caitlin mccann

gottariskitforthebiscuit

TAROT MUSINGS

gotta risk it for the biscuit (11.4.22)

hello curious reader, welcome. this reading started as something personal to me but it will make sense why it’s for you as well, as you move thru this lil 5 card journey with me.

I pulled these cards the morning of monday, oct 26th, 2022, while reflecting on an emotionally intense weekend (oct 24th and 25th). there was a lot going on with the astrological weather around that time. things have mellowed out a bit but I wonder if you feel like you’ve been recovering from competing in the mental olympics as well?

the first card I pulled was The Star, a card commonly associated with hope, catharsis, and the unconscious. The Star comes after The Tower in the major arcana sequence. most of the cards inform and imply each other and I think it’s the most obvious with The Tower and The Star. you can’t feel the impact of The Star without The Tower. The Tower is the explosive moment that happens after something has been building up for a long time. usually something inevitable that’s holding you back. we will all experience Tower moments thru out our lives. it is a card that affirms BIG CHANGE. it is ripping the band-aid off, maybe before you are ready, but then realising how liberating and necessary it is. this card scared the shit out of me when I was first learning tarot but now I love it, as I have grown to love BIG CHANGE.

so The Star implies that there was a Tower moment. you might have experienced some really profound, powerful truths and realisations recently. I know I have. the end of october was reality check after reality check. imagine looking down at the bottom of a river. something catches your eye. but you don’t really know what it is ‘cos the river is moving and the water flowing past is obscuring it. but you can’t unsee it now and you are curious. maybe it’s a treasure. maybe it’s trash––an empty flamin’ hot cheeto bag. wouldn’t that be underwhelming? one day some impulse in you decides to reach in and grab it. or maybe it floats to the surface on its own. now you’re holding this thing in your hands and you can finally see it for what it really is. b’cos we’re talking about The Star, and b’cos The Star is that cathartic feeling after an explosive moment, like the feeling of relief after a big cry, it is likely to be a treasure. a blessing in disguise. however, it is not a card of action. it is a come down from profound liberation.

cooooool ok, so after The Star, I pulled the 7 of Pentacles, Page of Wands, and 9 of Pentacles. the 7 of Pentacles is a card that encourages taking a moment to recognise the work you’ve done. pause. zoom out. be like, damn this is actually coming together. pentacles represent physicality and the element of earth. they represent nature, growth, work, and magic in the mundane. this dude, the 7 of Pentacles, is in a garden surrounded by nature and roots, implying foundation. it is a work in progress. 7’s typically symbolise victory but this victory isn’t about completion. it’s more like you just got over the hump. you know when you’re working on a project and it doesn’t seem like anything is coming together, maybe you’ve even lost sight of the original idea, but then there’s that one day when all the sudden you can see its shape forming in a way that can guide you now, rather than you guiding it. AM I MAKING SENSE?! it’s the act of literally stepping back to see what you’ve done and recognising that it is something you can build off of now.

which brings me to the Page of Wands. the 7’s garden is growing big and it’s starting to look like something but it’s not very exciting yet. the Page of Wands comes in and has this spark about them. they are creative and stoked and the epitome of potential. I know this Page is wearing a fedora but don’t let that sway you. wands are associated with raw energy, creativity and the element of fire. they embody momentum and passion. there’s something childlike about the Page of Wands, like they haven’t been corrupted by the hardships of life yet. they care more about enjoying the process of making the thing than the end result. Pages don’t always know what their strengths are with their tool yet but they have the eagerness to learn and play. luckily, the 7 of Pentacles created something the Page can ground itself in and burn freely.

going from the 7 to the 9 of Pentacles is called “horizontal growth.” you can literally see it on the cards. look at how beautiful and lush the garden is now! there are grapes and flowers and trees and she’s got a falcon on her arm. to me, the falcon represents the freedom that comes with giving up control. b’cos part of letting something grow is letting go of that control and letting time work its magic. the pentacles from the 7’s bush are closer to the ground in the 9’s, indicating a self-awareness of how she achieved her goals. she enjoys the fruits of her labor and knows she made the right decisions, even if she had to make some sacrifices.

this brings me to the last card I pulled, The Fool. The Fool takes leaps, risks. the fact that the 9 of Pentacles and The Fool are facing each other implies that part of the 9’s sacrifices were instinctual leaps of faith. The Fool risks it for the biscuit. and so does their dog b’cos their dog really likes biscuits. or maybe they already have the biscuits and they’re all in their lil hobo bag? biscuits from previous risk-its which they carry with them. whatever, the point is this fucker takes leaps when they have to b’cos they’re just following their heart. they’re blissed tf ouuuuuut. beginning with The Star and ending with The Fool feels cyclical to me. The Star has to do with the stirring of the unconscious. you can feel what rises to the surface after some deeply liberating moment. The Fool doesn’t have the awareness to analyse that tho. doesn’t it sound nice to trust your own instincts so much you can just move thru the world that way at all times? it’s not necessarily a reality but it’s a helpful way to approach a certain situation/experience/relationship. it is the only way to come to terms with BIG CHANGE, to acknowledge when your heart has made a full shift and you need to take that leap in order to keep moving forward.