Divination 3 x 3 x 3

My friend Chloe at Inner Whispers has done a You Tube in which she shares her three favourite divinatory tools and invites us to do the same: tarot, oracle, Lenormand/other. After much deliberation, I have selected my 3 x 3 x 3. Here they are in random order:

Top Three Tarot Decks 

1986 Blue Box Thoth Tarot

My journey with the wonderful Thoth Tarot has been chronicled on this blog. If you look on the right side bar and click on 'One Deck Wonder: Thoth' you can read all about it.

I have three copies of this deck. My first copy was the small purple box Thoth, purchased for a workshop at a TABI Tarot Convention. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear the presenter (she wasn't on mike) and the people around me all had a negative reaction to the deck, which reinforced my perception of it as cold and unreadable.

When I at last decided to confront my fear and distaste for the deck, I made a commitment to using it exclusively for a time. I did all my blogging with it, my personal readings with it, and my client readings with it. I tried to ready Crowley's guidebook, The Book of Thoth, but found it impenetrable. I bought Tarot: Mirror of the Soul by Gerd Ziegler, but even with my limited knowledge, I knew his was an idiosyncratic and unhelpful take on the deck. Finally, I found Lon Milo DuQuette's book Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot and I was on my way.

If this were the only tarot deck in the world, it could easily keep you busy for a lifetime.

Yellow Box The Rider Tarot Deck 

Edward Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith created what is now the classic tarot deck, and it is available in all sorts of colorations. There are clones (exact same images but with lines and coloring revised) and their are 'RWS-based' decks (too many to count! - Druidcraft, Anna K Tarot, Hudes, Aquarian, just so many). But when I have a tough question or am reading for a client and want to be able to answer clearly and confidently, the old standard yellow box Rider is just the ticket. Could not do without it.

Morgan Greer Tarot (US Games 1979)

This deck is special to me because it was the third deck I ever bought. It is a RWS-based deck, notable in its day for being borderless. It is the deck I turn to even before my yellow box Rider (or other RWS clones). It's not particularly beautiful, but I like it. The backs have no relation to the fronts in style or coloring and not reversible, but I like it. It's full of mustachioed men like something from 'The Joy of Sex', but I like it. It's a workhorse of a deck, shuffles like a dream, I've had it from the start and I like it.

(Honorable Mention: Druidcraft
I have Druidcraft and I used it a lot for years, but I hardly ever pick it now. I won't get rid of it though. However, I hardly ever use it so I can't really say it's a favourite.)

Top Three Oracles
I have to be honest and say most of my oracles were bought either to use as altar decorations or just totally on a whim. I do occasionally use a few of them for divination and here they are:

Morgan's Tarot (Morgan Robbins)
Read my introduction to this fabulous oracle here: 10,000 Words in a Cardboard Box. And it gives wonderful readings such as this: Have you ever been Biff Tannened?

I love this deck. Here are a few of my favourite cards:

Teen Oracle (Cinnamon Crow Dixon)

I learned about this oracle from Steven Bright of Tiferet Tarot. It is a very straightforward deck when you just want an answer. Black and white images with red text give it a 'you can't ignore me when I'm being this literal' feeling, and cards are simple as: Stop, Speak, and Relax.



Oracle of the Shapeshifters (Lucy Cavendish and Jasmine Becket-Griffith)

I may be the only person in the world who actively dislikes the artwork of Jasmine Becket-Griffith. I do not like these cards. I don't like any of her work. I do not like these bug-eyed, button-nosed, big-headed girls who like aliens suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. BUT...Lucy Cavendish must be some sort of world-class witch because I have never used a more uncannily accurate oracle. For me, the book is indispensable. The cards are useless without it, and in fact, I often don't bother with the cards but just use the book, opening it at a random page instead of drawing from the deck.


Lenormand and other 
I do not use any 'other' types of divination, having given up dealings with runes, crystals, herbalism, and such like. I'm pure cartomancy these days. Here are my three favourite Lennies and 'other':

Esmeralda Lenormand

I didn't even know about this deck; it was a gift from a friend, and has become my favourite Lenormand. I use it for all my client readings and it is my go-to for my own personal Lennie readings as well. I love the rich colours and textures, and the little prompts and icons. All the information you need is right there on the card, and when laid out in a grand tableau, they look like a glorious patchwork quilt.



Titania's Fortune Cards
This was my first Lenormand, before I had even heard the word 'Lenormand'. If you buy it, ignore the companion book. It bears no relation to any traditional Lenormand system and will only confuse you. (I actually threw mine away.) They have a crazy, 'flashing colour' thing going on with them, making them look like lurid photo negatives. You get a sort of tatwa thing going when you use them. Here's a draw I did with them: Lenormand Daily Draw.

Psycards

The Psycards are a set of 40 cards inspired by Carl Jung's work, and based on the principle of 'archetypes'. I used to have the book but I traded that set, then a few years later decided I wanted the cards back and bought the deck only. It's okay, the book is not really needed.

Here's a reading I did with Psycards: Emperor Energy -- Not Welcome Lately.




Well, that was exhausting. :)

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favourite decks. What are your faves? I'd love to hear! If you do a You Tube or write a blog, please link to it in comments below. :D

Hey hey hey

Morgan's Tarot, US Games

Our last draw of the week from Morgan's Tarot, US Games 1970. 'What's Happening?'

This phrase reminds me of the TV show I used to watch when I was a kid, called 'What's Happening?' It was a sitcom centred around a group of young African Americans and their silly misadventures. Each of the characters had a catchphrase. The kid called Dwayne always used to say, 'Hey HEY hey!' every time he entered a scene. And now I can't get the theme tune out of my head:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpBhrjfetkk

If anyone reading this is American, did you watch that show? :D

Okay, back to the card. What have we here? A circle, a triangle, a square. 'What's happening?' Well. A stable base, then a precarious balance. Helpful as always, the LWB says, 'Who knows what the figures on the card mean? Or this is an innocent question as to why you are allowing this nonsense to occur.'

Actually, that is kind of helpful. Whatever the shapes on the card might mean (and I doubt very seriously it's earth, fire and water), the message is pretty straightforward. Look around and make a wide-awake assessment of your current situation. If there's something there you don't like, what will you do next? Maybe a bubble of yours is about to burst. Maybe a temporary stability is about to topple. Or maybe right now everything is in balance. But until you open your eyes and look at it, how will you know? When you're sleepwalking, all three situations look the same. A circle, a triangle, a square.

Om mani padme hum

Morgan's Tarot, US Games

O, thou jewel in the lotus, hail.

Today's card from Morgan's Tarot (US Games 1970, 1983, 2009) features a lotus. The title of the card is 'Right'. But inside the illustration of the card is 'Whatever's'. So the card moves from possibly being a statement of the 'Right' thing, the 'Right' way, to 'Everything is right. Anything is right. Whatever is right.'

Whatever happens, it's the right thing to happen. Whatever we do, it's the right thing to do. It sounds like a load of old cobblers, doesn't it? How can 'whatever' be right? What if something bad happens? Is that right? What if we make a choice that has unpleasant consequences? How then could that choice have been right?

It's right, not because it's good, but because it is real. 'Whatever' is happening in this moment IS what is happening. (Maybe that's why we call it 'right now'.)

This moment, regardless of how we got here or how we feel about the situation, is our reality. If we do not accept it as 'right', we waste the moment by being in denial about it. Any changes we could have made will be lost. The first step to changing a situation, is accepting that it is actually happening. This is a truly tough lesson. Sometimes we think we have accepted something, but we're really in complete inner turmoil, anger, grief, or denial about it. We may look placid and accepting on the outside, but inside we are at war. We don't realise the war is a battle of one, and there will only be one casualty.

The lotus is a symbol of peace. Make peace with right now. Whatever's right.

Sorry, what were we just talking about?

Morgan's Tarot, US Games

Okay, I have to admit something. I've nearly overrun the bathtub twice in the last 6 months. The first time it was right up to the edge. Second time, it was about 1/3 full, which is 2 or 3 times deeper than I usually run it. *sigh*

I've also developed a new method of cooking. Put the food in a tin, preheat the oven. Wander off. Go back to the kitchen in a half hour to see how it's going and find the food still sitting on the stovetop. Swear and put food in the oven.

Alternate method: put food in oven and go back in an hour to find it blackened and smoking.

Advanced method: Take food out at perfect time and have meal as normal. Return to kitchen at bedtime to check on things and find the oven is still on.

Optional bonus: decide it's a good idea to swap two items from one rack to the other. Take the first item out, put it on stovetop. Use the oven glove to pick up the second item, stand up and try to pick up the first item with your bare hand. Yes I did this last week. I then spent the remainder of the evening sitting with my hand in a bowl of ice water, which prevented it from actually developing a blister. I let go of that pan REALLY quick, but still. What the heck is this all about? At the rate I'm going, I won't be able to take care of myself by the time I'm 55, let alone 85. I've heard that absent-mindedness is a symptom of peri-menopause, so I'm hoping that's all it is. My GP doesn't seem too concerned. But then, he doesn't seem too concerned about much. Still, how excited can you get about a forgetful middle-aged woman when you've got 5,000 people in your practice, and 30 of them are in your waiting room right now.

Why rush? There's a bigger picture, you know

Morgan's Tarot, US Games

'Slow down, you move too fast
You've got to make the moment last
Just kickin down the cobblestones
Lookin for fun and feelin groovy

La dadada da da da, feelin groovy

Hello lampost, whatcha knowin?
I've come to watch your flowers growin.
Ain't you got no rhymes for me?
Dootin dootoo, feelin groovy

La dadada da da, feelin groovy

Got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you

All is groovy'

Spinning around

Morgan's Tarot, US Games

What would you do if you found yourself encircled by pigs and fish like the poor guy in this card? I'd say putting my hands on top of my head in confusion and distress would be a natural place to start.

Although the LWB says that this card 'is said to mean inner truth', the figure in the card doesn't seem to be finding inner truth there. He seems to be in some sort of turmoil or quandary. The LWB also offers this cryptic gem: 'Pigs and fishes represent those aspects most difficult to influence in the polychromatic bubble of dualism.'

Okay, so dualism is the idea that, for a particular domain, there are two fundamental kinds or categories of things or principles. If we think about pigs and fishes, it would seem to be a mind-body dualism. The pigs most likely representing the earthly, physical realm of the appetites, and fish, being creatures associated with water, would represent emotions and so on. This seems to me to be reinforced by the one pig having a six-pointed star on its side--one triangle pointing up ('as above'), one triangle pointing down ('so below').

I believe this card is continuing on from yesterday's draw, which referred to the 'war between Atlantis and Mu', which I interpreted similarly as material, earthly concerns in conflict with more spiritual matters. Fortunately, today they seem to be aligning themselves better--they're balanced in number and alternating neatly. Three of each is a good sign, three being such a powerful number.

OR maybe it just means I'm going to be surrounded by confusing bullshit today.

Have you ever been Biff Tannened?

Morgan's Tarot, US Games

Okay, today's 3-card draw from Morgan's Tarot (US Games 1970, 1983, 2009) is nothing short of slap upside the head. It has the usual cheeky attitude seen in all the cards in the Morgan's Tarot oracle deck. I haven't sat for meditation --formal, sitting meditation complete with candles and timer and all my usual rituals-- since 9th November. I haven't been paying much attention to anything, to be honest. I've worked out only three times this month. Yet I've stopped at the shops on the way home from work for chocolate...well, let's just say rather more frequently. 

Peaceful easy feeling

Morgan's Tarot, US Games 2009 (1970)

My first draw of the week from Morgan's Tarot (US Games, 1970, 1983, 2009) is perfectly apt for today. I have to be honest with you, I drew this card, put it back in the deck thinking it might not be that exciting to look at and hoping for one with more detail for you. I sat and looked through the deck for a while and then shuffled again. This time I fanned the cards instead of cutting. And I drew The Valley again. So, it's definitely the card of the day.

Valleys are so attractive to us. They make good settlements because there is usually a river, the ground is fertile, and the surrounding hills provide natural shelter from wind and elements. The tops of the hills provide good lookout points for those tasked with protecting the people settled below. But also, they are a supremely feminine aspect of earth's topography. They are both the cleft between the breasts and that created by the vulva (if that's not too graphic for a Saturday morning). A valley also could be seen as like the cupped hands of the Lord, a place to shelter, a place of safety and security. A place where you feel protected enough to be able to really let down your guard and just relax.

10,000 Words in a Cardboard Box

...or...I am the eggman, they are the eggmen. I am the walrus.

Goo goo g'joob.

Yes, this week we're going back to the psychedelic 60s, as we explore the trippy hippy truths of the Morgan's Tarot by Morgan Robbins, 1970. Actually not a tarot at all but an oracle, the deck consists of 88 black and white line drawings inspired by counterculture philosophy, New Age and certain strains of Tibetan Buddhism. Created by Morgan Robbins, illustrations by Darshan Chorpash. My deck is the 3rd edition, printed in 2009. (I'd love to have one from 1970, obviously. I'm sure it would be curled at the edges, worn soft as silk, and smelling of patchouli!)