It’s quite hard sometimes to look at these cards, often depicting medieval people or faery folk, and translate them into something that you can relate to your daily life. I mean, those Knights, for heaven’s sake – no-one goes around dressed in armour anymore, do they? And that nymph sitting on a flower – how can she help with your problem employer?

One way is to be aware of the emotion that the image arouses in you. It might be a frisson of fear (Tower, Ten of Swords, Death) or a prickle of conscience (Five of Swords) or excitement (Ace of Wands, Three of Cups) or perhaps none at all. If you can identify the emotion or lack of it, you can then transpose it into a situation you are currently experiencing.

If you are willing to open yourself to scrutiny by the tarot, then the card will give you a hint of how to deal with the problem. By ‘being open to scrutiny’, I mean being willing to trust tarot to mirror your inner self. Feel it (emotion), recognise it (transpose the emotion), listen to the advice given (interpret.

I’m a great advocate of sticking with one or two cards – you can get yourself into all kinds of twists and confusion when using vast spreads for self-reading. Any emotion that arises will be diluted and neutralised. So when asking tarot for guidance, just use one card, possibly two if you need clarification.

Let me try a real-life situation. I’m at a bit of a crossroads… I’d like to start a small business that makes use of the things I like to do, i.e. art, crafts and writing. However, there are so many options within those areas of interest than I feel stuck. I can’t choose and I end up going along one path for a while, changing my mind and doing something else. And while it is fun to do all these different activities, I end up getting no farther forward than when I started. I need help.

I’m using my Robin Wood, cos it’s the deck I keep near me all the time. I’ve drawn Judgement (British spelling). My immediate response is ‘Wow, that’s one powerful card!’. So what emotions does it arouse? It makes me feel uplifted, radiant, confident, open and ready to receive and release. Now I need to transpose those feelings to my real-life situation.

That’s pretty easy – those feelings straightaway remind me that I am a creative being. Making stuff, writing stuff is like food and drink to me. I have to create all the time or I get withdrawal symptoms. Okay, well that doesn’t tell me anything I don’t already know, so how can the card help me direct my creativity towards more productive, i.e. income-producing activities? Time to examine the traditional meanings of the card.

The theme of Judgement is ‘awakening’. It can mean having a wake-up call, a revelation, an epiphany, a realisation or a rebirth. It indicates that you are ready to take action, that you will instinctively know which way to go. Your inner guidance (you can call that God, or Love, or All-that-is, or **insert name of guardian angel here** if you prefer) will beckon you forward. I’m beginning to like the sound of this.

Applying this to my current dilemma, perhaps I’ve been over-thinking? Like a terrier, worrying at the edge of a rug and not seeing an overall picture or design. Perhaps, I need to stop and sit back and open myself to suggestions? I’m going to draw another card… just to see if I can get some clarification.

Wheel of Fortune – blimey, two Majors, how auspicious. Twenty and Ten. What emotions does this card engender? Mixed ones, for sure: trepidation, awareness, calm, yet excited, feeling powerful yet at the mercy of events. With this card, it’s a case of choosing how to respond to it. Am I going to be like a leaf waiting for the next strong breeze to move me, or am I going to take control and direct my wheel where I want it to go? Naturally, I am going to choose self-direction. With that in mind, let’s have a look at the positive meanings of the card.

Change of fortune, good luck, cycles, karma, turning point, challenges, sudden changes, external influences and opportunities.

Overall, I’m getting the idea that, for the time being I should stop trying to force the issue, that I need to be ready to see a new opportunity, that I should continue to do the things that make me happy, but at the same time be prepared to act as soon as a challenge appears. And I think I have that covered…

I recently converted our dining room into an art/craft/sewing room. It’s like a dream-come-true for me, as it happened quite serendipitously – someone needed a new home for a massive Welsh dresser top (the shelf part) and it was obvious where we could put it and what it could be used for. This led to more shelves and workspaces, with me indulging in one of my passions – painting a room in the brightest colours I can find! I have room for my laptop, art materials, yarns, fabrics, books – everything. I love it and it is the ideal space from which to start some kind of artistic enterprise. I’m ready to go!

Okay, I’m good with that. I shall give these two cards more thought, ruminate on the numbers, mull over their deeper meanings, so… getting out my sewing machine now.