ARCHANGELS, ANGEL NUMBERS, and ASTROLOGY In Part III and Part IV of this book, we've provided you with a lot of information on each card. In addition to The Dreamer's Journey and the in-depth symbolism presented in each image, we've also included material on the astrological attributions and angel numbers for each card, and insight about the archangels that you'll find in the Major Arcana.

Here are a few summaries to help make each section clear as you read Parts III and IV.

The Archangels Archangels are messengers of G.o.d who give us guidance and a.s.sistance when we ask for it. It's particularly important to tell our archangels and angels that we want their help, as they won't intervene in our lives without being asked (except in the case of life-threatening situations). There are 15 primary archangels with different specialties, who each resonate with a particular aura or halo color.

For the Major Arcana of the Angel Tarot Cards, we placed an archangel in every image based on his or her expertise and how each relates to the message of the card. (For more information on the archangels and their specific missions, you might wish to read the book Archangels 101.) Angel Numbers Angel numbers are a wonderful way for people who are more a.n.a.lytical than intuitive, or just starting to develop their intuition, to get messages from their angels. These numbers show up in sequences that people experience over and over. For example, you may wake up and notice that it's 5:47 A.M. Later in the day, you stop at the store and your purchases total $5.47. In front of you on the way home is a car with a license plate with the numbers 547 on it. Then you walk in your front door and see that you've arrived home at exactly 5:47 P.M.!

This is a very common phenomenon, and each of those number sequences has a specific meaning. In case you're curious, the sequence 547 means "Congratulations for talking to your angels, listening to their guidance, and getting yourself on the right path." (For more information on this topic, refer to the book Angel Numbers 101.) As mentioned above, in this part of the book, we've provided you with the angel number of each card in the Angel Tarot Cards and the meaning behind that number. Numbers were simply a.s.signed to the Major Arcana based on the number of that card. The Minor Arcana were numbered in order based on the traditional order of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth cards.

We've also included information on the numbers that each card reduces down to. Reduction is a traditional numerology concept that states that there is meaning in the number, as well as meaning in what the numbers add up to.

For example, the number 547 reduces down to 7 (5 + 4 + 7 = 16, 1 + 6 = 7). The numbers 11, 22, and 33 are considered master numbers and are not reduced beyond that point.

Astrology Astrology is an ancient metaphysical science in which meaning is attributed to the placement of the Sun, Moon, and planets in the sky at the time of a significant moment in life. The sky is divided into 12 sections-each one reflecting a sign of the zodiac. In the late 19th century, astrological a.s.sociations to cards of the tarot were made by certain spiritual groups.

Within the Major Arcana, a single planet or zodiac sign is a.s.signed to each card. For example, The Empress is a.s.sociated with Venus, while Balance is connected to Sagittarius.

Aces and Pages aren't connected to a specific planet or sign, but instead represent the pure energy of their element-such as Fire, Water, Air, or Earth.

Pip cards Two through Ten have very specific attributions that include a planet and a zodiac sign. The Six of Fire reflects Jupiter in Leo, while the Three of Water is Mercury in Cancer.

Most people have had the experience of engaging in a conversation that goes something like this: "Hi, I'm a Taurus! What's your sign?" This is referring to the person's "Sun sign"; however, astrology is a very complex science that represents the intricacies of human beings. In that same vein, the court cards Knight, Queen, and King are reflected by two signs-though one more so than the other. For example, the Queen of Fire is Aries with a bit of Pisces thrown in, while the King of Earth is Virgo with a splash of Leo.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

HOW to GIVE a READING Everyone is born with intuitive gifts from G.o.d. How in tune people are with those gifts is determined by many factors, such as experiences from their childhood, how those gifts are viewed by others, their romantic partners' opinions, and other societal influences. For example, if a boy's parents are especially supportive of him taking action based on his intuition, then that boy is likely to grow up very connected to his inner guidance.

The wonderful thing to remember is that our gifts never go away. We may not hear the whispers of our angels, but all of us can wake up and reconnect with our intuitive nature. Therefore, anyone can have an Angel Tarot Card reading and get insightful, accurate, and healing information for themselves or others.

To help you get started, we've outlined a few steps on how to give a successful reading.

Energetically Clear Your Card Deck Your cards are very sensitive instruments-that's what makes them work so well! So it's very common for them to pick up energy from other people during the process of manufacturing and shipping.

To clear your cards, first hold the deck in your nondominant hand (the hand you normally don't write with), as this is the hand that receives energy. Hold your other hand (the one that sends energy) over the deck and imagine white light leaving your palm and going into the deck. Then think the thought that you'd like the cards to be cleared, and say a prayer over the cards, such as: "Dear G.o.d, thank You for lifting away anything from these cards that is not of Divine love."

This clears the cards and prepares them to receive your unique energy.

Consecrate the Cards Briefly touch each of the cards to infuse them with your personal energy. Think of this as saying "h.e.l.lo" to each card. You can simply touch a corner of each one to accomplish this. Then fan the cards out with the artwork facing you. Hold the fanned cards to your heart and think about any prayers or intentions you'd like to bestow upon them. For instance, you can say the following, silently or aloud: "I ask that all of my readings with these cards be accurate and specific, and bring blessings to everyone involved. Please help me stay centered in my higher self so that I may clearly hear, see, feel, and know the Divine messages that wish to come through these readings."

Ask and pray for whatever help you'd like during your readings-such as confidence, clarity, compa.s.sion, and so forth. Your cards now carry your personal vibration and intentions.

You'll need to clear and consecrate your cards anytime you allow someone else to touch them. There may also be times when your readings begin to lack clarity after you've done a lot of them. This just means that the cards need to be cleared and consecrated again.

Ask a Question Think of a question you'd like an answer to. If you're giving a reading for someone, ask him or her to either think of or verbalize a question. Your angels and guides can hear your thoughts, so you needn't voice your queries aloud.

Shuffle the Cards Think of the question as you shuffle the cards, and ask the angels to help you with answers and guidance. We often say this prayer while shuffling the cards: "Dear G.o.d, I ask that You be sure that only Your pure and trustworthy messages come through these cards. Please protect my loved ones and me. Please help me to see, hear, feel, and know the messages that You have for us. I ask that this card reading bring blessings to everyone involved."

If one or more cards "jump" out of the deck while you're shuffling, place them to the side. They'll be part of your reading.

As you're shuffling, you'll probably notice feelings, thoughts, words, or visions. This Divine guidance will help you further understand the cards you draw, so pay attention to these impressions as they come to you.

When your cards begin to clump into two distinct sections, it's time to stop shuffling. You may also receive a feeling, thought, or vision to cease-or you may even hear the words Stop shuffling now. Trust and honor these Divine messages that are helping you with the reading. You can't make a mistake and stop shuffling too soon or late, as the Law of Attraction ensures that you'll always choose the correct cards.

Lay Out the Cards Draw as many cards from the deck as are needed for the spread you're using. Some people pull their cards from the top of the deck, and others randomly choose from the stack. You can't select the wrong card, so don't worry about that! The cards that you pick are the answer to your question, or guidance about which healing steps to take to help you with the issue you've inquired about.

Review the Information Regarding the Cards Turn to the corresponding page for each card in Part III or IV of this book. The information there will give you specific guidance to help walk you through any life changes, or take appropriate action. As you read the words, notice any thoughts or feelings that come to you, as they're a personalized part of the answer.

Listen to Your Intuition As you read the words on the cards, continue to notice any thoughts, additional words, feelings, or visions that come to you, as these are messages from your angels and guides that personalize the card's particular meaning for you. The images on the Angel Tarot Cards are rich with detail and symbolism, so they're just as much a part of the reading as the words. If you set aside a card (or cards) that "jumped" out of the deck while you were shuffling, carefully examine it, too.

All information that the angels bring forth should be shared during the reading even if your ego tries to convince you that it can't possibly be correct. You may very well be denying your clients important guidance if you allow a lack of confidence to keep you from sharing everything you get in a reading. Even if clients don't see the relevance of the information right away, often it will become apparent to them shortly thereafter.

Believe in Yourself!

As you practice giving yourself and others readings, you'll become more and more confident. Your connection to your intuitive gifts will grow stronger, and you'll realize just how powerful your inner guidance is. Be gentle with yourself as you grow in your skills, and trust the information the angels impart to you.

CHAPTER NINE.

CREATING YOUR OWN SPREADS.

One of the most important parts of any Angel Tarot Cards reading is the spread, a pattern of laying out cards where specific positions provide insight into various aspects of the question being asked. Certainly, one of the most famous spreads of all is the Celtic Cross. This ten-card spread offers great detail on any topic, including the basis of the situation; aspects that are "crossing" or affecting it; and the recent past, present, future, and so on.

What many people may not know is that creating your own spread is rewarding, fun, and quite easy. Much like all aspects of giving or receiving a reading, it just takes a bit of intuition and practice. There are five basic things to consider when creating a spread. They are: Grounding and asking for guidance Understanding the purpose of the spread Determining the number of cards in the layout Creating the shape or layout of the spread Deciding what each card's position represents Grounding and Guidance Every aspect of doing intuitive work is aided by taking a moment to become grounded and to engage in a meditation with the specific archangels who can help you with your task. This is certainly true when creating a new spread. As an example, consider inviting four archangels to ground the s.p.a.ce in the four corners of the room you're working in.

Anyone can follow their intuition as to which four archangels to invite, but here are some examples: Archangel Gabriel, to help with creative projects Archangel Uriel, to provide enlightenment and epiphanies Archangel Haniel, to help with intuitive abilities Archangel Michael, to provide a sense of Divine safety and security during any task It doesn't matter which archangels you choose or which corner they stand in. All that matters is that you allow your intuition to guide you.

The Purpose Once you've said a prayer for insight and guidance, it's time to consider what the purpose of the spread is going to be. Is it about romance? Are you seeking insight into a career concern? Is the spread even for a particular topic, or is it more of a general spread that can be used in any situation?

For example, included in Chapter 10 is a spread called "Plan B." The purpose of this spread is for those times when things just aren't going the way you were hoping they would and you need guidance on what to do next. This spread can be used for any topic, and is meant to get your dreams moving again!

The "Loving Heart" spread (also in Chapter 10) is mainly intended to give you insight into romantic or other intimate relationships. However, in truth, with just a little tweaking, you could use it for any situation where two people (a sibling, a boss or supervisor, and so on) are involved.

The Number of Cards The next step is to decide how many cards will be in the spread. One way is to ask your angels and accept the first number that pops into your mind as Divine guidance. For example, if the number 7 suddenly enters your awareness, then you might start with a seven-card spread.

Another way to choose the number of cards in a spread is to jot down on a piece of paper all the questions that someone might have on the topic. For example, if the spread is designed for relationship issues, some common questions might include: How does the other person feel about me?

Is this relationship in my highest and greatest good?

Does this relationship have a promising future, or is it temporary?

Try to come up with questions that will provide the type of detailed insight someone longing for answers about a relationship would want. The number of questions may determine the number of cards. Spreads that are ten cards or fewer can offer a great deal of detail without becoming c.u.mbersome. (Sometimes less really is more.) Still, no matter if it's 2, 8, or 20 cards, just follow your intuition!

Finally, another way to come up with the number of cards for a spread is to use the Angel Tarot Cards, Archangel Power Tarot Cards, Guardian Angel Tarot Cards, or any deck that has numbers on the face. For example, pulling "7 The Chariot" would indicate a seven-card spread since that's the number at the top of the card. Drawing a higher card like "19 The Sun" might indicate that the number should be reduced, as we spoke of in Chapter 7. A spread with 19 cards would be a very large spread, indeed! If that feels like more cards than is appropriate, then reduce the numbers by adding the 1 + 9, and see if ten cards feels more manageable.

No matter how you come up with the number, be open to change. Sometimes we can get to the end of creating a particular spread only to realize that there are more (or fewer) positions than first antic.i.p.ated. Allow the power of creativity and intuition to adjust the number up or down as necessary.

The Shape Once the purpose of the spread and the number of cards have been determined, it's time to decide what shape it's going to take. Spreads are made up of anything from straight rows of cards, shapes such as squares or circles, or even symbols that represent the purpose. A romance spread might be shaped like a heart, or if the topic of the spread is career, then it might make sense to lay it out in a star shape and call it "The Rising Star."

Think about having certain cards cross one another, much like cards 1 and 2 of the Celtic Cross. Generally the card that's lying horizontally across the vertical card is said to be affecting whatever the vertical card represents. However, it can represent whatever the angels tell you it means. Creating a spread is all about intention. We tell Heaven or the angels how we want the message to come to us, and they gladly follow along!

The Meanings Finally, it will be necessary to decide what each position of the spread pertains to. If the questions for the spread have been created as a way to determine the number of cards to use, then a lot of the work will have already been done. If not, now is the time to make those decisions. Write down a list of questions, and then try to place them in a logical order, where each one relates to the question before it.

As an example, a career spread might read as follows: How does my client feel about her career right now?

Is it time for a change in career for her?

What type of work would make her most happy?

How might she go about getting the perfect job?

Would my client do well being self-employed?

What is the final outcome of this situation?

It's fairly common for the last card of a spread to be a "Final Outcome" card. This just gives recipients of a reading an idea of where their current situations are headed.

Remember that as in all readings, there's always free will. Sometimes the Angel Tarot Cards are giving us a heads-up that the direction in which we're going might not make us happy, thereby allowing us to change it.

The next step is to take each question and a.s.sign it to one of the positions that was created for the shape of the spread. Feel free to experiment with this. If the first attempt to attribute a card to a particular position seems awkward when you try out the spread, then be open to moving the questions around until the reading feels smooth and easy.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Now it's time to take the new spread for a test drive! It's a good idea to try the spread on several people to see how it goes. Feel free to make changes to the spread as it becomes clear what does and doesn't work. Add or subtract a card if it isn't working in its original format, or even change the shape or the specific questions in the spread.

Another great way to test a spread is to post it on our community Facebook page: Facebook.com/CertifiedAngelCardReaders. There are thousands of people in that community just waiting to provide feedback on how a spread is working. Everyone loves to see a new spread on that page, so do share it with us!

CHAPTER TEN.

SAMPLE SPREADS.

Here are a few sample spreads. Some of these are ideal for quick and easy answers, and others are useful for more in-depth insights. In order to avoid confusion, for the most part we're using the word client to reflect the person getting the reading even if that person is you.

One-Card Readings One-card readings are useful as a tool for learning how to use the Angel Tarot Cards. Consider choosing one card at the beginning of every day, and then compare that card's message to the events that you experience Sometimes when we (Doreen and Radleigh) are in a hurry, we'll just ask a quick question and pull a single card to receive instant advice.

Simple Yes/No Answers There are an endless number of complicated spreads in books and on the Internet showing how to get a simple yes-or-no answer to a question from tarot. In truth, there's a very simple way to get a response.

Think of the question you want an answer to while shuffling. When you feel compelled to stop, take the top card from the deck. Most cards in tarot have a positive energy or a challenging energy. Positive cards would reflect a yes, while challenging cards indicate a no.

For example, the Nine of Water is a very positive card that indicates wishes coming true, so it makes sense to see this card as a yes. The Five of Air is a card that indicates an unwise choice, so it's easy to see that card as a no.

While yes-or-no questions can be very tempting to ask, keep in mind that tarot is always trying to help us out. There are many positive cards and challenging cards, so we encourage everyone to look at the card and then consider why tarot offered that particular card as the answer. For example, the Nine of Water and The Chariot are both very positive cards, but the former indicates getting what we want very easily, while the latter implies success that comes through hard work.

Timing Questions Another frequent question that clients ask is "when" a particular event will occur. One of the advantages of tarot cards in answering such questions is that they're numbered.

To get an idea of when something is going to happen, ask the question in your mind while shuffling. When you get the message to stop, take the top card from the deck. Let's say that the card is the Three of Earth. The basis of the timing is the number 3. This is where intuition comes into play. Hold the card and ask your angels, "Is it three days?" An immediate feeling or knowing will come that says yes or no. Then ask, "Is it three weeks?" and again, an answer will come. Follow that with months or years. Don't forget that the answer could also signify the third of a particular month.

Another method is to look at the card for indicators of the time of year. For example, the Ace of Earth presents an autumn scene, while the Page of Air has a distinct feeling of winter to it.

Three-Card Spread A very common spread that people turn to is one involving three cards. The cards are laid out left to right, and are then read in that same order.

Card 1 gives us information about how the past may be influencing the question at hand.

Card 2 speaks to us about the present situation and how the client is experiencing these circ.u.mstances.

Card 3 tells us about the most likely outcome of the situation if no action to change things is taken.

Celtic Cross Without question, the Celtic Cross is one of the most well-known and treasured card spreads in tarot, as it can be used to answer questions about any topic. This spread of ten cards reveals the basis of your situation, the challenges, the past, the present, the near future, and the likely outcome.

Card 1 represents the present moment. It can refer to those getting a reading or the primary concerns on their minds.

Card 2 represents the current challenge affecting Card 1. It can indicate a block that keeps a situation from getting resolved or moving forward, or it may signify the cause of the challenge that the client is experiencing at the moment.

Card 3 represents the basis or "foundation" of the question. This may be linked to subconscious influences imposed by someone involved (including the client), information that this person is keeping quiet due to embarra.s.sment, or experiences from the distant past that are still affecting the client in the present day.

Card 4 represents the recent past relevant to the situation. This can also indicate a situation that has come to a conclusion in a way that the client may judge to be good or not so good.

Card 5 represents the present. This card may also signify what clients feel they're able to accomplish or are hoping to achieve. If Card 3 is the subconscious, then Card 5 is the conscious.

Card 6 represents the near future. It's often an event or a shift in the energy of the situation. It can also indicate someone new who's going to come into the person's life bearing on the question being asked.

Card 7 represents one's power in a situation. If the card that's showing is a strong, empowering card, then clients are maintaining their personal power. If the card is one that is challenging or difficult, then it may be that the clients have relinquished control to someone else. This can also shed light on how clients see themselves at the moment.

Card 8 represents the effects of other people. It often refers to friends, family, people at work, or anyone who's involved with the question. It can also be an indicator of how other individuals see the client.

Card 9 represents hopes or fears. This position indicates whether clients have a strong belief that things will work out, or are living in fear that they won't. In much the same way as Card 7, positive cards indicate someone who has great hope. Challenging cards may indicate negative thoughts that are impacting the situation.