Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

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There are some decks that we all know and love. And then there are the lesser known treasures. Deck of the Week is a really fantastic way to explore decks that are loved but under-used. Here you can see what decks other people are using and how they apply the cards to everyday situations.
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Nemia
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Nemia »

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Ooooh, these cards are so interesting, I hope I'll have time over the weekend to do some tarot-digging! Haven't done that for ages, I feel I'm totally neglecting tarot! The Two of Swords for the day that lies behind me - but actually, the day went quite well and I even made some decisions.

ETA:

the book says:
THE TWO OF SWORDS: Lupus
Lupus, the Wolf, illustrates the polarity of the Two of Swords. Known as a wild beast to many cultures, the classical Greeks saw Lupus as the animal Chiron offered as a sacrifice at Ara, the altar. Symbolically the wolf represents the savage or primitive feelings being offered to the gods. Two swords suggest conflict or crossed purposes, however, the mythic underpinnings of the card suggest the need to sacrifice the instinctual and reactionary responses for a more balanced and reflective approach.
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And for the day ahead, the Queen of Swords - I must use those swords more it seems. Discriminate between the important and unimportant, take an objective eye to some places in my life where the pipes are stuck...

Isn't it fascinating that Steventon sees the Queens as fixed signs? I confess, I tend to do the same.

In the GD system, the queens are of course cardinal signs (Queen of Wands: Aries, Queen of Swords: Libra, Queen of Cups: Cancer, Queen of Pentacles: Capricorn), but in Steventon's deck, she lets them rule the fixed signs: Queen of Wands: Leo, Queen of Swords: Aquarius, Queen of Cups: Scorpio, Queen of Pentacles: Taurus.

If we go with the gender stereotypes and cliches that many court cards are founded upon, then the passive, stubborn, brooding quality of the fixed signs fits the Queen energy. Oh semantics is everything, I can also claim that the quiet introvert exterior of the Queens is the perfect channel for the spirit of innovation and renewal.

Anyway, as Taurus who feels close to the queens, obviously I'm happy if I can claim the Queen of Pentacles for my birth sign :-)

But back to the Aquarius queen. I like her. She reminds me a bit of Cassiopeia. Again - I'll have to read the book again and let my brain storm.

I'm very happy with this deck, in spite of the sickly blueish borders. These paintings really deserve better. Sooner or later, I'll give them the complete Nemia treatment :-)

ETA:

the book:
THE QUEEN OF SWORDS: Fixed Air
Characteristic of the temperament of the fixed air sign, Aquarius, are the attributes of idealism, egalitarianism, and humanitarianism. The Queen of Swords embraces the spirit of the Water Bearer, encouraging the individual who has drawn the card to aspire to becoming more conscious of human values and spiritual ideals.
Strengthened by her own ideals, the Queen uses her critical faculty and intelligence to understand life and make wise choices. However, when the Queen is embodied she may appear disengaged and separate from emotional entanglements. When the card appears, the individual is counseled to use discrimination and detachment to read the situation at hand more clearly.

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Belinda2
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Belinda2 »

For today I got 8 of swords:
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Today was my day off I just laid around all day, years ago I had a surgery on my tenant my left knee, several years ago, and it started hurting me so I laid around with ice on it all day, hope it's going to go away don't need another surgery. Have shooting knife like pain.
My dad is in the hospital, and it could be quite bad. So this card fits for today, because it means crisis and sickness,

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Belinda2
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Belinda2 »

Card for Friday:

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Hum looks like I need to go inward today, to figure out what's going on .

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Seldes Katne
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Seldes Katne »

A bit of catch-up. Wednesday's card was the Fairy Wren.

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Friday's card is the Black Cockatoo:

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I'm getting a lot of birds this week. They belong to the realm of Air, often associated with the Swords suit in Tarot. Intellectual and spiritual pursuits.

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Nemia
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Nemia »

I think I know why I got all those swords - I went to have my hair cut today :-)

I had looooong hair for years, always between hips and tailbone, but in the last years more around bra strap length... I cut it back from time to time (like today) to shoulder length and let it grow again.

Lovely feeling to have it short again! I hate going to the hair dresser's but afterwards I'm glad.

so I'm sure all those cutting cards are related to that ritual :-) (I wonder whether the Hair of Berenice appears somewhere in the Celestial Tarot... would be nice).

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Five of Cups for tomorrow. It's Ophiuchus, the Serpent Carrier - I call him Hodor. Beautiful constellation.

I need that time with the book!!!

ETA:

And here is the text from the book.
THE FIVE OF CUPS: OPHIUCHUS,
The Serpent Bearer

Ophiuchus is the constellation of the serpent bearer, known to the ancient Greeks as the healing god Asclepius, the patron of the Five of Cups.

Asclepius healed the sick by creating a therapeutic space where the power of dream images could soothe the soul. Asclepius calls us to the inner sanctuary, because the split between soul and body has widened and the imbalance may ignite a healing crisis. The Five of Cups draws us into the liminal space between the wounding and the healing where we can restore our sense of self through interaction with the gods of the imagination.
If we accept Ophiuchus as serpent bearer, then the serpent he's carrying is the Rod of Asclepius. But it doesn't look like that at all. I confess that I dislike this very lofty and imprecise prose that somehow presses Ophiuchus, Asclepius, the Pythia (the split that brings crisis and healing) and imagination, i.e. one of the RWS echoes.

Oh I surprised myself here. Wikipedia explains:
To the ancient Greeks, the constellation represented the god Apollo struggling with a huge snake that guarded the Oracle of Delphi.
So there we have our Pythia. But it's not Asclepius. I think she's juggling a bit too freely here with mythology, and I'll have to find my own meaning. How are the Serpent carrier and the five of cups connected?

Neptune in Scorpio - deep and complex feelings, all very watery - the serpent is often associated with the element Water - Slytherin - yes, I get a feeling for this card.

So how was my Saturday? Was it dreamy, full of unclear visions and emotions that wait to be born? Not really. But of course there is always this underbelly of emotional turmoil in life...

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Nemia
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Nemia »

Wow, what a powerful card to finish this intense week!

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It's Judgement, and if I'm not totally wrong, this is Hades/Pluto himself.

I'll take a look at the book now because with Judgement, the week is over already. That's my card for tomorrow.

And that's what the book says:
XX JUDGMENT: Pluto, the Inner Judge
Lord of the underworld and judge of the dead, Pluto rarely surfaced. However when he did, his helmet rendered him invisible making it difficult to sense his presence.

More often Pluto draws us down into his world to confront the truth. Pluto faces us through the shadows of the underworld; his gaze is fixed and penetrating, demanding engagement and honesty. Custodian of what has been buried alive, Pluto contains the complexes and patterns not adequately interred or psychologically completed. When the card appears it suggests the past can be exorcised through accepting responsibility for what has occurred.

In this card Pluto holds the riches of the underworld. Ultimately this is the wealth of self-knowledge and self-empowerment constellated by the confrontation with the unconscious.
Sounds a bit spooky - and combines the gods Pluto (underworld and death) and Plutos (wealth, compare the word plutocracy). Custodian of what has been buried alive - what has been buried alive in my life? Let's wait and see tomorrow...

I'll add the text now to the cards of the last days, let's see whether they throw new light on my week.


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Seldes Katne
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Re: Deck of the Week #20: May 14 - 20

Post by Seldes Katne »

Could the Universe get any more obvious about this? Saturday's card:

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Bird cards most of the week, and now this. Between the tarot club meeting on Wednesday, the Vestry meeting on Thursday, and Sunday being my day to act as church Greeter and Closer, there have been a lot of spiritual and intellectual influences this week.

My brain is tired....

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