Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day - 7 of Wands

The Sherlock Holmes Card of the Day is:

SEVEN OF EVIDENCE

In The Sherlock Holmes Tarot by John Matthews and Wil Kinghan (Sterling Ethos), the suit of Evidence (represented by a shoe print) is comparable to the suit of Wands. The quotation chosen to represent the entire suit of Evidence is from The Copper Beeches: “Data! Data! Data! I can make no bricks without clay!”

On the Seven of Evidence, we see Watson heading down a dark alley with Toby, a hound who has served Holmes and Watson well on various occasions. Holmes once remarked to Watson that he would “rather have Toby’s help than that of the whole detective force of London.’ This is a reminder to us that sometimes we do need to accept help. Also, like Toby, we need to be tenacious and persistent, using all tools at our disposal to gather the ever-important “Data!”

Keys for this card, upright, are “courageous ability, success despite opposition, tenacity, persistence upheld by strong intuition, defence of strongly held beliefs.” Reversed, the card can suggest “embarrassment, victimization, loss, surplus, excess.”

Interview with The Playing Card Oracles, Alchemy Edition

Today’s deck interview takes place in a large, open loft space – an artist’s studio – with flickering candles along the walls. The cards come forward to answer my questions by taking shape on large easels spaced around the room. I sit quietly in the center of the room, surrounded by the easels, waiting for the appearance of the card selected by the others to respond to my first question.

(1) How would you describe your essence or essential energy?

Slowly the canvas on the easel fills with shades of crimson and scarlet, blood red, wine red. A heart held in a hand. A golden falcon, a bird of prey, perches atop the heart. The heart opens one eye. The ACE OF HEARTS has arrived.

ACE OF HEARTS: “I would describe my essence or essential energy as Passion -- passion arising from memories that live within the deep subconscious of your feeling Self. My falcon, like your innermost feelings, is constantly on the hunt, seeking nourishment and sustenance. My open eye is your conscious existence; my closed eye is your unconscious existence. Within me lies all potential of love and devotion, passion, and compassion – but also obsession, fear, and compulsion. Draw from my well – the well of Agana, your inner Water source.”

(2) Which card do you feel reflects my essence or essential energy?

To the left of the Ace of Hearts, a dark shape takes form on the easel. Pale skin and auburn hair come forth to complete the image. It is Morgana, the QUEEN OF SPADES.

QUEEN OF SPADES / Morgana: “You were an Old Soul from the beginning, so I don’t worry about ‘insulting’ you when I say your essence or essential energy is that of advanced age. I also happen to know that you are fascinated by Morgana in Arthurian legend, that you have a strong Earth presence in your birth chart and often identify with the Queen of Pentacles in Tarot -- so there are many reasons for this choice. In you I see strength, independence, practicality, and attention to detail. There is also a secret sadness beneath your exterior and leanings toward the darker side of the craft. A part of you seeks to control, manipulate, or dominate people or circumstances – not because you are an egomaniac, but because you feel more secure if you can succeed in those efforts. Failure to do so generates anxiety and uncertainty, which is difficult if not impossible for you to tolerate.”

(3) What story do you hope to tell me?

On the easel beside Morgana’s, as if forming a clone of the Queen, another woman clothed in black appears. She is Terrene, the Lady (10) of Spades.

LADY (TEN) OF SPADES / Terrene: “I hope to tell you the story of my birth to Morgana and Mardoc, of how Morgana snatched me and took me back to the Spade abode, slung within her dark cloak. She left my twin brother in the wilderness, where we were born. In me, she recognized something of herself, and she imagined she could make me into a servant. I am a child of service. A common sense, sturdy girl, I am hardworking, yet my will is not yet my own. I hope to tell you the story of yourself, and how that story continues to evolve from the positive and negative aspects of who you are consciously, subconsciously, and unconsciously.”

(4) What should I not expect from you?

On a fourth easel, bright, flaming colors leap to life, swarming over the canvas like flames – and indeed they are flames, engulfing a woman tied to a stake, clearly in torment. Of all the cards, based on my early pases through the deck, this is one of the most disturbing to me. It is the EIGHT OF SPADES (The Curse). How interesting that it appears as what I should NOT expect from this deck.

EIGHT OF SPADES – The Curse: “Historically, I was considered a very unlucky card, indicating guilt, suppression, or persecution. However, you should NOT expect me to dwell on or emphasize these things in my relationship with you. That is not my purpose. I see no reason to remind you of failures, poor choices, or shortcomings in your life. When these things rise to the surface, as they inevitably do, my goal will be to help you to liberate yourself by facing your deepest fears, to take your arm as you ‘walk through the fire’ and emerge from it strengthened and renewed.”

(5) Which card most closely represents us as a team?

I already noticed that the suit of the card representing the deck’s energy (Hearts / Water) and the suit representing my energy (Spades / Earth) are compatible with each other. That seems to bode well, but I admit I am a bit nervous as I watch the fifth and final image come to life on the remaining empty canvas. A strange form takes shape… It is the ACE OF CLUBS, Dream Moth.

ACE OF CLUBS / Dream Moth: “As a team, we have great potential to connect and communicate – to speak or write about that which is unseen, unmanifest. We can tell of premonitions and prophecies, emergized by dreams, ideas, and creative impulses. We have the ability to detach and see a higher perspective and the ability to put ourselves in another’s shoes. Our challenges as a team are to avoid being impersonal, talking too much, and allowing our energies to be scattered.”

I study the five images, noting that the interview begins and ends with an Ace, which seems fitting. Even though the element Fire (Diamonds) is not represented as a suit, fire is seen in abundance on the Eight of Spades representing what I should NOT expect from this deck. I am not quite sure how to interpret this. Fire has many fine attributes, but it also can represent egoism, insensitivity or lack of awareness to others, greed, over-ambition, impatience, or temper. Unfortunately, those tendencies come quite naturally to me as a Sagittarius. My relationship with this deck may well be more productive without them, even if we also experience limitation of Fire’s better qualities.

To read my review of The Playing Cards Oracle, Alchemy Edition, click HERE.

Review: The Playing Card Oracles, Alchemy Edition

R E V I E W

The Playing Card Oracles

_Alchemy Edition Divination Deck_

by _Ana Cortez_ and C.J. Freeman

Two Sisters Press

54 cards (including 2 Jokers)

Sizes: 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches and 3-1/2 by 5-3/4 inches

_About My Reviews_

TOP LINE (formerly Bottom Line)

As a fan of the _Playing Card Oracles Divination Deck_ by Ana Cortez and C.J. Freeman (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.), I was delighted and intrigued when I learned Ana was publishing a new deck based on her father’s artwork.

Freeman’s art is dramatic and distinctive, evocative and expressive. My reaction to so many of the images is “Oh my,” followed by a closer study of every element in the image. Many of the images seem to come alive, infused with an intense spirit that cannot be suppressed. My fascination deepens when I explore the relationships between the images and the suits and numbers of a traditional deck of playing cards, then incorporate the title or name applied to each card.

It should be obvious to anyone who looks at this deck of cards that there is profound meaning to be found, and no doubt a few surprises as well. I can't wait to find out what Freeman's friends have in store for me...

THE PUBLISHER'S PRODUCT SUMMARY

“Playing cards offer a profound language for the pursuit of self knowledge and personal
reflection. Yes, playing cards. This is something few are aware of. Used primarily either
for games or parlour style fortune telling, playing cards have been overlooked by more
‘serious’ practitioners of divination for many a century. This is changing. The deck you
now hold in your hands and your own exploration of it are part of a new dawn. A bright
era of self awareness and empowerment approaches as the world awakens to playing
cards in a new light. . . The Playing Card Oracles: Alchemy Edition Deck reveals the power in that little paper dynamo so long hidden in humble black and red. The strength of the illustrations but mimics the strength inherent in the ordinary cards themselves. When used according to
the principles laid out in this PDF and in The Playing Card Oracles, A Source Book for
Divination, their voice comes through loud and strong, like a roar.”

BASIC INFORMATION

This deck features 54 pieces of oracle art, including 52 cards of traditional playing card suit and number plus 2 jokers, designed for divination. The 52 cards correspond to the 52 weeks of the natural year. The four suits (Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, and Spades) correspond to the four seasons. The thirteen cards in each suit correspond to the 13 weeks of each season as well as the 13 lunar cycles of the year (each of 4 weeks).

The Court cards symbolize 16 basic archetypes for the human personality. The suits determine which element and which category of personality are expressed. Diamonds represent Fire; Clubs represent Air; Hearts represent Water; and Spades represent Earth. Unlike a deck of regular playing cards, which has three Court cards for each suit, this deck has four: the Lady (numbered 10), Jack, Queen, and King.

Pips number Ace through Nine. Cortez advises us to view these as experiences or “part of a script in a play or movie,” whereas the Court cards are the characters in that play or movie. Interpreting the Pips is based on a combination of numerology and element/suit designation.

A PDF guide is available for the deck. I printed mine in booklet form and stapled the left side, after which (as you can see) I proceeded to do a lot of highlighting. The guide offers sections titled Essential Information, The Courts, The Pips, Essential Suit Meanings, The Oracles, and sections for each pip number.

Readers are also encouraged to use the book _The Playing Card Oracles: A Source Book for Divination_ by Cortez (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) The book was originally written to accompany the Playing Card Oracles Divination Deck, but the material contained therein applies equally well to the Alchemy Edition.

Cortez notes that some of the imagery from the U.S. Games “Playing Cards Oracle Deck” resembles imagery in the “Alchemy” edition, while some is quite different.

For example, compare and contrast:

(To read my review of the book Playing Card Oracles: A Source Book for Divination, click HERE. To see a reading I did with the Playing Card Oracles, click HERE .)

APPEARANCE, SIZE, QUALITY

The Alchemy Edition is available in two sizes: 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches and 3-1/2 by 5-3/4 inches. Both sizes arrive shrink wrapped and tucked in a natural muslin keepsake bag, with a custom, hand stamped design.

Card fronts have a gray background. They incorporate a large central image with a card number and suit marker in the upper left and lower right corners. When cards are named, the name often appears just under the suit marker in the upper left corner, but can also be found centered above or below the image, or elsewhere on the card.

Card backs are what I would call eggplant purple with a cream-colored design that stretches from side to side and incorporates various shapes and symbols.

Ana tells me, “As far as symbols on the backs of the cards, I think they are each wonderful for meditation, many being symbolic representations of the number 4, which is so key in the playing deck. I like that they are a little unusual, maybe people will see in an unusual way. Don't know where my dad got these from. They were cut and pasted on top of a vintage Japanese wallpaper design (the swirls) he found in a book. He had so many obscure books...”

The card stock is medium, typical Tarot card weight. The smaller size is, of course, easier to shuffle, but the impact of the images is stronger with the larger format.

ART

Ana Cortez says: “What you will find in this new deck is 52 cards of traditional suit and number (plus 2 jokers) with very untraditional imagery. My dad used to point out how very generic playing card figures had become over the centuries. He wanted to revitalize them and return them to something exciting and alive.”

My verdict: Success on all fronts!

In accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, I hereby disclose that this product was provided by the publisher for free. Other than the occasional review copy, I receive no monetary or in-kind compensation for my reviews.  The substance of my reviews is not influenced by whether I do or do not receive a review copy.

Old English Tarot: Ace of Batons

In today's blog entry, Helen Howell continues her exploration of cards from the Old English Tarot by Maggie Kneen (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)

Old English Tarot

Ace of Batons

by Helen Howell

I really like the Old English rendition of the Ace of Batons (Wands in the Rider Waite deck). It tends to show you all in one visual: the beginning, the breakthrough and the opportunity. Its more traditional brother, the Rider Waite, does show you the potential that exists in the form of the leaves sprouting and the goal in the form of the castle. The hand represents it as a gift, the gift of taking that creative force that exists and doing something with it. But I feel the Old English shows us that old adage – “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow” -- of course, meaning from little ideas bigger things can come.

Let’s look at the symbolism within this card.

 I love that it has a blue background, a colour that, for me, has come to represent reflection, intuition and the flow of ideas. As a sky it can also suggest the higher self. We have a tree, and in the bottom of the picture we can see its roots spreading out beneath the earth and the grass growing on top. The roots can represent for us those ideas that we have now set in motion. The brown earth can suggest a groundedness while the green grass represents the potential, balance and adaptation of those early ideas. The trunk shows us how those ideas or plans can grow into something strong, something stable and lasting. The green leaves and branches, to me, suggest the branching out of those ideas. On top we have a bird. The tree has provided the bird with the opportunity to rest. The bird is a creature of the sky and therefore can represent the higher self. While resting on the tree branch, it appears to me to be a symbol of allowing that higher self, that intuition one has, to connect to that initial idea and help it grow.

Aces as we know are the raw energy of their suit. They are embryos waiting to be born. We can look at them as the potential of what they could be and this Old English Ace, from my perspective, shows us quite clearly that if we allow our higher self/intuition to guide us and connect with our ideas, we can grow them into something worthwhile.

Now, this is just my view of this card. As always, you may see something totally different in its symbolism. However, remembering that Batons/Wands come from the Fire Element and are expressed through creative energy/action and intuition, this card -- just like the Rider Waite card when it appears in a reading -- can tell you that the time is just right to grab that idea and set it in motion. It says: Time to face the challenge for it could take you in a whole new direction.

LWB says:
Creation, new beginning, invention, fortune, birth, at the threshold of an exciting experience.
Reversed: False start, cloudy outlook, emptiness.