Tarot + Oracle Reading for Yourself | When your reading is negative or scary

We’ve all experienced it.

You turn over the Tower, or the Devil, or the Ten of Swords and you have that little (or, OK, sometimes big!) freak out.

Your heart starts beating, your head starts spinning with possibilities about what this means, what bad thing is going to happen, and from that place it’s virtually impossible to bring yourself back into an empowered state where you can look at your cards from a higher perspective.

Recently I’ve had a number of people contact me about readings they have done for themselves which haven’t felt good.

And because I know this is a thing that happens to many of us when we read for ourselves, I thought I’d sit down and let you know some of my thoughts on this.

My work is all about helping you to tune into your own guidance and so I hope this post can help you empower yourself and use your cards as a tool to help you move into the life of your dreams!

Your intuition + guidance is never going to “scare” you

Most of the time when we get that scary feeling during a reading, it’s not our Higher Self, Guides, Angels or inner knowing we are connecting with. It’s plain old ego-fear.

It’s thousands of years of conditioning that make us see images like the Devil (which is an image of the Pagan nature God Pan that the church made “evil” BTW) as evil, bad, negative and scary. We’ve been conditioned to fear Death. We live in a society (here in the west anyway!) where we rarely talk about or think about what happens after we die. We put it out of our minds and go about our days ignoring our own mortality. So it’s no wonder that when Death comes up we freak a little! Other cultures and people who are on the spiritual path find the Death card less scary, some people have no problem with it all! But generally, we fear change and we fear the unknown, this is deeply ingrained into us on a collective level.

So if you find those images scary, take a deep breath, you’re just the product of thousands of years of control, manipulation and disconnect from the spiritual.

OK, where was I? Yes, your guidance isn’t going to scare you.

If you are working with Angels or Spirit Guides or Ascended Masters or any other beings of light, they are literally never going to give you any guidance through a reading that would make you afraid. They are here to support you, to help you move through your physical human life with as much ease, grace, love and abundance as possible. Why the heck would your guardian angel pop in and freak you out? If it’s scary, it’s not from them. Same goes for your Higher Self and any other beings you work with.

Scary = not from your Guides and Angels

Usually the fear stuff is created in our own mind. Those cards bring our subconscious fears to the surface. We can choose to look at this as an opportunity to learn from and move through those fears when this happens. Or, if you’re not ready for that, or if you’re too freaked out in the moment, put the cards back, go do something else, smudge yourself if you like, and try again later.

Very occasionally negative energies can come through in our readings. I had this happen once and it was kinda creepy, but a good learning opportunity! You can avoid this by learning how to ground, clear and protect your energy.

Death from the Cosmic Tarot

Remember you have free will and create your own fate

We have been so programmed to believe that tarot and other forms of divination are “fortune telling tools”. But the only future the cards can show us is a potential one.

I only ever read for potential outcomes. In a reading I will say to you - this is potentially how this could go. But you have free will, you have the power to make changes to this if you don’t like the way things are looking.

You don’t need to be a psychic to work out how things are probably going to go. If you keep messing around with that guy/gal who’s treating you badly, what do you think is going to happen? If you hate your job, but you make no attempt to make things better or get a new job, what do you think is going to happen?

Most of the time predictive readings give us an opportunity to consider the path we are on, and they actually can, if we let them, empower us to make better choices for ourselves.

Predictive readings do however have the danger of becoming self-fulfilling if we don’t see them as simply one potential outcome.

There are of course some things in life we can’t control. It’s at those times we are called to look within and make our own choices for how we handle those things.

An empowered version of the Nine of Wands from the Moonchild Tarot

Reading “negative” cards in positive ways

This is something that comes up a lot for people. I had someone just last week ask me about a card in a reading using the New Year Spread. This person had pulled the Five of Swords as her theme of the year.

You can look at this in two ways - first off, that this is going to be a shitty year. There’s going to be lots of people around who want to take your stuff, take advantage of you, you’re going to lose, be a loser and end up crying on the beach. OR you can look at this is a message about standing in your power, not taking any shit, having strong healthy clear boundaries. That’s much more empowering right? This could be the year you begin to stand up for yourself, speak your truth (swords are all about truth!) and really stand in your power. Boom!

You can do this with any of the cards you feel are “negative”. Flip them to the positive of that card. Ten of Swords? The worst is now over! Two of Swords? Surrender and trust! Five of Pentacles? Finally see the truth of your financial situation, paying off debts and getting your money stuff sorted! See how that feels different?

Those are just some examples, make up your own! It may be a fun activity to go through your deck and write down a positive word or phrase for each card, especially the “negative” ones.

From the gorgeous Guided Hand Tarot

What to do next

So if you’re having a freak out, or feeling like your reading is negative and feeling bummed, here’s a couple of things you can do:

• Journal. Journal out all the feelings your having about this reading, you may find that actually it’s helping you see something really important or that it’s not so negative after all!

• Ask a friend for a second opinion. If you have card slinging friends send them a WhatsApp. Or come into the free Spiritual Journey Pitstop group and share your reading for some advice from a bunch of high vibe souls.

• Put the cards back in the deck, shuffle and pop it on your altar, under a crystal, out in the sunlight, moonlight or whatever feels good. Give it and yourself a smudge or a spray with some essential oils and go do something else that will lift your spirits. Watch your fave TV show, play some peppy music or make tea.

• If you are reading on something quite big and it’s knocked you for six, get a professional reader to take a look. You can get a reading with me or any other reader you vibe with and see what they can pick up for you. Sometimes we are just too close and too emotionally connected to see clearly.

• Give yourself a break. I’ve been reading professionally for years now, but there are still moments I turn over a card and gives me that moment of “urgh, whyyy?” But the more I’ve worked with my cards, the more I know now how the universe speaks to me. Most of the time when I pull the Tower it means clean the office, sort out your closet, get to inbox zero. When I pull the Devil it can just mean I’m not eating well enough or checking my phone too much!

It’s time we started reading our cards in a more empowered way, take back our power and create our own fate.

I hope this post helps you to feel more confident in reading for yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have questions, I always check these weekly so I will get back to you. :)

With so much love, light and empowered reading,

Vix

x

And if you’re looking for Tarot Spreads to practice with they are all around this blog, and you can also check out my free e-book Tarot Spreads You Can’t Live Without! :)

Breaking Free with the Devil

We're back with another episode of Scary Tarot Cards and today we're going to hang out with the Devil.

This is one of the cards in the tarot that people kind of freak over.

While many of us are aware that the Devil is really just an olde worlde Christian construct to make the Pagan God Pan out to be evil, we have still been so programmed to see the Devil as "evil" or "bad" that turning this guy over in a reading can give some of us a bit of a fright.

Instead of losing your shiz when you see this guy in your reading, here's some really simple and higher vibe ways to think about the Devil Tarot card...

The Devil from the Robin Wood Tarot x

Controlling relationships

The Devil often comes up in readings for clients when there's an element of control present. While this card sometimes tells us that there is abuse present, more often than not I find this card comes up when there is an energy of one person having the upper hand in other ways.

So if you ask about your new guy/girl and pull this card, be discerning and keep yourself safe, but also have a think about the power balance. Are you always waiting for him/her to text you back? Playing the "don't text until Wednesday" game? Or how about always letting them choose what you watch on TV? Or maybe you just generally feel like you're more into them than they are with you.

This can also come up in friendships where there is an imbalance of power and also for stuff going on in family relationships.

We can also be the Devil in relationships. Are you trying too hard to control the person you're with? 

It's always useful when big cards like the Devil come up to pull more cards around the issue to really work out what's going on, instead of just having a freak out and thinking the worst.

Stuck

I speak to a lot of people in my work who feel very stuck in their present situation. Whether it's where they live, the job they are in, or life in general.

We tend to blame things - money, or lack thereof, other people, our family, our partner, our lack of confidence and self-esteem when we're feeling this way.

Sometimes this is useful in identifying what's keeping you stuck, but it's also worth remembering that most of the time, the Devil is your own stuff, your own limiting beliefs about yourself. 

When we feel stuck, the Devil represents whatever it is that is keeping us where we are. You can always pull another card or even do a whole spread to help you pin point what is holding you down and how to release yourself from it.

Addictions

The Devil can also represent addictions. While there are the big ones - drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, there are also other addictions that can keep us trapped.

Being addicted to checking Instagram, addictions to coffee, procrastination or certain types of behaviours.

Pull more cards around this if you need to and ask how you or the person you are reading for can begin to heal and recover from THEIR addictions.

Fear

I've seen the Devil come up often to represent general fear energy.

Fear can be a powerful messenger for us at times. It can show us where we're stuck, where we are feeling scared and anxious, and what we are really afraid of. Looking our fears in the face can be powerful and freeing, so if you have some fear to feel and work through, the Devil may let you know.

Breaking Free

Although the Devil card can absolutely show us our addictions, who or what is controlling us or what we're trying to control, our fear stuff and where we are stuck in life, what I love the most about the Devil card is the opportunity to break free.

When the Devil card comes up you have two choices. You can read it as "you are trapped" or "you can break free".

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this card! Let me know in the comments what comes up for you when you see the Devil card in your readings.

You can find the other Scary Tarot Cards posts here.

If you'd like to get a personal reading with me you can do that by heading to the shop.

With so much love, light and breaking free,

Vix

x

Karmic Cycles Complete with the Ten of Swords

The Ten of Swords is a pretty creepy looking card.

I mean, a dude with ten swords in his back? Some serious shizzle has gone down here peeps.

In this episode of "scary tarot cards" we're gonna look at what this card is really all about, and help you to see the positive aspects of this card so that when it pops up in your daily draw you're all good, and when your querent freaks the eff out you can help them down off the ceiling quick sticks.

Karmic Cycles

I love this card when it pops up to let us know that karmic cycles are now complete. If you've been struggling with something for ages, hanging onto a path that doesn't serve you, dealing with some heavy relationship stuff, when you see this card, know that you have done your part.

There is nothing left for you to do. You can now walk away knowing your job is complete. 

If you've been going through a difficult time you can be sure that when you see this card the end is near and soon you'll be moving into a new energy.

Tens = Completion

Tens are the number of completion.

When you see the Ten of Swords you can start looking forward to the new energy that's coming for you, but don't get too excited just yet! You still have some ten energy to hang out in for a while, otherwise you would've pulled an Ace right?

Tens for me are all about feeling the feelings as the beautiful Louise Androlia would say.

Tens are about tying up lose ends, getting your affairs in order.

Moving out of your place, quitting your job, setting intentions for change and generally getting through that last month of school.

Get prepped, great things are coming, but stay in the completion energy until you are totally ready.

Do not resuscitate

I find this card comes up a lot for people who have been putting up with situations for way too long.

You know, giving people (who probably don't deserve them) extra chances, giving that job six more months even though it's mega soul destroying. It's the guy who cheats on you so many times and you keep taking him back. 

I see this a lot for people who are trying to "fix" things that are done. People who are trying to resuscitate something that is dead. A relationship, job, situation, lifestyle that is killing you. Change your ways babe, let dead things lie and move on.

When this card comes up it's a big, big message from the universe that whatever you're holding onto is done.

You can try to ignore all the signs to move on, but eventually you're gonna have to let that coffin drop. Don't be clutching it when it does.

I'm done!

It can be super hard to see this card when you're asking about a relationship, especially something you really want to see manifest, or something you want to keep.

Know that the Ten of Swords isn't here to take anything away from you, it's here to clear and complete the energy of what you're currently in so that you can find new love, with someone new or in a new way and a new energy with someone from the past. 

If you fancy a reading with me you can grab one here!

With so much love, light and happy endings,

Vix

x

Rebuilding with the Tower card

We're doing a little expose on the "scary tarot cards" here at New Age Hipster HQ and this episode we're getting down and dirty in the rubble with The Tower card.

Some people find this card the scariest in the deck. When I first started reading Tarot I read this card as "an unexpected event that will change everything" or something along those lines. Not surprisingly most of my mates who got the Tower in their readings with me at that stage were pretty freaked out! Sorry about that guys! :O

I mean, how can you tell someone there's going to be an unexpected event that's going to change everything and then send them on their way? Yikes! 

I know there have been times in my life I've pulled the Tower and totally flipped out. Convincing myself something tragic and terrible was going to happen, when actually the only terrible thing that did happen was that I lost a lot of sleep and energy over it all! Self fulfilling prophecy much?

The Tower appears all scary looking with it's lightning crashing, buildings catching fire and people falling to what's probably going to be their deaths, so how can we possibly look at this in a positive way? K, here's how.

Shoddy foundations

Ultimately, shoddy foundations are not ideal for building towers on. When your foundations are a bit rubbish you can keep building all you like, but sooner or later that Jenga tower is coming down. 

When you build your life on foundations that aren't in alignment with who you are or where you want to get to all the building upwards in the world won't make you happy. Sometimes we're building the wrong tower. Like, if you're an Eiffel Tower kind of gal don't try building a Telstra Tower, otherwise the universe might just come along and rip it down in front of you, not to be mean, but to give you the opportunity to build that Eiffel Tower after all.

Clearing

The Tower is a very clearing card. OK, stay with me.

If you wanna renovate, de-clutter, change your furniture around or even just sage yourself, the Tower can be your spirit guide. 

Clearing is not always cheerful and it's not always about donating bags of old clothes. Sometimes we need to clear stuff out from our lives that isn't working. Old relationships that no longer vibe, jobs that suck the life out of us, sometimes the clearing is mega.

But the Tower usually has your bestest interest at heart when it comes to clearing the crap. The stuff you're being called to clear needs to go for a reason, and that reason is to make way for better things right?

Renovating

It can feel pretty darn rough when the universe pops in and starts rearranging your furniture, throwing your couch on the sidewalk, knocking down some walls and whatever the heck else it's up to you down at your place when you've pulled the Tower. But it's really important with this card to remember that whatever is happening is the universe realigning stuff for you. 

When your guides show you this card they aren't trying to freak you out, they are letting you know the universe is popping over to renovate. 

The Cosmic Tarot is my favourite version of the Tower! x

Rebuilding

When you get the Tower reversed you're standing in the rubble of the tower that's already come down. 

Now it's your opportunity to rebuild, to fix up  your foundations and create the tower you really, really want. Sure, it sucks to be back at the ground floor again, but it's a hell of a lot better to be standing on a good solid ground floor than living in the penthouse of a tower that's about to topple down!

the Tower representing something negative

OK, let's be real here. While we can look for the positives in most situations there are times in life when you are dealt a shitty hand, and sometimes the Tower is in it. 

The Tarot does represent all aspects of life. The good and the bad. There are plenty of times that the Tower represents something as simple as clearing clutter, but there are also times when it's letting you know you need to get out of your job, sort out your finances, or that you need to go home and look after your grandma, or something even harder.

Tower Tips

If you pull the Tower and can't work out whether it's a message for you to get rid of that old couch or that something bigger, all you need to do is pull a second card on it.

Ask for more information and grab yourself another card. Check out the video below to see that tip in action. It's a great way to get clear on what's really going on. 

If you are freaking out or confused about the Tower or anything else that's coming up for you in the Tarot check out my other "scary tarot cards" posts or you can always book yourself a reading with me! x

With love, light and well built towers,

Vix

x

Don't Fear the Death Card

Do you ever just like totally freak yourself out when you see the Death card come up in your reading?

You're sitting on the floor with a cup of delicious hot rooibos tea checking in with the cards for your day and you turn over Death. :O OMFG universe are you serious?!

But do not fear the Death card my loves! It's about so much more than actual dying... 

Transition

OK hello total cliche, but yes, the Death card means transition. You're coming out of some old energy and into some new (often times unknown) energy. 

Transition makes everyone freak out, so why they put a Grim Reaper on this card I really don't know.

Like, you're freaking out enough with everything you have going on, and then OMG now you have a skeleton on your reading table, or cloth, or carpet, whatever.

But really, Mr Bones over there is just letting you know that the skin of whatever you're going through is coming off to make way for something new, even if you don't know what that is yet.

Letting go

The Death card is the ultimate in letting go. This isn't like the Four of Pentacles let go of your grip kind of letting go though, this is like - change is gonna come so you you really have no choice but to let it happen.

The Death card can come up when a relationship is metaphorically dead, like there is no point breathing life into a dead thing, there is nothing left for you to do but move on and finally find something or someone like so, so much better for you.

Energetic Endings

Sometimes the Death card comes up to signal an ending, but it doesn't always mean an actual ending of a sitaution.

You don't have to break up with your boyfriend, but something does have to change. 

Death is like - whatever you do, something's gotta give. 

I often see this card as an energetic shift for people when it comes up in readings. 

Death shows up to let you know that your old thoughts, beliefs and ways of being are done and you're ready to move into some new, way more powerful awesome energy!

YAY! :D

Actually Death looks kind of cool in the Linestrider deck! x

The best card ever

It might not always seem this way, but there are times in life when seeing the Death card is a total God send. Stuck in a job that you freaking hate but don't know how to get out of? When Death comes up you can be sure that whatever happens, you're getting out of that job, hoofreakingrah right? 

Been feeling super miserable and generally flat about life for ages? When you see the Death card it means that old way of being is out and something new is gonna come in. 

A note on Reversals

I read reversals, loads of peeps don't, but I do, so I'll add a little note here on reversals. 

When I see Death reversed it's a major indicator that the person I'm reading for (or myself!) is resisting the change, resisting the end or trying to resuscitate something that is dead.

It very often appears when change is so desperately wanted but there is also a lot of fear energy around that change, which is so totally normal, because change is mega scary! 

But when you know you've got some resistance it's great, it gives you something to think about and work on and once you've cleared your fears and what's holding you in your old stuck energy you can let it all go and move into the new! Wheeee!

I would love to hear your thoughts and interpretations on the Death card in the comments below, over on the Spiritual Journey Pitstop group or if you've pulled it for yourself and are majorly freaking out sometimes it can be super helpful to have someone else take a look at the situation for you. You can book in for a reading with me at the Etsy store or via NewAgeHipster.co 

With love, light and easy peasy transitions, 

Vix

x

Throwing Light on The Three of Swords

What's a lightworker to do when faced with the Three of Swords in a reading? :O

It came up this week in the Weekly Reading and so I got to thinking about how it can make us a little freaked out.

Death, the Tower and this guy are probably the last cards I want to see in a reading, honestly.

But I do really think people freak out way more about the Three of Swords than they need to. 

I'll admit, three swords sticking through a heart does look pretty bad. But let's throw some light on this heart-breaker and have a look at what else this card can mean when it gets turned over in your reading. #NoMoreFreakOuts! x

Healing

One of my favourite ways to look at this card is that it's about healing.

I read reversals and so reversed it's even more healing - the swords are coming out! Wheee!

But even upright there is a lot of healing energy in this card.

You've been hurt, we can see that. But ask any human being on the planet if they've ever been hurt and guess what? We've all had a few (or more!) Three of Swords moments in our lives.

Not everyone opens up their heart to healing however, but you will, and you'll be back to yourself in no time because of it. 

Let your heart take some time for healing.

It's a great excuse to watch a lot of Adam Sandler rom coms and eat stupid amounts of ice-cream. See? Suddenly already not so bad!

Coping

You know how you read those stories about someone who got a metal pole stuck through their body, but they walked around for ages and seemed totally fine (OK, definitely not "fine", but you know, they were able to function) before they got it out?

Seeing the swords in there is almost like hey you, you're actually going through this incredibly difficult thing, but you're sitting here doing a reading, or getting your cards read.

You're totally coping, and that's pretty incredible.

Power + Strength

You've got swords in your heart and you're still getting on with your life.

Holy woah, you're a powerful and strong being!

Honestly, a lot of people are the Nine of Swords at this point.

You're stronger than you think you are you know.

The Three of Swords chic from the Starchild Tarot is totally rocking her own power! x

Feeling your feelings

My good friend Louise Androlia is always talking about how we need to feel our feelings. She's so totally right of course (because she always is).

When you pull the Three of Swords it's totally OK to flip out like - OMG I'm STABBED IN THE HEEEARRRRRT!

Ball your eyes out, throw stuff, get really drunk and do stupid dance moves and flirt with really inappropriate men (don't go  home with them though), go watch Heartland (honestly can't stop obsessing over Heartland #SorryNotSorry) and do whatever else you need to do.

Feel that shit. Really feel it and don't censor your feelings. 

You'll feel so much better when you do. 

Self Love + Self Care

Too often this card isn't about heartbreak at all, but about you not looking after yourself.

Stress, anxiety, guilt, it's not good for your heart honey.

When you see this card take it as a sign to look after yourself and your energy.

Ask yourself when you see it "what do I really need right now?" Make sure you follow the guidance you get. 

Remember treating yourself mean doesn't keep anyone keen. 

Remember what comes next

In numbers, four comes after three, and in Tarot the Four of Swords comes after the Three of Swords.

The Four of Swords is all about taking a rest and chilling out and making time for yourself.

Sleeping in, having a duvet day. Letting go of guilt and remembering you're awesome so it's OK to give yourself a break.

There's no reason at all why you can't start bringing that energy in right now!

This is my favourite Four of Swords AKA Duvet Day from the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg x

So next time the Three of Swords comes up, instead of freaking out, give yourself a great big hug. Remember you're awesome for getting through your stuff and then reach for the ice-cream, get comfy on the couch and do what you gotta do. 

With love, light and heart healing vibes!

Vix

x