Nobody said transformation was pretty

Roots of Asia (AG Muller 2001)

 'Beloved, gaze in thine own heart,

The tree of life is blooming there.'

                                       ~WB Yeats

Today's draw from the Roots of Asia Tarot by Amnart Klanprachar and Thaworn Boonyawan is major arcanum number 13--Death. This is one of the most striking Death cards I have seen. We have two curious rock formations such as sometimes seen in images of Asia, but as the eye moves down the card, you realise that the landscape looks like a woman lying on her back, arms outstretched, knees up. The knees become the mountain formations. Growing from her heart centre is a tree. Her hair streams into the water. Her body is slowly being changed from its human form and becoming a natural landscape. You get the feeling that in time, she'll have disappeared completely into the land. At the top of the card, the sky is dark and there's a glowing orb, could be either sun or moon, encircled by three rings, then the curious wispy orange sky that features in nearly every card in the Roots of Asia pack. The woman's 'body' lies in an abundance of water in rivers, pools and streams, and on the twin peaks of the mountains, there are spectacularly high and dramatic waterfalls. A mist rises over the entire scene from the water. It is a card that is both earthy and ethereal.

Turn turn turn

Roots of Asia Tarot was one of my first decks, purchased as a sort of replacement for my very first deck, Osho Zen. The Osho Zen and I fell out. I decided it made me feel bad, and it just seemed to want me to feel that way. But I resisted buying Roots of Asia because to me the art was muddy, imprecise and, well, foreign. Someone on Aeclectic Tarot recommended it to me because I was seeking a deck with a deeply Buddhist sensibility, and I truly don't think you can get much more Buddhist than this deck. I know the deck is by a Thai artist who is/was possibly a Buddhist monk, and he used his hands and a knife to create the art, but that's all I know and to be honest, I'm not really terribly interested in details like. When it comes to decks, I'm more concerned with my personal reaction.

Two things I really appreciate about this deck. One, the names are all traditional RWS names, which is unusual when a deck is adapted to a theme. It really annoys me when people mess around and change the suit names. You got a Native American deck? Oops, better change the suits to sticks, arrows, rocks and peace pipes. You got a cute girly deck? Uh-oh, quick,  make that buttons, bows, lipstick cases and curling irons. It's ridiculous. But I digress. Two, the LWB is amazing. It's 87 pages long and uses every card meaning as an opportunity to educate the reader in solid Buddhist teachings. Plus it contains 3 powerful spreads and a surprisingly detailed introduction to insight meditation!

One thing I don't like about this deck. The backs. I think they're just repulsive. There's something here that is deeply sinister to me. Some people have that reaction to the Haindl backs. Well, I love the Haindl backs, I find them soulful. But Roots of Asia backs? No...just horrible, nightmarish even. I may have to devote a whole blog entry to parsing this back, but just look at it. A nose spouting smoke out of its nostrils. At the top of the nose, the eyebrows sort of turn into arms and then it looks like a man's back, with the red dot for the back of his head. But the arms/eyebrows are flaming claws, and one eye's a shiny moon that looks like the eyeball has been punched out and this light is piercing through. The other eye is covered over by a buxom angel with glowing nipples. Which then leads the eye around to notice all the big-breasted angels on this card. There's one at the bottom that seems to have three boobs, each one spouting a beam of light onto a smiling mouth. Then you notice the hands at the bottom of the card and realise the whole thing is a portait of a meditator. But if this is the stuff swirling in the mind when meditating--no way! Speaking of swirling, what is that gaping maw in the middle of the card sucking everything into it? Why is it between the nose and the mouth? Oh, it just doesn't bear thinking about. I never look at the backs of these cards if I can help it. They just freak me out.

But back to the reading. I asked the cards, 'Why am I drawn to use Roots of Asia this week'? I then pulled Hermit, Magician, 8 of Cups. Well, I've just embarked on a new project this week, and there's the Magician. I am feeling drawn again into my magical/spiritual/meditative path, which I've been away from for many months, and there's Hermit and 8 of Cups.

Let's have a look at a sample of one of those wonderful LWB tidbits:

8 of Cups. Awareness of Change and Impermanence. As nature has the motions and changes of the seasons of the year, so too our lives hold various changes and times. We wish to hold on to those seasons of happiness and run away from those seasons of anxiety. Our goal is to learn how to move freely within and in between the seasons that continue to come to us. The eight seasons of our lives are: time of accomplishment, time of loss, time of dignity and fame, time of obscurity, time of being blamed, and time of being praised, a time for happiness, and a time for pain.  Divinitory key: Searching for insight. Introspection.

I have noticed something about the seasons in the last couple of days. It's a curious thing. But I'll share that with you later.

Tuning into sorrow

Gaian Tarot (Llewellyn 2011)

Today's card is a curiosity. I don't know what to make of it. It is the Gaian Tarot equivalent of the RWS 9 of Swords, which usually depicts a woman or man awaking abruptly from a nightmare and covering their face in their hands. It has to do with sleeplessness, worry, troubling thoughts, vain imaginings, walking the floor, anxiety, overthinking, etc. The woman in this card has been suffering these symptoms, but she is shown snuggling up to a standing stone and levitating in the purple storm with a cat-eared mask overlooking her.

She Who Watches

The companion book  mentions that the image in the sky is She Who Watches, 'a petroglyph found near the Columbia River on the border of Washington and Oregon.' No other detail is given, other than that She Who Watches is 'the One who always watches over her with love and compassion.'  A Google search reveals that the petroglyph is based on a female chief called Tsagaglal, when people were not yet real people, and so we could still talk to animals. Trickster Fox asked her how she was going to watch over her people when they faced the times of trouble to come, and when she could not answer, he turned her into this stone. That's one version, anyway.

Here is a retelling by Ed Edmo:

I think the card is suggesting that the woman has entered a journey of some sort whilst meditating on her grief. The image in the card is what she may be seeing in her journey, thus the floaty levitation in the purple sky, and the misty appearance of She Who Watches. If I stare at the card, I begin to sense the roiling motion of the clouds, and the image of She Who Watches dematerialises and reappears at different angles. Perhaps this is meant to remind us of the temporary nature of all our emotions. What we feel and think comes and goes, nothing is permanent, and our moment of despair will eventually turn out to be as insubstantial as the dew.

The card doesn't entirely work for me. It lacks the intensity and immediacy of the traditional waking-from-a-nightmare image, and the hands over the face seems to be a universal symbol of crushing hopelessness and despair that is lacking in this card.

On the other hand, the idea of leaning into the pain and experiencing it in all its physical and emotional aspects can be a deep insight meditation practice, and possibly more healing in the long run. The woman strikes me as listening carefully to the vibrations of a tuning fork, the standing stone. She's grounded in and experiencing her grief utterly. Now, I personally find the constant reassurance of this deck that a 'benign force is watching over me' to be unhelpful, but this is the Gaian Tarot, so one would expect this message to keep coming across time and again. In other words, I can do without She Who Watches...but if that's what this woman (and the deck creator) sees on her journey into her own despair, who am I to question. I'm just taking it to represent any images that flit through the mind during these moments of meditation, whatever symbol is of profound comfort to you personally.

Running from Lightning

I have been feeling tired lately, and I asked this morning:

Why have I been so tired lately and what should I do about it?

I drew 3 cards for the why: 2 of Earth, Explorer of Water, and Lightning. Then 2 cards for what to do: 9 of Water and Elder of Fire. And outcome: The Star.

The 2 of Earth shows a man juggling two screaming babies over his shoulders while trying to do his shopping. The Explorer of Water shows a surfer, who is zooming toward the 2 of Earth and AWAY from the Lightning card, which is the equivalent of the Tower, and shows a tree being struck by lightning while 3 human silhouettes fall from the sky. It's hard to find balance when you are running from the fear of disaster. My emotional flight from the uncertainty of my job situation (which is the only Tower event I can see in my life right now) has lead to distinct imbalance in my daily life.

What should I do about it? I drew 9 of Water and Elder of Fire. The 9 of Water shows a woman standing in the mouth of a cave. Sunlight is streaming into the cave, and she is facing this with arms outstretched. A stream is runing into the cave and runs along beside where she is standing. Water also seems to be running down the walls of the cave and trickling over rocks. It's a wet cave, pierced with shafts of light. Okay, so I am in a sort of cave of emotion, I suppose I am meant to find the light. The advice of the companion book is to 'open up to the Divine...dive deep into your heart to find what will bring you true and lasting happiness' (Journey through the Gaian Tarot, p. 198). That's not asking much! Then sitting next to this card is the Elder of Fire. Wow, I love this card. It was one of my favourites, and nearly the top card for me when I did my sorting exercise on the first day I had the deck. This woman looks very serious, but at the same time benevolent. She is intense. She has at her disposal every means of affecting change and transformation. She is most certainly not a victim. This combination of cards is a deep message for me. I must take my time with them.

The outcome card is The Star...It is significant because in the major arcana, The Star card comes directly after The Tower (or in the Gaian Tarot, 'Lightning').

You have the opportunity to relax into a time of calm, healing and grace. Your heart is wide open and you deeply feel your connection to Source...It is a most blessed time of hope peace and well-being. ~ Journey through the Gaian Tarot, Colbert p. 100

That is most certainly the result I would like to see! I must investigate the work of 9 of Water + Elder of Fire. Your thoughts on this are welcome!

Gaian Tarot - 7 of Air

Here's my card of the day from Joanna Powell Colbert's Gaian Tarot (Llewellyn 2011.)

The hiker is stopping on his journey to check his map. He looks very relaxed and confident, so I don't think he's lost. I think he's considering his options. There's lots of stuff on that map to see, and only the rest of the day to see it in. Which way should he go?

Maybe this morning before he set out, he had made a detailed plan of what he would do during this hike. But now that he's out here in the hills, things look different. Maybe the path he'd planned doesn't take him to the place he now realises he would prefer to see. I really think he's about to change plans entirely, much to his surprise. I like this card.

I don't really know what it had to do with my day today. But I like it, anyway. :)

Build the foundations

My card of the day from Joanna Powell Colbert's Gaian Tarot (Llewellyn 2011) is The Emperor.

The what? Shouldn't that say '3 of Coins'? What the heck is The Emperor doing in his shirtsleeves decorating his front porch? I can only assume he's the one who's chopped all that cord wood as well. What sort of Emperor is this?

I don't know anything about Gaian deck printing lore, but I do notice that in the guide book, the card is called 'The Builder', while the card in the Llewellyn deck is labelled '4 - The Emperor'. So maybe it's a printing error. 'The Builder' certainly fits the card better.

The companion books says, 'The Builder is the archetypal Father, the creator of culture, structure and human laws, as compared to the Gardener (Empress) who embodies the abundance of Mother Earth. He is the city, she is the country' (Journey through the Gaian Tarot, pp 35-36).

The book goes on to describe him as 'the architect of civilization.' So it would seem that in this deck, The Emperor represents logic, structure, science, systems, heirarchies, order, possibly even the foundations of culture and learning. He also represents manipulating natural materials in ways to suit the needs of man, and even the craftsman's expression of  higher knowledge and impulses, as seen in the symbols he is carving.

So this card today was flanked by 2 of Water  and 7 of Earth (ie, 2 of Cups and 7 of Pentacles). I see what it's saying. I am facing a situation today where I will need to be the one in charge, while showing lots of patience toward someone with whom it can be difficult to work in partnership. As the Emperor is at the centre of the draw, seems to be saying not to get emotional or nurturing or too Gardener-ish. In order for the project in question to work, there must be a firm foundation and plan that can't keep wavering. Of course, the 2 of Cups also reminds me that it's good to listen to others, so I shouldn't be too closed-minded to alternatives that may be on offer.

Poor me. Whatever shall I do.

Today's card from Joanna Powell Colbert's Gaian Tarot (Llewellyn 2011) is 5 of Earth. I did actually draw this card for today's blog entry, but it was also the card in the 'underlying' position in yesterday's draw as well. It's a good representation of what's going on with me lately.

Let's take a close look. The woods. Autumn. Leaves blowing about in what looks like icy rain. There seems to be the beginnings of some snow in that precipitation. Bare twigs and stobbies sticking up everywhere. What looks like a pile of debris turns out to be a shelter constructed by the young man huddled inside. He looks pretty darn cold, probably already wet. It's going to be a long night...

I get the feeling, though, that he's not that lost. I don't know why, but there's just a sense that on the other side of those trees, there's a motorway or the edge of the suburbs. He's actually in a clearing, so it's likely he's made that shelter from some scrub that the owner of this land had already piled up. I think he's a short walk from other people, from warmth, from safety, from light and life. But for some reason, he's come out here to the woods and decided to sleep rough. Why? Why does he feel like this is his best option, perhaps his only option? Is it really? Has he really been shunned? Or is he just feeling sorry for himself? Maybe he's got it in his head that suffering here in the snowy rain will show everyone...somehow this is getting them back. I'll just sleep out here in the rough and catch a big bad cold, that'll show 'em! He's huddling up in a vividly blue fleece jumper (or maybe a blanket), and it looks like he's got a watch or a bracelet on his wrist...I don't think he's actually all that destitute. It's all in his head. But of course, it's certainly true that once something is in your head, it can be pretty darn powerful and take you right over.

Radiant Rider Waite (US Games 2003),  Tarot of the Old Path (US Games 1990), Vanessa Tarot (US Games 2007)

The 5 of Coins/Pentacles/Earth in the RWS system always denotes a time of material uncertainty and instability. It represents feeling unsafe, insecure, uncared for, left out, not knowing what is going to happen to your livelihood, your finances, your home, your health. It can represent feeling shunned or ignored. And it can also represent the worry about these things happening when they actually haven't.

Thoth Tarot (US Games 2006)

When you compare the Gaian Tarot's 5 of Earth to the 5 of Coins/Pentacles/Disks in other decks, you'd have to say the imagery is tame. I don't believe there is any danger at all of the lad in Gaian's 5 of Earth actually freezing to death. In fact, I'd say it's likely he'll rise early the next morning and brush the leaves off himself and tromp over to an International House of Pancakes for breakfast. That doesn't mean he isn't feeling what he feels, though, or that his feelings aren't valid or that they aren't affecting his life in profound ways. There is a sense, though, that this is a phase that will pass, whereas there is more of a sense of acute danger in some other 5 of Coins cards. That just has to do with the overall tone of the Gaian deck. This deck has a strong energy that no matter what may happen to us or what is going on with us, everything is going to turn out all right. Even the negative cards have an underlying air of a benevolent and even slightly amused parental presence watching over us. Well...it is called the Gaian Tarot!

It's quite obvious for my reading what this points to. I'm under threat of redundancy and we won't know until the end of October what is going on. So that is a worry for sure; it's always there lately, and that's why this card turned up in the 'underlying' position in my spread.

I know whatever happens, everything's going to be all right.

A New Age Mash Up? Well, I love a good plate of mash.

Today's card, Awakening, from the Gaian Tarot (Joanna Powell Colbert, Llewellyn 2011) was the centre card in a 5-card draw in which I asked the question, 'What do I need to know or focus on today?'

I find this card very appealing. Major Arcana 20, traditionally known in Rider-Waite Smith decks as 'Judgement', usually shows various versions of the dead rising from the graves at the trumpet call of an angel, on Judgement Day. The image of a naked figure, viewed from the back, looking up, arms outstretched, is traditional. I like this card better than most versions of Judgement that I have seen.

First, I just enjoy the colours and the balance of the composition. The pink across the middle echoed by the pink of the lotus blossom, the orangey yellows in the sky reflected in the candles, the dark opening of the crypt at New Grange, the figures in silhouette outlined in white, and the cranes flying over--I like it all, I like the way it is all arranged. I enjoy symmetry of design. I like the way the card looks like it could have been made from magazine clippings during a therapy session. I like the mosaicy composition of the Buddha/Kwan Yin face in the sky. I just like the whole thing.

Universal Waite (US Games)

You know, people have criticised this deck as being too New Agey, and I suppose the New Age aspect comes through pretty strongly on the Awakening card in particular. It's like a spiritual mash-up: Celtic paganism, Buddhism, neopagan rites and ultimately a Christian concept of rising from the dead all converge here.

 Celtic paganism
The rock formation is New Grange, in County Meath, Ireland. It is a mound of about one acre across, originally classed as a 'passage tomb', but now thought to more likely be a temple of some sort. It dates from about 5,000 years ago, so it is older than Stonehenge. The bit featured on the card is the most famous aspect, carved with spirals. The remarkable thing about New Grange is the placement of a roofbox-type structure which allows the inner passage to be illuminated by the Winter Solstice sun each year on 21st December. It is like a celebration of the end of the longest night of the year. One could say, the rebirth of the sun.(New Grange is also featured in the Druidcraft's version of the Judgement card, 'Rebirth'. See below.)

Buddhism/Eastern imagery
The Buddhist aspects of the card are in the face in the sky, the lotus and the cranes. When you look at it, you can see it as either Buddha or Kwan Yin, or both. Kwan Yin -- sometimes Avalokiteshwara, Avalokita, Quan Yin, Guan Yin, etc -- is the bodhisattwa, 'the lord who looks upon the world with compassion. Sometimes depicted as male (Avalokita), sometimes as female (Kwan Yin),

Druidcraft (Worthington, St Martins Press)

either way, you can certainly see the compassionate aspect of this energy, figure or force, looking down on the activities of the people below. The cranes flying across the face of Kwan Yin are an ancient symbol of longevity or immortality, and remind us of our connection to the eternal. The lotus is a classic symbol of enlightenment, which is the realisation of both impermanence and essential oneness. The candles, at least in my mind, are closely associated with both meditation and magical rites.

Neopaganism
The image of people gathered in a circle holding hands has a strong sense of the neopagan for me. Even though a fire is not in evidence on the card, there's something about them being in silhouette that makes me feel that there is a fire in the middle of the circle. The white outline on their bodies reminds me of auras and raised energy.

Christianity
The original versions of the card showing human figures being raised from the dead by a divine power is definitely based in Christianity. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52  'Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed' (Bible, English Standard Version). It is this scene that is depicted on the traditional RWS Judgement card, and in many other decks.

So what do I make of it in a reading? And what did I see in it today? It can be so many things. Fresh starts. A new beginning after a really rough time. Shedding outworn patterns or beliefs and opening up to the new. Heeding the call of a new path. It can even be something as simple as turning away from what troubles you and saying, 'Yeah, whatever. 'Cause look what delight there is in shere existence!  Look at all the love and compassion that surround me. So many good things, so many ways to start again.'

And that's the lesson I'm taking from it today.

The Flow. Go with it.

I pulled this card from Gaian Tarot (by Joanna Powell Colbert, Llewellyn 2011) as part of a 4-card spread today. This one was in the 'avoid' position.

The 8 of Cups in the Rider Waite shows someone striking out on a path going uphill, destination unknown, leaving behind a stack of eight cups. This card shows a woman determinedly swimming upstream. In its positive aspects, it suggests that you should go against the flow, be unconventional, be unafraid to move in your own direction in order to 'find your authentic self', even if that means a bit of a struggle. That's all very valiant and good.

Sometimes, though, you're tired of fighting. Sometimes, you realise the fight is counterproductive. You realise that upstream, though possibly the brave and valiant direction, is actually the wrong way.

The message to me today is, stop fighting. Stop struggling. Tread water for a bit and feel the current rushing past you. Let it wash over you. Let it wash you clean. Then relax into it, and let it carry you for awhile. Just float today. Find the flow...go with it.

For today, may I catch myself when I start swimming upstream, stop,and just go with the flow.

'Predict Your Future by Creating It' with Gaian Tarot

Beth Owl's-Daughter's 'Predict Your Future by Creating It' Spread

 Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert, Llewellyn 2011

From left to right, cards are numbered 1-6: (Client chooses cards 1 and 6 from the majors before the draw, then the remainder of the cards are shuffled together to draw cards 2-5).

1. Where are you today?- Bindweed (aka The Devil)
2. What challenges you - 4 of Water (4 of Cups)
3. What action you can take to meet that challenge - 10 of Fire (10 of Wands)
4. The next step - The Canoe (The Chariot)
5. How Mystery helps you - Guardian of Air (Queen of Swords)
6. Where do you want be? The Sun

Where am I today?
I selected Bindweed. I do feel bound by my addiction to sugar and sweets, and I feel I am not acting with intention in areas that I have told myself are important to me. I feel stuck and without a clear idea of what to do to free myself. It pains me that my actions are in such opposition to my goals and hopes for myself.

What challenges me
The 4 of Water carries some of the RWS meaning of 4 of Cups, which I always take to mean boredom and refusing to look at the good things in life that are on offer. In this card, a woman gazes into the Chalice Well at Glastonbury. I've been there, and it's a lovely place and really does have a spiritual feeling to it. The shadow meaning of the card is feeling like my 'well is empty, drained, bored, lethargic' (words from the companion book). I would have to agree. I'm not feeling the level of motivation I used to enjoy when it comes to certain of my goals.

What action I can take to meet that challenge
The 10 of Fire depicts a forest fire. There are billows of choking smoke. It looks unfightable, like something that must burn itself out completely. The companion book reminds us that forest fires do occur naturally and are not necessarily a disaster, although we tend to see them as such. Actually, forest fires make way for new growth, and are part of the life cycle of the forest. The message here is that something must be completely done away with in order to facilitate growth in my life. But what? What am I hanging onto that I must release, and not only release, but completely obliterate? The companion books states, 'You must release your passions and energies, whether or not you want to, whether or not you think you're ready. It is time.' Surely this means I have to just do it. I need to make a list of behaviours and thought patterns that need to be burned away...or maybe it's the list making that needs burning away!

The next step
The Canoe is the Gaian equivalent to the RWS Chariot. A very determined looking bloke paddles through the water, while an eagle, salmon, and killer whales accompany him for the journey. I know the salmon is a Celtic symbol of wisdom, the eagle represents nobility and survival to me, the orcas I don't know why they're there. I'll have to give that a think. The main message here is to paddle on with single-minded focus. I notice he's paddling fiercely AWAY from the forest fire. So the message seems to be, burn it down and move ON. Now is now, and the way I succeeded last time may not be the way I will be successful this time.

How 'Mystery' helps
Mystery is a curious word here. I guess it means 'the Universe', or as Eckhart Tolle calls it 'Universal Consciousness'. It looks like she's here to kick my butt, because the Guardian of Air is pretty much a straight out of RWS Queen of Swords. She sees right through all the bullcrap and has no patience for slackers. She will help me be honest with myself and take the necessary steps to achieve my goals--even if that means, as the companion book says, adopting an 'autonomous and austere lifestyle'. I sort of like the sound of that.

Where do I want to be?
The Sun! Healthy, happy, having achieved my goals. Really enjoying my life and the feeling of being free. I love the stone wall symbol. The companion books says, 'The stone wall represents keeping your boundaries strong so that you stay away from mindsets and habits that bring unhappiness.' Yes to that!

This reading was a bit of an owie. It seems to be saying, grow up. Get on with it and stop whining. Who'd have thought this sweet little poodle of a deck would nip my fingers on the first go.

Right, next step...a more in depth exploration of that 10 of Fire card...

'Balancing the Moment' with GaianTarot

Here's my review of this deck on Amazon: Groovin' to their Chakra Vibe

There's a bit of a 3-D effect in this post with some extra large images...but I think it looks sort of like I've flipped cards out on the table and we're leaning over them together. Besides, 3-D is very fashionable right now.

I found this interesting technique for playing around with a new deck, by Lunalafey at Aeclectic Tarot, called 'Balance the Moment.' I am trying it out with my brand new out of the box just arrived today GAIAN TAROT, by Joanna Powell Colbert, published by Llewellyn, 2011.

Step One. Separate the deck. Look through the deck and create two piles: Cards I like, Cards I dislike.

Step Two. Reduce the piles. Study each pile carefully, and select 3-6 cards you like best of all, and 3-6 cards you most dislike.

Step Three. Find the balance. Choose the card you like the most. Read it for its negative aspects and associations. Reflect upon how that applies in your life right now. Then choose the card you most dislike. Read it for its positive aspects and assocations. Reflect upon how that applies to your life right now.

Step One.
So, I have 43 cards in my 'Like' pile, and 35 cards in my 'Dislike' pile. That's pretty close. This deck is a mixed bag for me. It always has been ever since I started looking at the scans months and months ago.  The cards that have gone in my dislike pile either don't show the suit plainly enough for me (for example, 2 of Water, ie, 2 of Cups. I expect to see two cups. Or two things that remind me of water. What I've got here is a nearly topless woman about to be licked in the face by a big white dog. There's a waterfall in the background). The cards that have gone in my 'like' pile either trigger an instant association in my mind with the card meaning, or are just beautiful and compelling to me.

Step Two.

Cards I like

Top 3 of the cards I like...

 I love all three of these cards. I am always attracted to colourful images with people in them, so the first two choices are predictable. Ten of Earth caught me because woodland walking is amongst my favourite types of country walks.  But the most attractive card of the three is the middle card, Six of Fire. The woman dancing looks so supremely confident, in the moment and beautiful. Everyone seems to be having a great time. The companion book says of the shadow meaning:

'You may be burned out and exhausted, and fearful...you may feel you have nothing to offer. Your inner fire is burning weakly and you need to be revitalised. Seek out the people and places that will ignite your fire once more.' ~ Joanna Powell Colbert, Gaian Tarot, p. 170

Spot on, as they say. Bad things are happening with my work life and with some of the goals I have set myself. The advice of this card sorely needs acting upon.

Cards I dislike

Bottom 3 of the 'boo' pile

Yuck to the dead fish! And what are all those people worshipping? Why is that one chick in the front doing a yoga pose while everyone else seems to be welcoming Prot of K-Pax to planet earth? And I'm sorry, but girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes--I mean wreaths in their hair and really bad photoshoppy looking butterflies, ugh. But which do I hate most? *sigh* Child of Air. It's just so...so...

Looking at its positive aspects, the companion book says:

'The Child of Air brings fresh insight to old situations in a light-hearted or whimsical way. Someone is very curious and may begin a new course of study or explore new points of view...She has discovered the secret of staying in the present moment (or perhaps it has discovered her).' ~Joanna Powell Colbert, Gaian Tarot, p. 212

If there's anything I could use, it's the secret of staying in the present moment. So okay, Gaian Tarot, I'm hearing you.

Well, that was interesting! I look forward to drawing from this deck over the next 5 days.

Come hear the music play

Click the card to hear the song

What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret.

Put down the knitting,
The book and the broom.
Time for a holiday.
Life is Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret.

Come taste the wine,
Come hear the band.
Come blow your horn,
Start celebrating;
Right this way,
Your table's waiting

No use permitting
some prophet of doom
To wipe every smile away.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret!

I used to have a girlfriend
known as Elsie
With whom I shared
Four sordid rooms in Chelsea

She wasn't what you'd call
A blushing flower...
As a matter of fact
She rented by the hour.

The day she died the neighbors
came to snicker:
"Well, thats what comes
from to much pills and liquor."

But when I saw her laid out like a Queen
She was the happiest...corpse...I'd ever seen.
I think of Elsie to this very day.
I'd remember how'd she turn to me and say:

"What good is sitting alone in your room?
Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret."

And as for me,
I made up my mind back in Chelsea,
When I go, I'm going like Elsie.

Start by admitting from cradle to tomb,

It isn't that long a stay. 

Life is a Cabaret, old chum, 

Only a Cabaret, old chum, 

And I love a Cabaret!

~Fred Ebb & John Kander

Tap dance on a floor tiled with sky and a bottomless pit. You can do anything! You've walked through the door between the impossible and the possible, between doubt and fearlessness. You've got the keys to the kingdom, lady! 

(Okay, I know the song contains a lot of desperation and nihilism, especially as intrepreted by Liza Minelli, and doesn't quite fit the card, but...I love Liza and the card reminds me of the song. ;) )

So today, may I dance, in a good way. 

One plus one is one?

Today's card from Roxi Sim's Pearls of Wisdom Tarot is The Lovers. I quite like this card. The two lovers have become one, entwining together and turning into a tree. I think the image of a tree is a lovely one to symbolise strength and steadfastness and longevity. These lovers become a tree, with a complex root network penetrating the earth. There are little mushrooms sprouting up from the roots, and to me they represent a sort of rebirth or the life cycle. They also look a bit phallic. Also seen in the card is the pomegranate, which I associate with fertility and sensuality. However, the card also points to separation, as the lovers in the tree seem almost engaged in a struggle, and their shoulders and heads pull away from each other. The tree is also in autumn leaf and shedding leaves, hinting that earthly love by its nature cannot last forever, as our physical bodies inevitably decline and die. But then, there are the mushrooms again, reminding us of the life circle. 

Most of the cards in the deck feature strings of pearls, which to me symbolise tears shed in this life--both happy and sad ones. The pearl strands in the card are embellished with yin yang symbols, opposites attracting and mingling.

The card speaks strongly to me of both togetherness and separateness, and reminds me,

for some reason, of Kalil Gibran's The Prophet, 'On Marriage':

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

The card can be seen as a celebration of love and partnership, but also a warning not to lose oneself in the process. Are they one, or are they striving to be one and separate at the same time? Are they in a passionate embrace, or are they sharing the throes of inevitable death? As Forrest Gump says, 'I think maybe it's both. Both happening at the same time.' 

May I remember not to lose myself in my relationships.

Messing about in boats

Today's draw from Roxi Sim's Pearls of Wisdom Tarot (7th House, 2008) is The Fool. Dressed as a court jester and in a boat called 'Serendipity', the Fool here is doing the impossible: floating upstream while going downhill. Heading right toward a rock, the Fool is oblivious, although the dog at least seems to be paying attention. The Fool carries a sack printed with the alchemical symbols for earth, air, fire and water, a detail that can be seen in the close-up of the sack featured in the frame of the card.








Roxi's usual personification of nature can be seen in the card: the tree seems to have a face (although it looks more like the scrunched up faces of the trees in 'The Wizard of Oz' than the sort of happy tree one might expect to find on the Fool card. But then, trees are wise, so maybe he knows something the Fool doesn't know.). In the background, to me, the hill looks like a woman asleep on her side, facing away from us. The water is her hair, then you can see her green shoulder, dip of her waist, and then her hip. Nature is often depicted as a sleeping woman in these cards. Perhaps it is meant to speak to the benign presence of Gaia. She's always there in the background, no matter what action-packed adventures may be going on in our lives, and she knows none of it is anything to get too over-excited about.

So there's certainly an element of danger and in the card, but it is outshone by the positivity of the imagery. Yes, the Fool does seem quite ridiculous and foolish! But she is trusting that no matter what things work out for the best. That's why her boat is called Serendipity. The full blazing sun and the rainbow are very positive and full of promise. The bumblebee is a nice touch. There is a myth that 'science has proved the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly', while of course the bumblebee can fly. And this has come to take on special meaning to people, the idea of doing the impossible because you don't know it's impossible. (For more on the bumblebee myth, try Flight of the Bumblebee, Lasers Illuminate Flight of the Bumblebee, or Is it aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly?) Wherever I see bumblebees on Roxi's Pearls of Wisdom cards, I take this message. Things that seem impossible may not be impossible. You don't know until you try. Then of course, there are the more familiar butterflies standing for transformation and growth.

All cards in the Pearls of Wisdom deck contain runes.  On The Fool, she uses Wunjo (left side) and Berkano (right side--she calls it Berkana in the companion book). Wunjo is the symbol of joy and Berkano is the symbol of rebirth and renewal. To be honest, I ignore the runes when I use these cards. I haven't been able to get into runes yet, but it's something I'm interested in, vaguely.

The card carries the usual message of the Fool, throwing oneself out into the world without overthinking or worrying, enjoying the moment and the journey, and trusting that all will be well.

May all be well for me and all beings today.

I woke up this morning wondering why I'm not making progress on the goals I set for Aug 2011 - Aug 2012. I made a 90-day plan and was diligent for the first few days on some of them, but others, I've either made no progress or actively worked in the opposite direction.

I was going to put this down to natural human rebellion against discipline. I often used to think that it was a childish response to authority, even my own. You tell a kid to do something, he bullishly will refuse to do it, or might go off and do the opposite, just to spite you. It's not personal, just his way of asserting himself as an individual in a world where he feels powerless. Seems ridiculous to do something like that to YOURSELF!  But then, people are pretty weird. I've often used this explanation of my actions and those of others.

This morning, though, I read something that made me look at it in a different light. It is the concept that wherever there is suffering (or unskillful actions), there is compassion, though most of the time somewhat twisted by the confused logic of ego and the process of ego. This comes from a book by Daniel Ingram, with the wonderful title, 'Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book'.

'It is common for people to feel bad about their lack of progress. This can cause them to feel extremely frustrated, and produce all sorts of self-judgement...' The author goes on to advise us to use insight meditation to pinpoint the sensations of the emotion, its location in our bodies, its duration, and so on. Here's the kicker:

'Now, find the compassion in it. Take a minute or two to reflect on why this particular sensation seems to be of some use even though it may not seem completely useful in its current form. Is there a wish for yourself or others to be happy in this sensation? Is there a wish for the world to be a better place? Is there a wish to find pleasure, tranquility, or the end of suffering?

'Notice that fear has in it the desire to protect us or those about whom we care. Anger wants the world to be happy or work well or for justice to be done. Frustration comes from the caring sensations of anger being thwarted. Desire is rooted in the wish to be happy. Judgement comes from the wish for things to conform to high standards. Sadness comes from the sense of how good things could be...

'From a certain point of view, we are all doing our best all time, and the problem is that we do not see clearly enough.' 

Ingram advises us to be careful of setting goals that are too future-oriented. He says that a good goal is method-oriented rather than results-oriented.  As this is a book on dharma, his examples are related to enlightenment, but I believe this principle can be applied to anything. He says the wish to become enlightened is a purely results-oriented goal, while the wish to deeply understand the true nature of the sensations making up one's world as they arise in today's practice or during today, would be a fine method-oriented goal. 'Purely future-oriented goals are at best mostly worthless and at worst very dangerous,' he says.

So I take out my deck and draw 7 of Pentacles. What is happening in this card? Are the figures reading a book about gardening? Are they sitting in a support group talking about why gardening is so hard for them? Are they scribbling journal entries about how they want their garden to look in 2012? Are they chanting affirmations about what great gardeners they are? No...they're working in the garden. And it's not a neat, orderly work method they're using either. It's all over the place. They've got bare fresh-tilled earth, which they're planting with seed, but also there are flowers in full bloom in the same plot. The tree is in full blossom and green leaf but also has ripe fruits (the coins) AND dead leaves falling off it at the same time. There is sowing, growing, harvesting, and fallowness all going on at the same time here. Progression toward a goal is not straightforward. But no matter how convoluted it gets, it's not because you're a bad person. It's because everything you do or feel, comes from a place of compassion and a good wish for the world. It just gets a little twisted in the expression because we don't realise that's what it is, and are busy judging ourselves or others through the filter of our egos. But look at these guys. They're not worried about their egos. They are IN THE MOMENT. Fully accepting that this garden doesn't make any logical sense. Enjoying the fruit. Even messing around and having a laugh about how silly it all is (see how the guy is tweaking the booby of the tree...ha!)

So, the card is saying, work in the moment. Keep your goals in the moment. They will lead naturally to a future-oriented goal. And along the way, don't judge yourself, but recognize your ego-twisted logic and its expression. You didn't eat the apple pie or fail to do your sitting meditation because you have a rebellious spirit. You did it because in that moment you wanted to be happy, to enjoy, and because you were not fully present in that moment and had no clear idea of what you wanted to accomplish in that moment. Can I stop and ask myself, what is my goal in this moment? How is what I'm doing coming from a twisted version of compassion? What would be a more skillful act of compassion in this moment?

May I be mindful  of my actions in each moment. May I realise that the garden of my life is not linear and that's okay.

'Taste the rainbow...'

How about a little colour today? This card is from the Pearls of Wisdom Tarot by Roxi Sim (7th House Publishing, 2008).

What a perfect card for today! I'm off work, got the whole day ahead of me...other than an appointment to get my hair cut at 9.30, I have no obligations at all. I am free to daydream, relax, enjoy the hours as they pass. I can fill them with anything I like, or nothing at all. This my day to refresh myself, a day of love (symbolised by the hearts) and renewal (the butterflies). The cups are filled with water, air, fire, and shooting stars! It's a card that tells me not to worry, to just enjoy everything today. No goals to meet, no promises to keep, no expectations to fulfill.

This is the second edition of the Pearls of Wisdom Tarot, which I'm told is bigger than the 1st edition, and also has dark purple borders, while the 1st edition had white. I got this deck in a trade with someone...I can't remember what I traded for it. I think it was Housewives Tarot. That was a great swap for me, because I really disliked Housewives (I thought it was going to be kitschy fun, but it ended up, to me, to be caustic and flippant), whereas I've loved Roxi's deck from the moment I opened the box.

The story behind the Pearls of Wisdom Tarot may be familiar. The artist, Roxi Sim, came to paint the deck after suffering a debilitating illness and losing her son, her mother and both parents-in-law in the span of 10 years. She went into a deep depression and painting this truly uplifting tarot deck was, as she put it, her 'art therapy to paint her way out of depression'. She painted it whilst living in the Caribbean, over seven years. Each card is a complete riot of colour and nature imagery. Most cards, if you look closely enough, show nature personified, usually as a green hillside depicted as a sleeping woman, in the background of the card. I love the naive art style and vibrant colours.

I feel the need for some colour in my life lately. I think I'll draw from this deck for the next few days.

Ah, a 3-day weekend

I've got a 3-day weekend coming up. Nothing booked, no real plans. Today I've drawn the Knight of Cups, 3 of Wands and Fool from the Touchstone Tarot by Kat Black (Kunati, 2009). The figure in the Knight of Cups stares straight out at us, and his body is turned toward the other two cards, receiving their energy. The figures in 3 of Wands and Fool both face in the direction of the Knight of Cups, but with their eyes cast into the distance (and in different directions from one another). To me this suggests hubby and I are going to enjoy a loved-up weekend, during which we don't bother with elaborate planning (see how the 3 of Wands figure has turned his vision away from the distance? If he were scanning the horizon, he'd mean planning the future to me, but as he's turned away, in this reading at least, I see it as not bothering so much with planning but instead focusing on what is closer, right next to him.). And then of course the Fool suggests all sorts of potential for unplanned adventure. So who knows what could happen. Maybe we'll impulsively take off to the hills for some walking, or fall in love with a car (we intend to do some more test driving) and buy it on the spot. No knowing! Looks like it will be a fun weekend, though.

Now to make it through today's work day...because the card I drew for today was Page of Swords! Oh no! Not Billy the Kid again! 

Too knackered to budge

Harmonious Tarot, Crane & Fitzpatrick 2005

I'm so tired today, too knackered to budge, so I thought I'd show you a card from one of the sweetest little decks around -- the Harmonious Tarot, by Ernest Fitzpatrick, based on art by Walter Crane, published by Lo Scarabeo, 2005.

Like so many Lo Scarabeo decks, this one comes with white borders with the number at the top, title in 6 languages in the four corners. I detest that particular Lo Scarabeo style, and it puts me off so many of their decks. But I found myself going back and looking at this sweet deck over and over, and I finally bought it, whacked the borders off completely, and used a black sharpie to write the numbers on the tops of the cards in that handy little oval that seems purpose made for the job. IIf I had it to do over, I would use a brown sharpie, and probably sit at a table and take more time rather than doing it curled up in my chair with my feet tucked up under me.) It turned the deck from something that looked awkward and mawkish to a delicate little thing that looks as if it slipped from an Edwardian lady's handbag. I love it. The 4 of Swords card that I've chosen to represent my afternoon has the traditional meaning of a period of rest, but here we see it interpreted as three little flower maidens lounging in exhaustion after what must have been a blazing hot summer day. The long day is done, the cool of night approaches, and all they've got left in them is to sprawl out and say good-bye to the evening sun. There's a clear feeling of, 'Whew...sooo glad that's over. Let's stretch out and then curl up for a nice long nap!' That's how I feel about today. It's been a long one.

Here are few more cards...The Sun, The Fool, and Strength. I didn't get them straight on the scanner, but I told you I was knackered! I hope they will give you an  idea of the style of the deck and how the borders look with the white outer edges trimmed off. I love it. It's just so sweet.

 (Did I mention that I think it's sweet? ;) )

Who are you trying to impress? What are you trying to prove?

Today's draw from Touchstone Tarot is 6 of Wands. This card shows a triumphant return from battle. It is often interpreted to mean recognition for success. Coming as it does after the 5 of Wands, which depicts minor squabbles, it could also mean being victorious in a small way, as well. Or it could even mean being victorious over something so minor and petty that it doesn't even really matter. In that case, it would be an irony, that the figure in the card looking so lordly and puffing himself up is doing it over something that is of no importance or real benefit.

Every tarot card has its shadow meaning, its darker side. We sometimes forget them when reading. Some readers like to mix their decks up so that some cards turn up reversed, and will use that as a cue to read a shadow meaning of a tarot card. I personally believe that all cards are meant to be viewed right side up, and one should use one's intuition (or perhaps the designated positional meaning in a spread) to determine whether to read a card's shadow meaning. Whoever meant for a picture to be viewed upside down? No one. To me, reversals are a silly tradition--I can't stand to see an upside down image, it really annoys me!

This card is making me think of the rioting going on in the streets of England now. Mobs of youth have been burning and looting city centres in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, and elsewhere. They may feel like some sort of victors, but victors of what? Their actions are meaningless. Their efforts have earned them the loathing of a nation, and served only to reinforce negative stereotypes held about this country's youth. Are these perpetrators puffing themselves up with pride? Do they think they've got something over on someone? Over on who? What victory have they won? What point have they proved? Nothing. It's all empty. The guy in the back of this card is looking at Mr Pride in the foreground, and he looks embarrassed. A servant from outside the card is leading away a riderless grey horse. No point. No victory.

What will it take to end this episode? I drew Strength. I'm not seeing the usual message of the fair maiden overcoming the lion through her gentleness. This is old-fashioned strength. That lion is being completely subdued, his head twisted right round. He doesn't look submissive, or reconciled to what's happening to him. He is being forced into submission, by someone, judging by the look on her face, who can actually do it quite easily. She's had enough and quietly reaches over and twists the lion's head half off. She looks down into his mouth with an investigative air. Sure, she looks as if once she's got the lion on his back, she can be compassionate. She will take the trouble to find out why the lion was misbehaving. But for the moment, the objective is to get the lion down. It's going to take force, strength, confident authority to put an end to this thing, and eventually the compassion to look into the deeper sources of this episode. The point is knowing which comes first.

On the other hand, there are the legions of folk taking to the streets with their brooms to clean up the mess. Maybe they're the Strength that will take the lion down, the true strength of the majority, in their pure motives and essential goodness. 

May all this mess end today, whatever it takes.

Life...is just a bowl of cherries...

Do this. Don't do this. Outcome. (Touchstone, 2009)

I've been stressed lately, for various reasons, but when you add them all up, it's a lot to take in! I've got redundancy worries, joined a new union, switched my gas and electric supplier, taken on a tarot project with Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), I've stepped up my exercise regime, and I'm reading a book about meditation practice that is, as it says in the title, 'Unusally Hardcore'. So I asked the Touchstone Tarot, how should I deal with all this? And I drew 3 cards: Do this. Don't do this. Outcome.

So I'm supposed to 'do' 9 of Cups. Strangely enough, the first thing I notice about this card, other than the fact the chap in it looks like he's had a good sip from each of those nine cups, is that there is a bowl of cherries on the table. Which instantly brings to mind the song: 'Life is just a bowl of cherries. Don't take it serious...

Life's too mysterious

You work,

You save,

You worry so

But you can't take your dough

When you go, go, go

So keep repeating "It's the berries."

The strongest oak must fall

The sweet things in life

To you were just loaned

So how can you lose

What you've never owned

Life is just a bowl of cherries

So live and laugh, aha!

Laugh and love

Live and laugh,

Laugh and love,

Live and laugh at it all!'

~by Ray Henderson, 1931 

Message received! Lighten up, the tarot's telling me. Take it easy. Find something about the situation to enjoy. Or just find something, somewhere, anywhere,  to enjoy. At the end of the day, what will most of it even matter?

Billy the Kid

Then ... what should I NOT do? Page of Swords. Just look at that guy. He reminds me so much of the famous photo of Billy the Kid. He's just so cocky! He's got his head tilted to the side with that 'Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough' expression on his face. Don't mess with me, he's saying. But bring it on!, he's also saying. I can take you. I think the message here is, don't fight it. Don't defy the universe. Don't be belligerent. Don't have an attitude. Don't think you can outsmart the situation you're in. No mental fisticuffs or even full-on gun fights of the mind will help you in the situation you're in. Nope, surrender is best.

And what will be the outcome if I stop fighting it and learn to enjoy the journey? Seven of Coins. What a lovely maiden, like something out of a Vermeer painting. (Actually, she's by Raffaello, from a painting called 'Portrait of a Woman', 1507. I looked it up in the handy Touchstone Tarot companion book. ) Doesn't she look placid, though. She's patient. She's waiting for the plants to grow, and come to fruition, and that's all I can do, as well. That's all any of us can do, really, in any situation. Be patient. 

So okay! I get it. Chill out, don't fight it, be patient. 

I can do that. (She says.)

The Prestige

Today's draw from Kat Black's Touchstone Tarot (Kunati, 2009) is The Magician. This Magician appears to be an occult scholar, most likely an alchemist. His turban is quite elaborately decorated and suggests both riches and an otherworldliness, even a sort of holiness. His inner robe appears to be golden silk, intricately embroidered. His outer robe is decorated with large stars and moons, as one would expect of a wizard. Multiple rings on his fingers, he is grasping in two fingers a chain that ends in a golden orb. (The forefinger touching the thumb is a mudra symbolizing knowledge. What sort of knowledge might that golden orb represent?) On the table before him, the suits of the tarot deck, also representing the four elements: cup, wand, knife, coin. Clearly he is seated in a library, just next the stairs that lead up to more books above. An owl perches nearby. On his face, a very enigmatic expression, as if he knows all sorts of things he's not quite willing to share. Or wants you to think that.
The Magician represents the ability to turn thoughts into reality.  He takes the knowledge he has gathered over the years of study or contemplation, and through concentration and will, makes them happen in the real world. The ultimate expression of this ability was alchemy, 'a process by which paradoxical results are achieved or incompatible elements combined with no obvious rational explanation'. The primary objective of the alchemist was to turn base metals into gold, or finding the 'universal elixir'.

What could this have to do with daily life in a reading?  The Magician reminds us that we can make things happen. We can use all available tools, combine them in unusual, even unique, ways in order to make our dreams reality. There's a shadow side to the Magician, though, and his earlier manifestation in tarot was as The Juggler, ie, a sideshow trickster. So we are also warned to watch out for too-good-to-be-true schemes, sleight of hand or out and out illusions. Thus that enigmatic smile!

May I use all resources at my disposal wisely today, and keep my wits about me so as not to be misled.

So much potential!

Touchstone Tarot, Kat Black (Kunati 2009)

My draw today from Touchstone Tarot is so encouraging! I drew three cards with no positional meanings (most of my 3-card draws are done without positional meanings, and read either from left to right, or using Robert Place's 3-card method. I'll do a post on that soon!)

The 6 of Cups suggests approaching life with childlike wonder and openness, while the two aces speak to me of potential energy in the two areas that have been of major concern to me lately, the material and spiritual realms. I love that both figures in the ace cards have wings, but are not using them. Again, the potential is there, but just waiting for the first flappings to soar away!

In the Ace of Coins, there is a dog, which always symbolises faithfulness and humility to me, loyalty and even a kind of nobility. The lily behind the winged figure reminds me of purity. I believe this to be purity of intention. The Ace of Coins figure faces the 6 of Cups, even is pointing one finger at it! So surely the message here is that in order to move forward in the material realm, I must access my childlike openness and wonder. For my exercise, to rediscover the joy of movement. For my nutrition, to be willing to learn new things and even to be retaught things I once knew. For my livelihood, to trust that I will be provided for by a loving universe. Now, that's truly childlike trust!

The Ace of Wands figure also inclines her head toward the 6 of Cupse, but the shoulders and torso point away. This suggests to me that in the spiritual realm, I must keep an openness, but may need more emotional maturity to move in the direction that I wish to go in. This makes perfect sense, as I want to grow and mature in my spiritual practice. The figure holds a wand and seems to be nurturing a bowl of hot coals. These represent to me smouldering potential, and also call to mind the practice of burning ground herbs and resins on coals in a cauldron or other vessel. The castle in the background on the hill reminds me of the attainment that awaits with diligent practice, and the humble cottage below reminds me that the day-to-day living of the spiritual path involves very little glory. And of course, between the figure and the castle, there's a very tangled wood to be negotiated. What are her fingers pointing toward? They both point away from the Ace of Coins. Maybe a reminder that the answer doesn't lie in materialism--like buying new decks and books every other day? (Ouch!)

May I remember the messages of this draw as I move through the coming week: retain my wonder, enjoy my physical existence, and begin the trek through those tangled woods of the spiritual realm. Hello, meditation cushion!

Who is that guy?

Touchstone Tarot, 2009

Today's draw comes from Kat Black's beautiful Touchstone Tarot, published by Kunati, 2009. The deck comes with wide borders designed to look like wooden picture frames, because all (or most) of the cards in this deck are composed of Renaissance portraits. I trimmed the top and sides of my deck to make them easier to handle. To me, the overall look of the cards is greatly enhanced by this change.

Waite Smith 1909

The card I pulled from the deck today is The World. Our usual image of the World card includes a female nude at the centre of the card, with the four figures around the edges (human face, eagle, lion, bull) said to  represent the four elements (air, water, fire, earth).  But older decks contain a male figure, as does this deck. Both Paul Huson in his 'Mystical Origins of the Tarot' and Robert Place in 'Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination' agree (as do many other writers) that the central figure originally represented Christ in glory, with the four figures surrounded him simultaneously representing the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the four beasts surrounding the throne of God in Revelation 4:7 ("And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle"), and the Holy Living creatures described in the book of Ezekiel, each having the face of an ox, eagle, lion and man. ("As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle." -- Ezekiel 1:10). The World card, then shows the ascended Christ after the Judgement of the world at the end of days, reigning supreme and being worshipped by all creatures. This card does fall in sequence directly after the Judgement card, and there is no doubt in my mind it originated to represent the second coming. So some tarot cards depict Christ in glory, while others, the ones with female figures, refer to the Anima Mundi, the Soul of the World, which is the bride of Christ, or the New Jerusalem. When you get into historical decks, or even decks based on historical decks, there's no getting around the Christian imagery. It is totally and completely there, and you can glaze over it with all the pagan stuff you like, but you can't get around that truth.

Anyway,in a reading, the World card represents achieved goals, complete fruition, absolute success, enlightenment, and so on. Well, I mean, can you get much higher than the glorified Christ, when it comes to symbols of success? I ask you!