Topic: Life Goes On
Well, I had a very nice holiday off, and things have been pretty slow ever since. So why haven't I posted lately? Let's be honest. I'm a lazy creature. ;)

I spent a whole week at my parents house over the holiday. It was a very nice break. Then I spent New Years at my house with my friend Nena. We did New Years tarot readings. Things look pretty good although there's a 3 month span with all Swords - including the 3 and the 9. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...

Recently, I lost one of my sweet little goldfish. Cleetis got some kind of swimbladder infection. Poor little thing was swimming upside down. A few days later, I picked up a new baby fish. I still miss Cleetis, but the tank just looked too weird with only 2 fish in it. The new fish is a moor, which means he's got the weird pop eyes and he's all black. I named him Sutekh, Devourer of Souls, but mostly he just goes by Jimmy. He's really small compared to my other two! I hadn't realized how much my older fish had grown since I got them.

In other news, the store where I'd been reading tarot on weekends went out of business just before Christmas. No worries, though. I recently started working on Sundays at another store. Sometimes I also fill in on Saturdays when the other gal can't make it. I'm happy to be doing the job I love again.

For Christmas, I treated myself to the Housewives Tarot. It's a scream, but it's also quite usable as a reading deck. Look for a review soon.

The Lover's Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr
Topic: Tarot Reviews
First of all, the presentation of this deck is absolutely gorgeous. You can have a virtual look at the artist's website. The outside box is made of a very sturdy cardboard and has velcro closure on the side. This is meant as a lovely and enduring way to house the deck, not as a cheap throwaway. When the box is opened, you will find that it is printed on the inside as well. The deck is in its own decorated well, but it also has its own box. This is a very nice feature for those who want to carry the deck without bringing along the whole package. Overall, this is a very well-designed and presented package.

The deck and book definitely live up to the promise of the packaging. Initially, I wasn't sure about the whole idea of illustrating major arcana with couples, but Kris's attributions are well thought out and add new dimensions to the card meanings. For example, I love Shahrazade as the High Priestess. She spins out her tales, one section at a time to save her own neck. A very unique secret-keeper! Her lover, Shahriyar, seems to represent us, sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting for the wonderful knowledge we seek to be revealed a bit at a time. I also love Romeo and Juliet as Tradition (Hierophant). The card depicts Romeo and Juliet with the Friar. What is more important - the tradition of family conflict or the promise of love fulfilled, as represented by the Friar? Their choice is clear. The illustrations are beautiful and passionate.

The Minor Arcana are equally beautiful. I find them to be richer in content than the Goddess Tarot, which Kris Waldherr also illustrated. Each suit shows the love story of one of the Major Arcana couples. Cups show Tristan and Isolde, Staves show Siegfried and Brunhilde, Arrows (Swords) depict Cupid and Psyche, and Coins (Pentacles) show Zeus and Danae. Once again, Kris's choices add layers of meaning to the cards. I especially like the 7 of Cups, in which Isolde considers all the choices she might make while also imagining a kiss from her lover. The 4 of Coins shows a daydreaming Danae in her tower. One of the pentacles covers her genital area (not blatantly), keeping her closed off from having a lover. Although she is not closed off by her own will, this card elegantly conveys the same idea.

The court cards are of the same high quality and feature characters from the same story followed through the pip cards of the same suit. I especially love the Cups courts with the phases of the moon in the night sky behind them. I also enjoy Psyche as the Princess of Arrows, dancing through the air with butterflies around her.

The book is of the same high quality as the deck. The pages are all in color on a thick glossy paper. Each page contains a smaller full-color version of each card. Descriptions of each major take up 2 pages each, while the minors get 1 page each. There are spreads to try in the back, along with a quick reference guide. The spreads are replicated with less description on the spread scroll included with the set.

This deck is a wonderful addition to anyone's tarot collection. Though I suspect it would be most effective for relationship and love questions, I think that it would do well for any kind of reading. The presentation can't be beat, and the artwork is lovely and well-planned. I highly recommend this deck.

Should you purchase the special edition, you get really nice extras like a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, a signed print of Beatrice and Amor, and a signed extra card called Artistry. The extra card comes in its own little gauze bag (pity it's not big enough for the whole deck) and a small explanation sheet. It's well worth getting the limited edition for these wonderful extras and the collectibility (and it's not that much more than the standard edition). For more information, check out the artist's website.

Stats:

• Illustrated minor arcana
  
• Cards are a little wider than most decks but not enough to be bulky; cardstock is thicker than standard and is somewhat difficult to shuffle initially
  
• Major arcana depict a pair of lovers on each and many have been renamed
  
• Strength is 8, Justice 11
  
• Suits are Staves (Wands), Cups, Coins (Pentacles) and Arrows (Swords)
  
• Court cards are Princess, Prince, Queen and King
  

Ironwing Tarot - correction
Topic: Tarot Reviews
I had originally said in my review that the minor arcana don't show the requisite number of suit objects. I stand corrected. The cards do show the number of suit objects; the trick is to see them all. I sent Lorena Moore (the deck creator) the link to the review, and she responded:

---

"If you can't find the requisite number of suit symbols on a card, look again...
Some are more obvious than others, and a few cards contain multiples of the number.
If you STILL can't find them, e-mail me. Believe me, they are all there! :-)
It is interesting to me that when people have this problem with the deck, they don't have it with the same cards!
One woman simply could not find the third bell on the Three of Bells until I showed it to her. Another person picked out the same bell and saw the rest of the picture as "background". (Kind of makes you wonder how accurate those psychiatric ink blot tests are!)
Black and white images are interpreted in a different part of your brain than color, and your eye sees them with different cells. Black and white drawings speak to the older, animal part that focuses on detail and pattern in order to detect movement."

---

Thank you so much, Lorena! This deck is a wonderful adventure and a richly layered experience.

Ironwing Tarot by Lorena B. Moore
Topic: Tarot Reviews
I initially discovered this deck from a link on the Gaian Tarot webpage. I looked at some images and quickly lost interest. At the time, the pictures just didn't appeal to me. Recently, a thread on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum made me reconsider this deck, and I'm very glad I took another look! When I returned to the webpage, the images struck me in a way that they hadn't before. In fact, the images pulled at me so much that I decided rather quickly that this is a deck I had to have.

The images are mostly done in black and white with rust-colored shadings on some of the major arcana. Although the range of color is limited, the images are far from stark. They are symmetrical and organic and strangely haunting.

I find the deck as a whole to be incredibly and deeply feminine. I don't mean feminine as in pink bows and ruffles, either. I mean feminine as with the Goddess Herself. This deck speaks in Her voice. It knows what it is to give life and to weep for the dead and everything in between. Its femininity goes far deeper than our superficial cultural labels.

This deck speaks directly to my intuition with a voice of deep wisdom and strength. Unlike many of my other decks, this one actually does speak. When I look at these cards, my intuition pops full sentences into my head. I connect with the Ironwing Tarot on a very spiritual level, and I would probably not be comfortable using it for others (excepting my very closest friends).

The cards themselves encourage a more intuitive use. None of the cards, majors or minors, are numbered or labeled. This gives the reader 2 choices: to completely memorize what each card looks like and means or to "go with the flow" and let intuition supply meanings. There is a book that accompanies the deck, but for the most part, it explains what the symbols are rather than telling you exactly what they should mean. Working with this deck is a continual journey of discovery. I am looking forward to learning its secrets and deep wisdom.

I highly recommend this deck for Goddess worshipers, those who use tarot spiritually, deck collectors and more intuitive readers. You can view all the cards and purchase your own copy here.

Stats:

• Majors are un-numbered
  
• Non-traditional suits: spikes (fire), coils (water), blades (air), bells (earth)
  
• Minors are illustrated with patterns incorporating suit objects rather than human figures
  
• Court cards are called Spirit Guides and are all women; they are non-traditionally named: Apprentice (page/princess), Gatemaker (knight/prince), Madrone (queen), Shaman (king)
  
• Cardstock is sturdy but easy to shuffle
  
• Non-reversible backs
  
• Companion book included with deck
  

New Piercing - my favorite so far!
Topic: Piercings
Well, so much for waiting. I was going to wait til spring to get my next piercing, but I changed my mind. My tarot job will be ending with 2004 so I figured I would get it done while I had the extra income (and was working 2 doors down from the studio). I went by the piercing studio yesterday to get some information and I ended up getting a piercing too.

I had wanted to get a vertical tragus piercing, but my ear shape wasn't right for it. Instead I got a standard tragus piercing in my right ear. What's a tragus? It's that little flap of cartilage in front of your ear hole, bordering your face. I got a hole punched through that. It actually didn't hurt that much, and it's really beautiful. I have a small blue ball on my tragus. Nice and dainty. I love the way it looks.

So far, it's also been really nice as far as pain. I even slept on it last night with no problems. I wish I could say the same for the cartilage piercing on my left ear.

Maybe I'll be able to get some pictures put up. I'll have to bug a friend with a digital camera.

International Icon Tarot by Robin Ator
Topic: Tarot Reviews
The International Icon Tarot is a Rider-Waite-Smith clone done with the figures that you see on signage, the most familiar of which would be bathroom doors. These "international icons" are like stick figures but more filled out. You get a vague idea of gender, but any sort of ethnicity or facial expression is entirely in the mind of the reader. That is one of the greatest gifts of this deck.

In a reading, you don't get caught up in the facial expressions of the figures on the cards so you have more freedom to interpret. For me, this means that I focus more on the background details of the card. I see the buildings and landscapes behind the figures in more detail. For example, the King of Swords has butterflies on his throne and the figure in the 2 of Wands faces a lake. I never noticed those details in other RWS clones, and those details make me want to learn more. Why are those symbols there? What do they mean? Before this, I was never interested in the RWS deck (although I do enjoy many of its variants), but now I'm starting to come around. That, in and of itself, is a wonderful gift of this deck for me. Also, without the restriction of specific facial expressions, you can use your intuition to fill in the details of how a person might feel in a specific situation.

The artwork is of course greatly simplified, but as mentioned before, that's the wonderful part of this deck. This simplification doesn't detract from the artistry of the deck, either. The colors of people, backgrounds and symbols are all harmonious. The overall effect is quite nice.

I only have a few nitpicks, and they're very minor. On the figures, the heads are slightly detached from the bodies. I found this to be a little strange, but it's most likely my own aesthetics. Also, the Knights and Death have their plumes issuing right from their heads and not from any helmet. Finally, I found the cardstock to be a little flimsy. The edge of one of my cards was already slightly chipped from a good shuffle. On the plus side, the cardstock is rather easy to shuffle.

I recommend this deck to anyone, but especially beginners and RWS lovers (or those who want to learn more about it). You can order your own copy here.

Stats:

• Illustrated minors
  
• Strength is 8, Justice is 11
  
• Reversible backs
  
• Cards are about the size of standard US Games decks; easy to shuffle
  
• Comes with a little white booklet but you can use any Rider-Waite-Smith book with it

OUCH!
Topic: Piercings
So I still love my new piercing, but it was a close one. The day before yesterday (Wed) my ear swelled out from my head, turned red and hot, and HURT really badly if I ever so slightly bumped it. Oh, and when it wasn't excruciatingly painful due to me inadvertantly bumping it, it would throb painfully. Advil was doubly my friend, but it only took the edge off. My piercer had not warned me about this, and it didn't happen with my nose. On the upside, however much it hurt, there were no signs of infection.

BMEzine is my friend. It's a website where you can read about other people's experiences with their piercings and a lot more. It's very useful if you have a body piercing or are researching one.

Now my ear is pretty much back to normal size. Yay! It doesn't hurt anymore either. YAY!

In other news, I had the folks (parents and grandparents) up for Thanksgiving. It was really nice, and I now have enough turkey left over to feed an army.

In other other news, I received 4 tarot decks in the mail and the reviews should be up soon. Keep an eye out.

Piercing Fun
Topic: Piercings
Last night, I got another piercing. This time, it's in my upper left ear, which actually hurt worse than the nose. Who'da thunk? I'll probably still do it again though. Piercing is strangely addictive.

While I was on my way to the piercing studio, I decided that I would set an intent for the process. I decided that the piercing would represent me trying to be more grounded and to manifest things better. When I got there, they actually had jewelry with hematite on it! I couldn't have picked anything better to align with my intent so I took that as a sign that it was a good idea.

Needless to say, it hurts pretty badly today, especially if I accidentally bump it. You never realize exactly how much you touch your upper ear until it hurts when you do. Advil is my friend. But I'm definitely happy that I did it!

The Connolly Tarot by Eileen and Peter Paul Connolly
Topic: Tarot Reviews
I'll admit, I was surprised to have bought this deck. In fact, I had never really looked at it before because I had read Eileen Connolly's book Tarot: A New Handbook for the Apprentice. It's not a bad book but it is steeped in Connolly's Christian approach to tarot reading. I think her book is great for Christians who want to read tarot, but I personally prefer books that are non-religious or have a pagan slant. I just assumed that her deck would have a very Christian slant as well. I already have Tarot of the Saints, and I wasn't looking to expand the Christian section of the tarot collection. Then a friend of mine who also reads tarot mentioned that he enjoyed the deck. I'm bored at work so I decide to check out the sample deck. Surprise! It's not Christian-based imagery and I actually like it!

Part of it is the fact that I'm a sucker for bright colors. The cards are drawn with colored pencil in lovely bright colors without crossing the border into garishness. The coloring reminds me a lot of the Hanson-Roberts deck, but I like this deck better because the human figures are more proportional with the background of the card. The artwork is pleasantly like Boticelli but with more color. I like it.

For the most part, the cards follow the Rider-Waite-Smith example, but there are some significant differences. Death has been changed to Transition, which shows a man leaving a dark building for a sunrise outside. I think this subtracts from the power of the card, but at the same time, this particular depiction would be good for those who might be intimidated by the more traditional symbolism. It's the same with the Devil, which has been replaced with Materialism. A man chained to representations of the elements still gets the basic point across while avoiding more controversial or potentially scary imagery. Yet it does narrow the potential meanings of the cards quite a bit. Still, I don't mind the changes too much.

The only changes that made me scratch my head a little were to a few of the swords cards. For example, the 7 of Swords shows two musicians playing near 5 swords in the ground with 2 swords poked into a dark cloud above them. When I looked in the little white booklet for some explanation, all I found was a traditional RWS meaning. The 9 of Swords shows a man walking in the snow with 9 swords, which reminds me more of what the 7 usually looks like. I don't really understand these changes, but perhaps Connolly's book (mentioned above) explains them better. As with the majors, I don't really mind the changes that much. It gives me a chance to read more intuitively, and I feel like the swords got a bad rep anyway. It's nice that someone is trying at least a little to take away the association of swords with gloom and doom.

Because of the changes I've mentioned, I can see how people might not like this deck due to "fluffiness." Maybe it's because of the nice artwork but my purist self isn't objecting that strenuously to the changes. I can even see how they might be appealing to some people.

The only thing I'm really disappointed with is the card back design, which is white marble veined with grey. It's really too plain for a deck with such lovely color, but that's my only really big complaint. Not bad for a deck I wasn't even considering.

The stats:

• Illustrated minors
  
• RWS ordering of majors - Strength 8, Justice 11
  
• Reversible backs (if you don't look too closely)
  
• Standard size deck, flexible cardstock but takes a little breaking in
  
• Can use Eileen Connolly's Tarot: A New Handbook for the Apprentice as a companion book
  
  Posted by swordsqueen at 21:01 EST

  Updated: Monday, 8 November 2004 21:07 EST

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Tarot of the Dead by Monica Knighton
Topic: Tarot Reviews
Before I get into this review, make sure you VOTE today. Get your voice heard!

That being said, on to Tarot of the Dead. First off, the packaging for this deck is very nice. It comes in a nice clamshell box with a smaller box for the deck and a black mesh bag. I personally am very glad that Llewellyn has started including bags with their tarot decks, but I do wish that they would have colors other than black. Still, I can't complain since it comes with the deck, and in this case, black is rather appropriate. The deck has a little white booklet instead of a full-sized companion book.

As for the cards, I found them to be quite charming. All the figures in the cards, including the animals, are skeletons. The artwork reminds me of a tattoo or comic book drawings although the colors are a little more watercolor in nature. This deck has a great sense of humor and the cards will make you smile without losing depth of meaning. A great example of this is the Hanged Man, who, because he is a skeleton, is forced to hold his head on. It's cute but it also emphasizes that Hanged Man periods are those times in your life when you're getting your head back on straight. The Emperor is a suited skeleton in an office, looking up expectantly at the clock. Hey, sometimes the office can make you feel like the walking dead. The Death card is very clever. It features a heavily pregnant woman, and she is the only figure in the whole deck that is not a skeleton. Think about that one for a bit. Insightful, but with a spicy bit of fun.

The court cards are equally interesting. Like playing cards, there are 2 figures on the card facing different directions. The really great part is that the 2 pictures are different and express the various aspects of that particular court. If you read with reversals, this helps you narrow in on a particular personality nuance. If you don't use reversals, you still get to see the whole range of meanings, positive and negative, for that court card. It's a neat idea and Knighton executes (pun not intended, but it is pretty good, eh?) it with charm and artistry.

The only problem that I have with this deck is that the minors are not fully illustrated. The 9 of Pens (Wands) has 9 pens on it, which makes it hard to read. However, these cards are wonderfully drawn even though they don't have scenes on them. And, heck, I was going to start trying to read with non-illustrated minors anyway. Still, because the minors are pips, I cannot recommend this deck for tarot beginners.

For collectors and those who read with Marseille-style decks, this will be a lovely addition to your tarot collection. It's charming and fun and still packs a lot of meaning.

Technical details:

• Non-illustrated minors
  
• Suits have been changed - Wands to Pens, Swords to Pistols, Pentacles to Film Reels and Cups to Coffins
  
• Marseille ordering of majors: Strength is 11, Justice is 8
  
• Cardstock is sturdy but flexible, cards a little wider than most decks - easy to shuffle
  
• Reversible backs - 2 skulls on a rainbow background
  
• Comes with booklet, no companion book available