Sunday Spotlight: The Lovers

Ah, The Lovers card.

Who wouldn’t be excited to see this turn up in a spread?

We all love love.

Here we have an image of a naked man and woman. The epitome of sexy times. Romance. Intimacy.

This card’s energy is activated in adolescence. The first stabs of puppy love are its calling card. The trial and error of this period in our lives, as we explore different experiences, legal or otherwise, are its canvas.

But there’s a mismatch in the picture above. Whilst the man gazes adoringly at the woman, she’s not looking at him in return but fixated on an angel in the heavens above. Puts me in mind of that old saying: Men love women, women love children, and children love dogs.

There’s a subtle message beneath this image.

We each get to choose what we focus on.

Who we spend time with.

Who we choose to be in relationship with.

What to do with our lives.

Which temptations to succumb to and which to resist.

Just as Adam got to choose whether or not to eat that wicked apple in the Garden of Eden. Eve didn’t force it down his throat. Nor did the snake winding around the limbs of the tree.

The lesson in this card says that love is a choice, not a pre-determined fate.

Would you agree or disagree with that?

Throwback Thursday: The Holy Book of Tarot – Childhood

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, although they’re better known as the Major Arcana.

These lessons are divided into three parts.

The first volume covers childhood.

As follows…

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The Tarot of Happily Ever After

Who hasn’t wished for a happily ever after?

Hollywood has been promoting this possibility for over a century. Two people madly in love reunite and the screen fades to black. That’s where the story ends in our most popular movies and books.

Belief in this ideal has become ingrained in our DNA.

Which reminds me of this Tarot card…

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The Tarot of Prince Phillip’s Passing

The death of Prince Phillip, consort to Queen Elizabeth, has made news around the world this week. Let’s dive into the Tarot of this a little bit, shall we?

With his passing, Britain has been plunged into this…

Five of Cups: Mourning

The British press has been united in lauding him…

Knight of Cups: The knight in shining armour

Even though they spent years doing this…

Five of Swords: Sticking in the knives

Prince Phillip was definitely…

The Emperor Reversed: A fallible man (aren’t we all?)

However, he was also…

King of Wands: A man of great achievements

I currently run a Duke of Edinburgh club at the school where I teach. Prince Phillip created this award scheme to encourage personal growth in young people. It has been incredibly successful in this endeavour for many decades, and I am proud to be a part of it.

But perhaps his greatest achievement was this…

It wasn’t easy for him to always walk two steps behind the queen, but he did.

Judgement: Serving a higher good

He had to give up this completely…

The Fool: Freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted

His experience must have felt a lot like this at times…

The Devil: Willing enslavement

Vale Prince Phillip!

May he rest now in peace!

The Tarot of Bridgerton

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

There is even more to Bridgerton that that.

Watch it for yourself and see!!!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Easter is a time of hope. It therefore seems the perfect moment to explore the riveting survival tale of the Jewish man who tattoed prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War 2. His story has not come to light until now because of the incredible guilt he carried about what he was forced to do to his fellow prisoners.

Let’s explore his story shall we? No spoilers, I promise. Continue reading

The Tarot of Micro Cheating

Are you micro-cheating on your partner? Are you sure?

Micro-cheating is a series of seemingly small actions that indicate a person is emotionally or physically focussed on someone outside their relationship. It could take place on social media or at work or within your friendship circle.

I guess the answer comes down to one question… Continue reading

The Tarot of Valentine’s Day

O-oh! Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. You might love it. You might dread it. Either way, it elicits a response.

These are the cards that come to mind when I think of this day…
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