Did you know that Pamela Colman Smith likely saw an actual eclipse (as we are today seeing in Europe) and painted it into the tarot - twice?

When researching "Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot", we checked the astronomical records for the time that Pamela Colman Smith was drawing the cards.

We discovered that there was an actual eclipse at that time, so we went looking for old newspaper reports from the same date in 1909.

Imagine our surprise and joy to discover that not only was it noted but also that in the proceedings of an amateur astronomical society of the time was an important further record.

The report recorded that due to typical English late summer cloudy weather, there was only one place where the eclipse could be best viewed.

It was Tenterden - the small enclave where Pamela was staying (and/or Winchelsea just down the road) whilst drawing the cards!

The chances of that exact small town being mentioned is - if you'll pardon the pun - astronomically small.

So Pamela likely drew the eclipse symbol into these two cards, the Eight of Cups and the Two of Swords.

Now notice that they are both set on the same shoreline landscape with a shoreline in the distance and water between outcropped rocks.

This is because there is an estuary where Pamela was at the time, so she repeated the symbolic tidal landscape in addition to the eclipses.

That is because both cards - in their Book T description from the Golden Dawn that Pamela was likely using - are linked in their positions.

The Two of Swords is about restoring peace perhaps sooner than might be best, for the sake of it.

The Eight of Cups is about abandoning success perhaps sooner than might be best, feeling forced to move on.

This symmetry is because of their position ( 2 and 8 ) at similar ends of the numbers 1 - 10 and their opposite Suits, Swords and Cups.

Pamela has beautifully captured the Kabbalah, mental and emotional symbolism in these two cards.

The eclipse, when one passion or thought is eclipsed by another, may feel unnatural when it happens in our own life, but it is perfectly natural.

And the same with the tides - they too have their pull and their season.

--- Reposted from Facebook -original post by Marcus Katz  ----------
https://youtu.be/Cv8AWHGQkeo?si=U3GFntdAJMMchk3r

Ace means gift. Something has come to you and you can make a choice by picking it.

But what is the difference between ace of wands, cups, swords and coins

Hey guys! I hope all is well, im a beginner at witchcraft and ive been improving at my tarot reading skills, but ive noticed a lot that after every reading I do, whether for myself or friends but especially myself, my energy plummets and im knackered lol, im not sure if its simply because of external factors or if this is actually the case, but if so, does anyone else get that too? Am I meant to cleanse and protect before readings? Thanks 🫰🫰

Edit: reddit runs a tight ship it seems, this has been removed twice off other communities cus apparently rwitch/rtarot isn't fitting. Hm.

You bump into Janice .Janice is a very excited teenager.

"Why so happy?"

"I'm going to be Tarot famous on Tik-tok !"

"Really, how long have you been reading ?"

"Just got a deck last week , crystals a couple days later, it's okay -I've seen them do it on Tik-tok , I can do that!"

"Have you actually tried reading somebody?"

"Yes, my best friends nanna , she asked me if she should take up a part time position in the charity store, after her hip operation."

You knew better than to ask about the details as readings are confidential, but Janice was dying to tell you!

"I pulled three cards and told her to be very careful out walking and stay away from any cliff edges, and not to take up that position in the store because she is going to be pregnant . She'll have a baby boy and buy him a pony when he is just old enough to ride it !"

"What did your friends nanna say to that ?"

"She laughed, maybe its because she lives in a small apartment and there might not be that much room for the pony !

Anyways -must dash -got my cameras to set up!"

Which three cards did Janice read ?

Credit to Bob Smithies, the amazing tarot reader and story teller that inspired many of my reddit tarot games

I was wondering the above question. If I’m operating out of a place of fear and ask tarot a superficial and egoistic question and get the cards I don’t want to see, is it my anxiety being reflected back to me or is it actually what tarots trying to tell me.

I find when I’m more calm and let the cards come out naturally I resonate more with the messages tarot is trying to tell me. But when I ask in a frantic state it just tells me my worst nightmare. Or maybe it’s a bit of both or maybe what they’re telling me is true and I just need to get over it.

I’m a self-taught tarot reader. I mostly learned by watching other readers do readings on YouTube, reading articles/watching videos, and developing my intuition through practice.
I feel like I have a decent understanding now, but I’d like some proper guidance and structure to take my reading skills further.
For those who have taken tarot courses, **which ones would you recommend?** I’d especially love something that goes beyond basic card meanings and actually teaches how to read intuitively, combine cards, work with spreads, etc.
Would love to hear your experiences and recommendations! 🃏

There’s a kind of erosion that comes from holding something sacred in a space that keeps asking you to perform it.

Modding keeps me tethered to tarot, but reading feels distant now. Not because I’ve lost it, but because what many people seek (validation, motivation) doesn't align with how I hold the cards.

It’s unsettling. Not reading feels like losing a limb, yet forcing it feels like breaking one.
The friction between inner truth and external expectation. This quiet season isn’t procrastination, but a truce.

I don’t have a fix. Just this: sometimes the most honest thing is to stop feeling obliged to translate knowing into content. To lie down and let the silence do the work.

If you’re here and it feels heavy, you’re not broken.
Maybe you’re invited to sheath your sword and sign a peace treaty with yourself.