The Celtic Tarot by Courtney Davis & Helena Patterson

On a whim (I blame it on Nisaba at Aeclectic Tarot), I have purchased the somewhat hard-to-find deck, The Celtic Tarot (Element, 3rd Edition, 2002).

It arrived today, which was a real surprise as I only just ordered it from ABE Books a couple of days a go. Kudos to them for getting it into the post so quickly. The set I bought includes a sturdy slip case, the deck in its own lightweight box, a softcover guidebook, and a hardcover 'journal', which is entirely blank. I don't know why I didn't realise this deck was coming to me secondhand, considering I paid much less for it than I found it on Amazon. So I was surprised when I opened it to find the edges of the card deck quite grubby, and the 9 of Wands is badly creased, almost like it had been folded over. I think it was most likely an attempted riffle shuffle gone wrong.

As I held the deck, I began to get three very strong impressions. One, this deck needs to be cleansed and consecrated to my own use. Two, there is a lot of pent up energy in this deck, which seems to be coming from its previous owner rather than the cards themselves. Three, the person who used these cards was deeply devoted to them.

Even though just handling the cards made my hands feel grotty, I decided to shuffle and do an impromptu reading on the previous owner. Who was she? (or he?) What did he use the cards for? Why did she get rid of the deck? And I drew:

Diamond Tarot

I recently trimmed my copy of the Diamond Tarot (AGMuller 1997) to get rid of its white borders and make it smaller. Then I trimmed off the titles of the cards, because they were in French anyway and I couldn't read them. Now the deck is a small size and I think it looks great. Very psychedelic and trippy, don't you think?

Diamond Tarot AGMuller 1997

The deck is by Marie-Louise Bergoint and Klaus Holitzka. The LWB that came with the deck was pretty fat, but as it was all in French, I tossed it. It leaves more room in the box and it was no use to me. Collectors may be shocked, but 1) it's my deck and 2) one of the first lessons many tarot readers will teach is 'throw away the LWB'. So, I've just taken them a bit literally, is all.

The Diamond Tarot is a straightforward RWS deck, with very large, ornate borders. Every single card has its own unique border design. The only constant elements seem to be the diagonal lines extending to the corners and the 4 rectangles with circles or orbs on all 4 sides of the card image. They seem to me to be like 'astral doorways', and this deck just begs to be used for meditation or trance. I'm really glad I got this deck; I think it's glorious!

I also trimmed my Arthurian Tarot, having been inspired by a photo of the trimmed deck laid out on a black cloth. I'm happy to say, mine turned out great and I will post a photo ASAP.

I've had a great December so far, and I'd like to say thanks to the folks who have ordered readings from me this month. I really enjoyed reading for you!

Herb of the Week: Rosemary

Funnily enough, my own windowsill pot of rosemary chose this week to kick the bucket. Poor thing. I finally gave in and dumped the thing in the bin this morning.
Never mind, I'll buy another in the spring.


Rosemary has been associated with the fire element or warmth of the body, and has been recommended by various herbalists for maladies as diverse as indigestion, cardiac edema and insomnia. It is one of a family of herbs considered a sort of 'cure-all'. For magical or folk uses, rosemary is considered to be an overall herb of protection and useful in creating charms and incense. Its essential oil is lovely when mixed with a carrier oil and burned in an oil burner, and of course it also tastes great in soups and sauces!

Oh, and can't forget to add, have a very happy and peaceful Winter Solstice.  Many blessings to you on the darkest night of the year.