The Hit List - Be present with tarot

The past year has been a grinder. I’m still coming down from it. A few situations seem to be on their way to completion. Even so, the residue lingers. I sometimes want to crawl up into a little ball and hide away from the world. It’s like that sometimes.

One of the things I’ve learned is that it’s best to be present, no matter what. Checking out may seem like an option, but it rarely works for long. Eventually, whatever you’re trying to escape comes back around, nipping at your heels until you give it the attention it needs.

Tarot has always been my go-to tool when life throws me a million monkey wrenches (my least favorite tool is those wrenches). It has allowed me to see what may lie ahead and serves as a lantern for seeing what’s going on inside.

I’m guilty of ignoring my needs until my body gets my attention. That’s an old pattern I’ve attempted to break. Over the years, I have used the Body, Mind, Spirit spread to help me change that tendency. I’m not the creator of that layout, nor do I know who to credit. But I do know it’s the perfect way to check in and be present.

I featured this spread in my book, The Cards You’re Dealt – How To Deal When Life Gets Real: A Tarot Guidebook, because I’ve found it to be effective for reflection when you are faced with the hard stuff: loss, grief, illness, and so forth.

Last year brought many of these themes to my doorstep, and while I wanted to check out with a giant jug of wine, tarot pulled me back into the present. This is the spread I used again and again.

Here’s how you do it:

Shuffle your cards. When you’re ready, put the deck face down and cut it into three piles. Then, put the deck back together any way you like. You can choose three cards from the top of the deck or you can fan the cards out and pull three intuitively. The positions are simply body, mind, and spirit.

The cards can show you where you’re doing just fine – or need more support. Here’s a recent reading I did for myself.

The Hit List - Be present with tarot

Body: Knight of Wands reversed – Too many activities, not enough of the right physical activity. This is true. I was slacking on my exercise routines. Time to get back on the Peloton saddle!

Mind: Eight of Swords – This card can mean a self-imposed prison but also feeling powerless. I’ve had a lot of anxiety around a situation. It’s kept me up at night. In fact, it’s been hard to get my mind on different things. However, the Eight of Swords is a reminder that I’m not actually stuck. There is a way out once I stop struggling. The other side of this card is isolation. I prefer to “suffer in silence,” which is probably not helping.

Spirit: Four of Pentacles – I’m rock solid in this department. I’ve been doing grounding and shielding work, so this makes sense.

This reading helped me to see my body and mind needed attention. While I’d like to believe I’m good at self-care, the cards point to a different truth.

I invite you to check this spread out any time you want to get a read on how you’re really doing, especially when life is unpredictable and hard. You can learn about it and many other useful tarot layouts in The Cards You’re Dealt – How To Deal When Life Gets Real: A Tarot Guidebook.

Stay present, my friends.

xo
Theresa

Other stuff:

Learn about today’s Pluto in Aquarius transit and what it means for your zodiac sign.

Lauren Ash has more to say about this transit: Here’s Why Pluto in Aquarius Is the Biggest Astrological Transit of 2024.

Aliza Kelly weighs in: Pluto in Aquarius Is Bringing More Unprecedented Times.

The perfect pair for Pluto work: Oracle of Pluto and Healing Pluto Problems.

New art museum exhibition delves into ‘Feminist Futures.’

I loved chatting about the Strength card and shadow work over at the Moonbeaming podcast.

Fellow writers: have you ever dealt with “mean girl” author peers?

Apparently, “mob wife” is the new look.

Some endings are happy.

Short answer: nope. Could TikTok tarot fix your broken heart?

Cosmo wrote a whole thing on sex after 60!

How to Start a Book: Practical Advice From Published Authors.

From Ms Magazine: How the Anti-Abortion Movement Weaponizes Language.

Congratulations, You’re the Oldest Person in Town! Please Accept This Cane.

It’s not that hard to do: COVID Isn’t Going Anywhere. Masking Up Could Save My Life.

From The New Yorker: Trials of the Witchy Women.

I love stories about old Hollywood: Cary Grant and Randolph Scott’s Hollywood Story: “Our Souls Did Touch.”

Wait, what? Lou Reed Had Recorded…a Meditation Album?

I always get a Feng Shui statue for the year. I love this dragon!

This looks mighty interesting: Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind.

Oooh: Sacred Seasons: Nature-Inspired Rituals, Wisdom, and Self-Care for Every Day of the Year.

I love mini decks: The Wild Unknown Pocket Archetypes Deck.

Needed: Self-Love Crystals: Crystal spells and rituals for magical self-care.

I want to get into gardening more next year: Bud, Blossom, & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener’s Handbook.

Coulda used this book at various times in my life: The Broke Witch: Magick Spells and Powerful Potions that Use What You Can Grow, Find, or Already Have.

This deck is SO COOL: Starlight Frequencies Oracle.

The perfect tarot journal DOES exist: The Weiser Tarot Journal: Guidance and Practice.

Tarot can be a source of support when you’re going through hard things: The Cards You’re Dealt: How to Deal when Life Gets Real (A Tarot Guidebook).

Worried about the planetary changes? Assuming you have no agency? Wrong-o. Learn how to make the cosmos work for you with: Twist Your Fate: Manifest Success with Astrology and Tarot.

If the kids are driving you batty due to too many snow days, hand them a tarot deck of their very own: Tarot For Kids.

Think you can never learn how to read tarot? Think again: Tarot: No Questions Asked: Mastering the Art of Intuitive Reading.

Prefer to listen to your tarot lessons? Check this out: Tarot: No Questions Asked: Mastering the Art of Intuitive Reading is available as an audiobook.

Astrology is a HUGE topic. I break it down and make it easy to grasp with: Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners (A No B.S. Guide for the Astro-Curious).

There is an audio version if you prefer: Astrology For Real Life.

Here’s a gorgeous tarot deck to add to your collection: The Uncommon Tarot: A Contemporary Reimagining of an Ancient Oracle.

I’ve been snowed in for days. When I’m stuck at home, I enjoy chill activities like coloring: The Tarot Coloring Book.

The ultimate tarot book for shadow work and activism: Tarot For Troubled Times.

This book has the tips you need to make your own tarot deck: Create Your Own Tarot Cards: A step-by-step guide to designing a unique and personalized tarot deck. <-Cards are included!

Get yourself a 1-year subscription to: The Astro-Biz Digest. Every week, I send out an astrological forecast that’s especially for entrepreneurs and freelancers. If you’re self-employed, this is for you: The AstroBiz Digest.

Ever wish you had astrological and tarot guidance right at your fingertips? WISH GRANTED. Check out my new text message service: Sign up here.

Learn how to write better, get published, and market your magical book with my newest thang: The Metaphysical Author’s Confidential – a newsletter for mystical writers: The Metaphysical Author’s Confidential. Essays and lessons on writing, publishing, and marketing your magical book.

If you want to learn astrology in a hands-on way, you need this new kit from Carrie Paris and yours truly: My Living Astrology Chart, an experiential astrological kit!

 

Classes and Events

Join my Patreon Community!  I am serving up extended card-of-the-day interpretations, astrological tidbits, community tarot practice, political astrology, early sneak peeks at horoscopes….and more. Higher tiers get access to live classes, replays of previous classes, mentoring, and more.

Brushes and Stars – An Online Astrology and Intuitive Painting Class with Chris Zydel and Theresa Reed. Join us for a day-long creative play date filled with intuitive insights, deep healing, creative prompts, artistic play, and astrology. February 17th, 2024. 9 AM PST – 4 PM PST. Grab your virtual seat right here.

Advanced Tarot Techniques. Join me for this four-part online class and learn about timing, decans, how to create your own tarot spreads, and more. Starts April 5th, 2024.

Pens and Cards. October 18-19th, 2024. Picton, Canada. Learn how to use tarot to inspire your writing with yours truly and Sarah Selecky. Details coming soon.

 

What I’m Grateful For:

Fun interviews

Time to read

Warm blankets

Fargo Season Four (so, so good)

Working pens

 

Soundtrack for 1/20/24

The Conflict of the Mind by Aurora

© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2024

images from stock photography and personal collection 

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