The Mirror of the Moment

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by Richard Palmer


  mental power with emotional awareness and respect for others. He

  gives perfect expression to the powers of his psyche and lives life

  in a near perfect balance between his intellect, will and emotions.

  His skill in intimate relationships blends well with the passionate

  emotional waters that flow in his inner depths providing a

  compassionate foundation for his kingly intellect to rule others

  with grace, consideration and respect.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When the King of Cups appears he may indicate you, another

  person close to you, someone who may enter your life, an aspect of

  your own personality or an aspect of yourself that needs to be

  recognized, developed or asserted. He may also represent a

  situation that you find yourself in.

  When Appearing Upright and Representing a Person

  The King of Cups is a learned and professional man skilled in both

  legal matters and political affairs. His sympathetic, kind and

  considerate nature bring him success in his personal relationships

  and his mental agility and originality of thought make him

  recognized as an outstanding leader. Though deeply emotional, he

  often conceals this aspect of his personality and acts with a rational

  authority. He is a creative, stable and wise person. You can trust

  this man.

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  When Appearing Upright and Not Representing a Person

  When The King of Wands is revealed Upright in your reading, its

  meaning(s) may correspond to: success in the matter of your

  inquiry;

  kindness;

  consideration;

  intelligence;

  emotional

  sensitivity; compassion; responsible behavior; creativity; a need

  for more professionalism; emotional sympathy; stability; wisdom;

  trustworthiness.

  When Appearing Reversed and Representing a Person

  Reversed, this card represents a powerful man of fierce nature who

  is both crafty and violent. He is dishonest by nature and is prone to

  vice and hedonism. He can be treacherous and unscrupulous in his

  dealings with others and those who enter into a business or

  personal relationships with him will suffer considerably. He has a

  reputation for duplicity and is a double dealer and a robber. Do not

  trust this man!

  When Appearing Reversed and Not Representing a Person

  When The King of Wands is revealed Reversed in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: a lack of success in the matter of

  your inquiry; craftiness; double-dealing; scandalous behavior;

  dishonesty; a lack of scruples; fierceness; violence; treachery;

  unscrupulous behavior.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  THE KING OF SWORDS

  King of the Spirits of Air

  Fire of Air

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  The powerful King of Swords looks us straight in the eye as he sits

  alone on

  his throne ready to

  dispense

  harsh

  justice or

  compassionate mercy. Stern judgment may await us when we face

  him as he is the guardian of the rational order and takes his

  responsibility very seriously. He holds a razor sharp sword in his

  right hand pointing upwards towards the heavens. His throne is

  decorated with butterflies and crescent Moons. An Angel whispers

  into his right ear. Two birds soar in the lofty heights above him. He

  is clothed in blue and royal purple and wears a golden crown upon

  his head upon which is carved the image of an angelic being. A

  signet ring of kingly power graces his left hand. The sky is mostly

  clear with only a few grayish clouds reflecting the stern and just

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  and unyielding will of this King whose sword can cleave either

  way when he has made up his mind – for he is the power of life

  and death.

  MEDITATION

  This King’

  s rationality and practicality as well as his devotion to

  intellect, logic, duty and responsibility blend well with the

  compassionate, humanitarian and higher mental energies of his

  royal being and strike the balance man must find between the cold

  and impersonal nature of the intellect and the universal human

  sympathy and higher mental development reflected by the exercise

  of compassion in all judgments. Logic and reason cannot be the

  final arbiters of our actions – we must temper their impersonality

  with feeling. When the will and intellect become the perfected

  expression of the illuminated mind they are able to act in an

  impartial but

  compassionate

  manner

  taking

  humanity

  into

  consideration as well as facts and logical considerations. Perfection

  of the mind lies not only in the airy spheres of reason and intellect

  but equally in the watery depths of compassion and love.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When the King of Swords appears he may indicate yourself,

  another person close to you, someone who may enter your life, an

  aspect of your own personality or an aspect of yourself that needs

  to be recognized and further developed or asserted. He may also

  represent a situation you find yourself in.

  When Appearing Upright and Representing a Person

  The King of Swords represents a man who holds a position of

  political power. Although oftentimes overcautious, he is a rational

  thinker and has a logical and inventive mind. Old-fashioned ideas

  guide his life and he can be a loyal friend or a fearsome enemy if

  you cross him. He represents law and authority and is an active,

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  subtle and clever man but one who can be can be very volatile and

  domineering. He holds himself to the highest ethical standards and

  is not without compassion in his judgments but seldom lets his

  heart overrule the dictates of his reason and will. You are advised

  to be cautious in any personal dealings with him.

  When Appearing Upright and Not Representing a Person

  When The King of Swords is revealed Upright in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: a positive mental influence;

  excess rationality; courage; cleverness; strength; the exercise of

  just authority; impartiality; a capacity for compassion and mercy;

  loyalty; subtlety; being logical and inventive; a tendency to be

  overcautious; emotional coldness; upholding conventional ideas of

  law and order; holding a position of power and wealth.

  When Appearing Reversed and Representing a Person

  Reversed, the King represents a crafty man of evil intent who is

  unscrupulous and cruel. He cares nothing for the lives or well

  being of others and lives with evil intention towards all. He is a

  man of malicious temperament who cannot be trusted under any

  circumstances. Beware of any close personal relationship with this

  man for his cunning and perversity could lead to your undoing.

  When Appearing Reversed and Not Representing a Person

  When The King of Sword
s is revealed Reversed in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: a negative mental influence;

  someone having evil intentions towards you; becoming a victim of

  cunning;

  malice;

  unfairness;

  harshness;

  injustice;

  cruelty;

  perversity; manipulation; craftiness; unscrupulous dealings; a lack

  of emotional development.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  THE KING OF PENTACLES

  The King of the Spirits of Earth

  Fire of Earth

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  Seated on a black throne decorated with carvings of bulls and vines

  and rich with fruit, the King of Pentacles embodies the wealth and

  power and authority of the material kingdom over which he reigns.

  His throne is surrounded with vines and plants of all kinds

  representing his material success. In his right hand he holds his

  scepter of power and in his left he balances a single golden

  pentacle which he regards with a blissful smile of satisfaction and

  fulfillment. He has surrounded himself with the splendor of the

  natural world and in his kingly reign expresses the sense of

  responsibility and true understanding of prosperity that results

  from the rightful use of power and money.

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  MEDITATION

  In the King of Pentacles lives the Fire of Earth – the lion sitting

  upon his throne – someone who brings his unquenchable energies

  to the processes of growth and prosperity so that all who come

  under his influence may prosper. He celebrates the richness of his

  own life while striving to share its abundance with all of his

  subjects. Material success and spiritual wisdom must lie side by

  side or our human development will be incomplete. All life’s

  polarities must be balanced within ourselves before we can

  experience the creative radiance of the Higher Self.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When the King of Pentacles appears in a reading he may indicate

  you, another person close to you, someone who may enter your

  life, an aspect of your own personality or an aspect of yourself that

  needs to be recognized and further developed or asserted. He may

  also represent a situation in which you find yourself.

  When Appearing Upright and Representing a Person

  The King of Pentacles signifies a patient, methodical and reliable

  individual who is both loyal and trustworthy. He is an enterprising

  man who is slow to anger and is blessed with outstanding business

  acumen and great financial understanding. This card often points to

  the possibility of improvement in your material circumstances.

  You can trust this person.

  When Appearing Upright and Not Representing a Person

  When The King of Pentacles is revealed Upright in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: a focus on business and money;

  reliability; generosity; a solid character; steadiness; patience; being

  methodical; loyalty; trustworthiness; a gifted and enterprising

  person; the possibility of bettering your material circumstances;

  maintaining your present material status quo.

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  When Appearing Reversed and Representing a Person

  This card signifies a dull and materialistic person – a stupid,

  obstinate, heavy handed and very tyrannical individual. Though

  slow to anger, he can be very dangerous when aroused. He lives

  like a cow chewing its cud and, if crossed, can become a very

  violent person. Evil, corruption and immorality are the foundation

  of his life. You should avoid this person at all costs.

  When Appearing Reversed and Not Representing a Person

  When The King of Pentacles is revealed Reversed in your

  reading, its meaning(s) may correspond to: materialism; stupidity;

  weakness; vice; corruption; greed; dullness of mind; immorality;

  evil intentions; a heavy handed, tyrannical and dangerous person.

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  INTUITIVE CONTEXTUAL TAROT READING

  THE BOBBLEHEAD

  When I was a child, I viewed a television story written by the great

  dramatic writer, Mr. Rod Serling, and produced on his television

  series “The Twilight Zone.”This episode starred a noted actor who

  later rose to preeminence playing the character in a science fiction

  series. In this story he portrays a newlywed who while on his

  honeymoon stops with his new bride for a quick lunch at a small

  roadside diner. Both he and his new bride seat themselves in a

  comfortable booth characteristic of small eateries in that historical

  period. Centered on the booth and attached to the wall is a fortune

  telling machine, which for a quarter will answer any question you

  ask of it. On top of this device is affixed a “bobblehead”in the

  shape of a clown’s head attached to the machine by a flexible

  spring that allows it to “bobble”and move around if it is touched

  or played with.

  The groom is obviously superstitious by nature and seizes the

  opportunity to give the “bobble head”fortune teller a try. He asks a

  simple question and receives an encouraging reply. Confirmation

  of the truth of the fortunetellers response comes to him and he is so

  astounded by this that he begins to ask the machine question after

  question concerning every aspect of his life and potential future.

  As the sun sets, he is seen still sitting in his booth along with his

  unhappy bride asking the machine question after question and

  always needing another answer as what the machine says never

  seems to quite satisfy him.

  The point of this great story is quite clear – how a mind prone to

  superstition can easily become entrapped by its own ignorance and

  fears. Fortunetellers, be they human or mechanical, all sell the

  same ultimate dream – the promise of the power to know the future

  – and entrap the unwary and unwise in the pursuit of this

  essentially futile endeavor.

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  So is it also with the Tarot – the Tarot is neither a method of

  foretelling the future nor a method of deciding trivial pursuits like

  using it to inquire whether to have pancakes or eggs for breakfast

  in the morning. The Tarot is a “Mirror of the Moment” and

  through its revelations allows a broadened perspective, a sort of

  “birds eye view”on how things stand with respect to any given

  inquiry and should be used as an Oracle only for serious concerns

  and not for trivial pursuits or essentially day to day activities less

  you risk becoming like the unfortunate bridegroom, trapped by his

  own fears and by the arrogant belief that you can gain power over

  time.

  This chapter explains several techniques of correctly reading the

  Tarot and utilizes as examples a broad selection of real readings

  done for real people in the real world using their actual questions.

  This approach will portray how the Tarot can be use
d effectively

  as a guide proving insight to questions related to the central areas

  of human concern: love and romance, personal relationships, work

  and employment, career, money and financial matters or personal

  and spiritual concerns. It is written to reveal how the Tarot

  responds to actual questions through real examples of its response

  and the interpretations associated with those particular responses.

  As can be seen, the Tarot is not in the fortune telling business of

  “selling dreams”but of providing valuable insight to those who are

  wise enough to seek out its guidance. Each major area of human

  concern is illustrated by several reading examples. These were real

  readings performed for real individuals in the course of a long

  Tarot practice. Each reading is interpreted so as to illuminate the

  true character of the Oracle’s response to their question. Examples

  more complex readings such as the Three Card Reading and the

  Celtic Cross Reading are illustrated and interpreted. When

  studying these readings it is well to remember that the Tarot is a

  truth teller. It reveals the true reality informing the matter you

  inquired about. What you do with this revelation is entirely up to

  you.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  A One Card Reading is a precise focus, like a spotlight shown

  upon the matter of inquiry. More complex readings like the “Three

  Card Reading”and the “Celtic Cross Reading” yield more detailed

  stories and thus more insight and information.

  No study of Tarot readings can proceed without addressing one

  very important fundamental question: “Can the Tarot be used to

  read the minds of others or to surreptitiously look into others

  consciousness without their knowledge or consent?”This is a very

  important question which must be addressed before commencing

  the study of actual readings. In my opinion, this is a self delusion -

  an unfortunate practice that demonstrates that anything, no matter

  how intrinsically good, can be put to evil ends. Whether someone

  wants to spy on a husband or boyfriend, look into the

  consciousness of a supervisor or figure out what a parent or friend

 

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