Posh Pumpkin

West, US Games 2008

Friday with the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West

I'm so glad to see this card today. It's one of my favourites, as it is about abundance, security and  contentment. It looks to me like Our Lady of the Nine Pumpkins bought out Mr Turnip Head from yesterday's  Four of Pumpkins, chopped down that silly little tree that was blocking the view of her stately home, and is now reveling in her rich harvest of...Pumpkins. Well, this is Halloween Land, where they set great store by such things.

She is very much like the lady from the RWS 9 of Pentacles. She's got 9 pumpkins in her patch. Her robes are a striking combination of orange (of course) and that colour of royalty and riches, purple. I like her 30s-style bobbed hair and hat, and the red gloves and feather. Her kestrel is an owl. I notice some autumn leaves nestled among the pumpkins. And of course that black cat is there, as always!

I fervently hope that this card indicates a DELIVERY will arrive for me today, my long-awaited John Matthews & Will Worthington Camelot Tarot. Fingers crossed!

Does he look like a miser to you?

West, US Games 2008

The Four of Pumpkins -- ie, 4 of Coins -- in the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West doesn't look anything at all to me like the typical miserly character we see in the RWS deck.

At first glance you think, hey, what a nice guy!  Even if he is a marrow with a turnip head and peapds for arms and legs. He's sowing seeds, he's providing for others. But then when you look closer you see...the garden is walled. It's protected by spikes. The tree marking out the garden wall is posted with a big sign. It might as well say, 'Keep out!' and all the rows of the garden have the same sign. Now, this could be marking out the community pumpkin patch. But somehow I think it marks out HIS pumpkin patch.

In fact, maybe he's made of vegetables because he's so fully identified with his vegetable treasure that he sees it as his only substance.

But that's a little deep for a card featuring a turnip wearing a crown.

Today's 1st November, and thus it is Samhain (which starts at sunset on 31st October and ends at either sunset or midnight 1st November, depending on your tradition). It can be considered the first day of winter, a bad day to be planting, I hate to break it to Turnip Head. But that's what you get when you're so totally selfish. A lot of barriers and defenses, a lot of planning and scheming and worrying, and you come out with very little in the end.

Let the cards ask the question

West, US Games 2008

Halloween Day with the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West

Wow, another court card, and who better to greet us today than the King of Pumpkins himself. Today I want to try out a technique I read about at Aeclectic Tarot, in a thread called 'Using the Cards to Generate the Questions.' The technique was suggested by a member named Chiriku:

1. Draw a tarot card and contemplate it. What question does this card bring up in your mind regarding the situation you face, or even just the day itself?

2. Draw a second card which will answer the question suggested by the tarot.

The first card will trigger a question, issue or problem that is present somewhere in your mind. Images from the card will likely put a fresh spin on the question. Then the second card will give you a new way of looking at the question, a possible solution, a projected outcome--there are many possiblities.

She thinks she knows it all (and maybe she does)

West, US Games 2008 

Tuesday with the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West

Another court card today, we have Page of Bats, or Page of Swords. Instead of holding a sword, though, this page holds a pair of sunglasses and looks back over his/her shoulder toward a bat hovering there. One notices at once that symbols of the other suits are all over the Page of Swords: a ghost on the scarf (Cups), a pumpkin on the jerkin (Coins). The only thing missing is an imp (Wands). The bag is gaping open, but I cannot make out what is inside it.

I suppose the deck creator included symbols of other suits because, of all the pages, this one seems most in command of herself and to a degree of those around her. She uses her wits. The Page of Swords is known for playing devil's advocate, she enjoys debate and argument, and do to this effectively, you have to be able to anticipate the opposition. There's no other way to do this than to understand them. This understanding comes through observation. She's taken off her sunglasses to get a better look around her. She wears the symbols of the other suits because she can twist an argument to appeal to these audiences, at least long enough to get her point across. She's a clever little thing.

Running in circles

West, US Games 2008

Monday with the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West

The Knight of Imps -- Knight of Wands -- is certainly a fiery chap! Even his horse has steam pluming from his nostrils. They're dashing off for adventure, accompanied by an imp flying alongside, and watched in wide-eyed wonder by the ubiquitous cat.

So who is the Knight of Wands? In my mind, he's the teenage version of the King of Wands, who for me is James T Kirk. What would the 'teen Kirk' be like? Overconfident, unprincipled, charismatic, popular with most, envied by all. Everybody knows his name. His reputation precedes him. The girls love him, the boys want to be like him, the teachers are charmed by him. He's  Mr Popularity, Most Likely to Succeed. He'd also be voted Most Likely to Die Young, if high school year books had that category. Risk taker, boundary pusher, adrenaline junky. Sometimes he grows up to be Captain Kirk. Sometimes he just stays the cool-but-crazy-kid with the fast car--annoying and immature. Or worse, the Knight of Wands is  Eddie Haskell of 'Leave it to Beaver'. A well-groomed 'weaselly wise guy', Eddie is the perfect example of the shadow aspect of the Knight of Wands. I can't think of a character to represent the Knight of Wands in his positive aspect at the moment. Any thoughts?

Busy little devils

Halloween Tarot tin

This week I will be drawing from the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West. I have the mini version in the purple tin. You know, I often say that all decks should come in a tin. It's eminently sensible.

The Halloween Tarot is a novelty take on the traditional Rider Waite deck. Most cards look very much like Pamela Coleman-Smith's images. The suits have been changed from Wands, Swords, Cups and Pentacles to  Imps, Bats, Ghosts and Pumpkins. This sort of thing typically annoys me, and I have to admit it annoys me in this deck as well. (At least I'm consistent.) I bought this deck because my Hubby is so totally into Halloween. We trim up for Halloween and have a movie fest, usually take a small trip somewhere (like the supposedly haunted Tamworth Castle) every year. In fact, our Halloween observances are more elaborate than our Christmas. So, I got the deck for his amusement. To be honest, I don't actually like these gimmicky 'themed' RWS clones, but I said to myself, 'Hey! It's Halloween after all. Lighten up, already!' So I'll be using this deck daily Sunday-Saturday.