TAROT SAMPLING: ESBAT ACTIVITY

Scatter some hibiscus petals on your pentacle. Separate your Tarot deck into the Major Arcana and then each suit. Place the stack of Major Arcana cards in between the God and Goddess candles on your altar, and then place the suit of pentacles at the north by the earth bowl, the suit of wands at the east by the incense, the suit of swords at the south by the candle, and the suit of cups at the west by the water. Take up the pentacles suit and shuffle, thinking something to the effect of, “Lady of the North and ruler of Earth, please show me something that I would want to know before the next full moon.” You can make up your own chant or song for this while you shuffle, but just thinking of your desired result will be fine, and if necessary you can think of a particular problem or question. Place the stack of pentacles face down on the pentacle with the hibiscus petals on it, and close your eyes. Meditate on whether the right card for what you want is on top; if you get a sign that it’s wrong or you feel uneasy, keep shuffling until the top card feels right. Then turn it over and look at it, and read the meaning.

Repeat the procedure for the wands (“Lord of the East and ruler of Wind”), swords (“Lord of the South and ruler of Fire”), and cups (“Lady of the West and ruler of Water”). Read each result, writing them down as you go if you wish. Then do the same with the Major Arcana cards, only this time, ask the God and Goddess to put the meaning together for you, to connect the four cards and/or add something to their meaning for the next month. Make sure the card feels right before you look at it.

Please be sure the card feels right before looking at it. Don’t “think” you’re sure and then assume yourself mistaken after reading the meaning, and then “re-do” it. That will lend a feeling of “that one didn’t count!” to the whole ritual, and that will make all readings pointless.