Fool Stop Tarot Blog

Beltane Tarot Blog Hop

The blog before us was Amanda Donnelly's 78 Whispers.

We are very excited to be the kick-off blog for the Beltane Tarot Blog Hop. It was a lot of fun to share pictures from various decks last time so we thought we would do that again for you.

This round's topic is "Fire Tends To All". We thought we would turn to the Sun card to show you different ways this card has been interpreted.

One of the first deck U.S. Games published was the iconic IJJ Swiss in 1970. This deck represents an older style of Tarot. It is considered a Marseilles variant. With a woodcut design, these cards feature very basic colors of black, red, blue, green and yellow. 1JJ Swiss Tarot Deck, © 1970 U.S.Games Systems, Inc.

From the same year, the Aquarian Tarot's Sun has a very different look. Some might call it a bit creepy but others love the smiling sun. Aquarian Tarot Deck, © 1970 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

From the Rider-Waite deck, one of the most well known Sun depictions. Here we see the child on the white horse with the sun overhead. Rider-Waite Tarot Deck ® © 1971 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

The Tarot of the Witches sun even has a star beauty patch. Tarot of the Witches, © 1974 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

The very old school Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza Tarocchi Deck from 1975 (reprinted in 1984) offers an unusual sunless sun. This is said to be a card that was added later. It's very rich and lush with the gold.

One of the earliest black and white decks, the Hermetic Tarot Deck offers an almost ArtDeco type sun. © 1979 U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Here we have the Lord of the Fire of the World.

The Morgan Greer, also a 1979 publication, offers two people staring at each other, but includes the sunflower and the wall from the Rider Waite.

The first of the round decks, the 1983 Motherpeace went far afield in its interpretation of this card. A zebra and a giraffe romp in this bright yellow card while a lot of happy folk frolic.

Moving into the 90's, we see the 1995 Rohrig Tarot's Sun shows a blazing white hot sun. It looks a bit like a fried egg, doesn't it.

Kris Waldherr's 1998 Goddess Tarot moves to an old folk tale to depict the Sun.

Fradella Adventure Tarot by Frank Fradella, (c) 2003 shows an uncle playing with his niece and nephew in a nod to the family focus of the Sun.

From 2008, the Deviant Moon by Patrick Valenza remains a top pick year after year due to the unusual imagery. Here two moon people seem to be engaged in a fiery tango.

Arnell Ando's Transformational Tarot shares a masculine, confident Sun.

The 2011 Crystal Visions Tarot has the white horse but the figure is a young woman standing with the sunflowers.

Another 2011 deck is the award-winning Cat's Eye Tarot. Here we see the Sun as a bright orange sun-loving cat with daisies.

Finally, releasing this month, Lisa Hunt's Ghosts and Spirits interprets the Sun as the spirit rising up.

So which of these decks are in your collection? We hope you have enjoyed this journey through just a few of the many Tarot decks published by U.S. Games. You can find us on Facebook where we post a Question Of The Day M-Sa.

The blog after us is Andrew McGregor's The Hermit's Lamp.

EXPRESS TAROTBLOGHOP TICKET: If you hit a missing link along your TarotBlogHop, you can get back on the bloghop from this master list. TarotBlogHop Master List, May 2012.

Ask A Reader 3 #Tarot

Today's Ask A Reader comes from X who has two possible apartments to move to. We drew from the Joie de Vivre Tarot. I want to point out that I drew blind and put them on the scanner without looking at them first. I was suprised by the cards! Seems like a clear cut case, but is it?

First apartment Pro/Con

Second apartment Pro/Con

So what advice can you offer X today? Which living situation seems to be the better of the two?

Ask The Reader 2

It's Ask The Readers day again! You are the reader. The question is:

What should I do to find love?

What would you tell this client? I drew the following three cards for the Situation, the Action and the Outcome? See the bottom of this post for how you can be the next one we all read for.

Click for a larger image of each card

Thanks for your assistance. And if you have a question you would like answered, please send it to Stella with the subject line, "Ask The Readers". We will pull three cards and ask our blog readers for their interpretations.

"This deck is so well conceived that each card could stand as its own little universe. In readings it communicates in a clear, rich and friendly way thanks to the lovely card images and characters that inhabit them." -- John Alan, The Tarot Guild

Joie de Vivre Tarot by Paulina Cassidy, U.S. Games Systems Inc, 2011

Two #Tarot Card Spreads

Two card spreads are fun to do because they are fast, but do they give you enough information? I think that they do if you consider that you can eliminate the situation card and just ask two questions about it.

Here are just a few ways to do that.

"Should I Stay Or Should I Go" This lyrical two question spread can be applied to many situation including a relationship, a job or even a housing situation.

"Hold On or Let Go" will answer whether or not you need to try harder or just step back from a situation.

"Fold 'Em or Hold 'Em" is a poker version of whether you should commit to something or bow out.

"Step Up or Step Back" would be whether or not to volunteer your time and energy.

So let's try one, shall we? Your client wants to know if they should volunteer to be a chaperone for their child's field trip to the museum. You draw the Tower for the Step Up card and the 2 of Coins for the Step Back card.

What is your advice to your client based on these two cards from the African Tarot?

What are some other two card spreads you can think of?

The vibrant imagery draws largely on the African experience, depicted in a primitive art style. Evoking universal childhood emotions, African Tarot can help you explore your true inner nature. Review by Lizzie of Lizzie's Logic

Ask The Readers

You are the reader today. I had the following question so we are going to throw this open to all our blog readers. This is now your client. The question is: 

What do I need to do to grow my business exponentially?

What would you tell this client? I drew the following three cards for the Situation, the Action and the Outcome? See the bottom of this post for how you can be the next one we all read for.

Situation: Ace of Coins

Action: 9 of Coins

Outcome: Princess of Coins

Thanks for your assistance. And if you have a question you would like answered, please send it to Stella with the subject line, "Ask The Readers". We will pull three cards and ask our blog readers for their interpretations.

"Fantasy artist Galasso has transformed classic tarot imagery into a vibrant tour, through a crystal ball, into a magical world filled with fairies, fantastical creatures, and exotic flowers. Color creates the backdrop against which the story of each card is told. Lyrical and mysterious, the illustrations almost sing." -- Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight Magazine

#Tarot Thoughts On A February Full Moon 2012

Tomorrow, February 7^th brings us a Full Moon in the sign of Leo. Native American tribes refer to it as the Full Snow Moon, the Little Famine Moon, or the Full Hunger Moon, referencing the time of year, weather conditions, and how the tribes were affected. Leo brings in the energy of an increased sense of purpose, and how we creatively express that purpose.

The Full Moon itself is viewed by many as a time for bringing to fruition the seeds that were sown during the New Moon, and releasing those things that are no longer working for  us. While I do hold that to be true, I also believe that the full energy of the Moon can be used to begin new projects. The choice of releasing the old, bringing in the new, or doing a combination of both is up to each individual.

We will be looking at our individual freedom (which is rapidly changing as the structures that make up our society change), as well as our responsibility to community (local and global). We need to take care of ourselves – to create personal time, to take the time to meditate, ground ourselves, and connect with whatever we accept as Spirit. A new paradigm is coming into being – as we adjust to it, we need to find our sense of balance in life – personal/professional, work/play, family/self … the list goes on.

Leo is all about spontaneity and freedom of expression. It is also good to remember that Leo is a Fire sign – it wants to be out and about and doing things! It is time to share stories, and to allow ourselves to grow from both sharing our own stories, and listening to other people’s stories.

Leo also asks us to express our dreams and hopes for the future. To do this, we need to be grounded in the present. Other energies to keep in mind as we navigate the Leo Full Moon are those of the Hierophant (2012 is a number five year, relating to the Hierophant in the Tarot), and the Dragon (from the Chinese New Year, which started January 23^rd).

The Leo Full Moon has a partner in all this – the Aquarius Sun. While the Leo Full Moon is more about individual self-expression, the Aquarius Sun brings our energy and focus to the common good, towards helping humanity as a whole. It is all about community, groups, and social causes. Push/Pull between individual good and common good.

One way to share our stories is through divinatory readings. I am going to add the small thought here that these readings can be done as individuals, or they can be done within a group setting. Or we can read as individuals with a focus on global issues/connections. Do what feels right for you.

This is my offering for the Leo Full Moon. Cards were drawn from Patrick Valenza’s “Deviant Moon Tarot” .

My Story

1. What am I conscious of on this Full Moon? Knight of  Cups
2. What am I not conscious of on this Full Moon? Page of Cups
3. What is coming into my consciousness on this Full Moon? Queen of Swords
4. What do I need to release? The Magician
5. What do I need to bring in? Knight of Wands
6. How can I access my creative self? The Empress
7. How can I best express my creative self as an individual? Five of Swords
8. How can I best express my creative self within community? The Hermit
9. What new goals am I forming? The World
10.  Where are these new goals taking me? Ace of Pentacles

The Seeker is conscious of new information coming into a situation, and, on a more personal level, of the influences that a possible romantic interest is bringing into their life. It can well be that the new insights, and new opportunities, are opening up because they are opening themselves up to another person. 

The Seeker is not yet conscious of the fact that they are accessing their imagination, and their creative/emotional self. They are beginning to experience and express a greater degree of compassion in their life.

What is coming into the consciousness of the Seeker is a need to get to the truth of things – in their own life, and in the world around them. During this time, the Seeker will be walking alone.

The Seeker literally needs to release their need to control everything, and to be the one that makes things happen in their life. They need to step back, take a time out, and learn to flow with life, to allow Spirit to do its work.

What the Seeker needs to bring in is the ability to make decisions on the fly (sometimes pondering too much is not a good thing!), to allow themselves to be impulsive from time to time, and to go on a journey that may come to them in a very sudden manner.

The Seeker can access their creative self by being willing to nurture themselves, to give themselves time and attention. They also need to open themselves up to the feminine mysteries. The Seeker needs to be willing to birth their own ideas.

The Seeker can best express themselves in a creative way as an individual by living their life in harmony with those around them, by not creating or adding to conflict.

The Seeker can best express themselves in a creative way in community by going within themselves, recognizing the answers they will find there, and sharing the strength of that wisdom with others.

The new goals that the Seeker is forming are coming out of the previous cycle of their life – they are at a point where their life is coming together on all levels. They need to take the time to enjoy being “whole”, they need to enjoy their sense of “victory”, before they move on to the next level. The goals that percolate during their time of celebration will be the ones they take into the next cycle of their life.

The new goals are taking the Seeker into the land of opportunity, into a time of success, prosperity and abundance in the physical world, but also into a sense of balance between their physical and spiritual worlds.

I would love to see comments on this interpretation – to see how others interpret this spread!  

Scans were taken from the “Deviant Moon Tarot”, Patrick Valenza, U.S. Games Systems., Inc, 2008.

© January 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

Guess the #Tarot Deck

This snippet is from a rather unusual Tarot deck. I'd give you clues but I can't bear to!

It's small, but can you tell us what deck and what card this is? Leave your guess in the comments.

Guess the #Tarot Deck

Here's a snippet from one of our more popular Tarot decks. Can you tell us what deck this card is from and what deck?

Leave your answer in the comments. I'll announce the winner on Friday January 25th. You win bragging rights and a cool spread sheet from U.S. Games Systems Inc.!

3Jane's Astral Pyramid Reading

3Jane requested that her Astral Pyramid reading use the Happiness house.

Click on image to enlarge

In row two (which actually starts with row one the Astral House card of Happiness), she got the Crown and the Ladder. The next two weeks will see her getting a lot of attention at work. She will not have to work too hard to be noticed. There may even be a promotion in the works. If she has any projects out, I think this indicates a lot of good news for her.

Click on image to enlarge

Row two, the three week (or day or month...I'm just sticking to week for now) shows the Eagle, the Star and the Knot. So this is a two-against-one week. Two cards indicate triumph and one failure. I am going to say that 3Jane's happiness may take a blow but it will all work out. And for the better in the long run. This feels like one of those arguments that brings out old issues that will finally get fully worked out. Good week. Hard discussions that lead to more commitment. When I look at these I also see that 3Jane will need to avoid tying herself into knots over little things.

Click on image to enlarge

Row four is a bit of a mixed bag. Looks like 3Jane will need to be careful not to overdo it with the partying otherwise, she may need bail money! She's going to have to stay strong though to overcome any blocks to her personal happiness.

So that's my first Astral Pyramid reading. I did not use the book. I wanted to show you how easy this deck is to read with even without the detailed write-ups in the book for each card.

3Jane, what do you think?

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards: Focus On The Cards part 3 of 3

In Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Oracle, there are a total of  cards with 182 of those being the symbols that you might see if you sat down with your own cup of tea leaves. Rae went through the exhaustive process of culling over 500 images down to 182 to make this deck manageable.

For the past two days, you have seen the back of the Tea Leaf cards as well as the bowl, the butterfly, the wheel, the ladder, the needle and thread. Now here are the last three that we are highlighting.

 

How do you compare these cards and their meanings with Tarot cards? What card or cards would the Goldfish make you think of? What about the Horseshoe? And the Feather?

Remember that all comments on this week's Tea Lead Fortune series will be in the running for a reading by Stella T'arot using this deck.  Don't miss the previous posts that include the Astral cards, the Month cards and a video showing Rae Hepburn herself reading with this unique deck. Your comment on every post will count as a separate entry.

The winner will be drawn Monday and announced Tuesday on this blog, Twitter and Facebook.

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards: Focus On The Cards part 2 of 3

In Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Oracle, there are a total of  cards with 182 of those being the symbols that you might see if you sat down with your own cup of tea leaves. Rae went through the exhaustive process of culling over 500 images down to 182 to make this deck manageable.

Yesterday we showed off the bowl and the wheel as well as the back of these cards. Here are three more.

How do you compare these cards and their meanings with Tarot cards? What card in the Tarot would you associate with the Ladder? What about the Needle and Thread or Butterfly?

Visit with Lizzie as she reviews this intriguing deck.

Remember that all comments on this week's Tea Lead Fortune series will be in the running for a reading by Stella T'arot using this deck.  Don't miss the previous posts that include the Astral cards, the Month cards and a video showing Rae Hepburn herself reading with this unique deck.

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards - Months

In Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Oracle, one of the three groups are the twelve months. This is to help you determine timing for some of the layouts. You can lay out the months and then the cards to see what will occur in a given month.

Do you use any specific sequence to determine the timing of your readings? What do you think of this oracle's use of timing in this way?

If you love the artwork, you can read an interview with Shawna Alexander here.

Remember that everyone who comments on this Tea Leaf Oracle series (which started on Monday of this week) will be put in a drawing. One winner will get a Tea Leaf Oracle reading done by Stella.

Five New Decks

U.S. Games is happy to announce the release of three new Tarot decks plus two new oracle decks for your holiday happiness. 

The Cat's Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin, DVM, is an unusual deck in that the author and artist is also a feline-focused veterinarian. The card meanings and numbering follow Rider-Waite interpretations, with reptiles, fish, birds, and mice replacing the usual suit symbols. Even the newcomer to tarot will be able to relate to these delightful images of cats and learn valuable lessons from them.

Then we have Jennifer Galasso's Crystal Visions Tarot. It combines her love of crystal balls with a nod to a famous rock-and-roll singer. The luscious card imagery also illustrates the elemental aspects of each suit in order to aid the novice in forming associations with the cards.

Joie de Vivre Tarot is the latest from Paulina Cassidy. It features her trademark fantastical creatures and eye for detail. Those who take a journey through this wondrous realm will rediscover their own child-like spirit.

And don't miss our latest oracle card decks!

The Woodland Wisdom Oracle deck by Rev. Frances Munro features artwork by the talented Fantasy artist Peter Pracownik. Elves and fairies share their Woodland Wisdom to help you move your life forward in positive ways.

Last but certainly not least is the Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Fortune Cards. Rae Hepburn, an accomplished tea leaf reader, teaches you to unlock the ancient secrets of reading tea leaves. Follow a few simple guidelines, and you can immediately read your fortune.

Here are some recent reviews and interviews. If you have reviewed any of these, please send that link to Stella at US Games. We would love to feature that here and on our Facebook page and our Twitter feed.

• Christiana Gaudet Reviews the Cat's Eye Tarot
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Cat's Eye Tarot
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Crystal Visions Tarot
• Janet Boyer Interviews Crystal Visions' Jennifer Galasso (Jan. 2011)
• Christiana Gaudet Reviews the Crystal Visions Tarot
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Joie de Vivre Tarot
• Christiana Gaudet Reviews the Joie De Vivre Tarot
• Zanna Star Interviews the Artist of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
• Zanna Star Intervies the Author of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
• Lizzie Reviews the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Woodland Wisdom Oracle Cards
• Tarot By Arwen Reviews the Woodland Wisdom Oracle Cards

So which ones do you want? Leave a comment. We want to hear from  you.

Liz's Review of Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

Oct 17, 2011

Deck Review- Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

The art of Tea Leaf Reading is referred to as Tasseomancy. Tea has been around for some 5,000 years so it may be that people were reading tea leaves as far back as that. The reader picks up the cup and reads the patterns formed by the tea leaves. Usually the best tea leaf reading will come from readers who also have natural artistic skills but since most of us are not trained as such, there is a wonderful new deck that takes the guess work out of  tea leaf reading.


I'd like to introduce The Tea Leaf Fortune Cards by Rae Hepburn and published By US Games. Rae Hepburn has studied tea leaf reading for more than thirty years and with these fabulous cards we can reap the benefits of readings without all the hassle of learning volumes of information.


The Tea Leaf Fortune Cards are 200 lovely round cards  (12 Month of the year cards, 6 Astral House cards and 186 Tea Leaf cards) with amazingly appealing artwork that makes reading with them loads of fun, I love the round shape and I've found that shuffling them is actually quite easy. There are a couple different ways that they can be shuffled, by placing them all on a flat surface and mixing them up with your hands or, as I have found, stacking the wonderful little spheres in several small stacks and shuffling as you might do with a regular card deck, making sure to shuffle all the stacks evenly.


This deck and book set also comes with a gorgeous golden bag that you can use to store your cards in and even shake them as a method of shuffling as well. The accompanying 94 page instruction book is a wonderful resource with the history of Tasseomancy, the development of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards, traditional reading methods, several spreads that you can use with these cards and an alphabetical listing of all 200 cards with an interpretation of each.


I had a really great time shuffling and reading with these cards and I'm simply amazed at just how accurately they read! This is a great deck for anyone who wishes to dip their toes into tea leaf reading and this form of geomancy. This is one deck that would be a wonderful addition to anyone's collection!

 

Integrating Card Meanings in a Tarot Reading (via Mary K. Greer)

I asked a group of tarot readers on Facebook to give their top advice for how to combine and integrate card meanings in a spread. It’s one of the things that beginners find most bewildering, but we can all learn more about. Forty-nine people responded (see list of contributors at the end). I combined, edited and grouped the advice to form sets of approaches, moving roughly from the most intuitive to the most analytical. Share this material freely but please include the list of contributors and a link back to this post.

There are no rules to interpretation.

#Tarot Dilemna: Help Me Out 2

It's a Tarot dilemna! We've lost the LWB (Little White Book) so we don't know what the cards mean. Can you help us out by telling us what each card says to you? And what you would think they meant if you got them in a reading about your own job hunt?

Images from Cat's Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc 2011.

Moving Beyond the Little White Book

Imagine yourself in my worn out, yet still fabulous shoes: You’re in the midst of a Tarot reading that is insightful, exciting, revelatory and the querent is eating it all up with a glittery spoon. You feel like this:

Suddenly, you’re stuck! You’ve pulled a card whose meaning you just can’t remember and you open the Little White Book tucked into the deck’s box. Not only does the published meaning not relate to the meaning, it is so off-base that the LWB pretty much points and laughs at you, jumps out of your hand and crawls back into the box. The delicious stream of consciousness is smashed like a cockroach on the bathroom floor. You feel like this:

If this happens, it’s time to move past the Little White Book.

The LWB can be helpful. Perhaps you’ve got a radical new deck portraying familiar cards in an unconventional way. The LWB can help you orientate yourself with the perspective of the deck’s artist, which can provide a better understanding and enhance your readings. The LWB is light, easy to carry, and always there for you when you get really stuck. But despite its best intentions, the LWB can inhibit more than help. In fact, when I published a Tarot deck last year, I encouraged people to ignore the LWB and develop their own meanings for the cards.

The Little White Book should be treated as a guide to the deck, but not the final authority on the cards’ meanings. Most Little White Books only provide two or three lines of interpretation for a single card, when a single card could easily have a hundred or more interpretations. When the intuitive voice of the Tarot is coming through, reaching for that LWB can stop an authentic, insightful reading.

So, how does a reader get out from under the crutch of the Little White Book? How do we become our own LWB?

The key is in the images.

Tarot reading is historically an intuitive craft. It important for Tarot folk to remember that the Tarot came into its role as a divinatory device in 1400-1500s—a time when many people were illiterate and therefore LWBs were not part of the equation. Readings were most likely either intuitive or based on systems developed by families or teacher-to-student, or some sort of combination. It is the pictures on the cards that are the keys to tap into our own subconscious and this intuitive ability. When we let the pictures do the talking, there is no limit to what the Tarot can tell us. Let yourself answer the following questions when looking at a Tarot card: If the card contains characters, what are the characters doing? Where are they going? What is the result going to be? If the card does not contain characters, what emotions or feelings do the colors inspire? Does the arrangement of the objects remind you of anything in particular? Look at the card and pretend you’re taking an inkblot test: What is the first thing that comes to your mind?

I allow for any potential inspiration based on the card’s picture to help illustrate the reading. I pay attention to song lyrics it might inspire, quote from movies, a sudden thought of a person, e.g., “For some reason, this 2 of Cups is reminding me of my sister today…are you worried about your baby sister?” One thing to do is to make a practice deck: photocopy a Tarot deck and cut the numbers and titles off each card. Start working with the images themselves, not what you are striving to remember from the LWB’s depiction. For example, take the following card from the Medieval Scapini deck:

I’ve been working with the Medieval Scapini for seven years and have long since lost its Little White Book. Therefore, I have no idea what Luigi Scapini meant the card to mean (which happens to be the 7 of Wands). But whenever I pull that card, I focus on the guy yelling at a bunch of people who have no interest in what he’s saying. Perhaps the querent is going unheard? Maybe the querent is doing right to ignore nagging influences in their life? It would depend on the question. Again, I’ve been working with this deck for seven years and am only now, as I write this blog post, seeing the little tennis racket in the guy’s hand. If getting this in a reading, I might take the card to mean that physical exercise is important to the situation. (It’s probably a message to me to turn off the laptop and get off the couch…) But the next time I pull this card in a reading, I hope to forget everything I’ve ever concocted about it and let the card reveal something new through its picture.

The energies of the moment and the person you’re reading for (or yourself, if doing a self-reading) are the prime motivators for the reading. These energies will trigger your mind to see particulars in the cards’ images. It is in these particular images that the true message will show.

Allow yourself to forget everything you previously thought you knew about the card and read the pictures in the way a child might tell a story from a picture book. When you get a new Tarot deck, read the Little White Book but ultimately, be your own Little White Book. Draw upon your interpretations. But be willing to rewrite yourself each time you draw a card.

About the author:
Courtney Weber is a Priestess, writer, Tarot Advisor, performer and activist originally from Portland, OR now residing in New York City. Since beginning the study of Tarot at the age of 15, Courtney has gained a national clientele base and is a highly popular Tarot consultant at corporate, community and underground arts events in the Northeast Region and teaches Tarot workshops on both coasts. She is the producer and designer of “Tarot of the Boroughs,” a contemporary, Urban Tarot deck set in New York City with photography by George Courtney. Follow her on Twitter @cocotarot, her blog at agirlcalledwoo.blogspot.com or see Tarot of the Boroughs at www.tarotoftheboroughs.com. She is available for readings via email, Skype and phone: Courtney@tarotoftheboroughs.com.

Timing #Tarot Tricks

Do you use timing in your Tarot readings? It can be difficult sometimes to pin things down. Here is one way to look at this.

click to enlarge

 

The suits can be seen as seasons of the year. Typically, Wands represent spring because they are the suit of the East for many. The East is about youth and new ideas. Wands are also the fastest suit so they can be seen as days. You would use the numbers of the suit to determine the exact day. For instance the 6 of Wands in answer to when something was going to happen would be six days.

click to enlarge

This is the energy of air. Swords are the the suit of the South or Summer in this system. They represent passion and energy. This suit represents weeks rather than days. The 3 of Swords here would mean your answer was coming within three weeks. This is the energy of fire.

click to enlarge

Months can be seen in the suit of the west which is also the season of Autumn. Emotions can take a bit longer to process so here we have months for the timing. Court cards are also numbered so here the King of Cups would represent fourteen months. This is the energy of water.

click to enlarge

That leaves Winter and North to the suit of Pentacles. It is a much slower energy. It stands for years in this timing table. The Page of Earth would mean 11 years. This is the energy of earth.

The deck used is the Crystal Visions Tarot which is coming soon from U.S. Games Systems Inc. The artist, Jennifer Galasso, is a fantasy artist and illustrator whose work is published as prints, greeting cards, collectible figurines, and many other gifts items. Visit the Crystal Visions Tarot site today.

Reversals: Turning the #Tarot Upside Down

How do you read reversals? Let's take some cards and see what some meanings might be.  From Monday's Guess The Deck, here is the 2 of Ghosts reversed. You may see this referred to as Rx or Rev.

Some ways to view a reversal are:

 

• The opposite of the meaning of the card
• A lessening of the meaning of the card
• A shadow side of the meaning of the card

In this deck, the suit of Ghosts is the suit of Cups. So this is the card of partnership and love.

Opposite meaning: A break up

Lessening of the meaning: He's not that into you

Shadow side: There's another person in between you and she

What are some of your ways to read a reversal? What would you say if this card came up in your reading?   Does it matter where the snakes and cat are in this reversal?

A film about Hermann Haindl - #Tarot part 3

Have you enjoyed the first two videos? Here is the third. I liked seeing how he sat back from the images then took photos of various parts. Imagine you were going to create a deck. What colors would you use? What would your suits be? Would you go for the traditional or delve into something else? Leave a comment about your thoughts.

Want to win a Haindl Tarot deck? Leave a comment here to be in the drawing. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for other ways to win.

The winner will be announced next week!

60+ #Tarot Readers Speak To New Readers

On our Facebook page, we do a Question of the Day. One series we've been doing is to take one card and list three good things and three bad things about the card. This has sparked an interesting side discussion about the subject of good and bad.

Several have weighed in on how they felt about the word "bad" when applied to the Tarot. Then I saw the following on Mary K. Greer's blog. The title says it all--"What Every Newbie Tarot Reader Should Know".  I think it applies to the discussion of "good" or "bad" cards.

Without further ado, here is that article in its entirety.

Over 60 experienced tarot readers offer their best advice for what every Newbie Tarot Reader should know. Not everyone will agree with everything. Add ideas you think belong, in the Comments. Feel free to post this anywhere, so long as you include the source and contributors (listed at the end).

Interpreting Body Language and Facial Expressions in the #Tarot pt 2

Continued from Wednesday's blog.

Confidence and Determination

As strong stance – whether sitting or standing – can convey a sense of confidence, determination, will power, and determination. In the four cards above, notice how each figure is sitting squarely and facing front. There’s a sense of confidence and authority, and a seeming determination to stand firm on whatever situation is before them. Now note how each face is staring straight at you, eyes fixed, with no apparent emotion; none of them will tell you any of their secrets and will not divulge any more information than what they think you need to know.

Interpreting Body Language and Facial Expressions in the #Tarot

By Mike Hernandez, Tarot Reader

www.justenoughtarot.com

Isn’t it amazing how much body language and facial expressions play a part in numerous aspects of our daily lives? I thought about that at the mall the other day, while I was walking around just watching people and meandering in and out of various stores. At one point I realized this is also true of people that appear in the Tarot. It made immediate sense to me, given that the cards reflect all the aspects of our lives.

In this article I’ll demonstrate how body language and facial expressions of the people in the cards expose nuances and subtleties that can add an extra layer of meaning to your readings.

Exposing your true self

Body language can say a lot about your true state of being at any given moment. Although you may think you’re portraying yourself in a positive (or, perhaps, even neutral) manner, your body might be indicating otherwise. Have you ever been in a situation where you say something to someone or some group of people, they take what you say at face value, and then begin doubting what you’ve said soon after for some unknown reason? It could most likely be your body language.

Fancy A Game Of #Tarot, Anyone?

On Monday, James Wells shared his Tarot Circle games with us. It made me wonder about the actual card game of Tarot.

Did you know that the game of Tarot is still played? There is an entire group of games for the 78 card deck. Many people refer to them as Tarock games. Tarot or jeu de tarot is a game similar to other trump-style games where you take tricks.

Poetry in Tarot

Poetry is a very subjective subject, isn't it? Some like rhyme. Some prefer metered verse. Still others would rather just not read or write poetry at all. In many of the certification programs, there is a step that asks the student to interact with the cards in a different way.

If you Google "tarot poetry", you will come up with a lot of hits. About 4,700,000 even with the search restricted to avoid "THOSE" sites. Let's examine some of what's out there. The majority that I found was on the Major Arcana.