THE ACE OF CUPS

The Ace of Cups from The Tarot of the Cat People
Instructions and Designs by Karen Kuykendall
Published by U.S. Games

I'm not really doing my usual post about a card here today (i.e. I'll address The Ace of Cups more fully in a future post). I'm rather low in spirits and just pulled a card at random from the above deck asking for some comment on my inner state. LOL! This could not be a lovelier card to get, or one that feels more impossible for me to fully take in right now. The Ace of Cups is all about abundance, fulfillment, happiness, pleasure, goodness overflowing ... phew! It's also one of the very few cards that rarely shows up in a negative light. I suppose what I can do is take in the reminder that these positive things are still possible. That nothing lasts forever, not even really blue moods. Besides, I do really love that cat! It always makes me smile to see its ecstatic pose and expression. And that is truly an Ace of Cups gift that I can accept right now.

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Resource: The Universal Fantasy Tarot, a recently published deck that I really want to get; lovely designs, IMHO. Even in a blue mood I can still lust after Tarot decks, so I guess all is not lost. :-D

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

‘til next time, keep knowing nothing lasts forever, and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blog: ROSWILA’S DREAM & POETRY REALM.

THE HERMIT (IX)

TODAY'S CARD IS The Hermit (IX). This version is from TAROT: The Complete Kit, published by Running Press, written by Dennis Fairchild, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (see mini-review below):



For comparison, here's The Hermit from the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:



THE HERMIT (IX): The shells on the Simple Tarot's Ten of Pentacles image in my previous post reminded me of the above "hermit crab" desgin in The Complete Tarot. I think this IX is both humorous and makes its point. Here's another take on "isolation," a 1995 dream of mine that I've always thought of as my Hermit card dream. I tried turning it into a poem (unsuccessfully) and that's why it's worded and laid out the way it is:

in a room full of people
she is lonely,
her black cape
accentuating isolation

she feels briefly connected
when she sees that everyone
is robed in black

realizing we all wear around us
what remains unconscious
within us

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE HERMIT (IX) (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):

The "wounded healer." (Those who are healed become healers.)

Get out of your own way; i.e. ego is what is causing you the most trouble right now.

It would be wise to let go of people and/or activities/habits that are no longer working for you.

Time to tie up loose ends; a new project or challenge is on it way.

Use this dark time in your life to seek illumination from within (intuition, meditation, prayer, etc.).

May indicate someone who needs much more alone time than s/he is getting, and/or than most people need.

Someone who teaches/heals/guides simply by virtue of being who they are. (Whenever we let whatever our own light is shine brightly and fully we help those who see it.)

MINI-REVIEW ALERT: TAROT: The Complete Kit is a small deck (3" x 3-1/2," in a box not any bigger and about 2" deep) that I bought in one of those large gift/card chain stores. It was only $7.95 and surprised me when I opened it as it's really a nice, well-produced deck with original designs, echoing traditional Tarot with some humorous slants. The accompanying 88 page booklet is a really nice tiny book, with clear, pragmatic, somewhat unusual meanings -- no references to anything particularly esoteric, though intuition is mentioned, and a glossy color cover. The kit includes a layout map, and the card back design is delightfull. It might make a nice gift, especially as a first deck as the designs are not overly complicated though quite evocative and enjoyable.

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Resource: Physical Egg Tarot, simple Tarot card designs in color painted on intact egg shells!

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

‘til next time, keep letting your light shine brightly, 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 TEN OF PENTACLES

TODAY'S CARD IS The Ten of Pentacles. This version is from Stone Riley's Simple Tarot.*



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



THE TEN OF PENTACLES: I'm preparing to review Stone Riley's "Magic Mirror Tarot" which is a double deck set, made of the Simple Tarot (see mini-review below in this post) and The Spirit Hill Tarot (see my review here). In going through the Simple Tarot just now I was especially struck by his Ten of Pentacles. It set off a lot of responses, including the meaning I offer below in which I mention a hermit crab.

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE TEN 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):

Restrictive times, e.g. tight budget.

What you expect to come to you may not.

Don't buy this boredom or lassitude. It's a sign that new creative energy is about to emerge. Be open and willing to respond when it does.

Don't let the form you acquired in your current struggles continue to define you. Like a hermit crab who's outgrown its shell, shed it and allow a new form to develop.

There are implications beyond the completion that is upon you that you cannot see. Be prepared for surprises.

Celebrate where you came from and the gifts that were given to you both of nature and nurture.

You have accomplished a great deal. If you find yourself focussing on fear of losing it, it may be time to challenge yourself with something new.

There will always be community around us: helpful and not, fitting and not. Renewing and unchanging Spirit lies within and beyond these ties.

*MINI-REVIEW ALERT: I will go into the Simple Tarot at greater length and share more cards from it when I review Stone's Magic Mirror Tarot here in the future. However I do want to say it's an intriguing deck. The simple and varied black and white drawings are extremely evocative, and the words on each card are thought provoking. These cards offer uncomplicated doorways onto profound depths.

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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 honoring the gifts of nature and nurture, 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.****