Tarot Consultation – A Magician's Musings

March 31, 2023

Decan Walk

For those who are unfamiliar, a decan walk is a deep look, or walk, through each decan of the zodiac. The 30-degree sections of each sign are divided up into 3 sections of 10 degrees each. These sections are called decans. From an astrological perspective, Austin Coppock has written an insightful and detailed book called ’36 Faces’. T. Susan Chang followed up with ’36 Secrets’, a book she states in the introduction took its inspiration from Austin’s. It examines each decan through a Tarot lens. Both are fabulous resources.

I started a decan walk back during Libra season, using several resources (including the two mentioned above) to learn everything I could about at least three cards per decan: the card associated with the decan in question; the card that corresponds to the planetary ruler of the decan, and; the card associated with the sign of the decan. I’d also explore other associated cards or cards from different decks and see what kind of learning would emerge. But, as life often does, my walk started out as a run then slowly morphed into a stroll, then a crawl and finally a retreat. 🙂

With Aries season only 10 days old, our home renovation mostly complete and me about to return from Australia and settle back into life at home, I thought it was a great time to restart a ‘true’ decan walk, one that starts at Aries I and ends all the way at the other end of the zodiac with Pisces III. I’ll explore each minor arcana card that corresponds with the decan, the card associated with each planet that rules the decan and the card that corresponds to the sign of the decan in question.

I’ll then post here at the end of each sign (for example, expect a post at the end of Aries, covering Aries, I, II, and III) about discoveries, reflections and ‘a-ha’ moments. I’d love for you to add your questions or comments. Although I certainly have an interest in astrology, my primary focus will be on the Tarot. (I leave most of the astrology to my wife – or to you if that’s your thing and you choose to comment!)

Speaking of astrology (and my wife), Kelly and I have completed the second video of our quarterly tarot and astrology insight ‘series’. In this offering, Kelly looks at some of the astrological events of the Aries, Taurus and Gemini season and I add some insights from corresponding cards from each month. We have fun recording these sessions. The funnest part for me is that, although we each plan our section, we don’t collaborate about the video beforehand. I love seeing what emerges!

If you’d like to check out this quarter’s offering, click on the video below.

As always, I am available for in-person and online Tarot consultations. Just visit the ‘Tarot Consultations’ page. I have dates for consultations open in late April and May. And, if you’re a returning client, make sure you email me at peter@peterwhitetarot.com for your special booking calendar link and discounted price!

Yours in Tarot,

Peter

January 16, 2023

I felt The Sun

I have done this action many times. Every morning. Let me know if this seems familiar to you.

I get up, follow my morning routine which includes, among other things, a daily Tarot card draw.

This past Sunday morning, almost immediately after getting out of bed, I was drawn outside. Maybe it was because the sun was shining and visible for the first time in weeks. Despite the cold, I wanted to feel it. So out I went.

And… I felt the sun. On my face, my head (my hat came off pretty quickly), and my hands.

But, I also felt The Sun. The 19^th card of the Major Arcana. The jubilation. The joy. The awe. The alive-ness. I immediately saw in myself the child riding horseback on the Rider-Waite-Smith version of this card. I smiled. I laughed out loud.

And then I thought about my daily Tarot practice. What if, instead of drawing a card and looking for iterations of it throughout my day, I instead looked for elements of the Tarot in my everyday life and then selected the card that might best represent what I saw, felt or experienced. After all, the Tarot represents all aspects of our life: big picture, small picture, long term, and everyday elements.

This is how it could work. Let’s say I see two people walking together. I note their circumstances. Are they engaged in a deep conversation? A warm embrace? Strolling hand in hand? Do they suggest The Lovers, the Two of Cups, the Two of Wands or a pair of court cards?

I really do like my daily card draw. I find it helps ground me in the energy of the day. It gives the Tarot an honoured space as the day begins. But I might also give this a try and hope it will help me notice the Tarot in my life and the lives that unfold all around me.

Are there places and spaces where you see the Tarot?

May 28, 2011

Storytelling with the Tarot

On Wednesday, May 25^th, to celebrate World Tarot Day, I led a workshop entitled ‘Demystifying the Tarot’ at a natural food store in Erin called Treehaven. The small turnout caused a ‘rethink’ of the structure of this workshop. So, three Tarot peeps… me, a woman who had been part of our bi-monthly Tarot study group and another who I had met through the Guelph Occult Meetup group proceeded to spend 2 hours just talking Tarot. I must say, despite my initial disappointment at the turn out, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

We began by simply talking, about our favourite decks, cards we see often in our Tarot work, our past experience with the Tarot and how we work with it. The three of us asked each other questions. We moved to an unstructured comparative look at cards from different decks, looking at the differing symbols and meanings in front of us.

We then moved to a storytelling activity. I can’t give direct credit as to where I got the idea from but I won’t claim it as my own. I know Rachel Pollack does a significant amount of story-based work in the Tarot. Maybe I read it in one of her works. I was also inspired by the teacher-librarian at my school who had shared a storytelling deck with me that she was using in one of our classrooms. Regardless, I’m sure it’s an adaptation of someone else’s idea.

To prepare for this workshop, I had previously divided the decks I brought into 3 sections: the pips, the courts and the majors. I suggested we use these 3 piles to tell a story. We selected the Thoth deck and randomly drew our cast of characters from the courts, our theme from the majors and began developing a plot with the pips. It was a great process. At first, we laughed a little at a suggestion that the story might become risqué. We then began the process. The deck shared our sense of humour and offered up the Empress, home of abundance, fertility, and sensuality, as our theme.

We continued the exercise by drawing the Queen of Cups as our protagonist (a supportive, but at times overemotional and menopausal mother), the Queen of Swords as a secondary character (her sharp-tongued adult daughter – although, upon reflection, maybe her equally sharp-tongued neighbour would have better suited the Queen but, for our purposes, the daughter worked fine) and then began constructing our story. Our starting plot points were the 6 of disks (success) and the 2 of swords (peace). I believe, had our time not expired, we would have created quite the story; we appeared to be in fine form 🙂

Try the activity. Divide your deck into three sections (pips, courts, majors). Shuffle them well. Begin by drawing a card from each. Remember that your major card will remain the overarching theme of your story. Draw just one. You drew ‘The Fool’? Your story could develop into an adventure story. ‘The Chariot’? A fast-paced story a la ‘Fast and the Furious’. ‘The Moon’? Could be a little twisted and scary, don’t you think?

You might find that, once you’ve drawn your characters, beginning your story with ‘Once upon a time, there was a …’ and then proceed to describe the character using your knowledge of the Tarot or the image presented on the card. Then make them go somewhere or do something by drawing cards from the pips. The 6 of swords might take them on a journey over water, the ace of wands might be the sign of a new song idea or the 5 of pentacles might indicate a struggle to make ends meet.

The three of us decided that at some point, we would take this concept further. If you decide to as well, please feel free to post about here.

May 17, 2011

‘Demystifying the Tarot’ workshop in Erin

On Wednesday, May 25th, from 6:30 – 8:30, I will be leading a 2-hour workshop entitled ‘Demystifying the Tarot’ at Treehaven Natural Foods in downtown Erin. This introductory workshop will provide attendees with a brief overview of the ‘histories’ of the Tarot, its structure, its meanings and its uses. Its intent is to shed a little light on this ‘mysterious’ little deck. The cost of the workshop is $15 which also includes light refreshments. The cost for the workshop is payable in advance at Treehaven or at the door. Space is limited so please R.S.V.P. at whitesagetarot@gmail.com, by calling me at 519-217-7243 or by contacting Treehaven at 519-833-9006.

I will also be available for in-person Tarot consultations on Saturday, May 28th and Saturday, June 25th at Treehaven Natural Foods from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. To book your consultation in advance, please use the same contact information stated above.

May 8, 2011

In Honour of Mothers’ Day

It was a recent episode of Modern Family that got me thinking.

Mitchell serves his partner Cameron breakfast in bed and all is well until Cameron realizes that it’s Mothers’ Day. This upset Cameron because he feels that Mitchell is casting him in the role of woman. (As an interesting aside, of all three couples portrayed on Modern Family, it may be the same-sex Mitchell and Cameron who most closely represent the ‘Rockwell-esque’ ideal of the distinctive roles of the two-parent family).

What it made me think about is what and who exactly are we honouring on Mothers’ Day? I suspect the first intent is that we all honour our mother. That’s a given, since we all have one. We may not know her, we may not live with her, we may not talk to her much, but she is the reason we are here. There’s no way around that one (and Happy Mothers’ Day to mine, BTW :)).

But, on this day, (and we might not even realize it) we also honour ‘Mother’. We recognize the importance of the nurturer, the care-giver, the empathetic listener, the cuddler, the keeper of the den, the compassionate one, to name but a few roles that ‘Mother’ would take on.

This week’s ‘Modern Family’ episode reminded me that there is an important distinction between the two. The episode ended with the acknowledgement that just because Cameron was ‘slightly mommer’ than Mitchell, didn’t make him any less of a man. I know as a half-time single Dad (albeit with significant support from my fiancée), there are many times where I take on a ‘Mom’ role. But I never feel as if I relinquish my masculinity. In fact, I believe that by embracing different aspects of the role of mother, regardless of our gender, we honour the archetype. Actually, a little while ago, while sharing praise for one another as part of a Circle activity, one of the most powerful compliments I ever received from a friend was the following: “Peter, I honour the fact that you don’t always have to act like a man to assert that you are one.” As a male whose spiritual practice equally celebrates Feminine and Masculine divinity and the importance of those archetypes in all of us, I was touched by the words.

So, this morning, I turned to the Tarot and chose a couple of ‘mothers’ from the deck. I selected the Queen of Cups from my RWS deck as representative of the role of mother . She is the penultimate listener. She is nurturing and emotionally receptive. I also selected the Empress from the same deck as representative of the Archetype of Mother. The Empress is fertility, compassion and, for fear of sounding a little Freudian :), sensuality.

Take a moment and reflect when and where you or others around you play ‘Mom’? Was it while listening to a friend in need? Perhaps you’re a teacher and needed to show compassion to a struggling student? Or maybe you know someone who happily nurses a sick animals back to health? Find a Tarot deck and select a card that best exemplifies the role played in this situation. If you feel the need, honour us by sharing.

Wishing a Happy Mothers’ Day blessing to all.