REVIEW OF SPIRIT HILL TAROT BY STONE RILEY

Spirit Hill Tarot
[The link above is to the deck images with excerpts from the book version. The review below is based on the CD. The art is the same in both.]

Other books by Stoney Riley
[With his bio and contact information.]

There's an hermetic quote I ran across recently: "Without imagination spirit is not perceptible." This new and unusual art Tarot deck can help us let go of surface knowing and allow perception of the deeper and more subtle realms. Even those of us already familiar with this allowing of intuitive responses within ourselves, can benefit from the inspiration of these incredible images on Stone Riley's deck.

I do not presume to be sure how someone with no knowledge of more traditional Tarot images and meanings would fare with this deck. They might fare better than I, with no pre-conceptions to intrude upon awareness or to entice comparisons and wanderings. That said, I have found my years of study of many different deck images actually afford me a ground from which I can take off when viewing these stirring images. Ultimately, I only know I find these art pieces challenging and rewarding, and that there is something extremely nourishing and satisfying about engaging in a dialogue with their worlds.

Some of Stone's Spirit Hill images have a clear visual connection to more traditional Tarot images, such as The Hanged Man:



While others are not clearly related to more traditional images, such as the Page of Fire (Stone calls the four suits earth, air, fire and water):



Some of Stone's images are reminiscent of petroglyphs and other American Indian art, and all are suffused with color and movement, many having nature images. A most intriguing thing is how diverse the images are. There is not a single "style" uniting them. Each card is a world unto itself. Yet there is a sense of community about them as a whole.

The Spirit Hill Tarot designs are art and, IMHO, can be appreciated as art alone, i.e. with no concern for their being Tarot cards. To quote the first sentence from the entry on the CD about art theory: "Spirit Hill Tarot is a massive demonstration of a theory of painting called 'New Modern Art'. According to this theory, we can now create a visual language with immense communicative power by merging the genres of Modern art." On the CD there is also a wonderful chart showing "New Modern Art Theory in a Nutshell." Stone also speaks to Tarot history, shares all of his poems for the Major Arcana, gives brief suggestions for doing a reading, and discusses paganism ("...small religion, big art project"). It is also possible to print out a full color copy of the deck from the CD (Yes!).

After making my first notes toward this review, I had a dream. In it, I was working on the end of this review and decided to compare The Ace of Cups from the Rider/ Waite/ Smith deck, The Thoth deck, and the Spirit Hill Tarot to show "a progression," as the dream called it. I had not yet actually viewed the Ace of Water (Cups) in the Spirit Hill Tarot, but the dream made it clear I should. I was amused and moved on viewing the Ace of Water the next morning to read on it: "Awaking in a Dream." :-)







Those words on the bottom of Stone's Ace of Water are ultimately how I feel about his deck: it is fertile, beautiful, and pleasurable. Suffice it to say, spending a bit of time with all of the Spirit Hill Tarot images and only working at length with one so far (see my post here on The Four of Earth) has been one of the best recent experiences I've had with a new Tarot deck. (At one time my collection numbered 120 decks.) Whether one is a Tarot newbie, an experienced reader, or somewhere in between, I believe it will richly reward imaginative, receptive viewing. I highly recommend the Spirit Hill Tarot.

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Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

‘til next time, keep opening to Spirit and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****

THE FOUR OF PENTACLES

TODAY'S CARD is The Four of Pentacles. This version is from Spirit Hill Tarot, by Stone Riley. (I will be posting a rave review of the full deck/CD here in a couple of days.)



For comparison, here's The Four of Pentacles from the Rider/ Waite/ Smith deck:



THE FOUR OF PENTACLES: I find the Spirit Hill version of this card very pleasing. It's reminiscent to me of the American Indian Kokopelli, who wanders playing his flute. (Years back, this myth came into my life when I'd just begun playing and collecting flutes and didjeridus.) And Stone's version of this card sent me off on a mini-quest. I'd forgotten that Calliope (see bottom of his card above) is the muse of epic poetry. Well, not to over-identify simply because I'm a Capricorn and this four is one of my "family" of cards since it's often attributed to Sun in Capricorn, but it does seem at least somewhat appropriate for me, given I write poetry and have also taught it. Then there are the words "The Owner, and his power, and his love of power." These put me in mind of something I'd just read in "Gnostic Philosophy," by Tobias Churton, so I went thumbing through the book to find the exact quote: "Words express powers. The right use of words (poetry or the making thereof) invokes or evokes psychic energies." And that brings us right back to Calliope. What an intriguing new level this brings to the The Four of Pentacles (well beyond any personal identification I obviously have with any of its light or dark aspects :-D).

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE FOUR OF PENTACLES (i.e. the below is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of this card; a quick google will produce a wider variety of takes should you not be familiar with this card):

Body shame (covering up).

Fear of or actual loss or privation.

Someone who "plays their cards very close to their chest."

You're being controlling. Lighten up.

They may never admit it, but they really do understand. You'll just have to be content with knowing this.

Yes, you can control this. But do you really want a situation you have to work so hard to control? And at what cost?

A disciplined activity would be good for you right now.

An avid collector.

Experiencing one's power to create order internally and/or externally.

Careful and appropriate management of material affairs.

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Resource: Hippie Tarots, being an aging hippie, I enjoyed this site -- six cards from each of six different decks.

Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

‘til next time, keep managing your power joyfully and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****