THIS IS SO USEFUL! THANKYOU! I will study one card every day! Or two! 
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Super Sunday Sorcerers,
Mantra, I am so glad you find this helpful. I usually just let the weekends go as a “weekend”. However, I am always checking in, so if you wish to chat about something on the cards, please feel free.
Just a “preview” for Litha. Here is a Litha Tarot Spread. You must forgive my limit when it comes to pics on the 'puter. I am not tech savvy.
Litha Summer Solstice Spread 6 cards- try this lay out 1 2 3 with 4 5 6 directly underneath
1–what I need to release
2–why I need to release it
3–what “beginning” is arriving
4–how can I celebrate Litha/Summer
5–what opportunities should I look for
6–final message for summer
Here is a spread to help everyone get ready for Litha and Mid-Summer next Sunday the 21st.
Everyone have a great week-end and I’m looking forward to our next set of cards, 6-12, exploring within with the Fool.
Lady Gene 
Magickal Monday My Mystical Mavens, (I love alliteration, if you haven’t noticed)
So the grouping this week will be the “Spiritual Awakening” set of cards.
Major Arcana 12 through 16, don’t let these cards scare you, they offer some very positive insights as well.
12- The Hanged Man
13-Death
14-Temperance
15-The Devil
16-The Tower
I will start “at the top” with 12 The Hanged Man
Even though he is hanging up-side down, he looks relaxed with his legs crossed and his arms behind his back. He also has a halo around his head, which tells me he is noble/good.
I do not see this card as negative, I see it as a positive. Seeing the other side of a position. Being willing to understand another person’s point of view. I see this card as PERSPECTIVE.
Some also use SURRENDER or SACRIFICE.
Surrender that the hanged man has no control, at the moment, but there is something else.
Sacrifice because a hanged man has to wait, sacrifice his time. I am referred to a story of Odin hanging 9 days and nights. This from my book/notes, but I am not familiar with that one.
I prefer Perspective. It works great with relationships, the other person’s point of view. It works with your job, why is that action necessary? a perspective that you are not aware of. Many ways to use it on this card.
So, any other ideas about this card, anyone? Feel free to join in, that’s what this is about.
Lady Gene 
Wacky, Witchy Wednesday,
So sorry all, missed yesterday, busy here at home, oh well, here we go.
To catch up, yesterday Major Arcana 13 Death.
Like hanged-man, this is not necessarily bad. It does not refer to an actual death in the near future. It talks about things ending, the death of something not someone.
Consider, death of a job, maybe loss, yes, but an opportunity to move on…death of a relationship, again, time to move on. You cannot go through an open door without closing the door on the room you are leaving. In the iconography on the card, death is holding a flag with a white rose. This always reminds me of “the war of the roses”, an internal conflict for the throne of England. When I see this card I am reminded of that conflict; differing sides, but the world still exists. Therefore, I see the death card as a necessary change/death no matter how uncomfortable to allow for newness to arrive.
Okay, on to today’s card
14 Temperance, I love this card, the iconography is lovely; an angel with outstretched wings (warming and inviting), one foot on land, other in water (balance), the Fire sign on the breast template, but holding and moving Water (balance of the two).
All the words for this card fit, I do not use only one meaning, but they all speak to me, balance, harmony, and equilibrium.
Like 2 sides of a coin, and, yin and yang . You need one to have the other, do not let one override/overall the other.
Chocolate is good, but not healthy for every meal.
Lady Gene
I think the meanings of the cards in a reading all have to do with the question asked and the nuances of said question. From personal experience, I’ve seen and interpreted many different meanings from the death card when doing readings for others with my Celtic dragon tarot deck. Am I correct in that the energy of the inquirer as well as the question asked can give each card its own meaning with regards to their placement in a reading?
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Witchy Wednesday Slayer,
Very good Question!!!
For myself, I prefer to not know the question, because I do not want to cloud my reading. I just try to read the cards and let them interpret the meaning for themself.
But, yes, I do think it is able to work in a myriad of ways. My focus for this “lesson” was just to point out that the Death card is not always a doomsday event.
Yes, I believe much in the other person’s energy. What I do, is I have the inquierer mix/shuffle the cards as they think of their question, that way their essence/energy and question is in the cards and will absorb the energy to give the answer. Then, I just read what I see, interpretation is up to them. I do not think the cards are here to give an answer but are for guidance.
Thoughts on anything else?
Love the interaction!!
Lady Gene
I’ve never actually known the question myself until after I’ve done the readings, but it’s more that I get a better feel for the nuances of the question and the energy towards the readings if I have any form of physical contact with the inquirer while I shuffle and I have them focus on the question without telling me what it is. It’s very much that I feel the energy of their question and what sort of spread needs done but not the specifics simply because I avidly dislike others touching my cards so I just prefer to shuffle while their energy is flowing into me while they focus on the question. But yes, the death card is not inherently a bad or evil card in my perspective unless the question is of a more grim nature. Idk if that makes any sense but that’s the best way I can put it
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Thoughtful Thursday Slayer,
Makes total sense to me. I let others touch my cards for their essence in the cards (whereas you do it by proxy). However, I do “sun bath” my cards when I get home to clean/recharge them.
Lady Gene
Thoughtful Thursday Tarot Talkers!
To continue, today will be 15 The Devil. This is an interesting card, because of our culture and Judeo-Christian religion (among others), we are already inclined to think of this card in negative terms as if an entity is after us. Not so.
15 The Devil card is representative of unwanted/unrealized entrapment. Most times of our own “choosing”. To make the example clear, this is going to be direct (and I speak from experience)…a heroin addict did not actively “choose” to become addicted, but choices of their own making, made this happen. An abused wife did “choose” to become the target, but she does “choose” to stay in the relationship.
Sorry for such extreme examples, but the Devil card is about self-imposed, unhealthy, limitations/actions. In one word trapped. Other good words for this card are, temptation, bondage, toxic.
The Devil card shows us how WE are limiting ourselves, and opens our eyes to the actions we are doing that stifle us. We do have the power to release ourselves from the hold we have created.
The iconography of this card is what a Western world person would expect to see with a Devil. Look closely at the man and woman, they are changed to the “seat” of the devil but look at their neck. The chain is loose enough that they are able to free themselves, with a little difficulty maybe, but it is possible.
Tomorrow for the Tower card 16 of the Major Arcana.
Please feel-free to offer insights and questions, this is a group effort, learning process.
Lady Gene
Yes and no, while they are not physically in contact with the cards, their energy is still added to the cards because I manipulate their energy into the cards at the time of reading through their contact with me. While I don’t sun bath my cards to cleanse them, I’m great at extracting the activated energy from the cards once the reading is done in a very ritualized way that forces inert energy of my own in to purify the cards and at the time of reading, I replace that with the inquirer’s own activated energy for the reading. I’m essentially manipulating both their energy and my own at the time of reading and after to get what they need out of the cards but I’m not sure how to explain how I know how to do that process because I’m not sure I fully understand it myself
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Thoughtful Thursday Slayer,
Yes, I do understand what you are saying. After all, witchcraft is about harnessing energies. It sounds like you are acting as a conduit with the energies of the querent and the cosmos/cards.
Thank-you for sharing your “style” involved in the readings.
Love talking with ya, have a great Thor’s Day
Lady Gene
Fanatical Friday Friends,
Tarot today is a look at The Tower number 16 Major Arcana.
Like Death and Devil, this is a scary card but does not have to be. Looking at the iconography we see lightning striking the tower, it’s on fire, people are falling, and the crown has been thrown off by the lightning, which looks like authority is in question,
Sounds and looks ominous! However, check the bottom of the picture, even though the tower is on a cliff, it is not falling down. The key-words are destruction, ruin and shake-up. I like shake-up a little more because it is not total destruction. I use the phrase “foundational shift”, the structure is changing, in a drastic way, but it is still standing.
So, bad news, of course, changes will be happening and probably quicky and/or drastic.
Good news, things will be changing, but all will not be lost, the base is still there.
Maybe there was a mistake made at work (foundational shift) but your job is still intact.
Many ways to see this card as good even though it looks scary.
Lady Gene
Sensational Saturday Sorcerers,
Well, this is the week-end, I hope everyone enjoyed the studies and conversations.
Have a great Saturday and Sunday. Monday we will start with the next set of cards, 17 - 21 Star to Completion, the end of “The Fool’s Journey”
Everyone have fun and relax for Litha!!! Catch y’all on Monday
Lady Gene
Forgive me while I try to catch up here…
I know the Tower card has already been touched on, but I want to add some additional thoughts. An additional factor to some readings is the powers of deities can also come attached to certain cards, or be exemplified in the archetypes of the Major Arcana. This can be another aid to understanding the cards.
My own deity is perfectly exemplified in the energy of the Tower so I feel I have a strong understanding of that card. I think of it like the 12th hour on a clock. There are going to be times of life of incredible creativity and productivity, but say something got forgotten and neglected while you were focused on your goals. The Tower can come out to bring attention to forgotten issues like those, and it is essential to achieve full progress - to get to the next beginning at 1 am, to continue my clock analogy. I also love applying numerology to Tarot.
I will also add that sometimes the Tower doesn’t always manifest as an external event - a misconception I think some get hung up on. Sometimes the event is entirely internal. 
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Just continuing on my catching up here…
Yes, the Magician is a card that at it’s core focuses on the practitioner - a card of personal creativity and our capacity to take control of our life situations. The magician can both represent a literal and a metaphorical magician - literal as it addresses an actual practitioner - metaphorical as it addresses simply our creative-selves and an understanding of creative principals.
As the original Rider-Waite card has the magician standing at a table filled with tools - it also highlights the need for, or the ready and available presence of also the tools we need to create our reality or to pursue our life-goals. There are other elements of the card that also indicate that a deep understanding of reality is necessary too.
The magician can’t always act alone - sometimes he needs his tools to do the job too. As the tools on the table and the position of the arms of the magician indicate - it also highlights balance in the practitioner and practice, and a complete understanding of the sciences of reality in order to create something new - a balancing of the elements as all the elemental symbols are there, and the position of the arms pointing up and down indicate the “as above, so below” understanding.
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Sticking a bunch of ones in here. Last reply for today lol. Sorry for the interruption…
Strength is an easy card - it’s shown in the courage to open the mouth of a lion. In numerology 8 is a number of conflict, so I see it as specifically strength in the face of conflict or an adversarial element. Leo is the obvious astrological connection so the card also has a solar energy. The woman also wears so much holly that it almost appears to be growing on her - a symbol of how strength may not always come immediately - sometimes it must be grown and cultivated.
Lovers is easy - sometimes it can also be a card of self-love.
To me, the Chariot is a card of momentum, delivery and travel. To me, a somewhat mercurial card, as it can also mean a speedy delivery of information and not necessarily manifestation. For some reason I’ve always had difficulty really ascribing willpower as it’s meaning. It’s been so long since I looked at the Rider Waite artwork and man the chariot’s artwork looks weird to me, lol… it doesn’t even look like a chariot. It looks like he’s standing at a podium. I didn’t notice the wheels at all.
I agree that the Hermit is more about introspection and internal work. It’s like a second stage of the Magician - who must also understand the inner-workings of the self to have a complete understanding of his own power. There is also a danger of being a hermit for too long - as too much introspection without any interaction with the external world can lead to distortions. A very mental card. The light of the lantern can be a symbol of the inner light of truth that he seeks.
Wheel of Fortune is easy. Timing, external forces seen and unseen deciding a life course or “fate.” The various animals and figures in the clouds with their pens and books giving divine judges keeping cosmic ledgers and giving the card an air of divine order. The devilish figure showing the possibility of negative outcomes. The snake as a symbol of change. Anything is possible with the Wheel of Fortune!
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Magickal Monday My Merry Mavens,
This week is to tackle the last of the Major Arcana on “the fools journey” cards 17 - 21 are the “rebirth” of the fool.
17- The Star
18-The Moon
19-The Sun
20-Judgement
21- The World
Start with 17 The Star, hope, healing, navigation, faith, peace.
I see this card mostly as hope and healing. The guidebook mentions that the person in the picture is naked, which makes sense after the tumult of The Tower. I see her as pouring her hopes and dreams on the ground and in the water to see where it will take fruit/grow. This is why I like the words hope and faith for me. Hope for things to change, and faith that they will for the better. I understand the meaning of Navigation here, as for millennia humans have looked to the North Star for guidance. That seems to be the star here, to guide.
Any thoughts more than welcome.
Lady Gene
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Magickal Monday Wren,
So glad you joined the group. Love your explanations of the cards. Strength happens to be one of my favorites, but you opened my eyes about other aspects of this card, thank-you.
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
Lady Gene 
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Thanks! Happy to contribute.
Justice - You nailed it.
I do and I don’t. Generally I’ll correct the orientation of the card if it comes out of the deck reversed - unless my intuition tells me otherwise. Like you said, it doesn’t really change the reading in the end. Your intuition will tell you either way whether to read a card negatively or positively.
The Hanged Man - lol, I’m well acquainted with the story of Odin. This is definitely one of his cards. The Hanged Man and the Hermit have similar energies - only if the Hermit is productively spending his time in withdrawn introspection, the Hanged Man is in an energy of literal standstill, stopped time - or the appearance of it. The silence before the storm, a sudden time-out after a ton of conflict or activity. The hanged man can have a jarring energy.
But the Hanged Man can turn into the Hermit or even the Magician if that time of stillness is used wisely. Or it can be an early warning of high activity over the horizon - as even in “stopped” energy - time is still passing and other forces may be moving rapidly under the surface unbeknownst.
Odin hung from the tree to gain knowledge - to sacrifice himself to himself after a period of great distress and after the final night the runes were revealed to him. You can see the parallels.
Hoping that clears up some of the mystery of the Hanged Man.
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Death - If the Hanged Man is about the appearance of the end, Death is an actual ending. Like you say, it doesn’t always mean an actual loss of something painful - more often than not it’s an ending of something necessary. The ending of a bad relationship may be painful in the final stages but it’s necessary to heal, or the end of a pattern of choices that don’t serve you. Death is the final stage of the Tower - the Tower being the crumbling, and then the final stillness at the end of destruction is death. But like my comments on Tower earlier - big transformative changes cannot occur until you’ve destroyed the old. Like the process of birth and rebirth, from life to dust and back to life like a phoenix - we all must face death.
Temperance - The first thing I always think of is patience, equanimity, and balance. It’s symbolized in a being of a realm of cosmic lawful order. In the traditional deck, as a heavenly angel. Because Temperance is in a humanoid and not a symbolic form - it shows that it can be cultivated in the self. Very virgo type energy to me. I never liked the traditional imagery on this card, but then I’ve never had an affinity with angels. To each their own!
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