THE HIEROPHANT (V)

The Hierophant has always been a little difficult for me. I identify a bit too closely with it as it was the first card in the deck I found out was one of my “family” of cards. (I’m a 5 by both name and birth date numerology, and The Hierophant’s number is 5.) This has meant that when it appears in a reading I feel put on hyper-alert for special s-i-g-n-i-f-i-c-a-n-c-e. Even before I learned of my relationship via numerology to this card, I’d been reading a great deal about it to form some sort of workable, open relationship to it, as The Hierophant is not a card I -- and others I know -- buddied right up to. His association with tradition and established religion can be off-putting to those of us on more fringe paths. Fortunately, it was not long before I learned of the association with intuition or inner teaching/learning. And it helped that the card’s astrology sign is usually Taurus, which is where my moon is. Of course, that also heightened that sense of possible “special significance” when it shows in one of my readings. :-)

The upshot of all this is that I’ve been waiting with a lot of curiosity to see what sort of Taiga Tarot design ultimately suggested itself to me for The Hierophant. In another very basic symbol deck I was designing years back, I had pretty much decided on using an ear for The Hierophant, but was never very happy with that, and did not think it could work with this deck, either. As usual, my dream world came through for me. On May 13, 2008 I had a dream about which I wrote this tanka:

the presence predicts
I'll freeze at first ghost contact
but I'm on a roll
across the bridge by starlight
feet first on a swift gurney

What’s immediately relevant to The Hierophant is “the bridge by starlight.” In fact, it was only when I remembered that alternative names for The Hierophant card are The Pope or Pontiff, and that “Pontiff” (pontifex) means “bridge builder,” that the dream opened up for me. And “starlight”? Intuition is sometimes referred to as twilight or starlight vision. All this led quite quickly to this design:


Before going on to share versions of The Hierophant from other decks, I should add that for me personally, The Hierophant in a reading (especially when I was still reading for others) often indicates that some sort of mediumistic information is trying to come through. This aspect is referenced in the above dream/tanka via "presence" and "ghost."

For comparison, here’s The Hierophant in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:


And here it is in The Star Tarot:


.... from The Tarot Chapel at Avenieres (wall mosaics):



.... and from The Tarot Graphica:


BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE TAIGA TAROT (Click here for additional background on the Taiga Tarot.):

Please note: This deck is not necessarily being designed for use in divination, but rather to share taiga based on each of 78 Tarot cards.

When I decided the name of the deck would be The Taiga Tarot, I liked not only the alliteration but the resemblance of the word “taiga” to “tiger.” One of my power animals is the Siberian Tiger (and by extension, all tigers), which first appeared as three tiger kittens in a dream. What I had completely forgotten at the time was that the area of Siberia in which the tiger ranges is called “The Taiga”!

A “taiga” (briefly put) is an illustrated tanka. A “tanka” is a mood poem written in five lines, that usually references natural images and human emotions. Also, there is often a contrast or conclusion or response in the last two lines to the first three. I recognize that the tanka/taiga I’m developing for The Taiga Tarot are non-traditional. As with the dreamku I write (haiku-like poems about dreams), I am not only attempting to bridge two things – Tarot and taiga – but also bringing my own experimental slant to it all.

* * * *

'til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot,

**** [aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Tarot Gallery & Journal; Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm; and DREAMJIN: for Haiku-Like Dream Poems, a Yahoo group.****

THE SIX OF SWORDS

So I happened to wonder today when a new Taiga Tarot design would show up. Then I thought about a dream (:-D) I had last night and "voila!" there was the Six of Swords. In the dream I and a vague other person fly in a small plane out over the land of lakes to re-map its changes. I am sitting on the outside of the plane between the wings and they begin to bend. From my weight, I worry? Then I insist we turn around and go back as we are far from home. As we fly back I see the brilliant sunlight on the surface of the lakes. Here's the design this dream inspired:



Traditionally, this card is often said to be about gaining or needing to gain perspective. From the dream I heard getting above or distant to it all is not the only way to achieve a new perspective. Looking below or within is also a way to a fresh view, as in what might have been reflected in those brightly lit lakes as we flew over. Maybe within our own "underneaths" -- :-D -- the higher light from above is reflected, and what could be more of a new way of seeing things than that? I've often thought of this card as saying "As above, so below."

Here's the Six of Swords in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for comparison:



What's odd here, is that contrary to how it usually goes for me with the RWS deck, I find it a bit of a stretch to get to the idea I'm positing for a Taiga Tarot card. I have to tell myself a story about the figure: The man is concerned about the adult and child he's ferrying to a different place. It's quite a job to pole all three of them across this wide lake. He's focused entirely on the work very literally at hand. The new view will only be found later as a gift, after they've all reached a new place. This, too, is how I sometimes find perspective, if I'm open to it.

BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE TAIGA TAROT (Click here for additional background on the Taiga Tarot.):

Please note: This deck is not necessarily being designed for use in divination, but rather to share taiga based on each of 78 Tarot cards.

When I decided the name of the deck would be The Taiga Tarot, I liked not only the alliteration but the resemblance of the word “taiga” to “tiger.” One of my power animals is the Siberian Tiger (and by extension, all tigers), which first appeared as three tiger kittens in a dream. What I had completely forgotten at the time was that the area of Siberia in which the tiger ranges is called “The Taiga”!

A “taiga” (briefly put) is an illustrated tanka. A “tanka” is a mood poem written in five lines, that usually references natural images and human emotions. Also, there is often a contrast or conclusion or response in the last two lines to the first three. I recognize that the tanka/taiga I’m developing for The Taiga Tarot are non-traditional. As with the dreamku I write (haiku-like poems about dreams), I am not only attempting to bridge two things – Tarot and taiga – but also bringing my own experimental slant to it all.

* * * *

‘til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Tarot Gallery & Journal; Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm; and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems. ****

THE FOOL (O)

I really wasn't expecting a Taiga Tarot design to occur to me for some time. My move here to southern California from New York city barely two weeks ago is still very new and there's tons of stuff left yet I have to do to be truly settled in. But on February 13, 2008 I had a dream that ended: "....I realize I'm going awfully fast and not looking very carefully as I continue to veer to the left. I come to what is clearly a cliff-edge but don't even stop to look before going on. As I keep going vertically down the cliff-side I see all sorts of rocks and boulders, and meandering puddles and streams. I keep rushing straight down, thinking that going this way will take a very long time with all the twists and turns required in order to find proper footing." My immediate thought on recalling the dream was "I sure feel like I've gone headfirst without looking off a cliff [with respect to the move to CA]." "Oho!" I said to myself, "The Fool!" Here's the design that resulted:



And here's The Fool in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for comparison:



The little dog is often said to be intuition, our connection to God/dess's guidance. And that little dog has been nipping consistently at my heels since I made the decision to move to California, almost herding me toward just the right cliffs to head pell mell over. Once at a cliff-edge, it's been up to me to cope with the new moment before me ... feeling foolish, breathless, and hopeful.

BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE TAIGA TAROT (Click here for additional background on the Taiga Tarot.):

Please note: This deck is not necessarily being designed for use in divination, but rather to share taiga based on each of 78 Tarot cards.

When I decided the name of the deck would be The Taiga Tarot, I liked not only the alliteration but the resemblance of the word “taiga” to “tiger.” One of my power animals is the Siberian Tiger (and by extension, all tigers), which first appeared as three tiger kittens in a dream. What I had completely forgotten at the time was that the area of Siberia in which the tiger ranges is called “The Taiga”!

A “taiga” (briefly put) is an illustrated tanka. A “tanka” is a mood poem written in five lines, that usually references natural images and human emotions. Also, there is often a contrast or conclusion or response in the last two lines to the first three. I recognize that the tanka/taiga I’m developing for The Taiga Tarot are non-traditional. As with the dreamku I write (haiku-like poems about dreams), I am not only attempting to bridge two things – Tarot and taiga – but also bringing my own experimental slant to it all.

* * * *

‘til next time, keep enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Tarot Gallery & Journal and Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm.****