I put a call out on Facebook and Twitter to see which sort of post to do today. The clear winner with 15 votes was to do a Gratitude Tarot spread. Second place, “A drawing of a cat and a poem, not necessarily about the cat” only had 5 votes!
It’s a beautiful day today, with birds chirping and sun shining, and the Gratitude Tarot decks being delivered to beautiful souls in Canada. My heart is light, my spirit soaring, I bet my glow could light up a room! Yes, I’m feeling some pride at having created this tangible way for others to step into Gratitude with me, to feel what I feel when I take these photos and my heart opens to the Universe.
It was with this lightness, this euphoria, that I shuffled my deck and pondered what parts of Gratitude could be blocked for me right now.
The Gratitude Awakening
Even when we swim in Gratitude, we have moments and energies that elude our loving intention. By recognizing where each of Gratitude’s elements are flowing and are blocked in our own life, we can reach a more free flow of Gratitude and a more peaceful heart.
These are the cards I drew:
My flow and block of Thankfulness
9 of Community in position 1 = You appreciate
We awaken to the realization of our shared dream. Our wishes made real, our past healed, we raise our hearts in shared joy.
The Tower in position 2 = You are indifferent to
A sudden change is erupting, bringing with it chaos and upheaval. Grounded in Thankfulness you will see the inspiration of these moving forces and feel the freedom of old structures removed.
Oh, how lovely! Yes, I am reveling, feeling overjoyedly thankful that these decks are a reality and reaching people at this very moment. So, so true.
In my joy and exuberance I am indifferent to change, chaos and upheaval. Things are changing, it seems at warp speed. This is a pivotal moment in my life and my world. I can’t see what the changes will be exactly, and I’m neither really worried about, or even really excited about them. Indifference it is. And perhaps it is time to think about the changes coming.
My flow and block of Awareness
The Hermit in position 3 = You can see
You hear the call to go within, to seek connection to the Divine through your most intimate details. Your retreat opens the doorway to your soul.
3 of Thankfulness in position 4 = You are blind to
Your skills are the gift you bring the world, your craft a way to thank all you have learned from. Enjoy the work.
Whereever I go I feel that urge to look deep within, to dive into the small and intimate beauty that I see, to live richly in my own soul. This feeds me.
Does the enticement of time on my own and the bigness of small blind me to the gifts I have for the world? It’s true that I struggle to describe these gifts, to define them in ways that feel whole and true for me while explaining to the world what it I can offer. This is work to be done, steeped in all of my thanks for my beautiful soul-family and all of my other teachers. It’s time.
My flow and block of Community
Death in position 5 = You feel connected with
In true transformation, letting go of that which no longer serves us can bring wistful regret. Release all that must end with trust that your new beginnings will blossom.
King of Thankfulness in position 6 = You feel isolated from
The spiral of success is steady and reliable. Strength must be harnessed, directed through appreciation to be of most help.
I am really into the act of transformation, the reinvention of my situation and myself, and the letting go of ideas and people and things that aren’t serving me any longer. It’s easy, fulfilling and freeing.
After so many years of being the reliable, steady worker, the harnessed employee, apparently I am isolated from this now. Is there any harm in this?
My flow and block of Kindness
6 of Kindness in position 7 = You show respect & love for
Your determination is a guide for others. Shift your view of past and future to transform your suffering.
5 of Community in position 8 = Kindness: You show contempt for
There is isolation in grief and loss. Notice the richness of your soul-family, ready to receive you as you release your sadness.
Determination – stubbornness, even – has been my totem through this life. When it’s worth it, I stick with it, doggedly. I’m proud of this in myself and honour it in others. This is true.
Grief and sadness are given only fleeting moments in my heart. There is so much to enjoy, so much richness, mourning loss is a mere stepping stone to true enjoyment. While my heart is not ready to embrace grief or hold the arm of those who live in her, I have Beauty to offer when they are ready. Always.
My flow and block of Gratitude
7 of Awareness in position 9 = You feel fulfilled in
This seems like a test. Look deeply within you for the means to overcome. Rise to victory.
Strength in position 10 = Gratitude: You feel loss of
Courage knows the gentle path through obstacles requires compassion and influence. Your true strength gently carries you through times of difficulty.
I find such Beauty in a puzzle, such deliciousness in having what I need within to overcome the difficulty and live fully.
And yet, the cards say I don’t feel my own courage, my own strength. Perhaps this fits with the card of my blindness – that I don’t fully appreciate the fluidity of my own subtle gifts is a loss of the gentle strength that may see me, and my soul-family, through.
My spirit in full flow
2 of Community in position 11 = How you function in full spirit
We are called together, uniting that which seems opposite, strengthening this emotional connection.
Aha! It all comes round to my second, most true super power. Contradiction. I am both small and big. I am both compassionate and dismissive. I am both gentle and strong. I am both aware and unseeing. When I embrace all of these seemingly contrary facets of me, I flow in the river of Gratitude, fulfilled and alive.
That’s a Gratitude Awakening
This reading feels like lush rich fuel for this place I am today. But writing it for you has been a challenge. What do you see in these cards? Is there something I have missed? Is there wisdom and a chance for learning that is slipping away in my joy? I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.
It’s great to see how they work as a reading, as I’d imagined using them more as a ‘pick a card for the day’ deck.
Truly beautiful Teresa!
I love the idea of them being used in many ways, including for readings and to set the mood for the day. The more unique uses, the better they will serve people.
Thank, Sandi! I’m feeling a bit like a proud mama these days.
Hugs and butterflies,
~Teresa~
You could also do virtual readings for people! Or like Hiro Boga’s Deva Cards: http://hiroboga.com/deva-qualities-cards/
Thinking seriously about this…. Thanks!
This was a glorious reading. Promise you’ll print more later on? I may not have $57 to spare now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t later on.
Also, I think I want to second what Sandi said. And if you’ve ever seen lotustarot.com, you could have a couple of free readings and have the rest as a paid-membership-only deal. Because I totally get the whole not caring about being a dutiful employee anymore. 😉
oh, thank you Meredith! Not quite a promise, but there are plenty of plans for plenty more with the Gratitude Tarot – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Thank you for your lovely ideas, too!
Hugs and butterflies,
~Teresa~