Tag: Tarot

A few weeks back, I blogged about when to seek out a professional reading.  After all of that, I thought it would be a good idea to do a rundown of how to create a more sustainable self tarot practice.

Like any good habit, building a sustainable self-tarot practice means finding an easy way to incorporate it into your daily life and having an intention behind that incorporation.  I am a big believer that the best tarot practices are those that pertain to your real life.  In fact, I’ve built my entire tarot course around how to read for real life situations.  Tarot is a wonderful way to connect with spirituality, but it’s also an extremely effective tool in processing emotions and getting clarity in personal situations.

A lot of beginners and seasoned tarot pros seem to struggle to find ways to incorporate these practices into daily life. They get busy; they have a respect for their tarot practice.  They don’t want to rush through readings or they just aren’t sure how to turn it from occasional activity into habit.

These are a few of the practices that I recommend to help you make tarot a part of your regular life.

Meditating on one card every day

For those who love meditation and already have a regular meditation practice, this is a great option.  You would draw a card every morning (or whenever you meditate) and ask the question “Which card would be most helpful for me to meditate on today?”  Shuffle and draw one or two cards.  Take a moment to look at them and make notes in a journal to help you keep a record of what you’re focusing on.

Then, practice your regular meditation and continue to focus on the energy or message of that card and how that card’s energy could help you.  Maybe throughout the rest of your day you draw on that message and energy as you move about your day as a mindfulness exercise.

This is one that builds on itself.  As you reflect back on a week of these, you often start to see some patterns.  Maybe you notice which cards you work with very easily and which ones you struggle with. That alone is valuable info.

Giving yourself a reading for the week

I get it.  Things get very hectic as the week goes on.  That’s why I am a big proponent of doing a reading for the week.  Most of us have at least one quiet time during the week.  Maybe you have lazy Sunday evenings.  Maybe things finally quiet down for you on Wednesday mornings.  Whenever that time period is, take a moment to sit and do a spread for yourself for the week.

I try to stay away from questions about what I will experience as that can sometimes be a little traumatic.  (Imagine starting a new job and pulling the Devil card for your first week on the job.)  Instead I recommend asking questions like: What card’s energy do I need to embody to feel successful this week?  What cards represent resources that I will need to cultivate this week?  What card represents natural gifts that can help me overcome any challenges this week?

That way, you are giving yourself a reading that is empowering and gives you something to come back to whenever you’re feeling frustrated or overwhelmed throughout the week.  These cards become touchstones and a support system to help you through challenges.

Again, I do recommend writing at least a few notes on the read in a journal just so you remember what came up.  Sometimes we think we remember but, once the chaos of the week starts, we only remember bits and pieces.

Goal-oriented Card of the day towards that weekly or daily goal

This is one of my favorite options because I’m a very goal-oriented person.  If you set goals for the week or a goal for each day, you can draw a card for the week or the day to tell you how you can achieve that goal.

So, for example, if I wanted to make sure that I wrote three blog posts one day and I drew the Four of Swords, I would note that taking lots of breaks in between each blog is what would help me get it all done.  I don’t like to take breaks so this is not something I would normally think to do, but if I pulled that card in the morning, I would recognize that rest is an important part of the process because it will help me ultimately achieve my goal.

I like this approach because it is very direct and very actionalable.  It can also be applied to the full week or to daily pulls.

Real Life Tarot Spreads

Mulling something over?  Really frustrated with a relationship in your life?  Looking for your ideal job but unsure where to look?  READ ON IT!

This is why we learn.  It doesn’t have to follow a prescribed tarot spread that you find online or that you’ve learned.  Listen to your own intuition.  What questions do you feel called to ask your deck?  What would give you the deepest insight into what you need?  What empowering questions can you ask?

This is something I cover in depth in my tarot course Practical Tarot for Everyday Intuitives.  If you are interested in learning more about that course or taking a free training on Tarot for Real Life, where I talk all about the top mistake new tarot readers make, the neuroscience of how tarot can stop anxiety in it’s tracks, and the exact steps you need to start reading effectively and efficiently for yourself, you can sign up here for that free training.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved

This has been a hot topic as I have started teaching courses about tarot and it’s a question I’m often asked on Instagram or by students.

I am a firm believer that there truly is a time for both.  In most situations in daily life, I believe that no one is better at seeing the patterns and hangups in your daily life than you are.  If you are looking for guidance in daily life or common everyday situations, I encourage you to do your own tarot readings.  I also believe in doing year ahead tarot readings for yourself.  Sometimes it can be fun to give yourself a treat of a reading for your birthday or at the new year, but if you have a strong tarot practice, I recommend trying these on your own.

Even if you do these readings on your own before getting one done professionally, I find that it can help you see what patterns you fall into and having your own baseline before going into a professional reading can enrich the experience.

The one caveat about that is that if you find that you are a person prone to self-doubt and will automatically distrust what you pulled if it’s different than what the reader pulls, I recommend not doing that as it can lead to confusion.

There are a few different scenarios where I recommend getting a reading from a professional.

You keep asking about the same situation and getting confusing results.

PUT DOWN THE TAROT CARDS!!  You’re an addict!  The first step is recognizing that you have a problem.

Okay that’s a bit dramatic…but in all seriousness.  I get it.  Desperate times don’t bring out the best in us. The problem with continually reading on the same topic is that it gets so confusing.  One day you pull happy harmonious cards, the next you pull the Nine of Swords and the Five of Cups and you’re totally at a loss.  You thought everything was fine but this is definitely a sign that things are going wrong. Then, the next day the cards are fine again leaving you completely at a loss for what’s really happening.  

Or, maybe the opposite happens and you keep getting a very similar message about a situation but it’s not the message you want.  So you keep reading on it, getting a similar message and getting more and more frustrated.

First, try asking the cards some questions of how you might be able to move things in the direction you want them to go. If that doesn’t work, take a week before reading on the same topic again.

If you still don’t feel satisfied, then it’s time to get a reading from a trusted advisor.

You’re really emotional about the situation or have strong buy-in on how it turns out.

This is a tough one. Often when we are reading on personal relationships or big career changes that we have a deep emotional connection to, we can struggle to get a clear reading.  Part of this is because when we have a lot of heavy emotions we tend to see what we fear most in the cards.  It can be hard to get past that fear and see the actual message that is waiting there for us.

If you are finding that you are sitting down and feeling intense fear as you draw cards on a certain situation, take a breath and try grounding and then doing the reading.  If that doesn’t work maybe come back at a different time of day, or a different day all together.

If you still can’t get clarity and sitting down to read about your relationship or your career prospect or your financial situation brings up feelings of dread and intense anxiety, it might be time to seek out a professional reading.  You can even search out someone who specializes in the type of reading that you’re looking for.

You’re feeling overwhelmed or lacking clarity in your own life and can’t seem to settle in to give yourself a reading.

If you’ve felt this, you know what I mean. You sit down to read. You have the time. You have the focus and the energy, but for some reason you’re just drawing cards and not seeing anything. You keep going but you don’t really connect with the cards and you’re feeling more confused than when you started. (Needing to switch decks for a bit could also be a culprit here. You can read about that in this past blog).

But, if you’ve tried everything and just still aren’t feeling connected, it might be time to seek out a pro to give you a bit of an intuitive jumpstart.  Sometimes doing our own readings can show us our blind spots, but occasionally we just can’t see clearly.

Don’t suffer it alone. Reach out. Find a reader you trust and get some clarity.

You’re feeling the call.

This one is a little vague I know.  A good example is from a few months back. I didn’t even have a specific situation that I was concerned about or anything I wanted a reading on in particular.  However, my intuition was in my ear with an almost constant reminder that I needed a reading. 

 I found it very confusing but then I was scrolling through my email and saw that another reader I know was offering a new and very special type of reading where she combined tarot and astrology.  I signed up and let me tell you, it was powerful and just what I needed.  As I was listening to the reading (it was recorded) I was astonished how spot-on it was and how much it reminded me of some of the cycles and blocks I was still working through and brought up some of the things I found hard to articulate.

Always, always, always trust your intuition.  There is a reason you are getting those messages and it’s usually your subconscious trying to take better care of yourself. I was happy for the clarity and the break for my own intuitive channel.

I also encourage you to check out my past blog on choosing the right healer or reader for you.  There are so many options out there but this article tells you how to choose the right one for you and ensure that you know what you are investing in.
When you would like a reading from me, you can read about my different offerings here or you can book here.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved

I’ve been reading tarot professionally for many years now.  The more I read, the more I become aware of the resistance we have as humans, to facing challenging situations.  Many clients come in hoping I will tell them their struggles are over.  That they are right around the corner from finding the right relationship or their dream job.

I wish that I could make it so.  Unfortunately, I can’t will it to be true.  I can only read what I see and what I see a lot is how we get in our own way.  We think that everything should go as we planned it out.  We think life is a complicated calculus equation, in which I did this work, so I should get that result.  When, it doesn’t work out that way, we get frustrated and impatient.

And I’m not blaming you, reader.  I do this, too.  You better believe I have been struggling through some very real Four of Swords “YOU NEED TO REST NOW” struggles myself.

In the Minor arcana of the tarot and even in the Majors, the beginning cards are where we are in something new and exciting.  It is the feeling of being renewed and energized.  This is when we feel ambitious and excited to see what our pursuits will bring.  The latter cards are the opportunity to reap the rewards of our hard work and our progress and to acknowledge our hard work and how far we have come.

The middle cards tell another story, entirely.  The 4-8 in each suit and the middle line of the Major Arcana, show the struggles of daily life.  The constriction, overwhelm and self-doubt that progress brings.

Unfortunately, most of life is about getting down in the muck and working things out.  Most of life takes place in these middle cards.  Maybe we are struggling to work through a conflict with the Five of Wands, or having to leave something behind without knowing where we are going with the Six of Swords, or grieving with the Five of Cups.  All of these are struggles we face almost daily as we move towards becoming the truest and more whole-hearted versions of ourselves.

Sure, the celebration of the Ten of Cups, or the relief of the Nine of Pentacles look good from the outside.  When we are in the struggle, all we can think about is the relief we will feel on the other side.  But when we get to that place, we have a greater appreciation for the journey that got us there.  

The middle cards of the tarot make us strong.  Take the middle line of the Major Arcana, for example.  We move through finding moderation and tempering our reactions with Strength, to the suspension of the Hanged One, and finally through the release and rebirth of Death to Temperance.  This is not for the faint of heart.  We confront our deepest fears and surrender control. In fact, we learn that control is merely an illusion.

It’s in these struggles that we find ourselves, we reinvent ourselves, and we move forward with growth and conviction.  But human nature wants us to skip the struggle and reap the rewards.  That’s why there are so many of us looking for a way to get rich quick or reading articles on the top stock tips to try to pick the one sure thing that will allow us to retire early. With everything that is happening this year in particular with the Covid-19 Pandemic, the struggles for equity for black people in America and all over the world, and so many people fighting for LQTBQIA rights, this year has challenged our collective desire to quickly move through discomfort.

Don’t skip the struggle.  This isn’t to glorify suffering.  No one wants to struggle, but to struggle, to persevere, to make mistakes, that is what makes us human.  

I have always believed tarot is a resource that empowers us to keep pushing forward when we feel discouraged and reminding us that it’s okay to fall down, as long as we keep getting up and moving forward.  Tarot reminds us that progress is our goal, not perfection.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved

This month as we move into Leo season, we are presented the opportunity to embody the wisdom of the Strength card.  In the Tarot, the Strength card is the card that carries the energy of Leo season. As a Leo, I find that people often simplify the essence of Leo into someone who is boisterous and overbearing, while overlooking the qualities that make Leos great.

The Strength card represents these qualities well.  With Strength we are confronted by our inner beast and how we react when we feel threatened.  It’s a card of advocacy and using your inner fire for good .  It’s an invitation into taming the reaction that comes up when we feel triggered by something.

The brilliance of this card is that it’s an ongoing process.  We get a little better with every opportunity we are presented to practice.  It’s not about the quick, big success but the progress we make over time.  It’s about the baby steps. And, slow and steady progress that delivers us to deeply understand ourselves.

Strength shows us how to cultivate resilience in confronting our own shortcomings and reactions.  It asks us to be loyal to ourselves above all else.  This can be very challenging as it brings us face-to-face with the conditioning we experienced growing up.  

The Strength card confronts us with how we react when we feel threatened.  It asks us to observe what we think about those reactions and what we were taught about them from the time we were young. What were you taught about showing emotion?  What were you taught about your responsibility to stand up for yourself and other people?  Were you taught to ignore bullies? Were you treated as if you were weak or scared because of that reaction?  Did you feel a need to confront every bully and right all wrongs?  Did you enforce your perspective on others?

Strength asks us to stare into the face of these reactions and try to approach them with gentleness and understanding.  Almost as if you are trying to gentle tame a beast.  It still exists but, in what ways can you learn to cultivate the positive qualities of it and ease the vicious ones?

Strength is one of my favorite cards and one I have worked with for a long time.  I consider it a great ally of those with trauma and a fighting spirit.  In moments when I have felt that overwhelming desire to fight back, I have paused and tuned in to that Strength card and asked myself why I’m feeling that way, and if this is something that needs a big reaction.  Sometimes the answer is yes.  Sometimes the answer is no.  But, it’s allowed me to have a greater sense of agency over my reactions and has allowed me to give up the feeling of helplessness that often frustrates me.

For that reason, I’ve decided to offer a two part Strength Card Embodiment Workshop this month.  This workshop is a celebration of resilience and will dive deep into tempering your reactions and meeting yourself with gentleness when you feel triggered. The point of this and other embodiment workshops I have offered is to bring awareness to the wisdom of the physical body.  When we are feeling these emotions and triggers, they also show up in the body and can act as a powerful signal to let us know to pay attention and take action. For most of us, it’s easier for us to recognize the physical feelings in our body than it is to be aware of our emotions. In part 1 on Wednesday, August 12th at 7 PM ET we will discuss theory of the Strength card, practice some embodiment exercises, light movement, guided meditation and journaling. Then, you will have a week to create an intention for our new moon ceremony.

Part two will solidify lessons learned in part one and give us the opportunity to shed the last bits of extra fire we stirred up in part one and will include a New Moon in Leo Intention Setting and Healing Ceremony live over Zoom on Wednesday, August 19th at 7 PM ET.  (If you’re saying, wait Sheila, the new moon is Tuesday, August 18th – I know, but it’s best to wait until the moon moves out of it’s dark phase to set the clearest intentions.)  This ceremony will be an opportunity to get really clear on what you want to cultivate as we close out the Summer.  You can sign up here.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved

Tarot is a wonderful tool for reflection is my number one use for it in my own practice.

This week I want to talk about how to reflect and grow with the tarot.  A big part of this is by capturing your readings in a tarot journal.  This will show you different phases of your journey.  We often under-value our progress.  It happens so gradually over time we miss how much we have learned.

That’s why one of my favorite spreads is my tarot for reflection spread.  This spread is designed to bring you face to face with where you are now and what fears might be holding you back.  Often those fears cause contraction that keeps us small and hovering inside of our comfort zone.

One of the great things about the tarot is that it can show us very directly what we think is true and compare that to what is actually true.  Fear often acts as a mask that hides these things from us but in confronting fear head on with this type of spread we can take away it’s power and give ourselves an actionable way forward.

This spread was designed for readers of all levels.  I use it once a quarter just as a check-in for where I am in my life and my business, but I also check in with it if I find myself reading on the same subject over and over. 

I’m sure you’ve been there. Turning a card over, then drawing another, and maybe just one more until you’ve pulled like twenty cards and you’re completely confused.

I get it! We all do it but it can get really confusing if you’re reading on the same exact topic everyday.  

That is why I use my Tarot for Reflection Spread.  I created this spread to help separate fear and anxiety from true intuitive desire. I notice that I have a tendency to get locked into these little anxiety cycles and I struggle to pull apart what is real and true from a story that my anxiety is telling me. I know I am not alone in that and that is what drove me to share this spread.

Using this spread, we start to notice common fears that come up.  This can lead to major breakthroughs.  For example, maybe you notice that every time you approach a new relationship you have a tendency to start comparing it to all of your past romances and sabotage yourself – a real Seven of Swords vibe.  

Maybe you notice that every time you are up for a promotion at work you work you start talking up a peer instead, or deflecting compliments from supervisors because you are afraid moving into a new position will mean failure – a real Moon Card feeling.

This knowledge is power because you will see how you react to fear and what you use as a crutch when you are feeling it.  When we see these behavior patterns, we can interrupt them as they are happening and empower ourselves to embrace the fear as simply more information.  This is the real beauty of the combination of journaling your tarot spreads and regularly using this Tarot for Reflection Spread.

If you would like access to this free offerings, you can find the Tarot for Reflection Spread here.  As always, I would love to hear about your experience, so if you try one of the spreads please, send me an email and let me know how it went (Sheila at starsagespirit dot com) or tag me on instagram (@starsagespirit) and let me know how it went.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved

I’ve been going through a breakup.  No, not with my partner…with my tarot deck.

Since I started reading, I’ve been relying very heavily on my Starchild Tarot Deck.  I pined after it.  I looked at it on instagram longingly and finally bought it three years ago.  It was truly love at first sight.

Although I learned on the Coleman Smith Rider-Waite, the Starchild Tarot became my go-to for both personal practice and with client readings.  It was my first deck that really worked well, for both and during almost every reading I would hear, “Those cards are beautiful.”

So what changed?

It’s not that I’ve lost that loving feeling.  I still resonate with the cards and I think this deck is STUNNING. (There has not been a reading I have given with this deck where people haven’t commented on how beautiful the cards are.)

But I’ve noticed a shift lately.  The deck just isn’t resonating the way it used to.  I find it harder to relate to.  It doesn’t seem to be able to handle this big pandemic energy.

I have heard other readers talk about this but this is the first time I’ve experienced it personally and I think it’s something that is hard to completely comprehend until it starts happening to you. 

Sometimes I find myself just staring at cards that used to easily trigger my intuition in a second or two and feeling a little bit dumbfounded.

So I experimented a little. I tuned into my intuition and asked which deck I should use at that moment. I switched to the deck that came to mind, just to see what would happen. (Sidenote: I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a moment when I genuinely thought I was losing my intuition. The struggle is real, even for a pro.)

Sure enough, I was back up to speed right away. Things lit up and stood out the way they always do and I had no problem reading for myself or others with it.

I’ve known for a long time that some decks aren’t meant to go everywhere with us and after reading with this one for three years, it might be time to retire it as my go-to.  It could be temporary, as in “We are on a break.”  Or it might be long term, where we see each other occasionally but don’t connect in the same way we used to.

I’m not sure yet.  All I know is that I’m feeling the pull to try something new.

Lately though, I feel myself entering a different life stage and I’m starting to sense that this deck and I need a little break.  It’s okay….it’s mutual…even if it does feel a little sad.  I still get nostalgic for my lovely Starchild Tarot.  But I know this is a time for exploration.  I’m entering a new stage as a person and a business owner.  After all, I turn 35 in a month and I hear that’s when you finally get wise (I’m lying. I don’t hear that. I just want it to be true.)

So if you have been finding yourself feeling like you aren’t quite resonating with your favorite deck anymore, it might be time to see what else is out there.  Open yourself up to new tarot horizons.  You don’t have to drop your favorite deck like a bad habit. It just might be time to allow a new deck and energy into your life.

A little space and a little time might bring you right back to where you started but, we all need a little change sometimes.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved

I started reading at tarot parties almost two years ago.  It started as a small part of my practice. I did a girls’ night here, a bachelorette party there.  With everyone at home on lockdowns, this has become such a huge part of my business.

People are missing connection and are tired of just drinking and chatting on Zoom.  I’ve been fielding a lot of questions around these parties so I thought it might be a good idea to share a post about what an online tarot party is like.

I do each party over Zoom because there’s a lot of flexibility through that platform and it’s worked amazingly so far.  The party host schedules the time that’s best with me for groups of 4-11.  Once everyone is on the call, I do a little intro about me and what I do.  Many of my clients are first-timers so they sometimes have misconceptions about what happens during a reading or what they can or can’t ask about.  So I use this time to set expectations and explain how the technology works.

Then, I place most of the group into a virtual breakout room and go into a separate breakout room with the person I am reading for.  They get to have privacy for their reading.  

We typically do a brief 15 minute reading before I swap them back into the other room with their friends and bring someone new in with me. You would be surprised how much you can learn in 15 minutes.  Some people come in with specific questions they want answers on or an area of their life where they are looking for guidance.  Others are just looking for a general reading.

I follow the same process until I’ve read for everyone.

I love this option because it still allows me to do a face-to-face reading and it honestly works the same as it does if the person is physically in the room with me.  COVID-19 has forced us all to be creative but it has also allowed me to reduce my pricing for parties a bit because I don’t need to commute and I can read for anyone, anywhere in the world.  I have met so many amazing people all over this country and even a few in Europe.

When we are finished our individual readings, I bring us all back into the main room and the excitement is palpable. Everyone has their own little reading to chat about.  Usually everyone is having cocktails and really excited about what came up.  Sometimes I answer a couple more questions before I hop off and leave the group to hang out as long as they like.

Especially in the age of so much distance, it’s nice to have something even deeper to connect over.  I am still doing bachelorette parties, girls’ nights, birthday parties; any celebration that COVID-19 has put a damper on, I can help brighten up from afar.

Social distancing has really brought me a newfound understanding of the connection that these virtual gatherings provide for people.  I’ve noticed clients open up to their friends more about what struggles or victories are coming up for them because so often, tarot is validating for people.  After the reading, having the time to go back in and sit with friends and talk about what came up, has opened up whole new conversations for friends.

It’s amazing to see and be a part of these connections. And, at a time when things can feel very heavy, it has reinvigorated my passion for my work..  If you have any questions or are interested in a session you can send me an email at sheila at starsagespirit dot com.  I would love to work with you.

© Sheila Masterson 2020 All Rights Reserved