BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Tarot Lisa's Tarot Printables

I finally embarked on my project to create a "tarot journal" as you all have recommended. I am randomly drawing a card from my deck to ask a question, and writing up what I find about it. As I mentioned, the deck I've had for about 30 years is my Aquarian Deck. So I'm very fond of it.

Certainly my thoughts on the cards are just my own, and my thought is to add to this journal as I go. So these are just my initial thoughts as I look at each card. I'm only looking up the "official" version of the card after I figure out my own thoughts. So part of this is I'm curious how closely my own thoughts on my cards come to the official "sanctioned" view of what a card is "supposed" to mean.

I'm quite open to hear what other people think of these cards! And certainly if anyone wants to use my PDFs they are more than welcome to.

Here's my first one - the seven of pentacles. A powerful one to me, about focus and attention. It's interesting that it's the first one I drew!

Seven of Pentacles

Interestingly, the second card I drew, on the next day, on a different question, was the eight of pentacles!

Eight of Pentacles

The third one was the two of cups. So far my readings seem fairly similar to the "accepted readings" although in this one I am seeing a different inflection on it. Another interesting point, all three cards were spot on with the issues I was asking about.

Two of Cups

OK one final one for tonight. Again I am so impressed with how closely each card seems to match with the question I was asking. In this case I was looking into my online class forums and how I would do in those forums against the other voices there. This was the seven of rods.

Seven of Rods

Nice cards I'd only seen the deck in passing, so it's interesting to see it in use. They do look a bit like the Psycards, obvious symbolism with subtle undertones. It's particularly good that the explanatory text brings this out in showing how to look at them.

Might not be long before you can do the Solitair thing from "Live and Let Die"!

Here's one from this morning, the Page of Pentacles. I was asking about my overall focus.

Page of Pentacles

Dear Ian -

I really enjoy this deck a lot. I've looked at other decks over the years and none ever appeal to me as much as this one does. I was just yesterday looking at one of those web pages that has a "multi deck comparison" with images, at the Queen of Swords. Out of all the various versions they had, it was still the Aquarian deck that I liked the best.

I want to caveat on these descriptions that they are just my own. I'm sure other people have vastly different interpretations of these cards, and that is OK.

Another one from this morning, asking about these forums. The ten of cups - happy positive emotions

Ten of Cups

LOL ok this is too funny. I thoroughly shuffled the cards up, and then went to draw a card to look at the lives of my friends who are getting married today. I drew the Ten of Cups again! Twice in a row! What a lovely card for them

OK I asked just about the wedding itself, how that would go. I got the Hierophant which seems appropriate.

The Hierophant

Fascinating, I drew to ask how my upcoming launch of my medieval novel "Badge of Honor" next week would go. I drew the Seven of Pentacles again! There must be certain cards I am just in tune with.

So what I'm doing is printing out these PDF files and putting them into a three ring binder. The empty space on each page is where I make notes about each actual drawing I've done with that card, and what it meant. So for example the page for Seven of Pentacles now has two notes on it, from the two drawings.

LOL this is just too funny. I did a drawing for my sister, whose birthday it is today. I'm trying to get a fourth unique card to make for today. I drew the ten of cups! Again! After a full shuffle! That card is like a magnet

OK I finally was able to draw a unique fourth card to finish up today's set. I was doing a drawing about my father, who is a Taurus and strongly identifies with his sign. The card I drew was the King of Pentacles, which features a bull! And he is financially secure.

Fascinating. I'll try to do four more tomorrow.

UPDATE: Forgot the link - King of Pentacles

Aw the ten of cups is a great card for a couple just starting out love that! I noticed you're drawing a lot of pentacles so you must be in the process of really manifesting some new things in your life at present that will hopefully continue to reward you in the long run. I'm definitely going to take a look at this deck of yours when I am more awake in the morning . We've been rehabbing a kitchen all day today and I'm beat!

How are you shuffling the cards? When I do a reading I fan the cards out, backs up, then pick up the cards from the reading in a random manner and insert them backs up into the fan with at least three cards space between each. Then I split the pack in two and riffle shuffle it back into one and repeat a few times. If I have used a lot of cards and I can't do the insertion with the three card gap between cards, then I do it as far as possible and leave cards out while I do the riffle shuffle. Then I fan the cards back out, put the remainder in, and repeat.

This stops clumping of cards from the previous reading and seems to help imbue the pack with Chi and synchronistic 'energy'.

Ian -

I talked about shuffling in the "quality of decks" thread - I do it *very* carefully since the deck is 30 years old. So I don't "riffle" or bend the cards. I carefully lay the decks side by side and then "push" them into each other shaking them so they intermingle. I do that several times while I think about the question. I cut it several times too.

Remember that I'm only drawing 1 card for this project. I just take one card out to concentrate on it. So I take out that one card and do my evaluation of it. Then I put it back in the deck and shuffle it a ton. Then I draw the same card out again somehow!

I decided yesterday to do a project where I contacted all previous BellaOnline editors who I still had contact information for, to offer to do free promotions for them. We have an Alumni page and I wanted to make sure we were sending traffic to all previous editors who were interested in it.

The link is here -

BellaOnline Alumni

I asked for a card to see how these editors would respond to being contacted. Some had left many years ago - maybe they'd be annoyed at my message, thinking it was spam? But I drew the Queen of Pentacles, a card of nurturing -

Queen of Pentacles

And sure enough, I've received a lot of happy messages back! I'm so happy, I'm glad the previous editors are finding joy in their new lives and think back on their time with us with pleasure

OK this one is too funny. I was asking about the monthly writing group I've been running for several years now. We have done exceedingly well - several of our members have gotten published and it's become a wonderful support system. So I drew the World card -

World Card

It's surprising how differently I interpreted this card from the "stock interpretation" - and also how differently the card is drawn from other decks' versions. In my deck it seems very somber and almost war-like. That's how I've always interpreted the card. But looking at other interpretations of what the "generally accepted interpretation" of this card, it supposedly is blue skies and angelic cherubs and so on. I don't have any of that on my Aquarian deck card! So that's quite intriguing. Maybe back when they made the Aquarian deck they were much more cynical about this card's nature.

And it's interesting that both meanings do apply to the writing group. There are definitely different contentious factions in the group, which is my interpretation, but they come together to form an overall great experience.

Next was the King of Rods. Again it's fascinating how some cards differ fairly wildly from deck to deck.

King of Rods Mine looks fairly "defensive" in studded helmet and leather cloak.

OK one last one for now. It was too funny. I was doing a reading on my personal finances which are extremely tight right now. It's part of why I'm doing a push to get all my ebooks into the Kindle. So first I drew the King of Pentacles. Then the World. I wanted a NEW card though to write up for this. So finally I drew the Queen of Swords - which is my personal card!! I think the deck was trying to tell me something

Queen of Swords

I'm extremely familiar with this card, for obvious reasons I think my interpretation of it is fairly close to "traditional" ones. Again though when I look at other decks I am sometimes horrified at how they draw this favorite card of mine I guess we are all different!

Lisa,

That is great about the BellaOnline Alumni. Good to see so many previous editors doing some really great things!!!

Lisa-

Your system of shuffling sounds fine to get the cards randomised and susceptible to sychronistic influence. I wonder if the pushing the cards together might be scuffing the edges a bit? Mind you if you do it as gently as I suspect you do that effect would be minimal.

With my blending technique I split the pack in two and hold them at 45 degrees- almost like a pyramid. With my middle fingers (Saturn) bracing the base and my thumbs on the edge of the card. Then I gently move my thumbs apart allowing the cards to fall in an interlaced manner and then push them together.

Done in a flowing manner it looks like a riffle shuffle but with none of the damage. I'm lucky that with my massage training I am aware of exactly how much pressure I use and avoid damaging the edges of the cards. Although the edges of some of my 20 year + ones are a bit darker around the middle, but that's about it.

Looks like your link to the Queen of Swords goes through to the wrong link - unless I'm doing something wrong?

Oh sorry I've fixed the Queen of Swords link. It should be fine now.

I got distracted by other things but I'm back on course to finish this project!

First up, Knight of Cups.

Knight of Cups

Interestingly, it was about a male who was someone I'd been thinking about. Not romantically, but as a friend with issues.

OK next up, the Five of Pentacles. Interestingly, I drew this for a young woman who is feeling sort of bleak about her life, because she can't go to college. But the card indicates that she should realize the good things she DOES have.

Five of Pentacles

This is for another friend of mine who is facing some rough times. The Seven of Swords seems a perfect mix. There are many burdens there - but in some sense those burdens are caused by the person's view of what is going on.


Seven of Swords

The moon, for yet another friend of mine. Interestingly my Moon card seems fairly different from other Moon cards I looked at on the web. Other ones seem to have a variety of animals or paths on them. Mine is just about the moon and hills.

The Moon Tarot Card

A good match for my friend.

awesome journal entries Lisa - I really like how you have them formatted and with the pic on them. I need to get into doing this again myself with some of my cards. I haven't done a journal in a while.

I'm just getting back into this project.

Today for myself, and my weekend plans, I drew the World. Lots to do!

For a friend of mine who is in a stalking situation, I drew the two of cups. Maybe that means a truce will come and he'll leave her alone.

Then finally the first new card that I hadn't done yet. I asked about my planning for the upcoming BellaOnline gathering. I drew the Seven of Cups. SO that was interesting. Tons of choices, and I have to be wise to choose the best ones. I think that was quite appropriate!

Seven of Cups

UPDATE: I just drew this exact same card again, when asking about how to go about sorting and selling my "extra stuff / junk" i.e. old books, jewelry, etc. Interesting! Definitely lots of choices to ponder.

I then drew another duplicate for how the rollout of Mused was going to go. The nine of cups. Interesting, could we get so much traffic on that that the servers collapse?

Then another fresh card. This was for my thoughts on my tenth medieval novel which is finally preparing to get released. I drew the King of Swords. So I definitely am consulting with "experts" (my proofing team) to ensure everything is correct and proper and well done before it released.

King of Swords

I drew another duplicate - the King of Rods - for a friend of mine who is just completing a divorce. So that's good for her.

Then a new card for another friend who is also embarking on a new relationship. I drew the Judgement card. So that's a nice sign of a fresh start!

Judgement Card

Edit: LOL and another King of Rods was drawn when asking about my upcoming quest to do some forum coding work. How do I draw the same card again after all my shuffling?

OK a new one. I asked about the idea of sending weekly forum newsletters to this forum database, to try to encourage members to come back and post more. I got the Knight of Rods which said to go for it! But with some planning

Knight of Rods

I did a reading for Jeanne, with her soap business. I drew the Strength card! Awesome! Jeanne is definitely a strong woman and I know without a doubt that she will thrive and succeed

Strength Card

OK I did a reading for Jilly who is facing many challenges in life. Intriguingly I drew the Eight of Swords card. Hopefully this means she can find her path through them!

Eight of Swords

Hmmm my first reading of the day that didn't seem to really "fit". I did a reading for a friend who's in tight financial trouble, and I drew a Two of Pentacles. That's about finding balance between finances and life. She does have a good balance in priorities and time invested. But she needs more money .

Two of Pentacles

LOL I just drew the World twice in a row after thorough shufflings, and I'd already drawn it once today! I guess it's a powerful card

OK I think this is a sign that I am done for the day. I just did the Four of Swords for a friend and how I view the card and the "proper" interpretation of the card are vastly different I thought the knight was dead. He's supposedly meditating .

Four of Swords

Seven of Cups is definitely all about choices isn't it? I find it comes up for me often also when I would benefit by being more methodical and organized in whatever area the question was about. I got it myself not long ago for some projects I am working on and I actually did then sit down and brainstorm and organize with lists and all of that and things have flown much more smoothly. I hope the gathering is as wonderful as it sounds. I would love to go, but alas it is too far and finances are too tight right now.

I do occasionally draw a card, but since September I have only re-drawn cards I'd chosen before! Wow. I would have thought by now I would have drawn a new one. Today I did two different drawings and both were existing cards I'd done. I'm sure that at some point I'll actually draw a new card - I'll post about it when I do .

I get in phases like this Lisa. There was a time where I drew the Magician for almost every draw for several months. On hindsight I realize it was during a time where I was really having to learn how to manifest my goals through practical action to grow my business etc. Have you looked back on ones that seem to repeat the most to see if they have a theme in your life?

Christin -

It's not that I draw the same card, but with me having done so many already I keep re-drawing cards I've done before. I suppose statistically it will get harder and harder for me to draw new cards as I work on the deck. I could just "force" a card, but I want this to all happen organically. So I'll be patient.

I did draw a new card today! The eight of cups. Sadly I drew it when asking about my Book Launch I'm doing tomorrow. So that's not an optimistic card to draw for my book launch .

Eight of Cups Card

OK I have a new technique. I just keep doing readings until I get a few new cards. That way I can get through this project . Also it's more efficient for me to work on a few at a time, vs going through all the work of opening up the Word documents and FTP and so on just for one single card.

So next up, the Three of Rods, which I drew about my boyfriend.

Three of Rods

Aha this is working The Knight of Swords for a friend of mine launching a web project -

Knight of Swords

The sun, for a good friend of mine! Wonderful! She deserves it.

The Sun

The Magician, for a couple I know. Interestingly, I see this card as being fairly passive. The readings I see of it in other places make it seem much more active / powerful.

The Magician

OK one last one, I've made good progress today. This is the Two of Swords, for my mom and stepfather.

Two of Swords

Hmmm it's been a while since I worked on this project! Here's a look at what the journal looks like. It's a violet three ring binder with dividers for each section - major, cups, etc.

I drew the Five of Cups for my RomanceClass.com site which I've not been taking good care of. I've been spending all my time with BellaOnline, but I do need the RomanceClass income to keep coming in to pay bills with . So I need to get that back in balance.

The cup is about disappointment and failure - but also about realizing the lessons from mistakes and moving on.

Five of Cups Card

An odd one, to me - I was wondering if my bathroom will ever get clean, as it's constantly messy, which then is a constant thorn in my side. I drew the six of pentacles which is about financial stability. Hmmm.

Six of Pentacles

Maybe this means I should stop worrying about the bathroom and focus my energy on financial stability .

This one is interesting. I was asking about Aspen Allegations, my murder mystery novel. It just won a gold medal and I'm doing publicity emails for it. I drew the Nine of Swords -

Nine of Swords

That tells me the fears are in my head. I should just tackle it head on.

I worry that people won't like it.

OK the last one for the day. It's the Ace of Pentacles, drawn for my friend Susan. Which is good, as she needs a fresh start.

Ace of Pentacles

That means I now have 38 cards completed, out of the 78 that are in a full deck. I'm nearly half-way there!

Great cards, congrats on your novel and the gold medal also. Nine of Swords I agree your fears are probably "in your head" - but a lot of fellow writer's go through that I suspect. . Thanks for sharing your cards and journaling efforts with us!

I hadn't worked on this in a while so I decided to draw a card to focus on for tonight's meditation.

I drew the Six of Rods, which reminds us to give ourselves credit for the things we've accomplished. There might still be more to do, but that's OK. Draw strength from the steps that have gotten you where you are now.

Six of Rods

So that was nice. So often I focus on the piles of stuff to be done.

Wow, it's been a while since I worked on this! I love how it expands creativity, so I'm renewing my effort to do one daily.

Today I drew a four of cups! This is a card about looking outside the box. Don't get stuck in the rut you're in. Look for new opportunities and adventures in other directions.

Definitely advice we can all use!

Four of Cups

Do you find you get stuck in a rut sometimes?

I picked up the cards again today - I find them so helpful in exploring my creativity.

Today I thought about the enormous mess in this house, stacks and stacks everywhere.

I got the Devil card.

Devil Card

Clearly this mess is "my own fault" and I let it sap my energy. I feel hopeless in the face of it. I need to take small steps every day to work on it. It will only get better with my effort.

Do you guys struggle with messes?

OMG Lisa, YES I do!

I recently got my office organized, and THEN...

My mom got really sick, and I had to put her in full time care. That meant selling her house. And that meant going through her stuff (she was a hoarder). And that meant bringing her paperwork to my house (20 years worth) to sort through. And it meant bringing things to my house to either go with her to her new place, or to send to my sister, or for me to keep. More sorting - more piles.

My office is a disaster. I just started the process of packing it for storage to deal with later. UGH!!!!

Oh my "yes" to messes! Through a strange series of synchronicities, I found myself moving from a whole house down to a three tiny room apartment, and then into a small room, and then once again into an even smaller room.

Each time I moved, I found that I could let go of a large number of items that had been simply collecting dust.

And, it seemed that the more I let go the lighter I began to feel. I hadn't realized how much time and effort I was putting into the care of items which I no longer wanted or needed in my life.

I am now living in a remarkable space with a roommate who shares the same philosophies, ideas and lifestyle that I do. It has been an interesting journey with many detours but I couldn't be happier!

Linda, what excellent news

I just got rid of two more boxes I had packed in the garage - and it felt WONDERFUL!

Linda -

It's great that you're removing clutter!

I'm in the opposite situation. My mom and dad both just separately moved and deluged me with extra stuff they didn't want to take. My friend Debi and my son James both just moved too and are deluging me with stuff. I take it all in to sell on ebay and handle. So the house is just stacks and stacks and stacks of stuff. It really does wear me down immensely.

But on the up side I listed most of James' stuff on Amazon and ebay over the weekend and yesterday it brought in $200. I gave that to him, to help him set up his new apartment, but it means he gets money to buy food and the stuff goes off to new homes. So I feel good about it. Hopefully I can make progress on the rest of this stuff.

Linda -

I highly recommend the Neat wand scanner. You just sit watching TV and slide items into it one after the other and they all turn into PDFs. Then you shred all the originals. If you want to refer to the documents later you can. Or you can just be content that you have it all in PDF format if you ever do at some point. You can always sort through PDFs years later (or heck email them to other family members) without having to hang onto mounds of paper.

Today my card was, amazingly, a brand new one for my book. I started this project years ago and most of the time I bring up cards I've already documented.

So this was the three of swords. It looks like this -



To me the heart looks healthy, strong, and vibrant. Yes, it has swords in it. That's part of life. They are almost a part of its structure, in its way. Challenges occur. We have to hang in there and keep going. Find a way to become even stronger due to them.

PDF for Three of Swords

I did another card to ask about my art projects, since they'd been left behind so drastically with everything else that's going on. I got the Hanged Man.



It says in essence to just wait and hang in there. A better time will come. Now is the time for patience.

Hanged Man PDF

Pretty cool, two new cards in one day.

Awesome cards Lisa!! Looks like a lot of changes coming your way, and sometimes waiting can be the toughest thing to do. I am going to be working on an ebook soon, so your tip about the wand scanner was really appreciated...:)

I forgot how beautiful the Aquarian Tarot is. Lisa, are you still pursuing this project?