The Reading

Mia sighed and took a big swallow from her glass of wine. She stared at her laptop perusing the articles in her news feed. Most of what was being passed off as news was just articles trashing various groups. Snapping the lid shut on her laptop, she stroked her black tom cat, Jet.

"Jet, why are people so... well, peopley?" Jet arched his ebony back in response to her stroke, then flashing his green eyes before returning them to slits, he purred hard enough to vibrate her palm.

"Exactly. Why can't everyone just get along and let things be? There's room for all of us on this planet. Love is so much better than hate, right buddy?" Jet responded with a meow, then a passive hiss, and jumping to the floor, sauntered off into the darkness at the back of the house.

Swirling her wine glass, Mia sipped for a bit, fixating on the flames in the fireplace and listening to the crackle, pop, and gentle sizzle of moisture leaving wood as the flames licked at it and then consumed it with urgency.

Putting down her glass, Mia reached for her well-worn deck of Tarot cards. It was an old Rider Waite deck that had first belonged to her great grandmother, then passed to her grandmother, but skipped down to her since her mother died giving birth to her at only age sixteen. Taking a deep breath, Mia lit some Frankincense tears which were her absolute favorite of all incense. As the coils of smoke wafted from the sizzling resin on the burning charcoal and filled the room with scent, Mia closed her eyes and began her centering process.

Starting with her feet, she allowed all the tension to fall away. Raising her attention slowly up her legs, she relaxed each portion, calves, knees, thighs, and buttocks. Moving to her chakra centers, she opened her root chakra and watched until the gray swirls faded away and her mind's eye presented a vivid whirling red. She went through each of the seven chakras until she reached her crown chakra. Allowing energy to flow from her feet up through her body, the energy exited her crown and rained back down in a protective shield around her body. Exhaling, she opened her eyes, reached for the deck, and placed her crossed hands over them.

"Goddess of All, bless this deck and bless me as I seek your divine guidance. May all that you share be accurately received and used for the highest purpose for the good of all."

Picking up a small bell, she shook it three times. "May all negative energies now be dispersed. My chakras attuned, my mind pure and present, I am ready to receive messages from the divine."

Waiving her hands through the incense smoke, she waved it up over her head and down the front of her body. Then, as she had a thousand times before, Mia shuffled the deck, spread the cards across the table, and picked six, laying them out in a grid for a general reading.

The first card was the Hermit.

"Ahhh, yes. The Hermit. You definitely fit the way I currently feel about myself. Lonely, no man in my life and none in the works. I don't have answers to some of my problems, but here you are providing assurance that with patience and caution, I'll get through this current issue. Hmmm. Good to know. So, I guess the mortgage payment will show up somehow. Well, Mr. Hermit, as the only man in my life right now, don't make me promises you don't keep." Mia chuckled.

She pulled her second card. "The Hanged Man. Well, hello handsome! Oh my, two men helping me out tonight. Of course, what I want most of all right now is to have it all. I ALWAYS want it all, sugar. I know, I know. I have to make choices but you are so right that I absolutely don't want to give up a thing. Moving is a big thing, baby, and I don't take that lightly. I have a life here, you know? And friends, and a job I love. And I do love this house. The mortgage payment though, not so much. So, yeah, like Mr. Hermit said, I need to exercise patience and caution. So, I'm gonna do just like you Hanged Man, hang around and think on it and trust that things will resolve themselves for the best outcome."

Hesitating before pulling her third card, Mia cut the deck and restacked it. "I'm listening. I hear you. Ok, let's see what card you give me to address my fears." Flipping the card over quickly, Mia exclaimed, "Ha! Oh, girl, there you are. The High Priestess. Well, I'm not a man, so I don't have to worry about you being some significant woman in my life doing me wrong. I appreciate you backing me up and showing me that I'm right to be cautious and to go slow until I get my concerns addressed. You and Mr. Hermit and Mr. Hanged Man have my back right now, that's for sure! And I thank you all for that."

The next card flipped was The Chariot. "Oh, I am so loving to see you in this slot about what's going on with me. I truly do have drive, drive, drive, that's for sure. I don't give up. You know, for a woman without a man in her life, you boys of the Tarot are going all out for me tonight. No offense High Priestess. Now, let's see. It's nice to know that I'm going to have victory with my conflicts. And there's gonna be change. Oh, nice - some traveling with my work. So, that chick trying to get me fired can just suck it. Not happening. I shoulda never been worried about her. For real! Boo yah!" Mia took another slug from her wine glass. "Hey, wait! I just realized, traveling with my job means I'll need a car! Ooooh, I'm getting a car! It's finally happening. That's what I'm talking about, right there. Yes!"

The fifth card flipped was The Empress. "Ok, Empress, so what's going against me? Conflicts all around me. True, true. Frustrations. True again. Possible break up in a relationship. Hmmm. What relationship? No love life here. Not worried about having babies. But girl, why are you telling me not to get too demanding or do emotional blackmail? Don't overreact. Wow! What the hell is coming my way?" Mia mused for a few moments.

"Well, let's get on with it. What's the last card gonna tell me about my likely outcome?...." Mia cut the deck and flipped the card from the bottom half of the deck.

"Magician! Yeah, a magic man! Yes!"

"You are a pleasant sight for sure. You are an excellent omen for success. So, all this mess coming, whatever it is, is going to turn out ok. Positive action with great potential. Yes, gentlemen and ladies of the Tarot, you have been good to me tonight. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Mia rang the little bell three times. "Goddess of All, thank you for working through my Tarot deck tonight to provide me with guidance. Your messages have been heard and well taken."

Sitting back in her chair, Mia sipped the remainder of her wine contemplating the possibilities of what lay ahead.

(NEXT EPISODE COMING SOON)

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A bit about the Rider Waite Deck: A popular Tarot deck used by beginners and the basis for many themed decks using the same symbolism but different art. It was created in 1909 by Arthur Edward Waite, illustrated by Pamela Coleman and published by William Rider. It is sometimes referred to as the Waite-Coleman or the Rider-Waite-Coleman Tarot cards. The deck passed into the public domain in 2021 since all the parties have been deceased in excess of 70 years.

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Online Readings: Many websites offer free readings such as the one here that I used to draw cards for this story. Of course, readings are always for entertainment purposes only. 😉