Dear reader of signs,
Welcome to the Friday, the 30th of June’s observation from my daily ‘Reading the Signs’ June challenge, an exercise of paying attention with a focus in mind as the day unfolds.
I’m writing this on the 1st of July, and the June challenge is behind me, dust shaken off time’s sandals. Although I had three more decks in my possession, on the last day of the June challenge I returned to the Robin Wood deck, which was the first deck I consulted on 1 June. This call-back was a decision made late in the month. I had not planned it sooner, but little of this challenge was planned. The idea arrived in my mind late in May, along with the impulse to cycle through all the Tarot and oracle decks in my collection. I decided what deck to use the day before, or on the morning itself, prompted by intuition. In a way, choosing a deck was its own form of oracle.
As I mentioned on the first day in June, the Robin Wood deck was the first Tarot deck I purchased, at a time when it was difficult to find such esoterica in the West of Ireland.1 I was independent and in college when I spotted the cheerful deck of cards in a book shop, and I bought it instantly. I was possessed of an abiding fascination in mysteries and occult matters my entire life, and it had long been my ambition to buy a Tarot deck when I had the means and the opportunity. It turned out to be the perfect fit for me. I studied the small accompanying booklet thoroughly, and began doing readings for myself. Since the Internet didn’t exist I had no access to further explanations until I began buying books on the subject. I was already engaged in academic research, so studying was something I loved to do. Throughout, I was guided by my instinct and followed its direction.
These are the two best lessons using the Tarot teaches you: to attune to your inner guidance and to trust yourself.
Every day in June when I drew cards I was specific in my intention: this was for the Reading the Signs challenge, and what would the cards indicate for that day? On the 30th of June, I determined to pull two cards, but went for three to round up the month.
For me, reading this set of cards was relatively easy, as it summarised the challenge: The Knight of Swords: I took action, full of the vigour for a new intellectual activity. It transitioned into the Three of Pentacles, the steady progress of doing the work: taking pictures of the cards every day, posting them into Substack Chat, and writing an observation later.
The writing-up stage was the laborious part of the challenge. It is one thing to scribble notes in your journal and another task to type up your thoughts and publish them online. Toward the end of the month I began to weary of the observation part, but I persisted as I knew it was the vital aspect of this project: the self-reflection. Insights revealed themselves to me by taking the time to write up my notes. It’s a reminder that pulling cards is easy, but considering the cards after the events of the day is another matter. Some days the insights were obvious, but a few mornings I began my reflection process somewhat flummoxed — what had the past twenty-four hours revealed?
I elected not to second-guess myself, and every day sat in front of my laptop and allowed the words to come. So we come to the High Priestess: the conduit to our intuition and free association. I did a small analysis of the cards I drew over the past month, and she was the major arcana that turned up the most: three times, and all in the past week, when I found this challenge the most taxing.2
Trust and continue. Heed your insights. Value your instinct.
So I end this month feeling immense gratitude for what the Tarot has taught me over the decades. I will come to the wisdom of my decisions if I take enough time to still fears, anxieties, and doubt and listen to the quiet signal that points me towards my best direction.
Getting to that eye of the storm takes practice, but working with the Tarot has honed my skill. Yet at times, I am flung about on the whirlwind.
When that happens, I take a break, go into nature, and ground myself in the wonder of earth, trees and sky.
Then I sit down again, and listen.
During the course of this challenge I was saddened to discover that Robin Wood passed away in 2021. She was a beautiful artist. I am grateful for her work, and the Robin Wood Tarot in particular.
I read both Tarot and Oracle decks, but analysing the days I used Tarot, the cups cards hugely dominated, especially in the last two weeks. This was a journey across the waves of instinct.