for entertainment purposes only: one-card draw, shiny new deck edition

[alexseanchai]

I am offering one-card draws for free, one free draw per customer, limited to the Motherpeace Tarot deck. I wanted a feminist tarot deck and Vogel and Noble's Motherpeace Tarot was one of the first search results, and it has intriguing differences from the Rider-Waite that I'd like to explore as I get to know this deck.

I am also offering a second free draw (one card) to anyone who links me to their post advertising this, a three-card past-present-future spread to anyone who donates $3 via Paypal to alexconall at gmail, and a Celtic Cross ten-card spread to anyone who donates $10. Donations currently stand at $50.

Donations have passed $20, so everyone gets a free bonus card and I get to buy The Copyright Thing Doesn't Work Here: Adinkra and Kente Cloth and Intellectual Property in Ghana, which I want for research for an article I'm writing about copyright and feminism. Donations have passed $50, so I am giving away a third Celtic Cross reading in addition to the two from the semi-anonymous $25 donation, and I get to buy A Parcel of Steeleye Span. Five folk-rock albums for the price of one! Work is ever so much easier with music, and folk music keeps inspiring me to write.

Thank you to the awesome people who have donated thus far! If donations pass $75 by Sunday 12th, I will, no later than Sunday 19th, start my post series on alexconall going through the tarot card by card. I haven't decided yet whether to go through the deck in an organized manner or in a randomly drawn order (no repeats though); feel free to voice an opinion! (From here out, money raised from this week's tarot draw goes toward debt. This is unexciting, but when I am out of debt I want to buy this lyre and harp duet set and learn how to play.)

Thanks to someone who donated $25 with instructions to do readings for other people, I am giving away two three Celtic Cross readings and two past-present-future spreads to random.org-selected people who ask for cards on this post. I will poke random.org on Sunday to see who gets the readings.

Anonymous comments are screened and will remain so unless you say in the comment to unscreen it. If you want your card by PM instead of in a comment, tell me; if you want it by email instead of in a comment, I'll need your email.

Comments

[syntaxofthings]

Shiny! I'd be curious to know anything the Tarot might have to say on avoiding burnout.

[alexseanchai]

For you I drew the Ace of Discs. The Ace traditionally represents the pure energy of the suit; in this case earth, the physical, the practical. Burnout is not practical! The image on the card is a baby napping with a leopard cub; perhaps getting some extra sleep and petting a cute fuzzy animal would do you good.

[alexseanchai]

Your bonus card is the Seven of Cups, reversed. This card depicts a woman doing magic; reversed, she has taken time to think through what she wants, and one particular desire is especially attractive or especially potentially doable. Since trying to do too much at once is a pretty good way to burn out, narrowing your focus may help.

[shanaqui]

*raises hand*

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Fool, turned to the left. (They're round cards. I'm not used to dealing with reversed cards and now I have four alignments—and the in-betweens—to keep track of, because these cards rotate when I shuffle them!)

The Fool is generally a sign of optimistic new beginnings, new journeys new paths new creations new ways to piss off society by breaking convention (and let's face it, lots of society needs to be pissed off by not following their bullshit rules). But turned left means something is off, making it hard to follow those new beginnings wherever they may lead.

[alexseanchai]

You get two bonus cards because one leaped out of the deck during shuffling! The Nine of Cups, upright, and the Six of Swords, turned left. The Nine signifies getting something you've wanted and hoped and worked for; the Six means something's going on that you don't understand. Possibly these are connected situations.

One card draw?

[dialecticdreamer]

I know very little about the Tarot. The question is: this year's writing endeavors? (Yes, /that/ open-ended.) I'd like to know more about the card, and your reactions to it.

Unscreen this if you'd like.

Re: One card draw?

[alexseanchai]

You didn't comment anonymously, so it didn't get screened in the first place. FYI.

For you, the Crone and the Shaman of Swords, both turned to the left. The Crone is standing at a crossroads, looking for direction, and now I have Bekah Kelso's "Crossroads" stuck in my head. At the crossroads, every direction makes a promise—only one road is gonna make good... (I would link you to the song acquisition page but it seems to have evaporated when Kelso revamped her website, and I'm not sure if my contact form request asking about it went through.) Anyway. The Crone (turned left) is at the crossroads, not sure which way to go and not sure if she is wise enough to decide.

The Shaman of Swords has great insight, but (turned left) she holds that knowledge back, instead of speaking directly, truthfully, and sincerely as she would were her card upright.

In combination, it looks like you're looking for direction while part of you knows exactly what to do. (You know how all the writing advice books say basically the same thing? I think that's part of it. Or at least it would be if I were drawing these cards for my writing!)

Re: One card draw?

[alexseanchai]

Your bonus card is the Six of Swords, turned left. Something's happening and you don't completely understand it. It might be something exciting—the card depicts six women flying—but by the same token it might be something scary, and not understanding what's going on can only, in my experience, make it worse.

[silveradept]

We're both doing draws today. I'd love to see what the new deck says about my future generally.

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Priestess of Cups, reversed. I really like the image on this card—mermaid with harp, sitting on the shore with a whale and other sea life nearby, under a full moon. Reversed, this is not an encouraging card: the Priestess is lonely and feeling a need for people to take care of her, which maybe they should and maybe she needs to do it herself; she's having trouble telling the difference.

[alexseanchai]

Your bonus card is the Eight of Discs, reversed. This card so positioned signifies an uninteresting, uninspiring, less-than-meaningful life, especially with regards to work. I rather hope it doesn't describe your future—unless a change of career is a viable, desirable option, of course.

[alexseanchai]

You won one of the past-present-future spreads! I shall PM you your reading in the next couple days.

[finch]

Where to direct my creative energy? Linking from my journal!

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Ace of Discs (turned left) and the High Priestess (reversed). The Ace in this position signifies something presented to you that you're hesitant to receive. Why hesitant, I don't know—it might be scary, it might come with obligations you don't want, it might be dangerous, it might be something I haven't thought of yet. It might simply require hard work to make it a practical possibility! (The Discs as a suit are quite fond of hard work and practicality.)

The High Priestess upright indicates that you already know the answers, you just have to look inside yourself to find them, but reversed she can't quite trust her judgment.

[heliager]

I'd like have a care about my future on general, please.

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Daughter of Cups, upright. The image on the card is a woman bathing nude in a waterfall, a turtle beside her with her cup resting on its shell. Take pleasure in your body and what it's capable of, and the same with your sexuality (if applicable), and take some time to enjoy the beauty of nature.

[sylvaine]

Me, please!

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Priestess of Swords, turned left. The image on the card is a woman clothed in white climbing a snow-covered mountaintop with a snowy owl on a full moon. (Lots of white in this card.) Upright, she would know exactly what she's doing, what wishes and prayers she's asking the owl to carry; turned left, she doesn't trust herself.

[ex_here_within612]

I'd love a card, a general reading. :3 Thank you!

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Eight of Swords, reversed. Upright, the woman on the card is breaking swords trying to use them to tear down the enclosing wall she herself built; reversed, she can see the crows laughing with her and showing her the way out. Perhaps you are worried about something that you know what you need to do to ease the worry, you just haven't quite done it yet.

[dreamwriteremmy]

i'd like a general reading, please. Thank you!
Also link: http://dreamwriteremmy.dreamwidth.org/441770.html

[alexseanchai]

You get three cards because one leaped out of the deck while I was shuffling! The card that insisted on being heard is the Son of Swords, reversed; the others are the Magician, turned left, and the Four of Cups, turned left.

Upright, the Son of Swords is a very discouraging card: you know all those people who think short-term and competitively and don't consider the consequences? That's the Son upright. Reversed, however, he knows to consider the long-term, to value others as much as himself, and to prize art as strongly as science and emotion as strongly as reason.

The Magician is an actor, in the sense of one who takes action. She gets things done—when she's upright. Turned left, something is in her way, often a lack of confidence. The Four of Cups, turned left, suggests what that something is: she's caught up in past disappointments instead of reflecting on the present and the desired future.

[kyburg]

I would love one. Thanks in advance.

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Son of Wands, turned right. The image on the card is a dancer in a ritual, though I have to confess he looks to me rather like a clown entertaining (or scaring) children. Turned right, he is energetic and delightful, and wants to share the energy and the delight.

[ysobel]

Me, please.

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Crone, halfway between reversed and turned left. I'm not sure what to make of in-between positions (I'm barely sure what to make of anything but upright!), so I'll give you both interpretations and I'm sure you'll know which you need to hear:

The Crone stands at a crossroads, trying to decide which path to take, listening for wisdom. Turned left, she's questioning her direction in life, not sure she knows enough to choose the best path, not sure she chose the best path last time. Reversed, she needs to be very careful what she decides because she thinks she knows more than she actually knows; she may need an outside perspective, or just to wait on the decision until she knows more.

[theresistance]

I would like a card relating to the near future, please. (I have a lot of anxiety about a big life change.)

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Six of Cups, turned left. Obviously I don't know what your big life change is, but I'm guessing you aren't being honest with everyone (or perhaps with yourself) about how that change makes you feel. The Six of Cups is generally about positive emotion (expressed or repressed), though, and anxiety is so hellishly not a positive emotion...

[perfectworry]

I'd like to know what the tarot suggests about creativity this month. Thank you!

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Hierophant and the Five of Wands, both upright.

I do not like the image description of the Hierophant—it contains the sentence "He is dressed up like a woman in a robe and false breasts." And upright, he's not a pleasant card—he represents all that is hierarchical authority and conventional morality. Turned left, he questions; turned right, he challenges; reversed, he rebels; here he is upright and fully in support of the existing hierarchy. I am not sure what that has to do with creativity—perhaps a suggestion that following the leader will be more rewarding than breaking free, though I don't like that suggestion.

The Five of Wands depicts an argument between priestesses about who will lead them, while a volcano erupts in the background, perhaps close enough to be threatening. Each priestess of the Five is struggling with herself and others to determine the best direction; this is important, but perhaps (see the volcano?) not vital at this precise moment. Alone, I would say that the way you should direct your creativity is something important you need to decide (but right this minute it may be more important to get going now and decide where you're going later). In combination with the Hierophant, I would say that your attitudes toward existing hierarchies and authorities and conventional morality need to be part of that decision.

[shewhostaples]

Anything you can tell me about looking after myself...

[alexseanchai]

Your one card and your bonus card (I will get to your Celtic Cross later; sorry it's taken this long!) are the Priestess of Swords, between upright and turned left, and the High Priestess, reversed.

Upright, the Priestess of Swords knows exactly what she's doing and what she needs to do; turned left, she doesn't trust herself. The High Priestess reversed is also having difficulty trusting herself and needs some help. Given your question, I would say look into how other people dealing with whatever difficulty you're having do to live with that difficulty. I have found this a helpful list, but it isn't necessarily applicable to you.

[redsixwing]

If you're still drawing, one for me, please? I'm contemplating a (metaphorical, life-changing) leap, and a little guidance would go well.

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Four of Discs, upright, and your bonus card is the Chariot, upright.

The Four depicts a woman alone inside a room, next to the ajar door, ready to open or close it at a whim or with a reason. She is in control of who enters this space and when. Perhaps that control is something you need.

The Chariot has a goal in mind and intends to see it through. She's not steering her chariot, exactly, but she knows where she's going and how to get there. Perhaps her determination and discipline are things you need.

[balsamandash]

Can I get a general one card draw, please?

[alexseanchai]

For you, the Hierophant, halfway between reversed and turned left, and your bonus card is the Nine of Discs, reversed.

The Hierophant turned left is questioning cultural This Is How It Is, but not yet actively challenging it. Reversed, he's basically going "fuck that noise" with respect to conventional wisdom. Meanwhile, the Nine of Discs reversed is trying to do creative work, but she's not as internally motivated as she needs to be or she can't get any free time and space to work in or something that means her creative work isn't getting done.