So, the Card of the Day today is the 3 of Wands from the sumptuous Tarot Illuminati by Kim Huggens (writer) & Erik C. Dunne (artist). When this card appears it usually means "keep on keeping on" or you're doing great, but don't drop the ball. It encourages further planning towards whatever goal(s) you've got your eye on, as well as an expansion of horizons, an opening to new ideas and possibilities, a little thinking "out of the box." It may also be telling you to pay attention to any premonitions or intuitions regarding the future road towards your goal.

Today , though, I had another insight into this card; I was a bit annoyed while driving this morning when I had to stop on a somewhat busy street because a woman had her car door open, as she was getting something out, blocking the lane I was in. I shouted something to her about closing her door and she shouted something back. Just after I detoured around her and got back into my lane, I caught myself. What was that about, I wondered? Why get so riled over nothing? It cost me about an extra minute of travel time in the end! I realized I'd been acting from impulse and habit - a Knight of Swords sort of behavior. Then I thought about the message of today's card the 3 of Wands, regarding planning and forethought. I realized its message could be applied to any kind of behavior - not just the planning of projects or goals, but to daily behavior too. A little pause before jumping into a fray, a little thinking about consequences and results before acting or speaking is good advice. Now this little vinette had no major consequences, though it certainly didn't brighten anyone's day - in fact, it probably was a little negative push in the wrong direction for both the woman and myself. Maybe if I'd kept the 3 of Wands in mind as I left the house and went about my morning, I would have created a better one both for me and the woman on the road. Just my little glimpse of the possibilities of Tarot in daily action.

First off, check out my Facebook page White Rabbit Tarot for my daily card draw. I will use different decks and today is Radiant Rider-Waite, and the card is the 4 of Cups. The man sitting under the tree in the card has 4 golden cups around him, but clearly he's not seeing them because he's caught up in a funk, like a Monday morning blues sort of thing. Message is to keep your eyes open for unexpected opportunities to come your way today. If you're not paying attention you could easily miss them.

Next I want to talk a little about tarot art and decks. I've already given my glowing review of the new Chrysalis Tarot. For me, it was love at first sight and somehow I thought my friend Eloise (also a tarot consultant) would fall as hard as I had when I showed her the deck today. Well, though she liked it overall, she wasn't smitten. She could see the deck as a nice acquaintance perhaps, but not as a relationship. Though she commented positively on the number of the card depictions, she mentioned overall the deck felt too "psychedelic" with its bright colors everywhere. For me the bright colors are exactly part of what I love about the deck. So, in short, art, and tarot decks, are certainly a subjective thing, a matter of personal taste.
There are many more decks out there that I don't resonate with at all than ones that I do. In fact, it's almost an exception when I do find a new deck that makes me jump up and down. So, the motto here is - when choosing a tarot deck, go for one that really appeals to you - one with imagery that pulls you in and gets you excited and even brightens your day. Never mind what someone else tells you. If you love the deck, you'll want to use it and you'll read well. If it's flat for you, you'll probably find it gathering dust on your shelf in no time at all.

I just got the newly released Chrysalis Tarot and I love it, though as with just about every other deck, I do have a few small reservations. First the good: it's gorgeous, brightly colorful, uplifting, positive, fanciful, lovely - even the card backs are gorgeous and uplifting, with colorful butterflies over a sun-like center and blue spiraled background with beautifully ornate corners. I was totally drawn into this deck immediately - the colors called me in a soothing, yet upbeat way, and most of the card designs were compelling, and interesting enough to get my thoughtful attention. Artist Holly Sierra's art is decorative without being cloying or (for the most part) too cutesy and clearly a lot of thought has been put into the interpretations of the cards and their artistic interpretations (by writer Toney Brooks). I did a few spreads with the deck, and each time the results were meaningful and positive.
The deck changes the names of the four suits and the court cards, though that isn't problematic in itself. My biggest observation (rather than complaint) is that some of the artistic renderings do not follow the mainstream Rider-Waite or do not clearly express them, and so the LWB is essential for full understanding of the deck. A simple example is The Sun card, which has a tear falling from its eye. I wondered why, as The Sun in Rider-Waite is one of the most positive cards in the deck. Looking in the LWB, I read that "...Sun sheds a fatherly tear because so many of his children neglect beauty, truth and justice in favor of materialism, power and dogma." It goes on to say "... even a lamenting Sun is an excellent card to have in your reading." So it does follow the traditional meaning in fact, though you wouldn't quite get that just looking at the card on its own. There are a number of other cards where the meanings are difficult to deduct from just looking at the cards - take the 6 of Spirals (Wands), which in Rider-Waite shows a person riding clearly in triumph amongst a crowd. In Chrysalis, there are six decorative flags hanging from a tree with the sun in the background. Not a clear presentation of the core meaning of this card; if I were a beginner, I would have to definitely look in the LWB for clarification, which does note this is a card of success. So the deck doesn't so much deviate from the meanings of Rider-Waite as it doesn't quite clearly express those meanings in all of its depictions.
That said, all in all I think this deck is fabulous. I love its positiveness and beauty and it's a joy to look at and read with. Highly recommended for everyone, though beginners in particular should pay attention to the LWB that comes with it for guidance in interpretation.

Lots going on today in the tarot world! Tarot Garden (tarotgarden.com) has 15%off all tarot decks, and they've got quite the collection! That's good news, and bad news for all tarot deck/art addicts like me - and there are a lot of us out there it seems. I'm endlessly fascinated by the many variations of tarot art and their often interesting takes on traditional meanings as expressed in the art. While I have yet to find the "perfect" deck in terms of having every card resonate with me, I have found many decks I like - from the traditional, but very rich Rider-Waite and its variations (I use the Radiant version) to the recent beautiful and lush Tarot Illuminati and the gorgeous and romantic Victorian Romantic Tarot by the talented Baba Studios. Interestingly, however, as much as I absolutely love the Baba decks with their amazing imaginative art, I don't find them great to read with, to my surprise! I feel that a number of the cards in all of their decks don't quite convey the traditional meanings - and they do seem to follow the Rider-Waite symbolism. It's just that it doesn't seem to be fully expressed in some of their images; other images, however, are fabulous and I love them. But that goes to show there's no perfect deck, no matter how incredible they look! I've heard of collectors with hundreds of decks still not happy with any single one.
So, my solution in part is to pin cards I really like on to my Pinterest board (link above) rather than buy ridiculous numbers of decks that gather dust. I have about 800 pins there, and all attract me for one reason or another - either/and their beauty, imaginative art, interpretation, weirdness, colors, etc. Check out my board and see for yourself! It's also a great place to peruse many decks in case you're thinking of buying a new one, or a first one.

This will be the place to read about everything tarot - new spreads, Cards of the Day, reviews of new and other tarot decks and books, as well as sneak peaks at some of my tarot art from a Majors deck-in-progress. Love to hear your comments, questions too!