Happy New Year!

Although the Gregorian Calendar is rather arbitrary in that it assigns a numerical value to circles made around a giant ball of fire, Jan 1 is still a great day to assess how far we've come and where we still have to go. In the Northern hemisphere, where an estimated 90% of the global population resides, Jan 1 tends to fall in the cold, dark winter. What better way to liven our spirits than to begin a new journey around an old star?

For 2023 I've created this tarot spread. I haven't numbered the cards, as I want users to read it in any direction or order they choose. I also want to give 2023 the opportunity to bring surprises rather than pain - so if you happen to draw the Nine of Swords for your "What New Things are Coming" card, go ahead and switch that around with "What Am I Leaving Behind," instead. Trust your gut! Don't be afraid of the new year!

​For the sake of standardization, I am going to do my own reading counter-clockwise from "What have I learned." I have chosen to use the Salvador Dali Tarot Deck, as 2022 was a little wild and loopy for me, so I feel Dali's quirky art will be accurate. I also find this deck very large and hard to manage, which pretty much explained 2022, too. 

1. What Am I Leaving Behind?
The four of pentacles: This card is about security, and being in a place where your monetary needs are met. I don't really want to let that go. However, it's also a warning not to be greedy. Share your talents, your wealth, and the physical gifts you have. I'm willing to let go of greed and insecurity. I have lived with the fear of loss long enough. Although this recession isn't being kind to my bank accounts right now, I know that I am safe because I am loved. 

2. What have I learned?
The World: Everything? I've learned... everything! woo-hoo!
In the Dali Tarot, the World has a bit more negative connotation, though. It's a reminder that we have inherited the earth from our parents, and we are passing it down to the children, so we must use our time and skills in the best way we can. I think this particular reading is telling me that I've learned what my gifts are, and now I must share them. 

3. How have I grown?
The reversed Star: Reversed, the Star is about fear, the inability to move on from tragedy, and being a "Debbie downer." In terms of how I've grown, it might be telling me that I've learned bad things will happen anyway, so rather than hide from them I must continue to have hope, and push through the difficulties. I'll accept that.  
In my book, Applied Tarot Reversed, the reversed Star also tells me to watch Wall-E. I could just do that, too.

4. What new things are coming?
The four of cups:  Boredom and apathy? Oh, yay. EYEROLL.
The Dali Tarot book says "explore your feelings, define your boundaries, and meditate." Perhaps that's what is coming this year - more acceptance of my feelings, some down time that I will have to live with (I usually dislike downtime, as it makes me feel useless. This may be a lesson), and the opportunity to practice mindful meditation. I could do that.

5. A message from the Universe about 2023
The Ace of Swords: This card is about determination and focus. I think the message from the Universe here is to keep going, solve puzzles, and continue pushing ahead. 
The Dali Tarot book says "Rise and stand up straight! Gain strength from your knowledge..." I'm currently working on a graduate degree (I should finish this Spring) and my project is a scathing report about anti-feminist trends in the tech industry. I have met with a lot of resistance about my goals, but I think this Ace is telling me to be confident and continue on this path, it is the smart and correct way. I'll take it!

So there you go, enjoy your 2023 and let me know what messages you get!

​Mentioned in this post are: 

Facebook and Instagram are down today. Mondays are when I do the bulk of my marketing work, and most of my followers are on those platforms, so it's a bit of a bummer to not have them available. What's a small-time Fortune Teller to do?

Create a Down 'n Out Tarot Spread! That's what!  Let's see what the cards think I should do about this terrible event. 

Something got you down, lately? Read along with me.

The Down 'n Out Layout:

Card 1 - Why Am I Down?

• Speaks for itself. What's got your goat today?

Card 2 - What Action Should I Take?

• What can you do to lift yourself up by the bootstraps? Consult the Applied Tarot or Applied Tarot Reversed for a list of actions that go with your card.

Card 3 - Who will help me?

• If this isn't an obvious court card, consult the Applied Divination books to see whom this card might represent.

Card 4 - Where should I go?

• This could be a vacation to take, or a place in your city to visit, or it could just be a different room in your apartment that will shake you out of your slump.

Cards 5 & 6 "Outcome"

• This is a two-card outcome. You can read these by picking keywords from the Applied Divination books and reading them together, or analyze the cards together to see what jumps out at you, or what is missing. Maybe you'll never get out of your slump (I hope that's not so!) or maybe it'll be over before this blog is even written.

I did a reading for myself. Although I know the bulk of my issues come from Zuckerberg's shenanigans today, maybe there is something else afoot that is causing me distress, or something I can do about it. Let's see!

Card 1. Why am I, Emily Paper, down? I drew the Ace of Pentacles.

• Apparently I'm down because something tangible, material, or gift-like is just around the corner for me? Maybe this is the storm before the calm? I don't know, I'll take whatever the world is offering next, though! 

Card 2. What action should I take? I drew the reversed Seven of Wands.

• According to Applied Tarot Reversed, I should surrender or try a different way of thinking about this problem. Okay, sounds easy enough!

Card 3. Who will help me? Hopefully whomever is bringing me that ace of pentacles gift. I drew the reversed Seven of Pentacles.

• According to Applied Tarot Reversed, this is a person who is unable to retire. Interesting. I know a few of those. My husband, myself, my best friend, my parent. So this isn't super clear, but I find all those people very helpful whenever I need them, so I appreciate this card for what it is - a reminder that I'm in this boat with a lot of people, and that they give me great gifts every day. 

Card 4 - Where should I go? I drew the Seven of Cups upright. Holy sevens, batman. I'll talk about this in a minute.

• I should go to a gallery, a fancy hotel, Iceland, New York City, or to the shower. I think I'll choose the shower, since I can't really afford the other options. I do need a shower. 

Two-card Outcome (Cards 5 & 6). I drew the King of Swords and the Emperor. Woah patriarchy.

• If I treat these as words, King of Swords is logical or objective, and the Emperor is a father or authority figure. If I use the "Before/After" from Applied Tarot, the translation is "Do hard work for structure." Alright.
  
• Oftentimes I think of the Emperor as the Patriarchy, which I despise so much. So if we think about my problem today - that Facebook/Insta is down and that's where I do the bulk of my marketing, and it's part of the capitalist hellhole that is Patriarchal America, I guess the outcome could mean that I should do some hard work anyway, and soon it'll come back and everything will just magically work in a logical, transactional way again.

Well okay then, I'll take it. I count this blog and tarot spread as hard work. I honestly wasn't going to do this today, but I didn't have a Facebook to read.

On multiple sevens:
It is very rare to get the same number tarot card three times in only a 6-card spread, so let's talk about Tarot and Numerology for a sec. The Minor Arcana follow a similar pattern with numbering.  Here's what the numbers represent:

Aces - new beginnings, potential, fresh starts, gifts
Twos - duality, balance, juggling, choices
Threes - growth, increase, expansion, creativity
Fours - stability, foundations, structure
Fives - instability, challenges, changes, losses
Sixes - comfort, healing, peace, adjustment
Sevens - questioning, spirituality, independence, knowledge, gaining wisdom
Eights - courage, movement, change, disappointment, fortitude
Nines - achievement, awakening, becoming, nearing the end of a cycle
Tens - endings, accomplishment, failure, the finality before a new dawn

So my multiple sevens represents a lot of questions and spiritual insights being gained during this Facebook outage. I suppose that's true. I spend a lot of time on that platform - on purpose, because being alone in my own head is like attending a circus 24/7. But maybe these sevens are telling me to just live with my thought-circus for a bit and see what fresh insights come to me. I guess I'll go do that.  In the shower.
  

Here's a spread I made for difficult decisions. I use this all the time when I have to make a choice about something. It could be as mundane as "should I have beef lasagna or veggie lasagna for lunch?" or as serious as Sophie's Choice.

Okay, your spreads should never be used for a Sophie's Choice scenario. Please do not do that.

Today I'll do a spread for myself and use a choice that's somewhere in the middle - should I go back to work right now, or keep doing what I'm doing? My partner is at a startup and we're having some minor cash flow problems, so it would help if I worked, but I also have this little business plus grad school on the side, so work would be a difficult thing to manage.

I know the issues, let's see what the cards have to say! An image of my spread is below.

Card 1: You
This card may be a direct representation of the querent (such as a court card), or it only shows where their head is at in regards to this specific choice they need to make. 

My spread: I drew the reversed Sun - I'm not happy about possibly going back to work, but I'm also not happy about my money problems. I'm just not happy in either scenario, and it's hard for me to see the sun through the clouds. I'm very much the reversed sun!  

Cards 2-4: The positives, negatives, and outcome of Choice 1
A lot of "choice" spreads lay out both of the positives first, then both negatives, then both outcomes, but I don't and I'll tell you why - I frequently need a third option. When I'm finished laying out all my cards, and I've seen both scenarios, sometimes in the meantime I've come up with a third choice that I didn't think of before!

In the example of lasagnas, I forgot there was a third option - 5-cheese lasagna! No beef, no veggies, just delicious cheese! I would need to tack that on to the end of a lasagna spread as cards 8, 9 and 10.

My spread:  I drew the three of swords as a positive to returning to work. ouch no. that's bad. there are no positives to a full time job. The positive is that I might suffer a heart attack and die, so I don't have to work. 
I drew the reversed five of pentacles as a negative. I will get the finances I need...? I'm not sure why that's negative but money does funny things to people, so who knows.
For the outcome I drew the reversed Strength. I will become weak, insecure, and helpless if I go back to work. Okay.

Cards 5-7: The positives, negatives, and outcome of Choice 2
This is self explanatory, but make sure that when these are drawn you are also comparing them back to their counterparts in Choice 1. Is this positive better than that one? Is the negative even worse? Which outcome is better in general, with all the cards considered?

My spread: I drew the reversed five of swords as a positive. If I don't go back to work, I'll avoid a difficult battle but I'll hold a big grudge about it. That makes sense, I'll still have these money problems. 
I drew the reversed knight of wands as a negative. If I don't go back to work, I will become more arrogant and might take some risks I shouldn't. Hmm, that's troublesome.
For the outcome I drew the reversed two of swords. If I don't go back to work I will be left with indecision, worry, and discomfort. Blaaaaah. 

In my own spread neither option was particularly good. I wonder if there is a third thing I'm not thinking about when it comes to fixing my cash flow problems.
I drew three more cards, for a third choice.  The positives are the reversed ten of swords - I'll avoid a disaster. The negatives are the reversed page of cups - I'll become obsessed with whatever it is. The outcome is the Chariot - I'll create a direction for myself and will go for it! 

Wow, I wonder what that third option is. I probably should have come up with something before I laid out the cards. Oops.

So there you have it, the choices tarot spread. I hope you make some good choices! 

If you're anemic, go with the beef lasagna. Otherwise do the veggie and add an extra layer of cheese! 

Pic of my spread. The deck I used is the Tarot Mood Deck by Natalie Meraki. It's a very funny take on Rider-Waite.

Write down and draw your spread in your new Tarot Divination Journal! The US purchase link is below:

My neighbor's car got broken into last night. I found out because a police officer knocked on my door and asked to see my video camera footage. It's extra terrible because the neighbor was parked just a few feet too far up the road, so the camera didn't catch anyone or anything. 

His unfortunate day reminded me of this Tarot spread I use when my day is just not behaving like a day is supposed to behave. 

Although my morning wasn't quite so bad as the neighbor's (knock wood) I did receive a frustrating email from my kids' school, and I'm kinda pissed about it. Without getting into too much personal detail, my child is going through some pandemic-related school nonsense, and as the school year draws to a close it's looking more and more like he won't be able to maintain a reasonable GPA. Although his SAT score was an impressive 1550 (which I will repeat to anyone for the rest of time because I'm just so damn proud of him) without the GPA he needs, he's probably not going to make it into his dream math/computer science post-secondary institution.

It's a bummer, but I digress. The school's email this morning was a frustrating reminder of that issue, and it has put me in a bad mood now. Time for a Tarot Spread for a Frustrating Day! Play along with me.

Card 1: What is Going On? 

• What's the situation? What's at the root of your frustration? What does the Universe have to tell you about your problem? This might be a negative card that just outlines the scenario, or it could be an uplifting message reminding you that every cloud has a silver lining.
• I drew the Knight of Swords - According to my book, Applied Tarot, a teenager (my son) is a brilliant (I know) force of nature (true) who is going through some turbulence in his life. All very true. Tell me something I don't know, cards! Let's keep going... 

Card 2: What Can I do?

• Here's an action you can take, a food you can eat, a place you could go, or something else that you personally can do to help improve your frustrating situation.
• I drew the Five of Swords - get into a fight? start an argument? change dysfunctional habits (whose? Mine or my kid's? It's a little late in the school year for that) This is a bit unclear, so maybe I'll just watch The War of the Roses, another suggestion from Applied Tarot.

Card 3: Who Can Help Me?

• This is a person in your life, or who will soon come into your life, who might be a great resource to reach out to. Ask them questions! In my neighbor's case he reached out to the cops and myself, but I'm not sure either of us are very helpful.
• I drew the King of Swords - This is a professional authority who knows everything about situations like this. Applied Tarot suggests a Lawyer, but I'm not sure who I would sue. The pandemic for causing my son's studies to crash? Fie on you, Covid! I'll see you in court! The King of Swords could also represent a research university, so maybe when he applies to colleges this fall he just has to ask them to please please please overlook this year's GPA and instead take a gander at his wicked-awesome 99th percentile 1550 SAT score (again, I'm a super proud mama.)

Card 4: Look Ahead to This

• This is the outcome card. It's the near future, or what might happen if we follow the advice in the preceding cards. Sometimes it's just the "tomorrow" card. Be an Annie and remind yourself that the Sun will come up tomorrow.
• I drew the Two of Wands - If this reading were for my son, this card would tell him to set some plans and pick up the momentum already. But this is about my frustrating day, not his, so this card might be telling me to stay positive. In the classic rider-waite tarot deck, a man stands on the shore watching the ships he's just launched sail away. Maybe I should look at my kid as one of the boats I'm launching, so even though it was a rough patch job on his educational hull this year, I just have to let him sail and trust that he'll find his bearings in the great big sea of post-secondary education. 

Bah, okay. Maybe I'll let this one go.  The two of wands also suggests eating Raspberry bars and watching Moneyball, so that sounds like a great distraction from frustration, as well.

Price Drop! Starting tomorrow and for a limited time, Applied Tarot will be just $5.99 on Kindle ($6.99 in Canada). As always, it's free on Kindle Unlimited. 

It's finally here, 2021 has truly begun! While we've celebrated both January 1 (the Gregorian new year) and February 12th (the Chinese New Year), on March 20th the Sun moved into Aries, the first sign of the Western Zodiac, and the start of the last first day of the new year! Hurray!

The sign of Aries is enthusiastic, spontaneous, and a go-getter, so like the flowering trees and the animals coming out of hibernation, we're all ready to get a move on. Now that vaccines are here and 2021 is looking a bit more open for business than 2020 was, what better way to celebrate our enthusiasm than with a Tarot spread for this new year?

Card 1 - This is Ending

• It's the final end of a year most of us would rather forget, thank goodness. Let's see what is going away with that terrible year for you.

Card 2 - This is being born

• What will Spring to life for you? What spontaneous and new event will come for you in this next year?

Card 3  - The Year Ahead

• This is an overview of the year. It might relate to the new project that will be birthed in Card 2, or it might just be a general "what to expect" card during these next 12 months.

Card 4 - Skills to Grow

• Here's what you should try to work on. These may be talents you already have that you should delve into even deeper, or it could be a brand new thing you'd like to learn (2021 is your year to do it!)

So I did this reading for myself because I would also like to know what to birth and what new skills to learn this year! Although I am already starting a new school program and also trying to grow my business, it's always important to see if there is something else I need to grow or know.

Card 1 - This is Ending
The Reversed King of Pentacles - a lack of income and an unsuccessful business. Oooo! Does that mean my business will get more successful and I'll have more income? Or wait... does it mean the business is closing down due to a lack of income (it was a pretty big year of losses just getting established, but that happens to every new business, right? Right?) Gosh, this is worrisome.

Card 2 - This is being born
Ten of Swords - Exhaustion, catastrophe, and failure are being born? Great. Great. Looking forward to that. Not. Seriously, WTH? When skilled Tarot readers see this card they try to say things like "there is nowhere to go but up" or "disaster leads to growth", but the fact is this card is the literal worst. I am not looking forward to whatever Ten of Swords is birthed this year. This is even more worrisome than that reversed Pentacle.

Card 3 - The year ahead for me
The High Priestess - Intuition and psychic abilities. Oh yay! Maybe this does mean that my divination business will grow even further! Yay for reversed Kings! Smash the patriarchy! But I'm still really worried about what that Ten of Swords implies.

Card 4 - Skills to grow
Ace of Swords - Puzzles and intelligence! Yay! I love puzzles (as evidenced by my book, Psychic Word Puzzles) and would love to make more of them. Unfortunately that book hasn't sold very well, so I don't really have the resources to make another one yet. However, I was thinking of quitting puzzle books altogether, so this Ace kind of gives me hope that maybe I can make them work somehow. I'll think more about this, once I get over that devastating Ten of Swords.


So that's my reading. 2 swords in only a 4-card spread, one pentacle and one card about intuition. So it'll be a year of growing my education, seeking wisdom, perhaps suffering a catastrophic failure, and some intuitive growth for me. I'm ready! Sort of!

​Let me know how your reading goes. Happy Astrological New Year 2021! 

The Norse people liked simple things. So here's a simple spread straight from the ancients themselves - the Three Norns! 

The Norns were mythical giant maidens who ruled the fates of both gods and men - that's a lot of gal power! Their names were Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld. This spread of the Three Norns holds a lot of power. It basically declares your destiny based on your past and present.

Stone 1: The Past (Urd)
As well as being the name of one of the Norns, Urd was the name of a well at the base of a large mountain, and is said to be where the Norns reside. Urd herself spins the events of the past. The Rune here represents events of the past that have a direct correlation to the present and the future.

Stone 2: The Present (Verdandi)
If Urd spins the events, Verdandi weaves them together. The Rune here is what is being woven based on the events of the past. It could be what is happening right now, or what will come into being very soon. 

Stone 3: The Future (Skuld)
Urd spins events, Verdandi weaves them, and Skuld is said to "cut them short." So while this Rune does represent the future, it also serves as a reminder that it's not too late to change the future if you don't like how it ends. Skuld hasn't cut anything yet! 


So I did this reading for myself just now, and my topic is this dog I adopted on a whim. At the time I thought 'hey, all three of my kids were super easy, my cats were super easy, everything I've parented in life was super easy, so this dog will be super easy too, it's fate! Right?'

Wrong. This is kinda the worst idea I've ever had. I am trying very hard with this dog, I've spent a fortune on training and books and toys and solutions, but it's still quite a mess. He's extremely anxious, abnormally energetic for his breed, and a fluffy giant ball of love and teeth and crying. So much teeth. So much crying - both him and myself. It is hard work. The vet has prescribed anxiety medication for him. I may take it myself.

So, on to the Three Norns - the past, present, and future of my dog.

Rune 1: Fehu
Fehu is wealth that moves - it comes into your life and it goes out again. I think as a Rune representing the past, it's telling me this was a gift that came into my life, and I did the right thing by accepting it. So that's nice. 

Rune 2: Jera
Jera represents those moments between seasons, and how they blend to create natural cycles of abundance and loss, marriage and divorce, and planting and harvesting. Jera is a cycle that is never quite complete. I suppose in the present position, I'm in that middle part of a cycle, where dog parenting is both bad and good, fluffy and difficult, adorable yet crying. The only thing to do is push through.

Rune 3: Raido (Reversed)
Upright, Raido is about travel and taking a journey. In reverse it is about immobility, restlessness, or one who is a control freak. I suppose Skuld is warning me to be a little more flexible with my dog and our lives, and understand that immobility is a natural part of having a new puppy. I will just have to work around it, and maybe put travel on hold for a bit. The dog won't let me go anywhere anyway. So much crying.

That's my story and my dog and I'm stuck with it for now, I guess. Oh well! He's cute, so he's got that going for him. 

If you don't have Runes, I found this neat online Three Norns reading that also includes reversals, which I feel are important when summoning the divinatory powers of the cold North. 

For more on the Runes, read Applied Runes! 
​

March 1st began my new adventure as a --I don't want to say unemployed-- no-longer-employed-by-the-man author, grad student, and business owner. I work for myself and myself alone now! It is terrifying and lonely and I don't recommend it at all!

So, of course, instead of getting right down to brand building and writing new books and working on my assignments, I procrastinated all yesterday and came up with this Tarot spread for myself. It works for anyone undergoing a career overhaul, or starting a new job, or just trying something a little different.

Card 1 - Your New Role

• This is an overview of what you're getting yourself into! Super daunting, but keep going.

Card 2 - Personal goals

• This is what you, yourself, hope to get out of this adventure. These could be emotional goals, or a self development plan, or something that relates to what makes you you.

Card 3 - Business goals

• Business goals could be financial, or developmental, or professional, anything that has to do with getting down to business and up in the world

Card 4 - The challenges

• Self explanatory - the bad stuff you'll encounter and will need to work through.

Card 5 - The perks

• The awesome stuff about this new adventure you're on!

Card 6 - The Outcome

• Woo-hoo! What's the scoop on how this will go?

So of course I did this reading for myself, because I can't NOT invent a tarot reading and then do it on myself. Also, not doing it would mean I'd have to do my other work and really focus on my new self-employment venture, and I don't want to do that.

My New Role - the Reversed Eight of Pentacles

• Inexperience, cutting corners, and not doing the hard work required. This is factual as I am only blogging right now to avoid hard work. Thanks for this reminder, Tarot.

My Personal Goals - Two of Wands

• Planning, potential, and launching my ships! Yes! That is definitely my goal! Now I just need to do it!

My Business Goals - Four of Swords

• Rest, coming up with ideas, taking a break or vacation. I mean, sure. Getting a vacation would be a nice business goal, although more expensive than lucrative. I suppose my goal for starting my Master's program is to eventually study on campus in Halifax, Nova Scotia, so that would be a nice vacation where I could incubate ideas among my fellow grad students. So this card could make sense in a few different ways. I did need a break from my last job, that's for sure.

The Challenges - Five of Pentacles

• Poverty and instability. YUP. THANKS FOR THE REMINDER, CARDS.

The Perks - Seven of Wands

• Perseverance, defending what matters, challenges. It's not a great perk, but perseverance is healthy, and working on challenges can only help me grow as a person.

The Outcome - The Reversed Ten of Cups

• Family troubles, selfishness, divorce. Well, lovely. I don't know what the positives are of this at all. I'm the worst at doing Tarot spreads for myself. I guess I'd better go tell the hubs it's over and call my lawyer.

Want a personal challenge and a psychic reading? Try my new book, Psychic Word Puzzles! It's a Tarot Spread, a Fortune Teller, an exercise for your gray matter, and a fun distraction all in one! 

Here's the general purpose tarot spread from my Applied Tarot deck. This is an awesome spread to use when:
1. You have no idea what you want to ask the cards,
2. Someone is asking YOU to do a reading for them but they don't know what about
3. You're bored out of your skull. 

All valid reasons to do a Tarot Reading!

Before you start this reading, you might want to choose a time frame for the outcome. Do you want to know what is to come this week, this month, or this year? There are no wrong answers.

Card 1: The Present Self

• This is you, or the querent, in this current moment. Sometimes metaphorical (Three of Pentacles? You're engaged in some teamwork of some kind? There is more you need to learn? Are you the student or the teacher? It's hard to say), sometimes very direct (King of Swords - you're brilliant and cunning!) this card is very much up to interpretation.

Card 2: Your Goal

• This one is self explanatory. This is your aim, your hopes and dreams, or your goal for this period. If this card is wildly different than what you think your dream is, it may have a deeper insight into your goal that you aren't aware of, or it might be a fear you have about your dreams, rather than a hope. 

Card 3: An Action to take

• Do this to get closer to your goal. Not sure what "this" is? Open Applied Tarot and look under "(card) as an action:" 

Card 4: Who will help?

• This is the person or institution that will help you achieve your dreams. In Applied Tarot, this would be the person listed under "Who?" in the questions answered section. But it could also be the "Place in your city" - such as a dojo or a school. 

Card 5: The Future

• This is self-explanatory! It's the outcome, or what will happen if you follow the advice given. If this card is wildly different than your goals card, do not despair! It's possible the cards have a message for you that you must pay attention to before you can achieve your dreams.

For funsies I did a reading for myself just now. I would like to know what is to come over the next few weeks.

The present self: The Reversed Two of Pentacles 
This is basically disorganization, indecision, and over-commitment. Which is very much where I am right now. I knew that. I have a million different projects going right now, and therefore am unable to do any of them. It's paralyzing.

My Goal: The Reversed two of Cups
I'm not sure why my goal is divorce and break-ups. Unless! It could also be interpreted as "self-love" or the ability to see my personal strengths and successes instead of seeking outside reassurance that I'm on the right track. That makes more sense.

Reversals are hard. I am currently writing Applied Tarot Reversed, and there are so many ways to interpret reversals, it could be a very long book! I touch on a few different ways to interpret them on page 3 of Applied Tarot.

An Action to take: Eight of Pentacles
From Applied Tarot: Study or master a subject. Done! I'm starting my Master's program NEXT WEEK. Perhaps that's why I feel really burdened, self-conscious, and overcommitted right now. 

Who will help me: The Page of Pentacles
A young, studious person. Okay. As a parent of college-aged kids I do have a lot of students in my life. I'm not sure which one is the page, but maybe they will become apparent over the next two weeks, and help me out a bit. I'll keep an eye out for them!

The Future: Reversed Two of Wands
Another reversed Two! Twos are about partnership and relationships, but these are all reversed, so I'm thinking this is all about me, myself, and I. The two of wands upright is about future planning, launching my ships, and thoughtful planning. Reversed and as a future card, it is probably telling me this next period is about setting personal goals, making sure I choose a direction before I launch, and not being afraid to set sail.

I can do that. Maybe. I'll try.

Lots of reversed twos and pentacles in my reading, so altogether I can see this reading is about independence and tangible rewards I can see, touch, and feel. I like that. 

Do a reading for yourself and let me know how it goes!

I ordered a proof of the Tarot deck I'd created for the book. I like the feel and how easy it is to shuffle, but the designs still need a bit of work before I can produce any for sale. 

Because decks come in packs of 80 and I only have 79 cards in my book, I included a card with my go-to "general" spread. This is the spread I use when clients don't know what to ask, or just want an overview of themselves or what's going on.  Of course, since I was trying this deck out for the first time, I did the spread on myself to see what would happen.

It wasn't great.

Note: I also used reversed cards, as I tend to do in all my readings. There is a bit on page 3 about how to interpret reversed cards, so I encourage you to allow them in your readings, too. Maybe some day I'll release a book entirely about reversed cards, but for now you'll just have to trust your intuition about them.

Card 1: My Present Self
Judgement - I suppose by writing this book I've lived up to my karmic destiny, finally. Or I'm just super judgmental person. Also could be true.

Card 2: My Goal or Wish
Nine of Pentacles - Yes, my goal is to live in luxury, control falcons, and bounce balloons. Easy answer. Next!

Card 3: An Action to Take
Reversed Lovers - Now wait a minute here. Get a divorce? End a partnership? WTF. I don't have a partnership to end, so it must be the divorce thing, but I don't want that! 

Card 4: Who will help me?
Reversed Seven of Swords - Someone who recently got away with a crime? Or does it mean someone who is the opposite of a criminal? So, like, a nun? I don't have any idea who this person is who will help me. I have to think about this.

Card 5: The Outcome
Reversed Two of Cups - Divorce. What the hell?

Well, that was not a fun reading and I didn't like it. I am taking this to mean the deck is NOT ready for sale yet, so I should wrap it up and chuck it away. Maybe I'll give it to my husband--my best friend whom I respect and adore very much--as a parting gift. 

Interesting news for those of you who bought the early edition of the book - one of the cards within those pages has been completely changed. You'll just have to order the future deck or obtain the latest book version to figure out which card is different.