that day to acknowledge what I was going to be doing and where I was off to.  The Three of Pentacles was also acknowledging that I was a student of music and was off to my lesson that day.  I still have a lot to learn but this Card was telling me that I had a really good Singing Teacher who had high standards and a strong reputation. I would learn well under his tutelage.

My Cards were both numbered Three, so this was a very powerful message to me that it was money well spent.  The singing was helping me to grow in so many ways.  I certainly was looking forward to heading off for my singing lesson that day, that is until my partner drew his two Cards and showed them to me. He does know a bit about The Tarot but he prefers to come to me with his Cards for interpretation.

The Cards he had drawn were The Tower and The Chariot Reversed. My mood changed and I felt ill at ease.  My partner was coming with me, doing singing lessons too.  He is a musician and was also enjoying the opportunity to improve his singing voice.  We were leaving to go to Dublin for our Lessons.  The weather that day was awful, with dark skies and torrential downpours. I felt a bit apprehensive after seeing his Cards.  I asked him to drive slowly and to take his time, even if we were late.  I told him to keep focussed on his driving for I believed his Cards were acting as a warning.  The Reversed Chariot can sometimes suggest accidents with cars, or just a problem with a car, but alongside The Tower I was taking no chances. The Tower can bring massive upheaval, disruption and shock in its wake.  What I feared was a car crash.

All the way into Dublin, I was nervous.  Visibility was very poor on the roads as the rain poured down from the sky.  As usual, heading into Dublin, the traffic got heavier and heavier. We seemed to be surrounded by heavy artic vehicles which shot waterfalls of water down our windscreen as they passed.

We got to Dublin in one piece and forgot all about the journey while we enjoyed our Lessons.  When we started the drive home, the weather had further dis-improved.  I reminded my partner to watch his driving and to take no chances.  We took our time coming home and just as well for the rain was blinding.  It was impossible to see the road ahead, yet several vehicles still insisted on travelling at speed. We managed to make it off the motorway in one piece but now had to face the twisting back roads of the countryside.  There was flooding everywhere and it was difficult to get through.  We were both very silent as I did not want to distract my partner who was completely focussed on getting us home in one piece.

We were nearly there, just a small village to pass through.  As we rounded the bend coming out the other side of the village, the cars were coming to a standstill.  In all my years, I had never encountered a build up of traffic here before. We were wondering what was going on. As the traffic inched along, my partner thought flooding while I thought accident.  As we moved forward slowly, we could see the familiar flashing lights of a police car.  There were traffic cones on the road and a sign that said, Road Closed.  However, the traffic on our side of the road was being let through.  As we got nearer the police car, I saw the big truck, a refuse collection truck.  There had been a collision alright. The front windscreen was severely cracked and I got the sense that the driver had not been wearing his seatbelt.  I believed that it was his body or head that had damaged the windscreen.  I could not see any other vehicle involved, maybe it had been towed away? The police were waving all the cars on.  It was as we passed the refuse truck I saw the other vehicle.  It was another large truck and it had left the road. It had gone straight through the hedging of a field and had turned over.  It was now lying on its back in the field and I was shocked.  The approaching roads into the village all have a very low-speed limit.  For this vehicle to have left the road and flipped over, there must have been speed involved.  We saw no sign of ambulances but the accident had been quite recent.  We both hoped that no one had been seriously hurt.

We were very shook as we drove in silence the rest of the way home. When we pulled into the driveway, I relaxed a bit and turned to my partner. ‘That was the Reversed Chariot and The Tower’. It had not happened to us, but who knows where a couple of minutes earlier would have taken us? Would we have been caught up in the accident? My partner had heeded the warning in the Cards and had driven as safely as he could without taking his attention from the road at any stage.  We were relieved to be home in one piece.

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Lesson 8 Part I

Copyright © 2006-2013 Vivien Ní Dhuinn
Truly Teach Me Tarot Part I