Lots of 5’s?

Numerologically 5 represents change. In tarot, the fours were about stability and maintaining what you have built up but the fives are about instability and the loss of some of what you have. If you draw lots of 5’s you are in a power struggle of some kind.


Five of wands is struggle/conflict, five of cups is sorrow and regret, 5 of swords is defeat and malice, and 5 of pentacles always feels like the worst five to me, out in the cold, suffering.

Power Struggle image by Janet Bloch

Radio Interview

Here is the radio interview I did with the very lovely Deirdre Hughey

Liat Silberman – Benefitting from Tarot
Ever been curious about Tarot Reading?
Liat helps to clear the air.

Very pleased with it!

Beautiful image from Dina Sierra

Four Square

What does it mean when you draw several fours?
Four is the number of stability in tarot, a number of completion – 4 seasons to make a year, 4 directions to make a compass, the 4 suits of the tarot itself.

The 4 of wands is consistent happiness, the wedding card, but the fours can also manifest as too much consistency – the 4 of swords is about things being too quiet and the 4 of cups is about boredom or stagnation and retreating into fantasy. Finally the 4 of pentacles can show a feeling of tightness, of holding on rather than welcoming change. The ultimate 4 is the Emperor, who holds on so tightly it becomes hard to breathe. All these cards are about upholding the existing order, maintaining the status quo.

When you get 4’s things are structured and consistent, and if there are too many 4’s, we should explore the view that there might be too much stability, making for stagnation and a need for change.

Picture of 4 elements is by May Ann Licudine
Picture of 4 seasons by onutzaC

Transitions

One theme I am finding right now, is that I am seeing a lot of women in their mid 20's – who are out of college, finally in the workforce, and now wondering - what is the next step? Education, culminating in a college degree, has such a clear and clean path - write this paper, finish that assignment, go up one year, have more responsibilities, write this thesis, and voila, you have graduated!

Work is a far less defined space and that is a transition that requires an adjustment. Either they take on too much or too little, feel guilty for making career moves, or feel abandoned when colleagues turn out not to be friends. Often they get cards like the seven of cups, where rather than feeling empowered, they feel overwhelmed by their options, scared to open one door lest another one closes.

We talk in the readings about taking this time to sort out what they really want, and starting to target that, creating their own agendas, rather than following someone else’s. But sorting out what you really want… that’s the key.

Threes:

What do having several 3’s mean for tarot? Well if Ace is force and two is duality then there is the combination of them: insight. Some call three, the triad, a perfect number because it signifies totality - beginning, middle, end; past, present and future; mind, body and spirit. As I think about this I see threes everywhere – 3 bears, 3 wishes, 3 little pigs, 3 graces…


In the tarot the 3 of wands is waiting… waiting for your ships to come, waiting for results, while the 3 of cups is joy, being in the moment, happy now. The 3 of swords is pain, in the moment, feeling full of sorrow and loss, while the 3 of pentacles is harmony, creative joy at work.


If you get a lot of threes feel what is going on at the moment, but also be aware that the moment will change, you have the past, are in the present but the future is coming… Whatever the situation, look at it from all three aspects – mind, body and spirit, sometimes you are feeding one and not the other… In the Major Arcana, Threes correspond to the Empress, where we can give birth to our hopes and ambitions.

Twos:

Here’s where it starts to get mysterious (just a friendly warning) The Major Arcana counterpart to the twos is the High Priestess, which is all about intuition and balance, and the Hanged Man, which is all about choice and insight. The two’s deal with duality.

To understand one aspect, we need to know its opposite number – yin/yang, sour/sweet, good/bad. To truly know one, we need to see the other as well. So if you get many twos and/or the High Priestess in your cards, you are struggling with dualities/cause and effect, looking for your path between the two goal posts.


The two of wands is balancing existing skills with future goals, the two of cups is about balanced relationships, two of swords is about defensiveness verses seeing things clearly and the two of pentacles is the eternal juggle of life, keeping those 2 balls in the air.

Hamsa art by Zoe Cohen

All Aces

What does having more than one Ace mean?
Aces are the distillation of their suit. I always say that the ace is a yes - whatever the question, if you draw an ace the answer is yes. The ace is a focus, an opportunity, a burst of energy. The ace is a new beginning, and a clearing of the way. They are the active energy of the suit they embody. If you want to know more about your particular Ace, I’ve written about them here: ace of wands, ace of cups, ace of swords, ace of pentacles.

If you are drawing more than one Ace (I’ve had a few readings, not many, where people get 3 – 4 aces) then you are really in an energy filled place, you can get things done, make things happen for yourself.