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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ Tarot of the Divine

Author/Artist: Yoshi Yoshitaki

Editor: Clarkson Potter Publisher

ISBN: 978-0-593-13514-3

Link: https://yoshiyoshitani.store/collections/tarot

We can read on Google Reads that “Yoshi Yoshitani is a California-based artist whose vibrant illustrations draw on inspiration from across the globe, with a particular focus on multicultural identity. Past clients include Disney, DC Comics, Valiant, Image, Dreamworks, and Netflix. Yoshi spends time researching world mythologies, listening to audiobooks, creating fashion inspiration boards, and attending comic conventions and art expos across the country”. I am a big fan of their highly inclusive, colourful, mythological universe and have been following her for years now. When I heard Yoshi was planning on releasing a full deck based on the illustrations they already made of the Tarot and that it would draw from mythologies from all around the world, I was very excited. I finally received it last week and here are my thoughts on it.

First and foremost, I would like to mention a few things. It is nice to see an artist make a Tarot deck that is so widely available (I’ve seen it on bookstore websites as well as on Amazon) and at such an affordable price! I wish all creators had that luck so that their work can reach more people.

Secondly, I originally purchased the accompanying book along th deck as I thought there would be no booklet included. Turns out there is one and that the book is actually detailing the myths and tales the cards are illustrated with! So in the end, I’m even better off than I expected. I will talk about the book in the “ The Little White Book” section.

Now let’s see what we have here...

✧ The Box

The deck comes in a gorgeous and quite think and sturdy box! The Yellow/beige you see on the photos is actually golden and the box itself is a dark teal colour. The front of the box shows the Moon card, which by itself is just stunning. While it is sturdy, it is also fairly big so it both is and is not travel friendly. The back of the box, as you can see on the pictures tells you what to expect of the deck and shows two additional cards. It opens like a book and is very simple inside. It gives the box a very elegant look.

✧ The Cards

The card stock is of very good quality and so is the printing. The illustrations are really rich and intricate, so the printing quality was most likely very important in this case. You can see that the cards have a grainy texture. I personally don’t mind it but, as it is fairly unusual, some might be put off by it.

The illustrations are based on mythologies and tales from all around the world. The artist’s style and the colour scheme manage to tie all of them together very nicely. Let’s look at some cards. First, my favourite fairy tales/mythological stories:

I also am very happy that the Star/Moon/Sun cards are respectively Slavic/Japanese/Egyptian as these are the cultures I am most interested in.

Here are some more cards, with illustrations of myths from other cultures:

✧ The Little White Book

The booklet provided with the deck is of a medium size and contains both text and colourful illustrations of th cards. It first covers what Tarot is, how to read it, how to interpret numbers and suits and all that good stuff. It then suggest 3 simple spreads.

Each card’s interpretation is provided in the booklet along the picture of the card, the myth/tale the illustration represents and its origin.

The companion book tells the stories, tales and myths the cards are illustrated with, witch provides further information about the wealth of symbols available in each cards, about the importance of every look and gesture.

✧ The Tryptic

Strength is represented by the Scottish tale of Tam Lin. You can see Janet/Margaret holding onto Tam Lin being changed into every animal that ever existed and even into some that don’t, such as the legendary beast Ammit. She thus fulfils her promise and frees her lover from the Fairy Queen’s grip. This tale perfectly depicts the perseverance but also patience, understanding and compassion, all the traits this card embodies. I think it’s a perfect fit.

The tale chosen to portray The Tower is Rapunzel. While it’s a bit predictable, it is nonetheless very relevant as the witch who holds the young girl captive cuts the girl’s hair and and pushes the prince of the tower, rendering him blind (those are the two characters you can see falling off the tower on the card). The girl and the prince found happiness only to see their romance cut horribly short. However, they will end up meeting again and Rapunzel will heal the prince’s blindness. This is not the end of the road, only a -major- bump.

The Star’s illustration is based on the Russian tale Alyonushka and Ivanushka. The specific moment depicted here is when the little brother is transformed into a baby goat and Alyonushka holds him and vows to take care of him forever. She is resilient, loyal and has faith in the future. Her foot and hair touching the water is a foreshadowing of her own future and how they will defeat the witch who has taken them as targets thus breaking the boy’s curse.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Overall excellent quality of materials

Beautiful, rich and creative illustrations, with a colour scheme tying them together

Very decent price and availability

Cards are easy to read intuitively when one knows the stories referenced on the arcana

Con

In order to fully understand the cards and to read them intuitively, one must have prior knowledge of the tales and myths depicted.

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, starlings!

#tarot #tarot deck #tarot deck review #tarot review #yoshi #Yoshi yoshitani #divination #cartomancy #mythology #fairy tales #folk tales #fairy tale #mythologies #folk tale #illustration #wiitchy #witch #witchcraft #witchblr

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ Blue Bird Lenormand

Author/Artist: Stuart R.Kaplan

Editor: U.S. Games Systems, Inc

ISBN: 978-1-57281-905-4

Link: https://www.usgamesinc.com/Blue-Bird-Lenormand-tm.html

I started my cartomancy journey with a Lenormand deck and recently I’ve been feeling draw back to its practical tone. However, the cards I own are old and beautiful and I don’t really want to damage them further so, after a lot of thinking, I’ve decided to purchase this tiny deck. It is very similar to my original one but has peeked my curiosity as it says it is and extended version.

✧ The Box

The deck comes in a light blue cardboard box, with a a cute bird art on front (which is also printed on the back of the cards). On the back of the box you can see the Lady card. It is of fairly regular quality but what I love about it is that it is tiny and fits perfectly in my hand. Great for people with tiny palms! :D

✧ The Cards

The cards are obviously also tiny, which is a big plus for portability. They have very traditional Lenormand illustrations, elegant, detailed, pretty and with a strong French art aesthetic. Each card has its interpretation printe on it.

The card stock is of slightly above average quality but the print quality varies throughout the deck: some cards are very neatly printed, but for some the print is slightly more spotty. But one would have to really be inspecting the cards to notice.

It turns out that the deck is extended by two cards in a clever way: it contains two Lady and two Gentleman cards, of different ages. According to the booklet, it is meant for two different purposes: as a signifier for the querent (mane they identify with the older Lady rather than the young one) or for same sex relationships (where the Lady querent would like to know more about the Lady of her heart.

✧ The Little White Book

The booklet tells the story of Mademoiselle Lenormand and then details the interpretation of each card. This is not the same as what is printed on the cards, it gives them an additional dimension of interpretation.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Tiny!

Traditional illustrations

Meaning of the cards printed on them

Con

Fairly classical look (I consider it a plus, but some might find it unimaginative).

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, starlings!

#divination #cartomancy #tarot #tarot deck review #tarot deck #tarot review #witchcraft #witchblr #witchy #astrology #Lenormand #mlle Lenormand #Lenormand deck #mademoiselle Lenormand

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ Ukiyoe Tarot

Author/Artist: Komi Furuta

Editor: U.S.Games Systems. Inc

ISBN: 978-0-88079-014-7

Link: https://www.usgamesinc.com/Ukiyoe-Tarot.html

Ukiyo-e is a type of Japanese art (prints or paintings) that was popular from the 17th to the 19th century. The subjects varied widely from historical events, to kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, mythological themes, flora, fauna and even erotica. The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as "picture[s] of the floating world". I love Japan and therefore wanted a deck that looks like traditional Japanese art. So here is more info about it :)

✧ The Box

The box is yellow and illustrated with the cards of Strength (front) and The Hierophant (back). A text on the side reads:

“Artist Koji Furuta captures the serene beauty of the “floating world” in Ukiyoe Tarot. This stunning full-colour deck artfully portrays traditional tarot symbolism with classic Japanese costumed figures. The 78 cards are numbered and titled in both English and Japanese”.

However what the packaging doesn’t tell you is that this is a Tarot de Marseille, which means the minor arcana are not fully illustrated like in the RWS Tarot. I think it’s important that Tarot deck creators actually put that information out there because not everyone is comfortable to read the cards this way.

It’s of regular quality and mine got actually a bit beat up because the mail main put it through my mailbox...a bit forcefully.

✧ The Cards

The card stock is fairly regular. The back of the cards is wine red with maple leaves. It looks very peaceful and elegant.

I really like that the cards have their Japanese names printed on them. They’re pretty and right. Even the Minor Arcana look lovely with specific colour schemes and with each suite having its own flower as a symbol.

✧ The Little White Book

This little booklet is actually quite complete. It has a very nice introduction about the creation process for the deck, about ukiyoe and it then proceeds to explain each card from the illustration point of view, the the symbolism point of view, the Divinatory meaning of the card as well as the reverse meaning. It also introduces the reader to the Celtic cross spread.

It is worthwhile noting that the booklet introduces the reader to the wealth of symbols present in this deck which could remain unnoticed by someone unfamiliar with ukiyoe and Japanese culture. This further outlines that the illustrations were carefully planned and constructed to be read intuitively.

✧ The Tryptic

Strength is the cover card and is absolutely beautiful ! It represents a woman, dressed in a very elegant kimono, most likely in an effort to oppose her stylistically with the snow lion she;s holding the mouth of. There is gentleness in her gesture, and the harmony and peacefulness of the overall illustration is enhanced by the presence of the cherry tree in bloom behind the characters. The colours are citrusy but not overly bright, which further indicates balance.

The Tower has a fascinating back story in the booklet which essentially explains how this pagoda represents Muro-ji in Nara which, through its history, could represent the introduction of Buddhism to Japan and the subsequent changes that stemmed from it. With the two characters falling from the tower symbolising the peasants who suffered a lot throughout the whole ordeal. The colours brilliantly attract the viewers attention to the tower itself, which is red in a very tuned out environment.

The Star is represented by a woman pouring water into the river. Potentially a courtesan or a lady of the night, certainly a woman who does not conform to societal rules of modesty among Japanese women of her era. Creativity is also outlined with her red sash and the stars of inspiration surrounding her. The willow trees we can see behind her symbolise patience and perseverence, two values necessary when pursuing creative endeavours.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Beautiful illustrations, rich in symbols

Original theme

Con

Another tarot de Marseille in disguise

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, starlings!

#divination #cartomancy #tarot #tarot deck review #tarot deck #tarot review #witchcraft #witchy #witchblr #astrology #ukiyoe #ukiyo-e #ukiyo e #japan #Japanese #Japanese art

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ Golden Botticelli Tarot

Author/Artist: Atanas Alexandrov Atanassov/ Sandro Botticelli

Editor: Lo Scarabeo

ISBN: 978-8865271711

Link: https://shop.loscarabeo.com/index.php?id_product=80&controller=product&id_lang=1

And we are looking at another Lo Scarabeo Tarot Deck. This one’s theme is the art of the famous Renaissance painter Botticelli. I have always been very fond of his style so I was looking forward to getting my hands on this deck. In the future, I will most likely also review the Klimt and the Mucha decks, as they are also artists who’s work really is dear to me. But for now, let’s focus on Botticelli.

✧ The Box

So first of all, I completely misread the product description and had no idea I ordered a golden Tarot deck so when I first saw the box, even tough it’s a basic flimsy cardboard box typical of Lo Scarabeo, I was happily surprised as it looks gorgeous. The gold foil and the floral patterns make the deck a bit more gothic than renaissance, adding details and depth, for a beautiful result, especially on the black background. It looks rich and fancy, very much in the style of Italian renaissance.

The box features some of the cards: The world on the front, The Hierophant on the back, The Star and Knight of Chalices on the sides. I doesn’t tell you much except that the deck contains 78 arcana.

✧ The Cards

The cards are using artwork from the vast catalogue of paintings created by Botticelli. If you look at the below photo you will most likely recognise some of his famous works:

The card stock is fairly regular, not exceptional but not bad either and the colours are nice and vibrant. The golden parts are very cleverly illuminating the illustrations. They are applied to fine lines and vegetal elements making it nice and elegant, as opposed to heavy or obnoxious. Compared to the Nefertari Tarot, it is more subtle.

There is a nice idea going on in the minor arcana where each suite’s sky is of a specific colour: the Cups are green, the Swords are blue, the Wands are yellow and the Pentacles are red. I think that the minor arcana is where the magic happens. Some of the illustrations are very creative and depart from the usual representations of the RWS Tarot, which makes this deck very interesting.

✧ The Little White Book

Again, this is your generic little Lo Scarabeo booklet. It contains a little intro and a short rundown of each card as well as a spread suggestion. It’s a bit minimalistic. Given the theme of the deck, I would have expected references to Botticelli’s works, just like in the Cleopatra Tarot the author specifies the deities represented on the cards.

✧ The Tryptic

Srength is represented by a woman dressed in red and blue, with a green coat, taming a lion. She holds some sort of plant in her raised hand while the other rests on the lion’s head. The background depicts a similar forest to the one you can see in the “Spring” painting. The lemniscate, the patterns on the ladies dress, the lion’s mane and the vegetation in the background are all golden. The interaction between the woman and the lion seems overall peaceful.

The Star card is actually The Stars in this deck and is represented by the 3 Graces dancing in the “Spring” painting. There is a lot of gold in this card: the stars, the flowers, the sky, which makes the Graces stand out even more.

The Tower in this deck is represented by a building which appears to be falling appart (well, at least the top of the building seems to because the bottom remains untouched). You can see red smoke rising from the tower and two character, along with some stones and pillars are falling off of it. The sky as well as the stairs are decorated with golden foil. The overall feel of this card is however not very strong or urgent in anyway. This does not feel like a sudden upheaval is taking place. I’m not sure it could have been done better, but I’m just not entirely convinced by it.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Botticelli’s timeless beautiful art

Subtle golden highlights

Creative use of the illustrations and golden highlights

Con

The general quality isn’t the best

The golden highlights will most like rub off at some point, like with the Nefertari Tarot.

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, starlings!

#tarot #tarot deck review #divination #cartomancy #tarot deck #tarot review #witchcraft #witchy #witchblr #botticelli #art #renaissance art #italian renaissance #renaissance #good #Lo Scarabeo

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ The Flux Arcana Tarot

Author/Artist: Micah Ulrich

Editor: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Link: https://shop.micahulrich.com/product/the-flux-arcana-the-complete-deck

This gorgeous deck was designed by a Detroit-based illustrated name Micah Ulrich. Micah’s style is largely inspired by theme of the Illuminati and the occult. On everydaymetal.com.au you can read that Micah instantly fell in love with the occult after reading up on magic and the esoteric while at art school so was then inspired to incorporate the themes into art. In the same interview, the artist states “I really wanted to create something super different than what a lot of other artists were doing! Tarot’s use in the occult had always fascinated me, and I wanted to make a set that was radically different than any other.” Let’s see the result ;)

✧ The Box

To be perfectly fair, the box is not the best quality, as is the case with many self published decks. It arrived slightly bruised, so I definitely would not advice carrying it around too much. And I say that because despite of it’s poor quality, it is absolutely beautiful!

Several card illustrations decorate the box: The VI of Wands on the front, the VIII of Swords on the back, the II of Pentacle on the left side and the X of Pentacles on the right side. A crown with a sword adorn the top of the box and the bottom presents a beautiful eye.

Finally, the box is sealed with a sticker illustrating a tiny sun. I admit I opened the box by the bottom because I did not have the heart to damage this little guy.

✧ The Cards

As written above, the artist has a very unique style. It is reminiscent of Middle Ages’ engravings, using occult imagery and expressed in black white and Red only. Micah’s artwork is absolutely gorgeous, definitely has a mystical aura to it without being overly dark.

Each card follows a similar layout: the background is white with an intricate frame (identical on every card). A black figure illustrates the Arcana and red details or highlights. The card number and the card’s name are also printed in red and respectively situated at the to and bottom of each arcana.

Here are some of my favourite Major Arcana:

The Minor Arcana also follow this layout, as you can see here:

In the previously mentioned interview with everydaymetal.com.au we can read:

“Looking at the piece “The Fool” (featured below) the description explains it was inspired by one year as a full-time artist. Micah describes to us what was it like taking the leap from a paying job to becoming a professional artist.“It was pretty intimidating at first! I’d been doing art as a side-gig for a long time, but I was leaving a guaranteed paycheck for essentially a shot in the dark. It was the best decision of my life.””

The back of the cards is black with a thin white outline. It is decorated with 2 skulls, 2 swords and 2 stars. A very simple yet effective design.

The cards are slightly thinner than the regular RWS Tarot but they seem durable enough.

All in all, the cards are absolutely beautiful and it was ultimately really difficult to select only a handful to show you. However the downside is that their meaning is not easily inferred if you don't have a prior knowledge of the Arcana, which makes the deck not to beginner friendly.

✧ The Little White Book

There is no booklet included with this deck.

✧ The Tryptic

Strength is represented by a cloaked skeleton taming a lion with what looks like a snake tongue. The skeleton has a red halo around their head. The Lion looks quite threatening but the cloaked figure is very gentle in the way it handles the lion. There is clearly kindness in it’s manners.

The Tower is probably my favourite card in this deck. The details of the bricks (the shadows, the textures, the sheer number of them) are stunning and make this illustration really rich. The blaze inside the tower and the lightning hitting it are both printing in red, which makes them stand out and which underlines their violence.

The Star is pictured as a cloaked figure kneeling near a pond or river. It has 2 jugs and pours water out of one of it. It also looks slightly upward, which one could indeed perceive as an expression of hopefulness, or at least day dreaming. There is a bright star above the figure and, because of the empty space in this picture it really feels like a small glimmer of hope.

✧ Conclusion

Overall, it's a gorgeous deck, but I would only recommend it to readers who are already experienced with Tarot (at least a little bit) as it can seem cryptical and does not come with a booklet.

✧ Rating

Pro

Gorgeous deck

Very creative illustrations.

Occult theme

Con

Not the best quality when it comes to materials. It shouldn’t be an issue if you only read from time to time and at home but it will be problematic if you like having your deck with you everywhere.

Not very beginner friendly as the illustration are more artistic than symbolic. There is also no booklet with the cards interpretation.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ 2nd House

✧ The House of Personal values, self-worth and resources

Type Succedent

Trinity Wealth

Element Earth

Mode Fixed

Rulership Taurus/Venus

Polarity Mine (2nd House) VS Ours (8th House)

Keywords Self-worth, values, resources, skills, money, income, abundance, material possessions, stability, foundations.

Once we have manifested and the initial spark of identity with our 1st House, we meet the 2nd House where we gain more substance, a more precise definition of what is ours and what is everyone’s else’s, starting with our own body. The 2nd House is all bout the forging of a more solid sense of “I” or ego. We learn where what is “me” ends, what it implies and where others begin. This allows us by extension to become aware of our own worth, our abilities and our limitations.

Our sense of identity and security tends to come from what we own, possess or attach to ourselves – be it the body, the home, the bank balance, the spouse, our job or a religious philosophy. However, deriving an identity from anything external or relative is ultimately precarious and conditional. To paraphrase C.G. Jung: “we only discover what supports us when everything else we thought supported us doesn’t support us anymore”.

The 2nd House affects several areas of our lives:

✧ Our Personal Values

The 2nd house is where we form opinions on what we value and cherish and what we feel like we should accrue or gain in order to enrich the Self and to build our self-worth which underpins external wealth. This is extremely crucial, because we base our whole existence on such criteria. When our values change, our whole life-focus can alter dramatically.

By extension, it shows what we desire, as what we desire is what increases our self-worth. We become biased towards these desires (becoming selective in our perception of things/events and their values) and this bias starts to influence what we attract into our lives.Through valuing and appreciating the qualities associated with a planet which falls in the 2nd house, we are likely to create situations which draw this principle to us, or bring it to the fore.

Ultimately, the 2nd House can also inform us on what we chose to physically defines us: our sense of fashion, our charisma, our attitudes towards make up, etc. Here, we take the traits bestowed upon us in the 1st House and we try to shape them into what we think adds to our self-worth.

Transits and progressions to the 2nd house indicate times of shifts and alterations to the desire-nature, to our values and to the way we present our selves.

✧ Our External Wealth

The 2nd house describes what we possess or hope to possess, as well as those resources or attributes which, when developed, will give us the sense of substance, value, worth, safety and security. For most people this is money, but our attitudes towards the material world and the conditions we encounter in this realm are defined by the 2nd House placements. What brings us safety will depend on the planet / ruler of the sign that resides here.

Our financial assets and material possessions are the building foundations we gain through acquisitions, through relationship with money and with our own body. This is what our sense of security and stability rests upon.

✧ Our Inner wealth

The 2nd house informs us on the resources we develop: skills, talents, likes and interests that give us a sense of value and provide security. By extension, it also implies our limitations.

The sign on the cusp of the 2nd House provides us with details on the way in which we approach our earning abilities, our financial success. It can hold clues about our job or ideal career.

✧ Assessing the 2nd House

When assessing any of the workings of the 2nd House, a number of factors needs to be considered:

the sign on the cusp of the 2nd House

the ruling planet – its sign, house and aspects

planets in/near the 2nd House

any sign (other than the one on the cusp) that is present or intercepted in the 2nd House.

✧ In combination with other houses

The chart is meant to be read as a whole and there are therefore many parallels, contrasts and combinations an astrologer can draw in order to better understand it. For instance we can look at the 2nd House as opposing the 8th, informing us on the the possessions and assets we bring into our relationship with other and those that others ultimately share with us. Along with the 5th and 10th houses, the 2nd House could hold clues to our work ethics and the jobs that we attract us the most or those we have innate predispositions for.

More on this in a future article along with details on 2nd House placements and the Ruler’s placements through houses and signs. Currently working on those :)

Also please keep in mind this article will most likely get expended with future readings and further experience.

astrology astro zodiac horoscope 1st house first house ascendant ascendent rising sign rising 12 houses 12 astrological houses twelve houses twelve astrological houses angular fire mars aries persona

#astrology #astro #zodiac #horoscope #2ndhouse #2nd house #house #12 houses #12 astrological houses #twelve houses #twelve astrological houses #succedent #taurus #earth #venus

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ 1st House

✧ The House of Self

Type Angular

Trinity Spiritual Action

Element Fire

Mode Cardinal

Rulership Aries/Mars

Polarity Me (1st House) VS We (7th House)

Keywords Ascendant, self, outlook, appearance, vitality, first impressions, personality, sense of identity, physical body.

Marking the cusp of the 1st house, the Ascendant (or Rising Sign) shows the exact degree of the zodiacal sign which is rising over the eastern horizon at the time of birth.

A common point of view amongst astrologers is that the Ascendant is how we hatch into the world and our various placements help us grow into our sun sign.

It affects several areas of our lives:

✧ The Persona

The sign ruling the first house can be seen as our Persona, the façade we present to the world, the personality traits to which we instinctively come back when we are facing something or someone new, much like a defence mechanism to which we switch back to when we are uncomfortable. Because 1st house energies are met and awakened so early in life, we form a close identification with the archetypes which the planets and signs there represent. These archetypes, energies, attributes represent the kinds of functions most valuable in discovering our unique identity.

If it is really different from the signs ruling your personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter), as people will eventually see past it as they get to know you.

The placements in this house may also have an influence of our physical appearance (although this is a controversial topic and it is much more likely that the entirety of the chart has an influence on one’s appearance), our sense of fashion and the way we want to be seen by others. As a Fire House, it gives clues about vitality, health and assertiveness.

✧ The Archetype of Initiation

As it coincides with our first breath, it marks the beginning of a cycle, the initial step/stage in the process of Becoming. Each new beginning resonates with the qualities of earlier new beginnings, reawakening similar issues and associations. This is why the 1st House informs us on how we enter different phases of our lives (different houses of the astrological wheel), how we initiate tasks and project, how we behave when we meet someone new or are presented with an unfamiliar situation. In essence, the quality of the Rising sign and planets located in the 1st House come out when we experience something new. It also reflects the inborn expectations and images whenever we have to ‘get something started’.

Planets near and within the 1st house may also describe the very first beginning, the experience of one's birth, the circumstances of how we came into the world.

✧ Our Energy

The energy we put out into the world and the energy the world feeds back to us is seen in the 1st House. Because the Ascendant informs us on the initial spark of our very existence, it leaves a deep mark on our psyche as ‘that which life is all about’. We therefore try without fail to give and receive these essential attributes as a way to emulate and maintain this spark. We attribute to life the qualities of the sign on the Ascendant or any planets nearby. It is the lens through which we perceive life and we invariably act and behave in accordance with it. And as the placements of this house make us more sensitive to recognising the attributes we assign to life, we pick those up with more ease and feel like the Cosmos reflects them back to us. It expresses both what we are looking for and what is doing the looking.

Similarly, the Ascendant represents the effect our initial spark may have had on the world, how our coming to the world was received.

Cardinal fire represents a principle which radiates out into life.The attributes of any placements in the 1st house are somehow amplified by being in that position, as if the volume of their ‘tone’ has been raised.

✧ The Chart’s Ruler

The Ascendant's ruling Planet is considered the Chart Ruler and its location in the chart shows where we most naturally use its skills. Some astrologers find its placement more relevant to the way we are perceived than the the Ascendant itself.

✧ Assessing the Ascendant

When assessing any of the workings of the Ascendant, a number of factors needs to be considered:

the sign on the Ascendant

the ruling planet – its sign, house and aspects

planets in/near the Ascendant

aspects to the Ascendant

✧ In combination with other houses

The chart is meant to be read as a whole and there are therefore many parallels, contrasts and combinations an astrologer can draw in order to better understand it. For instance we can look at the first house as opposing the 7th, informing us of the qualities we are born with and those we are looking for in a partner in order to learn to develop them. Along with the 3rd, 4th and 10th houses, the 1st house denotes something about the atmosphere in our early environment (house, family, neighbours).

More on this in a future article along with details on 1st house placements and the Ruler’s placements through houses and signs. Currently working on those :)

Also please keep in mind this article will most likely get expended with future readings and further experience.

#astrology #astro #zodiac #horoscope #1st house #first house #ascendant #ascendent #rising sign #rising #12 houses #12 astrological houses #twelve houses #twelve astrological houses #angular #fire #mars #aries #persona

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

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✧ The Starchild Tarot - Akashic Edition

Author/Artist: Danielle Noel

Editor: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Link: https://www.starchildtarot.com/the-akashic-edition/9goq7r5c354wu1z4tvh7dnu70ync0s

At this point, I have reviewed two of Danielle Noel’s decks and I have found myself to be very receptive to her art style and symbolism. I figured I may as well complete my collection and get the Starchild Tarot next. Turns out there is an Akashic Edition, meant to, among other things, help you access your own Akashic Records ! And here it is:

✧ The Box

Danielle’s decks always come in nice, sturdy boxes which are gorgeously decorated and the Starchild Tarot is no exception. It is a personal preference but I’m very fond of the pale indigo blue she chose as the dominant colour. In the motifs used to decorate the box there’s a strong influence of cosmic and Egyptian aesthetics.

Each side of the box shows the white outline of each suite and the back displays 9 sample cards. Some golden accents add a feeling of Light and illumination.

The box is made of 2 halves. When you open it, the inside of the bottom half is plain indigo blue with a white scarab holding an eye. The inside of the top Half uses a picture of the cosmos (you can see part of the Pillars of Creation, from the Eagle Nebula. A text is printed there and says We are all stardust.

✧ The Cards

There is SO MUCH to say about the cards! First off, the details: the card stock is of excellent quality, again, a norm with Danielle’s beautiful decks, the back is a gorgeous photomontage with motifs from ancient Egypt, sacred geometry and other such elements, with a pink-blue-purple colour scheme (which the whole deck is following). It’s feels light and ethereal. The cards have a matte but sparkly golden edge, referring back to the golden highlights on the box. And of course, the illustrations are the montages Noelle is now well known for.

This deck being aimed at light workers and star seeds, is packed with cosmic elements. Like in other decks by Danielle, the aesthetic is spiritual, mysterious and immaterial but also very intuitive, which makes the cards REALLY easy to relate to.

Some of the Major Arcana has been renamed to better meet this deck’s purpose. For instance, The Fool is now Starseed, The Hermit is Serenity, The Hanged Man is Perspective and Death is Transformation. An extra card was also added: Akashic Records.

In the Minor Arcana, there has been one notable change: the Pentacles, which can also be called Coins and are traditionally represented as such were swapped for Crystals. While I found no information explaining this change, I suppose it is because the close relation of Pentacles with money was a too earthly and materialistic theme for this deck. Crystals still refer to the Earth element but without the materialistic symbolism.

✧ The Little White Book

The booklet is slightly larger than the deck and does not fit inside the box, which is a bit of a shame as it makes carrying both items a bit more space consuming.

It contains 173 pages describing every single arcana (associating the Major Arcana with chakras, gemstones, astrological elements, symbols and spiritual guides). It delves into the details of 13 chakras, suggests 5 different spreads and provides information about the deck, it’s purpose, star seeds, and other relevant themes. Overall, very complete.

✧ The Tryptic

Strength is the Arcana number XI in this deck. It portrays a woman crowned with flowers, standing next to a lion in the desert dunes. The moon is seen rising in the background, on a clouded starry sky. The woman appears o be holding a ball of light (an actual star seed, perhaps?) which may be figurative of the courage one must demonstrate to be kind. It is easy to give into the darkness and negativity that is considered “mainstream” or “cool” nowadays but it takes genuine bravery to chose a kind and empathetic path. The lion is in no way threatening and the nocturnal theme of this card could suggest that the attributes represented by this card can seem dormant in our day to day life, or at least not fully explored. The desert may suggest you to stand for what you believe in, even if you stand alone. Discovering this kind of strength in yourself is a lonely journey that none else can do for you.

The Tower shows a composite building being surrounded by a lightning storm, under the watchful supervision of the Luminaries. This might indicate that this sudden upheaval is Cosmically ordained and whatever lesson it must teach us will come to pass, regardless of how much we may resist it. A character is sitting on the floor by the building’s gate. She offers no resistance to the situation and looks behind her shoulder, perhaps looking back at her recent past and trying to grow from this reflection. She gives the impression that she will eventually get up and resume her journey. While the situation seems dire, it is not incapacitating, it is not where she ends.

The Star is a beautiful pale sun like circle (you can see planets and their orbit surrounding it), a life giving force which revives you after the struggles represented in The Tower. The woman traditionally displayed on this card is sitting on a rock by the sea (collective unconscious?) and seems to be meditating, trying to gather the pieces of what The Tower has taught her in order to build a brighter future.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Overall quality of the deck.

The ethereal artwork.

The symbolism the cards are using renders them very easy to connect to and to read intuitively.

How specific the purpose and targeted audience for this deck are.

Con

The booklet’s odd format.

The symbolism and artistic liberties taken may be confusing or cryptic for beginners.

I have to say I love how Danielle’s decks serve specific purposes. While I completely believe that one should try and connect with the deck(s) they use, her decks are meant to serve a goal, a step in your own Hero’s Journey and I do also believe that different decks serve certain of those steps better than others.

I am not claiming I connect with each and every deck I have reviewed here. In fact, I do consider some of them collectible pieces of art rather than introspective tools. But there are a few I use fairly regularly and I do assign to each of them a specific theme or use them only with certain querents. My readings are very intuitive, therefore the nature of a deck, of the reading’s theme and of the person I read for need to be in alignment to make it work best.

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ Secrets of Tarot kit

Author/Artist: Amanda Hall

Editor: Hinkler

ISBN: 9781488940859

Link: https://www.hinkler.com.au/secrets-of-tarot-gift-box

I picked this little set up because it was fairly inexpensive and seemed like a good idea: classic RWS illustrations with keywords printed directly on the card is a fantastic way to learn and I wanted to see what it was all about...

✧ The Box

It’s a fairly regular quality cardboard, all purple with a beautiful golden Sun. There’s a hole in the front through which you can see the deck in it’s equally purple box. It displays many sample cards and provides the basic information about the deck.

It is very much the same format as the Power of the Moon set.

✧ The Cards

The Card stock is not the best. The cards are extremely thin. They are of a regular size and their back is decorated with some sort of fractal mandala.

The illustrations are photo-montages based on the RWS Tarot and are fairly regular in that sense. A textured filter has been applied to each card (easy way to make a photo-montage more seamless), it looks like crackled paper and gives the cards a vintage look.

Each card bears an illustration which is framed with a beige outline. The Major Arcana display their title, a few keywords and the card’s number. The Minor Arcana additionally display a small icon identifying their suite in the bottom left corner.

The cards come in a pretty little mauve box, featuring an eye. While pretty, it’s not very durable. I carried it in my purse once and it already ruined the corners. And I swear I was not juggling with the purse!

✧ The Little White Book

The book is quite skinny with its 32 pages. But to be fair, since keywords are already available on the cards, there is no real need to develop more detailed meanings for each cards ; this could hinder a beginners intuitive reading.

It talks about Tarot’s history and delves into 3 different spreads, along with sample readings.

✧ The Tryptic

As I said above, the illustrations are pretty much exactly the same as the RWS ones, therefore there is nothing I can really say here regarding the cards. I’ll still show them to you so you can see the keywords printed on them and the quality of the illustrations.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Basically a RWS Tarot with keywords printed directly on the card. This is a very good call for beginners!

Very affordable.

Con

The quality of the cards

The booklet could have had more information such as how to cleanse your cards, how to connect with them, information about reversals or why the author prefers to leave them out, how to shuffle, etc. Given the fact that the meanings of the cards were out of the way, the author could have taken advantage of this and made a more useful guidebook.

This is personal bias however I really think the pictures are poor quality photomontages on which someone slapped a filter to try and make it look decent. Really irks me.

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ Mythic Tarot

Author/Artist: Liz Greene ✧ Juliet Sharman Burke ✧ Giovanni Caselli

Editor: Vega/Tredaniel

ISBN: 978-2-85829-663-7

Link: http://www.editions-tredaniel.com/le-tarot-mythique-p-663.html ✧ https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Mythic-Tarot-Deck/dp/1846041783

Mythology is full of colourful characters, impressive creature, tragic relationships and important moral and teachings. It permeates our lives so much that we hardly notice it anymore: you find greek mythology in the names of constellations, space programs, courtiers, jewellery makers, video games, movies, TV shows, etc). We are surrounded by it and at this point it’s very much a part of our subconscious, assimilating those archetypes without us noticing. It’s only natural then that someone would create a Tarot deck assigning mythological characters to the Arcana.

Disclaimer: I have the French edition of this deck and provided 2 links in the above blurb, 1 to buy that same version and an Amazon link for the English version.

✧ The Box

This is an almost A4 purple box made of 2 pieces. The whole thing is plain purple inside out and you can see a lot of sample cards on literally every side of the box but the bottom and top. That alone is a very nice touch: you can see exactly what you are going to get inside. All the text is white except the title which is printed in yellow to stand out.

The back features an introduction and specifies that the kit comes with a 78 cards deck and a booklet of 256 pages.

It’s pretty sturdy and of decent quality.

✧ The Cards

So each of the Major Arcana features a different character. Amongst my favourites we have Hades as Death, Persephone as The Priestess, Ares as The Chariot, Athena as Justice, Paris and the 3 goddesses Athena, Aphrodite and Hera as The Lovers, Hekate as The Moon, Apollo as The Sun and the Moirai as The Wheel of Fortune.

The Minor Arcana are fascinating as, instead of choosing to illustrate each of them with a different character, the artist went for a theme per suite. The Cups tell the story of Eros and Psyche:

The Wands are about Jason and the Golden Fleece:

The Swords illustrate Orestes’ story and the curse of the Atreidae:

Finally, the Pentacles retell the story of Daedalus:

Each card features an illustration in cream coloured frame and shows its name on the top. The back is the same purple as the box, black except the the frame that the symbols of 4 suites are making around the card. The card stock and size are fairly regular.

✧ The Little White Book

With this kit you get a very nice 256 pages illustrated book. It does what most guidebooks do, provides you the meaning of each Arcana but here it does it with a mythological symbolism and interpretation. There is also an analysis of the visuals of each card, allowing for a more intuitive reading.

It provides with 2 spreads and sample readings for both. It also explains the limits of Tarot and the rapport one can build with the cards.

✧ The Tryptic

While the Major Arcana are not numbered in this deck, in the guidebook Strength is the 10th card analysed. It features Heracles defeating the Nemean Lion. While it could seem like a superficial way to represent brute force rather than a fore of character, the symbolism is more nuanced than that. The Nemean Lion could not be undone by weapons of any kind (this is hinted at by the broken sword lying on the ground behind the fighters), he could only be killed with bare hands and no mortal had this kind of strength. Heracles wrestling the Lion in its lair is a very good analogy for our consciousness wrestling our primitive impulses in the depths of our psyche. There is a need to get physical and personal with those impulses in order to subdue them.

The Tower features Poseidon destroying Minos’ labyrinth and bringing his reign down to ashes. It is pictured as a tower erected on an island in the middle of the sea is struck by lightning. Out of the threatening dark waters emerged Poseidon, who seems to be the instigator of all this violence. The description of the card mentions several interesting details about the illustration. It says that the Trident is a symbol of Poseidon but also of the moon, linking the realm of instincts with that of the night. It also says that Poseidon emerging from the stormy waters symbolises the power of intellect emerging from the subconscious, ultimately defeating it. It also highlights that Poseidon here has a fish tail, which makes him akin to the cold blooded animals from the see, making him different from the human mammals. He thusly belongs to the archaic world of instincts.

The Star is portrayed by Pandora, kneeling in front of her box. She has already freed the swarm of insects symbolising all the abominations that got out of the box. Pandora, however, keeps her eyes fixated on a star within which a white robed figure can be seen. This is the star of hope, which outshines the swarm of insects. The setting is very similar to what we usually see on The Star card.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Mythology + Tarot, sign me right up!

The Minor Arcana are retelling of full myths.

Very nice and full guidebook, with a symbolical and psychoanalytical approach to the cards.

Very good overall quality.

Ideal for anyone who is familiar with Greek mythology and wants to learn Tarot!

Con

None

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ The Power of the Moon Set

Author/Artist: Sally Morningstar

Editor: Hinkler

ISBN: 9781488941221

Link: https://www.hinkler.com.au/the-power-of-the-moon-box-set

This set is really more about Lunar Magic than it is about the oracle deck itself. It treats the deck as a tool to connect to the power of the Moon, rather than to practice Cartomancy per se. Still, let’s have a look at this set.

✧ The Box

The box is made of very regular cardboard, not really resistant or good quality. It’s mainly purple and features the title of the set and a few cards and pages from the booklet. There are 2 cut out spaces, one featuring the Opalite and one the oracle deck.

✧ The Cards

The 26 Lunar Oracle cards come in a very, very poor quality packaging. They are skinny, and very flexible which, alongside the fact that the deck does not have many cards can make it a bit tricky to shuffle.

You will find in this deck the major Moon Phases, the placements of the Moon in each zodiac sign and the Lunar animal totems (which is a nice addition).

Each card feature its title, a white illustration on a colourful background and an interpretation. What I don’t like personal about the interpretations is that in most cases they tell you what to do instead of giving you more freedom with the interpretation. It makes the interpretations very mundane and a but difficult to apply to a more abstract situation, but I’m sure this will be to the liking of some of us though ( looking at you, Earth Moons).

The back of the cards is a night landscape with a river, a forest and starry night sky featuring the Moon.

✧ The Little White Book

The book is really the heart of this set and it comes packed with a lot of information and tutorials for anyone who is interested in incorporating the Moon in their spiritual practice or meditation. Here is the list of contents:

The book is well designed and full of illustrations:

It also links the Moon to other practices such as Tarot and Numerology.

It talks about the Moon in each sign of the Zodiac, the Lunar phases, the Lunar year and the Lunar gardening.

It really covers a lot of ground in just 64 pages. It also provides the reader with tutorials about how to make a moon amulet, a sleeping sachet, a moon tree and other such things.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

A LOT of information about the Moon, Moon worship, Moon symbology, Moon Magic, etc.

Very cute illustrations

Very affordable

Con

Some misinformation here and there.

Overall poor quality of the set.

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

#moon #moon magic #lunar magic #moon witch #lunar witch #moon witchcraft #lunar witchcraft #cartomancy #divination #moon gardening #numerology #tarot #mythology #symbolism

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ The Phoenix Cards

Author/Artist: Susan Sheppard ✧ Toni Taylor

Editor: Destiny Books

ISBN: 0-89281-310-5

Link: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-phoenix-cards-reading-and-interpreting-pastlife-influences-with-the-phoenix-deck/susan-sheppard/mixed-media/9780892813100.html

I have fallen in love with Phoenix’s when I was about 9 years old. I have found a Phoenix decal tattoo in one of my chewing gum packs and I was mesmerised by the design. Not long after, I became acquainted with the Xmen’s Jean Gray and the Phoenix force in all its cosmic glory and the deal was sealed. Fast forward a few years and the History of Art final project I had to do for the Academy of Fine Arts was a study of the Phoenix and its depiction throughout different cultures worldwide. Today I’m even sporting an actual Phoenix tattoo (we did it, 12 year old me! High five!). All this to say that when I was looking for a deck focusing on past lives and reincarnation and found this beautiful deck from 1990, I was absolutely bewitched! And here is what I found inside this pretty kit...

✧ The Box

I’ve got a second hand print of this deck so please bear that in mind when I say that the box has seen better days. Still, for something printed in 1990, it holds up pretty well!

We have here a slide in box, made of fairly good quality cardboard (the back of the box specifies it was made with recycled materials). It’s a dark Bordeaux red, even inside. The front shows the phoenix you see on the back of the cards, along with the title and the names of the author and illustrator. It also says “Reading and Interpreting Past-Life Influences with the Phoenix Deck”.

The back features a few cards and an intro:

“The Phoenix cards and book comprise the first method of divination especially created for delving into your past lives. Discover how the times and places of previous incarnations influence and inspire you today; understand the puzzling elements of your personality; come to terms with unexplained fears; and recognise latent talents with the knowledge gained from your Phoenix readings”.

It also introduces the author who is a poet, artist, astrologer ad psychic, setting the expectations quite high.

✧ The Cards

The 28 cards are fairly big and thin. The back of the cards is a beautifully colourful illustration of the Phenix on its pyre. They feature illustrations of items and symbols from all over the world.

Each illustration is it’s own piece of art. Detailed and thought through.

✧ The Little White Book

The guidebook comes with a lot of information on the deck itself and on how to use it. It details each card’s meaning and setting by approaching them from 8 different angles: symbol, place, time, groups, language groups, appearance, traits and conclusion.

There is also a table which summarises this information and advice on how to further use the deck in astrological readings (providing 4 different spreads, with interpretations for each card and position).

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Gorgeous cards

Covers a lot of civilisations

Very detailed guidebook

A very pragmatic approach to oracle cards (8 interpretations for each card + 4 spreads and the meaning of each card in each position).

Con

No longer in print!

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

2 notes · View notes

cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ How to Deal: Tarot for Everyday Life - Deck and book kit

Author/Artist: Sami Main ✧ Marisa de la Pena

Editor: Harper Collins

ISBN: 9780062662170

Link: https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shop/how-to-deal-tarot-for-everyday-life-by-sami-main-book-tarot-card-set ✧ https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780062662170/how-to-deal-tarot-for-everyday-life/ ✧ https://circotarot.com

What drew me to this deck was the illustrations you can se on the box. There is something feral in that art style that resonated with me, especially because I was going through my second read of “Women Who Run With The Wolves”. It looks like the full kit (Tarot deck + guidebook) is exclusive to Urban Outfitters, while you can find the guidebook by itself on the publisher’s website. The deck also has its very own website. Now let’s have a look at this beauty!

✧ The Box

The kit comes in an A5 black and sturdy box with a holographic title on its front and left side, a bunch of different Tarot Card samples (3 on the front and 15 on the back) and a cute little heart shaped lock with a key on the right side. There is a magnet under that side of the box which allows to close it easily. There is also a message there “You’re about to become an expert at channeling the entire Cosmos”

The aesthetic of the guidebook is also present on the box through the little pastel icons you find all over (ice cream, laptop, envelope, flash light, travel mug, etc).

The back features the following intro:

“Can’t figure out what you should do about that messy friend situation? Wanna know how your crush feels about you? Need some guidance on dealing with your family? The cards are here to give you the answers you’ve been looking for. This box set brings together Sami Main’s fun, comprehensive Tarot guidebook and Marisa de la Pena’s gorgeously illustrated deck in one deluxe edition that will give you everything you need to make Tarot work for YOU.”

The inside of the box is black as well and features more of the pastel elements from the guidebook and reiterates “The cares are here to give you the answers you have been looking for!”

There’s also a little fabric band to allow you to take the deck out easily. Once you take it out, you find out the deck is also in a box. Again, it is sturdy and black the front features 3 eyes and the back the symbols of the 4 Minor Arcana suites, all in those cute pastel tones. Inside this box, two more messages await you: “Fate is fluid. It’s up to you to take matters into your own hands.” and “Embrace your intuition”. Another fabric band allows you to take the cards out with ease.

✧ The Cards

The deck this little kit comes with is the Circo Tarot by Marisa de la Pena, a gorgeous and colourful Kickstarter deck. Each card has been painted by the artist, I believe with mixed media (I can for sure see watercolour paint but I think I can also recognise gouache). Some cards do indeed refer to the theme of the circus, while others have a more latino influence (no offence meant here, I am simply not versed enough in those particular cultures to be able to precisely identify them). Most of them are easy to read and absolutely all of them are stunningly beautiful.

The cards are of a regular size but slightly thiner than your usual RWS cards. The back is a gradient of pastel tones and features 3 black eyes.

Little disclaimer, the artist is no longer making or selling divination tools. Her website is therefore a bit bare at the moment and the Instagram link is dead. If you wish to follow her work you can find her new Instagram account here.

✧ The Little White Book

This guidebook is far from being “little” :D It’s 232 pages of information about each card (with illustrations for all the Arcana), of Tarot exercises for practice and it features a total of 8 different spreads!

It’s perfect for beginners as it not only provides you with the information but also engages you with exercises! Those exercises are also beneficial to more seasoned readers as they may shed some light on underlying aspects of the cards that may still be left undiscovered.

✧ The Tryptic

Strength has defeated the lion. In this illustration, there is no place for the kindness the character usually shows the beast, there is no mercy. I personally don’t really like when this card is illustrated to represent a total victory over our wilder instincts instead of incorporating them through understanding and respect. The character looks peaceful, as if this battle cost her no sweat. In fact, she has a Venusian allure to her (what with the lipstick, charming look, ear ring, foliage around her neck) that is a bit odd for this card. As if superficiality conquered our wild self. Or maybe has it been superficially defeated? Or is it that this Venusian illustration is meant to represent the social norms and therefore that the civilised has overcome the wild? Either way, this card has lost its balance which I find really makes or breaks Strength.

The Tower is pretty classic in the sense that we see a house, struck by lightning, catching on fire and being surrounded by smoke. The moon shines weakly in the background and looks like the water is threatening to flood the house but also to perhaps fertilise the dry lands the house was built on, suggesting that after the rain comes the rainbow. This card has significantly darker tones than most of the brighter coloured cards in the deck, but it still fits within it perfectly. The artist clearly masters her colour palette.

The Star is illustrated as a woman in a flow dress with a wavy pattern (most likely figuring the water The Star usually pours out of 2 vases) and a hat, adorned with 3 stars. Her hair is also wavy. There is a starry background behind her and 5 stars shine much brighter than others. The character looks peaceful and focused, as if in prayer, meditation or contemplation. It is a stark contrast with The Tower and that of course works quite well. The whole card is dominated by the colour blue, cooling the fire and distress we just encountered in The Tower.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Beautiful deck with gorgeous illustrations.

Very complete guidebook, fully illustrated.

Fantastic set for beginners

Con

The guidebook and deck have very different aesthetics. They don’t really match. They are both great separately but together they clash a bit.

The card stock is quite thin.

Some cards are prettier than they are symbolical.

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

#tarot #tarot review #tarot deck #tarot deck review #review #urban outfitters #sami main #how to deal tarot for everyday life #Marisa de la pena #circo tarot #cartomancy #divination #witchy #witch #witchcraft #brujeria

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ The Raven’s Prophecy Tarot

Author/Artist: Maggie Stiefvater

Editor: Llewellyn

ISBN: 9780738747439

Link: https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738747439

Ravens are beautiful, smart and resourceful creatures and are often associated with the mystical and occult. They represent prophecy and insight, amongst other attributes. Therefore this deck is a perfect fit, thematically.

Unfortunately, when I bought this deck it was raining heavily and this ruined the box (my bag’s purple dye ran all over it). Therefore I cannot fill in that part of the usual review.

✧ The Cards

The cards bear gorgeous illustrations. I think the originals were made with oil pastels. Most of them are of nature-related themes, inspired by welsh mythology according to the guideline.

Some of the cards that are usually featuring people are interpreted in a more symbolical and creative way in this deck. Here are some examples:

The suite of Cups is represented by ravens:

The suite of Coins is symbolised by roses because growing them, like building profitable assets takes time and effort:

The suite of Wands is portraying fire for its association with creativity:

The suite of Swords is featuring hands. The guidebook explains that because the Swords are a suite of conflict and arguments, and because arguments used to be resolved with steel and are now resolved with words, the hands seemed like a good compromise between the two:

Each card has an orange frame and features its name at the bottom. The card stock is fairly regular and the back of the cards is black with the symbols for all 4 suits and a lemniscate.

Also, this deck came with 2 doubles: I had 2 IV and V or Swords.

✧ The Little White Book

The guidebook is titled Illuminating the Prophecy and the illustration selected for the cover is The Hierophant card. You will find in it an introduction, an explanation for the theme, a few steps on how to conduct a reading and 3 suggested spreads. Each card is depicted in the book, is associated with a few keywords and a full description of its meaning (very well written, I might add). There are no reversal meanings as the author “finds the cards carry all the nuance they need without complicating it even more with additional definitions to memorize”. The booklet is 184 pages and is in A5 format.

✧ The Tryptich

Strength shows a fist with tattoos of the 4 suits being held up. The colours are very bright which underlines the innate force of this gesture. The Lemniscate is also among the tattoos. This is a very original depiction of this archetype. I’ll argue that the colours can also figure those feelings and impulses that the card teaches us to keep under control. While the gesture is firm and definitive, you can see that there is very little pressure applied by the fingers witch suggests that kindness is part of the process.

The Tower is full of movement. The blaze sends cinders flying and the character tries to warm himself by it, at his own peril. The darkness of the surroundings is not exactly reassuring and is not as lit by the blaze as it should be, which only further deepens the sense of unease.

The Star feels really dreamy. It portrays a colourful starry sky, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night Sky”, where the stars are reflected in the water below. It feels like the card is saying that the harmony found in the celestial realm is going to be reflected in the mundane.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Beautiful illustrations

Creative spin on the archetypes of the Tarot. The departure from the traditional illustration brings its own mythology.

Full booklet, with illustrations, keywords and interpretations.

The symbols chosen for the suites add another, more poetic, level of reading.

Con

Could be confusing to someone who only every used RWS as some of the cards are not that straight forward to read.

The cards are a bit thin.

Fantastic for anyone working with the Morrigan, Odin, Apollo or Shani,

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

3 notes · View notes

cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ The Everyday Tarot Kit

Author/Artist: Brigit Esselmont ✧ Eleanor Grosch

Editor: Running Press

ISBN: 978-0-7624-9279-4

Link: https://www.everydaytarot.com/#deck

Brigit Esselmont is the founder of the widely known Biddy Tarot, a website that offers Tarot courses. The official website states:

“The Everyday Tarot Kit offers a fresh approach to Tarot, with a modern, beautifully illustrated deck, a helpful guide to the cards, and a beautiful keepsake box.

Everyday Tarot brings a new perspective to the cards, giving modern soul-seekers the tools they need to access their inner wisdom and create an inspired life. This charming package, featuring stunning cards and a magnetic closure, will appeal to Tarot veterans and novices alike!”

I have received this deck from my boyfriend who randomly purchased it seeing that it’s dominant colour is purple (my favourite colour!). So when I went in and opened the kit, I had no special expectations. But now that I know its origin, this shines a new light on the deck.

✧ The Box

What we have here is a tiny, very travel friendly deck. You can carry it anywhere and even take it with you on longer trips as it hardly takes up any space. It’s strong and durable, uses a magnetic clip, the cards are in a clear plastic pocket (with a spongy bottom) and it comes with a small guidebook.

It is, like the cards and booklet, using purple, gold and white coulours only. The front shows the 4 suites symbols, on one side displays The Empress and the IX of Pentacle is printed on the other.

You can find the same statement as cited in the intro on the back of the box. Three additional cards are sampled there (Queen of Wands, Ace of Cups and The High Priestess).

The inside of the box is golden and contains a clear plastic compartment for the deck, a little cardboard band that allows you to slip the booklet’s back cover in, thusly securing it and you can see the hand of The Hermit, holding a lantern, on the side of the clear compartment.

✧ The Cards

The cards are all illustrated in a minimalistic, modern style with only 3 colours: purple, white and gold.They are quite faithful to the RWS Tarot pictural tradition. There is more variety in the characters though as some characters who are traditionally male became female. Variety is always nice. The illustrations are simple yet rich enough to allow an intuitive reading, which can be quite hard to achieve in so few colours. Yet this deck achieve quite that!

The card stock is fairly small but very durable. I litterally never fear shuffling them or dropping them. The back of the cards is fully purple and shows the 4 suites logo from the front of the box printed upright and reversed. The edge is beige/golden.

There are 2 additional cards:one is suggesting 2 types of spreads with several variants and the other one offers “7 tips to an accurate and insightful Tarot reading”.

✧ The Little White Book

The deck comes with a small but fairly thick guidebook: 88 pages, 1 page per card, with both an upright and reverse meaning. It goes straight to the point and doesn’t offer any pictures. The interpretations are written in a fairly intuitive way which makes it really easy to use to decipher your readings.

✧ The Tryptich

Strength shows a woman holding a Lion with care and respect. She has a large flower necklace and a lemniscate holds her hair in a bun. This illustration is fairly consistent with the RWS picture.

The Tower is also quite reminiscent on the RWS illustration for this card.

And so is The Star. I really don’t have much to say about the cards in the deck, they’re really on point.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Small, very travel friendly

Good quality

Minimalistic illustrations that still keep a lot of the Tarot’s symbolism, making them easy to read

Booklet is straight to the point and covers all you need to know

There are more female characters on the cards

Excellent for beginners!

Con

None

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

#Tarot #tarot deck #tarot review #tarot deck review #review #biddy tarot #everyday tarot kit #Brigit Esselmont #cartomancy #divination #witch #witchy #witchcraft #witchblr

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ Tattoo Tarot

Author/Artist: Megamunden ✧ Diana McMahon-Collis

Editor: Laurence King

ISBN: 9781786272058

Link: https://www.laurenceking.com/product/tattoo-tarot/

With a good chunk of the overall population being inked, there is a major enthusiasm for this 6000 years old practice that’s now crossed in the mainstream. In these circumstances, this deck was born to be a success!

✧ The Box

The box is absolutely beautiful! It’s decorated with intricate patterns and golden highlights. I will not try to describe it and instead simply show how gorgeous it is.

The front says “ Tattoo Tarot - Ink and Intuition”, which is a very clever little word play. The back shows a few sample cards (King of Cup, The Lovers and the Ace of Swords), gives credit to the writer and then displays the following text:

“Is your future indelibly etched?

Is fate being tattooed onto your skin as you read this? Find answers with this fully functional tarot deck, reimagined by contemporary illustrator and tattoo Artis Megamunden. The 78-card deck and booklet are all you need to interpret the cards and conduct your own readings.

The future is in your hands.”

It’s a nice, sturdy box made of two pieces and it is fully red inside.

✧ The Cards

The cards are illustrated in a style reminiscent of traditional tattoo art, mostly following the concept of the RWS tarot illustrations. The major difference is the colour scheme: it is also more consistent with traditional tattoo than Tarot.

Here are some of my favourite Major Arcana in this deck:

This is a Tarot de Marseille, which means that the Minor Arcana are simplified and don’t come with illustrations as heavy in symbolism as in the RWS. Here are some examples:

The aces are really beautiful:

And here are some of the court cards:

Generally, this is quite a pretty deck. The cards may seem thin, but they are also quite durable. The back of the cards is filled with red patterns.

✧ The Little White Book

The deck come with a skinny booklet that is actually quite complete. It contains an introduction, suggests 3 spreads and details the meaning of all the arcana.

Some very interesting spreads are suggested in this booklet:

The Major Arcana’s interpretations are illustrated with a miniature of each card:

There is a chapter about the Court Cards:

The Minor Arcana is succinctly defined as well:

✧ The Tryptich

Strength is number XI in this deck. It shows a lady who’s dress seems to be reminiscent of the matador outfit, taming a lion. In the background you can see the sun and 3 stars. While the lady’s expression is blank, the lion seems to be in pain. Even the description of the card in the booklet is based on strength and courage more than anything else. I think this is quite a departure from the deeper meaning of the Strength card. This could confuse newcomers to Tarot and have them assign a superficial meaning to the card.

The Tower is pictured in a fairly classical way: on a hill, struck by lightning, in fire, with people falling out. It’s a gorgeous illustration in fact, and the way lightning emerges from the clouds and the crown suggests this is a Divine force to be reckoned with and that it is completely out of our control (the crown being tipped, as if falling off, shows that whatever this card is about, it loses its current status).

The Star is also protrayed in a fairly classical way: a naked woman, pouring water, surrounded by 8 stars (usually it’s 7 though). She herself is tattoed.

✧ Conclusion

Pro

Good quality deck and box

Original concept

Some illustrations are really gorgeous

Con

Some cards are confusing or difficult to interpret

A lot of the traditional Tarot symbolism is not carried into the illustrations. It feels like this deck wants to get it’s inspiration from the RWS Taro but also simultaneously does’t.

Nowhere on the box can you find anything hinting at the fact that this is a Tarot de Marseille

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

#tattoo tarot #tattoo #tarot #rockabily #vintage #retro #classic #tarot deck #tarot review #tarot deck review #cartomancy #divination #tarot de marseille #witchy #witchcraft #witchblr #rock'n'roll

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cards-and-stars · 4 years

Text

✧ Crystal Spirits Oracle

Author/Artist: Colette Baron-Reid and Jena DellaGrottaglia

Editor: Hay House

ISBN: 9781401952808

Link: https://www.hayhouse.co.uk/crystal-spirits-oracle-card-deck

I have been collecting rocks and crystals for the better part of my life. I remember leaving my rocks by the door of our apartment because my mum didn't want any “rubbish” inside. As soon as I would leave to play outside again, I’d pick the rocks up and resume the fun ! My grandfather started buying me crystals because those were rocks I could keep inside without being scolded. Thus was born one of my lifelong interests. I was curious about this deck and decided to go ahead and give it a shot. Let’s see if it was worth it ;)

✧ The Box

Another sturdy and thick box from Hay House! Only this time, it's not a to part box, rather it unfolds and has a magnetic edge. The illustration on the front is the of the spirit of Kyanite. The name of the authors and the title of the deck also appear as well as the fact that the deck contains 58 cards.

The sides of the box are adorned with a pattern made of small holographic triangles that shimmer when you move the box around.

The back shows four sample cards and reads “Do you love crystals? Since the beginning of time ancient healers, medicine men and women, and shaman have highly valued crystals for a reason. Across continents and cultures, many legends about the healing powers of the crystals have endured. Connecting with the crystals in this oracle deck is like communicating with beings of light, frequency, and energy; with different personalities who have opinions, ideas, wisdom, and special gifts to offer us. Each stone comes bearing its own message, offering us the power to align with its consciousness to co-create a meaningful, abundant life of healing and evolution. With guidance from intuitive master and oracle expert Colette Baron-Reid, you can work with The Crystal Spirits Oracle to illuminate the way to your highest good.”

When you open the box, another message awaits you on the pastel teal background:

“As expressions of the Conscious Universe, the crystals, like their Creator, want only the best for you: healing, wisdom, and the power of finding possibilities you didn't realise were there”.

Yet another message can be found on the inner right side of the box:”universal Consciousness and Love is present everywhere.”

This box sure has a lot to tell us! :D (also it comes with a little fabric band that allows you to pull the cards out of it).

✧ The Cards

The cards are big and numerous so it gets a bit difficult to hold all of them at once for my tiny hands. The card stock Is excellent, as with all Hay House cards so far.

Each card features the illustration of a given crystal with a face appearing somewhere in/on it to figure the spirit inhabiting it, the name of the crystal and the card’s number. There’s A LOT of crystals, I honestly cannot think of one that I would add to this deck. The most common ones are definitely covered.

The illustrations are generally good and the background hints at the cards meanings. This means you can pick up on the meaning intuitively, without having to refer to the book.

The back of the cards is blue with the same tiny triangles we encountered on the box. It’s cute and neat.

✧ The Little White Book

The book features the same Kyanite illustration as the box, it basically has the same identical cover. There’s a little blurb about the deck and the author on the back cover.

As for the contents, there is more about the deck and crystals, a few pages about how to work with this oracle deck, 3 spreads and the extended meanings of each card (a card meaning takes about 2-3 pages).

Interesting little thing in this guidebook: the author had a reading about the deck itself and shares it with us, its users! It's quite neat!

✧ Conclusion

Likes

Overall quality and aura of the deck

Pretty illustrations

Intuitive reading

Well constructed Guidebook

Dislikes

That’s a lot of large cards to hold!

✧ Rating

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧

Thank you for reading and see you later, little MonStars!

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