The Tower Spread

So, as I'm still so very, very behind on the Tarot of the Day posts where we break down and compare the meaning and art work of the Raven's Prophecy Deck, I'm going to at least try to provide SOME kind of content in the form of some daily draws, quick three card reads, and the like.  I'll be sharing these posts on my Facebook group, A Kaleidoscope of Magical Perceptions , and on my Ouroboros Tarot Facebook Page as well.


TODAY'S SPREAD:

This layout is one I found on Pinterest, and appears to be credited to fluoritechild.tumblr.com.

TODAY'S DRAWS:

For the first card in the Tower Spread, the position labelled, "What Changed?", I drew the 6 of Questing (Wands) in reverse, which is about delay, conquest, and defeat. This, if I were with a client, might tell me that they recently had a serious setback - something happened that stopped some plan of theirs in its tracks, and they feel defeated and at a loss as to how to move forward. 

For the second card in the spread, "How to live with it and move on", I drew the 7 of Primordialism (Cups),  which is a card of temptation, selfishness, illusion, debauchery, addiction, and promiscuity. Now sometimes, when a card doesn't make much sense in the position it is in, I often suggest that rather than telling you what TO do, the card might be suggesting what NOT TO DO, and this is a perfect example of that. I am not sure I would recommend that someone live with a failure or setback by going out and doing selfish things and being promiscuous, but I will warn them that perhaps the card is recommending the client play, and take some time to do things for themselves, perhaps even to indulge, but not to take things too far. Sometimes being a little selfish and doing something nice for yourself is okay, and can help you deal with a loss, but self medication can lead to quite a slippery slope than can end in the pit of addiction.

For the third position, "What can be learned from this change," I drew the 6 of Dynamism (Swords), reversed, which is about a stalemate, failure, obstacles, difficulties, delay, and blockage. This card, when upright, is about moving from the rough waters of struggle and conflict to the calm waters of peace. In reverse, it represents the inability to move forward, being stuck in a dead current that keeps cycling you back to the rough waters you are trying to leave. I would likely say to my client , once we got to this card, that the cards being drawn are telling a slightly different story than the positions they lie in. I might suggest that instead of reading them per the layout, I'd read them as their story. These three cards together seem to say, 'you had a really difficult moment, and you reacted badly by running away from that failure and in to addiction, debauchery and selfishness, and now you are trapped in a bitter cycle. you probably feel trapped and unable to move forward because you keep turning back to the the things you used to escape from your earlier failures.' 

Finally, for the fourth card position, : How to release your emotions in a healthy way", I drew the and the 4 of Dynamism (Swords,) in reverse. It represents solitude, repose, economy, precaution, circumspection, and exile. Both scenarios, the one following the layout and the one where the cards are telling a story, end with a card suggesting that the client  remove themselves from everything, take a step back and regroup. For the client already embroiled in the throes of addiction, who is trying to get help and get back on track, self-exile (and medical and psychological help) are key. For the person who is being warned against that path, taking those steps back to look at the big picture, and some good conversations about how to handle adversity without running from it would be advised.

ABOUT THE DECK:

The deck I am using here is my go-to deck, the Mage: The Ascension Deck by White Wolf. The deck is no longer in print, and the one I am using is a first edition from the 1990's. I have a later edition  in my collection that I keep as a backup and that my fiance occasionally uses when we do our rare tandem tarot sessions, where we both use the same deck at the same time to do readings for people. It is not only my favorite deck, but the most matter-of-fact and honest deck I have ever come across. It really 'tells it like it is' and doesn't sugarcoat things like so many other decks I have used over the years. (And I have used SO MANY!) My copy of the deck has been my personal deck for about 21 years now, and has been chewed on by my now 19 year old daughter, has water stains, and nearly every card is creased form all of the shuffling. It is well loved.