November 22- Daily Draw (Thanksgiving!)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the US; and to all international readers feel free to enjoy some turkey as well!  The holiday season has me behind on all of my writing!  Just in case you're behind as well, I'd like to remind everyone that the deadline for Christmas orders in the US is coming up - December 3rd!  If you'd your deck to arrive by Christmas please place your order soon!

Today's daily draw was done with the absolutely lovely Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson.  I believe it's still in print by Llewellyn, and if you don't have one you should pick one up before they go out of print.  This is my spiritual go-to deck.  Not only is it beautifully illustrated, but each card also has a line from a poem by Sufi poet Rumi on the bottom; many of them relate to the Rider-Waite meaning of the card, but many are just little encouraging, spiritual asides that can comfort even in the darkest times.  This deck has gotten me through so much in my life, I can't tell you how much I love it.

My draw for today was the Empress, the Three of Swords, and the King of Cups.  On this Thanksgiving day, the Empress reminds us of the beauty of the feminine archetype; today we appreciate the Empress's gifts of abundant food and a great cook!  The Three of Swords reminds me of the tragedy that this day also represents; our country's terrible mistreatment of the people who first walked this land - and also a reminder that acknowledging that grief is an essential part of this happy occasion.  The King of Cups is the King of his emotions - he lets warmth and affection for his family shine through while keeping minor annoyances and squabbles in check.  Overall, a good reminder for this Thanksgiving!

I used the Mystical Lenormand for my Lenormand draw, and today have Heart + House + Moon.  Love and affection is central this Thanksgiving, love of family and home, reflected among all the members of family and friends (Moon).

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 11 - Daily Draw

Today's daily draw was done with one of my favorite decks with Rider-Waite imagery; the Nigel Jackson Tarot (also known as the Medieval Enchantment).  Nigel is, in my opinion, one of the most gifted modern Tarot artists; his Rumi Tarot is also exceptionally beautiful.

I drew the Ace of Staves (Wands) and the Ace of Cups.  (As an aside.. I sometimes have a hard time concentrating with decks where the Wands are titled Staves, especially if the Ace comes up! For half the reading, I have Motörhead's song 'Ace of Spades' stuck in my head, except as 'Ace of Staves'.  Yes, this is a serious problem)!  The Staves in this deck are represented as arrows and associated with the element of Air, which I think is a nice twist on traditional Rider-Waite imagery; it allows the usually passionate Wands to be read in a more moderate way, and the usually cold Swords have some passion in them.  Drawing two Aces obviously means that something is starting up, and it has the potential to be big.  The elements of Air and Water tell me that this will be something that's intellectually stimulating, but also something that I'll be emotionally invested in.  Sounds to me like this is a perfect day to start reading a good book; one that's well-written and informative, but has a nice storyline as well.

Under the advice of a few people in an online Lenormand study group that I'm a part of, I'm going to start doing my daily draw as a line of three rather than a pair; it seems from their experience (and mine, after a few tries!) that two cards is a bit too generic to really learn good combinations with.  To start out, I chose the Mystical Lenormand, a pretty deck from Germany that's not extremely traditional with its symbols, but is still very much a Lenormand.  It's quite beautiful, and goes well with the Nigel Jackson Tarot.

In this new method, the 'focus' card is the one to the left, and the other two cards describe it.  I drew Anchor + Snake + Fox today, which tells me that my comfort and stability (Anchor) is being threatened by a deception (Snake) involving work (Fox).  I'm working with the concept of the 'magnitude' of the cards - basically, cards for a daily draw describe much lesser things than, say, cards for a month-long reading.  So it seems to me as if a little white lie will come out into the open today, and I will probably be a bit perturbed about it.

November 7 - Daily Draw

My daily draw for today uses the Haindl Tarot, a beautiful and stunning deck painted by Hermann Haindl.  It's vaguely Thoth-based in its titles and attributions, but the imagery is unique and absolutely wonderful.

I drew the Ten of Cups (Success), the Chariot, and the Son of Wands in the East (Page of Wands).  This speaks of success and happiness accomplished through force of will; happiness involving a fiery and energetic young person.  I always think of my middle daughter when I get the Page of Wands; she's strong and impulsive and everything the page represents.  The cards are saying we'll have a wonderful day together - if I can use my force of will to master hers!

My Lenormand daily draw uses the Britta Lenormand, a new addition to my collection and a lovely one.  It's one half collage, one half watercolor, and I think it goes beautifully with the Haindl.  Today is Rider + Ship, which brings news of travel, or a message from very far away.  Perhaps I'll receive an email from my grandmother today, or maybe a call or message from one of my husband's relatives, all of whom are halfway around the world.

November 3 - Daily Draw (Etteilla-style)

Here we've got another Etteilla-style deck, and I quite like it, though it's certainly a bit strange!  It's an Etteilla III type deck - of sorts.  The Major Arcana is full of Hebrew letters and Egyptian symbols (though the booklet is unhelpful as to their origin or meaning), and the Minor Arcana has inserts for both Italian- and French-style decks.  I believe that the keywords are Etteilla in origin, but I haven't been able to translate enough of them to be sure.

Today I've drawn the Knight of Coins, the Three of Wands, and the Eight of Cups.  The keywords for the Knight are 'profit' and 'utility'.  The Three of Wands is 'enterprise' and 'initiative', and the Eight of Cups is a 'young blonde'.  I'm not great with Italian; but I think it might be specific to a blonde woman.  However, I've found that when the cards talk of a young blonde it's often my brother, as he's the only one I know!  It looks like he will be reaching the end of some money problems, if he acts on his initiative and stays motivated.

The Lenormand pair for today is Lady + Stork; this seems to be saying I'll be in for a change.  It should be a change for the better, so I'm hopeful!

October 31 - Daily Draw

I interrupt your regularly scheduled Etteilla reading session to bring you a Halloween daily draw!  For this, I had to get out what I consider to be my 'creepiest' Tarot deck - and I say that with a huge amount of respect and love for this deck!  It's called the Hermetic Tarot, and it's based on MacGregor Mathers writings for the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  It's a black and white deck, beautifully and exquisitely detailed - I could spend forever looking at these illustrations!  Plus it includes the absolutely wonderful titles attributed to each card, which makes this deck so atmospheric.

I drew the Sun, the King of Swords, and the Eight of Cups.  I'm not entirely up on my hermetic work; I've spent a few years away from the Golden Dawn and the Kabbalah, elemental, and astrological attributions they assigned to the Tarot.  Titled Lord of the Fire of the World, Prince of the Chariots of the Winds, and the Lord of Abandoned Success respectively; this deck makes every card sound so important.  I want to say that my day lived up to such lofty titles, but looking back it was a perfect description of my incredibly normal Halloween night!  It was absolutely beautiful weather for the prairie in late October (the Sun), but a stern male figure (the King) combined with over-excited and over-tired children led to the Eight of Cups - a beautiful night which turned a bit sour towards the end.

I used the Gypsy Lenormand for my pair today, and drew the Sun and the Woman.  This describes an energetic and successful woman; but I'm not sure that's me today!  I'm definitely feeling pretty tired after a night out trick-or-treating, and it's time for me to hit the hay.

October 20 - Daily Draw (Etteilla)

Today is the last of the Etteillas, and I've saved the most relatable for last!  This deck is the Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot by Paul Huson and published by Lo Scarabeo.  It is an Etteilla-inspired deck, with a Marseilles-based Major Arcana and Minor Arcana drawn according to Etteilla's meanings.  It's very colorful and fun to read with, and is honestly half the reason I want to learn to read Etteillas - it's just so beautiful and I'd like to use it more!

Today I drew the Three of Coins, the Tower, and the Knave of Cups.  The Three represents someone or something of great importance (Etteilla keyword: 'noble').  The Tower is said by Huson to be the house of the Devil, and the lightning striking it is a blow struck against tyranny.  The Knave of Cups refers to a blonde youth, a messenger of affections and a slave of his or her feelings.  These cards seem to tell the story of a blonde youth conquering over the tyranny of someone placed above him - literally the only blonde youth I know is my younger brother, and I know his boss can be a bit tyrannical at times; so perhaps this heralds him finally getting fed up and quitting his job.  This wouldn't be a bad thing for him - the job is a bit beneath him and he took it because of burnout in his field of expertise; but the family would be happy to see him back in a position he's better suited to.

For my Lenormand pair, I've used Pixie's Astounding Lenormand; many of the cards have bright enough colours to pair nicely with Dame Fortune's Wheel, though I didn't draw any of them!  The Woman + Lilies I interpret as a calm and serene woman; not much is happening in my life right now, and I'm okay with that.

October 16 - Daily Draw (Etteilla)

I chose a pink theme today, because it just seemed to fit so well with the name of the deck I'm using today: originally titled the Jeu de la Princesse Tarot in 1843, it's now available (though unfortunately out of print) from Lo Scarabeo as the Esoteric Ancient Tarot.  It is, apparently, a subtype of the Etteilla I but with artwork of a more Egyptian flavor.

I drew the Magician, the Six of Cups, and the Ten of Swords reversed.  The keywords are 'melancholy', 'the past', and 'short-term success'.  It's so interesting to me how alike some of these meanings are to the RWS images - Arthur and Pamela, despite having a less-than-stellar opinion of Etteilla, sure borrowed a lot!  Despite a pretty obvious difference in style from modern Tarot, many of the meanings themselves are not out of place.  These cards seem to say: in the past, you may have felt discouraged, but things are looking up in the near future!

For my Lenormand pair I got out my Blue Owl Lenormand.  I want to like this deck; it was one of the first I purchased to help me learn the Lenormand system.  I thought the little poems would be helpful reminders of the meanings of the cards.  Unfortunately, though they are cute, the translated English poems often have little to do with the meanings of the cards as I've read them elsewhere; and I have to consciously ignore them in order to make any sense of the cards.  The Stork + Tree tells of an improvement in health; I have been working steadily on an exercise program since my last baby was born, this seems to say that my work is worth it and I'll keep making progress!  It's always nice to hear that your work will pay off.

October 12 - Daily Draw (Etteilla!)

I had so much fun with Eudes Picard the last few weeks, that I have become interested in reading with all my early occult Tarots!  And of course, if I'm interested in reading with occult Tarot, it's probably best to start at the beginning - the Etteillas.

There's several different versions of these decks, each more or less following the occult ideas and cartomantic interpretations of Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a Frenchman and rumoured hairdresser from the mid-18th century. He published Etteilla, or a Way to Entertain Yourself with a Deck of Cards in 1770, and the Tarot hasn't been the same since.

The version I chose today is a lovely reproduction by Lo Scarabeo, of what is called the Type III Etteilla deck: originally named Tarot Egyptien: Grand Jeu de l'Oracle des Dames, it is now published as The Book of Thoth Etteilla Tarot.  It was originally published in 1865, many years after Etteilla's death.  It's illustrated in a very nice Neo-Gothic style that whispers gently of old gypsies laden with softly jangling bracelets.  I cannot tell you how much I love this tarot stylistically - but up until now I haven't read with it!  The Majors are all renamed and reordered according to Etteilla's vision, and there are keywords influenced by his ideas on the tops and bottoms of the cards.  I don't usually use reversals, but as these decks are meant to be read with them, I changed up my shuffling pattern a bit to turn some cards around.

I drew 'Prudence' - apparently Etteilla's equivalent of the Hanged Man - the Two of Cups, and the Knave (page) of Cups reversed.  I'm not great with French, but with the help of an online translator and the accompanying booklet, I believe the keywords are 'prudence', 'love', and 'fondness'.  Prudence is about doing or saying the right thing at the right time: nothing hasty or rushed here.  The cards seem to be calling for prudence in love; a passionate relationship that fades to a fondness and familiarity - as most people in a long-term relationship will attest, this is the way things go.  It's impossible to be in such an intense emotional state 24/7, but it's sometimes difficult to accept that the honeymoon phase is past, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

For my Lenormand pair, I once again used the Astrological Lenormand, I think it matches nicely with the feel of the Book of Thoth Tarot.  More about love here - Ring + Heart.  A loving commitment.. perhaps my husband making a sweet promise in love?  I guess today is the day to ask for him to cook dinner!

October 11 - Daily Draw and Observations (spanish style)

For the last of my Spanish-style daily draws, I'll be using the Thomson-Leng Tarot.  Not strictly in the Spanish school, as three of the four suits are illustrated RWS-style, but it does follow Picard's elemental attributions and the suit of Wands follows his geometric layouts.

I drew the Four of Cups, the Eight of Cups, and the King of Rods (wands).  The Four of Cups illustration has its typical RWS connotations; dreaminess, willful ignorance, but with an Airy, intellectual quality.  I like to think of it as the absent-minded professor card.  That's been me lately: diving in and out of Tarot books, spending time with my decks, and forgetting about most everything else!  The Eight of Cups is less traditional; the landscape remains the same but the only person pictured is staring at the cups in the riverbed rather than traveling away from them.  Picard's interpretation is balance and reason.  I ought to be trying for a bit more balance in my life at the moment!  The King of Rods represents genius, or great talent; it seems to be saying that I'll have more luck with the tarot if I put down some books for a bit and get myself involved in life.

I used Pixie's Astounding Lenormand for my Lenormand pair.  Clover + Garden seems to say that I'll have good luck or fun at a social event; I'll be heading out this evening, so hopefully that holds true!

After spending some time with Eudes Picard-inspired tarots, I've come to see and appreciate a few things about them.  I believe they're intended, and represented faithfully in the El Gran Tarot Esoterico and Universal Wirth Tarot, to be a more 'natural' tarot, sort of an offshoot of the Marseilles vine and flower decorative elements.  The Minors are the 'effects', as Picard says in his book Manuel synthétique & pratique du tarot, and they are also intrinsically connected to the world, especially the natural world, around us.  I really appreciate this interpretation of the Tarot, and I hope to revisit Picard's designs again in another series.

October 7 - Daily Draw (spanish style)

I'll be extending my week of Spanish school Tarot readings for two more entries, to highlight the two remaining Spanish style decks I own.  The only other deck I'm aware of is the Balbi Tarot, which I have unfortunately been unable to get my hands on yet.

Today I'll be using Lo Scarabeo's Universal Wirth Tarot, with Wirth-style majors and a minor arcana designed according to Eudes Picard's specifications. I drew the Seven of Chalices (cups), the Knight of Wands, and the Knave (page-equivalent) of Chalices.

The Seven of Chalices represents the world getting out of the way of love; material problems get out of the way and emotions are free to rule.  For me, material concerns that get in the way of love is mostly our children - they're wonderful and I love them, but they make having an adult relationship difficult!  The Knight tells of an adult that is unmarried, perhaps an artist or actor or in some other creative endeavour.  I'm honestly not sure who this could refer to; the court cards are a bit confusing in this deck and I don't have them figured out yet.  The Two of Chalices tells of the union of two magnetic principles.. I'm beginning to think my husband has stacked the deck *giggle*!

For my Lenormand draw, I used Lo Scarabeo's Art Nouveau Oracle; it matches nicely with the art style of the Universal Wirth.  I drew Clover + Coffin, which seems to say that my luck is coming to an end.  I'm heading out to a dinner with the in-laws soon, who I usually get along quite well with; here's hoping the cards are wrong on this count and my luck continues!

September 24 - Daily Draw

For my daily draw today, I felt like spending some time with Pamela Coleman-Smith.  Her illustrations are featured on the Rider-Waite Tarot, brought to life here by the PCS Commemorative Edition of the RWS.  It's an absolutely beautiful deck, feels and reads like a dream.  To go along with it, I got out my Pixie's Astounding Lenormand; a wonderful deck by Edmund Zebrowski.  It feels just as creamy and shuffles as wonderfully as the PCS, and features art taken from Pamela's work, so I love to pair them together.

The Tarot seems to be telling me that I have perfect happiness at the moment with the Ten of Cups, but to make it last I'll have to have a strong will and keep my ducks in a row (Chariot); otherwise I'll begin wishing and dreaming this happy time away as pictured on the Four of Cups.  This certainly applies to my life as a mother - it's hard to sit back and enjoy the children as they are, without wishing they were either more grown up or smaller again.  No Pentacles today, for the first time in several days!  I suppose that means it's time to turn  some of my concentration away from the business and back towards my other responsibilities.

The Lenormand pair for today is Mountain + Ship.  This tells me there's an obstacle I'll have to actually move around and avoid, I won't be able to conquer it or move it myself.  Sometimes when life puts something in your way it's best to just turn and take the longer route, rather than beating your head against a roadblock for ages.