A bag in the making...

Apologies for not updating this blog for so long.. geez.. that was one quick year! Thing is I am doing a full on college degree and I have another blog that is currently taking up my time. Although the other blog has been mainly focused on art and college stuff recently I do post the occasional Tarot post on there, and life is all of a oneness anyway soo....

Anyway, I am still making my custom made Tarot bags, and have one on the go at the moment so I thought I would share a couple of images of a work in progress. This bag is a commission for a Thoth deck.

 

I have a 2 month college break coming up, so will be putting my efforts into my Tarot bags again, so if you are wanting a special one off bag, now would be a good time to ask :)

To celebrate the joy...

I have been playing with The Shining Tribe Tarot by Rachel Pollack. It is a deck that I was never attracted to when it was first released, but currently I am loving in. I managed to get a very cheap kit, and the book is great. Part of the reason why I decided to look at this deck again, was another book of Rachel’s called The Forest of Souls, which features this deck among others. I am reading the books by dipping in and having bites here and there – sometimes it’s the only way.
Anyway, I knitted a bag, in gorgeous thick wool in a kind of warm apricot pink… to celebrate the joy and colours of the shining tribe…

Mary and the Tower

Today I finally completed one of the Tarot Bags ordered long ago by my friend Felix. It was for the Mary El Tarot. I don't have this deck, there are a few cards I love but the other...mmmmeeeeehhhh. I based the bag on one of the cards I really like which is The Tower.
Mary El Tarot - The Tower card:

 

And this is the bag I designed and made for dear Felix:

A detail of the stitching:

 

 

The Badgers Forest Tarot

Long time no post, I have been so busy with college, family, making bags etc, I have had little time to blog here. I intend to change that over the next few days as life settles down a little!

Meanwhile I wanted to share this new project by Nakisha Vanderhoeven who created the wonderful TaRat, The Rabbit Tarot and the Blue Dog Rose tarot. The new deck looks gorgoeus, particularly for those of you who love nature. I think it will work well with my Wildwood and also my NZ Naturally Tarot. The Druid Animal oracle would also play well with this deck! Plans for it already.

Here is a photo of the stunning Moon card that Nakisha shared on her Facebook page

This new deck is going to be larger than Nakisha's previous decks and although I love their small size it will be nice to see her beautiful artwork in more detail!

Go and check out Nakisha's videos and her Kickstarter project!

Morgan Greer Tarot Pouch

I have been commissioned to create five Tarot Bags to match certain decks for one of my customers, whom I have created custom bags for before. One of the decks is the Morgan Greer.... I was a bit stuck at first, but then I started playing and I am so pleased with what I came up with! I am not usually one to blow my own trumpet about my art, but I really think this is *perfect*!!! My own Morgan Greer deck is now extremely unhappy about the shabby old bag it has been forced to live in....

I will shut up and let the pictures speak for themselves :O)

Pouch for Morgan Greer Tarot by www.thetarotbag.com

See how the lining matches the back of the cards? I am such a clever Tripp at times... And the stunning shot silk velvet matches the yellow and reds in the deck perfectly!

Pouch for Morgan Greer Tarot by www.thetarotbag.com

Brighid's Spread

As for many of you in the North it is Imbolc and the time of year we celebrate the Goddess Brighid, I wanted to design a spread in her honour, she is the Goddess I relate to most. In the South we are about to hit Lammas, but this spread is suitable for both hemispheres. I like to be able to celebrate together with my friends all over the world. Brighid is also known as a Triple Goddess, which use the three phases of Maiden, Mother and Crone, she also represents fire and is the Goddess of Poetry, Smithing and Healing. I designed this 3 card spread with all of the above in mind: ******2***** 1**********3 1.What new fire should you be tending this season 2.What is creating the poetry in your life now 3.What wisdom is most healing for you at this time I hope you enjoy this spread. I have much more to say about Brighid and what she means to me but I want to get this spread up in time for you to use it on her feast day, so I will leave that for another post! I love this image of Brighid by Lori Karels Brighid by Lori Karels This woodcarving shows the Goddess Brighid in her three aspects as poet, healer and blacksmith. Wooden Brighid Carving Brighid inspire the poet within me Heal my pain Invoke my passion and fire Blessed be... )O(

The Dragonfae

I had an Oracle reading to do, and as I don't use Oracle cards too often, I was a bit stumped as to which one to go for, usually I use the Faeries, but I decided to try a new to me deck called Oracle of the Dragonfae by Lucy Cavendish.

The cards are large, too big to shuffle easily, but as there are only 43 cards in the deck it isn't too much of a problem to do variation of a hand to hand shuffle, keeping the cards face down rather than on edge. Big means you can see the details beautifully... although I still used my beloved magnifying glass just in case I was missing out with my myopic eyes. Personally I love the artwork, I love the legends behind the names. I haven't entered the accompanying book yet, as I tend to read the cards intuitively, but I have looked up some of the myths and legends associated with the names. There are some Arthurian folk and I noticed Brighid, my Goddess, as I wandered through the deck.

I have posted a photo of the first reading I did, I particularly love the backs of the cards and they blend into my old very worn and ragged silk jacket so beautifully!! When it grows up it wants to be a Tarot Cloth!

Oracle of the Dragonfae by Lucy Cavendish

I wont go into details of this particular reading here, as it was a perosnal reading for someone, but I am very impressed with this deck. I found the cards very intuitive to read without looking at the book at all. As well as being stunning to look at, the cards contain a rich and poetic tapestry of myth and magic.. lI shall let them take me where they will.......

The Hanged Man and the Hyperbolic Disk

I have been away with the faeries for the past week or so, in another world where I live the life of my dreams... unbelievably there was not a computer in sight for several days. I actually wrote with pen and paper.... many pens, many words... lots of doodles, lots of fun...

Part of my awayness did include some Tarot of course, and I wanted to share a crazy poem that was created in less than 15 minutes between myself and two other students, each with a body of words from their chosen topic. Mine of course was the Tarot, I wonder if you can work out the others?

A functioning whippersnapper magician
the naughty fault finding moon
and a green snot yagi devil
attended the parallel school for lovers
at the cradle crone complex
run by the passive booster seat goddess
where the chariot bootees the circuitry
and the hanged man wipes the hyperbolic disk

As you can see, we had a ball :)

I just had to google Hyperbolic Disks...

Wow!! Amazing images, and this led me to Daina Tamaina, a Latvian mathematician who is specialising in creating crochet with hyperbolic planes... the photo's I have seen from her crochet book are stunning. I share one below.... isn't it fabulous?

Crocheted Hyperbolic Planes by Daina Tamaina

Never be afraid to open your mind to something new!!

Darkana Deck......... Woohoo!

Wow... finally my Darkana Tarot Deck by Dan Donche is here!! I originally backed this on Kickstarter months ago, and although there were a few mailing issues, as in the best laid plans of mice and men... I never got disheartened and was happy to see it when it arrived. had I known just how much I was going to fall in love with it at first sight, I would have been way more impatient!!

Opening my red mailbox on this hot Saturday morning I found this cute as a button little brown parcel:

Brown Paper Delight

I carefully unwrapped it as it felt like the cards may not be boxed but they were, and beautifully so.... there is nothing I dislike about this gorgeous grungy badass deck!!
 

Darkana Deck With Free Everwind Sticker!

It came with a signed box and a signed Badass card... this was an extra for those of us who backed the deck on Kickstarter.  Dan's take on the Tarot it just wonderful..... I love the art, the backs fit perfectly and the thought that has gone into the creation of each card is just genius methinks.

Signed Box by the Badass Himself :)

Love the numerals and the font Dan chose, love the dirty splatters and smudged inky grunginess. I love that this is a special card that reminds me of me a few years ago!

Darkana Cards with Back Design

 Just look at the adorable Fool card, and the backs and the symbols and numbers.... YUM!

And a last peek for now, of my two favorite cards so far, this is on my first look mind and no doubt many more will vie for this place. The Two of Pentacles.... why oh why has none thought about this before... a hamster on a wheel... how perfect is that for this card.... !

And my first fave, the Five of Pentacles, this has always been one of my favorite cards in any deck and one of the first cards I look at, but because I was so enthralled with it all I didn't jump straight to my *go to* cards, so I wasn't expecting it..... How perfect is this? Bloody brilliant.....

I shall be using this as my Deck of the Week as from tomorrow so you will be hearing more.

Happiness is a grungy, gorgeous Tarot Deck.

New Year Books.....

I received a couple of books and calendars in the post recently, which I got with Christmas money from my awesome amazing sister :) I do miss her, especially as last year we were together for Christmas. It is very hard for me not to be constantly checking for cheap flights at this time of year, when the heat of summer gets me down. I am a true Winterchild, not just by name.

Anyway..... I got a wonderful calendar by Major Tom Schick his calendar is called The Tarot Lovers Calendar and is full of wonderful spreads and photo's of cards from the more unusual and arty decks.

In this photo I wanted to share the page for September, which features the Itongo Tarot for Transformation by Robyn - Anne Pollard. I immediately loved this Moon card, and going to the authors website the deck looks very intriguing, I shall have to read more about it.

Tarot Lovers Calendar 2013

Other decks I loved that were featured in the calendar are Beth Seilonen's Tarot of the Red Jester , which I have wanted for ages, and I was quite interested to see that Pamela Steele of The Steele Wizard Tarot is currently working on a Wizards Pets Tarot which looks absolutely enchanting! I don't have a Steel Wizard.... another one on the wishlist, maybe this year! The Wizard's Pets deck is aimed at children but I can see a few older kids (!!),  adding it to their stash.....

Books.... my darling daughter Pollyanna bought me Good Faeries Bad Faeries by Brian Froud, which I have wanted for ages... I love his work, still remember how fascinated I was back in the 80's when I got his first Faeries book. This past year I fell in love with his Faerie Oracle too and it reads like a dream.. this book delves more into the featured faeries, and seeing the artwork on the cards much larger is fantastic! Thanks Polly xoxoxoxox

Christmas Books

I also got Llewellyn's Witches Date Book for 2013 and their Moon Sign Book for 2013. I usually buy a specially written diary and calendar for the Southern Hemisphere, but this year my brain did a flip and I totally forgot that these books would be upside down and back to front! Anyway with time conversions and turning the year inside out I should be able to make sense of it. At least the Moon phases are the same the world over, as long as you convert the times correctly. Its nice to be able to reply on something being constant. If I see the usual diary I buy I will get one, but meantime... I will work with what I have. Anyway.... as I have been thinking so much about moving back North, there may be some reasoning in this lunar madness......

Tarot Life Begins....

I have officially started the Tarot Life course over at Tarosophy... took some working out but I think I am getting there!

I am using my Thoth deck as it is one I haven't used much and it will give me the opportunity to study the cards in a bit of depth as they get drawn each day. Once drawn the cards remian part of the spread and do not get returned to the deck. Of course me being me I wonder over 31 days which 14 cards will end up left undrawn in the pile at the end.

First I had to work out my Destiny Card for this year which is Four of Cups. Then each day you add to a month long spread which creates a destiny path for you to follow, hopefully ending up with you closer to where you want to be.... sounds good to me.

Four of Cups - Thoth Tarot

 I really need to focus on Four of Cups more and learn what my destiny is. Here this card is called Luxury but I really don't see my destiny as luxury.... or boring... or too square for that matter. This card is about cups overflowing, which I guess is a kind of luxury. Overflowing with love and light, the water of life. The crescent moon at the top of the card relates to my birth sign, shown below. It is a double dose of Lunar energy, this card!

I know whatever my *happy* destiny is, it will always be spiritual and emotionally fulfilling rather than material. I do need intellectual and creative fulfillment too though. Ok this path is exciting now... I will think more about this as the month goes on.

 The first two guide cards I drew last night were The Page of Disks and The Knight of Cups. I was definitely meant to have the Knight of Cups, as I tried out three other decks before settling on the Thoth and each time I drew Knight of Cups first.... cant help but wonder who he could be.... I wouldn't mind a romantic Knight in shining armour (armore!!) to guide me through the New Year!

Prince of Disks & Knight of Cups - Thoth Tarot

The cards are at angles because this is the whole idea of the game, the angle relates to how far you were from your goal that day for the card of the left and how much opportunity you may have missed to get closer to your destiny on the right.

Prince of Disks is a great card for new beginnings as it is about planting the seeds, setting a plan and small goals to follow so you have the feeling of accomplishment as you go. This card tells me to be more set in my goals and plans which I am absolutely terrible at! The bull represents determination and bull headedness... and I need some of that!

Knight of Cups..... hmmmm maybe I missed an opportunity to meet my Knight... who knows! I shall be more alert when I hear hoof beats in the distance. I found out from Angel Paths website (which I love!), that the Knight of Cups is also related to the energy flow in the home and Feng Sui principles.  Well according to a quick check the head of my bed is in the right place for learning and training. I have also felt like reaaranging and clearing things out..... Tomorrow!!!!

The High Priestess

I have been feeling more at peace with myself recently, less likely to become stressed or feel guilty for things I shouldn't feel guilty about. I was thinking about this earlier, and so when I did my daily draw I asked what was the best advice the cards could give me to help me maintain  and even add to this feeling of all being pretty much well in my world.

I shuffled the Bohemian Gothic and randomly cut a few times. The card I turned over was The High Priestess.

If I stick to the traditional RWS meanings this makes a lot of sense, even reading it intuitively I come up with similar stuff. Amazing card that lead me on quite a journey through ancient alchemy and the discovery of Colloidal Gold and it's use in medicine, to old buildings in Prague and the use of white gloves in the Catholic church.

The High Priestess is covered in rich robes in the colours of the four elements. She is protected by the robes and the elements. On her hands she wears white gloves, in the Catholic church these white gloves are only ever worn by a conductor of ceremony, usually the Priest or maybe even The Pope. In her gloved hand she holds a vial on a stand, filled with rosy coloured liquid, it coud be blood, or wine that has been blessed, but I think it is Colloidal Gold, used by alchemists and scientists over time for healing and enhanced intelligence. A side effect of this chemical is a grey or pale mauve palor to the skin, this would explain the unreal, vampire like color of her face.

This robed Priestess sits between two old stone pillars topped with skulls. One is lit up by the last rays of the sun but the other has already fallen into shadow.  The town in Bohemia where these pillars stand, also houses the Bone Church. Home to the bones of 40,000 human skeletons, this chapel is dark and painful and yet beautiful, the art is exquisite. These people mainly died of the plague, but the chapel seems to honor those lives and show that they belong in higher places. Who knows what spiritual transformations can be brought about when one is surrounded by death and has only death for a future.

It feels like she stands before a gateway to whatever is beyond, and like with the Sphinx, unless you have the right skills you cannot pass her. The light is behind her so I am thinking that you need to get those skills in order to move forward, get past the darkness of the columns and move into into the light. Perhaps you need to partake of that liquid first, Elixir of Life. Only we can know what our particular elixir is.... I think to solve the riddle we need to find it.

And that answers my question :)

Two of Swords again....!

Today I got the Two of Swords again, from the same Bohemian Gothic Tarot. I shuffled well and counted through to 28 (todays date), and up it came. As I had already gotten it 3 days ago I decided to ask the cards why... whats the message? I drew the Six of Cups in answer.

Two of Swords & Six of Cups - Bohemian Gothic Tarot

So.... if the two of Swords shows blind instinct and the Six of Cups shows innocence, then I see this as a time to go back to basics, simple blind, childlike faith.. and intuition.

I think the Six of Cups has a shadowy side for definite..... and this is a Sun influenced card to balance the Moon influence on Two of Swords.. Both images on the cards seem to be set in the darker hours of the day though. I would say the Six of Cups is early morning. Maybe these two are sneaking out before anyone else is awake, as they know what they are doing is against someone's rules. This card could also be something like "make hay while the sun shines....". It has the children and they look a couple of rascals, it also has the blue flowers which I see as Morning Glory, and these signify the shortness of mortal life, as their own life is less than one day.

They are in a graveyard, so have lost someone, maybe their mother, but she wants them to carry on and enjoy life while they have it. The buildings in the background make me think of turning ones back on authority, and grown up rules. Its time to play.

There is of course a warning though, from the Two of Swords, to look before you decide which path to take. If I had to choose a song for this card I think I would choose this.

Who art thou Redcrosse Knight....?

Today I drew The Knight of Cups from the Bohemian Gothic.... a very dark looking card colourwise, darker than most, you really need to get into the light with a magnifying glass to see the detail in any way.

Knight of Cups - Bohemian Gothic Tarot

 The first detail I noticed on the card was the horned devil character carved into the stone of the castle wall. At first I thought it was a Green Man effigy, but when I took out my magnifying glass (a very useful Christmas gift...), I saw the horns and also it looks like his tongue is in two halves, or forked. So this dude could be escaping from the devil in order to bring something precious, back to its rightful place. He could indeed be a good guy like the traditional knight of cups.

He looks like he is not quite hurrying away, but there is some haste, he holds his arm up as if to show victory....showing off his trophy (which could represent the Holy Grail, as it is a kind of Chalice but has a devil on top by the looks of it), maybe he is holding it up to someone out of the card.. a crowd even?  Could it be devils blood, the elixir of eternal youth? Or eternal Vampirism...... Was the cross to protect him from the likes of Dracula in that dark castle?

The portcullis is raised so they haven't resisted his escape, unless they had no time. Looks like he entered the castle courtyard by nightfall, but surely the hooves of his horse would have been heard. He looks sinister and a bit sneaky, but he has no weapon I can see except this chalice. I think this goblet or its content has great power.

I originally connected the red crosses with those of the crusades and the Templars but their red cross was always on a white background.... that this is on a dark background makes me wonder if he is on the side of the shadows.

There is a Redcrosse Knight  in the Faerie Queen poem... written by Spenser in 16th Century... He was also called the knight of holiness. Like St George (who also had a red cross) he fought a dragon like monster and killed it. He had a lady who was in love with him called Una which means truth, but I am thinking maybe he fought for love of the Faerie Queen... Elizabeth. He was a Christian, Una means truth, and I think she was the symbol of the true faith in the poem. At one point an adversary of the Redcrosse knight uses faerie magic to change a sprite into a false Una and so try to lead the knight astray. When the real Una found he was gone she was bereft. I wonder if this is mean't to be Spenser's knight?  It seems to cross a bit with legends of Lancelot and Guinevere and Arthur in some places too. I must read it again someday but as it is written in old English it takes some time to translate!

The horse has a Fleur de Ly's on its collar, usually associated with the French but also popular in much heraldry and royal coats of arms throughout Europe. Both horse and rider are covered in armour, and heraldic drapes, only the eyes show, but those being the windows of the soul, maybe that is all we need to see... in a Knight of Cups......

I think though he knows no one will come after him, he may have sold his soul to the devil in order to get that grail, and that's why his eyes are so empty looking.... Even his horse looks disapproving. The grail as we know caused men to burn in fever. The light leaves his immediate path lit but all else in shadow, like a light between worlds of darkness. But what is the light, has he been enlightened?

I see little romance about this knight, and not too much emotion either, but maybe he is doing it all for love as did Lancelot.... so dangerous because he represents the threat of stealing your heart, and love and possibly taking you to a dark place. Looks like he will stop at nothing to get what he wants anyway.

Hmmmmm I guess he is the kind of guy I get attracted to come to think of it....

Well that was a lot of stuff to come at me in a short time as regards this card. I think I will just watch out for men wearing red crosses, and bearing silver goblets. Especially if they are heralded by the ghost of a dragon or followed by a creature with a forked tongue!

Still..... two knights in shining armour, in a couple of days..... can't be too bad I suppose!

The Feast of Stephens...

When I was a child the sales didn't start until January, after New Year... which I thought was too soon! Now people queue from late Christmas day, drawn in by the promise of 50% off something that they probably didn't need or even want in the first place. It is consumer madness, but today I shopped...the first day I have ever actually shopped on Boxing Day. I went in late to pick up my sons laptop which was his Christmas gift, but was out of stock before. I didn't do the sales, but as I avoid unnecessary trips to  town and had to take Polly home, it seemed opportune. Even at the end of the day I had to queue!!

I really would like the world to just close for a few days, at some time of year....so it is a real holiday from the madness of everyday life. I know we have some great things today that make communication easier, but sometimes I think they act as a barrier and far more folk live in isolation ... at least physically. I guess the grass is always greener, but now, for a wee while I am going back to the Victorian romance of the Bohemian Gothic tarot. Today I drew another 2... the Two of Wands.

Two of Wands - Bohemian Gothic

This card is another with many stories. The castle ruins have two tall buildings like the pinnacles in yesterdays two of swords, these could represent the two wands although I can't help but see the staff that the man is carrying as a wand. So what is their story?

The sky is full of ravens or crows, they carry messages between the worlds. I believe the woman in this card is actually a ghost or spirit, maybe related to the man, maybe just a shadow from the past. She looks sorry to leave this place, maybe she comes back every evening as the sky darkens, heralded by the crows as they fly home to roost at the end of the day.

Maybe the man came to see her, and missed her, because he turned away too soon or was looking in the wrong direction all along. Perhaps she is sorry that he can't see her, because she wants to give him a message, so she can finally rest. He looks like he has accepted the mundanity of everyday life, yet if only he would turn around, he would find that all is not as dull as it seems!

I see the ghost as me, leaving the old year behind, leaving the cycle behind to start a new one. This was a 9 year for me and next year will be a 1 year. The final forecast for 2012 from Creative Numerology, reads:

Your present reality is your only doorway to the future, and that sense of urgency you’re feeling is probably a desire to conclude something and finally put it behind you. Only you can know if this is the right time to do so. What seems unacceptable now may change into something more loving or useful next year, so don’t act or speak impulsively. Wish yourself – and others – only the best.

I think this is reflected in both yesterdays and today's "2" cards. Reality as opposed to blindness, and shadows, new life not ruins. Changing energies in the world around us.

On the first day of Christmas....

...... my BoGo gave to me ....

two swords and a blindfold... :)

Hmmmmm...... well I didn't see any ships sailing in so best take what I am given in good grace! I just love this card, and it reminds me of one of my favorites in the Victorian Romantic, the Nine of Swords. The two cards are very similar, with the woman on the rooftop, and  the closed eyes, or in this case blindfolded eyes.

Two of Swords - Bohemian Gothic

The woman stands on the balcony of a grand church, with many spires, below a starry sky. There are two sharp pinnacles atop turrets behind her, they have golden globes on each and pierce the night sky, like the swords. It looks to me like she is holding up a curtain or gown in front of her, and this is why her arms are crossed. She is blindfolded, but as she chooses to wear the blindfold then she must have good reason for it. She is lit up either from a light out of the picture or the moon.... I like to think its the moon. It adds meanings to the image for me.

The blindfold and the robe held up to cover her body say to me something like, I can't see you, but you cant see me either. I remember as a child believing that if I couldn't see someone then they couldn't see me! This lady looks very serene, no fear in her face that we can see. Is she waiting for her lover, and playing a party game? Its strange the blindfold and covering, yet standing in the full moonlight, instead of hiding in the shadows. Does the moon say that her blindness and body covering are illusory, no protection at all from whatever she is trying to avoid seeing?

The blindfold could signify denial of something she doesn't want to face up to, and likewise turning her back on those huge foreboding towers above her. Yet she is in the sanctuary of the church, which is maybe why she feels safe. Perhaps, like the vampires she is only able to come out and night. Then there is the blind justice aspect of the blindfold, although it doesn't really go with the crossed arms, they are self protective even if they are holding up her gown. Whatever the blindfold is for, it does tell us that she has chosen not to see the world, or be part of it, being out there alone... unless it is a party game after all!

Hmmmmmm.... so am I hiding away... I do hide away.... I do feel as if hiding sets me apart from the world, as if the world cannot see me. I wonder what I am afraid to see or feel....? Certainly the card has a strange air, with someone behaving rather irrationally, for whatever reason! Anyway I came out of hiding today and went to the beach with Polly and Phoebe!! Without a blindfold. Anyway as it is the party season I think maybe this card could be telling me to stop hiding and celebrate the season by joining in the fun and games... the stranger the better maybe !!!! Party time ;)

Enjoy the feasting... and if you are in the Northern hemisphere, enjoy the cool nights... it is sweltering here, and definitely not enjoyable, though I gotta say, it was great being in the sea earlier!

Gothic Queen......

Sunday is the first day of my, week and I have decided to use the Bohemian Gothic Tarot by Baba Studio's as my deck of the week for readings and daily draws and all other such things.

I love this deck, so dark and yet playful.... its the perfect deck to get lost in, tell stories with and dream within. It shuffles like a waterfall and has gorgeous cardstock... and no borders... all of which go to making a deck a favourite. The backs are wonderful too!

Today I drew the Queen of Cups....

Queen of Cups - Bohemian Gothic Tarot

The Queens of the Bohemian Gothic Tarot all have a shadow side... one is a vampire, another stepped from a painting... this one is a Lorelei, a siren who lured sailors to their death after attracting them with the illusion of beauty amd the enchanting music from her golden harp. There are many signs on this card that all is not as it seems. The harp for one is an Irish style harp.... which makes me think of one who has kissed the Blarney Stone, and is therefore blessed with the gift of guile. The raven sitting by the queen could be her familiar, ravens are known as symbols of death although I like them, They are also messengers from the Otherworld, and as this one is hanging around the Queen like a friend, I am guessing she is from some other place that's not quite as it looks here. The silver goblet by her feet has flowers trailing from it that look suspiciously like Deadly Nightshade. This posionous plant has a long history of being used to poison people, disguised as wine. It is also hallucinogenic... more proof of the illusory vision we see on this card. It could be tempting to drink of that cup and escape for a while from life as we know it, but the hangover could be pretty heavy.

So whereas traditionally the Queen of Cups is a loving, nurturing, Empress of a Queen, this one has more of the Sorceress about her. I think the message here is to be aware, as not all is as it seems. Especially when it looks a little different from the norm, or what you are used to. Yep I get it... thanks again cards, for looking out for me!

What Will End Today?

As it is that day today, I asked the Tarot to show me something that would end... or at least begin to end with the change in energy that this Solstice, and the end of the Mayan Calender will bring. No doubt I can feel something shifting on this planet, unless it's just within me.

I couldn't have drawn a more appropriate card.....

Six of Stones - Wildwood Tarot

The Six of Stones..... the Exploitation card in this wonderful deck. The card shows two starving beggers, broken tools at their feet. Behind them are six sad looking very damaged beehives, but no bee's buzzing in and out.  Further back is a dead tree, what looks like a dried up river bed and a sky full of fire and smoke, destroying the land and polluting the air we breathe.

This is a warning card...if we don't stop this raping and pillaging of our planet, we could end up like these beggers. Noone believes it will happen, but I do. Unless we stop it...now.

It is a brilliant card to draw as an ending card, and I sincerely hope this ending begins now. Please do all you can to stop the exploitation of our planet and all it's lifeforms.

There are things we can all do to make a difference. Be aware of where your food comes from, avoid factory farmed animals, and war funding multi national companies. Grow whatever food you can, even if you only have a window box! Buy fairly traded, tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar wherever you can, do not support the exploitation of workers. Shower less, its bad for your skin, use eco friendly detergents or baking soda. Avoid products tested on animals. Take less trips by car. Educate your children, friends and families! Tell them why you are doing these things and don't back down just to keep the peace... that kind of peace is too expensive!!

Recycle, recycle, recycle!

Today I have permission to.......

Inspired by a thread on Aeclectic Tarot I decided to draw one card and take from it everything I can see, and use it as a permission slip or gift voucher to do something nice for me..

Using the Wildwood Tarot I shuffled and cut the deck and drew a card from the top....... drumroll........

The card I drew was The Journey..... had to smile :) The Journey card in The Wildwood Tarot is number 13 which of course is usually the Death card, but we all know that Death isn't death, just change, and the Journey is quite a neat name for it I think.

The card shows a raven or crow eating the last of the flesh from as reindeer skull, high up in the mountains I think. There are five more corvids flying in silhouette against a huge full moon. There are a couple of huge old tree's in the background. They have no leaves, so either they are dead or it is winter. I think winter.

This is one of my favourite cards in the deck...the more I see of Will Worthington's art, the more I love it, but it this deck especially.

The Wildwood Tarot

The Raven is a very magical creature, and he warns of betrayal and danger. He is a guardian of those at rest, and ravens are still said to this day to guard the head of Bran in the Tower of London. Raven is excellent at crossing between the worlds and so is a great messenger. He not only protects the good but will instill fear in the heart of enemies. Here he is stripping the last of the flesh from a long dead reindeer skull, recycling, the alchemy of turning death into sustenance and life. The great deer who was a king in his day is still serving his land and its creatures even in death.

The full moon is another symbol of life's cycles, just as she will wane so will she wax again, the tree's will get new life and the mountain will see many more sunrises. The journey is never ending, the journey of the wheel... life to death and back again. Sometimes it is time for one journey to end and another to begin.

The skull being stripped to the bone is another message, looking deep into yourself and finding what lies there, what is essentially you, or me. A journey within. So many signs of the past and the future.

Somehow, I was guided by this card to finding an old poster that I used to have on my wall in the old farmhouse we lived in a few years ago. It was the best summer I ever had here and definitely the best Christmas. My children were still children, we were a tribe who survived, who stuck together. But now as things change and grow, two of those children are off on their own journey's, no longer at home. It is hard for me to accept the end of that stage of their journey with me, but sometimes, things have to end for life to carry on. I have thought a lot about when they were small, in England, how I loved this time of year. How I have come to dread it. Why?

I feel this card is telling me to reap the good and the joy from the past and bring it to life in the now.... So I have put up my old torn poster in my bathroom, it looks colourful and joyful. I am giving myself permission to accept the cycles of life, to embrace the joy in today and be thankful for my little people. I will read my old blog, and remember, when I look back on that wonderful magical summer, there were very hard sad times then too. But in my memories I only feel the joy of our family life then... this is what carries us forward. One day, these days will be looked back on fondly.. the dark times will be just shadows, necessary to allow the brightness to shine.....I know this..its the cycle of life.... the chiaroscuro of existence.

I just found a blog post from 7 years ago, showing that poster, in my old home.  I entitled the post "I trust....." I cannot think of anything more fitting to read now.... and ya know. that thing I wanted so badly back then, and that seemed way beyond my reach, was New Zealand residency, the right to live in a land we had come to love. We now have that, and in 6 weeks it will be permanent, forever! I did that... I achieved that, very much in the face of adversity and against all odds....and oh boy does it make me feel good!

Today I give myself the gift of celebration, and a huge pat on the back!!!

The Hare of the Wildwood

Since I did my reading yesterday, I have been getting more and more into this deck. I abandoned the Mystic Medicine oracle I had chosen this week as it still grates on me somehow!!! It needs more intense cleansing obviously.... next full moon it will be out there, and also for the Solstice, which according to what I have found on the web actually occurs here at 12.15am on Saturday 22nd... Phoebes birthday.....

So I laid out the Wildwood cards in the Wheel of the Year and it helped to see them like this and associate the different suits and Majors with their place in the seasonal cycle. The card I drew for my daily draw today was The Hare.... whose time in the wheel we have just passed through..... the days coming up to Midsummer. 

 Wildwood Tarot 

This gorgeous artwork by Will Worthington shows a magnificent hare standing in mountain terrain with the full moon behind him. He looks in command of his countryside, strong and alert to danger. He has a  Green man mask by his feet... symbolic of the continuity and fertility of nature and its cycles. What a beautiful and majestic creature this hare is! Wonderful art!

The Hare means a lot to me, I have been fascinated with hares all my life, I have hare art all over my home, I have done a Welsh pilgrimage to the Patron Saint of Hares and spent many years watching them back in East Anglia. A couple of years ago we had a pet New Zealand hare for a while who came to live with our beloved Snoopy. He was a wild creature, unlike our gorgeous wee mini lop bunny, and we called him Jerusalem. He got on really well with Snoopy who loved having him as a friend, but eventually as he got older, he left us. I cannot keep animals in cages. He didn't go far though and he would come back and visit sometimes, or we would spot him hanging out at the gate to our drive.

The Wildwood book has some beautiful words for the Queen of Bows:

"A companion through life, sympathetic and understanding, leading you to a deeper awareness of what is needed to bring success to your every enterprise. Wise and witty, gentle and kindly the Queen supports you and strengthens your resolve."

This a a fantastic companion for me at this time, I should know the Hare is always there for me and this is a great reminder of that energy. Hares are messengers, they cross through age and culture, bringing you to where you need to be. Their tracks in the fields are complex, but designed to be for them only to be able to follow. They have no underground homes like their rabbit cousins, and so they keep safe by their wits, their amazing senses and their speed. Those huge ears and big eyes are not just for show.

Hares are often related to the Moon and lunacy in mythology, and they are also shapeshifters. The Hare was said to have offered to lay down his life for Buddha in order to feed him with his own flesh. Buddha saved him however and painted his image on the Moon, to be seen forever by all who looked up, as an honour of his selflesness.

The hare will return here often.... as he has in my life...