After a lengthy hiatus, THE NINE OF PENTACLES

It's hard for me to believe it's been 3 years since my last Taiga Tarot post. And the odd thing is what's brought me back to this effort is another new Tarot deck I've recently returned to designing, The Marker Tarot. As The Marker Tarot also consists of very simple line drawings on black backgrounds, I found myself thinking about the Taiga Tarot more and more often. There's even a small amount of exchange going on between these two decks. For instance, a design that doesn't quite work for the Taiga Tarot may wind up being fine for The Marker Tarot, and vice versa.

Now to today's card, The Nine of Pentacles (9P) above. The 9P has long been one of my favorite cards. I actually tend to like all the cards in any deck, just some a bit more. The Lady on the well-known Rider/Waite/Smith (RWS) version:

always appealed to my sense of independence, and desire to cultivate creativity in whatever ways I could, in both myself and others. I used this card (decades ago) as the symbol for a series of open poetry readings I organized and led, even calling that series "Kestrel" (after the type of falcon on the Lady's hand/glove). So this card has somewhat more resonance for me than many in the Tarot.

All Taiga Tarot card designs/tanka are in some way dream-based. Unfortunately, the old notes and sketch I found in my file on my Taiga Tarot 9P do not indicate what the dream connection was. And too much time has passed for me to recall it, as I'd probably be able to do had it been only three months and not three years that have gone by. I will most certainly remember to make notes on what the dream connection is for any future card designs. (There is one more old draft Taiga Tarot design in my file without any record of what its dream source may be. That's for the Nine of Wands, which I'll probably post next.)

I've also been through an interesting process in making this newest Taiga Tarot card design. On one hand, I've had to learn some new computer skills to get the text on the image. The old program I used to use could not be up-dated or even copied "as is" to my new computer. Fortunately, I had gotten Photoshop for the first time when I switched to this much better new computer. And so now it's just been a matter of figuring out how to put text on an image using Photoshop.

On the other hand, I discovered (sadly) that my fine motor skills (I believe that's the correct terminology) are not quite what they used to be (I'm pushing 72). In just the time since I last drew a Taiga Tarot design (and also presently in working with The Marker Tarot) I notice a decrease in my control over a pen's lines. The Nine of Wands design that's percolating is going to be quite a challenge given this. But a delightful one, especially now that I have Photoshop as a helper. (The original drawing for the above 9P was done freehand and reversed to white on black as always. Then I applied a Photoshop filter called "ink outlines" that made the sketchy wobbles look more like a chosen style. Or at least, so I'd like to think. :-D)

The Lady on the RWS 9P above will stand as my guide and encouragement for all future Taiga Tarot cards. She must have faced many of her own challenges before standing in her serene and abundant garden, about to send her kestrel off soaring through the sky.

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; Trying to Hold A Box Of Light; The Marker Tarot.

JUDGMENT (XX)

As usual it was a dream that precipitated this new Taiga Tarot card design:

On Apil 26, 2012 I dreamed I was in my old neighborhood back in New York city. I'd heard a new company had jobs available and I thought I should probably apply. I stood before their front door just as a train rumbled by above on the elevated train tracks. I decided to go to lunch instead. As I thought about this dream I associated that rumbling from above to the trumpeting on the more traditional Judgment (XX) card. Here it is in the Rider/ Waite/ Smith deck:

It seemed I was being "called" to something more nourishing (food) than another job, another door to open. Since this "door" was in the past (an old neighborhood) this led me to something I've been nibbling at the edges of for some time. Renewal may not be not predicated on every last issue in one's past being completed and learned from, but on a certain -- shall I say -- critical mass of that sort of inner work. I've certainly been yearning for a renewal, and feeling discouraged and oft times exhausted emotionally. So I began to wonder if this dream was saying to listen, rewewal may be already calling. At that point I realized I was also beginning to work on XX in The Taiga Tarot.

With respect to this project, I did a bit of prioritizing a few nights ago using The Tarot. I have many, many different projects, some creative, some pragmatic and was wondering which needed addressing sooner rather than later. The Taiga Tarot came up as of the highest priority (which was quite a surprise). It was also clear that although I cannot rush The Taiga Tarot, I can take the time when I feel those little nudgings and urgings to make notes and sketches. No matter how many other projects are awaiting my attention.

Following along with the message from The Tarot that The Taiga Tarot is a high priority in my life, I should mention that I've now also got a design for The Nine of Wands percolating. It should be up in a day or two.

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; Opening to the Light (for digital pix only); and DREAMJIN: for Haiku-Like Dream Poems, a Yahoo group.****

Of water dragons, news years, and new posts ....

In honor of the Year of the Water Dragon

HAPPY
I have a new Taiga Tarot design percolating; it'll be along soon. Well, "soon" as I've come to understand the word, i.e. from the perspective of a retired old lady. One who never did like rushing, much less now. :-)

THE TWO OF WANDS

My apologies for the long time between card designs. As the expression goes, life is what happens while we're making other plans. :-) However, I do want to stress no matter how long a time lapses between designs I do intend to complete this project. (Very slightly in my defense, this particular blog project requires more by-hand work ahead of time than any of my other blogs. Then a design frequently requires re-doing by hand once I find I can't fit the words properly onto the image in the Paint computer program. So I do tend to put any idea I may have percolating for a Taiga Tarot card on the back burner. And with me back burners are a dangerous place to leave something ... you know, out of sight, out of mind ...)

Now to the Two of Wands -- Much earlier this year I fell asleep asking my dreams for help with a difficult issue. Although on waking I did not recall a dream response (which is unusual) I did find myself immediately beginning to write about the Two of Wands with an eye to it being my next Taiga Tarot card. Since I was still sleep-groggy and scribbling nearly illegibly in my dream journal while sitting at the edge of my bed, I'm quite certain this urge was the answer to my dream incubation question.

Here's the design that ultimately resulted:


Over these past few years whenever I've looked at the Two of Wands (in the Rider/Waite/Smith or similar deck) I've noted the man and the world he holds are in a castle. On the ramparts, so he's both viewable from outside and able to have a good overview, but in a protected situation nevertheless. Here's the Two of Wands in the RWS deck:


This has led me to stay aware of an aspect of sheltering or protection that this card can represent that I don't recall coming across in traditional interpretations I've read. Here's a more thoughtfully written way of putting that from my notes that morning when I woke up designing this card:

"You may feel hemmed in, even imprisoned by circumstances now. But the walls are really more like the shell of an incubating egg -- protective and holding while deep changes are taking place. You are in an ideal position to take a larger perspective on things as you wait for rebirth. And remember that ultimately everything you need is always right here in the palm of your hand."

That writing has actually proven to be quite accurate. Though too often I have railed away at the walls of my "prison," forgetting the life that rests right here, in the palm of my hand.

P.S. Day after posting: I just saw the Two of Wands (especially in the above RSW version) as a possible future generated/encouraged by technology. Living in our own castles in the air, each with our own world in our palm devices. When I first moved to CA (3-1/2 years ago) I rapidly became rather modern by comparison to most of my fellow residents. I began to use and carry not only a cell phone (basic, no email), but an old Palm Pilot and an old camera. Now all three of those devices' capacities are de rigueur in one. And that includes touch navigation, email and internet access, face-to-face calls, the ability to talk and surf at the same time, not to mention games, and so on. The world in the palm of one's hand, indeed! Will we ever need or want to leave home? Even my science fiction and fantasy fan self shudders at the thought that soon enough all of this will be in a tiny implant in our bodies somewhere. Eeeeeww! Guess I really am becoming an old curmudgeon.

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. ****

ARTICLE ON THE TAIGA TAROT IN THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ATA

I've just received my (print) copy of the American Tarot Association's Quarterly Journal for Summer 2010. In case you don't know about the ATA here's a link to the homepage: ATA. (They're also on Facebook.) Membership means you'd get a copy, too, of this current Quarterly Journal in which my article: Designing the Taiga Tarot: A dream-inspired deck of illustrated cards appears. The article describes how I came to be designing this deck, and includes graphics of five of the cards and a brief bio along with links to my other online efforts.

It was a special honor and delight to appear in an issue in which Stephanie Pui Mun Law's "Shadowscape Tarot" is reviewed. (A deck I just recently added to my own collection and have been enjoying working with immensely. I'd been watching it's progress on her web site for a long time and having it finally in my hands was a high point.) And another deck the progress of which I've watched online with awe is reviewed in this journal, "The Gaian Tarot/Limited Edition" by Joanna Powell Colbert. This issue also has a reading layout, Tarot humor, more deck reviews, etc. Almost makes the cost of membership worth it all by itself! (Of course, there are more benefits for joining than receiving quarterly copies of this journal.)

So I highly recommend visiting the ATA's homepage and enjoying the wide range of Tarot related resources they offer.

* * * *

'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 ACE OF SWORDS

This one has been on the back burner so long it was practically ashes when I went looking for my notes and sketch. It's based on a line I heard in a dream exactly one year ago: "We are connected by what pierces."

Before I go into more background on the card design, here it is:

[we fly or homestead/swim deep or burn/the midnight oil/what connects/is what pierces]

I may re-do this image as it's not quite as clear as I would like. I'm not sure why the contrast is so poor; maybe I'm just over-tired and not recalling accurately how I used to make these images (a distinct possibility). But the design itself I am content with. [Note of February 14, 2010: Having just begun work on a Taiga Tarot design for The Two of Wands, I finally realized the problem. I had forgotten that I draw in the card colors initially in reverse on white paper (e.g., white space where I want black), then "reverse colors" in the PAINT program. And that is what produces the nice clear black and white balance overall. Well, at least the brain cell that had that information was only in a deep sleep, not deceased. :-D Now I can re-do this Ace of Swords and The Fool (2-18-08 post) so they will be a lot crisper looking.]

For comparison here's The Ace of Swords in a favorite deck of mine, The Phoenix Tarot:



I don't have any more detail on the dream except that it was a spear in the dream. And at the time I knew it was, for the most part, referencing what for me is often the deep pain of empathy with others. It may seem odd to make empathy -- usually understood to be a felt as opposed to a thinking process -- a sword card. However, for empathy to make a difference at all it does need to become conscious, to pierce our awareness, if you will. I also associated this sort of connection to the sword that pierced Jesus's side. That, too, can be seen in terms of connection and empathy.

As I'm relating to The Ace of Swords here there's definitely a sacrifice of sorts. A giving up of anything more than a recognition and bearing up beneath our various connections to others. That is, not necessarily doing anything to rectify or alleviate or deny anything (for self or other), but to bear it, to acknowledge our connections. Which I am beginning to see are constant and pervasive. A magnificent subtle web we are part of, even as we weave our small strands within 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,

**** [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 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.****

THE DEVIL (XV)

This was a devilishly (sorry, but the pun is apt :-D) difficult card to design. Both the drawing and tanka went through not only many minor revisions, but each had a couple major total do-overs, in which I took an entirely different tack. Maybe XV is too "close to home." It's astrology sign is usually Capricorn, which is mine, too. :-)

As with all but two of the previous designs, The Devil card was dream-influenced. I'd just finished a lengthy dream journaling session which had ultimately explored issues of psychological projection. How many of the demons and even sometimes angels we see in others, are our own inner qualities projected on them, masking who they really are and also masking ourselves in that process. I then thought "The Devil card!" Here's the design that thought finally brought me to:



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



The Devil's hebrew letter is often "ayin," which means "eye" in noun form. That has always puzzled me a little. No matter the various esoteric explanations of it I'd read, they were not satisfying. But on associating XV to issues around psychological projection I finally find a more satisfactory take on ayin. We need to really, fully open our eyes, to ourselves and others, and not just accept the disowned aspects of ourselves we paste on to each other. No matter The Devil's hand gesture says "All you see is all there is," we need to see this is not true.

One of the positions The Devil can hold in our lives is as a tough spiritual teacher, a Guardian at The Gate, who will not let us go further in our development until we are ready. And, in this capacity, I see XV confronting us with our projections. Those demons and angels we attribute to others that are really our own. Those projections that chain us in fear and stunt our growth. In the RWS version above the chains around the necks of the two figures can be seen to be very loose. Just as with projections, the figures' own willingness to fully open their eyes and see, can free them.

As a simple letter in the hebraic alphabet ayin refers to mirth, and that I have always gotten from the first time I read it. I.e, a healthy sense of humor about the misperceptions and incongruities in life are necessary to our well-being and growth. We also especially need to be able to laugh at ourselves, a lot and heartily; not to take ourselves so seriously.

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.****

THE KNIGHT OF WANDS

Just short of 25 years ago, I was considering offering my first Tarot classes at the urging of others. I was hesitant to do so as I was not sure I knew enough about Tarot. One night on going to sleep I asked my dreams for help with this decision. In a dream that night I "heard" a voice that I instantly trusted clearly say "You will be taught by teaching." Well, there it was. I began to plan the series of classes the next day. And I learned a great deal (and not only about Tarot) in the preparation and in the actual teaching.

How does this all relate to the Knight of Wands? In the wee hours of this morning I was awake and began muzzily going over in my mind each of the Ace through King of Wands in The Voyager Tarot (like counting sheep, in a way :-D) that I had just finished a two week meditation on. For some reason I settled on the Sage, which could be corresponded to the Knight of Wands. I then realized how the Knight of Wands, especially in The Thoth Tarot, has always for me been a highly energized card, blessed (or fraught, as the case may be) with all sorts of personal associations, in addition to it's usual meanings. To make a long story shorter, I realized it should be my next Taiga Tarot design. It was when I thought this that I recalled the above 25 year old dream. I'd never associated that dream to the Knight of Wands before. But decided to go with it, grabbed my dream notepad and began working on the tanka and drawing. The Knight of Wands below was completely sketched and the tanka written before I finally went back to sleep.



And here's The Knight of Wands in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for comparison:



This Knight is sometimes said to be very generous. And although I've not specifically associated him with teaching, Wands are about communicating so it fits. (I've probably said several times in these blogs of mine that a Tarot buddy and I had an expression about what we'd see in the cards: "If a meaning doesn't fit, we'll make it fit." LOL!) Wands, in my understanding, are also somewhat closer to Spirit (very generally speaking) than the other suits. So this teaching can be more on an intuitive and spiritual level than the more worldly.

By the way, I think my sleepy mind tossed that dream quote up as it is as applicable now in my life as it was back then. It is, in a way, very reassuring to be told I can learn what is needful along the way. That I don't have to "know it all" before doing anything, as I'm on the verge of going along some pretty big and new roads.

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.****

THE EMPRESS (III)

Just as all but one of my previous Taiga Tarot designs have been, this Empress is dream-inspired. I'd been thinking a lot over the past few days about several different cards I might design next, none of which were III. When I went to sleep last night, I asked that my dreams give me a clear indication of which one to work on next. The first dream image from last night that I recalled this morning was (very briefly put) of a pregnant woman who was gently tapping her belly in a loving way. I immediately thought of The Empress and then associated the individual taps of the dream woman's fingers to the eight visible stars in the crown of the Rider/Waite/Smith version of The Empress. Thus, my Taiga Tarot design for The Empress is:



Here's The Empress in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for comparison:



As I sketched eight* stars on my version I recalled I used to wonder if there were more stars we could not see toward the back of Her crown. And that led to the line in the tanka about "seen and unseen." There is so much more available to us from Her bounty than we are ever aware of. There, in the unseen reaches of "creative imagination" (said to be a function of III in some traditional teachings). The Empress is basically a card of bounty, beauty, creativity and abundance, and She's often seen as the archetypal mother.

That last, mother, leads me to an old dreamku of mine:

The Empress cradles
Death in Her wide lap
crossroads

You may note that the card I designed just prior to this one is Death. I did not do this consciously, but I am sure there was some unconscious memory involved in that choice. I won't go on about it all, but my life is very much as it was when I had the Tarot dream that produced the above dreamku. That is, a great deal of life threatening illness and a few deaths around me (my mother among them). An early attempt at a regular dream poem before writing this dreamku addressed the idea of The Empress as a door, based on Her Hebraic letter being Daleth which means door in noun form. At the end of that failed regular poem I spoke to my dying mother, saying: both your doorway and mine swing back//mine opening on this present life//while yours opens//on the Summergarden. ("Summergarden" being where souls go after death in an ancient Celtic tradition.) Ever since, although I only vaguely address this in the pregnant belly shape on the Taiga Tarot design above, I've seen The Empress, above all, as a door. At times, a door not unlike Death's portal. The difference being in directions.

* On checking the RWS III version I see there are actually 12 stars. See what happens when one relies on a sleepy aging memory? LOL! But the line about "seen and unseen" still applies in the tanka. It's just that the road I took to the thought is slightly askew.

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 dream haiku I write, I am not only attempting to bridge two things – with this deck, 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.****

DEATH (XIII)

This post is about the first Taiga Tarot design to urge itself upon me for quite some time, Death (XIII). This is also the first card design so far that was not directly influenced by a dream. However, I do not say my dream world has had nothing to do with it. I have had a few dreams recently that referenced death, but as I did not feel immediately prompted to work on XIII I cannot confidently claim they have influenced this design. I can mention a conscious influence: my Taiga Tarot design for The Hanged Man (XII).

Here's Death (XIII):




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



Very succinctly put, Death is often understood to represent transformation. And though I have only rarely seen it address actual bodily death in a reading, it can carry this meaning as well. However, more often I have seen Death refer to a metaphorical dying, as in a total change. It is this aspect of the card that drew me to design it today, tugging at my yearning for inner transformation.

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 dream haiku I write, I am not only attempting to bridge two things – with this deck, 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.****

VACATION TIME EXTENSION....

The Fool, in The Tarot of the Cat People

I am now extending my time out from blog work to the second week in June. Everything, as usual LOL, is taking longer to get done and stuff to do just keeps almost literally crawling out of the woodwork! BTW, I always read comments and emails, and respond to same (on or off vacation). In the meantime, you can check out the baker's dozen of designs already posted here.

* * * *

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S DREAM & POETRY REALM.