Hello! I am so excited to be taking part in the very first International Tarot Day Blog Hop! If you are following along the blog hop, then you have just finished reading about the mysterious 8 of Cups. Moving forward along the journey, we find ourselves at the seat of success in the 9 of Cups!

9 of Cups from the magnificent Stretch Tarot. https://www.stretchtarot.com/

Images used by permission of J. E. Stretch

One of the main ways I use the intelligent system of the Tarot is in my coaching practice. Crafting the body and life we desire requires us to make small victories along the path towards our potential. As we can see in the 9 of Cups, the man sits with contentment in front of his cups as symbols of his many conquests laid out for all to see. Traditionally in the Tarot, this card can represent wish fulfillment, contentment, and enjoying our material successes. In the coaching realm, we know that our choices and decisions impact our outcomes, and one predictor of a successful outcome is self-efficacy and success momentum. Let’s deconstruct these two concepts, and then we can put them into action through the use of the Tarot. Self-efficacy deals with the belief in oneself to make a positive change. When faced with the challenge of a new goal, do you stare it down or do you cower away? One major contributing factor to increasing one’s self-efficacy is recognizing past successes. This shift in perception gives one the foundation to develop more refined experiences of success. In the budding field of positive psychology, there is the concept of “success momentum”. This term refers to the tendency for small victories to builds up over time, creating a forward momentum. Think snowball effect. As it rolls down the mountainside, it gets bigger and bigger! So too with our goals. But we must be conscious of our successes to truly get the benefit of this principle. This is where the Tarot can help! As with the 9 cups in the picture above, ask yourself about the nine biggest accomplishments of your life so far. It can range anywhere from graduating college traveling to a big city all by yourself. Remember it’s your story. Leave judgement out of this experience. What are the nine things you are most proud of doing? Once you completed your list, CELEBRATE your victories! Brag about all the wonderful things you’ve experienced and accomplished. Notice what sensations arise within you as you see your successes laid out on the page in front of you. Journal, sing, and dance whatever comes up for you. The most important aspect of this exercise is to empower yourself by recognizing your feats of greatness no matter how big or small!

My 9 cards representing my successes.

Images used by permission from J. E. Stretch

For all you Tarot lovers out there, take the game one step further and consciously choose nine cards to represent your nine victories. If your feeling like spinning the wheel of fortune, you can shuffle your deck and draw a card for each event, allowing synchronicity to choose for you.

Next, lay out your spread before you and synthesize the symbols, colors, people in the cards. Notice the connection between the cards, and weave together your success story. See what sort of new information you can glean about your journey thus far, and perhaps playfully predict your next big achievement as you trace your current trajectory. Where might your success story take you? Feel free to choose another card to represent the accomplishment of your next potential goal. I want thank you for joining me on the very first International Tarot Day blog hop! I would love to hear any insights you have gleaned from your exercise! Feel free to leave a comment below!

Next up on the blog hop, we have one of my favorite cards to pop up in a reading, the 10 of Cups, courtesy of Rachel Erazo of Modron Lotus Garden. Click here to hop along to her page!

Photo Courtesy of Freyja at https://falconcloaktarot.com/

#tarot #internationaldayoftarot #successcoaching