Ostara: Paint a journey with new life

Published by Alison Cross on

If you have just hopped over from Andrew’s blog for the Tarot Blog Hop – welcome! I’m really pleased to see you here!  *dusts down a chair and offers to the reader*

If you’ve not been here before, my blog focuses entirely on the Court Cards of the Tarot, so guess what? It’s going to be some members of the Court that help us puzzle out how to ‘Paint a journey with new life’.

All 16 Court members crowded into a huddle wehn I asked for four volunteers who might be willing to take on the challenge.  Four little hands were thrust skywards, so ladies and gentlemen, let the Pages of the Hello! Tarot show you how their energies can help brighten the journey of life a little!

In most areas of our lives, if we’re honest, we like to be considered good at what we do. Whether that’s redecorating the back bedroom, running a marathon, getting that contract sealed or just baking a successful sponge cake!

Oh yeah, we like to be the King or Queen of something!

But sometimes we’re so busy getting on in life and gaining mastery and maturity that we forget about these little guys and the colour and joy they can bring to our own lives.

The Pages often represent news from somewhere else in Tarot readings (and we can see birds arriving with messages in these cards), but, it needn’t be news from Australia, it could be from your own inner Page, struggling to be heard under the suffocating grey weight of our everyday lives.

Take it away kids!

The suit of Wands is all about DOING stuff and all those forward-looking qualities such as courage, optimism, action, dynamism. Wands are fiery and add splashes of scarlet and orange to our lives – if we let them!

The fearless little mouse in the Page of Wands waves hello to three kittens (who may or may not have lost their mittens) as he waves his fiery banner.  Kittens and Mice have a fairly well-defined relationship.  For Kittens, Mice = toothsome snack! For Mice, Kittens = One Way Ticket To Mouse Heaven.  But here’s the mouse, waving a cheery hello to the kittens nonetheless!

The Page of Wands says:  Do something NEW – and heck, maybe it IS risky, but you could make new friends!  Do something left-field today, see what happens!

Please note: No mice were hurt in the creation of this Tarot card.

Cups are all about the emotions, right? They are about dreaming and imagining and love and all that heart-felt jazz. They bring shades of blue to our lives – from the blinding azure of the Indian Ocean, to the seaweedy bottle-green of the River Clyde outside my window. 

So the Page of Cups wants you to look at everything – your partner, your kids, the dog, the work that you love… and other people and things that you don’t really like very much at all (like stinky blue cheese)….in a new light.  Give your full attention! Those relationships that you take for granted or think can’t be improved upon, could they benefit from a little dash of wonder and imagination? A dollop of compassion? Tabasco?

A cup with a fish in it? Hey, why not? It’s all there for the person with the Page of Cups’ ability to focus wholeheartedly on what’s in front of him.

Swords always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop in Tarot. Associated with grief and loss, I think that they’re really just the people who are brave enough to comminicate it like it is.  But sometimes (*snorts* MOST times) we don’t want to hear that, we’re just happy rolling along in our own groove – thinking our well-established thoughts, ignoring anything that might challenge the status quo (not THE Status Quo – they’re a band.  They’re excellent. They must remain unchallenged).

Swords are associated with Air – which is not renowned for it’s colour – but can be yellow and gold, or even the colours of the sky – pink sunsets, gin-clear Spring afternoons, the lemon-grey of a coming storm….

Well here’s a new IDEA, says the Page of Swords – why not trying thinking about something in a new way? Today’s the day to get that intriging book out of the libraryor from the book store! You could think about other political systems, other people’s points of view, LEARN some new stuff today. 

What’s an envelope for? For stuffing with letters? REALLY? That’s the BEST you can come up with?! PUSH IT says the little Page. Look, he’s got a pointy sword, don’t argue.

Here’s your starter:  Sign up for factoids on Twitter from Radio 2 and never be stuck for a conversation opener at a party again! http://twitter.com/#!/bigshowfactoids.  It’s ok, you can thank me later.

The suit of Pentacles is all about our physical life – it’s the health, wealth and hearth suit.  The Pentacles add all shades of green and brown (yeah, even BEIGE is good!)

Well Hello Kitty!  The cute Page of Pentacles offers up her suit symbol like a frisbee or a ball.  Jeez – when was the last time you and your body had a bit of fun together?  Have you spent so long in front of lolcats and funny facebook pages that you’ve forgotten the sheer exhuberance of being ALIVE?  The Page of Pentacles offers us a way to paint our journey through life by enjoying the physicality of life.  Want to really TASTE your food? Slip on a blindfold and eat an apple. You might feel like a dork, but who really gives a rat’s ass?! Get your shoes off and feel the grass between your toes (ok – maybe wait until Summer sticks her head around the door for that one),  sink your face into your dog’s coat and breathe in the warmth of him.  But not if you’ve got asthma. Obviously.

Together the Pages urge us to have more fun with life – who says that it’s all to be sober dark suits and common sense?  It can be red dungarees and high heels the colour of laduree macaroons. When was the last time you skipped instead of walked? The last time you played a practical joke? The last time you sang? The last time you painted a picture? Planted a seed?  Did a handstand? Licked an ice-cream cone?  Sent a postcard? Told someone that you loved them? Smiled at a stranger? Wore a flower?

Until we find out otherwise, we only have THIS one life. So come on, let’s paint it as beautifully and joyfully as we possibly can.  Now, hop over to Viv’s blog.

All images from the Hello! Tarot by Joe Rosales (coloured in by me – but using coloured pixels courtesy of the Page of Wands, of course)


Alison Cross

The Tarot's Court Cards are my specialist area.Β  They talk to me. Not LITERALLY though ....

24 Comments

Anonymous · 20th March 2012 at 3:33 am

Hi Alison, I noticed that your blog hop links (forwards and backwards) go to facebook and don't work πŸ™‚

    alisoncross · 20th March 2012 at 8:48 am

    Both links to Andrew's site seem to be working fine for me, but to Viv's site, I seem to have used a link that includes a facebook link – which I hadn't realised. Fixed Viv's link – but am at a loss as to why the links back to Andrew's sites don't work for you? Can only apologise.

    Andrew is at http://www.thehermitslamp.com/2012/03/ostarabloghop2012/

Donna L. Faber · 20th March 2012 at 3:23 am

These cards are totally adorable … just love them! And I love your writing style … quite irreverent!

Manda · 19th March 2012 at 11:06 pm

I love that Page of Wands! What a rascal, so daring!

    alisoncross · 20th March 2012 at 8:49 am

    He's allllllllllll about the daring to try! πŸ™‚

Tarot By Arwen · 19th March 2012 at 8:19 pm

How fun! I see that Page of Wands mousie as DARING the kitties to come after him. He's challenging them–the bold, brash dear.

    alisoncross · 20th March 2012 at 8:49 am

    Wonder whether he ended up as a kitty-snack?!

Koneta · 19th March 2012 at 8:12 pm

"Swords always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop in Tarot." Haha!

    alisoncross · 20th March 2012 at 8:50 am

    Well, I'm paraphrasing Marylin Monroe in Some Like It Hot πŸ™‚

    Ali x

Donnaleigh · 19th March 2012 at 7:47 pm

Today, I'm doing the Page of Swords. Well done!

DL

    alisoncross · 20th March 2012 at 8:51 am

    Good! But what will it be tomorrow? lol!

Aisling the Bard · 19th March 2012 at 5:49 pm

Love this deck, and love your idea of taking all the ____ from a single suit as a layout. I am gonna DO that!

Zanna Starr · 19th March 2012 at 4:59 pm

Delightful! (And I am now totally following the factoids thingy on Twitter!)

    alisoncross · 19th March 2012 at 5:03 pm

    You'll learn at least one amazing new thang every day, Zanna!

    Ali x

Inner Whispers · 19th March 2012 at 4:38 pm

Hilarious, enlightening, enabling and joyful post, Ali, luff it! Well, impressed at your pixelated colouring skillz, and your take on the Pages was inspiring. I do say I love you plenty, but as for the others… Hmm, homework, but in a good way πŸ˜‰

    alisoncross · 19th March 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Thanks Chloe! Hopefully it will be fun homework πŸ˜€

Vivianne · 19th March 2012 at 4:14 pm

LOL excellent as usual πŸ™‚

Carolyn Cushing · 19th March 2012 at 3:13 pm

How brilliant to have a single focus on the Courts because, yes, they do seem to befuddle people. So glad I discovered your blog on the blog hop

    alisoncross · 19th March 2012 at 3:23 pm

    Hey Carolyn – glad to meet you! Am finding some fab blogs via this blog hop too. Shall nip over and see yours!

    Ali x

alisoncross · 19th March 2012 at 3:13 pm

Thank you Kareena! Am hopping about all over the place reading the posts!

Kareena Narwani · 19th March 2012 at 2:53 pm

You painted in this tarot deck, how apt for this topic! Painting tarot decks is an important part of a journey, im planning on painting the BOTA deck soon. I loved your blog!! πŸ˜€

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *