Traveling with the Tarot Knights

I’ve been having fun writing about numbers and ranks in tarot recently. This week feels like time to explore the Knights!

The Court cards can be confusing because of their versatility; each one can mean so many things. This is especially true of the Pages and the Knights.

Traditionally, Pages are feminine, and Knights are masculine. This has never proved true for me in my readings, so I prefer a deck where the Pages and Knights are fairly androgenous-looking. Intuitively I may see a Page or Knight with a gender in a specific reading. In another reading, the same card may appear as a different gender to me. Of course, on these sorts of reding techniques and interpretations, your mileage may vary.

There are some tarotists who assign to the tarot Knights a sense of courtly honor, like Arthurian Knights of the Round Table. That has never resonated with me but might be something to consider.

Like the Pages, Knights can be young people, or can give you a directive, or make a prediction.

Keywords to associate with the rank of Knight include travel, pursuit, goals, motion. So, a Knight might be a young person who is goal oriented. A Knight might be a person of any age who is single-mindedly pursuing a goal. A Knight might encourage you to pursue a goal.

The sort of goal, of course, is determined by the suit. The Knight of Swords might be pursuing truth, writing, knowledge, communication, or technology. The Knight of Wands might be pursuing fun, creativity, humor, athleticism or spirituality. The Knight of Cups might be pursuing love and romance. The Knight of Pentacles might be pursuing work and money.

Knights can also predict or encourage travel. The type of travel is denoted by the suit. The Knight of Swords might be a trip to learn something or discover something. The Knight of Wands might be a trip for fun, or to a concert or sporting event. The Knight of Cups might be a romantic vacation. The Knight of Pentacles would be travel for business.

One of the ways the pandemic has appeared in the cards of clients is a lot of reversed Knights, indicating cancelled trips, and no ability to travel at the moment.

Two of the Knights can have a special job of indicating timing, that is, how fast something will happen, or how quickly you should move to make something happen. The Knight of Swords is about swiftness, while the Knight of Pentacles indicates a slow pace.

When Pages and Knights appear together, they may talk about a sibling group, with the Knights likely to be the older siblings.

Very often, the Knights appear to tell us to get off our butts and get moving. They can be a gentle or not-so-gentle nudge from the Universe to move forward toward our goals. They are also a constant reminder that life is a journey. Given their particular messages, they can evoke some of the same emotions and information as the Fool and the Chariot.

Reading the Tarot Pages

You are being Paged! That is something I sometimes say when I see a few Pages in a tarot spread. Sometimes a predominance of Pages can tell us that the Universe is communicating directly with us. It is ‘paging’ us, if you will, to get our attention and give us our marching orders.

Other times, Pages can give different sorts of messages. While the tarot Court, in general, can be tricky to interpret, the tarot Pages seem to be the most elusive and difficult to nail down.

In recent years I have heard many tarot students compare the Pages to the Aces, suggesting that the Pages can represent something new, or something beginning. While the Pages certainly do carry the energy of youth, and therefore newness, I feel there are so many richer and more specific possibilities for interpreting the four Pages of tarot.

Regardless of suit, all four Pages have a few things in common. The Pages can represent children. The Pages can represent pets. The Pages can represent people of any age who are engaged in learning something new, reinventing themselves, or finding their voice.

In a reading about business, the Pages can speak about your web page and social media presence.

Keywords for the rank of Page include learning, study, school, youth and communication.

The Pages can predict that you will receive a message. The Pages can remind you of the importance of communication. The Pages can tell you to go to school.

The suit of each Page gives the interpretation more specificity. If the Page is indeed a person, the suit will give us a hint about their personality. If the Page is telling us to communicate, or suggesting that we will receive communication, the suit will tell us what the communication is about. If the Page is telling us to study something or learn something, the suit will tell us what the subject matter should be.

Very often, Pages in a tarot reading will give more than one message. That means that a particular Page might be about your child, but also might talk about a class you are taking. It might also encourage you to have a specific conversation you have been avoiding.

Since the Pages are so much about communication, it only makes sense that each one of them should communicate a great deal of information!

Tarot Mooshing

I love how quickly new expressions spring up on the internet. Such a thing happened quite spontaneously and delightfully in a recent tarot class on YouTube live.

The class was on three-card spreads. We were talking about the many ways to read three cards. I brought up that we can read them linearly, or we can ‘moosh’ their meanings together to create many messages.

At the time, I wasn’t even sure that ‘moosh’ was a word, or even if that was what I was saying. I think I was combining ‘mush’ and ‘smoosh’. Later, I looked the word up. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to have any off-color meanings in the urban dictionary. Most sources see it as an alternative spelling of ‘mush’.

I knew ‘tarot mooshing’ had become a thing because people in the class were talking about it in the comments.

‘I moosh’.

‘I’m a moosher.’

‘I love to moosh.’

‘I can’t moosh.’

‘I want to learn to moosh.’

Just like that, tarot mooshing was formalized, and will now forever be a real tarot technique.

I’ve taught this technique prior to it receiving this creative name.

Now that it has a name, I would like to share a few more thoughts about it.

Tarot mooshing can be used as an adjunct to a reading in an effort to gain more information and more clarity. Tarot mooshing can also be the predominate technique by which a reading is given.

We can moosh any group of cards. When using a positioned spread, it is best to read the cards within their positions and add whatever information you can by mooshing. Sometimes I will moosh first, and then consider the individual cards within their positions. Other times I will read the individual cards in their positions first, and then look at the ways the cards can interreact with each other.

When reading a group of cards that are not arranged in a positioned spread, the mooshing technique can become even more important. If the cards were drawn to answer a specific question, each card may be considered in the context of that question. Yet, it is even more helpful to look at the cards as a group and see how their meanings combine to answer the question.

When mooshing a positioned spread, you have to let the cards come out of their positions and see how they interact with each other in groups.

In any case, this frivolously named technique involves looking at what the cards may have in common with one another, as well as ways cards may be direct opposites to one another.

When looking for similarities, look for cards of the same suit, and of the same number or rank. Look for cards with similar images. Look for cards with similar colors.

Consider the similarities you find and consider what those similarities might tell you in the context of the question, or the matter at hand.

Think about keywords that cards may have in common. Do you see more than one card that speaks of balance, for example, or of forward motion, or of communication, or of education?

Basically, the more cards you find that strengthen each other’s meanings, the more that meaning will become a central theme in your reading.

When you find opposites, consider what that may say to you. Are there opposing forces at play, or decisions to be made?

Whether or not you want to use this funny new word for this tarot technique doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we understand that when we see how the cards connect to each other, work with each other and speak to each other, our readings become more accurate, more nuanced, and more informative.

Considering the Emperor in 2020

2020 is the year of the Emperor. This is so because the Emperor is card Four in the Major Arcana, and the numerals of 2020 add up to four.

At the end of December and beginning of January, tarotists were speculating how the energy of the Emperor might be expressed over the next twelve months. Now, as we begin month eight of the oddest year of our lives, we might all have some new insights into the Emperor.

The Emperor is a card that often receives more negative press than I feel it should. 2020 is not going to help its reputation, I’m afraid.

It seems that many tarotists limit their understanding of the Emperor to power-hungry male authority. They see the Emperor as an overlord, a stern father, or a negative expression of the patriarchy. Certainly, these energies can be aspects of the Emperor. Yet, I believe there is so much more to be found in card Four.

What are positive aspects of the Emperor? I think the spiritual lesson of the Emperor is about responsibility. The Emperor is a community leader. He might be a politician, with the power to declare war. Yet, he might also be a loving father, or a caring community steward.

The number four generally speaks of stability. In the Emperor’s stability there could be rigidity, but there could also be dependability and loyalty.

How does the energy of the Emperor show up in the year 2020? Certainly, in the United States, we are preparing for an election which will determine who our leaders will be. Worldwide, during the pandemic, we have looked to our leaders for answers, and often have felt that our leaders weren’t doing enough, or weren’t doing the right things.

The death of George Floyd put the ongoing questions of how policing should be done in the front of everyone’s mind. Everything from the concept of centuries of systemic racism to the concept of police reformation can be seen in the Emperor.

The Emperor asks who will govern us, and in what way.

The Emperor is uncomfortable with moving away from the status quo, whether in an effort to stop the spread of a virus, or in an effort to change unjust societal norms.

As we look at the events that have unfolded over the past eight months, we can see the Emperor present in all of them.

As we move forward, we can learn from the Emperor as well. We can hold ourselves accountable for our behaviors. We can keep our word. We can nurture our communities. We can govern our own affairs with responsibility to ourselves, and to our families and our communities.

The Nature of Tarot (and Nature Therapy)

The Empress sits on her outdoor throne. In the distance, lush trees and a flowing river create a beautiful backdrop.

The people in the Six of Swords sail across a vast stretch of water, presumably searching for distant new lands.

A dog and a wolf howl at the moon, oblivious to the crayfish in the water behind them.

Did you know that in the 78 cards of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, a whopping 67 of them depict scenes of nature? What’s more, out of the remaining 11 cards, four of them still feature elements of nature such as fruits or wild animals. Only seven images are depicted completely indoors, with no indication of nature whatsoever. 

My name is Stephen and I am a tarot reader and an ecotherapist/nature therapist. You might be unfamiliar with the terms ‘ecotherapy’ and ‘nature therapy’, but they essentially refer to the same thing. Ecotherapy is any therapy that aims to improve people’s wellbeing by connecting them with nature. This can be done in numerous ways, from attending gardening groups to creating nature art or practising mindfulness in nature. You will be hearing a lot more about ecotherapy in the next few years I promise!

My love of nature goes way back to childhood. Like many people, however, I became disconnected from it for most of my adult life. It is only during the last four years that I have found my love of nature again. Words can’t describe just how much it has positively changed my life. Nature is spirituality itself; alive, here, in front of us, driven by some force that we just can’t comprehend. It is magical.

Tarot, in contrast to nature, is something which I only came to discover in my early twenties. Tarot has been there in my life when nature hasn’t (or rather, I haven’t been there for nature), planting the seeds needed for me to rekindle that magical relationship. I wonder if tarot has been asking you to pay attention to nature too, without you realising?

The Two of Swords always baffled me in my personal readings. It would come up a lot over the years, but I couldn’t figure out why it kept appearing. I now realise that since I began practising ecotherapy, this card no longer shows up.

The woman in the Two of Swords sits with her back to the sea, on a sturdy seat of some kind (it doesn’t look comfortable)! She is blindfolded, and in her arms, she holds two enormous, heavy-looking swords that surely must be weighing her down. A fairly calm sea is behind her, and a rocky island is in the distance. The sky is clear and the waxing moon is visible. Even the sand at her feet looks clean and luxurious, yet her yellow footwear prevents her bare feet from connecting to it.

It’s only now that I see myself in her. There I was, living in a beautiful part of the world and yet my time outdoors was spent stuck in my endless thoughts, not paying attention to nature at all. I was incapable of seeing the beauty around me for my endless mental plans about the future, or my worries about the past. I know that I am definitely not alone in having a mind that works like that!

Tarot images are deeply nuanced, so of course, I’m not suggesting that being disconnected from nature is ‘the’ meaning of the Two of Swords. There is no one meaning to be found within any tarot card. However, when you know your cards pretty well, and one keeps reappearing (to your utter confusion), sometimes the meaning can be found within its most obvious visual clues.

Two of Swords from Rider Waite Tarot, Copyright 1971, U.S. Games Systems, Inc, Stamford, CT.
Used with permission.

The woman in the Two of Swords always seems ready for battle. If only she could just put those swords down and take off her blindfold and shoes. I want her to turn around, breathe in deeply and enjoy the beautiful landscape that surrounds her!

My relationship with tarot has been with me for (almost) all of my entire adult life, presenting me with images of hills, rivers, birds, beasts, mountains and oceans. I found deep personal meaning in the light of the sun, moon and stars, and yet I rarely looked up and appreciated them for real. 

I look back and I thank the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot for pointing the way and for planting so many nature scenes—and nature seeds—in my mind. I am almost 100% sure that part of the reason I love the Rider-Waite-Smith so much is because of the connection to nature that I feel when I read for myself or others.

Reading tarot (or at least the Rider-Waite-Smith or decks inspired by it) is a practise which draws our attention to nature, whether we realise it or not. My invitation to you is the same as the Two of Sword’s invitation to me. Sometimes, the cards that you are holding are asking you to put them down.

If you are awe-struck by a beautiful scene in a tarot card, let it inspire you to go outside, breathe in deeply and notice this beautiful planet that we are so privileged to be a part of. If you find that you struggle to connect with nature, look up ecotherapy or nature therapy online—it might just be just what you need.

Earth, air, fire and water. Remember; they are the essence of nature itself.

Connecting with Your 1918 Flu Pandemic Ancestors

There’s not one person on earth who doesn’t have an ancestor who either lived through or perished in the 1918 flu pandemic. Today, I’m going to show you how to contact that ancestor and what you might learn.

Worldwide Impact

First, a tiny bit of history. The 1918 pandemic came in three strains, with the killing one hitting America in August of that year. Although estimates vary, it’s thought that about 50 million people died, worldwide.

Letter carrier image: Courtesy Library of Congress

Just as with Covid-19, anyone who came into contact with the public was especially vulnerable. And just as today, wearing a face mask was commonplace.

If you think social distancing is unique to the 21st century, it’s not. Back in 1918, after realizing the severity of the flu, public gatherings were outlawed in many places, including churches, schools, and any other place where large numbers of people congregated.

Because one of my ancestors died of the Spanish flu, I wanted to make contact to see if she had any words of advice for those of us living through Covid-19

Prepping for Ancestral Contact

Preparing for ancestral work can take many forms. Because this is something I frequently do, my method is to do 5-10 slow, deep breathing exercises. This quickly drops me into a receptive state. Once I feel centered and grounded, I ask the ancestors if the time is good for me to connect with my ancestor who perished in 1918. I typically will hear a strong ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

If you’ve never done ancestral work using Tarot, I’d suggest you begin by doing your usual pre-Tarot reading preparation. This might include lighting a candle, working with your ancestral altar, or doing a brief meditation in which you ask the ancestors to come forward. If you know who the 1918 ancestor was, you can ask for them by name. If you don’t know, simply tell the ancestors what you are seeking, then wait to see who comes forward.

Be sure to ask if this is a good time to connect with your 1918 ancestor. If you don’t ‘hear’ an answer, draw three cards and do a simple yes-no spread. If you hear a ‘yes’, then move forward.

Quick Yes-No Spread

The easiest way to get a yes-no answer is to draw three cards. If two or three are upright, the answer is yes. If two or three are reversed, the answer is no.

If the answer is ‘no’ – try again at a later time. Not all ancestors want to work with us 24/7, so don’t be offended if the one you want declines. You have other 1918 ancestors, so if the specific one you requested doesn’t come forward, ask for another.

Once you’ve done your pre-reading preparation and received a go-ahead from the ancestors, then shuffle you cards and follow along with the spread below.

The 1918 Pandemic Spread

Because I know I lost an ancestor in December of 1918, I knew exactly who I wanted to contact. However, the spread works the same if you don’t know a name or their relationship to you. Remember, the questions are directed to one of your ancestors who lived through or perished during that time.

1.  Did you realize the severity of the flu when it hit your hometown? (3 Pentacles)

2.  Did you think you were taking adequate protection? (Fool)

3.  When you or someone close to you passed over, were there others with the flu who passed at the same time? (Page of Swords)

4. Do you have a message for how those of us living through Covid-19? (Wheel of Fortune)

5. What do you see as the new normal post-Covid-19? (King of Swords)

6.  Do you have a timeline for a vaccine or effective anti-viral to be available? (9 of Cups)

7.  Do you have anything else you want us to know? (5 of Wands)

Deck: Universal Waite Tarot (U.S. Games)

Because I often hear answers, my interpretation of a card may be different from your own.

The information I received from this ancestor was that she didn’t know just how deadly the flu was and in fact she received it while attending a church service. As far as taking precautions, she took none as she felt that the flu would only have a minimal impact on  her small town.

Surprisingly, I thought that when she passed, she might have been accompanied by many people, as in her county close to 1,000 people passed at about the same time. However, with the Page of Swords, I believe she was only aware of a child who passed with her.

The message that really hit home for me was her message for those of us living under the threat of Covid-19 – the Wheel of Fortune. The message was clear:  If we do all that we should to keep safe – and keep those we love safe – then we will stay on top of the Wheel. If we take ill-advised chances, we’re going to fall off. If there ever was a forewarned is forearmed message, it’s this one.

As far as the ‘new normal’, we get the King of Swords who is concerned with ideas, especially as they impact organizations or large structures. I believe we are going to see a lot of thought going into new ways of doing things, as well as new structures of government. This, I believe, is going to occur first at the local level, then move its way up. How each of our communities envisions itself is going create the new norm.

Of course, I was really interested in a timeline for a vaccine or effective anti-viral. Cups denote summertime, but this summer or next? With the 9 of Cups, the best I can interpret is nine weeks into summer, which puts us at September. Again, whether that’s 2020 or 2021, I don’t know.

The last question – was there anything else she wanted us to know? With the 5 of Wands we are seeing a scene of competitiveness. Is this about the mask-wearer vs. the non-mask-wearers, or one pharmaceutical vs. another? Because it was the last message that she wanted to impart, I think we are being warned that unless we work together as a whole, Covid-19 is going to be around for a very long time.

Nancy Hendrickson is the author of Ancestral Tarot (Red Wheel/Weiser Spring 2021) and a columnist for The Cartomancer Magazine. She hands out at SageandShadow.com

If you’re interested in learning more about the 1918 pandemic, the National Institutes of Health released a video of a public research symposium involving Virginia Tech students who present their research on various aspects of the 1918 pandemic.  https://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=36347&bhcp=1

Tarot Toothbrushing and the Power of the Meetup

One of the sorrows of our global pandemic is that, at least for now, our monthly tarot meetup can’t gather at Panera Bread as we usually do. Yet, this has led to a great joy, as sorrows sometimes do.

I have moved our monthly meetup to YouTube Live. This has proved to be so much fun that, even after we can gather in person, I will still continue to hold these monthly sessions on YouTube.

During our most recent meeting, we discussed something I refer to as ‘psychic hygiene’. That is the meditative and energy work we do to keep ourselves energetically protected and psychically connected when doing a professional tarot reading.

Many of us shared our methods. Marion K Tarot prefaced hers with a warning that we might find it kind of crazy. Before each reading she makes sure to brush her teeth. Not just to freshen her breath, but to energetically prepare for the reading.

I thought this was anything but crazy. Since we deliver the reading by talking, to brush the teeth is to honor the mouth, and the throat chakra. To do this with intention is to prepare to communicate on a higher and more effective level.

I suggested that perhaps we should all consider doing this. Maybe we could even ritually prepare a special toothpaste and toothbrush to use only for this purpose.

The group engaged in some playful banter. Dena Moscowitz suggested that in ritual we would create “White Light Toothpaste”.

The best line of the conversation came from psychometrist David Victor. He suggested that this process be referred to as “aural hygiene.”

Sometimes in the work we do the mundane and the magickal meet. As above, so below.

Sometimes, when we gather together with our colleagues and peers, teachers and students, humor and innovative practical techniques weave together to create both fellowship and inspiration.

The Value of a General Reading

Every tarot reader, and every diviner, has their own style, and their own preferred way to work with their self-readings, their clients and their tools.

I have noticed that a great many readers prefer to begin a tarot session with a specific question. Some readers discourage “general readings.” A general reading is a reading that begins without a specific question or area of focus. I have even heard tarotists complain that they feel like doing a reading for themselves but can’t think of a good question. To me, in that case, the obvious question is no question at all. Or, more clearly, “What does the Universe want me to know?”

Many times, clients want to have readings because they have questions. A tarot reading is a wonderful way to explore relationship dynamics, career options, personal growth, creative inspiration and spiritual understanding. Often these are the sorts of questions that spark the need for a reading, and that create the questions around which a reading is framed. A good reader will have multiple techniques which allow them to offer answers and insight around these areas of concern.

Yet, sometimes the best readings happen when we begin without a question, and simply open up to what the Universe has to say. This process can happen in a couple of ways.

Sometimes clients choose to have readings simply because they feel ready to hear some wisdom and insight. Sometimes they are feeling a bit antsy or confused, but don’t understand why. Sometimes they have so many questions they don’t know where to begin. Often, they have questions but are willing to see what shows up in the cards first.

Very often, when we, as tarot readers and clients, are open to whatever comes up in the cards, we easily receive communication from loved ones in spirit, inspiring messages, confirmation of things we already know, and forewarnings of future events. Had we been solely focused on answering a specific question, these things might not be made known to us.

When self-reading, we can approach a general reading with a curious mind. We can be open simply to the messages of the Universe.

There are three important tools that can help us give great general readings. The first is a good technique. My favorite is a large comprehensive spread, such as a Celtic Cross or an Astrology Wheel. This helps us see what is going on in many different departments of life.

The second tool is the ability to interpret each card in more than one way, and to find even more information from reading cards in combination with each other.

The third is to be both interpretive and intuitive in our readings. That is, to use classic reading skills but also to be open to the voice of spirit as we interpret the cards.

Very often the general reading will ask questions as well as answer them. Often, after a large spread is complete, it is appropriate to do some smaller spreads, dialogues, or card pulls to answers the questions that come up. I am a firm believer that, most often, a tarot session should not be limited to a single spread. Rather, we should be able to incorporate a number of techniques, and as many cards as it takes for us to feel complete.

Sometimes both clients and readers shy away from the general reading style out of fear that it will be too vague and not helpful. The reality is that, with good skills and techniques, a general reading allows spirit to give insight, and allows us to be open to receiving that information.

Venn Diagrams for Tarot Understanding

Most of us remember Venn diagrams from math class. Venn diagrams graphically depict commonalities and differences between a group of individual things.

Venn diagrams have been making a humorous resurgence in internet memes. My favorite is a Venn diagram about bank robbers, preachers and DJs. In a Venn diagram, the commonalities shared by all the individual things are in the center. What do bank robbers, preachers and DJs have in common? They all say, “Put your hands up!”

In a Venn diagram of three or more things there may be commonalities between only two of the things. In this meme, for example, both bank robbers and DJs say, “Get on the floor!” Both preachers and DJs say, “Are you with me?” Both bank robbers and preachers say, “Give me your money!”

What does all this have to do with tarot?

One of the things that is most confusing for tarot students is finding the subtle differences between similar cards. Advanced tarot students grow in their understanding and ability by considering the differences and similarities between cards, and groups of cards.

Tarot cards naturally have certain similarities based on elemental association, and number and rank. For example, all Queens will have something in common. All twos will have something in common. All cards associated with the element of Air will have something in common. When we understand these commonalities, we have an easier time understanding the cards.

Yet, it is important to understand the differences in individual cards. And, sometimes we find similarities between cards that don’t have elements, rank, or number in common.

A good exercise is to look through your deck and pull out cards that you feel have similar interpretations. Then, figure out what these cards and in common, and what is unique to each card.

A good way to do this exercise is with a Venn diagram. For example, some people have a hard time understanding the differences between the Three of Cups and the Four of Wands. Here is how I break out keywords for these two cards in a Venn diagram.

Sometimes cards of the same number have so much in common they become hard to distinguish one from another. Here is a Venn diagram of the Ten of Cups and the Ten of Pentacles.

You can see how helpful it is to parse out the differences and similarities.

Of course, we all have our personal set of tarot keywords, based on the traditions of the decks we use, and our own understanding and experiences with the cards. That’s why this is such a fun and informative process. Newer tarotists can make Venn diagrams based on their research, an on their impressions of the cards. Experienced tarotists can dive more deeply into the cards by using Venn diagrams to catalog the keywords they have developed over time.

Sometimes larger aspects of tarot can also be confusing. For example, there is a lot of crossover between the two masculine elements, Air and Fire. Here is a Venn diagram showing how I see their differences and similarities.

It would be interesting to do a Venn diagram of three circles with the three cards of authority, which are the Empress, Emperor and Hierophant. Then, a Venn diagram of the three clergy, which are the High Priestess, the Hermit and the Hierophant would be fascinating. There is so much we can learn when we compare and contrast cards with each other, and in small groups.

When we understand the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between similar cards we are able to give a more specific and nuanced tarot reading. When we are able to understand the commonalities between cards, we can find strong themes and important points when those cards appear together in a tarot spread. Venn diagrams can be a wonderful tool to help us understand our cards more clearly and become more proficient at giving great readings.

A Technique for Dream Interpretation with Tarot

I have a method I use for dream interpretation with tarot. This method has been very helpful and successful over the years. My method relies on the theory that “dream dictionary” interpretations have limited value because of the cultural and experiential differences between us. Yes, archetypes are real. However, the idea that a specific item appearing in a dream would mean the same thing to each and every person makes as much sense as believing that a tarot card would mean the same thing in each and every reading. It just doesn’t work that way.

I had been wanting to share this technique for a while. The thing is, it’s a hard technique to teach without a clear example. Luckily, I just had a request from a friend for help figuring out a weird dream she had. She has agreed to let me share the dream, and my interpretation, with you.

My friend is a Florida-based tarot reader. I have shared the dream in her words, with her permission.

I hope that the next time you have an interesting dream to interpret you might try this technique. If you do, please let me know how it goes!

The Dream

The dream takes place in a residential community that I have never seen but was my home in the dream. The dream has three parts.

In the first part, I receive a visit from an acquaintance whom I know, in real life, to have recently died. She and I were friendly acquaintances in life. She came to my tarot classes and we served together on an advisory board of a community in which with both lived. I assume the setting of the dream is inspired by that fact.

In real life, I had just seen on social media that this person (I will call her Mary) had passed away. While I had not seen or communicated with her in almost ten years, I was, in real life, saddened by the news of her death.

In the dream, Mary comes to visit me at my home. She is driving a golf cart, as I remember her doing in life. She is using oxygen, as she did toward the end of her life.

I tell her I am glad to see her but am surprised because she is dead. She tells me that she did die but is coming back for a little while. She is weak, so I have to help her up the steps. I am surprised by how little she weighs.

In the next section of the dream, she is stronger, and not using the oxygen tank any longer. We are sitting outside together, and there is a large black fuzzy spider, about the size of my hand. In real life, I don’t like spiders. This is also true in the dream. Yet, in real life and in the dream, I try to be kind to spiders and recognize their value. I tell Mary that it is a huntsman spider and is harmless to us.

Then, I see something on Mary’s face, and realize it is the body of the spider. I see that the spider has removed its own legs and tied them in a bundle. I flick the spider’s body off Mary’s face, and it begins to reattach its legs. It seems to psychically tell me that this is a normal thing for this type of spider to do. I tell Mary that, and she does not seem alarmed.

Then, a few minutes later, I realize that the spider has taken its legs off again, and its body is attached to my face. Its body is oddly metallic and square, although it didn’t look that way when its legs were attached.

I flick it off my face, it reattaches its legs and scuttles away.

Throughout this ordeal I am surprisingly calm, even though I am aware that I don’t like spiders and that this spider is behaving oddly.

In the third part of the dream I am to give tarot readings at an event at this same community. Mary seems to be fully recovered and is interacting with people in a normal way. It seems to be common knowledge that she was dead and is now alive.

I am on an open porch, setting up my tarot table. As I take my cards out of their pouch, I see the cards are all mixed up with a bunch of empty clothes hangers. This upsets me a great deal.

Once I am set up to read, some folks come to talk to me, but they don’t react to me in a normal way. No one wants a reading, and no one has much interest in what I am doing.

People are sitting at picnic tables, so I take my cards and try to strike up conversations with people at the tables. It turns out that they all have tarot decks, too. Yet, they have no interest in speaking with me about tarot. They have no interest in their own tarot decks.

That’s where the dream ended.

It seems significant to mention that Mary died of chronic lung issues, unrelated to coronavirus. Yet, I had this dream during our current quarantine, at a time that I was particularly worried about the coronavirus and the effects it might have. My sense is that this dream is related to my fears about the pandemic.

The Dream Interpretation Reading

My technique involves pulling a card, or a few cards, for each aspect of the dream in order to understand what the symbols in the dream mean to the dreamer. I also pull some cards to ascertain the importance of the dream. After all, some dreams are highly significant, others are more mundane. Some dreams are prophetic, or healing, or problem-solving, Other dreams are direct communication from those in spirit. Other dreams are simply the product of stress, or of the food we ate before bed.

Overall, what is the nature of this dream?

Six of Cups reversed.

To me, that suggests that the dream is based primarily on the dreamer’s upset at her friend’s passing. Given that her friend was a tarot student and they lived together in the same community, and the dream is based in a similar community, this makes a lot of sense. The Six of Cups can also refer to the dreamer’s concern about the coronavirus; wondering when and if things will return to normal.

Is there any deeper spiritual meaning to be derived from this dream?

Page of Pentacles

This dream is probably more a product of current anxieties and worries. Yet, there could be practical, helpful things to be learned from the dream.

What is the significance of Mary’s return from the dead, and increasing health throughout the dream?

Eight of Wands

Things are moving very quickly in the dreamer’s world, and, though times feel uncertain, good things could be coming at any moment, and more swiftly than expected.

What is the significance of the odd spider in the dream?

Ten of Swords reversed

The spider is creepy, but easily overcome. We can interpret this to say that the dreamer’s real-life anxieties can also be overcome. The spider, like the coronavirus, is unlike anything the dreamer has seen before. Yet, in the end, it goes away.

What is the significance of the spider removing its legs?

Six of Pentacles

We can do amazing things to receive and give help when we need to. We can ‘remove the legs’ of scary things to give them less power. We can remove scary things that try to attach themselves to us.

Why is the spider’s body metallic?

Queen of Swords

This may have to do with technology. The dreamer told me that she is using a lot of new technology during quarantine. She is unsure of her abilities to use it well, so this also causes a bit of anxiety.

What is the significance of the clothes hangers mixed in with the tarot cards?

Seven of Cups

Our dreamer is allowing anxiety to create confusion and dark imaginings that are clouding her spiritual focus and intuitive flow.

What is the significance of the fact that the attendees all had tarot decks?

Magician reversed

Our dreamer worries that her knowledge and skill might lose its helpfulness during this crisis.

What is the significance of the fact that the attendees had no interest in readings?

Four of Cups

Similarly, our dreamer worries that, in the face of illness and death, her spiritual skills and knowledge might not be equal to their task.

Summary

The dreamer is entirely correct in her belief that this dream is inspired by her fears regarding our current crisis. The important message comes from the return of her friend from the dead, and the departure of the spider.

It is normal to worry about the current pandemic and to wonder if one is capable of managing such a crisis and surviving it. Yet, in this dream we see life conquering death. And we see miraculous occurrences, and we see scary things going away.

Our dreamer must acknowledge her spiritual power, and her power to withstand the challenges of these difficult times. She must be strong in her knowledge of her tools and her ability to use them. Our dreamer must have faith that these scary times will go away, just as the spider did.

That the Eight of Wands presented, and that a spider has eight legs, suggests that things may be back to normal in the eighth month, which is August, or perhaps even sooner, in eight weeks.