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Tips on how to ask good questions
Pick up just about any book on tarot and one of the first things it will tell you to do as part of a reading is to make sure you ask good questions. However, what I realised when I flicked back through many of the guidebooks in my extensive tarot collection is that few of the books then go on to explain what that means. My daughter told me that she finds trying formulate the question is one of the hardest things about doing a reading so I thought I’d put together a post to try and demystify the process. Is it as important as people make out? Short answer…
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Cozy Witch Tarot
I pre-judged the Cozy Witch Tarot and in so doing I did myself and the deck a disservice. I have Amanda Lovelace’s Believe in Your Own Magic Oracle and I found a lot to love about it so I should have taken that into account. But, I didn’t. Instead, I saw the keywords and questioned whether the deck was for me. Generally I see keywords on tarot cards as distractions that can limit the meanings of the card. How wrong my assumption has proven to be. My eye is naturally drawn to the artwork and when it does wander down to read the words beneath the title I find I…
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Tarot of the Old Path
Tarot of the Old Path is a Wiccan inspired deck that incorporates the Victorian language of flowers and animal symbolism. This post contains a full review including insights and over twenty full colour images.
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What is Tarot and how can I use it?
At its most basic, tarot is a set of seventy-eight cards that together represent both our everyday lived experiences and the forces that shape our lives. Carl Jung called these forces “archetypes”. These archetypes represent the different drives, patterns, and powers that impel us to behave in certain ways at certain times. Often, possibly more often than not, this is done unconsciously. Before I go on though, I want to address one of the fears associated with Tarot. Tarot does not have the power to create or control these forces or our experiences. How can it? Tarot decks consist of seventy-eight pieces of art. It is us that ascribes and…
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5 Different Versions of the RWS Tarot Compared
Introduction So many people say that if you want to learn tarot you should start with, or at least have, a version of the original RWS deck. And, for many reasons, I am one of them. The most basic reason of all is that, if you learn the RWS tarot, you can develop a solid base of knowledge that allows you to read any RWS-based deck more easily. Since the RWS tarot is the pictorial language that many creators have translated into their own artistic style, knowing the base language means you can draw additional meanings from your RWS-inspired deck. I find this is a two way process. If you’ve…
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Tarot: A Life Guided by the Cards by Maddy Elruna
Introduction I haven’t written a post about a tarot book, (you’ll find others here), for a while but that isn’t because I haven’t been reading them. I love reading tarot books and tarot guidebooks. They always add something to my understanding or remind me of something I have forgotten over the years. Tarot: A Life Guided by the Cards is a great book. Author, Maddy Elruna, writes about the book, “I aimed to create a practical “how to” book, but with my life story and real life spreads through out the book – a story to bring the cards to life,” and she succeeded. Focused on the RWS tarot, this…
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Traditional Manga Tarot
Introduction I am not a manga fan. I have never read manga nor watched anime, but recently I started looking at some manga-themed decks. The Traditional Manga Tarot is the first one I have added to my collection. I saw it while watching Swimming Through the Void on YouTube. I connected with it instantly and bought it as soon as I had the chance. After two readings, done back-to-back, the Traditional Manga Tarot went straight into one of the carved wooden boxes that live on my desk. That’s the level of connection I feel with this deck. Even though I was drawn to it when I first saw it, I…
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The Wandering Star Tarot
As the inside of The Wandering Star Tarot box reads, “There is a Universe inside you” and this deck wants to help you tap into it. I was fortunate enough to be gifted this deck by one of my clients. Otherwise it may never have become part of my collection. That would have been a pity because this is a deck that doesn’t overload people. The images aren’t threatening and yet they don’t shy away from the messages they need to portray. In trying to come up with a word to define this deck I would say it’s identifiable. It reminds me of a colouring book. When you think of…
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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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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…
