Happy Holidays From The Land of Tarot, 

We have had terrible storms in Ireland over the Holiday Period and many homes have been without electricity, telephone and internet connection. Hence, the delay in this Post going Out. However, better late than never. I do hope you have all been enjoying yourself wherever you are in the world.

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Yes, that time of year has come around once more. Regardless of our different Religious or Spiritual beliefs, it is quite hard to completely avoid the seasonal festivities and celebrations for they seem to be everywhere. There is little escape, and for most of us there are things we both love and hate about this time of year.

Our Tarot Families are no different. They all have their own way of celebrating, and their own particular idea of fun and gaiety. When it comes to purchasing those all important gifts for family and friends they certainly have their own way of choosing them, be they considered sensible and practical, or totally extravagant and outrageous.

Let us now take a look at the Holiday Season with The Tarot and see how well they reflect our own situations and family gatherings. As the Holidays approach each of The Tarot Family prepare to gather and celebrate. However, before they can all come together, certain things must be done and arranged. Likewise, no sooner are the Holidays over, The Tarot Families are launched into further scenarios associated with this time of the year. As we go through the Cards that I have selected, and by the way, I haven’t used all of them, to demonstrate the multitude of situations surrounding the Holiday Season, it will be clear to see why it can be one of the most tiring and stressful times of the year for so many families and individuals.

So going on the basis that all the Court Cards Clans are gathering to celebrate in their own unique way, we will use the remaining Cards both in The Minor and Major to tell the rest of the story for us. This by the way is our story too.

The Wands Family Celebrating The Holiday Season

The Wands Family are all returning to the fold to celebrate the Holidays together. You may have noticed that I put The Queen in first place as she is most likely in charge of overseeing the whole occasion while managing to keep her busy career going at the same time. She will have gone shopping for a few things, but I reckon that most of her gift and food buying was done on-line. She certainly won’t beat around the bush either when it comes to letting her partner, The King of Wands know exactly what she expects to receive as her gift. The King will trust her judgement when it comes to buying his as he respects her taste. She seems to intuitively know each year just the right gift for him. Both the Knight and Page are easy to shop for as they will want the latest gadgets and game consoles, regardless of age. As a family they may decide to take off to an exotic climate and have their celebrations abroad instead of at home. The King of Wands will only take the briefest of time off work, and even then may be checking emails on an hourly basis. The Knight believes the Holiday Season is for kicking up one’s heels and is bound to party hard, even dragging the Page with him if he or she is old enough. They certainly will have a fun-filled time with lots of socialising, entertaining (if they do not decide to go away) and some action-packed family outings to burn off any excess eating and drinking. Their home is bound to be very loud with much comings and goings. They will spend a lot at this time of the year.

Question – If you had to buy each of The Wands Family a Gift, what do you think would please them most? Someone makes an announcement at The Special Family Dinner. Which one is it, what is the Announcement and how is it Received?

Below are some Holiday Season associations depicted through The Wands Tarot. Please feel free to add your own. 

The Joys of The Holiday Season

Ace of Wands – Thumbs Up, Party Time has Arrived, Booking your Flight home for the Holidays, Boarding Your Plane, Train or Bus to Head Home for The Holidays. The Beginning of The Holiday Season.

Two of Wands – The Unexpected Arrival of Family or Friends from Far Away. Surprise Visitors.

Three of Wands – The Return Home of Family and Friends from Overseas for The Holiday Season, Standing at the Arrivals Gate waiting for your family or friends to come through the doors.

Four of Wands –  Celebrations, Party Time, Family Re-Unions and Get Togethers, Celebrating The Holidays with Good Friends and Family, Happiness and Joy. Decorating for The Holiday Season, Making the House look very Festive.

Five of Wands – Bedlam  in The Shops, Hunting for the Right Gift, Having to Queue at cash tills and to get into car-parks, Loud music and noise everywhere. Buzz

Six of Wands – Dressing up in your New Clothes and feeling good. All the preparation and shopping done. Feeling Proud.

Eight of Wands- Standing at the Arrivals Gate waiting for your loved ones to come through the doors. Your plane touching down and knowing that your family and loved ones are just minutes away. Getting away from all the madness of the Holiday Season by going on Vacation instead. Building Excitement, All the buzz and madness of the Holiday Season, Not a minute to spare, invitations to parties flooding in the door.

Nine of Wands Reversed – Being allowed Off Duty for The Holidays, Not having to work, Soldier returning home from Duty for The Holidays.

Ten of Wands Reversed – Relief, Dropping everything for the time being, no work for a while, being able to offload and kick-back. Hard work done, You got their in the end and all gifts bought and food are organised. Time for a bit of relaxation now and a well-earned glass of wine.

The Stresses of The Holiday Season

Ace of Wands Reversed – Delayed Flights, Travel Plans Disrupted or Cancelled, Party being a bit of a Flop,

Three of Wands – Being Far Away From Home, Not Being Able to Come Home for The Holidays, Having to Return After The Holidays (leaving Family), Being Separated from the One you Love during the Holidays (work related overseas)

Four of Wands Reversed – No Family Get Togethers, A Family that are not Close, Family and Friends Departing to go their separate ways after the celebrations and Holidays, Having to say goodbye. The aftermath of too much celebrating; hangovers, mess, Cancellation of Celebrations or Family Gatherings, A Disastrous Party (no one showed and all the money you spent)

Five of Wands Reversed – Family issues and differences surfacing during the Holidays Season, Rows and arguments getting out of hand/deciding to put differences aside for the Holidays. Battling for the bargains during the post Holiday Sales. Bedlam  in the shops. Noisy Kids with Noisy Toys driving you mad!

Six of Wands Reversed – Burning the Festive Dinner, Everything going Wrong, Party a Flop or Failure, Party clashing with another event and no one turns up at yours.

Seven of Wands – Prolonged close proximity causing arguments and clashes with Family during the Holidays. Being the instigator of rows or constantly on the defence.

Eight of Wands Reversed – Disruption to flights or travel plans, Cancellation of flights, Family and Friends Departing/Flying out after the Holidays. Tearful Farewells. Arguments and dreadful rows when Family forced together or when too much partying has been going on.

Nine of Wands –  Having to work over the Holiday Season. Soldiers on duty far away from home and family. All the hard work and preparations left up to you.

Ten of Wands – Taking on too much during the Holidays. The Stress of it all; shopping, working, decorating, cooking, entertaining. It all seems like too much work and not enough fun.  Exhausted from too much partying, cooking and drinking.

The Cups Family Celebrating The Holidays

Oh the joy of it all! The Queen and King of Cups are in their element at this time of the year. Having all their loved ones so close and all together under the one roof is all that matters. That is the greatest gift they could get. The Queen of Cups of course will go into overdrive; happily decorating, baking and spending days and weeks personally shopping for just the right gift for each member of her family. The King of Cups will shop with her and probably agree with all her choices. They will not look at the shopping as a chore but make it a day out instead. Perhaps they will book into a hotel for the night so that they can relax and get into the festive season in the right manner. They will happily roam from shop to shop and never seem to tire until all purchases have been made. Then of course there will be the agreement to separate for a couple of hours so that they can shop for each other’s gift. They both enjoy the element of surprise when opening gifts so will not drop any hints to each other before hand. They both believe that it is the thought that counts and know that their gifts were bought with love and will be treasured forever.

The Queen of Cups will lovingly prepare the bedrooms for the returning Knight and Page of Cup and will welcome any partners they may bring with them. Actually, it is to The Cups Home for the Holidays that many of the Knight’s and Pages’s friends will flock, for the atmosphere will be so special and the wine constantly flowing. The Cups will operate an Open House during the Holidays with friends and family constantly coming and going. They will have a large gathering for dinner and several other social occasions. The Knight and Page of Cups will probably have shopped together to buy their parents their gifts. If grandchildren are involved, The King and Queen of Cups will totally spoil and indulge them at this time of the year.

Question – If you had to buy each of The Cups Family a Gift, what do you think would please them the most? Someone makes an announcement at The Special Family Dinner. Which one is it, what is the Announcement and how is it Received?

The Joys of The Holiday Season with The Cups

Ace of Cups – Joy to The World, The Holidays are here, Time to Party, Let the Wine and Champagne flow, Season of Goodwill and Good Cheer, Toasts, Parties, Feeling friendly and generous, Great Joy, Good News, Party Invitations,

Two of Cups – Couples getting engaged at this time of Year, Feeling extra Romantic, Buying Special Gifts for your Loved One, Meeting someone Special at a party.

Three of Cups – Party, Party, Party!, Friends coming together, Family Get Togethers, Good Cheer, Toasts, Office Parties.

Six of Cups – Going Home for The Holidays, Spending time with Family, Sleeping in your childhood Bed and reminiscing about Holidays past, taking the time to visit elderly relatives.

Seven of Cups – Spoiled for choice in the shops, too many gift options, window shopping, wondering what to buy, looking for a special outfit.

Nine of Cups – Getting the Gift of your Dreams, A big and very welcome surprise, Party Time, Arranging a banquet/Party, Hosting an event, feeling very happy and full of good cheer, Invitations and social occasions.

Ten of Cups – Family all together, joy, happiness, special time for all, a time to spend with your family. Several generations coming together. A close family. The best gift of all.

The Stresses of The Holiday Season with The Cups

Ace of Cups Reversed – Too much drink spoiling enjoyment, hangovers, feeling Unhappy and lonely during the Holiday Season, Possibly few invitations to parties or social occasions

Two of Cups Reversed – Rows between Couples, Break-ups, Not having that Special Someone to spend The Holidays with.

Three of Cups Reversed – Too much Partying with Friends, Not being able to spend the Holidays with your Friends and Families, Being Excluded from Parties or Gatherings, Having no Friends, Feeling like an outsider during the Holidays, Feeling you have little to celebrate.

Four of Cups – Drinking too much, Feeling Hung-over and tired, Disappointed with the Gifts you received, feeling let down by someone, Disillusioned with the whole thing, wishing the Holidays were over.

Five of Cups – Feeling too sad and unhappy to celebrate The Holidays, a time of loss and grief instead of joy and good cheer, Wanting to be alone, Missing someone terribly, bereavement, Sad time of year for you, being an outcast in your family, not being welcome or wanted, wrapped up in your own troubles instead of wrapping up gifts, the Holiday Season is totally lost on you. Too much drinking may have resulted in terrible rows or angry outbursts, there may be terrible regrets.

Six of Cups Reversed – Not having any family home to go to, not wanting to go home for The Holidays, Unhappy memories of previous Holidays, Homesick but unable to get home for The Holidays, Loss, Possibly Parent or Parents deceased and the Home no longer has the same feeling during the Holidays.

Seven of Cups Reversed – Not getting yourself organised for the Holidays, no gifts sorted, Head in the clouds, Leaving it too late to go shopping, nothing decent left in the shops, not getting what you wanted.

Eight of Cups – Leaving, going away, not being at home for Christmas but with unhappy and unpleasant associations. Not wanting to be part of the whole thing. Getting away from it all. Going away to avoid the Holiday Season.

Nine of Cups Reversed – Terrible Disappointment, Feeling Unhappy and let down, Having to cancel party, party unsuccessful, not getting the gift you wanted, The Holiday Season turning out to be a Nightmare rather than a joy, No invitations coming your way after you inviting everyone to your party, drinking too much, over-indulgence, things not working out as planned.

Ten of Cups Reversed – Family unable to be together, family not close to each other, too much geographical distance between family members, idealistic version of the Family Getting together for the Holidays, Disappointment, Dysfunctional Family, Broken Family, No Family.

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*Tomorrow we will be looking at The Swords and Pentacles Family to see how they have been enjoying The Holiday Season, but before we do that let us have a look at some of The Major Arcana and see how their meanings can be associated with this time of year too. 

The Fool – Acting Spontaneously, Impromptu buys, Living for the moment,  Spending too much, Feeling Carefree and enjoying the party season

The Magician – The Commercial Machine, Sell Sell Sell, The Convincing Salesperson, The Shop Displays, Marketing for The Season, Displaying the ‘Must Haves’. Making us want it all.

The High Priestess – The Annoying Person who always knows the best gift to buy everyone. Yours to her never comes up to scratch because you never really know what she would like. She seems to breeze through the Holidays without breaking a sweat, getting stressed or fussed. Her house is always beautifully decorated and you love visiting because it is so peaceful in comparison to everyone else’s. How does she do it? Very annoying. When  you go shopping with her, she embarrasses you into reaching into your pocket to put yet another few coins into all those rattling fundraising collection boxes that are on every street corner. She seems to give to all!

The Empress – Treating yourself, Pampering, Spoiling yourself, Dressing Up, Getting your Hair Styled, Buying luxurious Items just because you are worth it, going overboard buying gifts for the kids and everyone else. Absolutely loving this time of the year. Parties and good cheer.

The Emperor – Scrooge attitude, Bah humbug, thinks it is all a big waste of money, tries to curtail spending, refuses to give in to the whole commercial side of it, almost collapses when the Empress tells him how much she spent on the tree alone while pushing a nice glass of burgundy into his hand. Begrudgingly telling The Empress that her new very expensive dress looks lovely on her. Chastising her for spending too much money. Tries to hide his emotions from his offspring when they bring him his gifts. Wants to know how much everything cost.  Thinks the world has gone mad and lost all reason.

The Hierophant – Ah, at last, the Spiritual Side of The Holiday Season from all Religious Aspects and Beliefs. The Commonalities and Solidarity between all Religions that it is a time of Peace, Goodwill, Generosity and being Charitable. People gathering to express their Faith and Beliefs.

The Lovers – Engagements at this Special Time of Year, buying that Special Gift for your loved one. Feeling extra romantic and in love. Office Party Flings!

The Chariot – Travelling Home for The Holidays, long journeys, tired but with the destination and welcome will be worth it. Car packed with gifts and good clothes.

Strength – Strength and courage for the bereaved and ill to get through this time of year. Being the Peacemaker when family wars break out. Finding the Strength to survive the Holiday Season intact.

The Hermit – Spending or Choosing The Holidays alone. Being elderly and having no family left to spend The Holidays with, Volunteering to help out at soup kitchens and with the homeless for the Holidays, thinking of others at this time of the year. Feeling lonely.

The Wheel of Fortune – Holiday Pay Bonuses, getting Expensive Gifts, Feeling on top of the world, Let the good times roll. Spending like there is no tomorrow, Having a ball, Party Party, Meeting the partner of your dreams, Luck.

Justice – What you have purchased on credit cards will have to be paid for, if you drink too much you will end up with a hangover, dragging up the same old family issues at the dinner table will get the same reaction it does every time you have done it in the past. Be very careful what you do when you have been drinking. You don’t want to get into trouble with the law! Also it is not a good idea to snog your boss at the office party. The consequences will land firmly on your shoulders only. The repercussions may not be desirable in the cold light of day.

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Well, I think that is more than enough for today, so back tomorrow with the Swords, Pentacles and The Remaining Major Arcana. 

Happy Holidays,

Vivien (your tarot teacher)

Copyright © 2006-2013 Vivien Ní Dhuinn