Shroud for the Zombies!

A few days ago I received my long awaited  Zombie Apocalypse Tarot. Ok this is a large deck as Tarot decks go, but nowhere near as large as the box it came in!! Just look at this waste.... not to mention expensive shipping. Thankfully The Game Crafter are addressing the issue and were keen to hear the thoughts of Tarot collectors, which is good to hear. I shall continue to support them.. we all have to learn.

Large Box with Lots of Brown Paper ...... and Zombies!

So.. time to meet some of the Zombies.... I am actually very fond of them!

A few of the Zombies Up Close

 

 

 

Because the bag that came with the deck was very very flimsy and plastic-like and not at all a suitable place to keep such a collection of self respecting Zombies, I had to make them a special shroud.. of course! You can see part of it in the photo above... I dyed the inside to give a blood soaked bandage effect :-/

The photo below shows the gorgeous Zombie blood red Moon and the outside of their shroud, it was all made from old hand dyed and torn fabrics and a ton of free machine embroidery.

Zombies with Shroud

 

 

 

 

 

I did actually use real first aid gauze and bandages in the making of the shroud... I even sewed through my thumb once, so there may be a touch of blood in the mix too ;)

 

Close Up of Bloodied Bandage!

The last two photo's show the shroud wrapped around the deck, I stitched one end into a pocket so they dont fall out and get even more damaged!!

Zombie Shroud with Ripped Edges

Other Side of Shroud

And if you ever fancy a custom made shroud, wrap or bag for a special deck... I do make them to order, just give me a shout!

The Magicians' Song

The Magician from Tarot of the Sweet Twilight and Ekstasis from The Faeries' Oracle.... Interesting to get two cards numbered one and two in their respective decks. Could this mean new energy is beginning? Both cards are good energy cards, especially Ekstasis... so it looks like a good turn up to me.

The Magician in this beautifully jewel coloured card looks as if maybe he ended up where he is without quite knowing how he got there. His is surrounded by the cosmos and all her secrets. Also around him are his books of learning, his globe of worldly knowledge and his magical pentacle. A little green kitty holds the pentacle, he is looking at it as if wondering why on earth the human Magician would need such a thing! Pah! doesn't this dude realise that the magic is within us? Meowwwww... who needs shiny things! Especially when you have such an obviously clever familiar!

Although he has his wand, his sword and chalice and his cat has the pentacle,  all the magical and elemental tools of the Tarot, the only magical item the Magician is using is his crystal ball, and he is looking straight into the readers eyes as if wondering whether or not he should pass on what he has seen. Is the viewer ready to hear what he has to say?  He looks very kindly and humble. He has a feather in his hat like the Fool, but then of course the only wise man is the Fool. I like the Magician and the Fool both being represented in one card.

Ekstasis - The Faeries' Oracle and The Magician - Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Ekstasis is the song of Unity, the higher being, and the connection between us and all that is around is. It is the moment of joy we feel leap in our hearts when we feel that supreme trust in the Universe. Ecstasy... this brilliant burst of pure energy that lights us and lifts us somewhere beyond this world.
A great companion to have around. This card like the Magician is about going for it, being on the right path, and a new beginning. It also has the effect of empowering the cards around it and intensifying their energy. The transition of the blues to sparkling silvery white is uplifting in itself and feel very calm. Usually when I feel those moments no effort is needed except to accept and to be. I see this card as permission  to be as me as I can be... with no apologies to Dr Seuss ;)

After yesterdays Full Moon reading about endings and cycles coming to a close.... it seems very auspicious that I get these two cards today which are so clearly about new beginnings....!

Full Moon Spread with Sweet Twilight

For today I decided to do a Full Moon spread instead of a daily draw, as the Moon will be full in about 5 hours time.... I wanted to catch it before it begins to wane. I used this spread designed by
Eowyn on Aeclectic Tarot, along with my Tarot of the Sweet Twilight.

Full Moon Spread by Eowyn

 ****2****
1*********3
 ****0****

3. What begins to fade away, to darken, to abandon you... or what needs to be.
2. What gets completed. What closes a cycle.
1. What can be seen with clarity, so bright that can even blind you.
0. Yourself. Shadow card, from the base of the deck.

Eowyn has the cards laid out one above the other in a line, but because I wanted to photograph the reading for this blog I laid mine out around the face of the moon with the zero shadow card at the bottom and then moving clockwise with the other three cards.

Full Moon Spread - Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

0 - Yourself. Shadow card, from the base of the deck - The Empress

For the Shadow card I drew  The Empress. I dont feel too much like the traditional Empress at the moment, but I can relate to this half submerged creature. She looks calm and balanced and actually I do feel calm, like the calm after the storm if not quite Venus rising from the waves! All elements are here showing no struggle between any of them... she wears fire, stands half in air and half in water and she carries the earth in her hand. Moon Goddess and Earth Mother, Fire Maiden and Mermaid!
I love her big heart shaped crown..... I definitely rule with my heart and not my head. I also see the water as emotions which she is rising from. Part of her is still submerged in emotions but she is holding her world out of the water. I can relate to this. The fishes all want a little bit of her.. or maybe a great big chunk... I can relate to this too. But also she is part of everything in her world... as I am.
Someone told me the other day how my children have taken parts of me just as I am getting new parts from them. We are one.

1 -  What can be seen with clarity, so bright that can even blind you - Death

Another Major Arcana..... and what a gorgeous card. The skeleton is so loving, and it looks to me as if he is carrying the sleeping girl away from the shadow of death which is in the scythe of the grim reaper behind him. he is moving away from the Moon and towards the Sun and the light. There is however a desert to cross, maybe he has done most of the journey and is nearing the end. The skull and the snake remind me of a print I have of the Mexican border... there are skulls and snakes there... Snakes have always been signs of regeneration and transformation and of course temptation. Skulls are a symbol of impermanence and even considered lucky by some cultures. Perhaps this skull is signifying the border, the edge, and soon the two will be out of the desert and moving into a new lusher country. I feel as if I am the person being moved on.... I have felt this for some time, I am not sure what is moving me, but some force is making it happen....

2 - What gets completed. What closes a cycle - Seven of Chalices

Two skeletons in this reading.... the girl looks at her reflection in the water and see's death, the death of her old self maybe... or the death of feeling....emotion... An emotional death.... again I am gobsmacked by this tarot deck. Behind her the future is lush and bright and life beckons, but she cant see that in her watery mirror yet... but if she looks deep enough she will. Is she looking to find who she truly is? Has she left the world behind for a while to contemplate who she is?

Death has one of the cups, it is just a reflection, is it something she has to leave behind ...something she can no longer touch, or an emotion she can no longer feel? That would work for me. Of course she could be intoxicated.... three of the goblets are empty and one is in the water... strangely enough I haven't been able to drink wine for ages!

The girl sits between life and death, which is where we all sit, all of the time, for all we have is now.

3 - What begins to fade away, to darken, to abandon you... or what needs to be - The World

Sadness? Will sadness abandon me? This is an amazing card.... the World is crying and the sun shines through her tears and makes a rainbow... the sign of hope. Stars are twinkling and the little person is standing on the Moon (?) holding up a bowl to receive the love and joy and sorrow of the world. Our planet. There is a flower on the moon growing up.... whats this? Life on another planet... is it showing that there is more than the earth that needs our love and care and attention.

Everything is here.... a cycle is complete with The World card.... there have been struggles and hardships but it is time to hold up our offering bowls and celebrate, be thankful for we have gotten this far, and there is much to live for.

As far as the position of this card in the layout goes... maybe what is fading away is that which is meant to fade away, the end of a major cycle in my life... what once seemed light and all there was to live for is now in shadow, and I can hardly see it?

There are a lot of deaths in this reading... I am definitely looking at changes, endings and new beginnings. But I have known this for a while. Three Major Arcana cards are pretty strong stuff in a four card spread! I will think about this more tomorrow. Time to watch an episode of Lynley!

A Devil and Two Friends

The Devil card from the Sweet Twilight looks familiar...  but nothing like my goats apart from the hoof maybe!! Gypsy can be a bit devilish at times though and one friend did call him a Devil Dog!!
I like his wings. The sun and moon are both in this card which could mean he can appear as total opposites...as like day or night, whichever serves his purpose best. He can try to charm with his Elfin ears and snazzily clothed side, but then when you glimpse the tail and the serpent around his arm you start to wonder. Sometimes we can only see one side of a person, no matter how much we try to see the whole, we see what we want to see, because we are standing too close. When we step back we see the whole picture, as others have always seen it. It can come as a shock. He has his trident at the ready.... the LWB says of this card:

The Devil watches carefully as you approach, scanning for chinks in your armor. What use he wonders, is this person, to me?

Yes I have met this guy more than once... stood too close, got burned.... but he never got my soul on that trident of his. I am guessing he is here today in this card, to warn me.

Friends from Froud's Faerie Oracle and The Devil from Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

The Friends from The Faerie Oracle are a total contrast to The Devil! Here we have Faery Nuff and Laochan the best of friends....! Faery Nuff stands up high with his many lights to show the way forward through the dark skies. Laochan supports him they both use their wings to power their flight. Just how friends should be. I have been spending more time with friends recently.... and they are a great support, and they do help shine the light into my life. I am not surprised the Devil is looking at them as if they and their behavior are totally alien to him. he just wouldn't get it would he?

Twilight Faeries....

This week I have chosen to work with Froud's Faerie Oracle, and Tarot of the Sweet Twilight.... I know I used it last week but I can't bring myself to put it back on the shelf yet.. it is such an amazing deck to work with, and I love the artwork.

Today I drew a helper and guide faerie called Honesty.....a wonderful looking character with eyes that see everything. His head seems to glow with enlightenment and knowledge while his body is almost transparent, apart from what looks like a silver cord joining the Chakra points. It seems he is about the inner being the pure centre of ourselves where nothing hides from nothing. Once you are stripped down to the core, only the truth remains.

This card tells me today, to be true to myself. It is a Monday, Moon Day and Honesty is a plant that is often called Moonwort because of its gorgeous round silver seed pods. I love the idea of Moon seeds and Moonflowers. The Moon can be about illusion and deception. I thought about this and how I am probably deceiving myself in some way by not being true to myself. Things have been foggy recently, with not knowing what to do about this house etc. Since I put it on the market for rent I have been uneasy, but I didn't really know why. Now I do know .... I don't want to give it up, or let someone else live in my home, I don't want to leave my goats ...it all feels so wrong! This helped me decide to take it off the rental market and look for a flatmate instead. Now I just need the universe to send me the perfect person :)

From Tarot of the Sweet Twilight my card is the Ten of Swords. This is one of the nicest Ten of Swords I have seen. It shows an angel or leastways a creature with wings, kneeling on a shore. She is holding flowers as if in offering to the lost ones who are buried in the graveyard before her. The swords are stood around in the graveyard like crosses on graves. One sword lies in front of her, as if barring her way.  There is a black bat like shadow behind her, which her shadow is joined to... she is nocturnal like the bat, a creature of the darkness......the twilight of the decks' name. Another way I can see this is the bats wings are actually her wings which are waiting to set her free, once she has laid to rest whatever is holding her down.

The card speaks of sorrow and yearning for that which is lost, but also of peace, it is a very calm card. She could be yearning the dancing statue on the grave, maybe it is something she has recently lost and she is bringing the flowers to make peace and lie it to rest. I can relate to this, I am going through something very similar. She could be mourning her youth, that carefree dance of no responsibilities except to have fun. I can relate to that too! All the crosses or grave markers have shadows. This shows me that nothing is ever totally gone.... even a grave casts a living shadow on the present.

Honesty - Froud's Faerie Oracle and Ten of Swords - Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Something is changing, something that brings some sorrow to me, but also peace and ultimately a new dawn. It has come about as a result of being honest and true to my inner self.

Amazing Three Cards!

As this past seven days has been so eventful, in so many ways, I asked the cards to tell me the three important events or lessons about my most week.

I will begin with a purely intuitive reading from the images on the three cards I drew. I didn't keep them in any particular order of drawing so all have equal weight unless the cards direct me otherwise!,

When I turned the cards over, I found it hard to believe the accuracy of the images.... just like 3 snapshots straight out of my life!

Two of Pentacles, Eight of Chalices & Five of Pentacles - Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Two of Pentacles

This card says to me that she is looking in that mirror and asking plain and simple...

"What shall I do?" I see birds as messengers and the fact that there are two of them shows lots of advice coming her way but she needs to make the decision ultimately. She knows that she is the only one she can rely on to guide her safely through the emotional turbulence she is in.

The mirror is magic so she is being aided from other sources than this world... her intuition is strong, the image it shows is clear and she needs to trust it.

The floating object in the sea to the right of the mirror looks as if it could be an island, if this is so then maybe its a distraction to take her from the path she really needs to be on.

She is hiding her talents in real life but knows she needs to show them off more.... I wonder if the red hat is a thinking cap... she looks very thoughtful!

Lots of questions this week, and I have been trying to ask what I want and whats best for me in the long run. I have been told by a couple of friends to concentrate on my well being.. and I have felt a strong need to really look and find out who I am now.... I have always seen myself as a bit of a loser in life deep down, but maybe others don't see me this way. Maybe that person in the mirror is me in my true light and power.

Eight of Cups

Oh my so poignant. I see a woman who is walking away with a lot of difficulty from a relationship that was just too unbalanced. The sun is setting in a red sky which says to me that the relationship is ending. She is still connected by the ends of her hair to the tree that is how she saw her lover. He is not attached to the tree, he never was, the tree was the illusion that he created to bind her to him. Her hair os growing out and away from him and the tree... growth is a natural process, it takes time for hair to grow that long, and there are a lot of tangles to be dealt with on the way. She looks sad but determined. She is emptying the cups contents... she doesn't need to escape into the wine anymore. She can see how big the world is.

The lover looks totally disbelieving, his hand is on his heart indicating pain. He is too shocked to feel remorse. She has really left him....  and he is left clutching his goblet of wine for solace. He is dark and shadowy and closed. He stays close to the tree of illusion that was him..., he is blending into it in the shadows. She is light and open one snip and she will be totally free.

There is a path ahead which looks clear, but she ignores it and is looking to the side.. distracted by the wonderful view... so there may be some indecision.

Well yes and yes and yes..... all this happened this week... exactly as in the picture on the card. Even the timescale for the hair to grow that long and for her to get that far away is about right. Amazing.

Another aspect I see here is that the girl is looking out to sea where her sister is far away.....  she wants to be with her, she is maybe raising the last glass to her (in which case it would contain Lindauer Brut Cuvee. The shadowy figure could be our Dad who was cremated this week. The sunset could be his.

Sometimes when there is a lot of loss... its hard to sort out what hurts most.



Five of Pentacles

I laughed when I saw this card.... after the other two it was unbelieveable that this could show. Most of my week has been taken up with the idea of traveling again. I have spent hours looking at buses on Trademe and talking to other travelers and being so inspired. I have had some wonderful exchanges and sharing with one special traveler who is new in my life.

The two chicka's could be me and any of the five awesome friends who have helped me so much this week... Chris, Pearl, Myk, Susan and my sister Debbo. I thank you all and am blessed to have you in my life.

They are flying their colours on their persons and their awesome hippy camper van! They have their bat wing kite to help them and if all else fails the two broomsticks are standing by at the ready. They have everything they need now to move forward. Even the dirty washing has all been done. Ready for a clean start. Fresh air bows through the windows of the bus, blowing the cobwebs away.

Just wonderful.... I have the best friends in my life, who are ever supportive of me, I have all I need to move on, the wings and the wheels and the will. I just need to decide which direction to head in...one half of me wants to hang on the the old dying life, that old black hat was comfortable. This new green one will take some getting used to.

What an absolutely awesome, intuitive accurate deck this is.

Eight of Wands and The Hermit

Swiftness and The Hermit......  The Eight of Wands is quite close in some ways to the Ace of Wands of yesterday. It speakers of moving now, to avoid missing opportunities. But it also is about doing things in the right order at the right time. I couldn't help thinking of yesterday's Ace of Wands from this same deck, with it's giant ripe apple. The little person seeing to the dead part of the tree could actually be doing things at the wrong time or in the wrong order. While she attends to the dying leaves (which are beyond saving....), the big juicy apple could fast become rotten.. we can only see one side of it...there could already be a small worm eating it's way in there. So the Ace could also speak of missed chances like the Eight of Wands.

The Eight of Wands from Tarot of the Sweet Twilight is unusual in that it has a person it in, albeit a tree creature! I love this card love how all things are happening in unison, like the perfect arrangement of the eights. Her look is focused on the other Wands of which she is the eighth, one small movement of her fantastical hands and magic will happen for sure. Already wonderful mushrooms are growing for her and the butterfly's attend the ceremony.... maybe helping spread the spores of the fungi.  They could also represent flying..... like in a plane... to another land... and a new adventure.. woo hoo!! I have been thinking a lot of travel lately. A very magical Alice type card which has to bode well for me at this time. Whatever magic it is I need to create. I am sure the answer will be revealed soon.

 

Eight of Wands and The Hermit

 

 

From the Silicon Dawn, I drew The Hermit.. another gorgeous looking card :) Love the colours and the sense of fun which are quite opposite the usual depictions The Hermit tarot card. This hermit looks rather like a fool, in jesters hat, complete with bells. She seems to have walked through some kind of barrier, maybe from a mundane world to a more esoteric place, where secrets are hidden deep, like the workings of these gears we see here. This hermit carries a light between her hands... or is it a glow emanating from her.. a sign of her new found inner enlightenment? I could of course be illusory ...a trick of reflected sunlight, or a flare from a camera flash. She doesn't look behind her as she leaves her old pad... is she ready to go back into the world or merely fancies a different and funkier hermitage?

I definitely feel the energy of The Hermit card, very strongly at the moment. I need to spend more time looking in, I want to know which path to take next and what I am looking for.... I need answers.
The 9 is a magic number in many mathematical ways.... it also looks like it is curling up into itself, like a primitive tailed embryo. I do feel a strong need for time alone at the moment, and I do want to understand a lot of things about me and life and why things happen as they do, how to change things..... I just need to keep looking within to find the answers.

Ace of Wands and Six of Cups

The roots of fire... and pleasure...

Today I drew the Ace of Wands from Tarot of the Sweet Twilight..... and the Six of cups from tarot of the Silicon Dawn.

Ace of Wands & Six of Cups

The Ace of Wands is a great card in this deck.... I love how the little person in the tree is so intent on
trying to deal with the dead leaves that they miss the huge juicy red apple behind them. Great illustration of how we can miss something really good in our lives by looking in the wrong direction and concentrating on that which is dying rather than that which is healthy and ripe and shiny. This card is about stepping back and seeing the bigger picture. There is magic and fire and earthiness in this wand. You cannot see it in my photo, but on the ground near the tree is a magic wand with a skull on top.  Little person could be looking for the wand, realising she has let her magic fall. The skull on top of the wand could also show us that there is magic in endings.. the magic of new beginnings.

This card is bursting with creative energy, and sometimes it can be hard to know which direction to move in, with too many ideas coming at you all at once. There is a need to make a change in your life ... it's time to realise you dream, follow your heart and your instinct. But first you have to find out what this is.

The Six of Cups in the Tarot of the Silicon Dawn is another card that is literally bursting with energy. It is a card of joy and pleasure and living in the now while reaching for the heights, This card shows a huge fountain of water, like a goddess rising from the ground that has been warmed by the sun. The water in the cups is spilling out with abandon, here in the now everything is abundant.

The hidden parts of your life are coming to the surface, feelings, talents maybe, things from the past that you once enjoyed could resurface. The water goddess here has pink bows about her person which remind me of children and the the easy joys and innocence of childhood. Childhood also brings naivety which could be a warning not to be too trusting of someone who may not have your best interests at heart.

I have very recently been concentrating  my energy on things which no longer work in my life or serve me in any positive way. I could be missing out on huge chunks of juicy apple joy because of this inability to let things die naturally. I do have lots of inspiration from different sources and end up confused as to which way to turn. As a result, one day life seems full of possibilities and the way forward seems very clear, and the next day I am back underground looking up through a wormhole where everything seems huge and impossible.

I can be way too trusting of some people.. and that trust has recently been proved to be misplaced. But I do have a pure way of seeing things sometimes, and tend to think others are like me. I do need some Six of Cups joy and pleasure and play in my life at the moment though.... been a long time!

I an thinking that the Ace of Wands may be telling me to see the big picture, and also saying its time to act without too much thought. No more procrastination! Looking at that giant apple again that is hidden in the background, a part of me wonders if the little person deliberately ignores it? Maybe she knows something about it that we don't.. maybe it is not so good as it looks, it could be an illusion created by the magic wand. Could it be that she wants to cure whatever is killing the leaves she is inspecting, to heal the tree? Maybe the BIG apple sapped all the life from the tree and that is why it is starting to die. This reminds me very much of a situation in my life right now.

Five of Wands and Judgement

This week I decided to use two decks for my daily cards, in one form or another, the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight and Tarot of the Silicon Dawn. Today I drew one card from each deck; the Five of Wands and Judgement respectively.

Five of Wands - Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

The fire continues from yesterdays King of Wands.... it seems to be building up in fact... if my mood is anything to go by. A burning for change. This card showing today is illustrating my inner conflicts, indecision, not knowing which way to go. I have several people telling me what is best for me, but I need to step back and work out what is best for myself.

The trouble is that outside of me there are all the opinions of my nearest and dearest pulling me different ways, and inside I have my own muddled ideas and half though out plans. There seems to be no clear way, like the creatures in the picture, they seem to be working together but actually they are not, they are either confused as to the rules or looking to see what each other is doing as they have no idea themselves.

It would be nice to have someone to work with to help me see things clearly, none of these gals seem to be paired up, but all leaving the *party* with a rather lost look. Maybe they came to the wrong party... and ended up more conflicted that they started. Anyway the 5's are often about change, and I feel change in the air. I need to fire myself up to maker it happen... and if it is not right, well.. I can always make another change.

Five of Wands & Judgement

Judgement - Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

Hurrah the sax is playing and we are awakened from sleep....jumping and dancing for joy.. come to the Jazz party and boogie on down.... Time for reawakening and to reinvent yourself.... you've had plenty of time for sleeping and now the big day is here...

All change requires sacrifice of some sort... the blue (bluesy jazzy boogie on down n dirty..) tone of this card speaks of some regrets maybe or sorrows... but you can't take everything with you or there would be no change ... no freedom ......

Kris Kristofferson wasn't joking when he sang "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.....'

Endings and beginnings... realisation that it's time to try something different, I been at this particular blues fest for long enough. Time to rise up and greet the winds of change... and I can bring some of the good stuff with me...

Its like I am literally being called out of the grave like those in the traditional Judgement concept... at least something in me is, something that has been lying dormant,  waiting for the chance to be let loose.... my Gypsy!!! Sooooo its quite apt, that before I drew these cards I spent hours on Trademe looking at housebuses for sale :)

King of Wands

I drew the King of Wands today.... and I immediately thought of some of the people who have inspired me over the past couple of days... just by being who they are, without trying. Like the guy in the card below... the dancers are inspired by him, even though he is not focused on them. Love wells up around them and they feel wanted and appreciated.

Meanwhile the King may have to think about himself a little, not overdo things. Take the inspiration and the good wishes and support on board and realise that you mean more than you believed. Know that you too can inspire others, merely by your energy and zest for life.

King of Wands - tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Whereas this King is all fire and go, and he is focused and forward thinking, I am not. I could do with being more goal orientated I guess. I do have some of his traits ... changing the world to suit me rather than conforming to the expectations of society. I have never been afraid to blaze my own trail.  I am compassionate to others. When I really want something to happen badly enough I tend to make it happen but am better at doing this for others than for myself.

I believe this card is telling me that I now have the power and opportunity to do something that I have been dreaming of for a while, the King of Wands is not a dreamer, he is the doer. I need to gird all my self confidence, make a decision and go for it!

I have people coming to look at my house tomorrow, if I do get a tenant then I will be inspired to take a very proactive step in the next stage of my plans.... no going back ;)

Weekend Reading....

Instead of doing a Daily Draw for yesterday and today I decided to to a three card reading using my newly chosen Deck of the Week. This week I have chosen Tarot of the Sweet Twilight. I intend to use this deck alongside Tarot of the Silicon Dawn, as that little lady is not ready to go back in her bag just yet!

I was feeling confused and unsettled, so asked the cards to tell me What, Where and Why....

Where am I at this weekend?

Why am I where I am?

What do I need in my life now?

Three Card Spread with Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

Where am I at this Weekend?  - The Magician

This guy looks  a little doubtful under his pointed hat. he has everything he needs on the table before him, to make his magic. Even the heavens look pretty willing to oblige. So what is missing?

I know exactly how he feels .... I have all the parts I need but I am not sure how to put them together, whether I have the strength to put them together... or what I actually want to do with them anyway! All I do know is that something has to change for my own well-being!

Why am I where I am? - Six of Pentacles

I think the six of pentacles makes it pretty clear why I am feeling like this. I am feeling used, unappreciated, by several people in my life, and this card is about charity, and balance...giving and receiving. Two sides of the same coin. I seem to be doing an awful lot of giving and complying to others wishes, and get little thanks in return. In fact in one instance all, I have gotten back for all my continual giving, is abuse.

I need to stop condoning a certain behaviour, as my close friend told me yesterday. By accepting ill treatmet and allowing it to carry I am actually implying that is is ok. It is very definitely not ok when one does all the giving and the other does all the taking, it is unbalanced and unhealthy.

What do I need in my life now? - Ten of Cups

Hahahaha! That's quite funny.... sure we all want and need a ten of cups in our life!! I am thinking that I need to follow my joy... this is a card about everything being and feeling right, all things being blessed and harmony and balance with those in your life and your surroundings.I did see a little of this this evening, I felt extremely blessed by loving friends and and this wonderful time came about by my following my heart for once, and doing what I really wanted to do! Now I must do it more often :)

...... and more bags!

Three more bags I have made recently... for my very spoiled Tarot decks.

This is more of a wrap, than a bag, it is perfect for my Icelandic Tarot, and doubles as a spread cloth for up to 5 cards.

Icelandic tarot Wrap - Open

I love the size of these cards and their stark black and white contrast...I love its smudginess too :) 

Icelandic Knitted Tarot Wrap with Matching Cord.

I really love this little deck, and trying to get it back in its box was nigh impossible, but it looks great in this snuggly knitted wrap, and I made the cord from satin ribbons and wool, to match the cards. I love how the cord matches the backs of the cards.

Icelandic Tarot Wrap Closed

This next bag was for my Thoth tarot deck.... it needed a special bag and it needed to go with the deck. After a few trials this is what I ended up creating. I made the bag with layers of metallic and sheer fabric scraps, silks and lots of free machine stitching.

This photo shows the card that inspired the bag, the Two of Disks, or Change as it is labelled. The evolving circles give a feeling of movement and change.. transformation. The bag is padded and lined in cream coloured silk, which matches the edges of the cards.

Thoth Tarot Bag

My latest bag is this fluffy little beauty that I made for my newly beloved Tarot of the Silicon Dawn. It had to be fun and funky. It had to have colours from the deck in it, and some fluff, and dangly bits.... and it also needed to be soft and comforting.

Funky Bag for Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

I think the bag is perfect for this deck.... I like the way it's softness contrasts with the streetwise, futuristic feel of the deck, and yet the colours blend so well. The fluffy collar gives it added zing to fly with!

Three of Wands

The image here reminds me of being in England, especially Hereford, with all the church spires. It looks like there is water in the background, like a sea or ocean maybe, and there is land in the distance. A figure climbs to the top of the tower and is welding a tall aerial or radio mast to the apex of the roof. I am sure it is an aerial because in the glossy overlay there are many signal rings emanating from the tip of the mast. These rings of wireless waves are overlapping with other rings from other tall spires.....

The Wands and Pentacles in the Silicon Dawn deck are kind of swapped, elementally anyway, although the meanings of the two cards are fairly similar, the elements are very different.... earth instead of fire. When perched on top of what could be a lightning pole I guess it is far better to be earthed than a molten rod of fire.

Three of Wands - Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

This card has a few elements similar to the traditional RWS Three of Pentacles ... the spire could be a cathedral spire, the figure is using a tool of the trade by the looks of it, she also appears to be above the other spires and know what she is doing. Maybe the signals coming in from the other spires are signals of appreciation ... many hands clapping!

This deck is totally different from any other and yet it is sometimes a comfort to relate back to what is familiar. other times I feel the opposite! The signals seem to me like a message from afar, but it is getting mixed up with other messages. Could it be that the message I am sending out is being drowned out, by those coming in, or I am not giving a strong enough signal? Who or what is calling me. Am I actually sending any messages or just receiving?

Am I being called to other lands.... over the sea? Or am I just having trouble tuning in to Radio Wales to listen to the new series of Phil the Shelf.... ;)

Who are the two figures in the windows of the cathedral ... if it is a cathedral? Are they working, praying for my safety? Or are they meant to be holding the ladder!

Well I really do feel mixed up, I  sense mixed messages from the universe at the moment. But generally, this card bodes well!

This is my last draw from the Silicon Dawn as this week's deck of the week, but I am reluctant to let it go! I have decided next week to choose a new deck, and use it along with the Tarot of the Silicon Dawn. I may draw the daily card with my next chosen deck and compare it with the same card from the Silicon Dawn, or, I might draw two different cards. Haven't decided on the new deck yet.

New Tarot Bags

I have been having some fun recently,  making new bags for my favourite decks.... knitting, stitching, crochet...... whichever medium seems to suit at the time.

Each deck has its own personality and has to choose where it wants to sleep when not working.... so the latest ones I have made are pretty eclectic in style!

I made one for my Witches tarot by Dugan & Evans, it is knitted in several different yarns and ribbons blended together. I tied it with torn silk and added a silver Moon charm inlaid with Paua shell.
The charm came from a pair of earrings I had in my twenties and wore and loved for many years, so it adds some of my life to the deck too.

Bag for my Witches Tarot Deck

Then my Faeries decided they wanted a bag, and of course we know how fussy they can be! They had a ball choosing wools and ties, as well as some stones and charms that they insist live in the bag with them!!

The Faeries' Bag with Bling!

They wanted lots of mossy textured wool and although I made them a lovely silk tie they wanted this purple and gold blingy cord which they found on my workshop floor, instead!!

Faeries' Bag

Once the Faeries were happy.. I had the bag bug....

I found a silver Ankh that had been given to me a few years ago by a close friend. The Ankh reminded me of my Ludy Lescot deck.. so ta-da..! another bag was born!

Bag for Ludy Lescot Tarot

The dark colours and the frayed hand dyed lace and muslin ties and the sombre colours seem to suit this deck very well.

Ludy Lescot Tarot Bag with Lace Tie

Watch this space for more of my bags, and I do custom make bags in many styles to suit different decks. One of these days I will get a proper shop online but until then feel free to contact me if you have any requests!

The Emperor

This Emperor could indeed represent someone in my life, in an odd kind of way, same height, same colour hair, quite the likeness! Are those devilish horns sprouting from his head? Whose side is he on anyway? He has either just left the bridge behind him, or is about to pole vault over it.. or maybe he is having second thoughts, and is afraid he will rip his beautiful long dress. His attitude looks defensive, especialy the way he is clutching his sword, what is he afraid of? Who is he trying to kid? And what exactly is he hiding under his big dress. Those vibrant zig-zags could be a mere distraction, to keep your eyes from looking too closely into his.

Traditionally The Emperor is in control, organised, strategic, fair and a perfect mate to The Empress. But there is a dark side, the need to control getting out of hand, the insecurity as he grips that sword and looks back over his shoulder in fear. The clothes he is hiding behind. Like The Emperor in the fairytale, he is putting on a show to try to impress those around him. So self obsessed has he become that believes every bit of flattery that comes his way, to the extent that eventually he ends up naked in front of his people and only a child has the courage to tell him the truth about his state of undress.

Maybe I need to have more control over my life, stop letting others make choices for me, and stop being such malleable clay, to be shaped to their will. I certainly feel as if I could do with a bit of Emperor energy in me at the moment.

The Emperor - Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

Five of Cups

This is the same card I drew last Thursday, albeit a different deck.

I wrote about it here.

In the Silicon Dawn Five of Cups we see a woman has just fallen off the back of a dragon. Falling with her are five cups, presumably they have sll spilled their contents ... if they ever had any. The faller looks she is trying to grab at the cups, she looks more unhappy at losing them, than at her fall, which could ultimately cost her life.

Five of Cups - Silicon Dawn

 

So this is what happens when you catch a ride from a dragon, you are taken to a land far away, possibly somewhere you didn't want to go, and cast out alone, with not even a cup of water to drink.

Has she realised too late the value of what she had, before she chose to throw caution to the wind and cavort with creatures of fantasy, is she dreaming? I remember many childhood dreams of falling...

Where did she come from? Was it possibly a worse place than she is now, or did she just feel the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. This card has a kind of magenta tint, and in the printing process magenta removes green ..... so maybe the flight to fantasy land removed all the lush green grass from her world, and left a pink desert.

I wonder if I have been trying to ride a dragon, if so this won't be the first time I fell. Maybe this is the first time I realise what I stand to lose, and that what I would gain, would not be anything like  I expected. Is this card telling me to stop before it's too late? Avoid free trips with dragons at all costs?

Certainly today actually feels like loss, compared to the past couple of weeks ... and I suppose it is in my hands to do something to stop it. Do I have it in me be St George... for me, and not for someone else?

Four of Swords

Another Sword card!

The Four of Swords shows a couple sitting down chilling out and sharing a pipe ... they are surrounded by four swords. They are having a break or have maybe given up the fight ... maybe a well-earned rest after the battles of everyday life. Outside the window there seem to be figures or shadows of people each carrying a sword, raised as if ready to attack, but they can't get in! Nope these two have decided to call it a day for now.

Four of Swords - Silicon Dawn

So, chill out time.... time to get outta my head and escape for a while? This card is pretty much a permission slip for this! As it happened that wasn't what today was about... apart from the morning which was very chilled and lit by the darkened skies of the eclipse. Eclipses leave a very different, still atmosphere. No rest for me, it wasn't an easy day.

Yesterday I drew the Six of Swords, time to leave something behind and move on. Today's events may have been highlighting that which I need to move on from .... I do feel that I have lost some of my personal power today, I feel weakened, unsettled, disrupted.

It could be time to give up on something, which although not exactly a battle has been a long hard struggle.

Six of Swords

After yesterdays talk of how everything has to move in order to grow and evolve, it was quote apt that today I should draw the Six of Swords! Although this is far from a traditional Rider Waite style Six of Swords with the boat crossing the water, it is still about growth and change.

This card shows a figure at a workbench, with all the tools of her trade hanging behind her, including five of the swords. Swords can represent hardships and tough times, having her back turned on five of them, is very much like the traditional meaning for this card. Leaving times of trouble and moving on to something better. The sixth sword is on the bench and the figure appears to be working on it, maybe giving it superpowers. There is doubt as to whether she is doing it right, you can see this in her expression.  Maybe she is not sure she wants to leave all her old weapons and tools, and forge ahead with just this one shiny new super powered sword. There is also a large shadow of herself cast behind her, but she is leaning towards the light, away from the shadows pull.

It is hard to leave things behind..... there is always something we will miss, always some sacrifice we need to make before we can move on to better things. My life seems to be about moving on, but like this wee crafts person, I am not quite sure of the way forward. Things should become clearer though, if I can try to maintain balance between my emotions and passions and logic. I have never been a great fan of logic. The super sword is perfectly balanced, razor sharp, and can cut through the gloom with its laser beam brightness.... it can also swiftly and finally cut us free from the anchor of the past.

Six of Swords - Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

I have been drawing a daily Oracle card this week too, and today's was *Otherworld* from the Hidden Path oracle. The images shows a woman dressed in white, in a boat, crossing to what could be Avalon. The clouds are just parting to reveal the brightness beyond.... like they have just been cut ... by a sharp blade ...

Once again the cards are underlining and highlighting their messages in neon lights..... yes it is hard to move on, yes it is easy to stay safely hidden in the murky clouds and stagnant water.... but it's not so great when the mosquitoes come out for a feast!

I hope my Dad has reached the Otherworld safely, and that there were many folk to welcome him.

Otherworld - Hidden Path Oracle

Star

Two Moons followed by a Star..... the heavens seem to be getting their heads together about what in the cards for me ;)

This Star from the Tarot of the Silicon Dawn has all of the elements of the star we are used to in the Rider Waite Smith tradition, and some. There are the trees, the water being poured maybe onto earth and sea, the star and the female figure, as well as the stars that show the night sky.

When I first glanced at this card I thought the water flowing down from the vessel was actually a dripping candle. Then, when I thought about it, it makes some sense, as much as any can be made from a blob of ink, anyway. The candle melts and becomes liquid and then cools and sets and becomes consumed again in it's own heat and flame. Just as Stars consume themselves over millions of years. As the water would fill the vessel, evaporate, condense and refill itself.

The goddess like creature leans out from the Cosmos and pours out the water, emptying the vessel ... of emotions? She wears a mask with a star symbol painted on it, and a feather suggestive of Carnival. The pouring out of emotion could be a ritual in the realisation that we are all the same piece of rock, and we all feel and we all cry, and we all hide it behind a mask at times.

Masks remove individuality, they can make you larger than life or invisible, in old times the peasant could become the nobleman and the lord become the serf. Wearing a mask you can be anyone you please, no one knows who is hiding behind the disguise. At the same time a mask sets you free to be totally and completely yourself, to say and do the wild and wonderful things you would maybe not be able to do if you were not in disguise. Masks are great levelers like stardust. Perhaps the star on the mask is showing that we are indeed all stardust... and so free to be, without restriction. After all we are just a miniscule, invisible part of the whole universe and all the other universes and everyhting that is out there. Does it really matter if we sometimes look the fool? Mask or no mask.

Star - Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

There is quite the creation story in this card, and the butterfly adds to this effect, bringing to mind the  quote by Richard Bach:

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly."

As something ends, so something is beginning. If there were no changes, then no one would move on, we would remain stagnant. Night ends ... in dawn, as day dissolves into the shadows of night. Nature cannot be stopped and neither can we We have to allow change or we commit ourselves to life as a chrysalis ... bound tightly, dried up and dormant.

The Star lights the way. On the darkest nights it is easiest to see the stars... like tonight, the very darkest night of the Moon. Stars are for everyone, no one is excluded, except by choice. Another quote, this time from Oscar Wilde

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at stars.

The Moon - Take 2 !!

It seems the Moon has a message for me and is determined that I *get* it.

My deck for this week is The Silicon Dawn Tarot,  by Egypt Urnash,  published by Lo Scarebo. This Tarot deck is very different, very refreshing and I just love everything about it. This deck actually is more than a Tarot as it has 99 cards in all, but I am only using 82 of them at the moment. The deck seems to be a bit of Thoth, a bit of RWS a bit of Golden Dawn and a whole lot of the creators own magic. The cards are a great size, smaller than your usual Lo Scarebo decks, but I love them. Usually I don't like smaller cards, but in this deck they work very well. There are black on black cards, glossy ink highlighting some cards and great holographic effects. The colours are wonderful and I do like the book and what Egypt has to say. The deck feels like a reflection of the artist in 99 mirrors... or rather 99 reflections.  Egypt sounds like a fascinating and colourful person.... and she has amazing wings! Definitely someone I would love to have round for supper...

Moon is a visually stunning card, I love the jackal in the water and the fact that half of the lady in the moon is in light and the other half in shadow. I wondered about the jackal being her darker self,  as her shadowed hand reaches down towards it. Or.... he is maybe just an illusion cast by the moon magic... then she could as easily be an illusion.

Moon - Tarot of the Silicon Dawn

 The Moon lady has a large tail, I like tails... once upon a time humans had tails.. now lost to evolution. The human embryo still has a tail, but this is absorbed into the embryo as it continues to develop. The tail is like a phantom, a missing part...that we know should be there, like the thought that you cannot quite catch but that continues to worry at you...  giving only fleeting glimpses of its existence. This particular tail also reminds me of a serpent, maybe the snake that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Of course the devil is also depicted with a tail, they certainly have a kind of lustful sinful air about them. The figure seems to be bowing her head towards the tail, as if in deference of it's power over her.

Tails are also things left behind...  gone but still there.... in memory. My Dad died today.... he and my mother split when I was very young, but I wanted to connect with him somehow. He did wake me as he passed. Made me think back to the Ten of Cups I drew on Friday.. how memory can sometimes be more real than the now.

So two Moons in a row.... at the dark of the Moon and right before the Solar Eclipse.

The Moon

I have a very different opinion of this deck than I had a week ago, I have to say. The Witches have proved themselves beyond their duty, and I take back all bad words said. Botox, murk up and all, they are here to stay! Also if I look slightly cross eyed at the offending cards I can almost see the bad plastic surgery job as brush marks of a pre digital era ;)

Today I drew The Moon... and I realised that I had dream't of this card last night. Totally out of the blue I had a dream about being offered all these drug cocktails, especially LSD, and everyone around me was taking them... but tho half of me thought about it, something deep down inside screamed NO..! You don't need those... you re way better without them. So I walked away from them, knowing the voice was right. I just bought Thirteen's ebook on Aeclectic Tarot and this is a little of what she has to say about the Moon:

With Pisces as its ruling sign, the Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. At its darkest this can be a very scary card warning the querent of hidden enemies, mental illness, alcoholic blackouts or a bad drug trip. At its very best, however, the Moon is a card of genius, of mental breakthroughs, astonishing creativity, powerful magic, and intuition.

The querent who gets this card should be warned that they may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial, a time when they’ll do things that seem to make sense to them, yet when they come out of it they’ll wonder, “Why did I do that? It makes no sense!” Their mind will be playing tricks on them, and so this is not a good time for making decisions that require rational thought and a clear head.
This card can, likewise, signal a crazy time for relationships. Whirlwind romances, powerful and dreamlike, but not trustworthy. For families and friends this is a time of emotional ups and downs.
If the querent has any past mental problems, they must be vigilant in taking their medication and seeing their therapist. They should avoid recreational drugs or alcohol, they will have a bad reaction if they take either. At the same time, the Moon signals great creativity, enhanced psychic powers, visions. The querent’s judgment may not be trustworthy, but they will have intuitive flashes that are remarkably accurate.

Note the mention of the drugs ....  The dream was also very illusory, and kind of like going through the looking glass. So many things were the total opposite of what they are in the waking life, and I chose to reject that. Even though it was a dream I feel pretty cool about it!

I am a Cancerian, we are ruled by the Moon and it fits me perfectly. We are headed fast for the New Moon and the total solar eclipse, so it is even more fitting. It is a pretty big thing for us lunartics when the Moon eclipses the Sun, I am sure there will be a certain amount of madness in the air! I am looking forward to seeing what I can of it, although it wont be the totality some lucky folk will witness over Cairns. For those of you in New Zealand we should see maybe a 75% eclipse of the Sun round about 10.30 on the morning of Tuesday 14th November. The current weather forecast for Tuesday is cloud and rain, so in that case we probably wont notice much.

But I will *FEEL* the power!!!

The Moon - Witches Tarot

Ten of Cups

I wasn't really surprised to see this card coming after my reaction to yesterdays Five of Cups! Everything I wrote yesterday seems to be even moreso in this card today. The following is quoted directly from keen, as I was interested in the positioning they explain and how it relates to my current thoughts. Especially the relevance of this card in the Past position:

The Ten of Cups in the past position is actually the card's strongest presence in a Tarot reading. This card representing happiness functions best with that representation as a memory. Recalling happy times is actually clearer than experiencing happiness in the moment or finding fulfillment in wishing to be happy in the future. This card in this position represents a powerful foundation of faith in the world and a belief that things will work out. You are strong because of positive values instilled early in life.

In the present position, this card represents a recent breakthrough. You may be in love at the moment of the reading or falling in love with someone. This card carries emotional impact, so there is some wonderful sentiment permeating your life and your world at present. The Tarot reading confirms that you should be enjoying yourself thoroughly.

The future position indicates that your emotional contentment is coming. The Ten of Cups is a card that is the natural climax of the entire Tarot suit of Cups and so it functions well in the future position as a reminder that your goals in life are worth pursuing no matter what the current struggle may be delivering.

I found another wonderful article over on AT by Simone, I love what she had to write about this card, as I love her design. Her card which you can see at the link above, shows a large cup and a mandala of nine smaller cups, which all work together to keep the large cup filled. It shows how one thing cannot fulfill all our desires and needs in life, we need the input and balanc of several things to get it right.

My love for this card has just gone up tenfold!

Ten of Cups - Witches Tarot

Five of Cups

Yet again the card of the day came up twice.. first it fell out of the deck and then it came up in my daily draw ritual! I will be interested to see if the same thing happens next week with a new deck choice!

I have always liked this card ... I see it very definitely as the cups that didn't get spilled rather than the three that were overturned and their contents lost. To me it means be grateful with what you have, and don't dwell on what is lost. It is a card of opportunity, to rethink your situation, count your blessings and see the lesson it brings as a gift.

Today was very definitely a Five of Cups day.... My daughter was unhappy, stuck in a place that had been expensive flight wise, and needed out. Money is not abundant right now, but all that mattered was her happiness ...  so we paid the penalty and changed the flights and now she is happy with her sister for a couple of days before returning home. That happiness is the joy contained in two goblets that were not spilled! And who cares about the 300 bucks that got tipped over? It will go to feed the earth, it's not lost, it is just a contrast to underline the joy of what we have...

I feel joy that Polly is happy and getting a visit with Tabby and Liv. I feel overjoyed in the closeness of our little family, at how my kid's care so much for each other and look out for each other. I have everything to celebrate :)

The five vessels in this card, are assumed to be all the same, but what if the spilled ones contained poison, and the full ones the elixir of life and joy? Another way of looking at the Five of Cups.

In this version from the Witches Tarot, to me the mermaid looks as if she is considering this whole thing, and maybe realising that she has lost nothing and has everything she needs and more.

Five of Cups - Witches Tarot

The High Priest

This guy reminds me of someone I have met. He seems a bit more of a Father Christmas than a High Priest or Hierophant.

Once again, I got the same card twice... I had forgotten to do my daily draw and realised this while I was out. I did a random with an iPhone app and got The Hierophant. When I got home I thought I would just test these Witches.... so I did my usual daily draw method.... and up came the High Priest.. what can I say?

I need wise counseling? Well I have been waiting to see a psychologist for a while now, maybe the appointment will come this week! Another meaning for this card is to join a club or group and have to do things their way. This has been cropping up recently with a local club a friend and I go to. They have suddenly gotten much stricter with rules, almost to the point of making it uncomfortable to go there anymore, it is such a change from how it used to be. But maybe we are seeing things the wrong way and need to adjust a little :)

My son has joined a new group today, and I have to go to pick him up now...!

Happy High priest Day.......

The High Priest - Witches Tarot