Today's mail brought me a delightful treat. A copy of the gorgeous new Shadowscapes Tarot. I'll be using it this week, and posting a review at the end of the week. Today instead of a general draw, I thought I'd try out one of the spreads in the book. This spread isn't new to me, but it does put a bit of a unique twist on it, with the "message from the universe" slant, and sounded like a good one to try this evening.
Message from the Universe Spread
(from the Shadowscapes Companion book, co-written by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore)
1. BODY: This is a message from the universe to you regarding your body - the way you care for it, the way you think about it, the way you honor or don't honor it.
2. HEART: This is a message from the universe to you regarding your heart, the way you protect or share your love, the way you feel, or the role you let emotions play in your life.
3. MIND: This is a message from the universe to you regarding your mind, the way you use (or don't use) it, the way you see and think about the world, or the way you approach problems.
4. SPIRIT: This is a message from the universe to you about your spirit. Perhaps it is something you need to do for your spiritual well-being, a way to honor your spirit, or how you can let your spirit fill your daily life.
(For the sake of the blog layout, I laid my cards out horizontally, whereas in the book the spread is laid out vertically, with card 1 at the bottom of the column, and 4 at the top.)
The first thing I noticed was that each of the four suits was represented in the reading, two of them even falling in their respective positions (Pentacles/Body and Cups/Heart). The next thing that stood out to me was that 3/4 of the spread was made up of male court cards! Not sure what that says about me right now...?
BODY: Ten of Pentacles
Wow, from this card, my first impression is treating your body like a temple, what with the castle in the background. But that is far from the truth, since I eat more chocolate than fruits and veggies, and I never exercise. The next thing I thought of was "legacy", which this card can indicate. If I look to my older relatives, I can see what might lie before me, and take care to nip any problems in the bud before they have a chance to progress.
My father has had a whole slew of medical problems, including a major heart attack. The things that run in my family, like high cholesterol, diabetes (egads, chocolate!!), heart disease, etc. are things that I should be conscious of as I get on in years. I'm only 36, but time goes by quickly, and there's no time like the present to start taking care of yourself. I do NOT want to end up like my father, sitting in front of the TV all day long, with dozens of bottles of prescription pills lining the kitchen counter. That's not the legacy I want to inherit, thankyouvery much.
So this card was a good reminder of that, and serves as a red flag for me. The woman in the card even cradles a peach larger than her head. More healthy food. Gotcha.
HEART: Knight of Cups
Ah! Busted! For as much as I say that I am not interested in being in a relationship, and I'm truly not just yet, I still melt at love stories and get swept away in romantic movies and novels. The truth is, I want the fairy tale. Just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I want the knight to ride up on a white horse and save me from this humdrum life and whisk me up in a life of perfect romance. But that doesn't happen in real life. Does it? It's pretty much what I'm holding out for, because there is a part of me that thinks it can come true. I'm a sucker for real romance, and not just courting that fades away once the guy's got you, dwindling down to the occasional flower delivery on special holidays. I want hand written letters and thoughtful gestures and unconditional love. As a way of life. Is that too much to ask? That's what my heart wants, and I think at this point, I'd rather be alone than settle for less than that. There has to be a guy out there who, like me, was born in the wrong century!
MIND: Knight of Wands
Another knight. This guy wants adventure and travel, and he wants it yesterday. I have always moved around a lot, so I get bored if I stay in one place too long. My mind craves the newness of undiscovered (to me) land. If it's not possible to move, I tend to do a mini version of it, by changing the furniture around, just so that things don't feel as much the same. I thrive on the thrill of change and new experiences. So this card is spot on. Since this is a message from the universe, I see that I have not changed much lately, and it's time to shake things up a bit. I was talking with a friend about that lately, the feeling of wanting more freedom and excitement out of life. Seeing this card reminded me of that, and how I need to bust loose from the status quo.
SPIRIT: King of Swords
I found this to be a bizarre card to fall in the Spirit category. Upon closer inspection, the thing that stood out for me in this card was the drawing of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. This drawing symbolizes the blend of science and art, and also emphasizes the proportionate symmetry of the human body, as well as the universe as a whole. Utilizing the King of Swords' analytical mind, I can see how this would relate to me spiritually. My spiritual life is definitely not in proportion to the other, more earthly parts of my life. I'm out of balance spiritually. For sure. It's something I advise other people to be mindful of, yet it's something I haven't gotten the hang of myself. I'm just one of many who generally leaves Spirit as a last priority, which often gets swept under the carpet when bedtime arrives and there just wasn't time to fit it in. This is something that I know needs to change. Spiritual imbalance is just as unhealthy as poor eating habits. I need to treat both my body and spirit with more reverence and respect.
Message from the Universe Spread
(from the Shadowscapes Companion book, co-written by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore)
1. BODY: This is a message from the universe to you regarding your body - the way you care for it, the way you think about it, the way you honor or don't honor it.
2. HEART: This is a message from the universe to you regarding your heart, the way you protect or share your love, the way you feel, or the role you let emotions play in your life.
3. MIND: This is a message from the universe to you regarding your mind, the way you use (or don't use) it, the way you see and think about the world, or the way you approach problems.
4. SPIRIT: This is a message from the universe to you about your spirit. Perhaps it is something you need to do for your spiritual well-being, a way to honor your spirit, or how you can let your spirit fill your daily life.
(For the sake of the blog layout, I laid my cards out horizontally, whereas in the book the spread is laid out vertically, with card 1 at the bottom of the column, and 4 at the top.)
The first thing I noticed was that each of the four suits was represented in the reading, two of them even falling in their respective positions (Pentacles/Body and Cups/Heart). The next thing that stood out to me was that 3/4 of the spread was made up of male court cards! Not sure what that says about me right now...?
BODY: Ten of Pentacles
Wow, from this card, my first impression is treating your body like a temple, what with the castle in the background. But that is far from the truth, since I eat more chocolate than fruits and veggies, and I never exercise. The next thing I thought of was "legacy", which this card can indicate. If I look to my older relatives, I can see what might lie before me, and take care to nip any problems in the bud before they have a chance to progress.
My father has had a whole slew of medical problems, including a major heart attack. The things that run in my family, like high cholesterol, diabetes (egads, chocolate!!), heart disease, etc. are things that I should be conscious of as I get on in years. I'm only 36, but time goes by quickly, and there's no time like the present to start taking care of yourself. I do NOT want to end up like my father, sitting in front of the TV all day long, with dozens of bottles of prescription pills lining the kitchen counter. That's not the legacy I want to inherit, thankyouvery much.
So this card was a good reminder of that, and serves as a red flag for me. The woman in the card even cradles a peach larger than her head. More healthy food. Gotcha.
HEART: Knight of Cups
Ah! Busted! For as much as I say that I am not interested in being in a relationship, and I'm truly not just yet, I still melt at love stories and get swept away in romantic movies and novels. The truth is, I want the fairy tale. Just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I want the knight to ride up on a white horse and save me from this humdrum life and whisk me up in a life of perfect romance. But that doesn't happen in real life. Does it? It's pretty much what I'm holding out for, because there is a part of me that thinks it can come true. I'm a sucker for real romance, and not just courting that fades away once the guy's got you, dwindling down to the occasional flower delivery on special holidays. I want hand written letters and thoughtful gestures and unconditional love. As a way of life. Is that too much to ask? That's what my heart wants, and I think at this point, I'd rather be alone than settle for less than that. There has to be a guy out there who, like me, was born in the wrong century!
MIND: Knight of Wands
Another knight. This guy wants adventure and travel, and he wants it yesterday. I have always moved around a lot, so I get bored if I stay in one place too long. My mind craves the newness of undiscovered (to me) land. If it's not possible to move, I tend to do a mini version of it, by changing the furniture around, just so that things don't feel as much the same. I thrive on the thrill of change and new experiences. So this card is spot on. Since this is a message from the universe, I see that I have not changed much lately, and it's time to shake things up a bit. I was talking with a friend about that lately, the feeling of wanting more freedom and excitement out of life. Seeing this card reminded me of that, and how I need to bust loose from the status quo.
SPIRIT: King of Swords
I found this to be a bizarre card to fall in the Spirit category. Upon closer inspection, the thing that stood out for me in this card was the drawing of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. This drawing symbolizes the blend of science and art, and also emphasizes the proportionate symmetry of the human body, as well as the universe as a whole. Utilizing the King of Swords' analytical mind, I can see how this would relate to me spiritually. My spiritual life is definitely not in proportion to the other, more earthly parts of my life. I'm out of balance spiritually. For sure. It's something I advise other people to be mindful of, yet it's something I haven't gotten the hang of myself. I'm just one of many who generally leaves Spirit as a last priority, which often gets swept under the carpet when bedtime arrives and there just wasn't time to fit it in. This is something that I know needs to change. Spiritual imbalance is just as unhealthy as poor eating habits. I need to treat both my body and spirit with more reverence and respect.
Deck: Shadowscapes Tarot (by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, published by Llewellyn)
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3 comments:
This is a beautiful deck and and very interesting spread. I'll have to try it sometime.
Wow talk about a synchronistic moment. I just bought this deck on Sat. I've been waiting for it to come out for YEARS! Now that's it's here, I find it hard to approach to use it.
I have it built up in my head and I'm worried it may not live up to my dreams.
This week of yours will help with that.... I hope.
Hi Willow! The accompanying book has quite a few interesting spreads. :)
SpiritPhoenix... Cool! What do you think of the deck so far? It's a whole lotta pretty, but I find the detailing too hard to see. It's almost like straining to see something really far away.
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