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Wednesday 23 February 2011

Tarot 5 of Earth "DEPLETION"

Your resources are being taxed almost to the point of exhaustion!
Waste not, selfishly hoarding your provisions will lessen their value
This tarot depicts a burnt forest, a dry and rusting oil well and cupped hands holding onto one last  bit of crude oil

INTERPRETATION:  In plundering the earth's resources of oil, coal, trees and minerals we waste the earth. What is it that is being taken from you?  Or is it that you are taking something away from someone else?

All of the fives in each of the suits represent a place of lack in your life at present and these are somewhat more difficult to work through.  These images throw up the reasons why something you want that you cannot have just now.  They depict circumstances beyond your control and this is what makes them so difficult as they often feel unfair because you do not have the power to change it now.  Depending on which five you find, it will at least help you understand why things are not happening the way you would like them to, in these basic ways:

·     In 5 of earth the “Depletion” tarot represents that the material world is in opposition to your desires.

·     In 5 of fire the “Associations & Assignations” tarot represents that passions and arguments are rife, making it impossible to act in the way you desire

·     In 5 of water the “Repentance” tarot represents that you will be experiencing emotional warfare, blackmail or undo guilt making from something someone knows about you and is manipulating you emotionally in some way that makes you feel that you can never get or deserve what you desire

·     In 5 of air the “Metamorphosis” tarot represents the time between one time period in your life and another, it’s a time in your life will be confusing and information is not clear enough for you to even know what you ought to desire

Use this information to understand your stumbling blocks and remember, this too will pass, it only feels like it’s lasting forever.

In traditional tarot images you often see two people standing outside a dark church and it was known as “Lovers without a meeting place”. They love each other but have either no time, live far apart or are in some other physical way [such as already being in a relationship] or having someone who relies on you who takes all your time.  It can also indicate that lovers each have too many responsibilities to pursue a relationship with each other at the moment.

All roads out of your particular situation may seem to be blocked just now but this will pass, no matter how uncomfortable your position is at present.  You will have only about a half a year more.

Our society has become wasteful and we have too, within it.  Are you drinking or eating or spending too much?  Does your physical body or do your finances feel out of control?  Do you need to gain or lose weight, end a bad habit or get physically strong?  If you do, you MUST get the help you need now as this tarot could foreshadow a time of ill health.

It is time for you to take stock of what you have and what you need.  This is a time to recycle and reuse...the more you waste or miser away, the less you will have. 

You are likely to be missing a partnership of some kind. It may be that they literally live too far away and you are depleting your energy trying to find ways to meet that never quite come off.  It could be that one of you are not free to have another relationship.  It could be that you are simply not on the same wave length anymore.  In any case, you are probably feeling lonely or fed up in some significant relationship.

Unfortunately the troubles you’re encountering now are largely of your own making and it will be your responsibility to return your life from what it is now to what you would like it to be.

Take care not to promise more than you can deliver. If you do, you are bound to lose respect from the people you most want to impress. This can escalate to a level of stress to get things right that you are tempted to steal something or take credit for another’s work. This can also indicate a “fall from grace”, normally due to something you have done that is a “cheat” in some way.

Your ego may be behind a bossy behaviour to others which depletes your energy and therefore you cannot do many things to help yourself.  There is a possibility that you could be behaving as a victim that cannot cope on your own & needs others to do every little thing for you.
  Watch Andy and Lou, illustrating this idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIJt9LYbtBs&playnext=1&list=PL8B22864336A223BD

Begin the changes you need to make by getting a good night’s sleep, plenty to drink and eat, and restore yourself from the inside out.  Focus on what small things you CAN do and refrain from worrying about what you cannot now do, this time will end eventually. 

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.
 Best Wishes,
Gabrielle Elliot, ©2011

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Tarot 4 of Earth "PROVISIONS"


When you harvest give thanks for your plenty

 Four happy harvesters are gathering their crops:
·                     An older woman harvests wheat for making flour for making bread & cake, she is already planning to make her secret recipe first
·                     A young man is taking his bananas to market where he will trade it for money that he will in turn use to buy clothes to impress his sweetheart
·                     A little girl is surprised at discovering her cabbage’s unusual “texture” and hurries to show her mother what she’s found
·                     A middle-aged man carries a rich crop of dill on his back for sharing with his family and neighbours an essential element in a local speciality

INTERPRETATION:  Time to evaluate what is essentially needed to be saved for the winter months of lack and what of your abundance can be shared with others.  The earth provides enough food for everyone who lives upon her, so why do people starve?

All 4s in each suit reminds us of four legs on a table, or a chair or a stool, four legs balance and make secure.  Four is the number of stability and enhancement.  Normally when fours come into a reading it is a time when an issue or problem in any of the elements you’ve been experiencing is finally coming to a conclusion.

  • In earth four, “Provisions” we realise it as a representation of  balanced provisions---having enough to eat, enough to drink, a home and good health, it normally also relates to having enough money to live well upon after a long time of dwindling resources.
  • In fire four, “Rebirth” we realise it as balanced inspiration and passion---having enough fire in your belly to fight for your needs and rights, it normally also relates to a resurgence or rebirth of your freedom or creativity after a period of feeling confined or having had a period of “writer’s block” regardless of what creative/artistic talent/leaning you have.
  • In water four, “Secrets” we realise it as a representation of balanced emotions, in particular loyalty---having someone in your life that you trust implicitly, so much so that you can diverge your secrets to this person or persons after a long time of keeping your feelings to yourself or feeling particularly lonely.
  • In air four, “Oscillation” we realise it as a representation of balanced intellect---having enough to occupy your mind in a fulfilling and creative way. Thoughts, philosophy, learning, Oscillating from subject to subject flexibly and comprehensibly, communicating well your luscious ideas, after having survived a period of worry, mental instability or depression.
The seeds that are planted today will feed the starving after a period of growth and development.  These seeds may not all grow vegetables, they may grow ideas or plans or inspiration. Planting the seeds of suggestion will inspire growth in others, normally these will be practical in nature.

Feed those who are starving and do not forget to give a portion to yourself. 

"May you never hunger. May you never thirst." Related ideas are found by clicking on the link below:


Stable finances, balanced health and a fully-stocked food cupboard are all indicated in this tarot.

This tarot typically relates to making a business deal of some sort that will pay off in the future for you. If you have been contemplating starting a new exercise regime or joining a gym, do so for it would be a successful venture now.

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.

Best Wishes,
Gabrielle Elliot, ©2011

Monday 14 February 2011

Tarot 3 of Earth "CONQUEST"

Tools are provided in this world; make use of them

This image represents what a person will do in order to get what they want, get back what they have lost or will fight to keep.  

INTERPRETATION:  Time to focus on work because it’s building time.  Regardless of what you work on, plan, scheme or organise this is a good time to easily focus on the work required to complete it. 



All threes in all of the suits represent making something.  In the twos we see the duality of nature and in three we find what the twos have produced [reproduced]


·                     In 3 of earth the “Conquest” tarot represents the strategy and energy to conquer the material world, it relates to having a firm foundation in the material world

·                     In 3 of fire the “Preparation” tarot represents the ability to use the fire to make something that sustains you and others around you

·                     In 3 of water the “Bonding” tarot represents the sensitivity and wondrous new understanding you have when you bond with other individuals

·                     In 3 of air the “Experience” tarot represents the ability to find the right course of action due to being able to harness your past memories of your experiences

 If you have selected the 3 of Earth it is certain you will be concerned with domestic issues or other dealings of a practical nature. It is time to learn, utilize and master the use of tools. Everyone uses tools, be it a laptop or phone, a hammer or a tape measure; now is the time to find the correct tools for you.

Your worldly reputation is staked upon the completion of a task at hand.  Investigate what help you can find to aid you, even people can be tools.

You may feel a sense of having to compete with someone in a challenge. Consider carefully how much the fight is worth fighting.  Also you may be asked or naturally become an advocate or leader for a group in the near future.

You may have a very strong need to own something of value and work steadily to earn enough to acquire it.  Consider how much you need to own the thing you want and why you want it.  It will only be truly valuable, if there are no major hidden costs.

Has your money been disappearing recently?  Now is a good time to really focus on your incomings and outgoings and see what is slowly bleeding you dry.  Once you have found out what that is, you can plug the hole and start building your nest egg.

It could also mean an addition or work on your home [domestic scene].  Realise that this card typically relates to the microcosm, or your own home and family, your close world. 
___________________________________________________________________
Here's the process for this image, in case you are interested:

FROM THIS---the original collage, circa 1994


After scanning I spent some time with the image, deciding how to focus it
I Took all but the central focus away, 
Saved it and then went and found an image from my friend's FB page 

 And cropped and removed all the extras...then gave her decorations
and then made her image equal to the original images

  
Then pushed the images contrast and then found some suitably wild hair
...Becoming this image below...
This image was rotated and the heard joined to this recognisably iconic image
The background was eliminated and the image superimposed over the original image of the knives, then added 3 globe images [which the knife edges hold aloft] 
...TO FINISH
Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.
Best Wishes,
Gabrielle Elliot, ©2011

Monday 7 February 2011

Tarot 2 of Earth "DISCOVERY"


The world is your oyster; you lovely grain of sand, now go and create your pearl self!


Touch, feel, grasp, squeeze, fondle, tease, irritate, hold and caress your material world!  

INTERPRETATION:  Use all of your earthly senses to explore your world.  Just like an infant experiencing the world for the first time, touch, taste, smell, feel and listen to everything you can around you.

The two of earth represents a balance in your material world and worth.   If you have been unemployed then look for work now, an opportunity to re-address the balance is on the offing.   As your physical world balances, your confidence level will balance as well.

All twos in all of the suits show a balance and a joining of the element.

·                                                 In earth “Discovery” two physical bodies join, balancing your resources and physical work

·                                                 In fire “Union” two passions join, balancing the sensual, intuitive and spiritual self

·                                                 In water “Synchronicity” two emotions join, balancing feelings and imaginings within you

·                                                 In air “Illusion” two mentalities join, balancing thinking, communicating and teaching with learning

Thus this indicates a time to share, sharing with just one other person.  Share physical love, share strength, share of you material wealth, share practical advice and give generously.

This image represents two physical bodies that join, and may indicate a healthy sexual relationship or the falling in love period in a relationship. Touches send sparks, and can, introduce a period of sexual fulfilment and conception.  It may not always indicate a new relationship, sometimes it can be a re-kindling of sparks from another time

Also realise that this image is not just about sexual function, but is all about investigating sensually...it's the satisfaction brought about by longing, touching and teasing, in many ways innocently...

Also this image can indicate a new business or creative working partnership.  Someone else may offer you assistance in the material world just now, it is a good time to take what is offered.  This will help you balance on the material plane.

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.
Best Wishes,
Gabrielle Elliot©2011

Saturday 5 February 2011

Tarot 1 of Earth "BIRTH"


These women hold the secret fecundity of motherhood within their bellies


Pictured in this tarot are a number of images and negatives of heavily pregnant women, and in one instance the tummy is the world and to any new little person, inside that tummy is the whole world

INTERPRETATION:  The entire material world is opening before you --- another new beginning!  Embrace the potentials of fertility, material gains, or employment that come your way now.  If you have plans to change you material world, this is the time of gathering together all the things you need for the change.

All aces in all of the suits indicate an opportunity presenting itself to you and it is up to you to do something with it.  If you don’t want that kind of opportunity, do nothing and nothing will happen, but if you need a change then act upon the opportunity and you should be pleased with the outcome:

  • In Ace of earth “Birth” an opportunity to bring about a new life is presenting itself to you, normally coming in the forms of a new outlet for earning income, a new job, a new home, a new baby, etc.
  • In Ace of fire “Inspiration” an opportunity to bring about a new idea or an inspiration that can cause you to have a break through, an eureka moment changing your upcoming actions.  If you are an artist or work in a creative field Ace of fire will bring a different and valuable mindset to empower your passion and commit it to a medium that can be shared with others who share your own passions.
  • In Ace of water “Abundance” an emotional opportunity comes along, generally in the form of a new love or friendship.  It can also involve some longed for revolution in an artistic or craft endeavour, in particular in film and television --- it’s the image’s reflection that will draw you, regardless of the medium used
  • In Ace of air “Revelation” an opportunity arises through communications, thinking, learning, research and development.  For one who studies or teaches, this tarot would indicate the opportunity to learn a related subject or earn a grant for research you are working on. Obviously this then will come to you in the form of research, learning and      teaching, communications, but also through marketing or PR, social net working or digital works



The Ace of earth can indicate the idea of moving home, or putting your home on the market.  Possibly this could show also show ideas for new creative endeavours, jobs or projects that have potential for new income. 

Of course, too, with the obvious images on this card, it also indicates a time of fertility---so go out and “sew some seeds of your own” now...and if you want no actual children at this time, be extra careful with birth control.

This is the card of pregnancy, the time before birth; the being has not yet been born. Be like the new mother making baby clothes and building her nest, it is a time of happily planning. 

The female half of your nature is calling out for you to cherish her. Give her pretty things to wear, sweet things to eat and gentle words to speak.  Bather her in fragrance, hug her to you fiercely and accept that she is a part of you.

 Investigate your relationship with mother-figures in your life.  Mothers nurture and love you unconditionally and in practical ways.  If you are feeling overwhelmed just now, seek out a nurturing woman whom you trust and ask for her company and advice, and she will offer you sustenance.

Time to sing lullabies to yourself, perhaps like this one:


or this one:



Or maybe you’ll prefer the dream you fall into while you listen to this lullaby...


Or how about this lullaby sang at your bedside?


Perhaps you would prefer this frighteningly soothing lullaby?  [If you want comfort, then don’t click on this, it’s meant as a joke]


There is nothing wrong in acknowledging when you need a little tender-loving care in the unique way only a mother can give.  Do not be afraid to seek it when you acknowledge you need it.

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.

Best Wishes,
Gabrielle Elliot
©2011

Friday 4 February 2011

Expansion Introduction


---INTRODUCTION---


The Chambers Dictionary defines the word TAROT as: “noun. A card of a type originating in Italy with an allegorical picture; a set consisting of 100 such cards used in games and especially fortune-telling; (usually in plural) a game played with tarots together with cards of the ordinary suits-Formerly also ‘taroc’ or ‘tarok’ [FRENCH ‘tarot’, from ITALIAN ‘tarocco’].

The Concise Oxford Dictionary adds:  “...Game played with, each card of, a pack of 78 cards...of unknown origin.”

The Latin word, ROTA, means, “to turn as a wheel, to rotate, cyclic.”  Rota may appear to be a relative or a derivative or root of the word tarot.  Tarot represents the turning of the cycles of life and death and rebirth, like a wheel.  

The Egyptian God of wisdom, Thoth’s name is additionally & coincidently (?) reminiscent of the word Tarot. 

The word THOTH may also be linked to the roots of our words thought, thorough, and truth.  If this has any bearing on our understanding of the tarot, then we might consider that the tarot is designed to help us understand the true thorough turning of the wheel of life, granting us self-knowledge and wisdom.

While some quite like a “good old fashioned tarot reading” where one person “reads” the cards for another.  What is less considered is how to use the iconic images to meditate and to work on positive attainment.  Ideas for this kind of work will be worked within the text.  Simply put, the Expansion Tarot is a tool to help you...

'Know Thyself' 

Definition of TAROT:

 "Self-truth and understanding gained using symbolically illustrated cards as a tool." 

Definition of EXPANSION:

 “The process of amplification, the state or degree of enlargement, immensity, extension”

This deck has been named THE EXPANSION TAROT because it connotes the ability to increase in all directions.   

The more we understand ourselves the more we can expand our awareness.  Like a dry sponge that is soaked in water, the student of tarot can expand in all directions through the experience and knowledge of his or her essential self.

If nothing else, time working with the tarot gives positive alone time, something we all too often neglect.

Tarot has a cyclical nature, thus the suits of cards are organised as the cycles of life and the compartments of the environment in which we manifest. 

These cards are called the MINOR ARCANA, or smaller mysteries.  Each of these four suits is given a symbolic representation that relates to one of the four major elements of water, fire, air and earth and they relate to the suits of typical playing cards (hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds).

The suit of coins, pentacles or disks symbolises the material world or the element of earth.  In the Expansion Deck, the suit of coins or pentacles is replaced by the name THE SUIT OF EARTH.  Earth is the essential element from which all materials come and that allows for human existence and manifestation on this planet.  It is a negative polarity, or a feminine aspect; bringing to it what it needs through attraction.

Using Maslow's hierarchy of needs [1943] the suit of earth corresponds to the physiological needs — or the requirements for human survival. Air, water, food, clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements. Earth also represents how an individual handles the material world and how these resources are managed.


The second suit is the suit of rods, wands, batons, brooms or staffs and symbolises the dynamic world of energy or of spirit, that which animates or is animated or the element of fire.
 In the Expansion Deck, the suit of rods or wands is replaced by the name THE SUIT OF FIRE. Typically this suit uses as the tool of animation to represent the concept of intention. 

The rod or baton was symbolic of the magician’s wand, the symbolic aid or focus for his intention to be made manifest.  Fire is often the symbol of creative energy and is essentially a tool of transformation of spirit; for example, water may boil when heated by fire, and then eventually evaporate, changing its composition entirely. 

Fire can either create or destroy.  This suit is of a masculine energy or positive polarity and thus gets its needs met through action, or goes out and get what it wants.

Fire is also related to passion, obsession and sexuality.  It relates to the Safety needs in Maslow’s theory. 


To keep the human race safe, sex must occur to build the population. If someone were to threaten your feelings of safety, the fire in your belly helps you counter any attack and is the energy you can muster to fight, flee or freeze.

The third suit in the Expansion Deck is THE SUIT OF WATER.  In other Tarot Decks it is symbolised as the suit of cups or chalices or cauldrons traditionally.  This suit is relative to the emotional realm or the subconscious, the world of dreams and visions.  Water, like earth, is a feminine element, getting what it needs through attraction. 

All humans are incubated inside the mother’s body in birth water. 

When pre-literate humans wandered the earth, they needed water, so they cupped their hands in order to hold the water before they got the precious drops to their mouths.  Later, when they developed tools, the first vessels they made for holding liquids resembled the shape of their cupped hands. Water is essential to life. 

This may be a clue as to how very important emotions are to all people, and how difficult life can be when one denies their feelings.  In reverse, often one is no more blissful when embracing his or her emotions, as when one is “in love” or in harmony with another human individual. 

Too much of the water element can lead to drowning or being overwhelmed by emotion; too little can lead to great thirst and even to death. Maslow explains this need as the need for a social life, approval of others, popularity and loving relationships in his text, A Theory of Human Motivation, A. H. Maslow (1943), Originally Published in Psychological Review, 50, 370-396.

The final suit is the traditional suit of swords.  This is the symbol of the male polarity, as Carl Jung found when naming the seven basic archetypes*.  The sword or knife again is a positive energy, like the suit of fire, and gets what it needs through action.  In the Expansion Deck it is known as THE SUIT OF AIR.  This suit indicates the mental realm. While a knife or sword is a tool to cut, it is symbolic of cutting to get to the truth or heart of a matter. 

Truth is an essential element in reasoning and thinking.  One, who investigates the truth and looks at all sides of an issue, is said to have an “open mind”.  Likewise, upon hearing a truth, one may say that it is “likened to a breath of fresh air.” 

While a sword initially appears to be a dangerous weapon, one must have the knowledge of how and when to use it, thus again we see the tool symbolising that intention behind its use.  Air is invisible to the naked eye, as is knowledge and therefore we must find symbols to concretely establish that which we cannot see. 

Too much of this element can cause one to live only in the mind---a mind that has little organisation or concentration.  Lack of air causes suffocation.

Maslow believed that most people have a need for a stable self-respect and self-esteem. We need the respect of others, the need for status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention. Deprivation of these needs can lead to an inferiority complex, weakness and helplessness.

(Aside note---there are some Tarot decks and magical systems that reverse fire and air or swords and wands.)

To sum it up, then:

The earth suit is of the physical, material realm
The fire suit is of the active, spiritual realm
The suit of water is of the emotional realm
The air suit is of the mental realm.

 Each suit signifies the different experiences an individual encounters in their daily life.  Just by the nature of each world or realm of each of the suits we can see that they are all as important as each other and need each other to come together in the individual to create a whole life.

In the Expansion Deck these suits are indicative of daily living and it may be helpful when working with the cards to separate these from the Major Arcana cards when specifically dealing with minor issues of the “mundane” world. 

The numbered cards (0 to 0/2) are called the MAJOR ARCANA.  These cards are far more difficult to define.  These cards directly relate to the cyclic nature of an individual’s essence, or soul, the part of each of us that cannot be defined, yet exists none-the-less.  [Some people refer to it as their “Higher Self” or as their “Psychic Self”].

On Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs the Major Arcana fits with the self-actualisation needs. Maslow describes these needs as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.

The 0 card, “The Being”, or "the Fool" in traditional Tarot, is the card representing the moment before corporeal birth into the earth realm, the first breath, when the soul is made ready to manifest into a body, or when the being incarnates.  The Major Arcana cards then follow the being’s cycles of incarnation. 

The final card of the Major Arcana "02" is “Expansion”, formerly known as "the World" in traditional Tarot, when the being joins with his/her other incarnations once more in wholeness and prepares to begin his/her cyclical journey once again.  Both the first and the final cards of the Major Arcana represent the state of being whole in one's essence and at home with one's self.  The difference is that "The Being" is just starting out on his/her journey around the wheel of life, while "Expansion" represents a completion of one cycle around the wheel. 

When one is in a period of transition or turmoil in his or her life, the Major Arcana may be separated from the Minor Arcana and utilised to give understanding of the important connotations of your life at the time.

Anything we utilize outside ourselves is a tool, from pencil to automobile.  A tool is a very useful item and therefore deserves the same respect we pay to anything that helps us. 

We take great care of our cars; washing, polishing, lubricating and maintaining it so that it will run properly.  The car is the tool to get us from point A to point B.  These cards are ONLY a tool to help one to find his or her own truth, and this truth is only found within each individual. 

The cards are a means (like a car) for helping you to travel to your desired destination.  Realise though that sometimes when one travels without a map or intended destination, one can get lost.

Maintaining the cards

Most books on Tarot will have various suggestions for keeping and handling your cards.  Some will direct you to wrap them in silk or to put them in a special bag or box, or to stop others from touching the cards.  The cards ought to be honoured in the same way as any other tool you might use, as in the way in which you care for your car. 

Some painters takes great care with his or her brushes, and practices revering his or her art with each cleaning of the brushes.  The brushes are not the art, they are simply the tool for making the art. 

The Expansion Deck was designed for both personal use and as a tool for consultation.  If you chose to “read”* for others, you must trust your intuition try eliminate ego-needs when reading for others. 

Securing a blank book or journal or a file on your computer, kept just for the purpose of writing down a personal understanding of the card can also be quite helpful.  When I was a student of tarot, I meditated upon one card per evening, then wrote down impressions the next morning. 

While each card will be dealt with in the text, each student will have his or her own personal encounter with the cards and will develop his or her own interpretation of each image.  Your impression is very important as everyone relates to the iconic images differently based on your level of understanding and experiences.

There is no reversed meaning for any of the cards in the Expansion Deck.  Should a card be chosen during a reading in the reverse, simply right it. 

Sharing

Do, please, feel free to download any images or text you like.  This is meant to be an open-access tarot project.  Please leave any thoughts or ideas you have, I would like to hear from you.  I believe that anyone can learn to work with the tarot and I hope what I post can be helpful to those who would like to learn it. 


The Expansion tarot uses contemporary imagery and symbols so they resonate with people today.  Too often, the traditional tarot images have less impact because they illustrate ideas in the way people were and not how they are now.  When they were originally developed in 1993-1995, things like the internet and digital imagery were in their infancy.  Now using new computer imagery programmes and social networking, the Expansion tarot now has the potential to reach people in ways that were never even considered when they were first created.

Certainly link and make suggestions to anyone you think would like to see these. Just please do not reprint as your own work.

Best Wishes,
Gabrielle Elliot, ©1994, 2011