The nature of Tarot

A couple of days ago, I used a spread that I found in the Aeclectic.net forums. It was created by Arwen and is a characterization Spread.

I figured I'd try this out, since I don't have the money to take part in her workshop this month. The results were... interesting to say the least.

I mean... I'd put together something of a character profile for the two characters that I did the reading for.

These readings were interesting, because they stuck pretty close to the profile I'd put together. They just connected the dots.

I'm not saying that there wasn't a point to reading my characters like this, because there was. I know a lot more about my characters than I had before. But it does beg the question, how much of these readings came from me just looking at the character in a different light?

It just makes me wonder, what is the nature of tarot.

My Book

So.. based on the interview I had with my new deck the Fantastical Tarot, I decided that it was here to help me get back to my creativity and writing again. And based on the tarotscope by Arwen for this month... well, I'm taking it to heart.

So, as I've got two main book ideas to write, I shuffled the deck and asked "what book should I be writing right now?"

The card the two of wands was drawn, and the answer is clear. So I'm bringing my writing book with me to work today, and I'm going to get started in earnest.

Meeting the Fantastical Tarot

Interviewing the new deck.

The reading was found on forums at Aeclectic.net posted by a FireRaven.

LWB in hand. Lets go.

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Fantastical Tarot
by Nathalie Hertz

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
6 Swords- Invitation, something new, a choice, new direction, motion, balancing strength

So you're here to help me kick off with something new. Nice to hear that.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?
2 Swords - Alliances, calmed struggle, friendship, good results after effort, strong tension

So your strengths are that you're going to connect to me, calm me and helping through the struggle... okay, I'll buy that.

3. What are your limits as a deck?
Death - Melancholy, transformation, time of change, new life, rebirth.

Right then. You're limited by my ability to move forward. Your limit is tied to my depression and inability to move forward. Nicely put, but can we get back to you?

4. What do you bring to the table -- what are you here to teach me?
3 cups - Marriage, triumph, birth, love, optimism, plans coming to fruition.

Since we're not talking about me now, you must be talking about how you'll help me. You bring to me the doorway to happiness, and an end to my pessimism. Kind of feels like you're still talking about me though.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
King of Wands - Family harmony, professional success, courtesy, wisdom, mentally well balanced.

Right then... moving along now....

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
3 Pentacles - Accomplishment, skills, professional success, pleasure in work.

Well then... you keep coming at me with all this 'professional' stuff. You can't seriously mean where I'm currently working. And the last card, speaks of collaboration. Are you telling me that I should use you as a tool... use you to work and create?

This is going to need some thinking on this....

What do I need to know RIGHT NOW.

So... I asked the Sacred Circle Deck... "goddess, what do you and the universe need me to know right now?"

And the answer.

Courage.

2 of wands. shows the image of a man carved into the grasses of a hill side holding a stave in each hand.

The card seems to be telling me to reach out. Grab the support that is around me and hold fast. To be strong and try to persevere in the face of all that's going on.

So I ask... What does that mean?

And the answer... The warrior.

Trump card here. Shows a woman poised blade raised. She seems relaxed, yet ready to go at a moment's notice.
She has a badger at her feet. Does this hold hidden meaning for me? Should I be focusing on writing, as the badger is fairly prominent in Fantasy... or is it a prod to go back to school? the local university here is often represented by a badger.

Then... I close my eyes and ask... HOW.

This answer seems clear cut, yet ambiguous all the same.

4 of wands - Development

Yes, I know, I need to develop more. I need clear goals and to drive at them with fierce determination. I need to develop myself and my ideas. I need passion. That's it really... I need to find my passion.

And a final card, just because things were making so much sense... just to throw it all off I guess.

9 of cups. Stability is what this card lays claim to. Stability of what? spirit? emotion? home? It also shows growth, and light. It's a card of what could come.

I just hope I'm not too stupid to ignore it...

Interviewing my deck

So, In the spirit of trying to read cards again, the latest deck I bought got interviewed.

It's a reading I ganked from the forums at Aeclectic.net posted by a FireRaven. I thought it was a great place to start. So, with the LWB in hand, I set out to do this reading.

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Deviant Moon
by Patrick Valenza

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
KN Swords - Brave and Brash. A hero, quick to respond.

Okay, this is a great start, don't you think? The deck is going to be a great asset to me in making sure that I hear what needs to be heard, without hesitation.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?
Judgement - Accountability for ones actions. New beginnings, Awakenings.

This is also fairly awesome. It's going to help to keep me in line. Also, it seems to indicate that it's going to help 'wake me' from the trance I've been in where I just can't read these damned cards.

3. What are your limits as a deck?
The world - Completion of a cycle or journey. Triumph or successful outcome.

Okay... you what? You're limit is that you can't complete a cycle or journey? Or that you won't be able to help me through this cycle or journey.

4. What do you bring to the table -- what are you here to teach me?
9 wands - stopping to ponder challenging events. Hope, a pause. Summoning the will to continue with the struggle.

This works too. This deck is here to give me the lessons I need to keep on keeping on. Definitely something that I need. I'm not the greatest at doing that.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you?
The tower - Severe or abrupt change. Losses or accident. Ruin, upheaval.

You shot who in the what now?
Seriously... okay... lets think this one though. To learn from and collaborate with the deck, I need to change... my attitude? I need a complete upheaval of my current belief structure, lose my negativity, but accident? Let's just cross that off...

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
rv The Fool - Failure to seize the moment. Unsure actions, uncertainty.

Uhh... Is the deck giving me the kiss off here? Or is it just issuing a warning to me, that if I don't start putting more effort into reading, that I won't get anywhere. That maybe I need to move on, and drop the little white book to be able to read the cards.

The book of doors

So, I got my deck Book of Doors today.

They weren't advertised as new, so I didn't expect them to be new. They definitely were used, and I'm not sure about the person I purchased them from. The first thing I did upon opening the box up was to take the cards out, and put them back in their original order. This being step one of the cleansing process that I know of.

I'm telling you, this deck has 65 cards, and by the time I'd ordered 16 of them, my hands were shaking. I was actually trembling by the time I was done.

Tomorrow perhaps, I'll get to work on the cleansing of them. I'm not entirely sure yet.

I'm expecting my Sacred Circle deck sometime in the next week or so.

On Artwork

So, I haven't read my cards since the last reading post I put up here, even though I've acquired another 2 decks (that I have listed in my List of Decks post, and another two will be on their way to me shortly.

There was a book that I read once, and lent to someone who I now no longer see, and doubt I will see again. Anyhow, the book talked about the artwork, and how the artwork should speak for itself.

This is an idea that I've come to believe in. If the artwork on the cards doesn't speak to me, then perhaps I need to send the cards along to someone else who they'll work with.

This will mean a huge undertaking for me. There are a couple of decks that I have that I don't think we can work well together anymore. I'll have to see though.

Anyhow, this brings me to the one deck that I'm sure could speak to me in voices louder than the Fae, however, they currently don't. That would be the 11 - Chat Du Marseille deck. The images are simplistic and great, they're just uncoloured. And while they could work in this status, I wish I could colour them to give them life, so to speak. Unfortunately, I don't think I could do them justice, so I don't.

anyhow, that's it for this entry.