TAROT TANKA ON THE TOWER (how's that for alliteration?)

ghosts drawn like moths
circle the burning brilliance of the
lightning struck tower
an enlightenment in which even this
peculiar glowing of ghosts plays a part

I posted this non-dream Tarot-based tanka, written 1-3-19, yesterday to my dreams&poetry blog. It was inspired by all the thinking I've been doing about The Tower Card (XVI) in the Tarot. Every year's end I choose at random one of the 22 Major Arcana in the Tarot deck to represent some important aspects of the coming year for me. This year's is XVI (drawn from The Ghost Tarot Deck). The above image is one of my own photomorphs in which I see XVI (The Tower 8-12-15 011v5) and has been posted here previously as an XVI card in my FOUND TAROT.* Immediately below is XVI in the well-known Rider Waite Smith deck:

Last, here’s a link to an on-line posting of the version my tanka most directly references (scroll down to the third pic of a Tower card):

The Tower in The Ghost Tarot (as posted to the site: “The Tarot Parlor”)

I would normally scan in The Tower card from my own Ghost Tarot deck (it’s one of the faves I have in my collection) and post it here. However, I’m still not fully set up – much less fully skilled – to do that sort of many leveled work on my new computer system. One of the many meanings to this card, BTW, is “a humbling.” And this process of getting files moved from my old computer, determining what programs to load on my new one, figuring out how it now all fits together (or not, as the case may be) etc., etc., all while learning Windows 10 – well, it’s a major humbling. However, that’s not what was consciously bugging me when I wrote the above tanka. I was seeing at last a use for the myriad of ghosts out of my past that have been circling more than ever recently: sort of like night lights in the gloom.

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,

THAT OLD DEVIL YOU: an XV in The Found Tarot

I posted THAT OLD DEVIL YOU to my photo blog ("Trying to Hold A Box of Light," link below signature to this post) yesterday afternoon. And as I clicked on "publish" I immediately thought "The Devil Card!" So here 'tis for your consideration as yet another way to look at The Devil. I live in California and we're dealing -- as all too often --- with massive wild fires right now. One of them starting the same day and place of that recent horrific mass shooting in Thousand Oaks. One of the many ways I can understand (if you will) The Devil is as that which precipitates nightmarish consequences, whether willed or not, i.e., caused by human agency or nature or accident, or any other unknown or mystical force. And I've noted (as have others) that sometimes such horror has a certain visual beauty to it. I also blush to admit my temper's been out an awful lot recently and I'm a Capricorn -- which astrology sun sign is often attributed to XV. So I have a bit of personal identification with the sort of volcanic surge one might imagine in this morphed photo. There's that saying that "as above, so below." And I'd say also "as without, so within."

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,

"THE FIFTH TAROT" deck review: a whole new dimension; guest post by Christine Hirlehey

THE FIFTH TAROT is an innovative new deck with a reading and healing system which is completely inspiring, focused on the needs of today's world. [Note from this blog's editor (Roswila): to see images from this impressive deck, click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph to visit the deck website.]

Devised by Martien & Teressena Bakens, symbols, astrology, spirituality and meditation are just some of the aspects meticulously worked in this holistic Tarot perspective. The couple managed to create a meditative tool that goes beyond traditional formats to include an element that is what truly makes the deck indispensable: a fifth suit, the ether.

The Fifth Tarot is a very intuitive approach that feeds on disciplines and complementary arts, with images painted by Teressena Bakens. Beautiful pastel colors provide a positive and optimistic approach to the whole deck. This approach moves away from the more fearsome archetypes and reconciles them through an approach which embraces the shadow that lives in every one of us.

In The Fifth Tarot deck you can find Native American, Shamanic, Mayan, Egyptian, Paganism, Spirit animals and new age symbols as well as directly Greco-Roman symbolic associations such as the birth of Venus.

A new approach:

There are detractors of the traditional decks who believe that the ether element is already contemplated in The Major Arcana cards and there’s no need to add an extra suit to adapt to the current era. The Lotus suit shows us a contemplative face in which spiritual and meditative growth is successfully interwoven with the traditional cards.

In fact, Martien & Teressena Bakens go further and seize the opportunity to complement The Fifth Tarot reading experience with the use of selected essential oils. These are organized in a set that pairs them with each of the Major Trumps, enhancing the experience of growth and deepening the internal enlightenment process. They also offer a Platonic Solids set to deepen the understanding of the sacred symmetry that is in tune with every aspect of the universe.

Fifth Tarot Deck Review:

To complete a review of The Fifth Tarot deck it is essential to enter into the universe that the Bakens created. Every detail of the deck tells us of intricate experimentation and development in search of reaching a truly transcendent and original result.

For those who believe that the frame of the cards doesn’t contribute to the reading, instead being a waste of valuable space to expand the symbolical cards content, there's a curve ball. The white frame of The Fifth Tarot deck includes color codes to identify the suit to which each card belongs. These symbols vibrate in correspondence with the central image, the name and position of the card and offer a word or phrase that evokes the emotion, sensation or learning intended for each card.

Made in a resistant and luminous design, in this Tarot deck review we found variations in the traditional suits: stones instead of pentacles, feathers instead of swords, shells instead of cups and fire instead of wands. And the fifth, the ether suit, represented by the lotus.

As we all know, the lotus is of great importance in Buddhism since it represents the purity of the body and the soul which is reached through meditation. The lotus is a flower that grows in swampy water, and yet overcomes its surroundings to seek the light.

The deck:

The Fifth Tarot restores the fifth element giving the complete set of fire, water, air, earth ... and ether. We find some changes that diminish the negative connotations of the elements, providing a greater space for reflection.

In The Fifth Tarot instead of the Hanged Man there is the Cosmic Man, a figure who floats inverted in space. There is Shadow instead of The Devil, a pretty Jungian setting that is delightful; Realization instead of Judgment; and Universe instead of The World. These are some of the strategies that the authors used to break previous limits and take the reader further.

Another interesting change that connects the reader with the spread at a more intimate level is the transformation of the court cards. Instead of holding noble titles they received a level which is assigned according to their message: the Pages are now Seekers, the Knights are Initiates, The Queens are Apprentices, and the Kings are Elementors.

Also, they are not depicted as traditionally found in other decks. For example, in the Court Cards of Shells you'll find:

• The Seeker of shells is a mermaid drinking from a shell, learning to control her emotions.
• The Initiate of shells is an allegory that closely resembles Lemanja's Afro-Caribbean religious syncretism and refers to the cycles of the moon, connected with its ancestors and its genetic memory pool.
• The Apprentice of shells looks a lot like THE STAR TAROT card. She is a woman who can begin to accept herself while contemplating her reflection in the water surrounded by pearls on a clear night.
• Finally, the Element of water is an image that pays homage to the birth of Venus. This is represented by a feminine form that emerges from the ocean on a shell with the foam of the sea transformed into a goddess connected with its feminine energy. It is inevitable to think of Alfonsina Storni.

Readability:

It’s fair to accept that The Fifth Tarot is a complex and challenging deck for the novice reader. This is amplified if you do not have a broad base of symbolic, cultural, artistic and holistic knowledge. On their website, the Bakens offer workshops, courses and other tools to facilitate the understanding of their work.

It is not a coincidence that the deck is accompanied by an explanatory book that includes more than 300 pages. It is a job that will require dedication and work by the Tarot reader to enter the ocean of new challenges that the deck entails. But where there are challenges you also find opportunities…

For those more familiar with the Jungian archetypal study, the Rider-Waite, Marseille, and Thoth decks, the challenge may be to include the new possibilities and meanings of the fifth suit.

Includes:

The original set of The Fifth Tarot includes an explanatory book of 352 pages, with detailed images in black and white with symbolic interpretation and an in-depth explanation of each beautiful element that makes up this system. There are correlations with the Kaballah, astrology and other complementary disciplines.

Overall:

This Tarot deck raises complex questions for card readers. Does the Rider-Waite need an adaptation? Or can the archetypes manage to stay alive and stand up for themselves beyond the times?

It is true that there are constant reinterpretations of the Rider and the Thoth, new visions and symbology. However, there is no doubt The Fifth Tarot incorporates a powerful tool that assists in the walk towards spiritual growth without neglecting to consider that everyone is interconnected, and our spirituality an indispensable element of our circumstances.

* * * * End of Review * * * *

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my [Roswila's] oldest (years old) posts to this blog no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I do immediately delete any I stumble across that now lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I've found that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

FURTHER EXPLORATION OF THE QUEEN OF CUPS

In the years since my 2006 post sharing meanings and thoughts I'd collected over a period of time about the Queen of Cups (QC), I've gathered more. But first I want to share some more unusual versions of the QC (Google for the deck name above a QC version, to see other cards from that deck):

The Queen of Cups in The Universal Fantasy Tarot:

The Queen of Cups in The Deviant Moon Tarot:

And for COMPARISON, here's the QC in the well-known Rider/Waite/Smith deck:

THE QUEEN OF CUPS: I've had a post on the QC percolating for a very long time and kept waiting for a chunk of free time to focus on writing it, choosing QC images, and putting it all up here. Well, it's finally hit me. At this end of life (I'm half way to 75), I shouldn't put if off for the ideal time (etc.), but just do it. :-) BTW, I mention in a previous post (July 28, 2006) that the QC "...always seems to me to have an incredible array of dark and light depths." As I went over the collection of "meanings" listed below, I saw how much dark and light keeps dancing back and forth within the deeps She swims in. Maybe this is how it is in a great many people's lives as seen via a Tarot reading. My intuition -- if sometimes muddied by all the changing from light to dark and back again -- says this is most probably true. And that one needs to acknowledge and respect these fluctuations. Even as we all do our best to "be real" and "present" and "caring" for each other, during either the dark or light times inside ourselves and others. That alternating of light and dark that is so much like day and then night, if much less predictable.


MEANINGS/INSIGHTS/READINGS FOR THE QUEEN OF CUPS, SOME LESS COMMON OR EVEN QUIRKY -- Please note: 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 it. (Given my heavy reliance on projection of my feelings and experiences onto the cards, I recognize that I may very well reveal more about myself here than I do about any particular card. However, this is exactly my point: I use the cards as a path to self-discovery and healing. I hope what I post here that comes out of that process will be useful in some way to other seekers.):

-- When negatively aspected or reversed: this situation and/or person will take more away from you (in a negative sense) than it/they will ultimately give you (in a positive sense).

-- Someone who's abusing drugs and/or alcohol (i.e., really deep into Her "cups") and possibly in a hidden manner.

-- She/he may seem very easy going or cooperative or nonchalant, but she/he really just can't be bothered by anything not related to meeting her/his addiction's demand; so that she/he lets almost all of the rest of life around her/him go on as it will.

-- A very charming/charismatic person -- may be more so than any other Tarot card character -- about whom one can see very little other than the charm.

-- She/he will probably never offer more than a scintillating tease from the shadows; she/he has an entire other life (either literally, or inside her/himself) and is not really interested in stepping forward to meet another person in the open.

-- Someone in whom others see what they want to see, as She's very reflective (i.e., a person who feeds back to others what she senses -- largely unconsciously -- that they want to see).

-- The more She hides, the more others will tend to project on to Her so that She's less of an anxiety provoking unknown.

-- What She continues to project on to others, is exactly what they will tend to reflect back to Her (to use an old expression in a new way: No matter where you go, there you are!)

-- Don't buy what others are projecting on to you about this! If you feel like you're drowning or being stung by jelly fish, you are! Get out from under it all! You don't have to like it and you sure as hell don't have to buy it and stick around for it!

-- Someone who is in recovery from drugs and/or alcohol abuse who may now have a lot of support to offer about "getting sober."

-- Be sure that what you are seeing is not actually your own reflection, especially if it's negative, or even more so, very positive if it seems far from what you might ever have thought about yourself.

I acknowledge the collective effect of these mostly dark readings for the QC. I hasten to add, She can have a lovely, sometimes even motherly aspect, also creative and highly intuitive, gentle and generous. But I leave those aspects to other posts I've made here and to what other Tarotologists say about Her.

If you'd like to read what else I've offered about this card here, click on the QUEEN OF CUPS Label at the bottom of this post. Then scroll past a repeat of this new post to get to the older.

* * * *

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered in the body and/or at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

ANOTHER HIGH PRIESTESS FOR THE FOUND TAROT

This much fudged with photo of mine of gemstones on a cloth, is the first in a long time to jump out at me as a card for my Found Tarot. Given it's THE HIGH PRIESTESS (2-6-18 024v2tHP) I'd say I really need to listen to what wisdom I've accrued thus far in my 78 years, and even more importantly allow that "wisdom" to be guided and informed by my intuition. That's quite a task as for some time now I've not really been trusting either what I've learned from experience over the years, or my intuition. Too much is going on that's way too new. Which throws me back almost entirely on intuition. And although I've always found my hunches, etc. to be almost always accurate they've not been perfectly so. Given this I just drew a card online and got the Nine of Wands. A support for my sense that I need to expect changes and even tribulations. But that it's possible to take a restful stance during them all if I hew to my inner knowledge and intuition. Not let all the external stuff knock me off center. Stay like the HP, centered between the pillars. And like the virginal HP, remember that I am -- as in the ancient meaning of the word virgin -- complete unto myself. (I.e., not missing something important inside.)

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

A NEW MEANING EACH WITH IMAGES FOR: The Hierophant, all 4 Pages, The Eight of Wands, The Eight of Cups, The Seven of Swords, & The Three of Pentacles

I'm trying a new approach to posting additional meanings I've stumbled across for the cards. Usually I cover only one card in depth, but I've collected a great many more meanings for most of the deck since my last post. So thought I'd include one card each from the basic sections of the Tarot: The Majors, The Courts, and the four Minors. Each will be preceded by an image for that card from a different deck. I had great fun searching for an appropriate image to go with the one meaning I've chosen to post for each. And I chose what I consider to be somewhat unusual or maybe quirky meanings from my readings for myself.

Please note that the below is intended as only a tiny taste of the cards; a quick Google will produce a wide variety of takes should you not be familiar with them. (Given my heavy reliance on projection of my feelings and experiences onto the cards, I recognize that I may very well reveal more about myself here than I do about any particular card. However, this is exactly my point: I use the cards as a path to self-discovery and healing. I hope what I post here that comes out of that process will be useful in some way to other seekers.)

First card for today is:

THE HIEROPHANT (V)

-- The world's teaching and pressure deeply impressing/forming both the conscious and the unconscious mind.

This Hierophant image is from one of my favorite old decks in my collection, The Xultun Tarot (Mayan mythology). He always looks to me as if he's really into inculcating his audience and that he has a great deal to say.

Second card for today is:

THE FOUR PAGES

Well, not "a card," but "cards," actually. I sometimes get a feel for the overall effect or function of type of card (by its number, say, or suit, etc.) In this case, it was for the four Pages in the Court cards:

-- Pages in general can encourage taking a more youthful stance, i.e. less about one's stash of knowledge and experience, and more about just putting one's self out into the world to see what will happen. The particular suit of the page and/or the details of its illustration can help further refine what the card is representing.

The four pages above are from the Rider/Waite/Smith deck.

Third card for today is:

THE EIGHT OF WANDS

-- Spirit breaking through in a moment of mystical union with everything manifest.

The Eight of Wands above is in the Lo Scarabeo Tarot. Most frequently the wands on this card are up in the air, nowhere near the ground. I like the sense of imminence and the physical world in this one.

The fourth card for today is:

THE EIGHT OF CUPS

-- Putting a distance between one's self and some emotional event(s) in order to survive it all. To have time to heal enough not to be destroyed or destabilized by it. In a more difficult sense, using drugs or alcohol, etc. to create that distance. Though even there what looks to the outside world as destructive, can very well be life saving on the person's inner plane.

The Eight of Cups above is in the Anna K. Tarot. Usually the figure is walking away from a bunch of cups, and almost as often, away from the viewer. Here, it's from a relationship (anyone remember that old song "Silhouette on the Shade"?). And the movement toward the viewer makes it more personal, more immediate. Of course, those two figures could simply be sadly watching the foreground character leaving. And I'm sure there are other readings that could be made. But that makes my point about how evocative this particular Eight of Cups version is.

The fifth card for today is:

THE SEVEN OF SWORDS

-- Feeling that things have been stolen from you; taken away by life or some actual person(s). But it's how life goes: we lose stuff, we lose out, we lose people. Shit happens!

The Seven of Swords above is in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck. I looked at a lot of Seven of Swords cards, but none of them (IMHO) beats this one for getting across that feeling of thievery.

The sixth and last card for today is:

THE THREE OF PENTACLES

-- You are being put on alert. Someone around you may be quite a piece of work. Watch out. The nastiness may be extremely well hidden by an earnest, sugar wouldn't melt in his/her mouth aspect. [I laughed in a somewhat embarrassed way when I found this meaning, as this is my primary card in The Tarot, right up there with The Hierophant. Blush! Having stumbled across this meaning with respect to a situation I've been in, will (hopefully) serve to keep me honest, too.]

The Three of Pentacles above is in The Circle of Life Tarot. I'm not overly fond of round cards, but this one is too perfect. Those little figures are either sneaking in or sneaking out of that window, and I always feel they can't be trusted to be up to any good! :-)

And on that self-conscious note, I'll end this post. Now that I've actually put it all together I don't think its approach can make any difference in the long haul, in how fast I get new meanings posted here. But it was entertaining to produce and there's a lot to be said for that in my life these days. LOL ... my moods are like those little figures in The Three of Pentacles above, not to be trusted one inch in all their comings and goings!

* * * *

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I do immediately delete any I stumble across that now lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I've found that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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: (charter member); Roswila's Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

A New Hermit Card (IX) for The Found Tarot

THE HERMIT (IX) in The Found Tarot* (above)

For comparison, IX in THE WILD UNKNOWN TAROT (above),
and (below) in the well-known RIDER/WAITE/SMITH DECK:

Hope that this newest version in The Found Tarot of The Hermit (IX) isn't too off the beaten path. I.e., that the green leafy IX is apparent enough. It gave me a chuckle when I noticed it while fussing with this old pic, trying to make up my mind whether or not to save it at all. It generated a lot of picture versions over the years that I'd gotten rid of so thought maybe it's own time had come, also. But it seems its "life" got saved by telling me another story (this time, for The Found Tarot) ... like Scheherezade (LOL). Hm, in a way there's always another life enhancing story we can see by the light of IX's lantern. The thing is to keep holding it up as we walk on. And not to reject the possibilities of the stories that present themselves, nor yet to cling to them as absolutes. Metaphorically I see that "light" as our mind's ability to produce stories -- i.e., understandings -- that cast different lights of their own from moment to moment. (I'm thinking of our brain's left brain interpreter, that makes sense of the tremendous flood of information we receive at any given step along the way.) So my new IX is rooted in a sort of quirky Hermit: that often life saving and certainly life-enhancing story teller inside us all.

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

AN ABSTRACT THREE OF CUPS (3C) for the FOUND TAROT

What to say about this FOUND TAROT* "Three of Cups" (5-24-15 056v6p), other than the obvious, that it's non-representational. Yes, it has a grouping of three in that blue purple, but that's about it. All I can say in defense of my choice is it feels like the 3C to me. As in the below 3C in the Aquatic Tarot, it has a sort of celebratory feel. And, given my favorite meaning for this card ("What you hold in your mind you tend to manifest") the design sort of fits. As if all those mosaic-like pieces are being fit together to make something concrete out of an idea.

The 3C is also an extremely timely reminder for me in that I'm having a devil of a time handling my own mind's contents these days. There's only so much distraction one can find (and then maintain) and over-eating (or any other ingesting to excess) just is not a choice I will make. So I'm having to cope somehow (and not very well at times) with a mind that readily runs away with me. Creating deeper and deeper ruts that I am more and more likely to trip over and into at any given time. I've found taking a celebratory stance no matter what's got a grip on my thinking does help, if only to dilute what's running away with me. That may sound like a contradiction if sadness or pain or self pity have the reins. But it does work, when I remember to let it happen. When I let my natural tendency to enthusiasm surface by staying aware of the world beyond my own mind. Not a cure, by any means. But life often seems at bit more balanced then.

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

AN UMPTEENTH ACE OF CUPS IN THE FOUND TAROT

I say "an umpteenth" in the title because I'm too lazy to go searching through the years of Found Tarot* posts here to find out how many there have been. And I know there have been several Ace of Cups (AC). Although I did not set out to "find" an AC (5-24-15 056v63) in my pix at this time, it certainly makes sense one might suggest itself to me. Valentine's Day is very soon and a most basic meaning for the AC is "love." E.g., in the Thoth Tarot's little white book it's said to represent the source of all the powers of love. It's also not surprising I'd "find" an AC in my photos/photomorphs at this time of my life as love and its presence and/or lack thereof throughout my life has been up for examination. (Turning 73 just a month ago seems to have triggered an even more intense life review than is my usual periodic wont.) I also keep recalling what I read somewhere that the value of a heart is not determined by how much it loves, but by how much it is loved. This puts me in mind of the well-known Rider/Waite/Smith deck's version of the AC:

... in which the cup is being given away, if you will, being offered to the world. This then raises another thought I often have that love may not be so much a feeling as an action. That it's what we do more than any attachment or caring we may live with. So, may you have a beautiful Valentine's Day being especially generous with your love.

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

(Another) FIVE OF WANDS IN THE FOUND TAROT

So here's at least the third Five of Wands for my Found Tarot* that I've posted over the years. (Yeah, I'm really into trees recently, even more than usual.) This version is the most stressed out one, though. It puts me in mind of a PTSD episode. Not surprising I'd say that as my own life's been extremely challenged recently by things out of my past. I hasten to add that I'm getting better at making it through times like this without destroying my present life. And that there are lots of insights, and hopefully further healing, resulting. I keep reminding myself of one description I heard decades back of the Five of Wands: the battle of life. Why is that sort of comforting (and it is)? I don't feel quite so picked on by fate, if you will. It's one of the things that life does.

And for comparison, here's the Five of Wands in the well-known Rider/Waite/Smith deck:

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or "The Found Tarot" label at the very bottom of this post. There are also multiple versions of some cards. If I should ever wish to produce a physical version of this deck, I'll simply have to choose one. But that eventuality is highly unlikely. I simply enjoy indulging myself here in sharing pix of mine in which I see Tarot images.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





****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 Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

Back on Public Access Again, and Posting ...

Just a very quick post to say that I'm back in Tarot mode after over a year on what must have been some other planet! The above is a new Found Tarot card of mine, the Ten of Wands. And I'd say that's a good comment on what this year (and then some) has been like: hot, bothered, over-burdened, but still upright and looking forward to spring. And for comparison, here's the Ten of Wands in the well-known Rider/Waite/Smith deck:

BTW, since it's been quite a while maybe I should say that the Found Tarot consists of posts I make here of photos of mine in which I see a tarot card. I don't take the pic thinking of such, but only see it's resemblance in some way to a tarot card later, sometimes months later. I do not imagine this "deck" will ever be a physical deck with which to do readings. I offer it as an example of how the tarot images saturate the world for those of us who read and collect these cards.

I'm also posting designs again for the cards in my newest Tarot deck, The Marker Tarot (see link in signature to this post). And have no doubt I'll find designs popping again for my Taiga Tarot (link also in signature). Though it may take me a little while to get posts up on these other two tarot blogs. And these two decks I will someday produce physical versions of. In fact, the Marker Tarot sketches already exist on oak tag like paper, cut to card size. Also, other sorts of tarot posts will be appearing here from time to time, as in the past. Such as meanings for the cards or a Tarot poem.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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: United Haiku and Tanka Society (UHTS) (charter member); Roswila's Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

FURTHER EXPLORATION OF THE HIEROPHANT (V)

It's been a long time since I've done a thorough post exploring THE HIEROPHANT (V) and in that time I've gathered many more thoughts and "meanings" for this card, which I'll share later below. But first, here are some more unusual versions of this card.

The Hierophant (V) in the Gothic Tarot of the Vampires

This is a rather unusual imagery in some ways for V, yet it carries that sense of bowing to a greater power and/or knowledge. It almost looks like a torturous baptism. BTW, I like this deck as a whole, even considering its occasional bloody images.

The Hierophant (V) in the Mother Peace Tarot

I'd waited it seemed for ages "back in the day" for this deck to be available. But was somewhat disappointed as much of the artwork leaves a bit to be desired. Simply as artwork, without even considering the content/meaning of the images. V in this deck always gave me a bit of a giggle as The Hierophant (in the black "skirt") looks like a man in drag. Which, given this is a feminist deck, can be rather meaningful, actually. Is the power and wisdom V is seeking to bring through and in that process identify with, that of the Great Mother Goddess? Of course, if that figure is meant to be a woman, the same might be true.

The Hierophant (V) in The Xultun Tarot

This one of my all time favorite Hierophants. It's so rich (pregnant? or has V been swallowed by the mystical Jaguar? etc., etc.). I'll leave it to you to explore on your own what it may be saying. (See that Jaguar patterned "speech balloon" in the upper left?)

The Hierophant (V) in The Rider/Waite/Smith Tarot

And for comparison, this RWS deck version is probably the most commonly recognizable Hierophant.

I would have had a very hard time choosing which card to post more exploration about today, as I have a huge folder of notes, covering all 78 cards. However, each year at Samhain (Halloween; ancient Celtic New Year) I randomly pull one card from the Majors to represent and offer some guidance for the New Year. This year I got The Hierophant. The first "meaning" below is the one I keep coming back to when seeking to ease anxiety about my inner-self and outer-world relationships.

MEANINGS/INSIGHTS/READINGS FOR THE HIEROPHANT (V) (a/k/a The High Priest or The Pope), SOME LESS COMMON OR EVEN QUIRKY -- Please note: 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 it. (Given my heavy reliance on projection of my feelings and experiences onto the cards, I recognize that I may very well reveal more about myself here than I do about any particular card. However, this is exactly my point: I use the cards as a path to self-discovery and healing. I hope what I post here that comes out of that process will be useful in some way to other seekers.):

-- Secrecy is part of life ... can one know the Great Mystery's mind? Most deception is simply ignorance wearing the disguise of knowing what's going on.

-- Two paths for one sacred energy. Choose the less conflicted, if less exciting one.

-- Don't take things at face value. Wait for your intuition's whisperings.

-- Be more in your body, and less in your head.

-- Clinging to traditional thought in order to deny possibly disturbing new thinking and (especially) the subtle prodding of intuition.

-- Understanding is not an end in and/of itself. What we do with it; how we live it out in the world is the fruition of that knowledge.

-- Domineering personality, at the very least, intensely charismatic.

-- Can sometimes herald a mediumistic state on the part of the reader. If V doesn't offer enough connection on its own, surrounding (or additional) cards should.

-- Time to hear what established wisdom has to say about this. As opposed to your own creative or intuitional sources. You need not give over to that conventional thinking in order to learn from it.

-- Heavy handed, fundamentalist, narrow minded guilting at its worst.

-- The moral underpinnings are what are important here. Not the details, or emotions and fuss surrounding it all.

-- Can indicate someone like a snake oil salesman. Impressive, giving a good show, but selling worthless stuff. And watch the snake oil salesman within: Don't believe everything you think.

-- Don't waste your time and energy trying to thoroughly explain to others what you believe to be true. Attend to your own beliefs as they evolve. They are both guiding and reflecting your actions.

-- Having trouble learning from others and sometimes one's own intuition. The very newness being defended against may herald a treasure's advent.

-- Information; i.e., that which bridges the mental and physical aspects of being. (A similar triangulation is seen on The Lover and The Devil cards. What differs may be where that bridging is being done. Maybe: V = Conscious; VI = Superconscious; and XV = Unconscious.) BTW, that old name for V, The Pope or Pontiff, means bridge builder.

Lastly, for an abstract Hierophant card, scroll down to The Found Tarot post just prior to this one.

And if you'd like to read other posts on this card, click on the "THE HIEROPHANT" Label at the bottom of this post. Then scroll past a repeat of this new post to get to the older.

* * * *

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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: United Haiku and Tanka Society (UHTS) (charter member); Roswila's Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.

For the Found Tarot: THE HIEROPHANT (V)

The first Hierophant (4-14-12 11684v2b) I've found in my pix! Albeit a very quirky one, but a High Priest nevertheless. At least to my eyes. I see the HP standing with arms spread in the middle top, blessing the two acolytes just below. This photomorph's mundane name is "Straddling the Worlds," so in that sense it can also be read as The Hierophant. Here's V in the well-known RWS deck for comparison:

As to any "message" from this card for me today? Given the difficulty I had getting a decent quality and size of RWS Hierophant image to post here, I'd say that straddling worlds can be difficult at times. But sometimes it's the only way to bring through what we need. And that being stubborn (sometimes mistaken as placid, smile) like a bull also serves. (V is often attributed to the astrology sign Taurus the Bull.)

I'd also like to mention that I've started posting again to my Taiga Tarot blog. The post today is my version in that deck of the Nine of Pentacles.

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or the Found Tarot label at the very bottom of this post.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,

ANOTHER NEW FOUND TAROT TOWER (XVI) CARD

THE TOWER (XVI)

Today's new Found Tarot* card was morphed from a very new photo of mine, one of the first taken with my new camera. It wasn't until after I'd posted it to my dreams & poetry blog with a dream poem and was leaving that folder of pix, that it hit me it was a Tower card. To see this card against a white background and in a larger version, click on it. (Its mundane name, BTW, is "A Towering Demise" [8-12-15 011v5].)

As to any particular meaning The Tower may hold for me today -- as cards I post here usually do -- this entire time in my life has a Tower-ish feel to it. When not "in my face," it's hovering in the background, just about to take center stage. Yet, those brief flashes of illumination, however painful they may sometimes be, are still welcome.

* * * *

*ABOUT THE FOUND TAROT: Since sometime in 2009 I've been making occasional posts here of photos of mine in which I see Tarot cards. However, I don't take these pix with the Tarot in mind, rather only see cards in them at some point later once they're on my computer screen. If you'd like to see previous Found Tarot posts, you can use the search function at the top left of this page, or the Found Tarot label at the very bottom of this post.

N.B. A small thing, but just in case: some of the extra reference links offered at the very end of my oldest (years old) posts no longer work. As there are so many posts here to go through I am choosing not to search for and change all of those links that are "dead." (Though I immediately delete any I now stumble across that lead to questionable sites.) If you are interested, you can try Googling for the name of the site or article referenced. I'm finding that some are still around in new locations or incarnations, some not.

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot, in whatever ways it comes to you in your life,





[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: United Haiku and Tanka Society (UHTS) (charter member); Roswila's Dream & Poetry Realm for Tarot poetry; Roswila's Taiga Tarot for taiga (illustrated tanka); Trying to Hold A Box of Light for digital photos only; and THE MARKER TAROT.