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Superlunaris Tarot
Okay, so let the gushing begin. This is an amazing deck that I connected with instantly. The artwork is incredible and you can feel the love and intention that went in to creating the Superlunaris Tarot. When I asked the cards to introduce themselves to me, their answer in part was, “I want to ground you in a sense of joy and personal freedom … I want to help you express yourself as who you are, just as I am an expression of my creators.” And oh how it succeeds. I reached out to the creators, Jess and Jacob and Jess’s response was so warm and full of joy and…
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The Sufi Tarot
Deck creator Ayeda Husain writes, ‘The Sufi Tarot is my way of bringing together two traditions that I love,’ and I believe she’s done an incredible job. This transformative deck views, interprets, and envisions each card through a Sufi lens and I find the two go together really well. The approach promotes the contemplative aspect of the tarot that many of us connect with. The Sufi Tarot Deck The cards remind me of the Ancestral Path Tarot but that may be more a personal connection. Although the oversized, (9 x 12.5cm), thick, matt cardstock and the borderless images might have something to do with it. Even though I didn’t know…
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Tarot of Dreams
Tarot of Dreams is my first Ciro Marchetti deck and I have to admit that the artwork doesn’t align with my general aesthetic. However, I also have to admit that it lives in a wooden box on my desk because it speaks to me so clearly. Basically, this deck served as a further reminder of the need to move away from my favoured art styles and themes more often. The Deviant Moon and Dark Fairy Tale Tarot were others that shared the same message. The Tarot of Dreams Cards There is much to discover in this detail-laden deck. The inclusion of the nautilus shell on the VII of Cups reminds…
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The Queen of Swords vs The Queen of Cups
I wrote an essay for a uni assignment just recently. It was a personal essay of sorts because it was exploring my motivations for writing, but it was very uni-fied. No, that isn’t a word, but it should be. You see, university changes people – usually for the better, but not always. For some of us it becomes an emotional battleground – the head versing the heart. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to university. I love that for brief periods I get to forget about my responsibilities and just focus on me. When I walk out the front door, the deadlock latches and the me that lives for…
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Chrysalis Tarot
Chrysalis Tarot is a storyteller’s deck that took three and a half years to create. The time and effort taken to create it shows. Others agree. In 2014 it was awarded the Tarosophist Award for Best New Deck. I’m not sure how they decide the winner, but I didn’t read that this deck had won and think, “really??” because Chrysalis Tarot has a lot to offer. Covering a range of mythologies and focused on ‘alignment, mindfulness and attunement to the vibrations of life itself’ Chrysalis Tarot is a powerful self-reflective tool. And, I’m sure the stunning artwork and the well-researched and well-thought out book will appeal to many. The Chrysalis…
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Getting to know The Hermit
I see The Hermit in many ways however I don’t really associate him with the “dark night of the soul” that I’ve heard others suggest. At his core, for me he represents going within to uncover and discover the inner wisdom we all possess. Wisdom that develops when we integrate knowledge with experience, hindsight, and our core values. It’s The Hermit that encourages us to spend time alone in order to connect with ourselves and reflect upon our thoughts, actions and beliefs. For me, he defines the philosophy of the Into the Lonely Woods oracle. Sometimes, I would suggest more often than we allow ourselves, we need to spend some…
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Into the Lonely Woods
This oracle is magical, kind, gentle, comforting and full of “oh wow that’s so beautiful” moments. Picking a favourite card is like trying to choose your favourite child/grandchild/pet. The artwork is stunning. Gentle Creature, created by artist Dan May, is the perfect companion when “you feel isolated, distanced from loved ones or wish to embrace quiet, peaceful spaces within a noisy, hurried world.” Into the Lonely Woods encourages you to take time out to embrace solitude in order to meet and spend time with your true self. Looking through these cards makes the idea all the more appealing. Into the Lonely Woods Cards Into the Lonely Woods is a 45…
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Taking a look at The Hierophant
When it comes to highlighting tarot cards, The Hierophant may seem like a strange choice, but, that is the very reason I chose to start with this card. I feel many people aren’t a huge fan of The Hierophant because of how it’s represented in some decks. That’s a real shame because there is so much wisdom to be gained through a deep dive, hey even a shallow dive, into the messages contained within. Barbara Moore writes of The Hierophant in Tarot In Wonderland: The Hierophant doesn’t represent how to think as to the importance of what to think.’ She adds, ‘What we accept as the “truth” about the world…
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Tarot in Wonderland
I began writing this review as I sat outside Westmead Children’s Hospital waiting for my grandson to come out of surgery. So, this deck and I have a strong bond. For the five hours I sat at a café situated just outside the hospital, (damn you Covid), Tarot in Wonderland was a comforting and insightful companion. Just like Alice when she went down the rabbit hole, I was transported to a new way of thinking about myself and how I engage with the world and time flew by. Therefore, to say I found this tarot set powerful is a gross understatement. But, it’s not just the cards. The book is…
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Viewing Alice in Wonderland through a Foucauldian lens
When Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is read through a Foucauldian lens, the impacts of discursive power become evident. Since Carroll was writing before Foucault, it cannot be said he was writing to uncover discourses; however, it can be claimed that in challenging people’s taken for granted assumptions, that is exactly what he did. Alice’s experiences are analogous of Foucault’s ideas of discourse and power made manifest in narrative form. Many examples can be drawn from the text but the focus here is on the discursive power of time and Carroll’s manipulations of it throughout his narratives. As temporal beings, we exist in the space between the past and…
