Tarot Card Mastery

6 Tarot Cards for Taking Action

Taking action sounds easy, but if it was so easy, we would do it without procrastination, excuses, or anxiety. Unfortunately, our unhealthy habits, negative beliefs, and unsupportive friends make it difficult to take action towards our desires on a regular basis.

These six tarot cards will help you take action by targeting the areas where most people struggle. They will help you stay present, conquer procrastination, and identify the activities that will bring you closer to your goals.

CONFIDENT FORWARD MOVEMENT

Learn The Chariot tarot card meanings.
The Chariot
The Chariot vroom-vroom-vrooms into a tarot reading with a message of power through focused and deliberate action. Use this card’s energy to move forward despite your fears about the outcome of your actions.

NEW PROJECTS AND IDEAS

Learn the Ace of Wands tarot card meanings.
Ace of Wands
The Ace of Wands is the “hell yeah – go for it!” card. It pops up when you need a new and innovative solution to a problem or need to pull ideas “out of thin air.” As the first of the Wands, it blazes with the urge to create. Get started now – once this project gets going, it will catch fire on its own and blaze into success.

FACE REALITY

Learn the Eight of Swords tarot card meanings.
Eight of Swords
This card has two interpretations, both related to feeling trapped. You are either trapped by fear or by your own unhelpful actions. While there may be some interference from outside forces, it is likely all of your current problems are self-imposed. Change must happen from the inside first.

ELIMINATE WHAT DOESN’T MATTER

Learn the Ten of Wands tarot card meanings.
Ten of Wands
The Ten of Wands tarot card is the story of modern life. When you are burdened by too many responsibilities and commitments, the Ten of Wands reminds you to shrug off your load and put your own needs first. Get rid of the tasks that aren’t in your job description, that you aren’t great at, or that you don’t enjoy. Focus on what truly matters to you and let the rest go.

SINGLE-MINDED FOCUS

Learn the Knight of Swords tarot card meanings.
Knight of Swords
Act like the Knight of Swords to make a quick decision and take immediate action. Create your own path. Don’t spend the time searching for the easiest or most common way. Put your blinders on and make your own way.

DETERMINED PERSISTENCE

Learn the Knight of Pentacles tarot card meanings.
Knight of Pentacles
This is the “put your nose to the grindstone” card. It’s not very sexy, but it is effective! You WILL see success as long as you never, ever, ever give up. Persistence beats Resistance.
Images shown are The Chariot from The Green Witch Tarot by Ann Moura and Kiri Ostergaard Leonard © 2015 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., the Ace of Wands, the Eight of Wands, and the Knight of Swords from The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck available at www.thewildunknown.com, the Eight of Swords from the Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood © 2002 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., and the Knight of Pentacles from Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot by Barbara Moore and Eugene Smith © 2014 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. All rights reserved, used with permission.

Tarot and Life Goodies

Tarot Links and Resources from Tarot Card Mastery.

How was your week, my tarot-loving friend? I’ve been exploring some seriously amazing Renaissance art in Houston, searching out the best BBQ in San Antonio, and wandering from dive bar to dive bar in Austin. Life is good, isn’t it?

1. A TAROT MAGAZINE!!!! – The tarot community is amazing. One of my favorite tarot-peeps is Gretchen, i.e. WillowsEast. She is extremely creative and generous, with a whole bunch of tarot journal printables available on her website (which are much more beautifully designed than many of my journal printables, let’s be honest!).

She’s also started a tarot e-magazine called In The Cards. The first issue is out now and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. You can get your copy here, and if you’re brave, you can submit something to the next issue.

2. DON’T COMPARE – You know that paragraph that starts this blog post? It’s all true, but it doesn’t tell you the whole story. Yes, I live a location-independent, digital-nomad, full-time-travel life. And it’s wonderful – but it’s not always fun. This blog post by another full-time traveler is the most honest “day in the life” (good and bad) description of what it’s actually like to live on the road.

Please don’t compare your choices to what I choose to share on the internet. I purposely don’t share the hard/bad stuff. I started working towards this lifestyle of freedom & independence in 2009. It’s taken me 8 years to get here and I’ve made some big sacrifices along the way that I still question and doubt. I’m only saying this because I get a lot of people saying, “Oh, I wish I could live your life,” and if you want to, you totally can. But honestly, you may not want to. It’s not all sunshine and roses. And I wish more people would be real about that.

3. TRAINS > PLANES – I just discovered how fun it is to travel by train! Amtrak has had a tough time lately, but my experiences have been 95% amazing. There is no security line, no TSA check ins, no paying extra for luggage, no waiting in line, and no cramped economy seats. If you have the time, I highly recommend giving the train a try. They also have a great “points” reward system, just like airline miles. I’ve already earned enough for a free trip, which just makes me love them all the more.

4. MAKE A CHOICE – I’ve been obsessing about this quote lately…

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
– Elie Wiesel

What would our lives be like if we stopped being indifferent and started choosing?

5. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY – Money, sex, politics, and religion. The world would be much better off if we had honest discussions of these “taboo” topics. So let’s talk MONEY!

Here’s a tarot spread for helping you to manage money from Little Fox Tarot, a podcast episode on money and spirituality from Biddy Tarot, and a review of the (gorgeous) Money Tarot deck by Eugene Vinitski from Benebell Wen.

MORE THINGS TO LOVE…swimming in the river wearing my skivvies…watching friends do big scary things and glow with their successes…afternoon writing sessions in my secret office…and daydreaming about every single one of these old houses for sale under $100,000.

All my love,
Angie Green from Learn Tarot With Me

6 Tarot Cards for Being Visible

It is the Warrior’s task to become visible and through example and intention to empower and inspire others.
– Angeles Arrien

Are you afraid to show your true self to others?

Sharing your true desires with others and speaking up for yourself can be frightening. Whether it happens in a personal or professional environment, hiding your true self feels safer than being seen.

Unfortunately, trying to be safe by hiding our true selves is the very thing that will cause us pain.

Here are a few strategies for being visible so we can let our true selves shine with our friends, family, co-workers, customers, and the greater world at large.

SHINE THE LIGHT ON SOMEONE ELSE

Learn the Six of Wands tarot card meanings.
Six of Wands
Instead of putting the spotlight on yourself, practice shining a light on someone else. Write reviews, recommendations, and referrals for the products, people, and services you love. By showcasing the wonderful goodies you find, everyone will benefit.

SPEAK UP FOR THE UNDERDOG

Learn the Queen of Swords tarot card meanings.
Queen of Swords
It’s easier to speak up for others than it is to speak up for ourselves. When you see injustice, prejudice, bullies, or abuses of power, say something. You don’t need to shout publicly or create a movement. Even a simple, “I saw what happened to you and it was wrong,” goes a long way.

BORROW COURAGE

Learn The Emperor tarot card meanings.
The Emperor
Learn about your heroes and how they handled adversity. Read books, watch documentaries, or listen to podcasts featuring people doing brave and bold things. You’ll discover that everyone feels fear and acting in spite of that fear only takes one small decision.

BE ANONYMOUS

Learn the Page of Swords tarot card meanings.
Page of Swords
If you are afraid to share your art, writing, music, or creativity with others, share it anonymously. Use a pen name or alternate persona and don’t tell anyone who you are. Be like Banksy, Elena Ferrante, or Daft Punk. Use your secret spy-like anonymity to be wild and fearless.

WEAR WHAT YOU WAN

Learn the Queen of Wands tarot card meanings.
Queen of Wands
Use your clothing like a costume. When you need to be brave, wear your “superhero boots.” When you want to feel creative, wear an artistic piece of jewelry or a colorfully clashing outfit. When you want to hide (intentionally, like your secret-spy-anonymous-creative-self), wear black or gray. Let your clothing speak to the world about how you want to be seen.

ACT “AS IF”

Learn the Eight of Pentacles tarot card meanings.
Eight of Pentacles
Feeling fear is a given. When you are trying something new or big, act “as if” you’ve already done it before. If you want to be a best-selling author, do the things best-selling authors do. (Butt in chair every day and work with a great editor). If you want to be a confident public speaker, do what confident speakers do. (Practice, more practice, and get a great outfit). Act as if you are already successful and you will be.
Images shown are the Six of Wands from the Revelations Tarot by Zach Wong © 2005 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., Queen of Swords from The Linestrider Tarot by Siolo Thompson © 2016 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., The Emperor and the Eight of Pentacles from The Green Witch Tarot by Ann Moura and Kiri Ostergaard Leonard © 2015 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., Page of Swords from Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot by Barbara Moore and Eugene Smith © 2014 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., Queen of Wands from The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck available at www.thewildunknown.com. All rights reserved, used with permission.

Tarot and Life Goodies

Tarot Links and Resources from Tarot Card Mastery.

How was your week, my tarot-loving friend? I’m falling back in love with New Orleans, wandering the French Quarter, picnicking with old friends, and getting fancy-lady drinks with new ones. I leave in a few days to take a two-week road trip through Texas, so I’m trying to soak it all in. What are you up to?

1. HOW TO SUPPORT PUERTO RICO – I lived through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the aftermath. This post about how to support Puerto Rico right now, post-hurricane, felt like a punch in the sternum. Based on my own similar experiences, I KNOW everything the writer says is true. After reading this, I’ve changed my winter plans and will now spend at least a couple weeks visiting the island, spending my money, and helping them return to normal.

2. I TRUST THE FUTURE – The power and agency of the young people in this country right now is inspiring. When I start to get scared or confused after hearing the bullshit coming from Old White Men in Washington, I read posts like this one and realize we’re going to be okay. Thank you authors for preparing the next generation to take over the world!

3. WEEKLY TAROT SPREADS – I’ve started a new series on this blog with weekly tarot spreads, each designed around a specific self-discovery or personal development topic (like Forgiveness, Gratitude, or Body-Positivity, for example).

Each spread includes a free PDF printable tarot journaling page, so you can print out each spread and create your own binder of problem-solving tarot spreads. Bookmark this page to get them all.

4. WANT TO READ CARDS PROFESSIONALLY? – Not everyone wants to read cards for others, but you CAN make a good living if you want to turn pro. The Tarot Lady’s blog is an excellent resource for the basics about tarot+business and this podcast episode from Biddy Tarot will help you decide if you’re ready.

If you do want to go pro, GO PRO. The world needs more ethical and professional business owners, and you can be one of them.

5. TAROT NECESSITIES – My favorite “academic” tarot reader is Benebell Wen & she’s got two new offerings that are so useful. Although I’m about 20 years from my next Saturn Return (so this isn’t for me), she’s got a totally free Saturn Return Survival Kit for people around age 29 or 58 (Saturn returns to your chart every 29 years or so). It looks fantastic.

She’s also got a SUPER useful ebook/course on Copyrights + Tarot. If you’re looking to become a professional tarot reader (or a tarot professional in any way), this is MANDATORY reading. Benebell is an Intellectual Property Attorney, so she’s got the skills & professional knowledge to put this together.

Last year, I paid an IP Attorney over $1200 to answer a few questions for me about tarot image copyright issues. Benebell’s book/e-course is a STEAL at $17 and covers everything you need to know if you post images of tarot decks on social media, write tarot books, or want to create your own tarot deck. It includes a bonus ebook on publishing contracts specific to tarot & metaphysical publishing houses, which is obscure, but I’m in the middle of negotiating a contract, so this is a vital and very timely resource.

MORE THINGS TO LOVE…New Orleans, New Orleans, New Orleans…perfect spring morning with fog over the bayou…amazing new coffee shops in my favorite city…wearing dresses & skirts and feeling the breeze on my legs…finding breathtakingly beautiful & familiar photographs on Instagram…and realizing how important “home” really is.

All my love,
Angie Green from Learn Tarot With Me

6 Tarot Cards for Staying Present in Your Life

Meditation and mindfulness aren’t the only tools for staying present in our lives. Living in the present moment (as opposed to living focused on the past or the future) is how we interact with our lives.

These six tarot cards will help you stay present in your own life in an active and participatory manner. You can also look at the “meditative” cards of the tarot deck, such as the Eight of Cups or The Hermit for additional guidance.

STAYING OPTIMISTIC

Learn The Fool tarot card meanings to help you with staying present.
The Fool (an eager fresh start)
The Fool lives in the present moment because he doesn’t know any better. He hasn’t been burned by the past and doesn’t know to fear the future. What would happen if you lived your life this way? What would you be missing out? What would you gain?

LETTING GO

Learn The Hanged Man tarot card meanings.
The Hanged Man (releasing what you can’t control)
We can only control our own beliefs, thoughts, words, actions and choices. To a lesser degree, we can control our energy, our environment, and our bodies. Everything else is outside of our control. What do you need to release in your life that you can’t control? What do you need to claim that you do control?

FOCUSING WITHIN

Learn the Four of Swords tarot card meanings.
Four of Swords (solitary focus on a single task)
Meditation and prayer are two ways to practice living in the present moment, but you can also center yourself through other activities such as painting, dancing, walking, or singing. Whenever you lose yourself to the moment in joy, you are living in the present. What activities bring this “lost time” feeling into your life?

SEEING SOMETHING NEW

Learn the Four of Cups tarot card meanings.
Four of Cups Reversed (opening your eyes for a new outlook)
When read upright, this card is about being stuck in our beliefs and missing out on the opportunities right in front of our eyes. When read reversed, the meaning changes and becomes about seeing things from a new perspective. What old beliefs are keeping you tied to the past or living for the future?

CRAFTING YOUR WORK

Learn the Eight of Pentacles tarot card meanings.
Eight of Pentacles (focused Deep Work)
Single-tasking on projects with absolute focus allows you to dive deep into your intellectual and creative center. This deep, focused activity is necessary to bring forth your most authentic and masterful work. For more, read Deep Work by Cal Newport, which I highly recommend.

STARTING FRESH

Learn the Ace of Wands tarot card meanings.
Ace of Wands (creating something new)
This is a card about creating something new. When you are lost in the act of creation, all time disappears and you focus on the physical and energetic sensations in your body. Spend time exploring a challenging new creative adventure and enjoy the process without expectation of the result.
Images shown are The Fool from the Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood © 2002 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., The Hanged Man from The Linestrider Tarot by Siolo Thompson © 2016 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., the Four of Swords and the Eight of Pentacles from The Green Witch Tarot by Ann Moura and Kiri Ostergaard Leonard © 2015 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., the Four of Cups from the Revelations Tarot by Zach Wong © 2005 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., and the Ace of Wands from The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck available at www.thewildunknown.com. All rights reserved, used with permission.

Tarot and Life Goodies

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Tarot tips and resources from Tarot Card Mastery.

How was your week, my tarot-loving friend? I just landed in New Orleans, my adopted home, after a 36-ish hour train adventure. It was AWESOME!!! I’ll be eating all the crawfish and gumbo for the next few weeks, plus taking a mini-road trip through Texas to see this exhibit. Looks awesome, doesn’t it?

1. WANT STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS? – Who doesn’t want stronger, healthier relationships? Here’s a roundup of six tarot cards that can help you make your relationships stronger and more loving.

2. OH, HANK – Obsessing about this quote right now…

Knowledge without mileage equals bullshit.
– Henry Rollins

…while I try to learn all the things.

3. READING TAROT REVERSALS – Do you struggle with reading reversed (upside-down) tarot cards? Everyone does! Here’s a quick post from Little Red Tarot that might give you a new perspective and help to make it easier.

4. DEFINING SUCCESS – Everyone’s definition of success is different. Do you want lots of money, fame, or attention? That’s totally cool! But maybe you just want to make great art, have kids, or visit every one of the National Parks? That’s awesome, too! Carrie Mallon put together a nice article about using the tarot to find YOUR definition of success.

5. TRAVEL NECESSITIES – Traveling by train means lots of friendly, chatty people. Which is great for the first 6 hours, but after that, you’ll want some headphones. 🙂 While I normally pack light (and have heard great things about these), I spent a ridiculous amount of money on these heavy buggers and don’t regret it for a second. They cancel out ALL the noise and have a nice “don’t bother me” vibe.

MORE THINGS TO LOVE…Traveling by train. It’s SOOOO much better than flying!…squishy dried pineapple rings…surprise bouquets of flowers…getting the perfect Bahn Mi with my favorite lunch companion…and seeing people reading tarot cards in the sun.

All my love,
Angie Green from Learn Tarot With Me