Welcome to the Tarot Blog Hop! Our wrangler Arwen Lynch-Poe of Tarot by Arwen suggested that we have a Tarot Holiday Office Party and gift exchange. The Denver Tarot Meetup Leadership Team came up with the idea of a holiday themed casting sheet to give our members as a gift at our Holiday Party. I decided this was a perfect gift to share!

PREVIOUS | MASTER LIST | NEXT

From all of us at Denver Tarot Meetup to the Tarot Blog Hop Bloggers and Hoppers, all Denver Tarot Convention participants, and everyone who loves tarot and casting sheets!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Our gift to you is the 2015 Holiday Casting Sheet

Complete with a set of five casting charms.

How to Use Your 2015 Holiday Casting Sheet from the Denver Tarot Meetup

• Click on the image of the Holiday Casting Sheet to open the pdf. Print it out for best results.
• Print the set of five casting charms. They should be about 3/4 inch diameter each. You can print them on cardstock, or print them on paper and glue them onto cardboard to make them sturdier. Cut them out after you’ve glued them and they have had plenty of time to dry. Instead of the casting charms included here, or in addition to, you can use your usual casting charms, or get a handful of small stones, loose change, pistachio shells, orange pips or whatever is close to hand (ten or twelve items is plenty). Having a variety is a plus.
• Concentrate on your question while you shake your charms in your hands.
• Release the charms gently onto the casting sheet. If any bounce off, you can re-toss them or read them where they lie.
• Use your own knowledge of symbolism and your innate intuition to determine the meanings of each charm and where it lands. Refer to the following suggestions to spark your own creativity.

Meanings of the 2015 DTM Holiday Charms

Christmas Tree—The Christmas Tree represents community and light. Mythologically, the tree is associated with the center axis of the earth. The Christmas Tree brings this symbolism into our communities and homes. People gather around the tree to decorate it, distribute presents around it, and congregate around it with food and drinks. It is the centerpiece of holiday festivities. The Christmas Tree is an evergreen, symbolizing that which never dies. We decorate it with lights as a reminder that even at the darkest time of the year, the sun will always rise to bring light and life. If your charm is face down, your lights are probably out—remember it only takes one burnt out bulb to darken the entire strand!

Snowflake—The Snowflake represents perfected beauty. As beautiful as it is, it is also cold and icy. The Snowflake can represent completion, ending, or loss. Falling snow is associated with stillness and quiet and can signify alone time. The Snowflake’s radial symmetry brings in meanings of meditation and being centered. The Snowflake charm is double sided, showing that the past can be washed clean and you always have a fresh start.

Christmas Stocking – The Christmas Stocking represents receiving. Children hang stockings on Christmas Eve and find them filled with goodies in the morning. The stocking can also represent small gifts (in size, not importance!). As a representative of the foot, the stocking denotes movement or travel. If the charm is face down, be careful you don’t get coal in your stocking! If so, it would probably help to be more grounded.

Holiday Wreath—The Wreath represents protection and victory. Decorative Christmas wreaths are often a welcoming symbol on the front door, announcing protection and security. Their circular shape represents unity or infinity. The circle is also the cycle of release and return, giving the wreath the association of success and victory, although not always without the pain of initiation. Wreaths are often used with candles, embodying warmth and an affectionate embrace. If your wreath is face down, remember that it is better to give than to receive–if you are in special need of the things represented by the Holiday Wreath, start by giving them to others.

Bell—The Bell represents a calling or communication. Bells are tolled to summon people, such as the dinner gong. They mark time, such as school bells or church carillons. Bells are part of festive music, inviting us to dance, sing, and make merry. Bells are loud and clear, so they can indicate being heard or communicating. When the Bell is your charm, ask yourself if you are expressing yourself clearly and joyfully. If the Bell is face down, speak up or you might not be heard.

How to Read the Charms on the Casting Sheet

• Star and Ornaments. If a charm falls on the Star at the top of the tree or on any of the nine large colored Ornaments, use the positional meaning assigned either via the Sticker Method or the Color Symbolism Method, both detailed below. Charms that fall here are the most influential and can possibly represent things beyond our control.
• Tree. If a charm falls on the tree but not on the Star or any of the large Ornaments, it is important on a practical level and is something we are ready to take action on.
• Presents. If a charm falls on the presents below the tree, it represents something that you will receive during this holiday season. The color of the box or the gift itself when visible may also influence your interpretation of a charm that lands here.
• Blue Background. If a charm falls in the blue area around the tree, it represents something that is on the periphery or only tangentially important. It could also represent something you have forgotten and that needs to be included.
• Snowflake Border. If a charm falls on the snowflake border around the edge of the casting sheet, it is something you are ready to let go.
• Large Gold Edged Snowflakes. If a charm falls on the large snowflakes with the titles “Holiday Casting Sheet” and “DTM 2015” it represents something that needs to be clearly labeled or identified.
• Misses the Casting Sheet. If a charm doesn’t land on the casting sheet, you can re-toss it. Or consider that it might be referring to something that is entirely outside of the considerations of your present inquiry.

Generally:

• Charms that fall on the top half of the sheet will suggest spiritual or big picture concerns.
• Charms that fall on the bottom half of the sheet will raise practical or immediate concerns.
• Charms that fall on the left half of the sheet will represent things that benefit from the flow of creativity and imagination, or situations in which you are advised to take your feelings into account. They can also represent the past.
• Charms that fall on the right half of the sheet will represent things that need a logical and systematic approach, or careful analysis. They can also represent the future.

The Sticker Method: Denver Tarot Meetup  “Guess the Card Mixer”

For the Denver Tarot Meetup Holiday Party, we are doing a mixer in which each person is given upon arrival a sheet of stickers, all the same, of a tarot card. Everyone is encouraged to meet as many people as possible, exchanging stickers until you have at least nine different stickers. For extra fun, we recommend offering a clue and encouraging other people to guess your card before you give them the sticker (so keep them hidden or hold them close!). For instance, if you are the Nine of Pentacles, you might offer the clue, “I live in a beautiful garden.” Don’t be a Scrooge–if they guess wrong, give them a sticker anyway for being a good sport. Remember to get people’s real names too, if you haven’t already met! You can stick all your different stickers onto the tree, placing one on each large ornament, and if you have more, feel free to add them wherever you like.

When using the casting sheet this way, each ornament will have a positional meaning associated with the tarot card sticker.

The Color Symbolism Method: The Qabalistic Christmas Tree

If you aren’t attending the DTM Holiday Party, or miss out on the mixer, or are a wallflower, you can still use your casting sheet! The ornaments are designed to have a positional meaning based on color symbolism. Either use any color symbolism you’re already familiar with, or try out the following suggestions based on the Qabalistic Tree of Life.

Position 1: The Star: Significant Beginnings and Divine Guidance
Although usually white is associated with Kether, the first sphere on the Tree of Life, today the golden star at the top of the tree will substitute quite nicely. Astrologically, Kether is associated with the primum mobile, or the first mover. The first mover causes the heavens to turn. A charm that falls here might represent the beginning of something significant. Kether means Crown and is associated with the Divine. A charm that falls on the Star could point you toward divine guidance.

Position 2: Gray Ornament: The Father
The color gray relates to Chokmah, the zodiac, and the male principle. Chokmah means Wisdom. This position represents the father, the father’s side of the family, or male role models.

Position 3: Black Ornament: The Mother
The color black relates to Binah, the planet Saturn, and the female principle. Binah means Understanding. This position represents the mother, the mother’s side of the family, or female role models.

Position 4: Blue Ornament: Memory
The color blue relates to Chesed, the planet Jupiter, and the faculty of memory. Chesed means Mercy or Love. A charm here reminds us of holidays past, the love of family and friends, and generosity.

Position 5: Red Ornament: Will
The color red corresponds to Geburah, Mars, and the personality function of will. Geburah means Severity or Strength. A charm in this position helps you understand your major motivation or intentions during this holiday season. Alternately, it could give advice on potential conflicts.

Position 6: Yellow Ornament: Ideal Vision
Tiphareth on the Tree of Life is represented by the color yellow and the imagination. Its planet is the Sun. Tiphareth means Beauty. Tiphareth also represents the higher self. A charm here illuminates your ideal vision for the holidays.

Position 7: Green Ornament: Heart’s Desire
In qabalah, the color green is Netzach, which corresponds to Venus and the emotions. Netzach means Victory or Perseverance. A charm that falls in this position represents our heart’s desire for the holidays.

Position 8: Orange Ornament: Logical Considerations
The color orange represents Hod, the planet Mercury, and the intellect. Hod means Splendor or Yielding. A charm that falls here describes the logical considerations that are necessary during this season, or where to direct your thoughts.

Position 9: Purple Ornament: Intuition and Dreams; Editing
The color purple represents Yesod, the Moon, and the astral body. Yesod means Foundation. Whatever lands here will support and be supported by your intuition. Or you might just dream about it! Counterintuitively, Yesod can also be about editing your beautiful but perhaps impractical wishes down to their true essence in order to bring them into complete and final realization at Malkuth.

Position 10: Olive Green Ornament: Manifestation
Olive green is one of the colors associated with Malkuth, which means Kingdom. Malkuth can also be associated with taking action or with something that has already manifested. It’s also associated with the earth and the physical body. If one of your charms lands here, you know you already have it in abundance!

I hope you enjoy your 2015 Holiday Casting Sheet! Happy Holidays from the Denver Tarot Meetup!

PREVIOUS | MASTER LIST | NEXT

_________________________________________________

About the Author

Joy Vernon has been studying and teaching energetic and esoteric modalities for more than twenty years. She is the organizer of the Denver Tarot Geeks, Denver Tarot Meetup and Denver Traditional Reiki Meetup, and she served on the faculty of Avalon Center for Druidic Studies. She is one of the psychics at Isis Books and has been featured at SpiritWays, the Mercury Café and psychic fairs throughout the Denver Metro and Northern Colorado. She is a Certified Professional Tarot Reader and a member of the American Tarot Association and Tarosophy Tarot Association. Joy also teaches Traditional Japanese Reiki. For information on upcoming classes or to schedule an appointment, please visit JoyVernon.com.

© 2015 by Joy Vernon. All rights reserved.

 

by
by