I see more potential problems than advantages. With rising fears that it may soon (God forbid) become unsafe for Jews to live openly in the United States, I feel a need to stay financially agile. If I need to return to Israel, every penny will matter. And yet, paradoxically, I’d rather continue living in the U.S. and visit Israel regularly-- something home ownership might make impossible.
This reading is not just about real estate. It's about rootedness, freedom, fear, and longing. And whether it's wise to build a home in a place that may stop welcoming me even as the people I love most are an ocean away in Israel..
My current grounding - What roots me right now
This is the court card that represents me for reasons beyond my understanding.
This is a king, so there's maturity and experience. This is a Sword card so there's intellect, clarity, discernment, and the ability to make tough choices.
Norma writes this is a stubborn and defensive person who needs to understand his emotions so he can show his beautiful self to others or trusting them. While this card indicates I am grounded in an ability to think clearly, my foundation is has become rigid and strategic. I am excellent at foreseeing danger, but less open to nourishment, home, or peace.
My keywords for this card upright are: Fair judge, clarity of thought, authority, boundaries, strong communicator, strategic.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Stubbornness, tyranny, manipulation, misuse of power, rigidity.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled Wielder of Judgment. The essence of that card is:
The Father of Swords is the fully developed intellect after a lifetime of experience. It is “intellect in action.” In the World of Asiyah, where intention becomes deed, he governs the realm of words, ethics, and decisions, especially in the face of emotional complexity. This figure’s power is the power to name, to discern, and to act. The paleo-Hebrew letters Yud and Vav, representing fir and air, evoke focused will and connection, the spark and its movement.The Wielder of Judgment (Father of Air) asks, "What truth are you wielding, and is it making space for grace?"
Due to its elemental associations, the Golden Dawn called this card “Wind: swift pressure brought to bear.” I titled this figure Wielder of Judgment to emphasize his capacity for decisive, clear, and honest decision making. He embodies mature thought and the courage to act on understanding, but may be vulnerable to isolation when intellect eclipses compassion. The sword indicates mastery of words and ideas, making him a good judge and a good advisor. He exemplifies necessary severity: capable of cutting through confusion with truth, even when it stings.
The Fathers as a group belong to the World of Action and the element of fire. They reveal responsibility, the ethical weight of what we do. The Father of Air rules through discernment, intellect guiding us toward right action.
What owning a home here would give me
Norma Cowie taught me that the RWS card means "the subconscious in control" and considered this an always negative card. It could mean that owning a home here could keep me in a state of fear all the time. Is there any way to interpret it saying that owning a home could satisfy this life long yearning for a home?
Norma writes that this represents someone caught up in their own feelings and no longer able to reason; he could free himself from a bad situations by exercising control in his life. Buying the home may not give me financial freedom; it might deepen emotional captivity, tying me to a place, to fear, and perhaps to a life that feels safe but also suffocating.
My keywords for this card upright are: Driven by unconscious instincts, in bondage to emotion, obsession, addiction, dependency, shame, false beliefs, self-doubt, lack of self-awareness.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Liberation, breaking chains, overcoming temptation, seeing through illusions, reclaiming power, taking responsibility for choices, awakening from unconscious patterns.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled The Path Between Compassion and Understanding. The essence of that card is:
Ayin, the sixteenth letter of the alef-bet, represents Capricorn, a symbol of yearning for control and structure. Its path runs from Tiferet (Compassion) to Binah (Understanding), an ascent from the heart into discernment. The Sefer Yetzirah keyword is Anger (רוגז), evoking the turbulence that clouds perception and binds us to reactive desire. The name Ayin means “eye” or “spring of water.” Vision can reveal truth, but it can also distort when muddied by envy, anger, or craving. The letter Ayin (eye) is a powerful entry point into both illusion and insight; as a spring, it suggests a hidden blessing for the clear-eyed. In the Eilat Tarot, Capricorn corresponds to The Devil. This path calls us to recognize the chains we fashion for ourselves and to reclaim freedom through clarity, compassion, and deliberate choice.Ayin asks you to see clearly the emotional bonds (fear, desire, or pride) that drive your choices.
What owning a home might cost me
Energy, the ability to travel quickly. I've come to think that Eights in tarot represent faith and connect to the idea of reverence and gratitude, but I don't see how that fits here.
Norma writes that this card represents, "new ideas coming into reality." So maybe this means owning a home will prevent new things from entering my life? Owning a home might stall movement, growth, or opportunity. The "new ideas coming into reality" could be derailed or delayed. Owning a home here might limit my spontaneity, delay my ability to return to Israel, and cut off my openness to creative possibility.
My keywords for this card upright are: Opportunity, swift change, communication, travel, acceleration.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Frustration, delays, sense of urgency.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled The Line of Fire. I have only begun a draft describing the essence of this card:
The number eight means movement, refinement, consecration. The eight sefirah, called Reverence (Hod) means glory, but its deeper quality is reverence, humility before the sacred, and gratitude for what exceeds us. The suit of Wands can mean creative energy, will, vitality, creativity, sexual energy; egotism, aggression, reckless desire. The card corresponds to the month of Kislev, to the sign of Sagittarius (suggesting purpose, vision, direction) and to the tribe of Binyamin, the "ravenous wolf" in whose territory, between Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south, stretched from the Jordan River eastward to near the coast and intitially included the cities of Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethel, and Gibeah. The card corresponds to the decan that contains Chanukkah (loyalty and re-dedication of the Temple). The line of fire is purpose in motion. Its velocity can burn or bless, depending on reverence for the sacred task it carries.The Line of Fire (Eight of Wands) asks if this decision will align your energy or dissipate it? Will the momentum of your life stall?
What staying flexible would give me
Death, an ending, having to accept that this is the end of my life. There may be a sunrise, but I won't be here to see it. That's a strange answer for a card that's supposed to indicate what I'll gain. Perhaps it suggests the ending of a belief in the illusion of stability.
The image suggests the realizataion of a harsh truth. Norma writes that this card represents the end of a cycle of problems. If so, then I should definitely remain flexible by not buying a home right now. Staying flexible may hurt. It may force me to surrender some identity, hope, or dream. But it could end a cycle of suffering, allowing me to gain clarity and be transformed.
My keywords for this card upright are: Defeat, collapse, betrayal, painful ending, rock bottom.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Relief, letting go, new beginning, change through surrender.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled The End That Speaks. I have only begun a draft describing the essence of this card:
The Tens correspond to Malkhut (also called Shekhinah), the final sefirah of spirit taking physical form. Malkhut in air suggests intellectual clarity or clear speech. Ten symbolizes both completion and return, a cycle that ends not in stillness but in transformation. The suit of Swords refer to thought, perception, truth, communication; deceit, harsh judgment, conflict. The month of Sivan is connected to this card as are Gemini and the Tribe of Zevulun.The End That Speaks (Ten of Swords) suggests that letting go of the house may seem like death to a dream. It may, in fact, mark the end of a long cycle of suffering, ungrounded yearning, and fear. Being flexible could allow real clarity to emerge.
What staying flexible might cost me
The chance for rebirth into a new life.
Norma writes that this card indicates that you must accept the "results of your decisions," which suggests that I may have some regrets about not buying a house now if I don't do so, FOMO (fear of missing out). I may someday wonder: What if I’d claimed my place here, instead of waiting for clarity that never came?
My keywords for this card upright are: Awakening, resurrection, truth revealed, revitalization, forgiveness, inner calling.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Paying the piper, inability to move on, guilt, avoiding truth, missed awakening
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled Shin - The Path Between Understanding and Wisdom. I have only begun a draft describing the essence of this card:
Shin, one of the three Mother letters, represents the element of fire in the Sefer Yetzirah. Its path runs from Chokhmah (Wisdom) to Binah (Understanding), joining vision with form. The keyword I have chosen (based on the Sefer Yetzirah) is Illumination (ha’arah), for fire both reveals and transforms. The name Shin means “tooth,” an image of consuming and breaking down, yet also of sustaining life through nourishment. Fire has a double nature: it warms, enlightens, and purifies, but it can also burn, destroy, and consume without restraint. In the Eilat Tarot, Fire corresponds to Judgment, where awakening calls us to change, guiding passion toward clarity and purpose rather than conflict. The element of fire symbolizes illumination, passion, and transformation, but also destruction.Shin - The Path Between Understanding and Wisdom suggests a missed awakening. Fire wants a hearth. Will I give my fire a hearth?
My deeper fear about the future
Completion, wholeness. Having achieved what I was meant to in this life. This is usually a very good card, so it's strange that it appears as my fear. Maybe its a fear of completing the journey in the wrong place, or with the wrong identity, settling into a version of life that isn't mind. Or perhaps it’s a fear that the I won't complete the journey at all and I'll never have a sense of wholeness.
Norma writes, "advise your querent to be sure to accept what is and enjoy the state he is at because he will reach his Castle of Dreams and achieve what he wants as long as he stays in balance." This is difficult advise for me because I no longer know if any of my dreams were reasonable.
My keywords for this card upright are: Wholeness, understanding, fulfillment, attainment, freedom, mastery.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Unfinished business, limitation, avoidance of closure, stagnation at the threshold.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled Tav - The Path Between Presence and Connection. I have not finished writing about the essence of this card:
The letter Tav means a mark, a seal, a covenant; it is the signature of a life lived fully… Saturn symbolizes discipline and fulfillment… the netiv between Presence (Malkuth) and Connection (Yesod) suggests… the Sefer Yetzirah’s guiding functions of Grace and Ugliness indicate… Together, these elements suggest … completion in rootedness, not just transcendenceIn the Eilat Tarot, the card Tav - The Path Between Presence and Connection reflects my fear of finishing life in the wrong place or never arriving. Tav seals the journey. This card reflects the existential fear that the final chapter may feel misaligned. It urges me to discern what wholeness really means and where my Castle of Dreams is.
My deeper desire for a future
A journey to smoother waters and towards a refuge. Usually metaphorical, but it could be an actual journey. I really don't want to live in Israel again even though I miss the Land and my friends terribly. There seems to be a lot of death in this reading, so this could be another death card. Or maybe I don't want home ownership, but refuge. I want the option to escape a possible threat more than I want permanence.
Norma writes that this card represents someone who is working to resolve his problems and, because "he has accepted responsiblity for himself... will succeed in resolving problems and achieving goals." While on first glance, this card suggests escape, it may also mean grace through motion.
My keywords for this card upright are: Rite of passage, escaping danger, resolving problems, mental transition
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Difficult journey, speaking up, disrupting a long-standing situation, fear of change, carrying baggage.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled The Quiet Crossing. I have not finished writing about the essence of this card:
The Sixes correspond to Tiferet (Compassion) at the heart of the Tree of Life, the harmonizing force that holds lovingkindness and discipline in sacred tension. Six symbolizes harmony, reciprocity, and reflection. The Star of David, two interlocking triangles, shows heaven and earth mirroring each other. In tarot, the Sixes often reveal blessing and grace.The Quiet Crossing (Six of Swords) shows a passage, not permanence. I long for movement that leads to peace, not stagnations. This card speaks of a longing for refuge and a transition to further growth.
The holiday of Tu b’Shevat, the new year of the trees, falls on the full moon, unlike other Jewish new years. It is a celebration of the Land and its produce. Tiferet in Air. The harmony of thought and the passage through transition. A time of quiet clarity, painful perhaps, but steady. Like a ferry crossing unknown waters, this card shows the mercy of movement and the promise of healing. Even in sorrow, the way forward is held in gentleness and grace.
The spiritual lesson in this decision
Being an example to others. Completing a journey, perhaps a life journey, and looking back at the lessons.
Norma's interpretation of this card is fascinating. Your querent "needs to go within to discover the answer... he has to make a decision, or a move, which will bring about a contradition, so he is avoiding it... lead him to realize he doews know his own answers." My task is not to build a life others understand or respect. It’s to discern my own truth. Only by withdrawing from the world's noise can you hear your own soul and discern what my journey is.
My keywords for this card upright are: Reflection, introspection, solitude, discretion, wisdom gained through experience, patience, inner light, an example to others.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Isolation, avoidance, burnout, resistance to connection, fear of being seen.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled Yod - The Path Between Persistence and Compassion. I have not finished writing about the essence of this card:
Yod, the tenth letter of the alef-bet, represents a seed seed, all potential in smallest form. Its path runs from Netzach (Perseverance) to Tiferet (Compassion), joining endurance with the harmony of the heart. The Sefer Yetzirah keyword is Action (ma’aseh), a reminder that clarity must find expression in deed. The letter Yod is a single suspended point, the smallest of the Hebrew letters, suggesting humility, hiddenness, and the seed from which all other letters grow. In the Eilat Tarot, Yod and it's corresponding sign Virgo are linked to The Hermit, the seeker of wisdom who withdraws in order to see clearly, but whose light guides others as well. Virgo symbolizes discernment, service, detail, and humility. The Hermit’s challenge is to balance the way of the saint, who seeks solitary perfection, with the way of the sage, who acts within community. True strength lies not in seclusion alone, but in returning to bring compassion into the shared life of the world.Yod - The Path Between Persistence and Compassion The contradiction of needing to choose between safety and truth can only be resolved by listening to my inner voice. This card does not say “don’t buy the house.” It says: choose as one who has found their soul’s light, not as someone grasping for shelter from the dark.
Guidance from ancestors / divine alignment
Accepting the limitations on your life. Being grateful for what you do have and nurturing others.
Norma writes that this figure "represents the attitude of being able to accep--and wait-- and enjoy the process." She can't have everything she wants right now, but if she has a positive attitude, she will be able to have and do everything she wants to. So this card advises me to be patient and accept limitation. Wait, knowing there is abundance in simplicity and nourishment in presence. Care is its own wealth. I will tend what I have now. This card advises deep acceptance, quiet nurturing, and humble gratitude.
My keywords for this card upright are: Practical, nurturing, down to earth, fortunate, resourceful.
My keywords for this card when reversed are: Accepting limitations, imbalance in service, overgiving, self-neglect, insecurity around worth.
In the Eilat Tarot, this card is titled Guardian of the Field. The essence of this card is:
Mothers are mature feminine characters who embody their suit’s wisdom. The Mother of Pentacles is both grounded and caring. The suit of Pentacles indicates embodiment, work, resources, and grounded presence, but also materialism, inertia, spiritual dullness. The elemental attribution of this card, Water of Earth, suggests nurturing and groundedness. The Mother of Earth is someone who provides, protects, and tends, often giving more than she receives. Practical, reliable, sustaining, sometimes self-sacrificing, but with a gift for care and creating abundance. She also represents the world of Yetzirah (Formation); she nurtures both body and soul. Pentacles are about practical matters like making a living and caring for your family, and acceptance of limits. She is patient and trusts in the divine. She shares qualities with the ISFJ personality type, which is mine.Guardian of the Field (Mother of Earth) advises me to tend what is already growing. The wisdom of this guardian is quiet and gratitude. Don’t chase completion. Sit in your field. Wait. Nourish. Let what’s truly yours root and rise in its own time.
After reviewing this reading and considering my future, I realize that some part of me really wants to return to Israel. Which means I am very unrealistic about what will make me happy. I'm caught between two kinds of pain: living in the diaspora or living in the Land.
So what is the message of this tarot reading? It didn’t give me a clear yes or no. Instead, it asked me to pause, reflect, and listen more deeply to myself. Waiting, and listening to my soul, may yield clarity, grace, and self-understanding. Then I can choose not from fear, but from trust.
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