CARD OF THE DAY: November 30, 2021

 

The Fool

from The Wild Unknown Tarot

by Kim Krans

 

November 30, 2021: Here's another wonderful deck--Kim Krans' The Wild Unknown Tarot--that centers animals in its imagery. 

As this is a quite hectic morning for me, I apologize for getting a late start, and I will keep this brief:

The sweet chick on the flowering tree branch is a perfect image for The Fool, full of longing for the air, for movement, a symbol of freedom to come and of hope. Starting out with simplicity, but with instinct deep inside, The Fool will make its way in the universe--and so will you!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 29, 2021: I could not resist!

 

Ten of Cups

from Oriens Animal Tarot

by Ambi Sun

 

November 29, 2021: Today's card--Ten of Cups--comes from a deck I do not yet own. But, I mean, c'mon! Look at this card with its adorable fennec foxes!

Then look at this video survey of Oriens Animal Tarot, a beauty created by Ambi Sun. I cannot wait to get my hands on this deck!

With the highest number in Tarot's Minor Arcana, a Ten packs a wallop of energy. So expect feelings (cups=water=the emotions) to be running high today and, if applicable, sensitivity and/or creativity to be at peak levels.

For some of you, that will mean paying extra attention to boundaries--yours and others--to make safe space in which to express and care for the sometimes unpredictable ebb and flow of feelings.

For others, it might mean taking time out to channel these high energies in some useful way--through an artistic medium, for instance. One way to use this day, if you have time, might be to begin creating homemade gifts for this gift-giving season. Or start looking for that perfect gift you'll give yourself. And, yes, I certainly have mine on the way!

In any case, be especially understanding with and gentle with yourself today. Luxuriate in the abundance of human feelings and spiritual inspiration the Ten of Cups can offer you.

CARDS OF THE WEEKEND: November 27, 2021

 

Queen of Cups and Knight of Cups

from Tarot of The Cat People

by Karen Kuykendall

 

November 27, 2021: I adore cats and have always loved Karen Kuykendall's Tarot of The Cat People. As you might have guessed from my earlier remarks about The Diamond Tarot, I always do what I can to help my Tarot clients get past fear of strange, potentially alarming Tarot images, and cats--even big jungle felines, like in this weekend's two cards--can certainly help with that. I used to read with this deck a lot. It's not the most serious, esoteric deck, for sure. But it's just lovable and beautifully designed.

The royal and noble tigers here in this weekend's cards help deliver a world of love to you. The Queen of Cups and the queen's Knight of Cups, teaming up here, could not be more alert, buoyant, generous, and active in your life right now. They are on the case, and you're going to feel their energy infusing, warming, and lifting your own.

Spirit is bathing you in the sweet waters of grace and dissolving the hard boundaries around issues and problems so these irritations and troubles soften and morph into something more workable. This alchemy begins in your ability and willingness to let go of your own tightly-held beliefs about what ails or hampers you and to allow change to happen to your ultimate benefit.

Listen for a (possibly subtle) change in the atmosphere around you and/or around the thing with which you are concerned. Stay alert to an idea floating up from the subconscious--or out of the blue--and opening up a new way to approach an issue.

And be sure to catch up with all of the cards you might have missed since I began this series on November 2. Here's a link to a handy list!

A good weekend to catch up with our CARDS OF THE DAY!

 

Two lovely bonus cards for you:

Queen of Cups and Knight of Cups

from Tarot of The Cat People

by Karen Kuykendall

Maybe we'll explore them for this weekend. Stay tuned!

 

Just in case you've missed one or more of our recent CARDS OF THE DAY/WEEKEND, why not catch up this weekend? Their messages are good to know and work with anytime!

Here's a list of the cards with links to the original posts. Enjoy!

Queen of Wands (Neo Tarot) 

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/cards-of-day-november-2-3-2021.html

Page of Swords, Reversed (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/cards-of-day-november-4-2021.html

Six of Wands (Universal Waite Tarot and Modern Witch Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-5-2021.html

Ace of Swords (Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-weekend-november-6-7-2021.html 

Queen of Wands (Mystic Faerie Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-8-2021.html

The Fool (The Gill Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-9-2021.html

Nine of Fire/Nine of Wands (Tarot of the Four Elements)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-10-2021.html

The Moon (Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-11-2021.html 

The Mountain (The Mystical Lenormand and Labyrinthos' Golden Thread Lenormand)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/cards-of-weekend-november-12-14-2021.html 

Flame of Surrender (Triple Goddess Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-15-2021.html 

--and again at--

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-16-2021.html

Ancestors (Triple Goddess Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-17-2021.html

Awakened Aphrodite (Triple Goddess Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-18-2021.html

8 of Disks/Eight of Pentacles (The Tarot of Transformation)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-19-2021.html

Page of Swords (The Diamond Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-weekend-november-20-21-2021.html

The Hanged Man (The Mary-el Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-22-2021.html 

5 of Disks/Five of Pentacles (The Mary-el Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-23-2021.html

The Star (Tarot of the Four Elements)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-24-2021.html

Wheel of Fortune (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-25-2021.html

Two of Wands (The Gendron Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-26-2021.html

Queen of Cups and Knight of Cups (Tarot of The Cat People)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/cards-of-weekend-november-27-2021.html 

Ten of Cups (Oriens Animal Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-29-2021-i-could.html

The Fool (The Wild Unknown Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/11/card-of-day-november-30-2021.html

 

The High Priestess (Celestial Tarot, Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot, and Oriens Animal Tarot)

 

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-1-2021.html

The High Priestess (The Wild Unknown Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-2-2021.html

Three of Wands (World Spirit Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-3-2021.html

Three of Swords and Justice (Millennium Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/cards-of-weekend-november-4-5-2021.html

Two of Wands (Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-6-2021.html

II of Air with IV of Fire (Tarot of the Orishas)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-7-2021.html 

Spiderwoman/Wheel of Fortune (Daughters of the Moon Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-8-2021.html 

Eight of Pentacles (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-9-2021.html

The Lovers (Lo Scarabeo's Antiche Minchiate Etruria and Universal Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-10-2021.html

Five of Chalices (Afro-Brazilian Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-weekend-december-11-12-2021.html   

La Torre (Cani Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-13-2021.html

The Sun (The Nigel Jackson Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-14-2021.html

Mystery Card from Mystery Deck!

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-15-2021.html

Queen of Pentacles (Golden Botticelli Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/cards-of-day-december-15-17-2021.html

Gaia Grid (Sacred Geometry Cards for the Visionary Path)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-weekend-december-18-19-2021.html

The Sun (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-21-2021-solstice.html 

The Dove and Hathor (The Anubis Oracle)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/cards-of-day-december-22-2021.html

The Magician (The Wild Unknown Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-23-2021.html

Princess of Wands (Light and Shadow Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-day-december-24-2021.html 

Knight of Swords (Animals Divine Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/card-of-weekend-december-25-26-2021.html

Strength (Mystic Faerie Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2021/12/preparing-for-new-year-strength.html

L'Empereur and Letoille (Chat Du Marseille: A Major Arcana Deck)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-2-2022.html

Seven of Wands and Five of Wands (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-3-2022.html

The Tower, Princess of Swords, Prince of Cups (The Gill Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-4-2022.html

The Chariot, The Star, and Justice (Tarot for Cats)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-5-2022.html 

Arianrhod (Goddesses Knowledge Cards)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-6-2022.html 

The Ancestor (Greenwood Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-7-2022.html

The Guardian Angel (The Tarot of the Orishas)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-weekend-january-8-2022.html

The Fool (The Tarot by Hoi Polloi)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-10-2022.html

Ace of Cups (Universal Waite Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-11-2022.html

Nine of Pentacles and Eight of Wands (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-12-2022.html

Seven of Chalices (Ancient Minchiate Etruria)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-13-2022.html

Two of Swords (World Spirit Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-14-2022.html

Ace of Swords (Oak, Ash and Thorn Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-weekend-january-15-16-2022.html

I am loved by life (Goddess on the Go cards)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-17-2022.html 

The Devil (Universal Waite Tarot and Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-18-2022.html

Five of Cups (Universal Waite Tarot and Oriens Animal Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-19-2022.html 

Eight of Cups (Spiral Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-20-2022.html

The Magician and Four of Earth (Gaian Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-21-2022.html

Ioho/Yew (The Celtic Tree Oracle)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-weekend-january-22-23-2022.html 

The High Priestess (Morgan-Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-24-2022.html

Four of Wands, Queen of Pentacles and Queen of Swords (Morgan-Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/cards-of-day-january-25-2022.html

Page of Cups (Morgan Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-26-2022.html

Justice (The Wild Unknown Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-27-2022.html

The Fool (Golden Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-day-january-28-2022.html

Six of Cups (Dragon Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/01/card-of-weekend-january-29-30-2022.html 

Queen of Pentacles (Universal Waite Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/and-card-of-week-is.html

Six of Swords (The Alchemical Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-weekend-february-5-6-2022.html

Five of Cups (Spiral Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-7-2022.html 

The Witch (Daughters of the Moon Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-8-2022.html

Ten of Cups and The Sun (Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/cards-of-day-february-9-2022.html

Ace of Pentacles (World Spirit Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-10-2022.html

Queen of Cups and Two of Pentacles (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/cards-of-day-february-11-2022.html

Nine of Wands (Golden Botticelli Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-weekend-february-12-13-2022.html

Queen of Swords (Universal Waite Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-14-2022.html

Knight or King?

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-15-2022.html

The Empress (The Light and Shadow Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-16-2022.html

Four of Cups (Morgan-Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-17-2022.html

Eight of Swords (The Wild Unknown Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-18-2022.html

Dancing Prayer and Calm Within (Sacred Geometry Cards for the Visionary Path

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/cards-of-weekend-february-19-20-2022.html

Jack of Spades

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-21-2022.html

Leone (Ancient Minchiate Etruria)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-22-2022.html

Ten of Clubs

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-23-2022.html

Ace of Diamonds

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-24-2022.html

The Chariot (The Wild Unknown Tarot and Morgan-Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-25-2022.html

Four of Wands (Oriens Animal Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-weekend-february-26-27-2022.html 

Three of Hearts

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/02/card-of-day-february-28-2022.html

King of Spades

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-1-2022_1.html

Owls (Gilded Reverie Lenormand Expanded Edition)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-2-2022.html

Seven of Pentacles (Animals Divine)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-3-2022.html

la Giustizia (Tarocchi di Vetro)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-4-2022.html

Two of Pentacles (Morgan-Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-weekend-march-5-6-2022.html

Il Mondo (Tarocchi Dürer)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-7-2022.html

The High Priestess (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-8-2022.html

Seeker of Pentacles (World Spirit Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-9-2022.html

Three of Cups (Diamond Tarot and Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-10-2022.html

The Persona (The Wisdom Well)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-11-2022.html 

Crone of Blades (Daughters of the Moon Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-weekend-march-12-13-2022.html

The Star (Morgan-Greer Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/heres-our-card-of-weekand-winner.html

Strength and Three of Wands (Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/cards-of-weekend-march-19-20-2022.html

King of Wands (The Gill Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-21-2022.html

Prince of Swords (The Gill Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-22-2022.html

Il Diavolo (Cani Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-23-2022.html

The Earth Mother (The Tarot of Transformation)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-24-2022.html

Nine of Swords (Neo Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-25-2022.html

Queen of Swords (The Light and Shadow Tarot)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-weekend-march-26-27-2022.html

Garden (Golden Thread Lenormand)

https://hummingwitch.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-of-day-march-28-2022.html

 

CARD OF THE DAY: November 26, 2021

 

Two of Wands

from The Gendron Tarot

by Melanie Gendron

November 26, 2021: In Tarot collecting and use, aesthetic appeal means a lot to me. The Gendron Tarot, a deck I haven't opened to look at in many years, might have been acquired as a review copy. It has few images I enjoy, and I never used it much.

It "somehow" came to hand this morning. I found myself gazing at the Two of Wands and then carefully searching through the rest of the deck to see if I could find other cards whose images appealed to me. There were maybe a few, and none compared to the Two of Wands.

In the Gendron Two of Wands, I like the gentle, warm profile of the God/dess figure and the way the two wands nestle in this figure's left arm as the hands cup around the floating globe of Earth. In the hazy background, there is a stretch of seashore and distant mountains; in the foreground, tiger lilies, one or two tucked behind the God/dess's left ear.

The God/dess eyes the globe, calmly and lovingly, and the image suggests a confident energy healer at work. The feeling is one of reassurance--and don't we all need that as we think of every pain and threat our planet is going through? Earth could use an embrace, a healing touch, a transmission of gracious energy at this time.

Think of it like Stevie Wonder--here I go again with a song!--singing about how "Love's in need of love today" and "Don't delay/send yours in right away."

How about it? A prayer today (and/or a little Reiki, if you're into that) for our precious Earth home.

CARD OF THE DAY: November 25, 2021

 

The Wheel of Fortune

from Neo Tarot

by Jerico Mandybur with illustrations by Daiana Ruiz

 

November 25, 2021: Two songs sprang to mind when I drew this card! I'll probably be trying to get them out of my head for the next several days. How'd you like to share my struggle? 😊 Here goes!

I'm going to let two great singer-songwriters--David Clayton-Thomas and Carole King--bring you counsel that might apply to our Card of the Day, The Wheel of Fortune:

What goes up must come down/Spinnin' wheel got to go 'round

("Spinning Wheel," Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1969)

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose/And sometimes the blues just get a hold of you/Oh, just when you thought you had made it

("Sweet Seasons," Carole King (written with Toni Stern), 1971)

The first is a classic of psychedelic rock, remembered from my high school years; the second, a pop hit for King, came out when I was in college. Both acknowledge the rocky, predictably unpredictable nature of human life but also invoke the power of dreams and visions to move us towards the future our soul holds for us.

Someone is waiting just for you/Spinning Wheel spinning true/Drop all you troubles by the river side/Catch a painted pony on the spinning wheel ride

You know you we can get there easily/Just like a sailboat sailin' on the sea

 

"Drop all your troubles by the riverside" calls up the image of Pamela Colman Smith's Five of Swords-- doesn't it?--and of the Black spiritual "Down By The Riverside," where the singer vows to "lay down my sword and shield/down by the riverside" and "study war no more."

Yes, acknowledge the struggle, how profoundly difficult things have been and can often be. Risk and periodic downturns and failures are realities. But you're being encouraged to hang on and, meanwhile,  feed and heal your mind with hopeful, pleasurable images and ideas that give power to a better future. 

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving traditions, it's a day for enjoying fun and a generous, sumptuous meal with loved ones. But remember to take some time to nourish yourself mentally and spiritually as well. And, among your thank yous, remember to thank yourself for being here with the potential you have to overcome, to heal, to grow, and to find your joy.

 

And thank you so much for your support of these offerings on hummingwitch!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 24, 2021

The Star

Tarot of the Four Elements

by Isha Lerner with illustrations by Amy Ericksen

 

November 24, 2021: Here's another colorful deck conceived by Isha Lerner whose Triple Goddess Tarot we enjoyed some days ago. This one, Tarot of the Four Elements, bears images created by Amy Ericksen. Today's card is Ericksen's version of The Star, an archetypal figure who simultaneously refreshes the waters and pours golden healing balm onto the land.

We are bedazzled by this celestial goddess, this strong, massive, yet meditative being! Our chants draw Her closer as our Earth surely needs all the help She can offer--and, as individuals, so do we.

When The Star graces a reading where you might have invoked the counsel of spirit beings, know that The Star represents support of the highest order, and that Her influence in your life is far-reaching. \

Today, you might find yourself connecting with just the right person--or persons or persons or an entire network or community--to aid you in your quest or mission, to collaborate with you, educate you or sustain you.

At the center of The Star's vast network, She gets things done by knowing exactly who and what to activate, and exactly how and when.

Sometimes The Star turns up in a reading to indicate that you serve this role. You are The Star, savvy and well-connected.

Ask yourself, which is it now? Are you seeking The Star? Or are you The Star today?

CARD OF THE DAY: November 23, 2021

 

5 of Disks (Five of Pentacles)

from The Mary-el Tarot

by Marie White

 

 

November 23, 2021: We return to Marie White's Mary-el Tarot, this time with a Minor Arcana card, the 5 of Disks. Five = transition, change. Disks/Pentacles = the element of earth. 

 

Where is that verdant land of forever hidden and resting within you?

 

How does an ideal Earth manifest within your own being?

 

How do you find a blueprint that will lead to change and repair of the world?

 

Certainly, it is only through understanding of your oneness with Nature and your longing to mend the entire fabric of it--yourself included--that you begin the work that will work.

How will you unveil and reveal the Earth to yourself and to others today?

CARD OF THE DAY: November 22, 2021

 

The Hanged Man

from The Mary-el Tarot

by Marie White

 

November 22, 2021: For all of these Cards of the Day (or Weekend), I've been stepping aside and allowing Spirit to decide which deck we'll be working with. This practice sometimes reconnects me to decks I might not have reached for in a very long while.

Today's deck is artist Marie White's stunning Mary-el Tarot. I definitely welcome this chance to dive into the intense realm--the abyss--of Mary-el. We might spend a few more days here.

Here's why I'm not surprised that Mary-el's The Hanged Man was today's draw:

A few days ago, I watched part of an online conference in which members of DreamSeed Collective spoke about their work-in-progress: the photographic DreamSeed Oracle, which will feature a range of racial and gender diversity. They showed a few examples of their photographs, and my attention was strongly drawn to their renaming of Tarot's traditional Hanged Man as Suspension--a change meant to avoid the negative ancestral connotation of hanging for Black Americans.

Posting in the session's YouTube chat, I thanked the collective--Blaise Sparda, Malanya Graham, and Maliika Nia-Imani--for this innovative change and promised to use the name Suspension in my own practice going forward. And, sure enough, as I shuffled the Mary-el for today's card, The Hanged Man--I mean, Suspension--turned up!

The ancestors are always saying, one way or another, "We're watching. We hear you."

Here are a few more Mary-el cards for you to enjoy:

 

 

Today, Suspension asks you to pause to sacrifice--to suspend--your way of perception, thought, knowing, and decision-making based on habit, popular belief, and just plain "this is the way it has always been" or "this is what everyone else is saying/thinking; I'd better get on board." 

Suspension turns you upside down for the moment, making your intellect quietly secondary to your body and/or your body quietly secondary to the disembodied. You journey out of the known into the unknown, away from familiar paths and onto the road less traveled. And when you come back, you return with new and profound perspectives, knowledge, and ideas.

If you have felt stuck in your thinking or progress, or if you are clinging to notions simply because everyone else feels they are the One True Answer, ask yourself if it might be time to strike out for a deeper dive or a higher vantage point with a less-constricted view.

Suspension offers that necessary time out of time.

This is a good moment for me to inform you that my relationship with Spirit and Tarot leads me to understandings that, at many times, might be different from what a deck's creator had in mind. Generally speaking, I sidestep a lot of systems. And that's okay. I have taught and coached Tarot and oracle reading in that way--that you build your own relationship with the images, learning how they will work with you, rather than accepting the deck author's concepts unless, as it might happen, these concepts, systems, and techniques also work for you.

A turnabout/walkabout with Suspension in any deck is certainly one courageous way in which you can begin to build a knowing and fruitful relationship that will be unlike any other.

CARD OF THE WEEKEND: November 20-21, 2021

 

Page of Swords

from The Diamond Tarot

by Marie-Louise Bergoint with illustrations by Klaus Holitzka after Pamela Colman Smith

 

November 20-21, 2021: I keep my Diamond Tarot in a white satin evening bag embroidered with pearls. You would think it was a treasure. But I have not used this deck in many years. It was not a favorite but, once upon a time, it served a specific purpose. 

A variation on the Pamela Colman Smith classic Rider-Waite, The Diamond Tarot shrinks and re-colors her 78 traditional images, surrounding each with a psychedelicized frame like the end of a tunnel that rushes you into each archetype's exalted realm.

Because each traditional Rider-Waite image is rendered smaller than usual, I found that this deck, with its distracting frames, could come in handy with clients who might get fixated on and freaked out by the nature or details of certain Rider-Waite images. Truth be told, in reuniting with the Diamond Tarot today, I'm not any closer to fondness for it.

Nevertheless, let's look at this Page of Swords. Not the most intense or messiest of the Diamond's tunnel-frames, and what you get at the end of the tunnel is a breath of fresh air--Swords represent the element of Air--and an electric jolt of mental energy and focus.

It's not peak Swords energy, but it is a bright idea, a well-turned phrase, a clever riposte, a sharp perception. It is also an eagerness to engage in (and do battle over) matters of the mind. I think I'll avoid the traditional interpretation of a Tarot Page indicating a young person (except when that's literally the case). The Page's qualities are available to--and possibly representative of--anyone at any age for any reason. Of course, as with much else, the Page of Swords can have immature, impulsive, and bitter manifestations--but, hey, let's not go there this weekend!

Best to use this energy for teasing apart the knots around anything you've grappled with in recent times. Does your situation require more light and clarity? Refined analysis? More alertness on your part? A useful breakdown of each necessary step to achievement? The right word at the right time? A word to the wise? A quick, deft infusion of humor?

Do check out the Page's body language, too: the balance and grace of a fencer or dancer!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 19, 2021

 

8 of Disks (8 of Pentacles)

from The Tarot of Transformation

by Willow Arlenea (art) and Jasmin Lee Cori

November 19, 2021: The late-autumnal feeling of 8 of Disks (traditionally, Eight of Pentacles) from The Tarot of Transformation--with its majestic elk and journeyer--feels like a harbinger of the next few months ahead.

The elk appears just at the moment when one is ready to give up and turn back.The elk is more than a beautiful apparition out of the forest. It is a projected image of one facet of the highest aspect of you, come to guide you. This spirit guide brings you renewed strength. It reminds you of your capabilities and bids you call upon and demonstrate your true skills. It activates and inspires in you the courage and trust to press forward.

If you have felt hampered, messed with, tried by forces outside of yourself, know that they cannot touch you. Feel your powerful shoulders square up, and wear your glorious antlers like a crown. Keep it moving!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 18, 2021

 

 Awakened Aphrodite

from Triple Goddess Tarot

by Isha Lerner with illustrations by Mara Friedman

 

November 18, 2021: Awakened Aphrodite gives you life!

The Life Force--within and in which you dwell--always has surprises for you. You find gifts within yourself that you did not previously recognize or understand, and you find mirrors of yourself in your environment. This lifts you and moves your forward.

This is the deep and the cosmic erotic of many variable forms and shapes--ever available, if you are perceptive and receptive.

How will you manifest this Awakened Aphodite today?

I'll end by drawing your attention to the Goddess' two pairs of arms and suggest that you:

• consider gesture as practice in your contemplation of the Life Force
  
• notice how it feels to gaze at a being who has two pairs of arms--heady and disorienting? Do you feel it in your own body? Do you find yourself shifting awareness from one pair of arms to the other so that the other appears to temporarily disappear for you?

Beginning tomorrow, we will shift to one or more new decks and see what surprises they hold! Enjoy your Thursday!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 17, 2021

 

 Ancestors

from Triple Goddess Tarot

by Isha Lerner with illustrations by Mara Friedman

 

November 17, 2021: Oh, my goodness, She tried it. She really did.

Following this morning's shuffle of the Triple Goddess deck, Flame of Surrender tried to piggyback onto another card--Ancestors. But Ancestors was the one to reach my fingertips first. 

So, with a knowing wink at this cheeky three-peat attempt by Flame of Surrender--who clearly seeks to continue guiding you deeper into the autumnal weather and mood--I present you with today's card, Ancestors.

Sharing much of the warm and gentle coloration of Flame of Surrender, this Ancient One, sitting in a lotus pose, dreams you forward. You are the flower of Her dream. You are the realization of your ancestors' dearest hopes.

So, do not doubt yourself, and do not falter. Reconnect with the dream, and be who you are meant to be. 

Are you taking time to dream in this way? Are you making time to cozy up inside your hermit's dreaming cave and bring through dreams that can create tomorrows?

Although the flowering of those dreams will surely involve and affect others, you need alone time, privacy, to do this initial receiving, conceiving and birthing work on your own.

We will have one last go-round with the Triple Goddess deck tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what She has to show us!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 16, 2021

Here we go, again!

November 16, 2021: You're not going to believe this but, when I shuffled the cards, the Triple Goddess' Flame of Surrender returned today!

I love it when cards underscore their message by showing up again in a separate random draw. Spirit says, "Are you listening? Make sure you listen this time!"

So, for today, I'm just going to direct you back (or, for some of you, for the first time) to yesterday's message. Maybe some fresh insights will emerge for you or earlier ones will clarify.

Enjoy this second visit with Flame of Surrender!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 15, 2021

Flame of Surrender

Triple Goddess Tarot 

by Isha Lerner and illustrator Mara Friedman

November 15, 2021: I want to stay with Isha Lerner and Mara Friedman's deck through this week. So, expect more beauty on the way. It's a truly gorgeous--if structurally and visually iconoclastic--Tarot deck.

Take in the tender, warm energy of Flame of Surrender and the glowing autumn leaves drifting and swirling around this goddess of transition from the overt glories of the warm months to the inward-leaning, inward-tending time of the cooler and cold months. This deity knows that, as you prepare to face the rigors of winter, you will need the sweet warmth of knowing you are loved and cared for, that your sincere, human efforts are valued, met with acceptance and grace, and amplified.

Cards of The Weekend: November 12-14, 2021

Above, Mountain from Mystical Lenormand

by Regula Elizabeth Fiechter and illustrator Urban Trösch

Below, Mountain from Labyrinthos' Golden Thread Lenormand

 

November 12, 2021: This weekend, I'm giving you two Lenormand oracle cards (Mountain) for the sweet price of one--free!

Mountain looms large in one's mind--majestic, alluring, formidable, even terrifying. How will you respond? Go up? Go around? Or just stand there, frozen, and gawk at it in awe?

For Lenormand experts, this card indicates significant obstacles or enemies in one's path, resistance of all kinds. Momentum slows or slams to a halt; progress hits a snag.

The challenge here is to identify any conflicting energies and blockages (outer or inner) and face them with clear analysis, resolve, and persistence. Or with your own supple craftiness which--when at its most effective, most apt--might safely take you around rather than through or over. 

Should you move ahead and upward, you will eventually enjoy a refreshing, unobstructed view. And, certainly, you will have earned it.

CARD OF THE DAY: November 11, 2021

 

 The Moon

from Oak, Ash & Thorn Tarot (Volume 1)

by Stephanie Burrows and illustrator Adam Oehlers

 

November 11, 2021

The Moon: Dear Moon, we rest in your embrace and care. We rest in the space you have made for our tender selves. We feel whole, loved, and nourished. You notice our wounds and offer healing repair. You encourage our growth and celebrate even our smallest steps. We thank you, dearest Moon!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 10, 2021

 Nine of Fire

from Tarot of The Elements

by Isha Lerner and illustrator Amy Ericksen

 

November 10, 2021

Nine of Fire: A transformative experience is at hand. Let the vibrant rainbow colors of Tarot of The Elements feed you with powerful, elemental energy. The Nine of Fire (Nine of Wands) sets before you the crucial challenge while also gifting you with the knowledge and fortitude you need to face and master it. Inner change meets outer change with courage and integrity. You've been prepped for this, even if you did not know it at the time or all along. You're more than ready. This is a moment to prove yourself, a moment of renewal and new status in life.

CARD OF THE DAY: November 9, 2021

 

 The Fool

from Elizabeth Josephine Gill's The Gill Tarot

 

November 9, 2021:

The Fool: As depicted by Elizabeth Josephine Gill in The Gill Tarot, this Fool is a happy-go-lucky charmer with a spry little, bushy-tailed ride-or-die dog on the alert. Both are energetic and adorable, and it's hard to not want to dance right off that ledge with The Fool.

So energetic is this particular Fool, that they (let me not gender this figure out of assumptions) were ready for me when I opened this deck after many, many years of not consulting it. It's one of my earliest decks, used frequently--and, then, not at all. I think I own in excess of 100 divination decks, not all strictly Tarot.

When I went to shuffle the Gill, I discovered that The Fool card was already turned outward, facing me, unlike all the other cards. It was kind of a Hello!

When I shuffled the deck and drew a card at random...well, you can guess. It was my friend, again right there, popping up to greet me. Tarot can be way amusing.

Or maybe it was more like, "Hey, lady! You're not getting rid of me that easily!" 

Considering that The Fool is, literally, the first card of 78 in a standard Tarot deck, it's kind of the ambassador, you know? I think this deck missed me.

For today, consider releasing into Play mode and allowing yourself to just be. Moving with The Fool means trust--primarily trusting yourself--and going with the flow of bodymindspirit. The Fool knows when the time is right to trust yourself and the underlying purpose of the playfulness of Spirit. Many good things can come of this, but it's not the time to think about what it can produce. Just be with it!

CARD OF THE DAY: November 8, 2021

 

 Queen of Wands

from Barbara Moore's Mystic Faerie Tarot, art by Linda Ravenscroft

 

November 8, 2021

Queen of Wands: The Queen of Fire Energy returns! (See her earlier message for you here.)

This time, as depicted by artist Linda Ravenscroft, she brings you deep knowledge of the genius of the forest, how it sustains and renews itself and communicates within a brilliantly-evolved system.

How can you recognize and honor the same interdependent ecosystem that is your physical body as well as your expanded self beyond this body and its current time and place?

How might that acknowledgement and awareness of this more of you--including the more of all that you are intimately connected to--transform your frame of mind, your choices, your actions, your relationships? Are you in rightful relation and communication with all that you are and all that is there for you?

CARD OF THE WEEKEND: November 6-7, 2021

NOVEMBER 6-7, 2021

 

Ace of Swords

from Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot

 

Ace of Swords: The Aces are spirit gifts of power, entering this realm of physical manifestation in subtle ways--so subtle, in fact, you might not notice something has shifted, something has entered and begun a process, unless you are very sensitive, very watchful, able to read the signs.

I'm gazing at the Ace of Swords in Robert M. Place's Alchemical Tarot deck, and one part of the overall image shows a dove in flight. "A little bird told me...."

While you've been anxious, upset, or distracted, a change has been initiated. Can you feel that tiny ripple in the air? Is it from the swish of a wing? Or from of an invisible blade?

Ace of Swords portals of entry are primarily through thoughts, words, sounds--often quietly delivered. A single question can be a portal in. So, this weekend, pay very close attention. Spirit has something for you.

CARD OF THE DAY: November 5, 2021

 

Six of Wands, above: Universal Waite Tarot by Pamela Colman Smith with coloring by Mary Hanson-Roberts; below: Modern Witch Tarot by Lisa Sterle
 

 

November 5, 2021

Six of Wands: A moment of satisfaction and pride! You're steady and uplifted, buoyed by the support of those who deeply care about you, some of whom may have made a challenging journey with you. Who else deserves a piece of your success? Recognize and celebrate them, in turn, as you are recognized and celebrated. The radiant energy is multiplied in warm exchange and feels marvelous all around.

CARDS OF THE DAY: November 4, 2021

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

 

Page of Swords (reversed)

from Jerico Mandybur's Neo Tarot, 

illustrated by Daiana Ruiz

Page of Swords Reversed and Lenormand's Clouds

One thing that reversed Swords cards can suggest is sheathing one's metaphorical sword for a time. In this case, the young, studious Page of Swords is advising you to turn your attention inward, to "hold that thought!" Keeping one's own counsel and not being so swift (a characteristic of the airy, lightning-fast Swords) to let loose and verbalize one's thoughts might be the smarter (less impulsive, less aggressive) move for this particular moment.

Lenormand's Clouds card adds its own note of caution against impulsive action or speech at a time of fogginess and potential confusion. Wait until those clouds clear--as they will--and then make your informed, precise, properly assertive move.

In the meantime, settle in, rest, hang out with your Inner Self.