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Weekly Reading Number Three – Courtroom Drama

Today I decided not to pull a Daily Card in favour of doing a reading. And as I am working my way through the The Alternative Tarot Course, created by the beautiful Beth from Little Read Tarot, I decided that I would do my third weekly reading :). Chapter 3 of the course was all about getting in touch with the Major Arcana! The Majors represent the larger aspects of our lives, the big changes that send us on a tailspin, those moments when we feel we are trapped in a situation, but also the times where we come to terms with our inner truth and learn that we in fact have everything we need to achieve what it is we want. It’s been a really good week and I may post a bit about some of the exercises at some point, but today is all about the reading for this chapter, entitled “Courtroom Drama”. This is a Majors only spread originally created by the French Tarotist Oswald Wirth in the 1920s. In this spread we imagine we are in a Courtroom and our situation is being discussed and judged by the ‘Majors’. It is a five position spread, where the fifth position is deciphered using numerology, an addition which I really liked :). You lay the first four cards out first, which are representative of:

Position 1: “In your favour” – What is ‘for’ your situation. A person, energy or influence that may be of help. Your key strength.

Position 2: “Against” – The negatives. Things working against you in your situation and hindering your progress.

Position 3: “The Judge” – This is the card that looks through the evidence presented by cards 1 and 2 and try’s to clarify where you stand, giving advice as to how to proceed.

Position 4: “Decision/Sentence” – The outcome. The lesson to be learned.

Once these are laid you add up the numbers on cards 1-4 and then if they are over 22 reduce them by adding the two numbers together. For example, in my reading the total was 36 – 3+6=9. So my centre card was The Hermit. The centre card is Position 5 in the spread but it is read first. This is because this card is what everything else depends upon and hence is the most important part of the reading! Now this spread can obviously be used for many different questions but in this instance Beth asked us to ask the cards a specific question, “How can I become a truly brilliant tarot reader?”

So now that you know the basic outline, here is my Courtroom Drama 🙂

Alternative Tarot Course Weekly Reading Number Two - Courtroom Drama
Alternative Tarot Course Weekly Reading Number Two – Courtroom Drama

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Subdue the Lion Within – Strength

I was quite pleased to see Strength yesterday as my daily draw! When I did my birthday reading, Strength was one of the two cards that came up in position of the energies I should focus on during the year ahead. Having it come up yesterday was a good opportunity to spend some more time contemplating it’s meaning :).

Strength - Shadowscapes Tarot
Strength – Shadowscapes Tarot

What I love most about this depiction of Strength, that you may have gathered from my birthday reading, is that there are so many examples of different types of strength. There is the more obvious example of beastial strength of body in the Lion, but there is also the Bamboo’s hidden strength through flexibility. There is the strength of cunning and strategy of the Cats, one of which seems to be tempting those birds below it closer with a bell on a string, and the other has one paw upon one of the Lion’s, possibly suggesting the strength of cooperation or of combining different forms of strength. Then there is the Bridge itself which is beginning to crack, possibly representative of the mortal quality of this man made strength, at some point it will erode and turn to dust, and below it the Acorn, representative of the steady strength of something so small that will one day grow to be gigantic. And then there is the inner strength called forth when protecting those you love, represented by the Swan. The Swan also represents the transformative power of the Woman’s form of strength. The ability to use calm control to soothe a difficult situation, turning something potentially ugly into something more pleasant. And that to me is what this card epitomises, using persuasion and patience to calm the rougher, harder animal instincts that we can sometimes fall prey to. The demonstration of the power of love and compassion, showing that aggression and anger will not solve everything. This is true inner strength, perserverance and composure, the ability to endure any of life’s obstacles with an unparalleled inner calm!

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That First Ripple, That Effervescent Bubble – The Ace of Cups

I think my deck is playing a cheeky trick on me today. After commenting in yesterday’s post about how few cards from the Suit of Cups had come up in my draws, what does my lovely deck decide to give me today, not only a Cups card, but the very beginning of the Cups’ energies, the Ace of Cups. I wonder what this could mean for the day!

Ace of Cups - Shadowscapes Tarot
Ace of Cups – Shadowscapes Tarot

An opportunity for a new emotional experience. The beginnings of love, happiness and compassion. A furthering of your internal attunement. This is what the Ace of Cups is all about.

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The Serene Majesty of Calm Assurance – The King of Cups

Up until today the only time I had drawn a card from the Suit of Cups was in my interview with the Shadowscapes Tarot. To me this seemed quite odd, being such an emotional person I was expecting more to come up. Not only expecting, I was also hoping for more. But I guess if I think about what has been happening in my life it makes sense that so many Swords have shown their faces and few Cups have appeared at all. Anyway, enough mind babble, here is the card I drew this morning…

King of Cups - Shadowscapes Tarot
King of Cups – Shadowscapes Tarot

Before I get into the card I first want to say that these daily draws are first and foremost learning opportunities for me. With some cards like the Seven of Wands and the Three of Swords a post comes easily, but with others it seems a lot harder. This is one of those times. So I’m really just going to jot down my thoughts and strive for some meaning here.

The first thing that came to me when I saw this card was how serenely majestic this King looks as he floats there gazing into the Seahorse’s eyes, as if looking directly into his soul. It is like he has become one with the ocean and all of its inhabitants. I just want to jump into the card and let the King’s calming energies cleanse my entire being!

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