Tag: metaphysical-tarot

In the box


Yesterday, I finished reading Louisa Morgan’s The Great Witch of Brittany, recommended to me by my friend Princess Patti. It’s the most recently written (2022) of a series that includes:
A Secret History of Witches (2017)
The Witch’s Kind (2019)
The Age of Witches (2020)

I haven’t read the others (yet), but I don’t think reading out of order will be a problem because this one provides a lot of context for the others. I always enjoy an author who has a compelling gift for world building and story telling. The Great Witch of the title is Ursule, a member of a Romani family that includes a line of witches. From childhood to matriarchy, the many-layered Ursule is an “outsider,” which is both curse and blessing–it puts her in danger, but it also leads her to discover her gifts.

Ursule is strong, brave, and almost always compassionate (and experiences a lot of heartbreak). For most of her life, she has one solid and trusted friend, a raven named Drom. Of course that appealed to me, corvid admirer that I am. Drom has his own way of communicating (though he actually does speak a two-word phrase, he’s not a talking animal). He’s guide, friend, protector, and supporter, and he has a sense of humor.

After I finished the book, I kept thinking about Drom, which led me to get out the box that holds my various animal decks and flip through them to admire the ravens and crows. The crow and raven cards pictured here are from Animal Spirits.

I either have to stop collecting animal decks, or I’ll need a bigger box.

Tarot Etc. Thursday No. 25

It’s bizarre to think I did the No. 1 post in this Thursday series in January 2022, scattered them up to September of that year, then did no. 24 in March of 2023. It seems like so long ago! Some new decks have come to me since then, most recently a fascinating deck from Jim: Cheryl Kelleher Walsh’s Aqua Summersus Underwater Tarot. Above are bits of the Major Arcana cards to give you a sense of how beautiful the photography is. Yes, those are photos, not paintings!

Walsh shoots her portrait models underwater, and in 2019, she decided to create a Tarot deck using the same technique. The models she discussed the concept with were eager to claim which cards they wanted to represent, and they then created their own costumes, along with designers and a headpiece maker. They did all of this while dealing with pandemic precautions in 2020, including safe distancing, masking, and each model bringing their own safety person.

The results have an ethereal beauty that dazzles me, and I also like many of the things Walsh says about the project, including her explanation of how she uses the deck, which aligns with my sense that Tarot is a good tool for self-reflection and examination:

Walsh: I constantly strive to better myself as a person and an artist. While I deeply respect Tarot card readers and their unique abilities, I am not a Tarot card reader myself and recognize that connecting with the cards is a personal experience that varies from individual to individual. As the creator of this Tarot deck, I poured my creative energy and positive intentions into it, but I understand that it is ultimately up to each user to find their own connection.
…..
For me, Tarot cards serve as prompts that inspire me to explore different aspects of my life and journey. They encourage me to delve deeper into areas that I may have overlooked or not considered fully, ultimately leading me to personal growth and self-improvement.

I look forward to getting to know this deck. Thanks, Jim!

Mood: Monday

Art posted here previously was of The Fool, 1997, acrylic on canvas, Rolf Eichelmann, artist.

Happy April Fool’s Day, and happy birthday to our friend Geri! I hope her day is full of mischief and celebration, if those are what she seeks.

Are you in a foolish mood in honor of the date? Did you know that Mercury goes retrograde today? I hope that planet doesn’t toy with you.

Today, instead of shenanigans, I have the first section of the seventh book in the Neverending Saga to edit: around 82 pages, so that I can pass it to my two readers for comments and criticisms. Then I’ll shift from this brooding character’s point of view to a more lighthearted character–lighthearted FOR NOW. Can’t be fiction without conflict!

Song Challenge: Day 30

From MJ Cullinane’s Urban Crow Oracle deck.


Today’s challenge–the last one!–is “a song that reminds you of yourself.” I’ve said Dan Fogelberg’s song “Scarecrow’s Dream” is my theme song since the first time I lay in front of the stereo and listened to the words in the late 1970s. In comments under this video on YouTube, someone says, “Thank you, kind spirit, for all of your wise words.” I will forever now think of Dan Fogelberg as “kind spirit.” And I, too, thank him.

Thank you, too, for sticking with me for the month, especially when/if you commented or shared your own artists and songs for the challenges. If I helped you remember some favorites of your own, I’m glad.

Seldom seen
A scarecrow’s dream
I hang in the hopes of replacement
Castles tall
I built them all
But I dream that I’m trapped in
The basement.
And if you ever hear me calling out
And if you’ve been by paupers crowned
Between the worlds of men and make-believe
I can be found.
Plans I’ve made
A masquerade
Fading in fear of the coming day
Heroes’ tales
Like nightingales
Wrestle the wind as they run away.
And if you ever hear them calling out
And if you’ve been by paupers crowned
Between the worlds of men and make-believe
I can be found.
Garden gate
An empty plate
Waiting for someone to come and fill
Scarecrow’s dreams
Like frozen streams
Thirst for the fall
But they’re running still.
And if you ever hear me calling out
And if you’ve been by paupers crowned
Between the worlds of men and make-believe
I can be found.

Happy Caturday!


I don’t have cats, but in solidarity with those who do, I thought I’d dedicate part of today’s post to cats. Mainly because Debby gave me this cool Haunted Cat Tarot deck for Christmas. Any particular card you’d like to see?

When I took her to an appointment earlier in the week, I took this coloring book with me.

I’d already torn a page out of it at some point, and I decided to color that one. But I wasn’t sure how to color it, so I looked up various wild cats and found this one to inspire me.

Here’s how it turned out.

What I do have is dogs. The other day, after a frantic round of digging, which she isn’t supposed to do, Delta apparently found somebody’s last marble.

It’s all cleaned up and put with the other marbles now.


Meanwhile, Anime had dental surgery yesterday morning, and she’s had a miserable two days. She started drinking water again sometime around noon today, and this evening, she took some meatballs (canned dog food rolled around her regular meds and her pain med). She’s finally stopped dripping blood from her mouth and is overall a lot more comfortable tonight. Through it all, she’s been very sweet and stoic, so clearly it wasn’t her last marble Delta found.


The tree has been stripped and all the ornaments and decorations have been put away.

Except we have to find the bin that has the box that my vintage Holt Howard angel goes in. Meanwhile, I posed her with an appropriate old Southern novel that I haven’t read in decades and probably should read again.

Sometimes when I get really busy, I forget to eat. When tonight’s light meal of a BLT, half an apple, and some potato chips seemed ridiculously good, it occurred to me that I’d only eaten yogurt with the water and coffee I drank today. It was a good sandwich, though.

Tarot Etc. Thursday No. 24

It’s been a while for this category, but thanks to my birthday and Timothy, I have some new stuff to share. Like this coloring book.


Some of the sketches are Tarot cards. Others are just really cool celestial sketches. Or character-type sketches like this one.

I’ve noticed on some people’s posts of coloring pages on Instagram, they put something over the page to keep people from being able to just blow it up and reproduce it. The pencil is my way of trying to respect copyrights, too.

In addition to the beautiful coloring book, Tim gave me this Jacqui Oakley deck, perfect for a Jane Austen fan like me!

I picked The Magician card to share, with its description.

King of Clubs/The Magician: Skill. Jane Austen makes magic with her pen at her writing desk, using her prowess to begin something new.

Of course I believe writers are magicians, creating galaxies, worlds, beings of all kind, and stories. So many stories. I’ll have more to say about stories later in another post.

I did get some good writing done today, finishing one chapter and beginning another. I forgot to listen to music, though!

Tarot Etc. Thursday No. 23

Continuing to send all good thoughts to those in Florida recovering from Ian, including an artist I know through social media who can’t get back to her home, in a city where the extent of the destruction isn’t yet known.

It’s been a while since I did a Tarot Thursday because I finished sharing all my various decks. However, you may recall that I have a couple of books from Adam J. Kurtz that I’ve featured on here before.

I knew that in 2018, Adam used a Kickstarter campaign to create a simple, fun Tarot deck using his unique approach to art and illustration, but I was trying NOT to get more decks, so I never ordered it. In September, Penguin reissued the OK Tarot: the Simple Deck for Everyone.

This time, the offer was too good to pass up, and I really like supporting Adam’s creativity. If I ordered from an independent shop, I’d get a scarf/cloth that could be used either to lay out readings or wrap the deck or tie around a dog’s neck, if any of my dogs would put up with such shenanigans. (They won’t.)

I opted to order the deck from Adam’s OWN local store, and by doing so, my box was signed by him. So I got the scarf, extras like a couple of free stickers, and the deck itself.

This is a deck that is, as Adam intended, Brimming with hope and good energy… [and] avoids depictions of race, religion, or gender to help YOU focus your intention, find clarity, and remember that even if things aren’t perfect, they’re still going to be OK.

The cards have simple meanings for the reader to decipher on his or her own terms. Kelsey Anderson provided the card interpretations that are in the accompanying booklet. She’s a spiritual counselor and an advocate of using spiritual tools for self care.

I’d hoped to do a reading so I could feature the deck today, but since I’ve mostly spent this week in bed trying to sleep my way through being ill, maybe another time, like when I have a character who needs direction. Meanwhile, the cards are tucked safely away among the boxes that house all my decks of tarot, oracle, and related cards.

I’m not perfect; but I’ll be okay. Thanks, Adam, for the reminder.

Photo Friday, No. 817

Current Photo Friday theme: Arranged

Today, I arranged cards from a couple of decks to see my characters as archetypes based on animal energy. Then I also started matching them to archetypes from Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung’s list of twelve that includes Innocent, Ruler, Creator or Artist, Sage, Explorer, Rebel, Hero, Magician or Wizard, Jester, Everyman, Lover, and Caregiver.

Tarot Etc. Thursday No. 21


First things first: Happy May 26 birthday to Timothy J. Lambert (and birthday nods to Stevie Nicks and Lenny Kravitz, who share the day with him). I stole that photo right off his Instagram; nobody tell him. =) This is one of the good dogs he pet-sits for a friend. I’m grateful every single day for the events and times that brought this amazing man into my life, as friend-to-family, writing partner, neighbor, and creative inspiration. No birthday party here tonight; we’re celebrating dinner and cake with him at the Hall next week; tonight he’s seeing other good friends.

I’m trying to regain my equilibrium after the past couple of weeks. May has been quite a month in my own life, the lives of people I know, and in the world beyond me.

I’ve talked about Tarot cards off and on through my 18 years of keeping an online journal/blog, and I created Tarot Thursdays after Mark asked me how many decks I have. I didn’t know.

A recap:

 
Akashic Tarot and Art Nouveau Tarot


Celtic Tarot and Color Your Tarot


Crow Tarot and Egipcios Kier Tarot


Enchanted Tarot and Lovers Tarot


Medieval Scapini Tarot and Muse Tarot


Rider Waite Tarot and Tarot of the Spirit


Voyager Tarot


The only remaining Tarot deck I haven’t shared is The Good Tarot, although its creator, Colette Baron-Reid refers to it as an Oracle deck in the booklet that accompanies it. The deck does have the seventy-eight cards of most Tarot decks, twenty-two major arcana, called Trumps here, and 56 minor arcana, with the elemental suits of Earth (Pentacles in other decks), Air (Swords in other decks), Fire (Wands in other decks, and Water (Cups in other decks). The court cards are the page, messenger, queen, and king.

The illustrations by Jena DellaGrottaglia are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and I picked eight to share here.

If you’re comfortable with the layouts of other decks, you could use the spreads you like to work with, but Baron-Reid advises that the cards are best used to put you in the moment. She recommends pulling one card if you’re feeling confused or lost and wondering what you might not be seeing. If you still lack clarity, a second card can be pulled for more insight about the message.

She suggests a three-card reading to discern the energies of a situation that’s evolving. The first card represents where you are now. The second card represents what will be influencing the situation. The third card shows where you’re headed if you continue on the same path. Once again, she says if you need clarity, drawing a fourth card can give you more information.

For me personally, this is a deck where I pull a single card without any questions/situations in mind at all, just the willingness to let my imagination run free for a while. Then I consult the book to see what Baron-Reid says about the card.

Next week, I’ll recap the other systems that I’ve shared here, plus include two or three things I haven’t posted yet. As I’ve said before, I’m no expert aboout any of these things and rarely use them in the traditional ways others do. For me, they’re tools for introspection, meditation, and as part of rituals with scents and stones, often in connection with celestial events like eclipses, full and new moons, and where our planet is in relation to other planets. They’re also helpful to me as tools in my writing, including structure, plot, character development, and the ways characters relate with each other.

Tarot cards can be calming in a stressful world. They offer perspectives I might not have considered. And I am often awed by the art and creativity of the decks and their creators and illustrators.

So Mark, the short answer is: fourteen Tarot decks!