March up to the gate and bid it open - 7 of Wands

'You're out of the woods
You're out of the dark
You're out of the night
Step into the sun
Step into the light

Keep straight ahead for the most glorious place
On the face of the earth or the sky

Hold onto your breath
Hold onto your heart
Hold onto your hope
March up to the gate and bid it open'

~Wizard of Oz 

The 7 of Wands is traditionally about self-defense, or proving oneself through some sort of trial. Today's card from Deviant Moon Tarot (US Games 2013) has a similar sensibility, but the trial is over in this depiction. 

'A bewildered child has been lost in the thicket for several days. Against overwhelming odds, she finally discovers a path that will lead her home. Seven blooming wands mark the end of her ordeal.' ~ Patrick Valenza, LWB

I'm really glad it's Friday, but I can't help but think how fast weeks go by these days. Weeks seem to go by as fast as days used to when I was a kid. I wonder why that is. Do you remember how summer break used to last forever? All those endless glorious days, and when the school finally started again, you felt like it had been an age since you were there. Well, I suppose that's natural. When you're only 10 years old, a year is 10% of your entire life so far! No wonder a week or a summer seems so long. When you're getting on to 50, it doesn't feel like such a significant chunk. :) 

But anyway, this card is about finding your way out or overcoming obstacles. What obstacles are you facing, or what 'thicket' are you feeling lost in right now? The card assures you that you can find your way out, if you don't lose faith in your own ability. Don't doubt yourself. You're nearly there! 

Grail Shrimp? Deviant Moon Knight of Cups

The knights in Deviant Moon Tarot (US Games 2013) all ride a steed of some sort (Knight of Wands rides a giant bug, Knight of Swords a horse, Knight of Pentacles a mechanical steam-powered conveyance) except our Knight of Cups, who seems himself to be some sort of sea creature clad in armour. Maybe he's thrown himself so much into his element that he's become part of it (water).

'The loyal knight presents his find to the world: the gift of hope. His long search has taken him over and under a boundless sea. His once magnificent armour now bears a green patina. This journey has changed not only his body, but his soul as well.' ~ Patrick Valenza, LWB

So, he has evolved over the course of his quest.

This interpretation differs somewhat from the traditional view of the Knight of Cups as an adolescent figure overwhelmed by his own passions and emotions, much like Romeo, impetuous and histrionic. The Deviant Moon's Knight of Cups seems to have completed his grail quest, and holds his resulting treasure reverently, with both hands.

Best laid plans

7 of Swords 

'The harlequin attempts to swallow his swords in a dramatic display of skill, yet his plan is flawed. The rope which binds the blades is frayed and will soon break, leaving him in a tragic predicament.' ~ Patrick Valenza, Deviant Moon Tarot LWB (US Games 2013)

He does appear to be in considerable peril, but I wonder what happened to his right foot!

The divinatory meanings given in the LWB are: ill-conceived plans, a path to failure, a poor attempt. These are a bit different from the usual RWS meanings of cunning, deception, or the more innocent pursuit of knowledge (study).

Thoth tradition names this card Lord of Futility, which doesn't quite have the same feeling as this particular interpretation of 7 of Swords, as Lord of Futility is more about feeling too doubtful to take a decisive course of action. The figure in this card doesn't seem to doubt his abilities, in fact may be overconfident and not seeing all the factors involved in his current course of action, nor their possible consequences. On the other hand, few activities seem more futile than sword swallowing.

This leads me to the following questions for today:

Emperor keeps shining his influence today

Well, I've heard that Red Bull gives you energy. I think that little critter's meant to be a ram, though. Or it ought to be for this card. Oh well!

It's the Emperor from Deviant Moon Tarot (US Games 2013) today. Apart from his strange chin and Gene Simmons boots, this character looks almost normal. The symbols on the card are all familiar, too. The chess board is often associated with Emperor; we see it in several decks, denoting the Emperor's black and white view of things, his military skills (ability to out think his adversaries, stay one step ahead of the game to keep a firm hold on his empire). The turrets and castle walls in the background show his power and wealth, which we also see in his purple robe with ermine trim. All very familiar.

'Dominating all that is around him, the Emperor sits with confidence. Although pleased with his achievements, he looks towards other areas of conquest.' ~Patrick Valenza, Deviant Moon LWB

The recent full moon was in Aries, or Emperor, and it looks like his influence continues. Now here's something to contemplate:

Can you give too much?

It seems redundant to keep writing, 'What a weird image,' but I truly can't think of anything else to say when I draw a card from Deviant Moon Tarot (US Games 2013). Today's card is 6 of Pentacles:

'Compassion for the plight of the dead has led a wealthy man into the cemetery. Meeting a soul who longs for the material world, the man offers one of his six pentacles in an open act of generosity'. ~ LWB, Patrick Valenza. 

Riiight, okay, that's weird.

I know, I know. The guy's got three legs. He's got one arm reaching from his chest like out of a first floor window. His other hands are coming out of his back. It's weird!

It gets weirder, though. According to the LWB, the textures of the clothing of the figures in this deck are taken from graveyards of eastern Long Island, and the architecture of the buildings in the cards comes from photography of a 'local abandoned insane asylum.' You what? That's pretty weird.

Deck Review - Deviant Moon Tarot

Steampunk. Nightmare Before Christmas. Hieronymus Bosch. Where the Wild Things Are. The clockwork visions of a disturbed Victorian 5-year-old. Deviant Moon Tarot.

I've put off buying this deck for years. It was weird, it was dark, it was unsettling -- it was voted Number One Tarot Deck of All Time a few years in a row by the purple site, which annoyed me. How could it come out ahead of the Rider Waite Smith that it was clearly based on? So I thought, screw it. Who needs more darkness in their lives?

But this year, I couldn't face a month of readings with the Halloween Tarot (Kipling West, US Games). And yet, I always want to use appropriately themed decks in the weeks leading up to Samhain. So I put feelers out to other tarotists for suggestions of a dark deck and Deviant Moon came enough that I bit the bullet and purchased. The borderless edition looked more appealing than the older one, so I got that.

It's a weird deck. It is not the best tarot deck of all time. But it is a good one.

Full Moon in Aries Emperor Reading

                               1. How am I an Emperor?
                               2. How am I not an Emperor?
                               3. Where do I need to take charge?
                               4. What will help me do that?
                               5. How am I weak?
                               6. How am I strong?

I really don't think I like this reading at all--and it is those uncomfortable readings that we need to pay most attention to. This one has brought up some of my shadow aspects, things about myself I don't like to look at.