Life Changes/Transformational - Example Reading

Deck: Ancestral Path
Question: A general reading about changes that she felt were coming

Spread: This spread is laid out in the form of the tree of life. There are three cards in a column on the left, representing who/where you are now in your life, and what you bring to the transformation. There are three cards in a column on the right which represent who you are becoming. The middle column represents the transformational path. The layout is read from the bottom up – Card 1 is the expression of the transformational path in the physical world. The downward-pointing triangle above this (cards 2, 3, and 4) is the physical transformation, the middle triangle above this (cards 5, 6, and 7) is the intellectual transformation. The upward-pointing triangle (cards 8, 9, and 10) is the spiritual transformation. The central card between the upper and middle triangles (card 0) is the key to accomplishing this transformation successfully.

READING

I want to introduce this reading with some overall observations on the cards you received. First, a majority of your cards were Trumps and most of the rest were court cards.  Only two minor cards appeared out of 11.  This is highly unusual, and means that this is a life-changing question for you.  It is no wonder that you are feeling changes coming – and it's probably no accident that you asked about it.  Second, three of the cards you received (The Tower, 10 of Swords, and Judgment) are cards representing very significant changes in your life, and you received one of these cards at each of the three levels – physical, mental, spiritual.  The changes that are coming are not small, they are likely to affect every aspect of your life and will involve some major decisions and choices on your part. What you do in response to them will likely affect the course of the rest of your life.

Which brings me to the last point – the three cards on the left are all upright, indicating that right now, even though you can sense these changes coming, you are basically OK.  All three cards on the right, as well as all three cards in the transformational path between them, are reversed.  What this says is that these are going to be difficult changes for you, and you could easily get off on the wrong path because of them, in ways that would harm you and your future.  In some ways, this is a very helpful kind of reading to receive, because it gives us warning about things that are coming and arms us with knowledge and tools to create the future we want, rather than the one that might have come if we weren't paying attention.  So each of the three cards on the right represents a possible trap you could fall into as a result of these changes, and each of the cards in the middle represents a way to avoid the trap and create a positive outcome for yourself.

Card 1: The Hermit. The Hermit represents a stage of your life where you are on a search for truth.  The truths you seek may be about yourself, about spirituality, about the world, or whatever you need to learn to become a whole person. The number of the Hermit is 9, which represents reaching the end of a cycle and taking the last step toward maturity and self-knowledge.  The Hermit travels paths that are sometimes solitary and remote, and relies on the Universe to provide for him while he wanders. While there are about to be some major upheavals in your life, this card suggests that they can serve a positive purpose, to guide you to look within yourself, have greater self-confidence, and find out what you really want from life. We will come back to this card often, as it is one of the few cards that are upright in the middle of all these changes, and suggests that as you travel this path, the most important thing, no matter what happens, is to be true to yourself and your principles, and not let anyone else take control of your life or decide the direction it should take.  This will carry you through the paths of danger and you will come out stronger on the other side.

Physical Transformation

Card 2: The Tower.  The Tower is a card that appears when our life is about to be shaken up by unforeseen and sometimes traumatic events. Usually, it tears down the material parts of the world around us, and is very appropriate in the physical position. We may face difficult transitions with respect to a job, money, our physical home, or relationships that are important to us. Most importantly, our self-image and understanding of the world can be threatened.  The Tower has a purpose, however.  It normally appears when we have created things in our life that need to be changed in order to make progress, but we have become too dependent or invested in them to change them by ourselves. These may be destructive aspects of our lives, or just obstacles to self-fulfillment or growth. The Tower, if properly handled, can be one of the most positive opportunities for improvement in our lives, or it can be very difficult to recover from.

Card 3: The Devil, reversed.  The Devil shows one of the traps that may arise from this situation. The Devil reversed suggests that something in these changes may create a situation in which you may feel like you have been placed in bondage physically or financially.  Watch out for anything that might put you in debt or under the control of another person, who may not mean you well. Definitely avoid anything that might harm your body physically, such as alcohol, sleeping pills, or any other addictions – because these will prove very difficult to shake off later.  You may think they are only a temporary and harmless release from your problems, but they may turn into a significant problem on their own that could cause you much misery. Do not allow yourself to be put in any situation, such as a job, living arrangement, or relationship, that you intuitively feel concerned about or your inner voice warns you about, even if you feel it is your only good option financially. This card suggests that it will not be the right choice in the long run, and you will end up feeling trapped. I am not saying don't accept any help from people who love you, just that you must trust in your inner voice to tell you who and what to watch out for. If something seems to have strings attached, it probably does. The Hermit counsels you to avoid any such strings – the purpose of the Tower is to free you to follow your own destiny, not to get re-entangled with the material world.

Card 4: The High Priestess, reversed. This card shows the key to avoiding the traps presented by the Devil. The High Priestess represents your inner voice and intuition, your subconscious and hidden inner knowledge. She holds the keys to truth, and is very similar to the Hermit in some ways. She is telling you that the answers to your situation lie within, and not in the physical world around you. Think of her as the calm center inside that is untouched by the storms raging outside you, and know that she is always there when you need her.  She is a part of you that you have not had much time to get in touch with, but she is an important part of this transformation.  Whenever you feel that things are just getting too crazy, and you are faced with impossible choices, find a quiet space and listen to your inner voice.  Let the High Priestess and the Hermit guide you to safer shores.  Neither of them feels restricted by material issues such as lack of money, job transitions, even relationships.  They know that all these things are temporary and insubstantial compared to your inner sense of self and spirituality.  If you listen to her voice and allow it to guide you in making choices, you can trust that they will be the right choices in the long run.

Intellectual Transformation

Card 5: Ten of Swords.  This is a rather scary-looking card, showing a Ninja standing triumphantly over the dead body of the samurai chief he has just assassinated. He has used 10 swords to accomplish his task, when probably only one was really needed.  Through this, he is making a political statement that the reign of this samurai is over forever and there is no chance of recovery.  This is the card of decisive endings, even overkill.  The suit of Swords is the suit of thoughts, plans, and attitudes, and this card is very appropriate in the area of mental transformations.  This card signifies one of the effects of the Tower we discussed earlier – in addition to the tangible and material changes that will be occurring, there will also be a forceful reevaluation or elimination of your previous attitudes about life, your views about yourself and what is important, and possibly your plans for the future.  This reevaluation can be a very positive thing, in spite of the rather traumatic way that it begins.  The important thing here is to understand that, while the means of their demise may not seem reasonable or fair, the previous thoughts or attitudes really needed to change in order for you to reach a better place in your life. Rather than dwelling on the painful ending, it is important to look ahead and realize how these events free you up to completely reshape your life and choose a new direction for yourself.

Card 6: Princess of Swords, reversed. The Princess of Swords represents the Japanese sun goddess Ama Terasu.  She is the divine ancestress of the Japanese people, whose sun symbol is represented on their national flag. Ama Terasu was the daughter of the male and female deities who created the physical islands of Japan, and she was intended to shine her light on the world and give warmth and energy to growing things, plants and animals.  However, she was afraid of her brother the storm god, and to avoid him she hid herself in a dark cave and would not come out, despite the entreaties of the other gods and goddesses.  As a result the earth withered – until she was finally enticed out by curiosity. When she appears reversed in a reading, this is saying that as a result of all these changes and challenges coming up in your life, there is a real danger that you may choose to hide your light in a cave and never come out. We all know people that have seemingly given up in response to life's troubles.  This card asks you not to let that happen to you. Since she appears as your future self, she is saying that you have a lot of light and love to share with the world, and your own unique talents and abilities, that may have been hidden up until now due to circumstances in your life or choices you have made in the past.  This seeming disaster is a hidden blessing in disguise – part of its purpose is to give you a chance to shine and put into the practice the talents you have been hiding away.

Card 7: Eight of Sacred Circles, reversed. This card shows the way to avoid the trap of hiding your intellectual talents in a dark cave. The Eight shows a young American Indian of the Menomenee Tribe.  He has reached the age of manhood and passed all the trials and rites of his community.  He has undergone his vision quest and has found his spiritual guides. Now it is time for him to choose a profession and his place in the community. He has chosen to be a maker of drums – a very important profession because it is through drums and stories that the wisdom of the tribe is passed down to future generations.  This card is telling you that it is time for you to choose your own profession, one that is in accordance with your inner voice and spirituality.  In your question, you mentioned some problems and dissatisfactions with your job and the people you work with.  I have a feeling these issues are really just reflections of the inner changes you feel intuitively are coming, and your desire to be doing something more meaningful with your life.  By making your own choice according to your heart, and not what the dictates of society, family, or finances would suggest, you will be bringing your light out of the cave at last and letting it shine on the world.

Spiritual Transformation

Card 8: Princess of Sacred Circles.  This card is the Native American representation of the Earth goddess, and shows a person who has dedicated her life to caring for others and nurturing the people and environment around her.  You may feel responsible for the well-being of others, and making sure that everything runs smoothly and people are provided for. There is an element of personal sacrifice and a real potential for burnout in this card, as the woman involved spends more time caring for others than for herself.  It also shows your involvement in mostly material matters up until now – home, family, jobs.  This card shows the spiritual situation you are in now, and may represent something you will be moving away from as part of this transition.

Card 9: King of Cups, reversed. A reversed King of Cups goes along with the Devil in some ways – this card again shows another thing to watch out for following this transition.  This represents a mature and loving, emotional person, who has let their emotions begin controlling their life. The King of Cups may depend too much on others and view himself through the eyes of others. He may fall into delusions or alcoholism, or others forms of escapism to deal with emotional pain.  This could show you trapped in a relationship with someone that is dependent and emotional, or a codependency situation. If you can turn the King of Cups around, on the positive side, the King represents a mature and loving person who can be a leader or example for others – in this deck, he represents King Arthur.  You may be struggling with self-deception and/or the deceptions of others, and the most important thing in this situation is to see yourself and others as they actually are, with clear and loving eyes, but not foster any sense of dependence or weakness through your own actions.

Card 10: Judgment, reversed.  This card shows the path to success in this situation. Judgment is a card that comes up when we have life-changing decisions to make. This shows that not everything about this situation is out of your control. While you may not be able to control the initial events that happen to you, it is important to remember that what you do control is how you react to them, and what you create and build out of them. Your choice in this situation is whether to subjugate your own desires, intellect, and emotions to others, or whether to strike out on your own, free yourself from your bonds, let your talents blossom, and become a self-confident, loving, role model for others. Never forget that this *is* your choice, and your choice alone.  It will lead you forward to a new life and a new level of living.

Card 0: The Empress.  Here we find the key to this transition, and she is upright and ready to help. The Empress represents you in your most creative, fertile, active and loving self. She represents all the positive qualities of womanhood – someone who has taken the feminine intuition and knowledge held by the High Priestess and put it into action in the real world. If you keep this potential always in mind, you may realize that these events coming up are intended to free you from your past life and from the material and emotional bonds you carry, and allow you to create a new life for yourself. In this new life, you will be surrounded by the fruits of your own creativity and love, and will have the self-confidence and initiative to create what you want for yourself. Your life can be and will be productive and fulfilling, if you follow your heart and inner voice, and watch out for the lessons in these cards.

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Wheel of Change tarot cards © 1997 Alexandra Genetti