Dark Decks

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Note: Apparently I wrote this and failed to post it in October. My bad.

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain, everyone! In honor of the day (and also the fact that I just received my brand new Bohemian Gothic tarot), we're going to talk about "dark" decks.

There are thousands of different tarot decks out there, with imagery that will appeal to just about everyone. There are tarot decks devoted to cats, ferrets, and even (ugh) baseball. There are decks aimed at different cultures; Native American decks, Chinese decks, Norse decks. There are decks about angels, fairies, saints, and dragons.

I have two "dark" decks. One is the Deviant Moon.



This deck sometimes gives me the crawlies. The imagery is beautifully done, the art is amazing, and the deck stayed on my mind until I gave in and bought it. It's not really a horrifying deck; it's more just that the inhabitants of the deck are "different"- but if you look past the differences, they're living lives not much different from ours. The cards themselves are brightly colored; it's not the first thing you notice when you look at them, but eventually the thought creeps in... "These are oddly... cheerful."

This deck is different, and takes a definite turn from my other decks, but it is a walk in a sun-filled rose garden compared to my other dark deck- my brand new, deliciously creepy Bohemian Gothic.



This deck is, to put it plainly, creepy as hell. Some of the cards give me shivers- if you're interested and in the Halloween mood, go check out the Four of Wands on the Bohemian Gothic website. That card makes a chill crawl up my spine- and as my husband says, the really fantastic thing about this deck is that the images that really make you shudder are the ones that look the most benign. This deck isn't blood and gore horror, though- it's a more thoughtful kind of horror from a time when artists really understood that sometimes, true fear isn't about having zombies jump out at you and graphically eat your face off. (Have I mentioned that I REALLY hate horror flicks?) This deck is somehow over the top and subtle at the same time.

There are some decks that may not be described as "dark"- but that I won't touch with a ten foot pole. The Morgan Greer, while a favorite for many and not to different from some decks I do have (and love!), creeps me right out. It's that Devil card. The Barbara Walker literally makes my skin crawl.

There are other decks, far, far darker than the two I've profiled here. You can check out a great variety of dark decks at Aeclectic.

So why have dark decks? For some people, it's just what they're comfortable with. For me, it's about understanding that there is a balance of light and dark in the world, and in the people, around us. The fact that there is always another battle to fight, always another struggle on the horizon; the fact that people are NOT always fair, kind and just; the fact that most people are generally, at the heart of it, out for themselves- these are things I am finally learning to accept, and it's not easy.

Tarot is a reflection of life. Every card represents something that every person has experienced in some way. Change, heartbreak, growth, celebration- these are all universal experiences, and every different depiction of these experiences in different decks can teach you something different about that situation- a new angle to view it from.


(The Death Card image up there is from the Dark Tarot series by Tease Tarot. As far as I can figure, it's not an actual deck, simply the covers for a series of books- but if it is available as a deck, can someone please tell me where to buy it?)

Charlatans, Con-men and Scammers, Oh My!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

In my short time as a member of Aeclectic.net, I've seen scam artists mentioned occasionally, and always with distaste. The members of Aeclectic are, from what I've seen, incredibly honest, kind and generous people- but there are scammers in every lot, and "fortune tellers" are no exception.

I grew up in a family that had abilities. When my grandmother was alive, there were always odd things happening in her house; lights turning on and off, voices when no one was there, shadows, knocks and doorbell-rings when no one was at the door, occasionally even a full entity taking a stroll through the house. I know, because I lived with her, and I saw it all happen. I've had dreams where people who are no longer alive (including my grandmother, which was actually quite wonderful) come to speak to me; my mother has prophetic dreams, poor thing- she calls me occasionally to tell me what she dreamed about, so that later she can say, "Remember?!"

Even with all that, I still suspected for a long time that divination was a con. I always thought- before my strange and unexpected conversion- that the readers were conning themselves as well as their seekers. Actually, it may well be true; I certainly don't have all the "hows" and "whys", but I don't believe it nearly as much as I once did. What never crossed my mind was that people would use these things to take advantage of others.

Apparently, I think better of the human race than they warrant, which is terrifying, because I don't really think that highly of us as a collective to begin with.

After a conversation at Aeclectic, however, and reading the stories at this website, I felt like I needed to come here and talk about how some people use tarot and spirituality in general to take advantage of people who are in pain, afraid, and desperately need some hope.

I am not an expert in this area, but here's what I think: Anyone who reads for you and tells you that you have no control over your life and that you need someone to fix it is conning you. Even if they don't ask for money, you need to go see someone else, because we always have choices.

There is no shortage of ethical, caring people in the world who also happen to read tarot cards. A lot of them DO charge for genuine readings, and they should- it's work, and it's sometimes very draining. The fact that someone charges isn't an indication that they're scamming you.

If someone spouts stories about curses or dark entities, and tell you they need $xxx to fix it for you, run, don't walk, to someone with some ethics. I've seen speculation that those people don't even know how to read the cards. I suspect it's largely true. Learning the cards is hard work- these people aren't interested in hard work. They're interested in making a fast buck off of someone else's desperation; they create abusive relationships based on fear.

I cannot say for sure that when I read the cards, I'm not unintentionally cold reading. I can tell you that I honestly speak for what the cards say, regardless of whether it seems to be "hitting" with the querent or not. Sometimes it doesn't seem to, which is awkward- but that doesn't mean I change the message. I also usually remind the seeker, when getting to the outcome cards- "THIS isn't set in stone- it's up to you."

Anyone who tries to take away your power over your own life, and then wants you to pay them for it, is not only scamming you- they're also trying to injure you.

Real Life Woo Woo

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Well. I've had an interesting weekend.

I've been feeling pretty awful lately; bloated, slow, with an unhappy tummy. I just have not felt like eating. Finally, I decided that if my body didn't want to eat, I wasn't going to make it, and I started what I thought was going to be an 8 day juice fast.

You can start laughing now.

I lasted all of 30 hours on my juice fast before I cracked and ate part of a donut. And a scrambled egg. And the rest of the donut.

And two pieces of pizza.

And a kit-kat bar.

(This dietary recitation may give you an indication of why I've not been feeling well in the first place. I usually keep this kind of stuff out of the house, but lately things have been kind of odd.)

Now, 4 hours since breaking my fast, I am thinking perhaps I should have stayed on it. I wasn't hungry, I WAS feeling better; I was a little weak and tired, but I suspect that my body still needs a break.

What I found interesting was how, when I mentioned to my dad that I was doing a juice fast, I made a point of mentioning that it had nothing to do with anything spiritual. Yes, fasting has been said to have spiritual benefits; more clarity of thought, more awareness; I was hoping for these things, but they were not my driving focus.

That got me thinking how, really, a lot of supposedly "woo woo" things have real benefits. Meditation, for example- I avoided this for years simply because I wasn't into "that stuff". Oh, no, I wasn't crazy, I had my feet firmly on the ground (and my head firmly up my ass, really). Now, I do it on a regular basis. Not because of any magical purpose, but simply because it helps me find my center, be more grounded and more calm. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in my own head, and run and run like a mouse on a treadmill until I am emotionally and mentally exhausted. Meditation gives me an opportunity to clear out the clutter, get in touch with what is real and let everything else go.

Tarot, I think, serves a bit of the same purpose; it gives you the opportunity to look at things from another point of view. Not everyone accepts that; I have seen someone take an obvious "No!" in a spread and twist it in their head until it said what they wanted it to say. It was astounding, really. But taken with an open heart and an open mind, a tarot spread can help you step back and look at your life, and really take responsibility where you have been avoiding it- or release the responsibility for things beyond your control. Tarot can show you that there's hope when you'd thought there was none, and sometimes, sadly can say, "Hey- this is going to be really, really awful for awhile". Never good to hear- but at least you're prepared.

To be perfectly honest, I still have a lot of suspicion about tarot. How does it work? Why does it work? Is it really just people taking generic meanings and applying them to their lives however they fit? However, I've seen enough creepily accurate spreads to realize that there is most likely something deeper, something really special that happens when you lay out a tarot spread. Even if there's not, people are taking from the readings things that they need to hear.


(That juicer up there is a Waring. It's the one I have. If you must buy a juicer, do yourself a favor and skip this one. It wastes a TON of juice.)

Only one more day!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Tomorrow at 10:00 Mountain Time we'll be doing the drawing for a brand new, straight from the retailer copy of The Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti. I've been posting some of the gorgeous images over the past two weeks so that you could enjoy them, and I hope you have- they really are breathtaking.

So- if you want to win this gorgeous, luxurious deck and book kit, remember to post a comment on any post on the blog before 10:00 am tomorrow morning, and I'll write your name on a slip of paper and drop it in our Giant Cauldron (it's a tupperware bowl) of Names.

Also, if you like the Legacy and think it's stunning (which of course you do, because you are a person of impeccable good taste) check out Ciro's website- lots of beautiful stuff there.

He also has a website specifically for the Legacy of The Divine, with animated versions of all 78 cards, card of the day calculators, and a lot of other neat features. You can get more information at www.legacyofthedivinetarot.com.

And as a special treat, some samples of the animated cards:

The Three of Swords:



The Empress:



The Four of Swords:




You can view more samples of his gorgeously animated cards at his Youtube Channel.


Good luck, everyone!

Decks

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Whoohoo! One week to go in our fabulous giveaway! We only have 24 entrants so far, so odds are pretty good. In fact, I can say with 100% certainty that SOMEONE will win that deck. :D (It occured to me upon viewing this post that it could, possibly, appear that we were giving away that box full of decks. We aren't. Not even close. We are giving away one (1) deck, NOT pictured above, Ciro Marchetti's "Legacy of the Divine" which is gorgeous and beautiful and will come to the winner brand spanking new and straight from the retailer. Those decks in the picture are mine, and shall stay that way. Stop drooling. Mine.)

So, I was going to do a card of the day, and in fact, I have several set up and ready to go (not written, but I have pictures. Cause that's the easy part.) but I am tired and I have a brand new Terry Pratchett book waiting for me, so instead, I am going to talk about one of my favorite things about tarot.

The decks.

I love tarot decks. I love the variety in them, the sheer beauty of so many of them, the quirkiness and humor in others. I love how every different interpretation of a card deepens its meaning for me. No matter what you are interested in, what kind of art you like, what size cards you want- somewhere, there is a deck for you.

My very first tarot deck was the Mystic Dreamer Tarot. It was a gift from our very own Wakingspirit, in response to the words, "I think I want to learn to read tarot cards." Her immediate reaction was, "Well, don't buy one yourself. Pick one out and I'll get it for you."

Yes, I have the best best friend ever.

I went trolling through the decks on Aeclectic, and the first deck that I oohed and aahed over was the Tarot of Prague. I thought, and still think, that it is just lovely. Fortunately, I looked up prices before I told her what I wanted, because I am pretty sure if I'd told her to buy me that one, she would have laughed herself to death. Mystic Dreamer was my second choice, and I do love it- but not nearly as much as Wakingspirit does! She ended up getting her own copy a few weeks later and uses it all the time.

This was the beginning of my obsession with tarot decks. It was also the beginning of my education in tarot superstition. (Nice segue, right? I know, I rule.) The idea that a person should receive their first deck as a gift is a superstition hotly debated among tarotists. I've since learned about other "rules"- there are, for instance, a million different "right" ways to store the cards. Some people won't touch a deck that has belonged to someone else, and some people feel that the appropriate way of discarding a deck that you will no longer use is to (gasp!) burn it.

Don't use tarot cards on wood, ONLY use tarot cards on wood; don't let the querent shuffle, the querent MUST shuffle. It's really the same in all things tarot; each individual must determine for themselves what the "right" way is.

I personally don't see any reason why someone musn't buy their own first deck, if they've no one to do it for them. For me, it was a lovely "welcome" into the tradition to have someone give me such a wonderful gift; it felt like someone else opened the door and invited me in, saying, "Look around! There's so much to learn!" But as nice as it was, I feel sad for all the people who don't learn because they're worried about bad luck or a deck that won't "work" if they buy it themselves- not to mention the people who steal them and then tell themselves it was a gift from the store. (Even my powers of justification aren't that good, and I'm a grand master!)

As for everything else, I've done it pretty much every which way (except for burning decks) and really, it doesn't seem to make a difference. After all, it's not really the cards that do the work. The cards just lay there. I am the one working.

And if you are tempted to burn a deck once you're done with it, send it to me! You don't want to inhale all that smoke. Let me "burn" it for you. :D

Living Out Loud

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Over time, I'm sure I'll mention a hundred ways that tarot, and my ventures into living a more spiritual life, are improving my life and making me happier. What I probably won't mention are the ways that it's making my life more difficult or complex; those things aren't as significant to me, so may not get mentioned so much here. (If you're on Aeclectic, though, you may already know what a crybaby I can be!)

The biggest issue that I have dealt with so far is explaining my interest to other people. People seem to fall into two basic groups. You have the people who, for whatever reason, believe that tarot is evil and/or dangerous. These people tend to be ignorant about tarot in general, and get pretty freaked out when they find out that you do it. These are the people who insist that you're going to hell for reading, that tarot calls evil spirits, that tarot functions through the efforts of evil spirits, or simply that tarot is a sin. (So is eating shrimp. Try and get me to stop. You'll lose a hand.)

The other group are the skeptics. When they learn that you read, their estimation of your intelligence drops about 100 IQ points. If you're lucky, they're dismissive and will only ever speak to you of fashion magazines and animated sitcoms. If, however, you're unlucky, they're combative. They want you to PROVE it. PROVE it works. Tell them the winning lottery numbers/ location of missing child in the news/ winner of American Idol in 2010. It doesn't matter what you tell them, or what you see- if you are completely accurate, they come back with, "That could fit anyone." There is no point arguing with them- they are secure in their world view. You might as well argue with a brick wall.

In the interest of complete honesty, I used to be a member of the first group. Tarot scared me; more than that, I thought it was ridiculous. I had a reading when I was very young that was so inaccurate as to be offensive, and from that point on, I believed tarot was a con; more than that, though, my mother had a deck that she used specifically when she was in a bad emotional place. To me, that deck felt (and still feels) bad. Mix into that the fact that I grew up in a conservative religious environment, where my mother and her spirituality made her the black sheep, and you get a whole lot of intolerance and prejudice in tiny little me. I've been steadily moving away from that place of fear and intolerance; still, I'm still not sure what sparked the interest in me to try tarot. One day in July, it hit me like a bolt of lightening: "I want to learn that." The second bolt of lightening: "I have to keep it to myself."

It's a new and unpleasant feeling, to have to keep something I am passionate about, something that I find so wonderful, under wraps and hidden away like it's something I'm ashamed of. The way I grew up was completely the opposite of that- I was expected to share my beliefs, to spread them like a virus. To have to treat the things that made me happy like they are dirty or sinful makes me very angry; not only for myself, but for everyone that has to live that way.

Recently, I came out of the tarot closet in a very subtle way; I posted on my Facebook about the Tarot blog. A lot of the very, very conservative people that I am related to are connected to me on Facebook, and I suspect that there will be some fall out, some tearful phone calls about how they're praying for me, perhaps some type of spiritual intervention. I expect to have to make sure that my children are not being indoctrinated when I'm not looking.

Some people that respected my intelligence before likely think less of me now; that's ok. I suspect that will have no real effect on my life; I know how smart I am. It may effect my relationships with them in the long run; that's okay too. I have never been one to live any part of my life hidden away, and I don't expect that I'll start now. I'm not saying it's not scary- it's scary as hell. I'm living in the open, anyway.

The positive surprise is the way that people seem to be handling it so far; a lot of people that I was concerned about have been accepting or downright enthusiatic. The people I suspect to be the most disapproving are either ignoring that I ever said anything (we'll see how it goes when I see them in person), or have flat out asked me to not discuss it with them, as it makes them uncomfortable due to the whole me going to hell thing. Still- they're rejecting the tarot and not me, and that I can live with. I'm not pretending to be something I'm not, and that's what's important.

Edited to add: It has been pointed out to me, very gently, that there is another group of people that I dismissed: the people who are not familiar with tarot, and not prejudiced against it at all. I personally have not encountered very many that fit into this category, but they do exist. They just don't cause me angst, so they didn't fit into my rant. :D

In which I am the Fool.

Friday, October 23, 2009

I am a little concerned that it may appear that I believe that I am an expert, or that I am trying to set myself up as a teacher. In fact, for most of these cards that I have posted about, I am writing down my own interpretations, researching "book meanings", figuring out what the card means TO ME, and then posting that. I am not an expert, at all- I am just beginning to learn- and the meanings that I am writing down in this blog only scratch the surface.

There are so many possibilities, and many things that I'll never know about tarot. For instance, I will never, ever even try to learn the numerological and astrological associations; I don't have the type of brain that focuses on those things. That's ok; I don't need those things to make the tarot work for me.

Tarot can work for anyone- and that is one of the doors that I was trying to open with this blog. To invite people who are intimidated or don't understand to join me on my voyage of learning.

I am not trying to lead the way, or to teach anything to anyone. I am simply trying to learn, and hoping that I can in some small way contribute to the journey of learning that other tarotists are on- and maybe to welcome new travelers to this road. Like the Fool, I am leaping forward with enthusiasm, not knowing where the path I am on will lead, but excited about the journey.

The image is from The Fairytale Tarot, copyright 2005 Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov. Image used with permission.

The Right Way

Thursday, October 22, 2009

There are many ways to read the Tarot. As many ways, in fact, as there are people. There are people who look up every card in the book for every reading, and do excellent readings; there are people who never learn a single "standard" card meaning, read the cards intuitively by looking at the pictures- and also do excellent, accurate readings.

Even the people who have assigned meanings to the cards don't always agree on what those meanings are. One person might say Judgment is about reconciling with your past so you can move on into your future, while another might say it refers to being caught in the grips of a difficult decision. Both of those interpretations are accurate for the reader, and that's what is important.

For myself, I am working on learning the book meanings, and I use those as a springboard to reach the message I see in the pictures on the cards. It works for me.

That's part of the reason I started this blog- I wanted a place to discuss my interpretations with others, to expand my understanding of the cards. I love it when I hear or read something that makes me think, "Oh! I never thought of it THAT way, that's excellent!"

So the "Right Way" to read the tarot is this: honestly, with love for the person you are reading for, and to the best of your ability.

Oh Hai.

Allrightythen. Here I am!

So, I'm here to add my thoughts on reading tarot and to offer up readings to anyone who might want one.

I started reading cards as far back as the sixth grade, finding myself drawn to Wicca and other forms of pagan beliefs. Over the years I've put them away and taken them out again many times, but about four years ago I dedicated myself to a path of spiritual awakening and since then I've been reading tarot as part of that journey.

My spiritual bent is influenced both by earth-based religions and Buddhist thought. I'm not any one thing, I've meshed many philosophies together into a working framework for myself. When I read cards, the same thing applies. For example, most read swords as sitting in the east and wands as sitting in the south but I reverse them. Swords to me are active, masculine, can be destructive. To me, that's fire (which is the southern "element" in many traditions including Wicca). Wands represent idea generation, creativity, development, much more suited to the "element" of air for me. When I do ritual, my journal, my wand and my incense all go to the east.

I love to read because it connects me to the earth and to my spiritual center. It gives me an excuse to turn off the external and turn inward. I hope to grow and learn in this practice as we go along, as well.

I read using two decks, the Osho Zen Tarot and the Mystic Dreamer Tarot. Mystic Dreamer is a traditional deck. Osho is a Buddhist deck, based on the teachings of a kooky cult leader. This does not deter from the awesomeness, however, and I really enjoy reading from this deck. The Osho deck will not tell you your future or what dark handsome stranger is coming your way. It will tell you what is going on for you emotionally and spiritually, and what path you might take to deepen your practice and your self-growth.

So, that's me, and my practice. And now maybe Susan will get off my back about posting ;)

The Fool's Journey Starts With a Single Step

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Hey everyone! At this point, I am going to assume that most of you that are reading this followed the link from my Livejournal, either out of genuine interest or morbid curiosity. :)

The fact that I have an interest in tarot is something that most people don't know about me. I tend to keep it to myself; there are a lot of misconceptions about the function and purpose of tarot, and a lot of people are very afraid of it. In fact, at one point, I was one of those people. However, working with the tarot has so far been an incredibly positive force in my life, and it is something I enjoy immensely- so I wanted to branch out, and make it more accessible to those people in my life that may be interested in it.

The purpose of this blog is for us (myself and my co-tarotista, who I'm hoping will introduce herself soon!) to further explore the Tarot. We wanted a place to record our readings, as well as a place to discuss them and get fresh perspectives.

I also hope to review tarot decks, and I am planning to draw a card a day and research and discuss that card. We are also planning to do readings through the blog, so if you'd like one, please leave a comment with your question on the blog and we'll get to it as soon as we can, assuming it works out the way I'm hoping it will. That's always a bit of a leap of faith! (Keep in mind that, unless you tell me otherwise, your reading will be posted to the blog- if it's something terribly private, you may want to ask for a general reading.)

I am very excited about this new venture, and hope that you'll join me on it!