yesterday i realized you could totally use this as a tarot spread and i dont even really need to explain what each card would represent because of how memetic imagery works
I’m torn between hilarity and concern that meme magic has found a new outlet.
Behold! The accompanying tarot spread for the January Shadow Work Challenge. So if you don’t want to commit to the whole challenge, feel free to give this stand alone spread a go. Best wishes and happy new year!
The Tower 2.0 🌙 I redid this card because I was pretty unimpressed with my original version. Been proofing and resizing the remaining prints before I start the pre-orders for the major arcana deck!
Some call it the ‘shadow card’, others call it the ‘base’ or ‘foundation card’. For some, it’s a way to begin a tarot reading, setting the tone or establishing the focus of the reading. For others, the card on the bottom of the deck provides a ’secret message’, an additional and invaluable piece of advice, often something that is hidden. Bridget at Biddy Tarot explains that “the bottom card alludes to the hidden aspects that are influencing the situation at hand and gives deep insight into the subconscious mind of the client.” Another idea is to use the bottom card to round off the reading with a final word.
I read it differently. When a friend and I were first learning tarot, we’d lay out the Celtic Cross spread, then peek at the card on the bottom of the remaining deck, saying “it’s not about this…”. I forget whether this was a practice my friend made up, something from a book, or picked up elsewhere, but it’s stuck, and lately, I’ve been bringing it into my daily draw.
I’m finding that this ‘not about’ approach really helps me to dig deeper into those daily cards. It’s so tempting — especially as an experienced reader — to merely glance at the card, briefly summarising it with a known reading, a few keywords. But the card on the bottom of the deck nudges me to think more carefully and often challenges my preconceptions.
I am very into using the bottom card of the deck as the “it’s not about this” card.
1. – 2. WHAT THE: (Center Cross) The face of my current challenge. The crux of what hounds me. 3. ACTUAL: What is real about this situation? 4. FUCK: What is wrong about this situation? 5. ?: Where do I need more information? Where do I need to ask, research, and listen? 6. !: What can I do? What first steps can I take in action?
I have been having what feels like resounding success at talking to Lucifer using my moldavite pendulum.
It seems to be really easy for me to slip into a trance state when using the pendulum. Combined with lighting incense and offering of fruit, this little ritual has given me a more intense sense of contact than I ever expected to know.
He has been very present for me lately, probably due to a confluence of things (using the eclipse energy wisely, my birthday/holiest part of my year, the death of my friend leaving me vulnerable and Lucifer seemingly in a bit more of a nurturing mood than usual). Honestly he’s been available to talk with me day and night, and when I have asked if I am taking too much of his attention or contacting him too much, he has said no. I’m fucking blown away by the kindness being shown me right now.
(Cut for length)
Lucifer has indicated to me that he wants me to learn astral travel. I have legitimately no idea where to begin with this, and am very intimidated by the task, but he’s holding out a reward I want more than anything else– to be able to see him and interact with him more viscerally.
The other day he got a little short with me for the first time– apparently I was saying “thank you” to him too much and he got sick of it. Told me to thank myself.
OK, Lucifer, I see your point, and I get that you don’t want worship or anything that feels like it. But gratitude is a huge part of my spiritual practice and what keeps me clean and sober. Still, I get it. It’s gonna be a struggle, which, presumably, you are completely OK with. So far my efforts at adjusting to the “less thank yous” bit have often ending with me sometimes mentally snapping “I LIKE AND APPRECIATE YOU, IS THAT OK YOU GRUMPY FUCKER?!” in the direction of my altar. Which, perhaps surprisingly, seems to upset him less.
Regarding Lucifer and tarot– when I invite Lucifer into a reading, I get a hell of a lot more inversions than in a normal reading. Inversions and how to interpret them are tricky and the subject of a lot of debate, of course. In the context of a Lucifer reading I am tempted to interpret them less in the typical way that I might interpret an inversion, and tend to see them more as representing the “fallen” nature of that card, its Luciferian nature.
I have also become much more intensely embodied since working with Lucifer more actively. Which for some reason is not what I expected– I am used to spiritual work making me feel less connected to my body. But it’s more like I am feeling an additional layer to my own being– at the moment I am assuming it’s my astral body. I have had a lot of spontaneous sensations of being touched or caressed while talking to Lucifer lately, and those sensations feel very physical even though they are not exactly physical in origin. I am feeling things in my physical body that are coming through my astral body, maybe? I don’t know, I don’t know very much about astral!
I am also seeing auras a little bit– mainly around my moldavite pendant when I use it for pendulum divination.
It’s an interesting and intense time for sure. I am very excited to see what comes next.
OK, here’s a tarot spread I made up for talking to Lucifer.
It’s an inverted cross, because bite me, that’s why.
Who are you to me?
Who am I to you?
When did you enter my life?
What must I learn?
What can I give you?
Anything else?
I did a whole ritual to accompany this. I cleared the kitchen table and set up two chairs, one for me and one for the devil. I lit my homemade Lucifer prayer candle, and some frankincense (because if Jesus can have nice things Lucifer can too, dammit). I put on my moldavite pendant, and some Ruth White on the stereo. Then I sat down and invited Lucifer to come sit with me. I shared a piece of fruit with him, because Eden/knowledge/you know the story. Then I shuffled the cards and commenced the reading.
You don’t have to do a whole song and dance like that, but I do recommend you take some steps to consciously invite Lucifer to the reading and make him comfortable. Make sure you are making yourself comfortable too, and avoid “sucking up” excessively. Your mileage may vary, but I find he hates it when I place him too far above me. Be a little egalitarian about it. Invite him to your table like a friend, and behave as a generous host.
I’m not going to share my results because that’s between me and the devil. Please feel free to use this spread if you like, and alter it to suit your needs. Obviously it could be adapted to talk to many other deities, although the inverted cross shape might not be your jam in that case.
I am getting better at remembering my dreams, which is a good first step towards getting into lucid dreaming again.
However, last night my dream involved a real life friend of mine telling me repeatedly to draw my own tarot deck. I really hope this doesn’t mean I am supposed to make my own tarot deck because I do not have that kind of talent or time.
I’ve made a deck interview & spread~! 😀 (Tarot and cartomancy friendly!)
I would say this is a fairly comprehensive spread, I hope it works well for you! Please feel free to tag me if you use it, I’d love to see! ^^
These 5 are about the deck itself:
1. What is your most prominent characteristic? 2. What are your strengths? 3. What do like doing the most? (We don’t always like what we’re best at) 4. What are your weaknesses? 5. What do you least like to do? (Again, not always the same)
These ones focus more on you:
6. How do you feel about me? (It pays to be blunt sometimes) 7. What do you think I need to learn? 8. How can I work to achieve that? 9. What is the one thing you would ask of me?
These last ones are all about you and the deck:
10. What is the potential outcome of our relationship? 11. Do you want to work with me? (Personally I think this is the most important one of them all)
Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if an answer confuses you! I had to do this a couple times myself, but I didn’t save the cards out, I just noted them down and put them back in the deck.
Church of the Morningstar 