posted November 29, 2004 01:09 PM         

I am going to use a spread that I created a while back called "The Lifes Love Lessons Spread" Basically this spread will map out what you have learned about love and romance throughout the years and it will try to explain what is going on with your love life and how you can make it better. It looks like this....
---------- 1 ----------
-------2-------3------
---4-------5-------6--
7--------8-----9-----10

#1, Your present position: The nine of Cups- in this card we see a young maiden lounging on the grass in front of a retaining wall with a cup in her hand. On the wall there are 8 more cups, with a rainbow coming out of one of them. This card is often called the wish card. So in your present position you are wishing and hoping for the man of your dreams, you are waiting for your cups to be filled so to speak.

2,3,and 4 will deal with your past.

#2, Childhood influences/what you were taught about love: The King of Cups- In this card you see the king of cups sitting by the ocean. The king of cups is a very gentle and loving man who is ruled by his emotions and not afraid to express his emotions. When you were a child, were you close to a man like this such as a father or a grandfather? What I am picking up from this is that you had a very loving and stable male figure in your life growing up.

#3 adolecent/young adult lessons about love: Temptation, the Goddess Nyai Loro Kidul reversed- In this card we see the Mermaid Goddess hiding in the waves of the pacific oceans. This card speaks of overcoming addiction or an obsessive nature. So based on this card Im seeing that during your teen years you were very close to someone and it didnt work out and you had a very hard time getting over this lost love. However you did work through it and it has left you with a wealth of lessons and experience.

#4 recent past/the last year: Justice, The Goddess Athena- In this card we see the Greek Goddess Athena standing with an owl on her shoulder. In the last year I see that you have found yourself in positions where you have had to put up some defenses to protect yourse;f. Do you feel like youve had to constantly defend yourself more than any other time in the past? Im also wondering if the situation that was described in card 3 just happened recently because it seems like you are still feeling the effects from that relationship.

5,6 represent the present

#5 Current Influences: The king of pentacles reversed- Here is another male figure influencing your life. Here is the king of pentacles sitting on his throne. From this card Im seeing an older man who is always chasing after business affairs that never pans out. So Im seeing an important male figure in your life who seems to spend more time chasing after money then he spends time with you. This could be the same guy as The King of Cups because the King of Cups is also always chasing after a dream.

#6 Where things will lead if you keep going down the same path: The 10 of Swords- In this card we see 7 swords laying horizontally and 3 swords going right down the middle. Symbolically I see the 3 swords as trying to break through the barrier that the 7 swords are creating. This tells me that all the bitersweet experiences you have been having are going to eventuallty be like gold to you because you are going to take from them great knowledge and understanding of exactly how love works. You will break through the barriers of your past and will be fresh and new for the future.

7,8,9 and 10 represent advice

#7 What you need to work on: Love, Venus The Roman Goddess of Love- You need to practice love in every area of your life (that sounds bad doesnt it...lol) What that means is that where ever you go and what ever you do you need to practice love and having loving thoughts. Love isnt just about romantic partners you know. You need to practice all kind of love because when the right person does come along you will need to be more than just a romantic lover. You will need to be a loving friend also.

#8 who or what can help you: The Eight of Pentacles- Here we see a dark haired maiden lounging on the ground painting a picture of a pentacle. Above her is an arch of the other 7 pentacles. The thing that can help you is nothing other then your own imagination. Paint a picture in your head of exactly what it is you want in a partner. Its good to know exactly what it is you want. Also this card speaks of developing yourself and your talents. Building these areas of yourself will help you learn what it is you want in a mate so dont but your other interests on the back burner to finding love.

#9 who or what you should avoid: Nine of staves- In this card we see a woman who has built a wall of 8 staves and is guarding the wall with the other staff in her hand. Remember earlier I said that you have been feeling like you constantly have to protevt yourself? Well this card is warning you of being too protective. Avoid building thick invisable walls around yourself because when the right love does come along, they wont be able to get through to you.

#10 Summary and final advice: Balance, The Santeria Goddess Yemana- I think the theme of this reading has been learning lessons. You are at a cruicial part in your life where you are being presented with situations to learn from that will prepare you to find the love you have been waiting for. Right now you may feel as if these situations are actually hindering you but this couldnt be farther from the Truth. By embracing these lessons and learning from them you will learn balance and moderation. Balance, moderation, and love are the three things that I believe help us to find and keep a love. These three lessons help us to understand, trust, and communicate better. From what Ive seen from this reading you are being a wonderful student and things are going just as planned.
So in finally, keep practicing love in every area of your life and soon you will find love being returned to you very soon!

I hope this has helped you. Any questions regarding the reading feel free to ask