Thoth Tarot Reading
The 10 of discs is the last card in the major arcana if you start with the Ace of Wands. It is Mercury in Virgo, the result of continuous development. It is about being part of a large organization, as well as the benefits of following an established path and living cooperatively.
Family comes to mind when I see this card, which can be my family of origin, my own family, or my community. I went to visit my sister last week to celebrate her birthday and we also met up with our brother. We talked about our parents, who are both gone now, keeping their memory alive and I have been reflecting on that endless cycle of life and death, and the cultural inheritance I was left and what I will pass on to my children and grandchildren.
Tarot Card of Abundance
It is a card of abundance, and if you think of culture like a river; it picks up and discards twigs branches, and other materials from the riverbank on its journey to the sea. The 10 discs are all the rich material it has gathered as it reaches its destination and becomes part of the greater body of the ocean.
The Priestess is the ‘moon reflecting on the surface of the water’ a powerful image to bring to mind. She wears a crown in which the sun and moon are united; it is 2, the number duality, a union of kindred spirits; the conscious and the unconscious mind; light and reflected light; the union of mind and body (a lifelong practice).
She represents the collective unconscious where we can connect, our ancestors, and future generations to tap into the mysteries of the universe. The Priestess is not someone to provide you with answers, she hints at them, then takes us back to the beginnings of our mammalian development and the “wisdom of the womb”. This is a card of quiet contemplation; she is the Moon in Scorpio in the 12th house.
The Ace of Swords
“intellectual powers fed by the depth of emotion can thrust forth to the very highest perception”, represented by the crown.
A snake is entwined on the hilt of this sword. The Chinese astrological animal for this year and the year I was born. The snake is my totem animal and represents the reptilian brain, that primitive part that picks up vibrations. It prompts breathing, swallowing, and our heartbeat. But, it plays no part in our emotional life. It is a beautiful card, the origin of thought, heralding a new more creative standpoint. The Ace represents all the air signs.
I found this a very powerful reading. The rich abundance of the 10 discs reminds me to count my blessings. It asks me to celebrate my family and cultural inheritance. The Priestess advises me to remain open to all possibilities. It asks me to listen to my inner guidance to be patient, kind, and loving. This card is almost transparent behind her veil.
The Ace of Swords makes tangible the images and feelings invoked by the Priestess. It tells me I can use my mind to clarify and analyze difficult situations. I can thus solve and overcome deep-rooted problems. The mind also needs to be honed and stimulated. The shadow side of the Ace is restlessness, belligerence, and disillusionment.