Tarot Reading - Calypso

Today's reading is for Calypso. She writes:

I'm navigating a moment where my life is a blank canvas. Everything has been cleared away, making space for powerful new paths to be carved towards where I live, whom I love, and how. (Kind of the very foundation of my being)

My question for the tarot is this: what forces can I call upon to best guide me into the absolute highest expression of my life, my love, and my service? And might the tarot wish to comment on my hunch that they're all the same thing?

For this reading I used this gorgeous deck by Salvador Dali. It's strange and surreal, and one of my favorites.

Card 1 - Current Situation - Two of Pentacles

The Two of Pentacles is a card about multi-tasking, travel, and choices. In the Rider Waite Colman Smith deck, a man is juggling two disks, but he is not burdened by the task. In fact, he seems to be enjoying the variety of options he's considering. In the present, the world is your oyster. You are at the beginning of a journey, and it will lead you to unexpected places. You can rest easy knowing that decisions are not pressing. At the moment, you're in a place of exploration. Try everything! Take risks! Let yourself go down one path with gusto, even if it turns out to be the wrong path. Nothing bad will come from the exploration. In fact, every door you open will offer you something, even if it's just a whittling of your choices and priorities. You are in a process of growth and transformation. Be curious about the options you are presented with. Don't feel pushed into decisions. Allow yourself to explore the wide variety of what's available to you.

This is also a moment in which your perspectives will be shifting. You are being asked to look at your world from a new angle, to tip things on their head and see what shakes loose. Your priorities may change. Your relationships may change. That's all to be expected. Keep in mind this quote from the guidebook that accompanies the Dali deck about the two of coins:

This is your opportunity to liberate yourself and let go of what formerly appeared as constraints. You are being called upon to see beyond your narrow view of life and to break free from your limited reality, like the red figures in the picture outside the central frame. You are encouraged to undergo a transformation and to expand your 'frame of life.'

The changes that await you should not scare you. You are ready to juggle new adventures. Maintain a sense of balance, stay grounded in your body and the present moment, and let your perspective (and your life!) begin to change.

Card 2 - Challenge - Five of Swords

The Five of Swords is a card of conflict. Surprise surprise, you will be challenged by conflict (aren't we all?). Swords are associated with the element of air, and deal in communication and thought. This suggests that you may struggle with miscommunications with others, or perhaps inner turmoil. As you grow, remember to stay flexible. Sometimes when we are excited about new ideas, we cling to them as gospel. Do not become dogmatic or uncompromising as you attain new levels of understanding of yourself. Be open to the possibility that your perspective may shift again... and again. This is a time to remain open, to be honest with yourself and others, to create boundaries and be clear about them. If other people find your boundaries uncomfortable, that's not your business. As long as you are kind and direct, stay true to your path and to yourself.

Card 3 - Need to Focus On - Three of Swords

The Three of Swords is heartbreak, plain and simple. Anguish, grief, homesickness, the end of relationships, fallouts with friends. The Tarot suggests that you have unfinished business before you will be truly free. Though the feelings may be difficult, it is important not to run from them. What are you grieving? What have you lost? Where do you hold regret? Allow yourself to explore these shadows, to have a good cry if you need to. You are at the precipice of important work and great change. Before you jump into the unknown, take the time to say goodbye to your old life. Close any doors that must be closed. Confront painful truths. If there's any part of you that you've been denying, allow it to come forward and speak its mind. Sometimes we relegate parts of ourselves to darkness because we are too afraid to let that piece have a say. What might our darkest desires or worst impulses say about us? By bringing these desires and impulses into the light, you can truly heal them. Hear them out. Maybe they have something to teach you, or something that must be attended to before you can be free. Now is the time to dredge the pond of your heart so that you can make room for whatever comes next.

The pond of your heart? Yeah, that's a metaphor I'm standing by. I'm a professional writer. Just go with it. Dredge the pond of your heart. Clear out those leeches. Make way for the frogs.

Card 4 - Your Past/Leaving - 5 of Wands

Man oh man. You've been through it, according to the Tarot. The five of wands is a card about creative conflict (passionate, fiery conflict). Maybe you've butted heads with collaborators, co-workers, lovers, or a combination of all of the above. Maybe you've been unkind to yourself in your own mind. Maybe you've been feeling pulled in too many directions and though you're inspired, you're not quite sure where to focus your attention. This is a phase you are moving away from, thankfully. Whatever situation has been creating inner turmoil, it's on its last legs. If you are able to grieve your losses and heartbreaks, you can move out of conflict and toward the light of your new life. A mentor/guide of mine lives by the motto "Your new life is going to cost you your old one." This is an important truth, and one worth remembering. Change and transformation is not without struggle, but it will be worth it.

Card 5 - Strengths - King of Coins

The King of Coins (or Pentacles) is a master of the body and the physical world. He is the Father of the Tarot, nurturing and kind, generous and filled with a spirit of abundance. These are your strengths. You've got a strong support system, and your material needs for the moment are being met. That doesn't necessarily mean you've ascended to billionaire status, but the Tarot suggests that you have everything you need within you. The key to your future is within your hands.

You are embodied, comfortable in your own skin. This will serve you well. This card suggests that you take the bull by the horns, put yourself out there, know that you have the tools to make the life that you desire. And if there are moments when you fail, you have a safety net, a strong community that loves you, and your feet solidly on the earth.

Card 6 - Near Future - Page of Cups

The Page of Cups is carefree and romantic, ready to fall in love, either literally or with new ideas and creative possibilities. It's possible that this card could be indicating that you will soon meet someone new, and sparks could fly. If this card represents a person, I'm sensing a feminine energy (again, this doesn't have to specifically mean woman, though it certainly could, but more broadly, this card describes an intuitive, emotionally intelligent person who's open to falling in love). If this card is about you, it suggests that in the near future you will be open to new romantic and/or creative endeavors. Perhaps you'll make a piece of art in a medium you've never tried before. Perhaps you'll fall in love with someone completely unexpected. Pages are beginners, with the open energy of the Fool. Keep your heart open to new things. Just because something was true in the past doesn't mean it remains true forever. You are constantly in flux. In the journey of self discovery that you're on, it's okay to take some risks.

Card 7 - Advice/Your Guides - The Sun 

The Sun is a card of celebration, completion, victory, and joy, and this placement in the spread suggests that The Sun will be an important teacher for you. To begin with, take this card literally. Spend time outdoors in the sun. Make sure you're getting enough vitamin D from the sun. Put your bare feet on the Earth and allow yourself to feel held. Being in nature allows us to remember our smallness and to experience the emotion most associated with the divine – awe. Experiencing awe is something all humans share across cultures, borders, boundaries, and divides. Make sure that you are making space for awe in your daily life.

As you shift your perspective in this moment of transformation, this might be a good time for a daily gratitude list. The things you are grateful for each day will help you to prioritize the projects, causes, people, and places that matter most to you, as you whittle your life into its most essential parts.

This card also reminds you to celebrate your victories. Get cozy with success. Spend some time considering your relationship to validation and competition. Being ambitious is nothing to be ashamed of, but comparison is the thief of joy. As you explore your priorities, think about what success and victory mean to you. Imagine a day in the future where you feel truly victorious. Then consider, what have you won? What would make you feel that joyful? What does success look like to you now and how does it differ from the way you thought about success five years ago, ten years ago, or as a child? With a clearer picture of what you want, head out in pursuit of that feeling, whatever it may be.

Card 8 - Environment - The Lovers

I definitely see romance in your future. In the course of this journey, you're falling back in love with the world, with yourself, your life and its possibilities. But perhaps you will literally be falling in love with someone new. The Lovers card is about choices, balance, and duality. Before you can find a partnership worthy of you, you must achieve a sense of balance within yourself. Maybe you already have. You are not going to meet "your other half." You are already whole. Instead, your life will be enhanced by someone (or someones) unexpected. Perhaps they will be someone you wouldn't necessarily have considered before, someone who fits today's version of you, rather than an idea you've clung to from the past. Let go of preconceived notions and be open to new people and ideas. You're about to meet some really interesting people.

Card 9 - Hopes and Fears - The Hermit

The Hermit is on a solo journey of self discovery. He's a spiritual leader, holding a lantern in the dark woods, unsure what comes next, but willing to go deeper to find out. I think it's possible that The Hermit represents both your greatest hope and your greatest fear in this moment of uncertainty. You know that you are in a pivotal moment of change, where anything is possible. On the one hand, that's exciting. You can sense that many things are about to change. You can sense that if you allow yourself to go deep, things might get dark for a moment, but you will grow spiritually. At the same time, it's fucking scary in the dark woods. And sometimes it's lonely. The Hermit takes his journey into the dark because he must, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have moments of doubt or fear. Remember, discomfort leads to growth. You don't have to fear the woods. Let yourself get a little lost. You've got a lantern to guide you.

Card 10 - Possible Outcome - Knight of Swords

The Knight of Swords is relentless in his pursuit of truth. He's an activist, a change-maker, willing to disrupt the status quo if it'll bring about the changes he knows are necessary. Swords are about truth, thought, communication, the written word. The Knight of Swords is a crusader of the mind. He cuts through the bullshit and tells the truth, even when it's hard. He's unwilling to go along to get along. And he's unwilling to step to the side when he knows he's right. This potential future outcome speaks to certainty at a time in the future, where you will know exactly what you are meant to be doing, and you will stop at nothing to achieve your goals.

Because of the way you worded your question, I decided to pull three more cards to symbolize the "highest expression of your life, your love, and your service." I found these extremely helpful and I hope you do too.

Additional Clarity -

Card 1 - Your Life - 8 of Cups

Eights represent mastery, and the eight of cups is no exception. The Eight of Cups is about achieving something beautiful and masterful, but also being willing to let it go. Receiving the eight of cups in a romantic reading, for example, could mean that you have reached an impasse. Maybe the relationship has been wonderful, but it has run its course, and though it may be painful, it's time to move on (this can apply to relationships of any kind). The same could be said of a career. Maybe you've had great success at something, but you're starting to wonder about taking an entirely new path. This card suggests that in your life, there is not just one purpose. You are meant to do many things masterfully. Sometimes you'll achieve your wildest dreams and then it will be time to walk away and do something new. You don't need to stick with something just because it's what you've always done. Our lives have chapters. I'm sensing that there are multiple iterations of your identity, and that you have a lot of work to do while you're here on this earth. You are not just one thing, you contain multitudes. It's okay to walk away in order to discover something new.

Card 2 - Your Love - Three of Cups

The three of cups celebrates friendship in its purest and most beautiful form. You love people and you are a caretaker and a generous friend. You've clearly got an enormous heart (also, look at all these cups!). The three beautiful naked ladies on this card are showing up for one another in all of their humanity, without shame or judgement. Your love is big and beautiful and all encompassing. Anyone lucky enough to be in your orbit can feel it. Your love is powerful and of the highest quality and caliber. Make sure that you direct some of that powerful love in your own direction too.

Card 3 - Your Service - Two of Cups

The Two of Cups is romance, partnership, and relationships. I pulled this card as "your service," which is interesting to me. I think this speaks to balance and reciprocity at the core of how you serve others. Loving service can be interpreted in many ways. I do think that love is at the center of your purpose on this earth. Love and creativity, imagination, relationships, and emotions. You're intuitive and empathic. Cups are associated with the element of water, and so are you. I think this card is also talking about your specific one-on-one gifts. While the two of cups often refers to romantic relationships, it speaks to partnership in general. You are a listener and a person who enjoys genuine connections, especially one on one. In service of your goals, your ability to connect to others on a deep emotional level is a gift you should lean into.

As for your final question, "And might the tarot wish to weigh in on my hunch that they're all the same thing?" I think the plethora of cups in your reading holds your answer. You are a person who is led by emotions, intuition, the watery depths of your heart. This is a superpower you should embrace. As you open yourself to new perspectives, adventures, and opportunities, if you let your heart guide you, you'll never get lost.

As always, Readers, if you have a different interpretation of this spread, please weigh in in the comments! And if you'd like me to read your cards, send your question and your first name (or alias) to WitchsMarkEli@gmail.com