A Reading For You

by Annie Gebel

For this reading, I’m using a tarot deck called 5¢ Tarot, created by Madam Clara. Its imagery is reminiscent of the Victorian age and it includes lots of intriguing animals mixed with items that humans would normally use. I use it when I need to look at a situation a little sideways. Maybe all the traditional answers don’t seem to fit and I just need something to hit differently. I invite you to think of something in your life that might be along these lines - an issue you’ve been grappling with, an argument that you and your partner return to over and over again, or maybe just an area that needs some life blown back into it! Consider what topic you’d like the cards to inspire you about…and then choose the card that reaches out to you and give it a read.

One little note about these cards - all three are reversed, or upside down. Sometimes people think that’s a negative thing or bad news. I don’t think that at all. I believe that it’s a way for the cards to give us even more information! So, don’t be alarmed or worried, just trust yourself to choose.

Card 1 Four of Matches, reversed

In this deck, Matches is the suit of fire, traditionally called Wands. This suit speaks to what sparks our passions, our creativity, and a path for expansion in our lives. The Four of Matches is about change and transition in our lives, in its inverted showing. The bees who have been gathering nectar and working the hive are leaving home for some reason. This feels to me not like a forced evacuation but more like a necessary change to keep heading down your path. Home might mean the physical place you live, a group or set of friends, or even a mindset that you’ve been resting comfortably in.

x b x

Whether life circumstances have changed or you’re just ready to move on - it’s time. You know that it is and you know that your anxiety over this choice is normal, yet you also know that the uncertainty can no longer hold you back. For you to survive - or to reach the next iteration of yourself - you need to get to gathering nectar somewhere new. Be well. You are supported.

The World is traditionally the highest card in the major arcana suit of the tarot. It can speak to the completion of a project or reaching of a goal when upright. When reversed, however, it tells a more disappointing story. You might be tempted to get bummed out about that, and certainly with disappointment feelings come along with it. Feel them, express them, let them leave your nervous system having been dealt with. And know that this disappointing ending of a cycle is the beginning of another.

The snakes on this card represent the continuous birth-death-birth cycle. We are constantly shedding our skins, old ideas and beliefs, people and places that don’t support our current trajectory. Each time we do so, we begin again with a fresh sense of inspiration and determination, lessons learned from the last go-round, and possibly even with a slightly (or drastically) altered trajectory! So know that while you might be feeling empty or incomplete with the hollow left by something that didn’t end the way you anticipated, when you’re ready you can begin again.

The suit of Cups is connected to the element of water, which represents emotions, relationships, and other connections with family or co-workers. The Five is the middle of the minor arcana numbers and speaks to a pivotal moment in each of the suits. Here, in reverse, it’s telling you that something you’ve been part of or tried to fix isn’t working out. All the bugs in the system have simply been gathered together and it’s time to move on from this headache!

Look around you for cups that are open, opportunities to switch gears in your work, or choosing to put your time and energy into a relationship that supports your growth rather than hinder it. This card is also telling you that bitterness and frustration aren’t a part of your processing the need to move on. Rather you’re doing so with a good dose of forgiveness (maybe for your part in things too) and acceptance of the fact that people can only meet you where they’re at and it’s okay that this connection has not played out how you wished it would.