6 of PENTACLES

The Rider-Waite version of this card depicts its meaning exactly, as you will see when you read the description below. Look at this card for a moment. Which of these characters do you associate with - the giver or the receiver? Which position would you prefer to be in? Which says the most about your outlook on life, your relationships, your character?

This card is all about charity and helping others less fortunate than yourself. Right now, I am identifying with the "less fortunate" element. I am somewhat broke at the moment, so maybe it's telling me to ask for a loan. Oddly enough, I've had a form sitting on top of the sideboard next to me for weeks - it's been filled-in for weeks too, but I've never got around to posting it. Maybe tomorrow is the day to do it.

Alternatively, the rich guy handing out the gifts could be my middle son. No, he's not rich, but he does have a one-year-old computer that I know he is sort of thinking about upgrading. Now, I would be more than happy with a one-year-old computer (has to be better than a 3 1/2 year old computer), so maybe he would let me buy it from him so he can get a better one? I've been meaning to ring him and ask him, so maybe I will do that tomorrow as well. If I tell him the 6 of Pentacles said he has to let me have his computer I'm sure he'll say yes, because he knows my tarot cards never lie. All my children have been/are being brought up to know that.

This card can also mean that at some point during the day I may find myself having to help someone out, although not necessarily in a financial sense. Some sources say that if you give freely of yourself when you draw this card, especially if in doing so you have to deprive yourself of something, even if it's just your free time, it will come back to you threefold. For that reason, the 6 of Pentacles is sometimes known as the 'Reward card'.

The main difficulty with the 6 of Pentacles when it comes up in a reading is working out which of the two extremes your subject falls into. Are they the person handing out the gifts or the one receiving them? Alternatively, the card may be telling them that they need to help someone out, or they need to ask for help themselves. Fortunately, the overall flavour of the reading and the information gleaned from nearby cards is usually enough to guide you to the right interpretation.

Occasionally this card can go quite deep, especially if it's in a prominent position in a layout. It can be asking you "Why are you in this situation?" "Who is to blame?" "What can you do to change it?" Do you want to change it?" This can apply particularly to someone who is having serious financial problems, especially if there are other Pentacles nearby. My finances may not be particularly inspiring at the moment, but hopefully they're not quite as serious as those sort of questions would suggest.

Results
I never got around to phoning my son or posting my loan application, so no connection with 6 Pentacles there! I didn't help anyone out either, but I have been helped out by others on two occasions.

The first instance involved someone running a cribbage tournament for me when I didn't turn-up (because I overslept ... not an unusual occurrence!). The second occasion was when a friend offered to use their credit card to pay for something for me online because the site refused to accept mine, even though it had more than enough money on it.

Neither of these was a biggie, but at least they do relate to the card.

DEATH

In the Whimsical Tarot, which uses fairytale characters, the Death card is known by its traditional name, although it is certainly not a menacing card and suggests that death is akin to sleeping, hence it being represented by the character 'Sleeping Beauty'. In other decks it can be known as "Transformation" or "Transition".

Nothing strikes more fear and terror into the hearts of those consulting the Tarot than the Death card! If you would like a detailed explanation, including examples of readings I have undertaken where the Death card has appeared, you may like to read a 3-part series of articles I wrote about this card, which you can find here.

What you need to remember first and foremost is that the Death card rarely means physical death. It is far more likely to indicate a significant change in a person's life, usually a change that will have far-reaching consequences and nearly always a change they would rather have avoided. The outcome of that change is invariably good, but the actual 'getting there' can be difficult, usually because it inevitable involves some sort of loss or sacrifice. This can be modified by the cards at either side of the Death card, particularly the two immediately next to it.

Many decks do not use the word 'death' at all to describe the thirteenth Major Arcana card. The two most popular alternatives, as mentioned next to the Whimsical Tarot Death card above, are "Transformation" and "Transition". Both these alternatives illustrate what I have just discussed in the previous paragraph, but they also stress that even if the card is referring to a physical demise, "death is not the end". You will find these alternative names appearing in quite a large number of decks as more and more designers reject the traditional word in favour of something pleasanter. They are especially likely to appear in decks with a strong Pagan or spiritual influence, where death as 'the end' is simply not an option!

In a nutshell, when the Death card appears in a reading, particularly in a prominent place, in the vast majority of cases it is a message of renewal rather than demise. However, it is likely to involve the loss of something which the subject of the reading is reluctant to part with, even though it is something (or someone) that they would clearly be better off without. Think of it as losing a penny, then finding a pound (change to fit your own currency!).

As this is a single card I have chosen another card to suggest possible areas where the Death card might be applying to me. The one I have chosen is QUEEN of PENTACLES. While some may see this as the death of a woman fitting that description (which, of course, is possible), it is more likely to indicate a change in financial or business matters. However, I do not really see how that could apply to me, at least not in terms of any major changes, but we will see what the coming day brings!

Results It would appear that the cards were having a bit of a joke with me today (they often do this). If the Queen of Pentacles is used to depict a particular person, it is usually a independent woman, often divorced and/or a single parent, quite often with a successful career. It is also used to indicate a woman who values her freedom and, in particular, her time alone. She is a woman who needs her 'own space'. I look forward to Fridays because I have a long period of time to myself due to the fact that my children go to their usual after-school club, followed almost immediately by another club. This basically means that they are gone for almost 12 hours, apart from about an hour in between school/club and club/club. Anyway, today they decided they weren't going to the after-school club as they wanted to play in the garden, only they spent most of the time running in and out of the house wanting this and that and driving me crazy. Then when it was time to get ready for the second club, my son spent so long changing his clothes that there were already enough children going on the bus that collects them and they weren't able to go. In other words, instead of having more time alone than usual, I had less. It does seem a little melodramatic to use the death card to show something like this, but at the time it did seem like a major catastrophe!!!

PAGE of PENTACLES

This is the Spiral deck, which is full of beautiful imagery, including quite a few Celtic references. In this deck, as in many modern decks, the Page is known as the Princess. Similarly, the Knight is known as the Prince.

This card is all about taking a realistic approach to life and making the best of what you have available. You need to stop day-dreaming about what might have been or what could be and concentrate on what IS. If there is something you want, you need to go out and get it, rather than waiting for it to come to you.

In terms of relationships, the Page of Pentacles tells you to take others at face-value and not look for hidden meanings which probably aren't there. You should be open and honest with people at this time, it is important that you appear dependable and willing to stick to your commitments as this is a time when establishing credibility may be relevant in some way.

This is certainly relevant in career or busines matters, as the Page of Pentacles often indicates a time when opportunities will arise to move forward in some sort of enterprise, which will eventually lead to increased material prosperity and security, accompanied by a considerable increase in social status. Showing that you can be relied upon to 'deliver the goods' is likely to be very important in this regard.

The Page of Pentacles can also indicate an improvement in finances or material wealth, although not usually anything dramatic. More often it is news of small increase, such as a slight rise in salary, sometimes coupled with a promotion, or perhaps a small win in a game of chance or some sort of competition.

For querents with young children, this card could be gently reminding them that their children rely on them to provide for their physical needs and their safety. It may be that a particular child is in need of stability at this time and needs to know that they can trust their parent no matter what.

Results
I can't see a great deal that applies to me here. There certainly wasn't any kind of change in my finances - pity, I would have appreciated that one!

The only relevant angle I can see is the one regarding reliability and credibility. Maybe this card is telling me I need to make sure I keep-up with this diary in order to show that I can be relied upon to provide the service I am offering.

I knew that anyway of course, but it doesn't do any harm to be reminded, especially when you're as forgetful as I am. Maybe this card will pop-up again sometime, just to keep me on my toes!

QUEEN of CUPS

The Queen of Cups relates primarily to family and close friends and usually promises a pleasurable experience involving loved ones. It is a particularly lucky card to draw if there is concern about someone close, either as a result of their behaviour, occurrences in their life, or because there has been a lack of contact with them for a while. This card could indicate the solving of such a problem, or at least a strong indication that there are about to be beneficial changes taking place.

In a more general sense, the Queen of Cups can relate to fun times with family and friends and a renewed sense of closeness as a result. This could be anything from committing yourself to a long-term relationship to enjoying a fun day out with the kids. Whatever form it takes, it always promises an improvement in the relationship or relationships concerned.

On a more personal level, the Queen of Cups may be asking you to look deeper into yourself or into a particular situation surrounding you at the present time. You may need to show patience, kindness or sensitivity towards someone close, or possibly even towards yourself. Listen to your intuition and try to look at life from a more spiritual point of view.

Results
Yesterday my relationship with my 12-year-old daughter was somewhat strained. She was acting in a way only adolescent daughters can and I reacted badly (not to put too fine a point on it, I threw an almost full mug of leftover coffee over her ... don't knock it if you've never had an adolescent daughter, just be grateful and make sure you never do!)

Anyway, today things were much better and we were actually able to talk to each other in a 'sisterly' sort of way; we were both in much better moods. The Queen of Cups can certainly bring about this kind of change for the better in relationships, especially between women.

This card can also relate to things which bring you pleasure as well as people. I found out today that The Sims 2 will be on sale here as of tomorrow, which believe me has made me very happy! It's also a little frustrating ... you can read all about it on my other blog if you're interested!

In conclusion, I would say that the QUEEN of CUPS was certainly relevant to what occurred in my life today.

KING of PENTACLES

This illustration shows the King of Pentacles as he appears in the Rider-Waite tarot, which is the most popular deck for beginners and the first one I ever used. It is available in all sizes from miniature to giant and was the first deck to use imagery on all 78 cards.

Amongst other things, the King of Pentacles can represent someone who is fond of giving to charity, or in a position to do so. This could apply to me in that I am (as of today) offering free tarot readings in this diary (albeit with a slight string attached, but they do say "charity begins at home"!).

This card also indicates someone who is very capable in their chosen career and probably aware of it, but who is also considerate enough of others to want to share their success and knowledge. However, although he is a generous man, the King of Pentacles will not continue to help those who do not subsequently help themselves.

He will willingly offer a helping or guiding hand, but he then expects the person he has assisted to 'carry on the good work'. This is easily applicable to a tarot card reader, who can advise and suggest, but cannot actually carry-out whatever is necessary as this has, of course, to be done by the querent themselves.

The King of Pentacles also relates to wisdom, especially in terms of the material world, and I hope this means that I have enough wisdom to accurately interpret the daily cards I will be featuring in the Tarot Diary!

Introduction

Every evening I will choose a tarot card at random, in the hope that this card will indicate what will occur in my life on the following day. At the end of that day, or the following morning, I will report on the day's happenings and see how well they correlate with what the card indicated. If they do not seem to match-up, I will try to work out why.

The idea is that the cards looked at will build into a sort of library that can be consulted by anyone interested in tarot card meanings. Obviously the same card may be chosen on more than one day, but the meanings may not necessarily be the same. All cards have quite a few different meanings, depending on the current situation of the querent at the time. Working out which meaning applies is both one of the hardest aspects of tarot reading and also one of the most important.

There may be occasions when I will need to choose more than one card; sometimes one card just isn't enough and another is needed for clarification and extra detail. Wherever possible, however, I will be sticking to just the one. Occasionally I may not be able to make a posting, but hopefully this won't happen often.

As well as relating the cards to my own situation, I will also be discussing them in a more general sense, as obviously not all the meanings will apply to me and there will be others that are also worth mentioning. This will hopoefully help anyone who is confused by a particular card, or just wants to know more about it.

Each forecast will be accompanied by an illustration of the card concerned, taken from a different deck each day. Each picture can be clicked, which will lead you to the Amazon.com site where you can find out more about the deck and purchase it if you wish. I may also include other illustrations from time to time if they are relevant and probably also some extra entries occasionally just discussing the tarot in general. Suggestions for these would be welcome, as would any questions you may like to ask that I can answer here.

My life doesn't tend to be very exciting, so if yours is more interesting than mine and you would like me to have a go at predicting what kind of day lies ahead for you, send me an email. If you are willing to link to one of my four sites (either my tarot site, this blog, my humour site or my humour blog) I will analyse a daily card for you. If there is any specific day you want me to wait for (such as your birthday, or the date of a special event), please mention this in your email. I will then send you instructions as to how to proceed.

You can also earn yourself a free reading in the Diary by subscribing to Tarot Diary updates - you will see a box in the left-hand column enabling you to do this. Once I receive your subscription I will contact you to arrange for your free reading.

It is almost 4.30 pm now, but I am going to choose a card to apply to today, just to get this show on the road. Nothing of any significance has happened today anyway, apart from starting this blog of course, so it will be interesting to see what the tarot have to say about the day. Later on I will choose a card to apply to tomorrow and report back on its accuracy (or otherwise) at the end of the day or the following morning.

I will create a separate post for the reading, so as to make it easier to find the card I choose should anyone be looking for it.

I should point out that I am essentially a humour writer, so this diary will not be without its 'funny bits'. If you want to check out my website or my blog, you can find them below. The blog is less than a week old (has 9 posts on it as I write this), but my humour site has been up for a few years. It has undergone a change recently, including a new name, so I am basically building it up from scratch again in terms of web presence. Any links to it would therefore be most appreciated!

Contributions to both my humour site and my tarot site are welcome - you will find details on the sites if you're interested, or you can email me via this diary.

TAROT CORNER (my tarot site)
WITTY WOMAN (my humour site)
ECCENTRIC BOHEMIAN HERMITS (my blog)