I've Been Reading Tarot For Over Three Years Now, So Here Are Some Little Tips Based On My Own Experience

I've been reading tarot for over three years now, so here are some little tips based on my own experience and reading style. Things may be different for yourself and other readers.

• If the empress and emperor come out next to each other in a reading, they represent a couple. Usually a married couple, or a couple that have been committed long term.

• The hierophant often represents traditional, religious and spiritual matters... but it can also represent being a role model or person of authority (look at the rider-waite deck and notice the two people below the hierophant). This may be different depending on the deck, though.

• Court cards most often end up representing individual people for me. Each court card represents different personalities. They usually end up representing people whose astrology placements match the element of the suit the most (swords = air signs, wands = fire signs, pentacles = earth signs, cups = water signs).

• Write down your readings as you go, even if you're a more experienced reader. Doing this will document your readings and it will help you learn how to interpret the cards. You can look back at the readings later and see what ended up being accurate and what didn't.

• Be mindful of how fast you are shuffling the cards. Most of the time, those "jumpers" aren't related to the reading at all. They're just a result of rushed and clumsy shuffling. If the same card jumps out a second time, then it may be related to the reading. Use your intuition to pick the cards.

• If your deck's imagery isn't minimalistic, focus more on the imagery than memorizing the general card meanings. Think of the symbolism behind the imagery.

• When you start learning tarot, determine which tarot card represents you. Court cards are usually the cards that represent people for me, but sometimes major arcanas do too.

Dos and don'ts of love spells

DO research. It applies to all spells and being a witch as a whole.

DON'T make a love spell to make someone fall in love with you. It isn't ethical. Just put yourself in that person's position. You like them, so why you think about affecting their free will?

DO ask a person if you can do a spell affecting them. There is something off in your relationship and you want to help it with magick? Ask your partner first.

DON'T start from doing love spells. Learn about protection first and always remember about it. Being safe should be your highest priority.

DO make a spell for finding a partner. If you're reading this, you're probably interested in having a relationship. You would find someone sooner or later, so you will just help this process. Just keep in mind the first "don't" - no specific person in mind, just a loving relationship with someone.

DON'T make a spell when you feel bad or tired. It can negatively impact it.

DO make a self-love spell. You want to be in a loving relationship with someone? Be in a loving relationship with yourself first.

+ Something that isn't a love spell as such, but can help you - you can use glamour magick to rise your attractiveness or self-confidence, for example by wearing something red with this intention. Read more about it if you're interested.

All About Shadow Work

What is shadow work?

Shadow work is an introspective psychological concept coined by Carl Jung. His belief was that in order to acknowledge our full self, we must fully integrate our shadows as well. The shadow personifies everything that the individual refuses to acknowledge about themselves: the negative habits we have, the things we don't like about ourselves, the things that we don't like to expose to others. Things of that nature.

Shadow work is not a requirement to be spiritual or practice magic.

Shadow work is not inherently a spiritual or magical concept, so it isn't required to be spiritual or to practice magic. I want to give that disclaimer now, because shadow work isn't for everybody. If you are a person with severe trauma or struggle with mental health, please avoid doing shadow work by yourself. Shadow work should always be done in a safe environment, and for some it should only be done in the presence of a therapist. Don't put your mental health at risk because somebody on the internet says you need to do shadow work to be spiritual or practice magic. You can reflect on recent events and make a conscious decision to do better without doing shadow work.

What should you consider before starting shadow work?

Now, when it comes to shadow work there are two questions you should ask yourself before starting. Why do you want to do shadow work? What results do you aim to achieve from doing shadow work? I want you to think about these questions before trying to do shadow work. I see people jump into doing shadow work without thinking about it first, and many people end up struggling as a result.

Determining how your shadow expresses itself.

The shadow is a complex thing for everybody and can express itself in many ways. There will always be multiple aspects to an individual's shadow, so try to address each aspect one at a time.

For example, my own shadow expresses itself in a few ways. Rage and insecurity are two ways. They have different origins and are triggered by different things, so I address them differently.

Find a cheap journal or open a document on your device. Think about the things you hide from people, the negative habits you have, things you struggle with... Write them down. See which ones are related and which aren't. If you aren't totally sure about any of these things, ask your friends and loved ones what negative habits they notice about you. Doing these things will help you get a better idea on what needs to be addressed.

If you use divination, or know somebody who does, you can use divination to help you pinpoint which aspect of your shadow needs to be addressed the most. Asking the simple question "How does my shadow express itself?" can help you, if you are unsure.

Journal prompts, therapy and actively changing.

Journal prompts are the most common ways to do shadow work. By doing journal prompts regularly, you are taking the time to sit with yourself and reflect based on the prompts. Some prompts may have you dig into your past and traumas more than others, so be aware of this before trying any journal prompts. Personally, I suggest doing one journal prompt a week. Dedicate one day of the week to doing shadow work, if possible. It's okay if it has to be every two weeks or longer to start. Just don't overdo it and pressure yourself into doing daily shadow work. That's just unnecessary.

Therapy is where shadow work can be done in a safe environment with a professional to help you. If you can afford it, please consider looking for a therapist you can trust. Coming from a person who has attended therapy, you may not vibe with the first therapist you go to and that's okay. Keep trying and find one you do vibe with. You'll find one out there. By going to therapy you can talk about difficult topics with a professional that can reassure you and talk to you about what's going on.

You shouldn't sit down to do a bunch of journal prompts or go to therapy only to make zero changes. Actively seek to change your habits and behavior. Try to be more self-aware. Avoid repeating the things that you know have been toxic to yourself and others. Allow yourself to feel and process emotions such as anger, sadness, hurt and guilt; but don't let them control your words and actions. Once you actively start making changes, others will notice it too. It will take time, yes, so don't expect results immediately. Baby steps.

Allow yourself to process your emotions.

Shadow work tends to bring heavy emotions to the surface. Don't try to bury them. Let yourself feel the anger, sadness, hurt and guilt. Process those emotions. Cry them out, write about them, talk about them to your therapist... Just don't bury them. Allowing yourself to feel and process these emotions is important.

Practice some self-care.

Sometimes shadow work is hard, so please don't neglect yourself. Take a nice bubble bath or a warm shower. Drink your favorite tea or coffee. Eat a tasty snack. Watch a movie that makes you feel soft and fuzzy. Do your skincare routine. Find something to do that makes you feel good.

Here are some journal prompts for you to start with.

How does your shadow express itself?

When did your childhood really end? When did you lose that childlike innocence?

What event from the past still have an effect on you today?

Have you ever done something bad to another person? Do you regret it? Why did you do it?

What emotions do you avoid? Why?

When was the last time you felt happy? Describe what happened.

Do you compare yourself to others? In what way? Why?

What do you wish you could change about yourself? Why?

Try this!

Knowledge is power!

Color Correspondences

This is a common topic for beginners to research, and I would argue can be important when starting your practice. There are dozens of posts online about color correspondences, but I thought I'd share my own perspective on the topic. Just about every post I see on this topic is the same regurgitated information; all of which lacking in sharing the baneful aspects of color correspondences.

When researching something like color correspondences, I like to consider the psychological connections between colors and what they are associated with. By looking at color correspondences from this perspective, we can get a better idea of how we can utilize colors in our practices. That being said, here is a list of colors and what I associate them with. Anything before the semicolon are potential positive associations; anything after the semicolon are potential negative associations.

White: Purification, Peace, New Beginnings; Isolation

Grey: Neutrality, Balance, Compromise; Depression, Detachment, Indecision

Black: Protection, Banishment, Binding, Cursing, Power; Fear, Pessimism

Purple: Inspiration, Creativity, Individuality, Intuition, Spirituality; Arrogance, Delusion

Blue: Communication, Truth, Intellect, Wisdom, Calm; Deceit, Manipulation

Green: Abundance, Prosperity, Growth, Wealth, Fertility, Restoration; Envy, Greed

Brown: Grounding, Stability, Strength, Warmth; Materialistic, Stingy

Yellow: Optimism, Joy, Confidence; Anxiety, Impulsive, Cowardly

Orange: Adventurous, Friendship, Vitality; Indulgent, Cynical

Pink: Compassion, Nurturing, Hope, Innocence; Weakness, Naïve

Red: Passion, Assertiveness, Power, Determination, Courage, Energy; Aggression, Violence

Silver: Reflection, Illumination, Dignity; Lonely

Gold: Success, Charisma; Egocentric

Now, this doesn't share my full thoughts on each color. We all have our own personal opinions of every color, which can change what they mean to us. Therefore, it can change how we utilize color correspondences in our practices.

I mention baneful correspondences because I know there are people out there who do baneful workings, or may do baneful workings one day. I don't have a problem with such things, though I do have strict morals that help me determine when something is worth baneful magick. Most circumstances don't need such things, but sometimes they might.

I'd also like to mention my own little unpopular opinion here: white isn't an all-purpose color. You may have differing opinions, and that is okay, but I don't believe it to be an all purpose color. I do feel that multiple colors can serve a similar purpose, depending on how you view the colors.

Green, brown and gold can all be used for wealth, abundance and prosperity. Yellow and orange can be used for travel related spellwork and confidence. White and silver can be used for healing. See what I mean?

I still encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions. This is only meant to offer some perspective.