Cult of Tarot Forum

Hi lovely, thanks for your work on this! What question would you like me to work with?
I'm happy to use any deck in my collection if you like- there is a list on my profile. xxx

jobarghest wrote: ↑27 Jan 2020, 21:33 Hi lovely, thanks for your work on this! What question would you like me to work with?
I'm happy to use any deck in my collection if you like- there is a list on my profile. xxx

Thanks for the choice of deck. I would love it if you could use the Thoth deck. I've never had a reading with a Thoth and am not totally familiar with that system.

My question is, I am working on getting started writing again. And I have a muddle of ideas while at the same time a bit of writer's block. My stuff is not about my life, but definitely personal and drawn from my experiences. I guess I sometimes use that as my source of expertise and insight into characters and problems they face, how they might feel, relationships, etc. Would you be able to do a reading that gave me insight into what areas of my life experience I should focus on when sorting through story ideas?

Thank you.

Hi Kare! I have completed your reading I'm honoured to be your first Thoth reader! You are the very first person I have ever read for, so that's a nice balance

For the first card, the present, we have inverted Strength (AKA 9 of Wands). Thoth was not originally designed to have reversals, but as you mentioned you were a bit stuck at the moment it may be that your own strength is working against you and blocking you in some way. Wands being a fire suit, perhaps it is an issue either of inner nourishment/fuel or motivation that's eluding you so far. It's linked to the foundation Sephiroth, Yesod, and issues of stability (which is important for any creative enterprise). It might be worth looking at ways to feel more grounded as you proceed. The wands are also transforming into arrows, indicating movement; the reversal means they are pointing upwards rather than downwards which is the norm. Perhaps this indicates your current focus is on spiritual rather than more earthy subject matter?

Card two, representing the challenge affecting you, is 10 of Wands, Oppression (another fire card!). The Sephiroth for this is Malkuth, which needs the other Sephiroth for structure, but is not directly linked to them. It's a wild, sometimes destructive energy which has escaped its bounds and become unthinking. On the positive side, it is fire in its wildest form, but is weighed down by expectation of results and unable to flow mindfully and naturally. You could compare this odd paradox between the heavy metal of wands and the freedom of the creative flame to the difference between the fluidity and potential of molten metal to the fixedness of set metal. You may be clinging to an unhelpful instinct, or reliance on rules, in order to help you through the chaos of creativity but become trapped by it.

3 represents the past, and is the Princess of Wands. This suggests you have felt a hunger for life and experiences, courage, and emotions which shift and transform quickly. In difficult moments it can also indicate a struggle to find a sense of depth and security at times, fire being ever-changing. Perhaps even difficulties in being sure what your feelings are.

Card 4, the future, is the Prince of Wands. It's really interesting that you are getting so many fire/wand cards, as I shuffled very thoroughly and the deck was already jumbled up. It does seem to stress the issue of motivation and stability and of getting the balance right between them, as well as stressing communication, which is a really good sign for a writer. With this you have moved from the Earth of Fire (the 3rd card) to the Air of Fire, suggesting you can expect some freedom from the stuck-ness you faced right at the beginning. It suggests you might do well channelling a flowing type of fire, being rather romantic and impulsive. You can channel great qualities of determination and courage, energy and speed, and something of a trickster energy. This can sometimes indicate humour gone a bit too far, if it targets harmless people, but it's a great force for good if channelled wisely.

For 5, your conscious goals or aspirations, you have the inverted Queen of Wands. It might be worth being open to other routes, as your Oppression card indicated something is blocking your flow. THe amount of Wand courts is interesting, especially as you have a natural progression up to the higher levels. In Thoth the Queen of Wands indicates a somewhat uneasy truce, with a water-fire energy, suggesting you want to reconcile two extremes. This card is a really good goal- she has the enthusiasm of fire tempered by warm sympathy and creativity. It's very expansive, so perhaps it would be worth looking at your life in the whole rather than forcing yourself to specialise too early. Observation and understanding of others seems to be a strong point, so long as you don't fall into the trap of getting too critical of them. However the amount of fire suggests writing about what gives you joy and motivation in life could help you unite your different aims, rather than bracketing off into different areas.

The subconscious element, 6, is the Knight of Wands. You have inspiration and lots of ideas and ideals within you which you can channel. This is a fire-fire card, with no other elements modifying. This can mean you have trouble carrying things through. To channel your inspiration and drive successfully it will help to cultivate the flow, grounding, and space of the other cards. This is a vital creative spark that needs other things to grow and flourish, like a springboard into the ocean of creativity. But at some point you have to make that vital leap and do something physical to bring it about.

From here you leave the Fire/Wands suit entirely, starting off with water. The first advice given in card 7 is Luxury, the Four of Cups. This suggests the idea is still vital but has lost the initial purity of vision. This happens with most creative projects and is the point at which many give up. Stability here is giving way to individuality. Don't panic if you find a dead end; don't be afraid to prune off anything which doesn't ring true.

8, external influences, is inverted 6 of swords, Science. Again I advise not placing too much focus on inverted cards- with Thoth I find all the cards have a shadow side within them. At most it suggests you may find it a bit more challenging in this area. This is generally a good card indicating balance and humanity, and a perfect balance of mind and morals. The shape echoes the Rosicrucian Cross in the middle, connected with alchemists and renewal. Perhaps your observational skills can help you to harness your emotional side and renew your inspiration. The central rose symbolism makes me wonder if nature could be a helpful seed or starting point into your world.

9, your hopes and fears, are inverted 7 of Swords, futility. You might be worried it's all pointless. However in Thoth 7 of Swords issues are slightly moderated. You might be seeing things as worse than they are. You are open to compromise and change, but this may or may not be helpful. Part of the problem in this situation could be lots of little ideas blocking your one big idea. Try to see which impulse in you is strongest and give it space to work. What interests you the most and inspires you time and time again? What do you find yourself regretting putting aside, ideas-wise?

FInally, you have inverted defeat, 5 of Wands. It suggests sentimentality is something to avoid; try not to be scared of describing things honestly. The central rose is absent, suggesting further digging to find and grow your central motif is normal and to be expected. Sometimes scattering your thoughts can cause confusion rather than variety; it will help you to balance your more intuitive side with your precise observational skills to keep your structure.

In general I consider this an encouraging spread suggesting you have a lot of creative fire, observational skill and love of life. There are pitfalls as in any creative path but also many routes you can take through them. I feel like a central nature-image could help you hold your work together and give you the nourishment to keep your creative fire burning; so could allowing yourself to really luxuriate and absorb the sensory world around you. The emphasis on communication suits suggest observing people around you would help with structure; perhaps more friends you are very close to rather than traditional love-relationships. Try not to cling to too many ideas at first-perhaps try one strong visual image that calls to you and build around that.

Sorry this reading is so long! Thoth is a very 'talky' deck with dense symbolism and quite uncompromising, I hope you enjoyed reading and I'd love to know if it helps. I like to hear suggestions for improving too of course especially as I'm a newbie!
Jo xxxx

Thank you for the reading. I will post feedback this weekend. And how exciting that this was your first reading for someone else!

Thank you for such a detailed reading and for giving me a chance to experience the Thoth system. It is nice to experience something different. Your reading was both very helpful and insightful. I am afraid I worded my question confusingly and probably asked a kind of odd one anyway. Your reading seems to address in part my main questioin, and in part a question that I didn't realize I asked, though I see it now in my question to you. And I love it when readings take on a life of their own. And I'm sorry I'm getting this to you a day later than I said. Events overtook my weekend.

I meant to ask for insight into what life experiences I could draw from to enhance the story I am writing. But my question was also a function of not knowing where to start or how to sort my ideas, which you also addressed in your reading. I'll now go through and give feedback on each part of your reading.

jobarghest wrote: ↑31 Jan 2020, 22:46 Hi Kare! I have completed your reading I'm honoured to be your first Thoth reader! You are the very first person I have ever read for, so that's a nice balance

For the first card, the present, we have inverted Strength (AKA 9 of Wands). Thoth was not originally designed to have reversals, but as you mentioned you were a bit stuck at the moment it may be that your own strength is working against you and blocking you in some way. Wands being a fire suit, perhaps it is an issue either of inner nourishment/fuel or motivation that's eluding you so far. It's linked to the foundation Sephiroth, Yesod, and issues of stability (which is important for any creative enterprise). It might be worth looking at ways to feel more grounded as you proceed. The wands are also transforming into arrows, indicating movement; the reversal means they are pointing upwards rather than downwards which is the norm. Perhaps this indicates your current focus is on spiritual rather than more earthy subject matter?

I never thought of wands as transforming into arrows, and that is an image that is helpful in understanding wand energy. I also really feel like the grounded suggestion is super helpful. I am going to give a lot of thought to how I can do this, and for sure inner nourishment is something I could be better at. I actually like that as a potential theme for my story too, it's kind of there already but having it so explicitly stated gives me a focal point.

Card two, representing the challenge affecting you, is 10 of Wands, Oppression (another fire card!). The Sephiroth for this is Malkuth, which needs the other Sephiroth for structure, but is not directly linked to them. It's a wild, sometimes destructive energy which has escaped its bounds and become unthinking. On the positive side, it is fire in its wildest form, but is weighed down by expectation of results and unable to flow mindfully and naturally. You could compare this odd paradox between the heavy metal of wands and the freedom of the creative flame to the difference between the fluidity and potential of molten metal to the fixedness of set metal. You may be clinging to an unhelpful instinct, or reliance on rules, in order to help you through the chaos of creativity but become trapped by it.

This 10 of Wands is interesting. I definitely have been working on creating more structure in my day for writing, while at the same time releasing superficial structures externally and internally that are really unnecessary. This advice is similar to advice given to me in the TdM group reading this past month by Charlie Brown.

3 represents the past, and is the Princess of Wands. This suggests you have felt a hunger for life and experiences, courage, and emotions which shift and transform quickly. In difficult moments it can also indicate a struggle to find a sense of depth and security at times, fire being ever-changing. Perhaps even difficulties in being sure what your feelings are.

Card 4, the future, is the Prince of Wands. It's really interesting that you are getting so many fire/wand cards, as I shuffled very thoroughly and the deck was already jumbled up. It does seem to stress the issue of motivation and stability and of getting the balance right between them, as well as stressing communication, which is a really good sign for a writer. With this you have moved from the Earth of Fire (the 3rd card) to the Air of Fire, suggesting you can expect some freedom from the stuck-ness you faced right at the beginning. It suggests you might do well channelling a flowing type of fire, being rather romantic and impulsive. You can channel great qualities of determination and courage, energy and speed, and something of a trickster energy. This can sometimes indicate humour gone a bit too far, if it targets harmless people, but it's a great force for good if channelled wisely.

I totally agree about being more flowing. It's also interesting to see princess for the past and the prince for the future. As if there is a natural progression there. You are so right about the number of wands. And I love that interpretation of the prince. Implusive is not always bad. This could work for one of my characters too.

For 5, your conscious goals or aspirations, you have the inverted Queen of Wands. It might be worth being open to other routes, as your Oppression card indicated something is blocking your flow. THe amount of Wand courts is interesting, especially as you have a natural progression up to the higher levels. In Thoth the Queen of Wands indicates a somewhat uneasy truce, with a water-fire energy, suggesting you want to reconcile two extremes. This card is a really good goal- she has the enthusiasm of fire tempered by warm sympathy and creativity. It's very expansive, so perhaps it would be worth looking at your life in the whole rather than forcing yourself to specialise too early. Observation and understanding of others seems to be a strong point, so long as you don't fall into the trap of getting too critical of them. However the amount of fire suggests writing about what gives you joy and motivation in life could help you unite your different aims, rather than bracketing off into different areas.

More wands lol. I like the layout of this cross. It strikes me that it would be a great cross to do for a character to gain more insight into their motivations. Thank you for sharing. This theme of reconciling two extremes contained in the queen is definitely a useful reminder for me as I try to balance all the responsibilities I have with creating space for the creative. It seems to contrast a little bit with the previous section of the reading, but I think the big picture is letting my creativity loose more while being mindful of the creative process too.

The subconscious element, 6, is the Knight of Wands. You have inspiration and lots of ideas and ideals within you which you can channel. This is a fire-fire card, with no other elements modifying. This can mean you have trouble carrying things through. To channel your inspiration and drive successfully it will help to cultivate the flow, grounding, and space of the other cards. This is a vital creative spark that needs other things to grow and flourish, like a springboard into the ocean of creativity. But at some point you have to make that vital leap and do something physical to bring it about.

I was having trouble sitting down and writing, but have just gotten started again. All the fire energy is a good sign.

From here you leave the Fire/Wands suit entirely, starting off with water. The first advice given in card 7 is Luxury, the Four of Cups. This suggests the idea is still vital but has lost the initial purity of vision. This happens with most creative projects and is the point at which many give up. Stability here is giving way to individuality. Don't panic if you find a dead end; don't be afraid to prune off anything which doesn't ring true.

8, external influences, is inverted 6 of swords, Science. Again I advise not placing too much focus on inverted cards- with Thoth I find all the cards have a shadow side within them. At most it suggests you may find it a bit more challenging in this area. This is generally a good card indicating balance and humanity, and a perfect balance of mind and morals. The shape echoes the Rosicrucian Cross in the middle, connected with alchemists and renewal. Perhaps your observational skills can help you to harness your emotional side and renew your inspiration. The central rose symbolism makes me wonder if nature could be a helpful seed or starting point into your world.

You have some really interesting comments here. I think what was behind my question initially was the fact that I do have a lot tied emotionally to the story I am writing, even though it is fictional. This fits with the cups suit. But it is the suit of swords that would help with channeling that emotional connection into a good story that can actually get written.

9, your hopes and fears, are inverted 7 of Swords, futility. You might be worried it's all pointless. However in Thoth 7 of Swords issues are slightly moderated. You might be seeing things as worse than they are. You are open to compromise and change, but this may or may not be helpful. Part of the problem in this situation could be lots of little ideas blocking your one big idea. Try to see which impulse in you is strongest and give it space to work. What interests you the most and inspires you time and time again? What do you find yourself regretting putting aside, ideas-wise?

Futility is something my main character is struggling with. And your paragraph here hits on all the things going on with them. It gives me a question to consider for them: what would it take for a shift in perspective?

FInally, you have inverted defeat, 5 of Wands. It suggests sentimentality is something to avoid; try not to be scared of describing things honestly. The central rose is absent, suggesting further digging to find and grow your central motif is normal and to be expected. Sometimes scattering your thoughts can cause confusion rather than variety; it will help you to balance your more intuitive side with your precise observational skills to keep your structure.

Also a super interesting point. At first I thought I was going to make a connection with the earlier response I had above to my emotional connection to the story, but actually your suggestion to not avoid describing things honestly is a good reminder for my writing. I am trying to recognize when there is something I am avoiding addressing in the story and working on listening to that intuition a little better.

In general I consider this an encouraging spread suggesting you have a lot of creative fire, observational skill and love of life. There are pitfalls as in any creative path but also many routes you can take through them. I feel like a central nature-image could help you hold your work together and give you the nourishment to keep your creative fire burning; so could allowing yourself to really luxuriate and absorb the sensory world around you. The emphasis on communication suits suggest observing people around you would help with structure; perhaps more friends you are very close to rather than traditional love-relationships. Try not to cling to too many ideas at first-perhaps try one strong visual image that calls to you and build around that.

Sorry this reading is so long! Thoth is a very 'talky' deck with dense symbolism and quite uncompromising, I hope you enjoyed reading and I'd love to know if it helps. I like to hear suggestions for improving too of course especially as I'm a newbie!
Jo xxxx

This was very fun and gives me a lot to think about. It has also helped me gain a little more insight into some of the cards, though I don't really have classic Thoth decks. I take a more flexible approach when using any deck, so this helps. And I am sure no one on this forum will be sad if you give them a super long reading. lol.

Welcome to the forum. If you continue to particpate in group readings, as I hope you do, there is a way to post an image of your spread, but at first it can seem a little tricky. Reach out if you need help with any part of anything. Joan Marie responds quickly, people are supportive, and in the FAQ Tech/how to use this site thread, I've probably asked it all.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me detailed feedback! I'm really grateful and really appreciate it, it will help me to learn

I tried to look for life experiences but couldn't find a theme in the cards that addressed it easily, so it seemed to veer off into general writing XD Hopefully reading more Thoth stuff will help me with the symbolism. I'll try and do another for you if we get matched up!
The rosicrucian rose could be hinting at love experience as a subject matter perhaps?

( I tried to upload a pic but it went a bit wonky- I will have another try tomorrow and let you know if it works

jobarghest wrote: ↑03 Feb 2020, 17:42 Thank you so much for taking the time to give me detailed feedback! I'm really grateful and really appreciate it, it will help me to learn

I tried to look for life experiences but couldn't find a theme in the cards that addressed it easily, so it seemed to veer off into general writing XD Hopefully reading more Thoth stuff will help me with the symbolism. I'll try and do another for you if we get matched up!
The rosicrucian rose could be hinting at love experience as a subject matter perhaps?

( I tried to upload a pic but it went a bit wonky- I will have another try tomorrow and let you know if it works

It was a really great reading. I love mining the layers of symbolism. I will also keep the love experience in mind too. That is helpful. I don't yet know how my character's story ends, but that could be a solution to some things.

Don't worry about the image upload. But if you want tips for the future, I usually screenshot it, then trim as much of the borders of the image as I can to reduce its file size. Smaller file size uploads much better. And even if it shows up a little unclear in your post, once you click on it, it opens up to full screen and much clearer.

Just having one last try just in case Think it should work now, thought it would be nice for you too see the cards as Thoth is new to you

jobarghest wrote: ↑03 Feb 2020, 17:58 20200203_175603.jpg

Just having one last try just in case Think it should work now, thought it would be nice for you too see the cards as Thoth is new to you

This is awesome, thank you!