Weekly Tarot 8/3/15

Weekly Tarot 8/3 Through 8/8 

The week starts off with a clean slate. The Fool indicates taking a really big chance on a mere leap of faith. This week is yours to make what you want of it. Don't hesitate when presented with the opportunity to steer things in the direction you really want them to go in. It'll come early on and you'll want to jump at it while it's hot!

As we move further toward the middle of the week, it's important that we don't keep our head too far up in the clouds. You might want to retreat to your fantasy world where everything is just the way you want it. It's good that these ideas are so prevalent, but it's important to remember that the real world is still chugging along around you. Instead of getting completely lost in your fantasies, use them to guide you in molding your reality the way you want it.

Toward the end of the week, you'll probably find that your home and/or family is in serious need of some TLC that only you can provide. Remember that being unhappy or discontented with matters of home and family can have very negative effects on other areas of your life, too. Make sure you take the time out to pour your energy and full attention into this issue so you can set it straight. Get it dealt with now.

Stuck In A Rut Tarot Reading

I've been AWOL for a while, I know. I've been super busy being stuck in a really weird rut lately, thanks to my over-enthusiastic nature. Go figure.

Being the person that I am, I just have to explore and learn and do everything. I have an interest in studying and mastering so many subjects related to the Craft that I just have to read anything and everything I can get my hands on. Do you have any idea how many books and articles that adds up to?

On top of that, I feel the need to share everything I learn with everybody else because they MUST be just as excited about it as I am. That means endless lists of ideas for blog posts and social media shareables. Not to mention all of the new items I'm learning to make and divination services I'm performing that I'd like to add to the listings in the shop.

Needless to say, I overwhelmed myself. I was surrounded by all of these ideas, study subjects, and things I wanted to create that I didn't have time to give any of them the real attention that was necessary. I got frustrated that I couldn't master any of the tons of things I was trying to juggle, and I ended up dropping it all. As a result, I spent the last three months thinking about what I want to do and not actually doing anything.

But that's ok. I'm finally ready to pull my head out of the couch cushions, get my shit together, and actually get something done! I decided it would be best to start with a Tarot reading to help me narrow my focus and figure out what I need to let go of so I can move forward. And, in true Azila fashion, I decided that sharing my Tarot spread would make a great re-entry into blogging! Chances are there's someone else out there who's trying to pry their own ass off of the couch, and this Tarot reading is exactly what they need to help them do just that. So, here ya go.

Stuck in a Rut Tarot Reading

I laid the cards out in the shape of an arrow that symbolized moving forward. It is the perfect spread for figuring out what's keeping you in your rut, what's bogging you down and should be ditched, and what you should be focusing on to pull through it! It's quick and simple, and provides exactly the information you need to get up and out of the black hole that is a rut!

*This reading is now available in my shop! GO HERE to have me do this same reading for you!

Torn Between Two Lovers Tarot Spread

I created this spread for a client several months ago who was having trouble picking between two potential relationships. I've since had to reuse this spread several times, so I decided I'd pretty it up and offer it officially as a spread option in my shop. This one's great if you need to lay out the pros and cons of two different relationships side-by-side.

 Torn Between Two Lovers Tarot Spread

1. Lover One- What they represent to you
2. Lover Two- What they represent to you
3. What you can get out of relationship 1
4. What you can get out of relationship 2
5. Problems that may arise out of relationship 1
6. Problems that may arise out of relationship 2
7. General advice for you in relationship 1
8. General advice for you in relationship 2

Before doing this reading, it's important to clearly distinguish which relationship will be represented by "1" and which will be "2." While I've never had to use it for myself, it's been a huge help for some of my clients and my friends who've been stuck in this situation.

Feel free to use this spread for yourself! Please be sure to credit me if you share it, though!

P.S. If you'd like me to do a Tarot reading for you using this spread, click here!

Relationship Problems Tarot Spread

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and I'm well aware that not everyone is crazy in a perfect, endless love. In fact, some of us aren't really having the greatest time where relationships are concerned. I thought now would be the perfect time to go through my BoS and drag out some of the tarot spreads I've created for sticky love situations. I'll be sharing some of my favorites over the next week or so! Here's the first one.

 Relationship Problems Tarot Spread

1. The problem- what the issue really is.
2. How you contributed- yes, you contributed to this in one way or another. This card tells you what you did.
3. How they contributed- what they did.
4. What you can do to fix it- this is what you can do to turn this around.
5. What will make it worse- try really, really hard NOT to do this.
6. Ideal outcome- this helps shed light on what kind of a compromise will be best for both (or all) of you.

This is a good one for any kind of relationship. I created this one to help me out when I was having trouble with a family member I frequently butt-heads with. Since then, I've used it a ton of times for myself, for friends, and for clients. It's proven to be one of my go-to relationship spreads! Feel free to use it for yourself. But please credit me if you share it!

PS: If you'd like me to do a Tarot reading for you using this spread, click here! :)

Reading Tarot For Yourself: Objectivity

One of the biggest lessons I've learned about reading tarot is it's much more difficult to read for yourself than it is to read for others.

I never thought that would be so; it seems like it would be easier to read for yourself because you know yourself. When there's a message that comes through, I know whether it applies or not. When it comes to strangers, you never really know for sure if you're interpreting the cards correctly. You don't have the luxury of prior knowledge to confirm your reading.

Although I let this scare me out of reading for others for a long time in the beginning, I actually had it all backwards. It's actually harder to read for yourself than it is to read for strangers! Or, at least that's what I've learned!

You see, in order to read tarot for yourself (and get an accurate reading), it's very important that you remain objective! Every time I did a reading for myself, I had a preconceived idea of what the cards would tell me. Most of the time, I found a way to twist the message to fit my idea of what it should say. I didn't even realize I was doing it! I went through a long period where I got bored with reading tarot and gave it up because I always knew what the cards were going to tell me beforehand (or so I thought).

One day a friend asked me for a reading on her relationship. I brought out those dusty cards and did the reading. This time I wasn't going into it thinking I already knew what the outcome would be, I genuinely needed advice for her. Unfortunately, the message wasn't one she wanted to hear. The message was loud and clear: drop him now and move on.

She stared at me blankly. "So... I should give him another chance?"

She was disregarding my interpretation of the cards, and twisting the message so that it would comply with what she wanted to hear. Although I kept trying to reword the message (and kept pulling extra cards), so that she would understand it better, the message remained the same and she refused to accept it as it was. I eventually gave up, hoping I was wrong.

A mere few days later, we found out the cards were dead on. My friend's situation was very unfortunate, but I learned a huge lesson from that reading. What she did, construing the message to fit her preconceived ideas, is exactly what I had been doing in my own readings all along!

From then on, I started doing more readings for others. It helped me practice using my own intuition instead of relying on the knowledge I already had about the subject of the reading. I tried doing readings about my future; what I needed to know about the coming day, etc. This way, I could do the reading with no knowledge of what was actually going to happen, and I could go back and check the accuracy of my interpretation after the day was over.

It's still hard to stay objective sometimes, but it's the one most imperative factor in doing a reading for yourself!

How to Shuffle Tarot Cards

My tarot deck works hard. It is used countless times for myself, my friends, and even for complete strangers. It offers guidance, provides insight, and warns against dangers.

I try to take care of my tarot deck as well as possible. One of the biggest dangers to its condition is shuffling. I shuffle the deck after every single reading, and that can be so hard on  the poor cards! After a while, the edges will fray and a nasty crease will develop across the middle. Regular shuffling is just not on the table for my cards.

So here's how I go about shuffling my cards.

1. Hold the entire deck in one hand.

2. With the other hand, take one card from the top of the deck and put it down on the table in front of you.

3. Take the next card in the deck, and set it on the table next to the first card. Do the same for the next card in the deck.

Now you've started 3 piles on the table in front of you. Continue with this method, taking the first card from the deck and placing it on top of the others on the table, alternating piles with each card.

4. Once all of the cards from your hand are in three piles on the table, combine them back into one deck. Repeat if you feel it's necessary.

OR, you can use this method:

1. Split the deck in half and hold one half in each of your hands.

2. Slip the top card from your left hand to the top of the pile in your right hand.

3. Place the next card in the deck from your left hand on the bottom of the deck in your right hand.

4. Continue to alternate this way until all the cards from your left hand have been integrated into the rest of the deck in your right hand.

5. Repeat this process as many times as you feel necessary. Please note that these instructions are easiest if you are right-handed. Use the opposite hand if you are left-handed!

These methods might take more time than normal shuffling would, but they cause minimal damage to your deck. You aren't bending the cards and you aren't forcing the edges against each other. After a little practice, you will get the hang of it and the whole process will go much faster.