In traditional Tarot decks, the scene on The Moon card often includes a wolf, which I consider one of my totem animals. In the Fantastical Creatures deck (by Lisa Hunt and D.J. Conway), there is no wolf. The card shows a unicorn standing before a large tree with bare branches. A barn owl sits in the tree (I consider the owl to be another of my totems).
In my meditation I enter the card. Both the owl and the unicorn gaze at me, watching and waiting. They are not afraid of me. I hold out my hand, palm up, and the unicorn brushes it with a velvety soft nose. They say that only a virgin can tame a unicorn. It occurs to me that my rising sign is Virgo, and that makes me smile. I raise my other arm, and the owl glides toward me, landing on my forearm. His talons do not cause me any discomfort. The moon grows even larger. A breeze stirs the owl's feathers and my hair. I feel that this is my home.
Today I want to share a card from The Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck by John Holland, with paintings by John Matson. The cards in this deck are similar to Tarot cards in that they have a Major Arcana consisting of 22 cards and four “suits” (Physical, Emotions, Mental, Spirit). Each of these Minor Arcana suits contains 9 cards. In addition, the deck includes 7 Chakra cards.
The card I am discussing today is number 2 from the Physical suit. Its title is Movement, Choices, Decisions. It could be compared to the traditional 2 of Pentacles Tarot card. In fact, Holland writes of this card: “With hard work, great effort, and determination, you have the ability to juggle all the demands that are in front of you.”
These demands are represented by a series of windows or doorways. One is yellow and depicts coins; another is deep pink and depicts rings against a red heart, suggesting romance or marriage. A third is green and depicts a growing plant. One features a blue sky filled with fluffy clouds. A fifth window/door, to the left, is orange. We cannot see an image in it.
The four windows with images in them seem to represent the four areas of life commonly represented by Pentacles, Cups, Wands, and Swords in the traditional Tarot.
Four of the colors may be related to the Chakras. According to Holland, orange is associated with the Sacral Chakra; yellow with the Solar Plexus Chakra; green with the Heart Chakra; and blue with the Throat Chakra. The deep pink window confuses me. Is it meant to be red (the Base Chakra)?
Because this deck parallels the traditional Tarot in many ways, it can be read with those associations in mind. It also offers fresh images and symbols that can enrich the understanding of a reading.
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In addition to my 60 Tarot decks, I own a great many oracle decks. I love these decks, but don't use them as often as I would like. Every now and then, I am going to share a card from one of these oracle decks here on the blog. I hope people will enjoy seeing cards from various decks and will gain something from the interpretations of the cards!
This is a meditation I wrote a number of months ago on The Hermit card from the Fantastical Creatures Tarot. I hope to become more skilled at this sort of thing!
As I meditated, I imagined myself entering the card, stepping into a forest, surrounded by tall slender tree trunks. Bare branches criss-crossed overhead, and I felt a sense of things being tangled or complicated. Some of the trees and bushes were full of green leaves. It seemed to me that I was entering a world of both the dead and the living. I felt very peaceful and relaxed. The Old Lady of the Elder peered at me from behind a small, bushy elder tree. Its white flowers seemed to form shapes, but I could not quite determine what they were. I did not feel the need to speak to the Old Lady. We both simply waited and contemplated each other. I was filled with a sense of recognition, as if meeting a kindred spirit. It occurred to me that I might have seen her in a dream a long time ago. I decided that I would try to summon her into future dreams, in hopes that I can learn what she wants to teach me.
Fantastical Creatures Tarot, illustrated by Lisa Hunt, written by D.J. Conway
My first oracle deck for the year is the Psycards deck by Nick Hobson. In the book that accompanies the deck, Hobson tells us that "Psycards' main function is to enhance self-awareness, to make people see what is inside themselves. Only by understanding ourselves can we see and shape our futures."
Like the Tarot, Psycards work through the power of symbols. The cards are grouped into five categories: Direction cards, Fundamentals, Symbols, Archetypes, Characters, and Happenings.
Today I am focusing on card number 34: THE MESSAGE. According to the accompanying book, this card indicates that "Someone is calling from somewhere. If you can see, if you can hear." THE MESSAGE is the first of the seven Psycard "happenings." These represent major psychic events.
On this card, we see a net containing a fisherman's "haul." Note the bottle with a message inside. What could that message be?
If we view the ocean as a symbol of the unconscious, the message in the bottle could well be from our inner depths. Hobson comments that according to psychologists, we "build defenses against anything that disturbs the model we have made of the world" or threatens to upset the status quo. Dreams, symbols, rituals, and art (to name a few) can get through our defenses if we are open to receiving their message.
The fish in the net reminds me of the zodiac sign Pisces, the sign most commonly associated with dreams and the subconscious or unconscious mind.
The card seems to encourage us to dip a "net" into our subconscious and see what we bring up.
I look forward to your comments!
Zanna
In addition to my 60 Tarot decks, I own a great many oracle decks. I love these decks, but don't use them as often as I would like. Every now and then, I am going to share a card from one of these oracle decks here on the blog. I hope people will enjoy seeing cards from various decks and will gain something from the interpretations of the cards!
