I typically avoid doing readings for myself, but this last birthday I thought I would give it a whirl. Using the Celtic Cross with the Rider Waite deck the following cards came up:  

1.   Covering - The Tower
2.   Crossing - Wheel of Fortune
3.   Foundation - Knight of Swords
4.   Past - Strength
5.   Goal/Present - Emperor
6.   Future - Nine of Pentacles
7.   Internal Forces - Knight of Cups
8.   External Forces - Queen of Wands
9.   Hopes& Fears - Moon
10. Outcome - Five of Cups

My first reaction was that it seemed to foretell an abrupt change in fortune. Looking at the Nine of Pentacles in the future position I am thinking that this would be a good turn of financial fortune. Somehow I think the Emperor is my father and I then my eyes skip over to the Moon and the Five of Cups and I think this could represent my fear of losing my father.

Can anyone help me tap into these cards a bit more objectively?

I will be more than happy to do the reading for you. I will do it tonight or tomorrow and post it.

I'm a little unconventional in how I do readings. Sometimes cups do not represent love to me, pentacles do not represent money, etc... Sometimes the card tells me a story which I see and after I have deciphered it, I tell it to you with facts and analogies you can relate to.

After reading this and soaking it in for a few days, please let me know what you thought.

1.   Covering - The Tower  
I feel like you are getting bombarded with minuscule to big problems which are creating a lot of setbacks and drama for you.  Like you almost feel “Murphy’s Law” was explicitly meant for you. What can go wrong will go wrong and it does.
An unrelated example, you’re late for something but you’re in a rush, but you have to pick up people and when you pick them up they are delaying you; to top it off someone has spilled a beverage on themselves and on the back seat of your car and the world stops, everyone needs to get out of the car and it needs to be cleaned so it doesn’t attract bugs. Your reaction was curt because you were late, rushed because you had to make a stop and then inconvenienced because the mess had to be cleaned up making you even more late than you were originally going to be and of course the person in front of you is driving under the speed limit while traffic in the other lane is moving too fast for you to change lanes. You only get more upset attracting negative energy.
These are things that happen. But I have this overwhelming feeling your reaction and how you respond to setbacks exacerbates the situation creating a domino effect. You have to believe no matter what happens will work itself out and just breathe.

2.   Crossing - Wheel of Fortune
You need to feel centered right now. Everything around you seems to be moving quickly around you, as well as at you.  I am picturing someone who has objects being thrown at her (you), and you are playing duck and cover. Some of the objects being hurled at you you are catching before the blow, others are nailing you and what’s around you is a mess-it’s like a tornado. It’s overwhelming and unruly.
I can’t help but feel there is one person who helps creates this overwhelming feeling for you and helps create these problems, she is a nervous, unsettled energy or perhaps ill in some way??? It’s a female child, or it may be a grown woman who is immature in some ways.  You need to make some decisions and stick with them; this will remove the confusion once you have resolve. You need to define some boundaries and stick to them. Draw a line and say do not cross, this is my space. Center yourself.  Ground yourself.  Stick to your guns. You need a game plan.

3.   Foundation - Knight of Swords
This is a person you adore, who leads by example; someone you admire and look up to, someone whose advice you value. This person represents everything you want mentally and emotionally for yourself.  Learn from them through their example.

4.   Past - Strength
This card represents you and your strong resolve from days of yore?  But somehow that all seems lost to you. You are not the girl you once were, and you never will be.  I take it you were a real spitfire twenty years ago, but life, its experiences and responsibilities have toned you down quite a bit. All is not lost, that girl still exists but you need to incorporate her strengths with who you are now. She will never emerge as the same person you remember, but a new and improved version you will have to create into who you have become now.

5.   Goal/Present - Emperor
This is not a person, this is within you.. your spirituality to feel connected to something bigger than you. A Higher power. You need to feel that connection, you hunger to understand it and you want it so badly. But I feel you feel so disconnected within yourself, like you’re feeling a little lost within yourself. I suspect this will help you center yourself and find some grounding. Keep on the path and you will find it, once you do embrace it.

6.   Future - Nine of Pentacles  
This is not about money. This is about talent, perhaps a hidden talent, a lost talent or one you have been developing. Something you already have, it could be: art, music, writing, expression…  it’s definitely something. But whatever it is you will excel at. Which is good ;)

7.   Internal Forces - Knight of Cups
This is an influence on you, either an older male figure (40 and above) who is established, or a strong woman who is very independent. Be it male or female, this person has character, knows themselves very well, they are very confident in who they are and what their place is. Listen to them, watch them, and learn from them.  I am getting “helping hand” but I am not sure it is literal as much as it is emotional.

8.   External Forces - Queen of Wands
A dark blonde woman with waves in her hair (dyed perhaps?) “she pulls purse strings” comes to mind – She is dominating, she is controlling. She appears fearless, stoic, stingy – she conceals a thin lipped smile with a slight grimace and isn’t one who smiles often.  She wants you to believe she is confident, self-assured, righteous, like she is better and above the rest, but it’s all a façade and she has fooled everyone into believing otherwise. She is intimidating.

1. You need to let go of what this woman represents to you – get past it, don’t feel threatened or intimidated by it.
2. You need to understand her bark is worse than her bite, in fact she doesn’t have a bite – she’d back off  if challenged by someone whose convictions are convincing and strong.
3. This woman is protecting herself currently from past hurts, betrayals, loyalties that went astray, she has trust issues. She does not want anyone to know she is weak – you can work with this knowledge to your advantage.  She is not your enemy as she would appear. Be gentle, patient, understanding to win her over without revealing or letting on you know about her secret. Use this information wisely and she will become your ally.

9.   Hopes& Fears - Moon
Your intuition knows, but you do not listen, you do not trust, you are torn between logic (what you see) and what you feel.  You doubt and constantly question. You create confusion for yourself. When your mind and gut agree, go with it. When your heart and gut agree, go with it. When your mind and heart disagree with your gut, go with your gut.  Learn to trust what you already know is true.

10. Outcome - Five of Cups
Feeling of taking one step forward and two steps back; The reality is you are in a rush and when you rush you do a half assed job. You speed and miss the things and signs you should take notice to, bypassing valuable information that will help you along the way. Slow and steady wins the race. Don’t rush. Pay attention to your surroundings; be more observant than you have been. I feel like you feel you are stuck in a maelstrom and finding yourself recognizing you have been in this situation over and over again.  Look back and take in all you can and take it with you. Go slowly, pay attention… you’ll get there faster if you do.

A summarization:
There are many people surrounding you. Turmoil, uproot, but many helping hands, many strong forces, many people who are able to guide (help) you. There are unexpected changes that spin you around wondering what the heck is going on, but things are put into perspective quickly if you would just stop, go more slowly and take in all that surrounds you. Give yourself time to process it, don’t rush, make your decisions and stick with them. Be like a reed in the wind. These are not personal attacks, it's just life and its growing pains, a process we all succumb to.

This is not a bad reading, it is pointing out the current circumstances, how you are feeling right now, the causes and what can be done about it. What it is saying is don't feel so overwhelmed by everyone and everything. You are one person who can only do so much and I think it is saying you need to start taking care of yourself before it wears you out mentally and physically.

Thank you so much for this very detailed reading. It is so different from my first reaction to the cards. Ultimately it is difficult to get past my own anxieties when doing my own reading so I really appreciate your helping me see this from an outside perspective.

Some of what you said does strike an immediate chord. I love the way how you have interpreted elements of this, you really make the cards come alive. I also like the way you underscored the most popsitive aspect of the reading. You are very good.  Thanks again.

I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful.

The cards do come alive for me if I dare try and tune into the person I am reading. I suppose the best way to describe it is like watching a movie, except I'm in it and only as an observer experiencing what's happening. In fact, they can be so vivid for me, I can tell you what kind of beverage it was that spilled was a vanilla shake at a drive-thru window on the passengers side, in the backseat of an SUV which has black carpeting and black matt's; you were either on your way to a game or coming back from one.  What this means to me does not matter as much as what I am seeing and feeling around me and how everyone is behaving and reacting. I don't necessarily know if you were coming back from a soccer game and or if this actually happened... but I know I am seeing it because the nature and cause of the issue is being emphasized to me. Most of the vivid examples I described are what I saw/lived, but I use them as examples to articulate it because I don't necessarily know if they are symbolic or real.  For instance, "duck and cover" I doubt highly you were on a stage and people were throwing vegetables at you while this vicious whirlwind of food and debris encircled you ;)

Anyway, at this particular moment I want to give you a little prayer you can use as a mantra I feel it might help put things in perspective for you when things start to get overwhelming or chaotic:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

Be well, be safe and most importantly know and trust you can overcome any obstacle. Much love to you...

Angelique