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Year of the Fire Horse

My Tarot Card reading for 11th Of March 2026

the spread

the brief summary:
Rainbows and Sunflowers… year of the Fire Horse!
a preponderance of cups, dreams, fantasy and emotions… yet grounded, anchored, by the earthy-ness of pentacles
the Knight of Cups, his wistfulness transfigured by working in harmony with the grace and flow of Nature (Seven of Cups)… success comes from blending both work and play
There is hope, joy, the transfiguration of letting go… and i will meet the beautiful, fiery, self possessed Queen of Wands!

…………………….

I usually only read my own cards about once a year, good to keep it fresh, I have recently returned from 2 months travelling, Vietnam and India, it is the vibrant blossom filled start of spring, so feels like a time of fresh beginnings… set the tone and intentions for the time to come

The main area of questioning was around Love and the emotional life… Is it not always this?

My past few personal readings have been quite bleak, with several of the more heavy cards putting in an appearance… I think Tarot can often be somewhat challenging, like the nature of mind, their is often a focus on problems and difficulties. Realm of Samsara

This reading tho was astonishingly benign! It makes a reasonable amount of sense to my life, so, for a change, I will post it here… tho probably shorn of more personal context and details

I read the cards mostly intuitively, trying to feel my way into the pictures and the archetypes they represent… tho down the years I have read a couple of Tarot books, so do have some mildly arcane background knowledge

The deck is the traditional Rider Waite, pictures by Pamela Coleman Smith… there are other more beautiful decks out there, but there is a personal and cultural weight of use behind these cards… the picture on every card, the gateway cards, these are things which particularly attract

The deck, as all Tarot decks, is split into 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The Major Arcana are the extraordinarily powerful, heavily archetypal cards, from the Fool through to The World. The Minor Arcana are more like a usual deck of cards, except with the additional court card of the Page… 4 suits: Swords (Air), Wands (Fire), Cups (Water), Pentacles (Earth), the Minor Arcana cards are more easily relatable, the grounding of the profound archetypal energies in a human setting.

The spread is a ten card cross and staff spread… the only one I ever use… other divinatory decks, oracle cards, are better for a quick 3 card draw

When reading the tarot I usually prepare by clearing the wooden dining table (old oak, belonged to grandad!), lighting a few candles, smudging myself, the deck and the room with the lush, curling smoke of Palo Santo… I shuffle the cards thinking about my question, set them down, hold my hands over the deck, in a form of receptivity and blessing, then begin

the cross

present position

the first 2 cards represent the questioner (me!) and their current life circumstances and influences. The first card, the basis is crossed by the second, immediate influence, the second card strongly modulates the first, view them individually, then summarise together

first card Seven of Cups! my initial feeling was ‘aaghh, here we go again’… cups is my suit, as a sun sign cancerian, with also mercury and venus in cancer… emotions, dreams, fantasy have always been a force in my life… cups is the suit of the grail questor… the flow of water

the seven of cups encapsulates dreams, fantasy, often teetering on the edge of delusion.. also a pervasive air of indecisiveness… the shadow character appears bewildered by his daydreams, the possibilities of wealth, victory, adventure, love, the spiritual life… yet all in the clouds… there is a strong resonance with the Major Arcana Magician, another card I have recent associations with… the difference being that the Magician is able to ground the spiritual energies from above, to bring into being, to manifest… he is the conduit, through which the sacred can flow into this world… no such suggestions here! marooned in daydreams

immediate influence

Hurrah! one of the most beautiful cards… the Ten of Cups encapsulates Joy, worldly success and happiness… a surfeit of cups! Love and abundance…. in the earthly realm there is a family, man and woman united, rejoicing in the majesty and amazement of the Rainbow above… water flows freely, trees, fields and a farmstead forms the verdant backdrop… the children play, cheerfully oblivious, as all children should… domestic, yet transcendant… all is right with the world!

On a personal level ‘Only Good Things, When The Rainbow Comes’, one of my mottos… Once, long ago in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, I had taken san pedro, cactus medicine… a story for another day… yet the gist I was having a difficult time of it, yet we came down from the mountains to a lush green valley, it began to rain, a huge Rainbow arched across the entire head of the valley, joy, everything was alright after this!

the motif for the first 2 cards is that dreams and fantasy CAN become reality, who could not feel the hope, the possibility in this? but what is the process?

past

Next up, my good old friend, the Knight of Cups… as a young man this was my usual avatar… nowadays it is the jolly, humorous, yet somewhat, hmm, compromised King of Cups (old King Cole)… the Knight of Cups is the ultimate grail questor, gaze fixed on his cup, intent on Love and adventure, peerless of plumage, on a dashing white horse, his fleet befeathered helmet… and yet, and yet doubts and indecision pervade, stasis, he is yet to begin his adventure, yet to ford the fast flowing stream… methinks he barely sees or acknowledges the actual world around him… swooned with love and desire… yet also indecisive and lost… how to allow this beautiful energy to become real? there is also a strong visual correlation with Death… Death rides a white horse

recent past

Eight of Pentacles… work… the pleasure that comes from a physical task… diligence, dedication, application… repetition leading to perfection… the satisfaction of making things… this card feels quite masculine in energy, the vertical lines of the pentacles and the horizontal of the bench, a sturdy, simple straightforwardness which leads to worldly success and wealth… note the pleasant fortified town in the background… I see him as almost a blacksmith… the metallic ringing sound of tools on metal… a clear tone that resounds through the air and underlies the world

this card is simply telling me to get on with it! do the work… who could argue with that

future influence

Seven of Pentacles… the Gardener, the Farmer… another Pentacles aspect of work… here there is ease and contemplation, a feeling of rustic success… our hero appreciates that work yields most success when it is in harmony with the flow of the seasons and nature… tending, compassionate caring… a deep beauty in this card… a rapture at what can be achieved from looking after, from being outside in Nature, yield, yoke, yoga

goal

Page of Cups… Play! a youthful imaginative joy, the psychic potential of the fish emerging from his cup… a flower festooned outfit… strike a pose… the boisterous waves behind echoed in his headgear… there is much to be said for not having to engage with the troubles of the world… fun!

the cross

Correspondences within the initial spread

as mentioned before the grounding of the seven of cups by the ten of cups

I love the opposition of the Knight of Cups resolved by the Seven of Pentacles, both looking at their objects, both looking in different directions… sympathy is with the Seven, he highlights that the Knight is somewhat of a Narcissistic privileged Poppinjay… leave aside the self indulgence, engage with the bountiful world of nature, true joy lies in immersion in the world

Likewise the opposition of the eight and the page… Work and Play… both are necessary, they complement rather than contradict each other

Overall all Cups/Water and Pentacles/Earth… four Cups cards, so you might think it to be an overwhelm of Love and Emotion… but the Ten of Cups is here almost a proxy Pentacle… an internal balance of these 2 elements… I find it harmonious… the ten brings an overwhelming sense of Joy

the staff

the staff section, 4 cards linearly aligned to the right of the cross spread, asks the same questions again… providing a different strand of answers… which may complement or contradict the initial enquiry

the questioner

the Star… wow! Hope! the first Major Arcana to turn over… I will not give so full an explanantion of any of the Major Arcana… they are powerful and deeply elemental… Who does not love the star!… a symbol of hope… the maiden embodies beauty, freedom, a clear divine transcendence… a cool, white mineral light… the eight pointed star of psychic power and mental clarity…she pours water from her cup into the pool of the unconsciousness, her other hand pours forth the water of life and love onto the ground… she chimes well with Sri Lakshmi, her sticker on the shrine of my table… her ever overflowing pot of plenty… the bird on the tree, to my eye a phoenix of rebirth sits in a tree… some echo of the creation of Narnia in C S Lewis’s Magicians Nephew?

environmental factors

The Sun…. Gosh! Transcendant Joy… a powerful, unstoppable image of radiance and happiness… a warmer more engaging light than that of the star… direct, unambigous, a happy fire, sunflowers galore a swirling fiery banner a child riding out in jubilance, in innocence… a divine procession… worship the sun

inner emotions

Death… an extraordinary sequence of cards… the moment of change, of realising that there must be a letting go… the king, the priest, the maiden and even the child must fall before the calm serenity of death… in the background the river flows, a sun rises (or sets) between the twin towers… I shall leave any further interpretation of these power cards

final result

Queen of Wands… Joy… ahh such regal beauty… the suit of Fire… the inspiration that flows from her ever blossoming wand… she is beautiful, strong, dignified… potent and fertile… her flowering crown, lion throne, a mysterious protector black cat, giving egyptian vibes… flame red hair… sunflowers… respect to the warm extravagance of the Sun Queen… a fitting culmination to the entire spread… I shall seek both for her and for this transcendant joyful energy within myself

Correspondences

firstly the link between the sunflowers of the Sun and the Queen, these 2 cards chime and reinforce each other beautifully

the flow from star to sun to death

three white horses… ridden by the Knight of Cups, the Sun Child and Death… the presence of the sun…. after all it is the beginning of the year of the fire horse!

much to ponder

Upon a rooftop in Pondicherry
A crow perched on a pole, my neighbour, my familiar
Every time he croaks, often and raucous, the baton of his black tail feathers beats downwards
a sporadic, staccato, out of kilter rhythm
crow, onomatoepeic, his name lodged in the call of his telling
On the horizon, a lighthouse, sentinel of the shore… at night, it’s light beam sweeps outwards, regular, insistent… bathing in light the bedraggled, tattered spittle of the waves
the ullulation of the call to prayer from the mosque
these disparate pulses, that underscore, synconpate our ever sensual world
……..

Intimation of the sacred in India, a cliché, but abundant with its own becoming

The Samadhi at the Sri Aurobindo ashram in the heart of town… remove your shoes, turn off all mobile phones, walk forwards past pots of fragrant orange and yellow flowers… enter the small peaceful courtyard… a simple white marble tomb, holding the bodies of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, festooned with a mandala of bright coloured flowers… above it an ancient spreading mimosa, the service tree… devotees approach, bow their foreheads, third eye touching the cool marble, else raise their hands, open in prayer… absorbtion… after a few moments, we move onwards, to sit nearby in meditation… then, after a time, to leave… no words are uttered… contemplation, a fullness, this nexus, a vast blossoming of stillness

Jump cut to the night before
Sri Meenakash temple, the ancient sacred heart of Madurai
A throng, a hullabaloo of devotees… pipes, drums, shrieking… a cacophony to greet and awaken the gods and goddesses
a long snaking line of pilgrims waiting in the darshan line to enter the innermost shrine… the women in pink, green, saffron saris… sweet scented, white jasmin flowers woven into their long black hair… a beautiful lurid vibrancy… the children gawp up at me, as tho I am beamed from a further star… some smile and wave… others embody sullen perplexion… yet others play hopscotch games across the pongol pattern painted floor… everything goes… worship is at times a stillness, then turns and turns about to a joyful whooping… part solemn ceremony… part chara-banc, summer day trip to the seaside …’didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went to bangor’
A group of young men, bare chested, clad only in jet black lunghis, like a secret conclave of ninja assassins, wander past… they have the usual motley array of male Indian hair dos, exquisitely pomaded lustrous satin black locks, intermittently hirsute… solemn promenading, intent upon their serious, mysterious purpose… till characteristically, one breaks rank, comes over to chat, ‘where are you from?’, a traditional riposte, ‘enGERland’, as one, they smile and holler ‘Ben Stokes’… cricket frenzy is seldom far!
I walk onwards, coming to a huge statue of Ganesha (Vinayaga), the stone of the god dressed in silver armour, a white cloth tied around his body, and ochre daubed across his brow… I clasp a hairy puja coconut, we take turns to fling them against the base of dark stone… they shatter, with a crack and a satisfying splatter of juice… this release… a letting go of a mind generated problem… Ganesha remover of obstacles… enough of the thought torment, when I think of you, the allowing, yet this almost impossible leaving alone… enough, yes enough

Sri Meenakash, a holy site stretching back to prehistory… the current temple mostly built by the Madurai Nayaks 500 years ago
A square kilometre, city within a city… a gallimaufray, a riot of brightly coloured carvings upon the gopurams, the four cardinally aligned gateways, set within the outer walls… enter with pomp, with panache, with swagger… once inside, a precinct of shops, then another set of walls and gateways… gradually you are channeled, drawn inwards, pared down, honed then humbled towards the majesty of the inner sanctum. God patiently waits… immanent

Aah the glory of India without cars! beyond the honking, away from the vrooming, hyper aware, tensed for the hurtle of vehicles from each and every direction… here families sit peacefully on the floor, scattered about the mandapam… leaning against ornately carved pillars, some chanting, others gossiping, else nibbling on prasad (temple blessed food)… whilst above them glower oblivious, preposterously muscled, mustachioed demi gods, else sinuous large breasted temple dancing girls… the extraordinary, overwhelming, gob smacking flow of stone

At sunset I sit on the steps of the large bathing tank… swallows sweep and glide overhead…orchestrating the slow, sumptuous softening, as colour flows from the world, summoning itself to a blue hued resonant glow… twilight, time twixt light
A young brahmin, shaved head, lunghi, a single sacred thread tied around his torso… we watch as a crescent moon, shining, conjures itself from deep within the darkness
He tells me that at times of no moon, the crescent is lodged within Shivas ganges river flow of dreadlocks… the gravity of the sun and the moon pull together, direction vertical, kundalini rising, an inward dimension… whilst at full moon, the sun and the moon pull apart, we are expansive, torn, time of summer festivals and frenzied celebration
I watch the moon and think of you… watching this same moon… tho I know not where? sense of loss

I remember, also, first coming to this temple when I was 23, a full 37 years ago, sitting on these same steps, chatting to a young Keralan man, his name was Lenin! The Communist party has long been a dominant political force in the south

we are stretched, deepened by the lapse of time, meenakash waits eternal

In my dreams I have always prowled, here, beneath the eerie moonlight, through these many pillared halls… the high ceilings, exquisitely carved columns, each unique, the cool scented air, the broad warm flagstones, the somnolent echo of each and every footfall

epiphany… after hours of musing, slow meandering, I come to the cluster of statues, deities depicting the astrological beings of Indian cosmology… 9 statues, Venus, Mars, the Sun, all the classical, visible celestial bodies, and a few as yet unnamed in the west (Rahu, Ketu)
On the pillars nearby, several carvings have been picked out for individual reverence, there is hanuman drenched in a glut of orange paste…

then, there she is… I pause, goosebumps
a small, simple carving, halfway up a pillar, a bare breasted goddess, one foot raised, dancing upon the back of a lion. Durga? Some aspect of Kali? She wields a shiva trident, arm above her head, trident balanced on her right hand… wedged into the crevices above her head, beneath her feet, a few, yellow and white, small devotional chrysanthenums
her neck tilted back… on her head, a long, tapering helmet… all, a ruse in stone, a simple, but definitive framing, the eye drawn down to gaze upon her face
the stone is black, grey, gently speckled and mottled… the features have been daubed in oil, a sheen, stone that shines
upon this base, an overlay of white ash, then layers of yellow, orange and vermillion ochre
the scarlet dominates, primarily on the chakra points, the third eye and crown… yet also adding a subtle blush to the cheek, this haphazard concoction, master stone mason carved, yet pilgrim embelished… bought to life, summoned, by centuries of devotional worship… temples are like coral reefs, the underlying ridgid stone structure, the bright coloured reef fish entwining

the gently modulated contours of her face
otherworldly serene, that speaks of forgiveness, of rapture
Transfixed, I gaze long into her eyes… the air suffused in a pink red glow, warm, this blessing, of forever living stone
shanti shanti shanti

………….

Ammas Ashram (to be continued!)

flavours of april… gustoj de aprilo… beltanes eve blessings x

star jumps

slightly tweaked and repurposed for the new year, but star energy to evoke the qualities of light, wholeness and beauty for these coming times

was dancing at the zu party on the actual eve. huge fun

gratitude and blessings for these our beautiful bodies… immaculate, flawed, miraculous

currently basking in the post yoga glow, a pleasing infusion of boddhichitta, endorphins and a healthy dollop oof smug-ness

relish this physicality, no matter the reluctant creaks and the be-wobble out of kilter

will meet you somewhere, beneath the trees or by the sea x