CLOSED - Hero's Journey, Underworld, & Shadow Tarot Readings

[dreamcatcher]

A couple of weeks is perfectly fine. Thank you.

[Xiao Rong]

Dear Artemis,

Apologies for the long wait time. This past month has been quite busy (although it appears that I take on average 1 month to get to readings at the moment, so ... yeah!) At any rate, here is your Shadow spread reading:

1. Your Light - What You Know and Embrace About Yourself: 6 of Wands (triumph, acclaim, pride)

As of now, you know and pride yourself on being a go-getter. You've probably made some achievements or fulfilled some personal goals and you're feeling the thrill of success (particularly external success). The 6 of Wands is related to the Chariot -- you've got some great forward momentum going and you're excited about what the future will bring.

2. Your Shadow - What You Don't Know or Reject About Yourself: 4 of Swords (rest, contemplation, preparation)

However, your Shadow (what you fear or deny about yourself) is represented by the 4 of Swords. This stands in quite a sharp contrast to the 6 of Wands' energy, which is all about forward momentum, surging ahead, leading the charge ... I think this might be a sign that while you may currently be experiencing great external success, there's a danger in the near future (or even currently) that you will soon get burned out; this forward momentum is not sustainable indefinitely, and will cost you if you don't take a break, rest up, and take care of yourself. You may be achieving wonderful things in the outer world, but you sometimes need to tend to your inner world as well. I suspect that the thing that stops you is your fear that if you don't keep on charging forward like the Chariot, you may not be able to build up this kind of momentum again.

3. Why You Fear Your Shadow: 9 of Pentacles (refinement, enjoying the comfortable life, self-reliance, discipline)

In my Shadowscapes deck, the image associated with the 9 of Pentacles is a woman playing piano and enjoying herself. I believe that the reason why you fear your Shadow (the fact that you are fallible and need to take a break) is that you view this kind of self-indulgence and relaxation as a distraction from your need to succeed. In fact, the other meanings associated with the card are about self-reliance and discipline, and signal that part of being disciplined is knowing when you need to rest and relax as an essential part of holistic well-being.

4. Why You Should Embrace Your Shadow: Queen of Swords (honesty, astute, forthright, experienced)

The Queen of Swords is intelligent and honest; she is able to face even unpleasant truths. Accepting that you need rest is part of being truthful and honest about yourself and your needs. This will ultimately sustain your ability to achieve for longer periods of time and avoid burnout.

5. How to Integrate Your Light and Shadow: King of Swords (analytical, articulate, just, ethical, honest)

The King of Swords represents the positive air energy of the Swords suit with the outward focus of the King. The presence of this court card asks you do what he might do -- be honest and objective about your life and your needs. In this case, if you're feeling burned out, then you should tell the people around you, and take the time off you need.

6. Outcome: 6 of Swords (recovering from the blues)

Finally, the outcome of the 6 of Swords indicates recovery. I believe that, again, this is pointing to the theme of rest and stillness. If you can be honest with yourself, analyze what you need, and then fulfill those needs, you can recover from the burnout and keep on moving ahead!


I just want to finally point out that the Swords suit is especially significant in your reading, indicating that the energy of Air is really needed in your life at this time. Perhaps it might be fruitful to try to connect with the element of Air through meditation, rituals, or other methods.

Hope that you liked the reading!

Xiao

[Xiao Rong]

Dear Levitating Cat,

Again, sorry for the lateness of the reading. Here's what I've got for ya:

1. The Heroine: Ace of Pentacles (material well-being, opportunity for prosperity)

It would appear that as of now there is (or will soon be) an opportunity for prosperity -- perhaps a new job, a promotion, a new enterprise. You have all the resources you need to succeed in manifesting this opportunity into abundance -- the Ace of Pentacles represents the strengths of the element of Earth that you possess, such as practicality, reliability, and level-headedness.

2. The Quest: Empress (mothering, abundance, generosity, sensual pleasure, connection to nature)

With relation to the Ace of Pentacles, you hope to be the Empress, who is generous, warm, and loving. She has a strong mothering aspect, so perhaps the reason you are interested in this new opportunity is to be able to better provide for your loved ones and family, which speaks greatly to your generous and loving nature.

3. Refusal of the Call: 8 of Swords (confusion, feeling powerless)

The thing that is holding you back from pursuing this opportunity, I believe, is self-doubt, anxiety that your circumstances are keeping you from activating the Ace of Pentacles' energy and that you have no choice in the matter. The hidden meaning of the 8 of Swords, however, is that you do have power; if you can let go of the self-doubt, you will find that your circumstances are not so restricting after all.

4. Your Guide: 2 of Pentacles (balance, flexibility, fun)

The force that will help you on your journey is the 2 of Pentacles, which is all about balance and flexibility, being graceful yet effective. There's also an element of fun in this too; my Shadowscapes deck shows a juggler who is balancing precariously, yet clearly enjoying the thrill of such an endeavor. Maybe you know someone who embodies the energy of the 2 of Pentacles. Regardless, this is the lesson you will need in order to pursue the promise of the Ace of Pentacles: it will be challenging but also fun!

5. Road of Trials: 6 of Pentacles (having or not having resources, knowledge, and power)

This card is tricky to interpet, but it seems to follow in the vein of the 2 of Pentacles (your guide) -- the 6 of Pentacles is about knowing when to give and when to take, when to let go and when to take charge. Again, you will require flexibility and adaptability to navigate these challenges.

6. The Dragon: Page of Wands (creative, enthusiastic, confident)

This card does not seem to tell you WHAT your greatest challenge will be, but how to defeat your figurative Dragon. The Page of Wands is creative, enthusiastic, confident, and courageous. These are all qualities that you will need on your journey. The Page, of course, is representative of the Innocent or the inner child, which again suggests the need for a sense of humor and levity even when you are feeling frustrated and facing challenges.

7. Death/What You Leave Behind: 5 of Swords (self-interest, discord, dishonor)

This position represents what you leave behind as a result of your journey, and in this case I believe it represents self-deception. There are some things that you believe about yourself that this journey will reveal to be untrue (perhaps in the vein of the 8 of Swords and its theme of powerlessness). Undoubtedly, you will be better off without the illusions.

8. New Wisdom Gained: 9 of Swords (worry, guilt, anguish)

In this case, following the advice of the 8 and 5 of Swords, the wisdom you will gain is about how to let go of the worry, guilt, and anguish (specifically, the kind from within you) that trouble you and how to keep your spirits up.

9. The Boon: Page of Swords (truthful, intelligent, just, fortitude)

Again, the Swords suit has answers for you about what you will take back with your into the greater world and share with others (the Boon). The Page of Swords represents the ability to be truthful, intelligent, just, and brave, which are all great qualities to have and will help you succeed.

10. The Heroine Returned: 5 of Wands (conflict, competition, hassles)

The 5 of Wands represents that you will continue to face challenges (and possibly competition) in this new opportunity, but I also believe that you will be better equipped to handle them with the lessons you've learned and the changes you've experienced. Ultimately, I think that the end of this reading is really a signifier of the beginning next phase of your journey, which is never over.


Hope you liked the reading!

Cheers,
Xiao

[Shub Niggurath]

Ohh myy, thank you so much for the reading, Xiao!
Just by reading it I can already tell I'll have to put a lot more thought into fully understanding it, seems like some of the aspects show my deepest shadows that I have yet to discover within myself and to work with them to understand and overcome them. But the other aspects of the reading that I'm currently aware of are sooo spot-on, I'm speechless.
And I know who the Juggler is, that's hilarious but also very true!
You're so lovely, Xiao - you tried to find a positive side of every card even though some of them are not necessarily that positive, I appreciate it
You provided me with an excelent content for meditation and consciousness work, I'll have to dive deeper into it and learn from it. Thank you once again for this amazing reading, it's really thought-provoking for me. I'm so grateful, I can't even express how much.

[Xiao Rong]

So glad you like it, Levitating Cat! It's my philosophy that every positive card has a hidden negative side, and every negative side has a positive one, so I try to make sure that both come across! (and this is not the first time that the Guide has pointed to a very specific figure, which is one of the reasons why I love the Tarot!). Anyways, keep us posted on how things go, and always happy to pull some more cards if you've got questions or need clarification!

[Artemis]

It's scary how spot on your reading is to my current situation. I've been working really hard to get my shop going and I've picked up such a fast momentum that I don't know how to stop or slow down even when I'm supposed to be resting. I can see how much I need to slow down, I'm already feeling pretty burned out, but I still keep at it. I'm gonna try to make more of an effort to actually sit down and meditate. About the image of the 9 of pentacles, I was reminded of a dream I had quite some time ago where a woman was playing a piano. Thank you for your reading. It's made me face what I've been telling myself I'd do but haven't, rest. I'll look up methods to connect with the element of Air. I've never actually done that before so that'll be a new experience.

[Xiao Rong]

Glad it was helpful to you, Artemis! As always, if you have more questions or need clarification, I am happy to pull some more cards for you!

[North Star]

Xiao was kind enough to give me a very insightful reading privately. She definitely saw a powerful message and figure for me in my Guide card. That card, two months later, is still placed on my altar.

You are awesome, Xiao!

[Xiao Rong]

Dreamcatcher,

So sorry this took a while to get to you ... I was swamped at work and am just now catching up on readings. Here's yours!

1. Your Light - What You Know & Accept of Yourself: 4 of Wands (celebration, freedom, excitement)

It seems that the face that you put on for the world is one of cheerfulness and enthusiasm. You want people to believe that you are cheerful, happy, and have no problems. As you mentioned, though, you know that it's hard to acknowledge darkness sometimes. While being positive is often a very good thing, we can't be happy all the time. Refusing to own up to that can often make your problems worse. When it comes to other people, you say that they sometimes consider you to be vain and self-centered. Your friends can't be happy all the time either, and if you don't acknowledge when they are hurt or sad (i.e. their dark times) and instead choose to keep with the cheery act, you may seem unsupportive and callous as a friend. But you know some of this already, I'm sure ... as I mentioned before, you seem quite self-aware and have already begun some self-exploration, so what I'm saying is probably less of a surprise.

2. Your Shadow - What You Don't Know Or Reject About Yourself: Page of Pentacles (practical, down-to-earth, trustworthy)

The Page of Pentacles represents someone who is serious, trustworthy, down-to-earth, and practical. She delivers a real possibility to experience wealth, prosperity, and security (with hard work, of course). Being serious is pretty antithetical to your current cheerful, carefree persona you project to the outside world. As this is a court card, there may even be someone in your life who this reminds you of -- possibly someone around your own age whom you have always found boring and lacking in humor since they're very focused on their pursuits (you may even have thought something along the lines of, "Ugh! I hope I never turn into So-and-so and become all grown-up and dour and boring"). S/he represents your Shadow, but what you need to realize is that in some ways you have lessons to learn from him/her. You too have opportunities to pursue, but if you don't get used to the prospect that you might have to be serious and get to work, you'll miss out.

3. Why You Fear Your Shadow: 2 of Pentacles (balance, fun, flexibility)

As I mentioned before, the reason you fear your Shadow is because you will stop being a fun-loving, cheerful person, and instead have to be resigned to doing lots of boring drudgery. However, this card, the 2 of Pentacles, is one of balance. In my deck, the card depicts a juggler who is balancing his responsibilities. It's precarious, but he's also having fun with the challenge! If you can commit yourself to your pursuit, it doesn't mean that you will be all work and no play all the time; you can still have fun! It's all about finding a balance between being serious and being playful.

4. Why You Should Embrace Your Shadow: Death (change, transformation)

As you mentioned before, you already know that something is wrong about the way you're living, and you'd like to change. While Death may seem like a dire card, it is really a card about change, transformation, and most importantly, a new beginning. It is a phoenix rising out of the ashes. You have a chance to change yourself and live a happier life, if you can accept your Shadow.

5. How to Integrate Your Shadow and Your Light: 10 of Cups (joy, peace, family)

This card suggests that the way to begin acknowledging and bringing your Shadow into the Light is to start with your family and friends. Some of them may need your support right now, and this will require you to be serious and to acknowledge that life isn't always fun and happy. If you can put away how you feel so that you can be present with them, share their pain, and help them through it. Your current state of happiness is mostly an artificial act, but if you can be loving and kind, as this card urges you to be, you can share in the true joy that comes from sharing in the genuine happiness of others.

6. Outcome: Ace of Wands (creativity, enthusiasm, confidence)

Finally, we come full circle -- we began with a card from the Wands card, and we end with a card in the Wands suit. If you can follow the advice here, then you can find your creativity, enthusiasm, and confidence again, except this time it will come from a place of truth, not just a front you put on because you believe that's the way you should be.

The last thing I want to mention is that the Wands and Pentacles seem to have a significant message here. The Wands suit represents fire, which gives off life. The Pentacles suit represents earth, which is in many ways an element of darkness -- think dirt, soil, caves. Darkness we often conflate with bad, but it is really a necessary, life-giving aspect, without which we would have no light.

Anyways, hope you liked the reading! Let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Xiao

[BabyBear]

hey Xiao would you mind doing the Heroine's journey spread for me as always you can just put it here

[Nightwatcher]

Would you mind doing the Heroine's Journey spread for me as well? No rush; you much be swamped!!

[Xiao Rong]

Hi Nightwatcher and BabyBear, I would be happy to do those readings for you ... Hopefully within the next few weeks!

[Nightwatcher]

Hi Nightwatcher and BabyBear, I would be happy to do those readings for you ... Hopefully within the next few weeks!

Thank you Xiao. ^^ No rush; you must be busy!!

[Xiao Rong]

Well, it was crazy the past few weeks at work, so I hope I'll get to it sooner. Of course, I say that every time : ( Life just gets in the way, I guess. But it doesn't mean I've forgotten!

[BabyBear]

totally understand trust me just post it whenever the troubles im hoping show up are going to last a bit and just proves what i think already lol