Maybe a goal you’ve chosen this year involves this…
Knight of Cups: An act of love
You might feel this…
Judgement: A call to serve others
In which case you’re this…
King of Wands: My hero
My resolution this year was this…
Three of Cups: Start up a dinner club with friends to experience the amazing food we have here in Melbourne.
However, this happened…
The Tower: Omicron
And my friends…
Eight of Cups Reversed: Don’t want to go anywhere outside their comfort zone
So I joined a bushwalking club instead…
The Empress: Enjoying nature
This week my youngest daughter said she would join my dinner club. We went to this high-energy Japanese eating house in the city, Yakimono, where I enjoyed the most wonderful smoked paprika raw tuna steak AND spent precious time with a child who is always super busy…
Nine of Cups: Feeling sated
So I get to participate in two new hobbies this year #win
The latest chapter in my Tarot Teaclub series, The Empress, has now been published on Amazon Kindle. It’s a bit late. I actually finished it a week ago, but have been struggling to find the energy to publish it. We all have those times in life…
Ten of Swords: Feeling completely depleted
You can access The Empress for free from Friday 8th October to Saturday 9th October, and on the 21st of each month (U.S. Time)
The other books in this series are also available to read for free on those dates: The Fool, The Magician and The High Priestess.
The links to each of these are below…
I know this series won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But for those who persist, it’s a chance to immerse yourself in the themes of the Major Aracana, the Holy Book of Tarot.
On Easter Sunday we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Christian lore, his emergence from the tomb 2000 years ago proved he was the son of God. For Christians, this event signifies the new life we can experience when we embrace the Word of God.
Judgement: Being called to serve
But before Easter was a Christian celebration, it was a pagan one.
Three of Pentacles: Building on strong foundations
According to St. Bede The Venerable, the word ‘Easter’ was derived from ‘Eostre’, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. This is also where we get the word ‘oestrogen’ from (Makes sense that a female hormone would be named after a female being). Many of the traditions and symbols that play a key role in Easter observations have their roots in Her celebrations.
The Empress: Fertility & growth In Tarot, first comes The Empress, THEN The Emperor
The very date of Easter betrays its pagan origins. It is always celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Nothing related to the date of Jesus’s death at all. However, full moons and equinoxes were highly significant for our European ancestors.
The Moon: Hidden depths
The period of fasting that precedes Easter is a reminder of the dire food reserves our ancestors were left with at the end of winter. Rations needed to be used sparingly. Much of the good stuff was gone. We suffer as they did.
Five of Pentacles: Feeling poor
The eggs that birds produce as daylight starts to increase would have been one of the first fresh foods our ancestors could lay their hands on. Same same for rabbits. Their breeding season begins mid-February. These were the first signs of new life. Thus their significance to the ancient Vernal Equinox celebrations: A festival of gratitude that the darkness was receding and the natural world was springing back to life.
Seven of Pentacles: Reflecting on the new shoots sprouting
Egg rolling and egg decorating customs were created to acknowledge the life-saving role of eggs at this critical time of year.
Ten of Pentacles: Family traditions
At its core, the Easter story has always been a reminder that no matter how bleak the world may seem, things can get better.
The Wheel of Fortune: The ups and downs of life
Whichever version of the story you prefer, Easter is a time of hope.
Like many others, I spent the Christmas-New Year period glued to Bridgerton on Netflix. An 8 part series produced by the wonderful Shonda Rhimes. Based on a series of Regency romances written by Julia Quinn in the noughties.
Let’s investigate the Tarot of Bridgerton, shall we?
Obviously, it falls under this category…
The Lovers: Romance
As is typical of this literary genre, the female protagonist Daphne is…
The Fool: A naive ingenue
And the male protagonist, the Duke of Hastings, is…
Knight of Wands + The Devil: Dashing and damaged
They both come from…
Ten of Wands: Wealthy families
The plot is centred around Daphne’s attempt to…
Four of Cups: Get married to another member of the ton – a word used to reflect a member of English high society during this period of history
In order to improve her chances of appearing desirable, and, so he can avoid appearing available, she and the Duke make a pact to…
The Lovers Reversed: Pretend to fall in love
And we all know what happens when characters pretend to be in love…
The Magician: They create that reality!
But before there is any chance of a happily ever after…
Seven of Wands: They must battle many obstacles…
Not least of which is…
The Moon: Their own personal faults
One of the things I love about this series is the rich array of supporting characters, whose own stories are explored in some depth.
There’s the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony, head of Daphne’s family…
The Emperor Reversed: A dysfunctional autocrat
Daphne’s mother, who sometimes provides…
The High Priestess Reversed: Terrible counsel
My personal favourite is Eloise, Daphne’s slightly younger sister…
Seven of Wands + The Empress: A raging feminist
Also notable is Eloise’s best friend, Penelope Featherington…
Three of Cups Reversed: The wallflower at every ball
There’s also the mysterious Lady Whistledown, who provides biting commentary on the London season, without ever revealing her true identity…
Knight of Swords Reversed + Seven of Swords: A sneaky barbed wit
Bridgerton has been brilliantly created by Shonda’s protege, Chris Van Duesen, who is an absolute…
King of Wands: Master of his craft
The tone is…
Six of Cups: Hyper-reality
The books and the era have been…
Wheel of Fortune: Given a modern spin.
This allows the series to have interesting conversations about…
The Empress + The World: The role of women in society
I’ve written before about how Tarot contains a holy book that charts the journey of a human soul through all the stages and experiences of life. I call these cards Life Lessons Tarot. But they’re better known as the Major Arcana.
I often talk about the blessing of having a selfish mom. Or rather, mum, as we refer to female parents here in Australia. This goes against conventional wisdom of course. Most peeps think a selfish mom is a bad mom. Women are under enormous pressure to put everyone else’s needs before their own. From their children. Their husbands. The parents at the school gate. The media. Their own expectations of what’s right.
So what could possibly be good about having a selfish mom? Continue reading →
My daughter has just come back from a six week holiday in Asia and introduced me to a new word: Flashpacking. It’s when you travel with a backpack but spend big on accommodation and food.
The Tarot Teaclub 