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January 27 through February 2, 2025

We will welcome the Chinese New Year this week, celebrating the Year of the Snake on Wednesday. The Snake represents transformation (as in shedding of the skin), rebirth, and enhanced spiritual energy. It also portends a return to optimum health and healing, marking a year of new beginnings. A few planetary changes add to the shift in energy this week, as Mercury moves into Aquarius on Monday and amplifies the “think different” energy in the air. The new Moon in Aquarius on Wednesday provides us with a two-week cycle of new beginnings to start the Chinese New Year off! On Thursday, Uranus will turn direct after five months of traveling backward, and as Aquarius’ ruling planet, will also begin to generate fresh movement and innovative ideas. The Pisces Moon will take us inward to process all the shifts of this week, aligning our spirits, minds, and hearts in preparation for the rebirth. Sunday’s Aries Moon carries an energy of creativity, inspiration, and forward movement, making this one of the most transformational weeks of the year!

The Fullness of Shadow Work, by Christine Jette

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

When I finished the manuscript for Tarot Shadow Work in 1999, I didn't believe I could write one more thing about tarot and the shadow. I was wrong. Time has passed and I am able to revisit the book with a more objective viewpoint. I originally wrote that I used only the 22 cards of the Major Arcana because shadow work is a spiritual endeavor. While this is true, it's time for writer honesty: the concept of using 78 cards eluded me in the beginning. Four years later, I know how to use an entire tarot deck when doing shadow work and the Llewellyn Journal is the perfect place to share my expanded ideas on it.

Taking my cue from astrology, the Major Arcana cards represent the WHAT of shadow work, a description of the shadow and what its challenges and gifts entail. The Court Cards are the HOW and WHO of shadow work—how the shadow presents itself in personality development and whom we draw to us for our life lessons. The Minor Arcana depict the WHERE of shadow work, or in what department of life the shadow is operating.

The Major Arcana (Numbers 0-21), The Fool through the World, speak to you of both life lessons and life wisdom: those qualities being tested and developed, your gifts and challenges, karma and the reasons you are here. The twenty-two cards symbolize spiritual development and help you understand your place in the world. The "Greater Secrets" will point to the higher overview of life and give you insights into the "big picture." They will also hint at your healing potential and what lies in the shadows. (See the appendix in Tarot Shadow Work for more information.)

The Minor Arcana, or "lesser secrets," offer information along the planes of existence: Wands, spiritual creativity in everyday life; Cups, emotions and feelings; Swords, psychological well being/the mind; and, Pentacles, physical reality and the body. When the different suits shows up in a reading, ask yourself: What action can I take? (Wands) What am I feeling or dreaming about? (Cups) What am I thinking or what decision needs to be made? (Swords) Because Pentacles explore issues of food, housing, money, work, the body, and physical health, ask yourself: What do I value?

In life, there is no separation between body, emotion, mind, and spirit. It is impossible for something to happen to us without all four levels of existence being affected. It is likewise impossible to change without attending to these same four levels of being. Life does not fall neatly into categories. Because stress or concerns at any level affect all levels, the lines sometimes blur.

No other cards in the tarot deck have more interpretations than the Court Cards. Just pick up any three tarot books and compare. It's mind-boggling. We all have qualities that are traditionally associated with masculine and feminine ways of being. For instance, a woman can be competitive and a man can be nurturing. Be aware that the King and Knight can represent a woman and the Queen can symbolize a man. The gender or "occupation" of the court card is less important than the qualities it describes.

Pages can represent a child, but they also introduce the element of their suit, the willingness to change, risk, or learn something new. Pages can symbolize the catalyst needed for change and the child within us all. Pages also carry messages related to their suit: Telephone calls or significant e-mail (Page of Wands); important dreams (Page of Cups); written warnings (Page of Swords); and messages from your body, especially in the form of illness: What is your body trying to tell you (Page of Pentacles)?

Knights represent young adults or someone starting over, focusing on a specific task through their suit, be it creative (Wands), emotional (Cups), psychological (Swords) or physical (Pentacles). Our "knightly" qualities include being energetic, daring, headstrong and goal oriented. Knights show movement and action through their suits.

Queens are mature. They take their understanding of life inward and use this life wisdom to nurture others and encourage self-development through their specific suit. For example, the Queen of Cups nurtures the emotions. Because they are the embodiment of the feminine tradition of healing, Queens often represent healing in relationship to their suit. An example of this is the Queen of Pentacles symbolizing a natural healer. Our "queenly" qualities include sensitivity, fullness of expression, empathy, and personal, inner control.

Kings are also mature, but they project their maturity outward in the form of leadership through their suit. They take charge and give advice: Creative or spiritual advice (King of Wands); emotional advice (King of Cups); psychological or intellectual advice (King of Swords); and, practical advice about the everyday world (King of Pentacles, especially in the area of finances or work.) Our "kingly" qualities include being capable and in control, with an air of authority, leadership, and worldliness.

So how do you use the entire deck in shadow work? It's simple. Separate your deck into three stacks: the 22 Majors, 40 Minors and 16 Court Cards. Do a star layout, or any other activity in Tarot Shadow Work using Majors only, as described in the book. Look at your shadow layout or activity and select one card that puzzles or bothers you, or one that you especially like. Pull that card out of the layout.

Now think of the Minor and Court Cards as the cards to use for more information. Shuffle your Minor Card stack. As you shuffle, concentrate on WHERE, or what department of life, this particular Major card is operating. For example, you have chosen The Fool from the shadow layout because you know you allow others to take advantage of you and have decided that now this needs the most work. The minor card that turns up is the Ten of Wands.

You first decide if the Ten of Wands describes the challenge of the shadow or the gift of the shadow. In other words, does the card feel negative or positive? Hint: If you like the card, it probably represents a gift of shadow work, something to keep and nurture. If it feels negative, for instance being reversed, it means it is a lesson to be learned, something to improve or work on. You realize that it depicts the challenge of the shadow: others take advantage of you because you are unable to say no and you take on too much responsibility as a result.

As you shuffle the Court Card stack, concentrate on HOW the shadow presents itself in your personality. You can also think about the people in your life and why they might be there. Remember, the Court Cards are always a reflection of you—you draw the people to you that you need for your life wisdom. So it doesn't matter if the Court Card describes someone else. The card is still about you and your need to have those qualities in your life for good or ill. Randomly select one Court Card. First decide if it represents the shadow's challenge or the shadow's gift. Does it feel negative or positive to you?

Continuing with our example, you have drawn the Queen of Pentacles. At first you think, oh, great, the smothering mother card. After some thought, you decide she symbolizes the shadow's gift after all: Yes, you have been taken advantage of because of your need to nurture (rescue) others; but the answer is still in the Queen of Pentacles—if you start saying no and allow others to learn self-responsibility. Then they are able to find their own way, and you are free of the martyr's shadow.

You can use the Minor and Court Cards for more information on any shadow star layout, single card in a layout, or any tarot activity in the book. Using the entire deck helps pinpoint both strengths and challenges of doing shadow work. Think of it as your magnifying mirror for a better reflection of you. And for goodness sake, trust your intuition when deciding if a card feels negative or positive. Only you can know that. To review, ask the following questions when doing shadow work with the entire deck:

* For Major Arcana cards: WHAT shadow is this card describing? Does this card symbolize the challenge of shadow work or the reward for facing the shadow, the gift of shadow work?

* For Minor Arcana Cards: WHERE or in what department of life is this card operating? (Physical, financial, emotional, psychological, legal, creative or spiritual pursuits, etc., according to its suit.) Is this card a challenge (something that needs work) or something to keep and nurture—my strength or talent?

* For Court Cards: HOW does the shadow present itself in my personality development? HOW do other people see me? HOW do I see myself? WHO have I drawn into my life for soul development? Does this card describe the shadow's challenge or gift?

For me, shadow work and its resultant soul development are meaningless if not viewed through the lens of everyday living. Divinity lies in the details of life. The magic of shadow work doesn't come from the tarot cards—the magic comes from our willingness to change. If we ascribe to the philosophy of "as above, so below," then who we are and what we do is spirituality in action—not "out there" somewhere, but in us, here and now. May you find joy in the shadows.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2003. All rights reserved.

Before and after working with your Tarot cards or giving a reading, how important is it to cleanse the space you're working in? My readings are often spontaneous, and I never remember to cleanse the area around me before or after the readings. Is this harmful?

Deborah

Dreamchaser:

I personally believe there is no right way or wrong way to handle your own cards or space. What works for you is what you should do.

I personally don't have time to bless, protect, and cleanse my divination tools or myself throughout the day. I am a busy woman, so I ask for protection for the ENTIRE day when I first wake up. I ask that I am protected and given the wisdom I need to help my clients, family, friends and myself. I "know" that this one prayer for protection covers me for the whole day because I believe it does. I also have a pact going with "God." I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am being watched over. Since sometimes I get back-to-back clients, I have to trust that "someone" is taking care of my energy. I trust that I am being watched over at all times.

What I DO have near my cards is a tiger's eye stone. It boosts psychic ability and is a very good cleansing stone. Sometimes if I had to work especially hard for a client for some reason (fear, doubt, sadness, etc.), I will pick up that stone and just hold it in my hand to feel its energy filling me and washing me clean. It only takes a few seconds to work for me, but that is because I picked the stone that was "calling out to me" when I was in the store. I kept walking back over to it and picking it up. Those are the ones you know you must buy.

You also must remember to put yourself in a protected space. You need to remember that most clients are going to be sucking on your energy. It is not wrong of them. It is normal, as they come needing answers and help. It's much like a lifeguard going out to save someone. Most of the time, the person being saved tries to climb on top of the lifeguard, almost drowning the lifeguard as well. The guard has to tell the person to relax and that everything is okay. Clients really want help and are in a way climbing on our backs.

However, if you are sucked dry after one client, what will you do for the next one? I picture myself inside of a bubble where nothing can get in, but my energy can get out. It does work, because I don't tire even after hours of clients. Keep your own energy fields CLEAN by protecting them.

It's not dangerous or harmful to not cleanse your tools or space, but you may get tired more easily. Find what works for you.

I wish you empowered readings.

*****

Astrea:

Every individual reader has rituals they perform that "cleanse" their tools and reading spaces. Whether the reader uses cards, wands, crystal balls, rocks, paper or scissors, she will have her own way to make her space a welcoming place for herself and for others. Every reader I've ever met has had a unique, personal approach for preparing her reading space, and taking care of it afterward. Thus I feel that you will have to find what works best for you personally too.

For me, it depends on WHERE I am reading. Since I do most of my work at home, I use the same office every day. At the beginning of the day, I do my "absolutions" and make my offerings, ask for Guidance, and get to work. At the END of the day, I give thanks for being able to do the readings I've done that day and ask to be prepared for the next. I don't burn incense or candles because I don't care for the smell. This is a fairly straightforward routine that I've observed for many years, and it works fine for me.

Occasionally, I'll wash the walls down and clean up like anyone would do in a regular "Spring Cleaning." I will clear and dust the altar that I maintain all the time in my "reading room," but this is maintenance to me, not magic.

A friend of mine who reads at Ren Faires and other outdoor venues carries several totems with her that she places around her space before she sits down. She then clears and collects them before she returns home. She "CLEARS" her tools after every day of reading with salt or with Moonlight; whichever is the most available and plentiful. She says that unless she observes these rituals, she feels scattered and has trouble focusing in the new spaces, and can't read well for anyone.

If you've been reading for several years in the same space without any adverse effects, it might not be necessary for you to "cleanse" your space. As long as it is dirt and dust-free and open to Spirit Energy (and you'll feel it if it's not), you should be safe and happy doing your readings there.

The rituals we use are secret and special to each person using them, and would probably be meaningless to someone else. Some of the things we do are downright silly, but we do them anyway out of habit and superstition. Most of the time, asking for a little guidance and saying THANKS when you get it should be plenty!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.