The Artist Spread

Wow, I haven't written in a hot minute. It's been super crazy with my part time job and with dancing. I basically work, dance, eat, shower, and sleep. This is the first time I've had a day off to just sit around and do nothing in a while, so... time for a new spread.

I remember putting this spread in my journal as one of the spreads that I would love to use. When I saw Super-Frog's entry about the Artist Spread, and it was something that I needed. I've been in such a rut creatively, and I feel like I've lost my voice (my massage therapist noted that there was tension in my jaw). I thought it would be a good spread to do. I used Dream Enchantress with it.

                      7
                   6
                5
             4
          3
       2
    1

1. How the past affects the future. 10 of Swords
I have some demons that I'm currently battling right now, and it's affecting my ability to express myself. I had a situation where someone close to me had made a comment about a new costume that I'm certain came out the wrong way, and it affected what I did when I was on the stage. I just wanted to go home and never perform in it again.

2. How the project affects you right now. Ace of Swords
I do have ideas floating around. Nothing solid yet, but I have some things going. I think I just have to be patient about it, and it will come.

3. How to begin the project. 3 of Swords
I think I have to take the time to focus. I often have so many ideas swirling around my head that nothing ends up getting done. I should take one thing, and spend the time to work on it. If I don't, nothing gets done at all.

4. How to continue the project. Queen of Cups
I have to allow myself the ability to embrace my emotions. That's the only way I'll be able to get any project going. I've found in my dance that the emotions do play a huge difference in how I feel when I'm performing.

5. How to finish the project. 7 of Cups
Let me just say right now, this is my absolute favorite card among all decks I have. It's so beautiful, I'm just filled with calm when I see it. I have to mother my project. Encourage it to develop, then set it free. Let it go out into the universe. 

6. How to share the project in a way that will lead to... 3 of Wands
I just simply have to perform it. I have to allow myself to be vulnerable by putting it out there into the world.

7. ...the future. 6 of Swords
I'll find a higher sense of being, a new place in my journey. It makes sense because in order to move on, I'll need to kill whatever is holding me hostage creatively.

My Beauty Spread

I'm such a girly-girl. I saw the Your Beauty spread on Aeclectic Tarot, and I just had to work with it. It took a couple of attempts to get it the right feel for it, but I think this time it worked.

5  6
3  7
1
2  8
4  9

1. This represents yourself. 4 of Swords

I am often trapped by the past. I have a desire to move on and embrace whatever is in store for me, but then the feelings of getting emotionally burned creep into my spirit. As a result of that, I just stay in my shell. I never truly express what I want and who I am. It's the drawback to having a Venus in Cancer. That or Secret was telling me that I needed to go to bed.  

2. This represents your beauty. 8 of Swords

There is a vulnerability to my beauty. It yearns to shine, but it's scared to. Of course this ties into the 4 of Swords. Being burned from the past just wants my beauty to shy away and be invisible. At the same time, it does want to be able to come forth and be present, but it doesn't want to get hurt again.

3. What your beauty consist of. Strength

I think that there is an inner strength to my beauty that I have yet to embrace. I will be able to bring out the best in myself and the best in others.

4. What your beauty can offer others. 5 of Wands



I have absolutely no idea what this means in regards to what it can offer other people. I'll have people fighting over me? I wish...

5. How you see your beauty. The World

I'm beginning to acknowledge that I'm me. I'm flawed in many ways, and that's what makes me beautiful. I used to cringe at seeing my stretch marks, my bad skin, or my surgery scar, but I can't change that. It's better to let them be a part of me than to spend time hating myself over it. Now that I'm thinking about my view of the card while writing this out, I think back to the photo shoot I did in the park. It was so freeing, it was so amazing. I felt beautiful.

6. How others see your beauty. Knave of Pentacles

There are women out there who are just so beautiful and striking that they're almost unapproachable. I can't really think of a woman who's like that, but I'm sure you know what I mean. I... am not one of those women. That's not to say that I'm putting myself down. It's more like, there's a practical approach. People see that I don't wear makeup except for when I dance, and that adds a humanistic, for lack of a better term, approach. My beauty doesn't intimidate others.

7. Why people are intimidated by your beauty. Queen of Cups

I think people are intimidated by my beauty because it's disarming. I seem to have this ability to draw stories out of people. As much as I like to talk about myself, I think people open up to me and express their feelings to me. It reminds me of this book called the Passion Principle by Donna LeBlanc, where the author categorizes people into the Lover, Creator, Warrior, Visionary, and Prophet. I most identified with the Creator, as someone who tends to be the shoulder to cry on and focuses so much on other people at the expense of my own needs. The Pisces Moon allows me to feel other people's energy, and I think people may get freaked out by that.

8. What your beauty wants you to know. Queen of Pentacles

My beauty wants me to stay true to myself, but I also need to take care of my body. I need to work out more. Take care of my home. I definitely need to go out into nature a lot more as well. Sometimes, walking around the neighborhood makes a whole world of difference.

9. How your beauty will remain at old age. Queen of Swords

It looks like, I'll have to learn about different beauty regimens to keep my youthful appearance and vitality. 

The first thing that struck me was that three of the four queens came out. It's also quite telling that the Queen of Wands didn't appear. It's because I'm the least like her. I don't have that certain energy that Queen possesses. Even though she's hunched over, she still has a presence about her. If I see her, I know that I have to pay attention to her. The others have a different presence about them. The Queen of Cups doesn't appear much, but I relate to her in a way that I lack with the Queen of Wands.

The Secret Me

This spread is courtesy of the Tribal Bible. I'm constantly looking to see what secrets about me Secret can find. He's the right deck for that.

Here's the layout:
1-2/3-4

1. My secret desire. The Hermit

My secret desire is to discover who am I and the path that I am meant to lead in this lifetime. What am I expected to take with me as I grow as a person?

2. What motivates me. The High Priestess

I have a need to tap into my intuition that I feel that I have been neglecting. Allowing myself to be open to magic and mysticism.

3. What puts me down. Queen of Cups

My emotions may be blinding me from seeing, and embracing my power.

4. What I can accomplish. Judgement

I can liberate myself from the ordinary standard way of thinking to achieve a higher state of being. I can develop the new, spiritual me.

How interesting is it that there are 3 Majors in this spread? Apparently, Secret is all but screaming at me about who I am and what I'm capable of.

Goddess Spread

I found this spread on Aeclectic Forum, and I thought it would be cool to do a reading on it. I would love to start building an altar to Her, but that's going to have to wait. Here is the layout of the spread.

1   2   3
     4
     5

1. You. Where you find Goddess. Your opinion towards Her. Your experience with Her so far. 6 of Cups

I look at Her with fondness and joy. I feel like I am closest with her when I think of happy memories, or when I need a gentle nudge.

2. Relation. How you have interacted with Her and what you have shared in acts and prayer. The Empress

I feel like she is with me during meditation. She's also with me when I feel that inspiration to create choreography and dance. My dance is my offering to her.

3. Goddess. Goddess aspects you have witnessed and what She has granted. Queen of Cups

She has given me sensuality, the ability to love and the ability to be open to receive love. She allows me to open my intuition, and She allows me to be a vessel to create Her message.

4. Method. Future advice on how to heighten relationship with Goddess. 8 of Wands

I must not be afraid to actually contact Her directly. She is open to listening.

5. Tangible. Advice on physical worship and how to adorn Her. The Tower

I was stumped when I saw this. I think this also relates to Card 4 in that I have to actually contact Her. Let Her be a part of me. Invoking the spirit.