Aunt Betsy stops talking for a moment and takes a drink. Im guessing she has a dry mouth after talking nonstop for the past five minutes! So much information given in such a short amount of time…Of course I have to take in all that information. She finishes her iced tea and continues with her lecture. I had all but forgotten Caleb sitting there so when he spoke I jumped!
“With all due respect Betsy, perhaps it would be more beneficial to Amber to get some hands on experience with the deck of cards and aligning her energies with the cards before we leave today?” he asks. Aunt Betsy looked startled at first at the interruption but then starts to nod her head and agrees with him.
“Ok, so let’s go to the next phase which is the cards, Amber when you’re ready pick up the box and open it please.” Aunt Betsy says. Caleb watches as I reach over and pick up the sun carved box. As soon as my fingers graze the exterior I feel pin pricks along my finger nerve endings and when I pick up the box it turn into tingling.
“What are you feeling Amber” Asks Caleb. I glance at him and see curiosity in his eyes with a bit of excitement. I understand the excitement as I also feel excited, feeling the power emanating from the cards within the box. Aunt Betsy said to do what I did last time so I sit the box in my lap and brush my fingertips along the seams. The lid hisses open and I push the lid further back, exposing the velvet interior and the pouch containing the tarot cards. I feel that punch to the gut I felt last time in the attic when Aunt Betsy sent me to look for the box containing the cards. Except this time it wasn’t a total surprise so I picked up the pace and placed the box on the floor, lifted the silk pouch out and took the cards with deliberate ease out the silk cocoon encasing them. The vibrations ease from circulating the room to just the cards and I, in a very subtle hum. I shuffle through the cards while the other two people watch on in silence I suspect so I can concentrate on the energies surrounding me. From the corner of my vision I can see a pink glow coming faintly from my skin and transferring to the cards, while a slight gold shimmer transfers from the cards to me. I watch the transfer for a few minutes before curiosity gets the better of me and I turn to Aunt Betsy for clarification.
“Is this the energy transfer you were talking about?” I ask.
“Yes” she replies. “It’s faint at the moment and will absorb into your skin in about thirty minutes. It takes time for your energies to merge with each other and I believe the cards are adapting themselves to your aura as well as your physical being. That’s if it’s the same as it was when I first got them of course. With you being the witch from the prophecy it might happen differently for you, only time will tell and until that energy glow fades completely you won’t be able to leave the house.” She explains.
“Ok I’ll just stay here and look through the cards again. I would like to try and learn the pictures for each card and how they relate to the name of the card, since the pictures are different than the other deck I have been using.” I say and then return my attention to the cards in my hands. So engrossed in what im doing I don’t hear Aunt Betsy and Caleb stand and leave the room.
Caleb
I watch Amber go through the cards one by one and look to Betsy. Signalling her with a head nod towards the front doors I quietly stand up. Betsy stands and walks towards the doors while I take a long last look at Amber. I then turn on my heel and head towards the open door and out to the front garden where Betsy is waiting for me. I slowly walk up to her and take a deep breath.
“How long do you think it will take for her to learn everything she needs?” I ask when I reach Betsy. She replies with a shrug and I could see she is thinking how she was going to proceed with Amber’s tarot card lessons.
“That depends on how quick she learns. She is a very smart girl so I don’t think it will take long. It’s more teaching her how to use and control her magic that I am concerned about. But Caleb, this means that if or when the curse is lifted anything could happen, you could either live out the rest of a mortal life or your body could age as it should have done or simply wither and die.” She says. I have already thought of the consequences, in fact I’ve had centuries to think about what could happen if I was ever lucky enough to have the curse lifted. I don’t say this out loud however as we both know what the worst and the best out comes could be.
“Do not worry about the future right now Betsy just concentrate on teaching Amber what she needs to know to use the cards. She still needs to learn how to use her magic and since she did not even know she had magic before today so it will take quite some time before we need to worry about what will happen to me. Anyway you still need to find the spell to set us free, no point in worrying when you haven’t found the spell yet right?” I say with a smile in my voice, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. I am touched that Betsy considers me a friend enough to be worried about my fate so I give her a one armed hug and a kiss on the forehead. From the corner of my eye I see the curtain twitch and realise Amber has been probably watching. Betsy twists around in my arm to face the house.
“She likes you. And you like her.” She says offhandedly. I stiffen as she looks at me, the smile on my face frozen in place by her seemingly harmless comment. I hadn’t put my own thoughts and feelings in to perspective let alone the possibility of those feelings being returned. But now that someone else has brought it out into the open, there is kinda no hiding from it anymore like I have been doing for the past few months. Even the other detectives have noticed me zoning out from time to time. Which I found was quiet embarrassing. And annoying!
“To be honest I am a little surprised that you feel anything for Amber since the curse is supposed to stop all that sort of emotion isn’t it?” Betsy asks. I try to explain the best I can and hope she understands.
“The curse does not stop us from feeling emotions or joy or pleasure, it stops us from felling satisfied or complete and just makes us want more. Like if I was to eat my favourite food from when I was a child, it was homemade Yorkshire puddings, chicken with mash and vegetables, roasted potatoes on the side and all smothered in gravy, I could eat as much as I wanted but I wouldn’t feel full or satisfied, I would just want more.” I say.
Betsy gives an understanding smile and says nothing more on the subject.
“Anyway, I should be going since I have people to contact. I am sure they will be delighted to find out that their suffering may finally come to an end in the foreseeable future.” And with that I say good bye and walk towards my car parked in the driveway behind Ambers red Ford Fiesta.
Betsy
I watch Caleb walk to his car. I take a minute to feel the breeze on my face before turning around and heading back inside towards my niece and the huge responsibility she doesn’t even know she has. Well she does know but she doesn’t fully understand the dynamics of the hard work she is faced with and the stress her training will put on her over the next couple of months. Especially since this is her final year in university and her exams are coming up, then when she does leave university she will need to find a job. I think through all the possibilities as I walk through the house to the sitting room, sit down on the couch and stare at the wall opposite me. I do not even take notice of what Amber is doing until I feel the hairs on the backs of my arms and neck stand up. I snap out of my own thoughts and look to see what she is doing. As I look down at the floor where she is sat, I notice she has laid out one of the spreads I asked her to practice. It takes a moment to sink in what is going on before I freak out and jump out, scaring Amber in the process.
“What are you doing?!” I exclaim as look over her shoulder to the cards on the floor. She looks at me startled, all innocent eyes and says,
“I thought I would practice with these cards since you said earlier that’s what you wanted me to do.” She looks back down at the cards and continues to record the reading she has laid out in front of her. I take a deep breath and count to ten.
“Amber, they are things you need to do before doing a reading with the Celestial Tarot cards. They are no
t like the practice cards I gave you a few months ago. You have to open yourself up to them and build upon that foundation of trust in your cards before actually doing a first reading.” I tell her. Although I don’t know why because she just continues with what she is doing anyway! Huffing and puffing I sit down next to her and look at the spread. My shock is written in my expression as my eyebrows climb into my greying hairline. The layout is that of a Celtic Cross and is actually one of the more complex ones for a beginner, so it comes as a surprise to see when she records the results without a problem and interpretates them accurately. Actually her recordings are more accurate than mine!
Amber
I see Aunt Betsy’s surprise and hide a smirk. I knew she would object to me using the cards without her present but to be honest, I don’t really feel like I needed her present since I was only practising. If I am being completely honest, I was feeling drawn to the cards and didn’t think to wait. I continue with my reading and try to settle her fears.
“Im sorry if I upset you Aunt Betsy but I felt drawn to them and didn’t think doing a spread would cause a problem. I know you saw me looking at you and Caleb through the curtains, but when I turned around and I saw them sitting on the floor next to the sun box it was a compulsion I felt I had to follow. And before I knew what I was doing I had already shuffled and cut the cards and was laying them out into the Celtic Cross spread.”
I try to explain this to Aunt Betsy but I don’t think it came across the way I wanted. She continues to look at me with that look on her face that warns there will be consequences in the future. She mellows out with resignation and leans in to have a look at the cards displayed.
“Since you have already started using the cards we will make this your first lesson.” Aunt Betsy says. I nod my head and wait for her to continue.
“First off finish writing down your results and then we will start from scratch” she tells me. I do as im told and pick up the cards and re-insert them into the deck. I shuffle them a couple of times before laying them carefully on the carpeted floor. I turn around so that I am facing Aunt Betsy and wait for her to tell me what she wants me to do next. She finishes her drink off and I do the same and then she sits down opposite me on the floor.
“Ok. Close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose, hold it for three seconds before slowly breathing out through your mouth. Repeat this two more times or until you feel sufficiently relaxed. Now in your mind I want you to picture a budding light in the centre of your chest. See it get bigger and brighter in your mind’s eye. Do not just imagine it though I want you to feel it. Feel that budding light expand and glow. What does it feel like? Answer only to you, no one else needs to know unless it feels weak or wrong in some way.”
I sit and picture the light being in the centre of my chest and I can feel the power coursing through my veins. As the light gets bigger it morphs into my favourite flower, a white lily that glows pink. I can see that pink glow spreading across my skin and it feels warm and comforting. Aunt Betsy continues to talk and I follow her instructions as best I can while concentrating on what I am doing. Guided by my aunt I let myself open up just the tiniest bit and immediately feel the difference in the energy surrounding me. Whereas before I felt light, now I felt full like there was something crowding around me like im not alone on the metaphorical plain. Again following instructions I ask this, energy as I think of it, to move back and to my surprise it moves back and I feel light again. It doesn’t move completely away, I can still feel it there in the background but it is dulled now compared to my own. I open my eyes and everything looks the same this time but I can feel the energy coursing through my veins. Just like I can sense the lily flower in the middle of my chest wide open as if full of sunlight sending out waves of warmth and power throughout my entire body.
“I can sense the energy coursing through you and that presence you felt was your guardian so I think we are ready to continue to the next phase. Pick up your cards, shuffle them and ask your guardian to provide protection, the wisdom of the universe and protection from any and all harm. After you have said the verse, cut the cards and spread them like you did before.” Aunt Betsy says.
In my head I say; ‘I ask my guardian to provide me with protection from those who would wish me harm, the knowledge the universe has to offer and the wisdom of all the great magical leaders before me who are now in the spiritual plain so that I may help others as well as myself in our journey through life.’
As soon as the last word has left my lips, a hand brushes against my cheek and a whispered response flutters to my ears, making the few strands around my neck move in slow motion as if moving on a slight breeze. I smile to myself as I feel my guardian and her response, yes I know it is a female as I can sense it is a she just like I can sense Aunt Betsy’s curiosity at my silent conversation. I offer thanks and decide to let Aunt Betsy in on my joy.
“I felt my guardian and heard her response!” I say with excitement. Aunt Betsy’s eyes widen and her eyebrows disappear, that seem to happen a lot when she is around me, you would think she had none. I silently laugh at my own joke, I don’t want to offend her but I couldn’t help it!
“Your guardian spoke to you? And you could sense it was a female?” She asks with a touch of incredulousness in her voice that seemed to climb higher with each word. I laugh at her expression and watch as it goes from incredulous to amazement in the blink of an eye. I return my attention to the cards and reshuffle then cut and lay out a Celtic Cross spread.
Present – Queen of wands
Influence – Two of Wands
Past Issues – Three of Wands
Immediate Past – Ten of Pentacles
Crowning Thoughts – Knight of Pentacles
Immediate Future – The Fool
You’re Fears – Queen of Cups
Environmental Factors – Two of Swords
You’re Hopes – Ten of Cups
Outcome – Ace of Cups
These are the cards that I lay down before me. Aunt Betsy and I look at the cards and their meanings and then put the meanings together to get the overall reading and what is saying. I can feel my guardian looking over my shoulder before whispering in my ear the information I needed to know to read the cards right. I think she understands that this is the first time I have used the cards and needed help interpreting them. Aunt Betsy is still looking at the spread when I lean back and pick up my diary, a pen and begin to write down the reading. She does the same after a couple of minutes and turns to me to see what I wrote.
“Ok let’s compare notes and see what we got.” She says. I hand over my diary and she passes me her note book. We both take a moment to read through the notes before she points out to me some things she finds interesting.
“What would you tell me if you had done this reading for me?” she asks. I quickly read through my notes before replying.
“Well first I would tell you that the cards are a tool used for guidance only and that they do not control your future and have no control over your actions. Then I would look through the reading myself first as positions one to four give me information on your background and give indications for the reason you asked that particular question to begin with. Then I would look at position five which is your crowning thoughts, which suggests what is currently on your mind the most at the moment and can relate to all areas of life.” Aunt Betsy nods and continues to listen as I explain, in my own way since everyone has their own ways of interpreting their cards and continue with the reading.
“Position six is your immediate future so I would look at this card combined with the card in position ten which is the outcome card. These cards are linked together because they are both in future positions and one influences the other. But, cards in positions; five, seven and nine also contribute to the outcome as these reflect on your attitude to the question and influence your future immensely, as it is your attitude that will determine your actions and the progress you make. I would also check to see
if the cards support one another or if they are in conflict, then I would either figure out why by looking to the rest of the cards or I would ask you if the reading made sense to you and if so to explain so that I could understand its relevance to the reading.” I finish with a deep breath and look to Aunt Betsy before continuing.
“Having taken all this into consideration, I would summarize this reading as saying; you have completed the first stage of your project and are continuing to progress with your plans, which has given you financial stability to feel confident to proceed further in your goals even though you have not reached your ultimate goal as of yet. Judging by your attitude you have the will to succeed which mean that new beginnings, unexpected opportunities are on the way, along with some major choices that will lead to new relationships and happiness that will be yours for the taking.” Again I turn to Aunt Betsy to see if I read the cards correctly and to my delight she smiles and tells me it was a very good reading. She then tells me to return the cards to the deck and give them a quick shuffle.
“Always finish off thanking your guide for providing you with their knowledge and wisdom of the universe. And thank the deck too as they completed what you asked of them and deserve to rest their energies. To do this you need to use a sage essence stick, light it up and waft it over and around the cards and yourself, this will disperse any energy that may have clung to them and you, especially if you have just done a reading for a client who could have unknowingly picked up any negative energy while on their way to the reading.” After parting with that bit of advice she gets up and walks out of the room. She returns a few minutes later with a sage stick, bigger than I anticipated but I remain where I am and watch as the master continues to do her thing. She lights it up and walks around the room with it. Then she comes to me and asks me to stand up. I stand up and put the cards on the table while she waves it slowly over me from head to foot, front and back.
The Celestial Curse Page 4
