Daily Draw: Six of Cups

The cards had been a source of stress for me for a couple of weeks. I had desperately wanted to get into a routine with them, and make Tarot a part of my daily routine. However, in between social and familial commitments, stressing over education, and a few other things, the Tarot took a back seat - perhaps in the time when I could have benefited from it the most. Last night, though, I finally decided to take my cards back out.

I sat down on the carpet in the room I feel most drawn to in my boyfriend's house: the record room. It's where I set up a small Beltane alter, and when I smudged the entire house, the beams of light hit the smoke in a way that felt inherently mystical. So there I sat, my cards, two books and a notepad in front of me. I was listening to an album by a band I really love. Everything felt nice. 

I decided to try a new method of shuffling, since other methods had proven to be better or worse for reading. I read about Benebell Wen's method in her book Holistic Tarot, where she noted that she did not like the "poker" shuffling method for Tarot and that she would grab cards from the middle and place them on top. She also noted that connecting to someone can help by shuffling the number of times as their life path number. My life path number is nine, and so I decided to try her method. I attempted to clear my mind rather than hyper-focusing on the question, and I alternated between leaving the cards upright and reversing them. After I shuffled, I cut the cards using the same method described in her book. 

Finally, I rested my palm on top of the deck and focused on my question: "What do I need to takeaway from my day today?"

When I flipped over the top card, I was happy to feel a wave of relief as I saw the Six of Cups. I have found that when I take a break from the cards, I always come back to them feeling worried, as if I will be admonished for ignoring my craft and my intuitive nature. However, at least with this deck, they are always welcoming when I finally pick them up again.

When I saw the Six of Cards, I immediately felt love as a single emotion. As I studied it, I saw two lemurs - obviously very close and intimate - sharing flowers, with banners hanging from the building in the background. The flowers were yellow; the color of warmth and joy. I recognized immediately that the cards were telling me that today was a day of celebration, and they were right! Today marked a year and seven months that I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend. To celebrate, we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and had some yummy pizza! 

When I went to check my readings with the books, I was surprised and happy to find that my intuition fit with the traditional meaning very well. I read that the card was about nostalgia and reminiscing on the past. Through the rest of the night, I took care to remember some of my favorite moments with my boyfriend and to try to forget the small frustrations that tend to make me unnecessarily unhappy.

Overall, the reading was very positive and extremely relevant. I will definitely have to remember this method of shuffling and cutting for future readings. I am very pleased with the results.