|
Well, Tarot de St Croix is my latest favorite working deck! I can't stay away from its warm, bright coloring, evocative art and deck creator Lisa St. Croix's succinct takes on the cards in the LWB. There are few "bad" cards in her interpretations; all are seen from a humanistic and healing point of view, with more personal applications. Take the King of Pentacles, for example, which I drew today as the Card of the Day. Normally, I view the Kings and Queens and sometimes the Pages, as actual people in a querent's sphere. In Lisa's tarot, she models this King after the historical King Solomon, "known for his wisdom as well as his riches." Her meaning here is "Know what you want and how to get it and enjoy the fruits of your labor." King Solomon, it seems, certainly knew how to enjoy his, so I really like her interpretation. It's not just about hard work and planning and perseverance, but also about being embodied, in physical form and enjoying life. This is an essential part of the Pentacles suit that is sometimes overlooked. A few days ago, I pulled the 3 of Pentacles from this deck and here she adds "spiritual" to the interpretation: "Skill, knowledge, and awareness will manifest abundance." Here she has an artist painting a picture of the goddess of magic Isis, under a full moon. So, unlike the RWS interpretation, which focuses mainly on worldly achievement and power in the Pentacles suit, here magic and spirit are as important as work and planning and no success is a full success without those dimensions. I just love this! Nearly all Lisa's interpretations bring the cards' meaning home to use on a personal, meaningful level and she often adds her own unique life experiences as explanations and demonstrations of her inspirations for the paintings of each card. Though the explanations for the Minor Arcana are brief (The Majors are a lot longer), they are, nonetheless, to the point and I find them enlightening, sometimes getting me look at other perceptions of meanings. Ok, enough of a plug. If you're on the fence about this deck, or are thinking about getting a new deck but not sure which one, I say - choose Tarot de St. Croix if you want a unique, healing, beautiful, and powerful new addition to your toolbox and deck collection! 
1 Comment
Am I validated today! First, there's been more synchronicity with the time, or clocks, to be clearer. It seems that when I'm not trying or thinking about it, I glance at a clock and find 11:11, 12:12, 1:11, etc. Now, I know this isn't an accident. The Universe is trying to tell me something, and that something , I think, is a validation of all the inexplicable things in life, including tarot; it's also an encouragement to listen to my intuition. You know - "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of..." For sure. So on with my story of the day. First - I'm enrolled in an 8-week on-line class with the fabulous James Wells in Tarot Counseling. I did the first class assignment, part of which was to draw 5 cards to answer 5 questions. One of the questions was regarding what will be a challenge for me in this class. I got The Hermit here, which I admit, puzzled me. Hmm...The Hermit is usually not a bad thing - it indicates taking time out to search within. It seems like that would be what we will all be doing during this class, so why did it appear in a "negative" position, I wondered. I posted answers to the 5 questions on the group's private FB page, including noting my puzzlement over The Hermit. James noted some thoughts on it, suggesting it might be indicating a tendency to study too much and lose touch with reality. This felt close, but not quite right. Fast forward to today. Another fabulously sunny gorgeous day in my little slice of paradise on the Bay. Instead of going as usual to work out at the gym, I was compelled to detour and play hooky and instead take a long walk on the beautiful and mostly empty beach by my complex. Of course, the beach wasn't empty - it was full of birds, running, walking, soaring and my spirit soared along with them. As I walked, I began to think about The Hermit draw from yesterday and what it might mean for me at this time. Then I knew it was showing me my tendency to hold back on my deeper insights and emotional responses when participating in a group setting, especially when I don't know the other members. Bingo. I knew this was it - my inclination to isolate myself rather than risk putting myself out there because of fear of being "wrong," appearing "stupid," etc, etc. I think we all know these, don't we? Unless you're very lucky and had fantastically supportive parents and teachers, etc; otherwise, you've got an inner critic too. I also began to think about my favorite card in tarot - The Sun, which is also my birth card. I thought I might take it from one of my decks and display it by my computer for the day or week to remind me of how much I have to love and be thankful for, and how amazing and miraculous is life, and how brilliantly beautiful. So on to the best part... I came home after awhile and pulled a Card of the Day from the beautiful Tarot de St. Croix and got King of Cups. I looked up Lisa's (the deck creator) interpretation in the deck's LWB and bingo - the absolutely perfect fit! Here is part of what she writes: "The King feels and expresses his emotions intensely...Meaning: You are the master of your emotions; bring forth all that is noble, kind, and wise." Wow, this couldn't have been more fitting for today and the issue I'd been contemplating with The Hermit! But wait, there's more! I decided to pull a Card of the Week from the very spiritual Chrysalis Tarot, hoping I'd get something "good," like The Sun. Guess what - I got it! I nearly shouted out loud! A gift from the Universe through synchronicity - a further validation of what I know to be true, that there are forces, things, which we can't explain and that they are good. That we are surrounded by beauty and miracles. And it reminded me of what I already know: that my underlying mission, role in this life, is to experience and express radiance, truth, optimism, and illumination through whatever ways are mine. Through interacting, writing, creating art, being a tarot guide, etc. I just love this stuff, don't you?
|
AuthorI am an intuitive counselor and visionary artist who has studied and worked with Tarot for over 20 years. I am an avid collector of tarot art, as well as a creator. I am the creator of four oracle decks. I also have an extensive collection of tarot art images on Pinterest.com which you can enjoy. Archives
February 2016
Categories |
RSS Feed
