Tarot Thrones | The Court Card Blog

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  • The Essential Knight

    Once upon a time, in Ye Olde ynd Merrye Englande of around 1300 (the year, not the time) the word ‘knighthood’ or ‘cnihthād’ * referred to the period that we call ‘adolescence’ today.  We more readily associate the idea of ‘knight’ with strapping chaps on horseback – armour, jousting, chivalry and crusades.

    Possibly also Danny Kaye.

    By the time the Tarot deck that we know and love was smooshed together ie during the late Medieval or early Renaissance period, Knights were a recognised social class and had lashings of power and status.  As with other nobility, they fought for whomever they had sworn fealty.  Or whoever had the bigger purse and stood the better chance of coming out as top dog.  It isn’t just a woman’s prerogative to change her mind….
    Here’s a little local history to add a shot of colour to the Knight: 
    In 1298 King Edward I (aka The Hammer of The Scots) and his troops confronted Mel Gibson William Wallace and the Scottish army at Falkirk.  From fairly early on in the battle, it was clear that the Scots were going to be hammered (as we have been at most sporting events subsequently) by the English and many of the Scottish Knights who were supporting Wallace quietly slipped away.
    Not so Sir John Stewart of Bute, Knight and owner of the fair island on which I reside.  He stood his ground and died on the battlefield all the while directing the Scottish archers. Every one of the 600 men that he took from the island to add to Wallace’s infantry perished. Stewart is treated as a Local Hero, but who knows? They all died.  The battle was lost *shrug* We can’t all be Audie Murphy.

    Knights are:

    *    Adventurers
    *    Challengers
    *    Adolescent
    *    Incredulous
    *    Inconsistent
    *    Explorers
    *    Rebels
    *    Foolhardy

    What do Knights represent for you? 

    *thank you Wiki!

  • Blog Hop – Love

     ā€œYour task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the
    barriers within yourself that you have built against it.ā€

                                                                                                   Rumi

    Panic not, dear Reader!

    I haven’t gone all mushy and doe-eyed over some slim-hipped Lothario!

    The blog hop for this Samhain is about love.  And Rumi wrote a LOT about love.  But although the oft-quoted poet wrote about love, it a transcendental divine love, not the mundane love of two people making eye-contact across a shared pizza and ending the evening with a slow shuffle round the dance floor to Lionel Ritchie.

    What could I do for the Blog Hop about love? I decided that my contributionis a 3-card spread, based on the quotation above:

    Card 1:  You
    Card 2:  A barrier to the Beloved
    Card 3:  Removing this barrier to the Beloved

    Bear in mind that the Beloved needn’t be Hugh Jackman another person, but can be anything that you long for – a healthy relationship with your offspring, a promotion at work, or even something as mundane as new wool for a project.  I’m looking at YOU, yes YOU, all you NaKniSweMo peoples!!

    For Card 1 – pick a court card to act as a significator – you can use whichever method you prefer.  Here I’m simply going to choose the King of Wands because he represents my birth sign, Leo.

    I shuffle the deck, repeating the Rumi quote above and when I feel that my shuffling is complete,  turn the deck image-side upwards and work your way through the deck until you arrive at your Significator.

    The card before your Significator represents the Barrier (Card 2) and
    the card after your Significator is Card 3.  Card 3 shows a way to
    remove the barrier.  And by simply removing the barriers, you allow yourself to attain the Beloved šŸ™‚

    Using my BELOVED Druidcraft, this is what I got. 

    First of all, my Beloved, for this spread was ‘to write a Tarot book’.   No sniggering at the back there!

    The Lady in the 5 of Pentacles leans against the tree with her arms over her eyes whilst a hound chases down a hare.  The hound and hare are part of the legend of Ceridwen and never fear the dog doesn’t get the wabbit:-)

    What does this Barrier card mean?  I don’t want to look at the work involved! I don’t think that I can do it – like Ceridwen, I won’t be able to catch my ‘hare’. This card is traditionally associated with a sense of lack or loss and perhaps I feel that I can’t do it? That I’m not entitled to it?

    I look at the Court Card that represents me – he is alert and about to get up from his throne.  Although one foot points to the Barrier card, he inclined towards the solution.  This is good, right?!

    The way to remove this Barrier is to get on with the hunt! The dog and hare of the 5 of Pentacles have been replaced by hunters coming home after a successful outing.  At the beginning of the day, they didn’t know whether they would be arriving home triumphant, but they went anyway.  And so must I.  Time to get on with working towards my beloved. And next time you see me, I might be triumphant!

    Now, I wonder what happens when I replace ‘Tarot book’ with George Clooney…….. *mind wanders off to somewhere that you’d better not look*

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  • Significators | Old fashioned toot?!

    Tooting for Significators!

    When I started this court card blog, I banged on and on and on some more about using Court Cards as significators and you, dear reader, mostly snortled good-naturedly into your coffee and told me that you didn’t use significators.

    There were a couple of solid reasons why people didn’t use significators:

    Reason 1:  If you use a significator, it removes that card from the deck and so it can’t arise within the main body of the reading.

    My reply:  And? When ANY card turns up in a spread, it precludes it from turning up in any other position in that spread, doesn’t it?   *kind and conciliatory face*  Why not just have a separate set of gorgeous court cards to work along side your working deck?  Then you allow for all the courts to turn up in the actual reading šŸ™‚

    But no, you still weren’t buying into the idea….

    Reason 2:  A significator is soooooooooo old-fashioned!

    My reply:  It sure is.  But it’s a great way of settling your mind to the task in hand and taking your client INTO the reading with you and, for me, that’s an important part of the ritual.

    Nope, you were still shaking your head and looking apologetically at the floor……

    And then, when I was out tramping through the woods with the dog, a moment of insight!  Yes, JEN-YOU-INE enlightenment, dear reader!!

    Significators aren’t old-fashioned at all!

    You do use them……

    Every single day…….

    On Facebook, Twitter, forums (forii?!), your blog…. anywhere that you have an on-line presence…. you DO use significators because…..

    A SIGNIFICATOR IS AN AVATAR!!!!

    You select an image of yourself that you want to present to that community, don’t you? Whether it’s a  photo of yourself or a witty kitten image, you choose it to convey something ESSENTIAL about you to that community.

    That’s exactly what a significator does.

    You and your client select a card that best conveys something essential about the sitter and the situation in which they find themselves.  In effect, you create an avatar of your sitter.

    And the secret sauce?  Your interpretations of court cards will go through the ROOF if you start working with them consciously, as avatars.

    My session on Court Cards at the UK Tarot Conference next month focuses on the CONSCIOUS use of Court Cards.

    And that’s it    *shrugs*

    That’s my bright idea.

    And it cost me a friendship to be able to tell you that.  More of which at a later date, I suspect.

  • Lammas Blog Hop | From my table to the community

    Welcome to the Lammas blog, where the theme set by our Wrangler, Arwen, is: “What can I share from my table to enrich my community?”  If you’re hopping forward, you’ve come from the lovely Ania Marczyk’s blog and if you are hopping backwards (you TOTAL rebel, you!) you’ve come from the equally lovely Joanne Sprott’s blog. And if your cat has randomly strolled across your computer keyboard and the Tarot Thrones blog has popped up on your screen…. well, just be grateful that I’m not a porn site šŸ˜€

    So what can I share from my table to enrich the Tarot community?
    Since Tarot Thrones is a blog all about the Court Cards of the Tarot, I got into a huddle with my 16 courtly colleagues to thrash out a few ideas.  Reader, it got very heated.  The Queens wanted me to teach something, the Kings wanted me to DO something, the Knights wanted me to be daring and bold and the Pages? Well, the Pages just went outside to play.
    Then I had an idea.  I made my suggestion and the Kings and Queens murmured their agreement and happily headed off down the pub to give me peace and quiet to write.  So here’s my Lammas Blog Hop gift to you:
    When you are buying a new Tarot deck, how do you choose it?  Do you have a few favourite cards that you inspect? Do you run your hands expertly over The Star’s fetlocks to see if she shapes up to your perfect Star? Do you inspect the teeth of The Devil to make sure he’s someone that you can work with or do you take The Lovers for a quick canter around the paddock?
    Well, here’s a suggestion from ME to YOU:  Why not take a look at the Court Cards to see whether you can work with THEM?  After all, they tend to be the section of the Tarot that readers tend to frown  around – why not make sure that the Courts are guys that you are comfortable with?
    Radical, eh?
    So here are my Top 7 bits of advice for expertly checking out the Tarot Court in a new deck:

    1  The most important thing in the Courts, for me, is symbolism – what is there for you to work with? Plenty of symbols will give you plenty of pegs on which to pin your ideas about the Court Card and lots of things to talk about in your reading.  Check also for consistency – do all the Knights have some kind of steed, for example.  If not – why not? Can you see why the Knight of Pentacles might be left to labour along on foot….or does it show a lack of thought about what the Courts represent?  Are all the Queens wearing shoes, except one? Why might the Queen of Cups go barefoot and the Queen of Swords wear shoes that are tightly laced? Does it make sense to you?
    Tons of symbolism, nice setting, expressive character and suit colour-themed
    2  The next most important thing is Setting – are the Courts active in some kind of scene?  For me this is important because it helps with the story-telling aspect of your reading.  What direction are they heading? What are they DOING?  What are they looking at/turning their back on?

    It seems to me that people struggle with the courts because they seem to punch holes in the flow of your story-telling much more so than the Majors or Minors, so any setting that allows you to incorporate the Courts into your story is a Good Thing.

    3  Character – this covers a lot of ground – if the characters are expressive, clearly delineating a personality type by their expression or pose, then this helps you work with them.  Someone bent over and tired-looking has easily got a completely different message from a sprightly young Page. 
    4  Sex – is there an equal balance of male and female characters? Are they all women? All men? Are they animals/birds? Is that what you want?
    5  Rank – how are the Courts ranked?  Straightforward Page (Princess)/Knight/Queen/King ares traditional and, for me, easier to work with than an entirely new combination like Lightbringer/Demon/Sprite and Soul where it’s not clear which rank trumps the others and how progress is made – you have got some additional learning to do.  And does that learning conflict or support what you already know about Ranks in your other decks?

    A Princess to replace the Page, nice setting, symbolism, suit attributes 
    6  Colour – this could form part of symbolism – do the suits have colours? Are those colours pulled through into the Courts? If they are, it might make it easier for you to incorporate suit traits into your story?  Do those colours represent the elemental associations that you’d expect?  If not, will that affect your use of elements in this deck?
    7  Astrological information etc – some decks have information from other systems built in to their Courts which makes it a danged sight  easier to talk about, for example, astrological traits instead of having to memorise the associations!
    The black-clad Ninja with his sneaky expression and his heuuuuge hidden sword
    The other Courts have astrological associations clearly illustrated – result!
    Of course, this isn’t a complete list, and they don’t ALL have to be present in every deck’s court, but these are just some of the main prompts that will help you find easy to work with Courts.  
    Now, if you’ll excuse me,  I’m off to run my hands expertly over the haunches of the Knight of Wands ;-D

  • The Fool and The Queen of Pentacles

    So, many years ago I read an article about the fate of greyhounds once their racing days were over.  Some, the lucky ones, were found new homes, but many of them ended up dead and in a ditch, their ears removed to prevent their identification.

    Things have changed since I read that article and many charitable bodies help rehome the 30,000 dogs that annually retire from the sport and need loving homes.

    And for some reason it stuck with me:  One day I would give one of these dogs a good home.

    Wednesday was that very day!

    It’s one thing to talk about rehoming a dog, quite another to be confronted by 48 of them peering through their kennel doors, all hugely delighted to see you and barking their heads off.

    I was quite clear about what I wanted.  I wanted a blue bitch.  I’d even seen a couple on the rescue centre’s website so that I wouldn’t have to put myself through the torture of looking at every dog (and wanting every single one of them!)

    However, I hadn’t reckoned on the formidable presence of the lady who runs the rehoming centre.  Before we could suggest the names of the dogs that we wanted, ‘Flash’ was produced for us to take for a walk around the paddock.

    Flash was a huge black dog who wasn’t much interested in us.  And, to be brutally honest, we weren’t much interested in him.  He wasn’t a blue bitch.

    We returned to the kennels and the cacophony of excited barking that greeted us was quite overwhelming.

    ‘What did you think of him?’ she asked.

    ‘Well, he’s very nice and easy to walk on the lead,’ I said, ‘But we were really looking for a blue bitch.’

    The lady nodded.  ‘Oh yes, the unusually coloured dogs always go quickly.  But it’s not about how you LOOK, in life that counts, is it?  It’s about the nature of the dog,’ she said.  Turning to one of the many smiling volunteers who walk the dogs for her, she said’ Bring down Jojo.’

    Jojo wasn’t one of the dogs on my list.

    He came in and my heart sank.  He was a big black boy with a moulting coat, shaking legs and a severe dose of dandruff.

    She handed me his lead….

    …..And he leaned against my leg, gazing up at me with eyes darker than the devil’s waistcoat.

    …and, fool that I am, I took a deep breath and stepped off the cliff.

    Reader, when I set off from home that morning I was determined about one thing:  I didn’t want a Big Black Dog.

    So here he is:  My Big Black Dog.

    This is the first time that he laid down on his blanket, hence the nervous ‘skinned rabbit’ look about him.  He didn’t recognise his name, Jojo, so we changed it to Nero because he’s black and it’s regal looking, as is he.

    As I type he is spread out on the floor behind me, sleeping.

    And I luff him.

    Sooooooo what in the hell has this got to do with Tarot – or the Tarot court specifically – I hear you mutter.  Well, it’s this.

    The Queen of Pentacles often gets landed with the nurturing home-maker label which can make people think that she’s a bit of a soft touch.

    And the woman at the Rescue Centre clearly had that caring and nurturing Queen of Pentacles nature, but also, running through her was a steely core, like a bit of high-tensile cable! She possessed the resolve to make the very best efforts for her hardest to re-home animals – the big black boys.

    So the next time the Queen of Pentacles come up in a reading for you, remember the determination of Celia to do the best for her four-legged foster kids.

    Have you had any Fool or Queen of Pentacle moments recently?

  • Page of Swords | Holly Sierra | Chrysalis Tarot

    The Pilgrim of Scrolls
     Colours SO delicious, you could EAT them!

    Mentors, Messengers, Mystics and Muses – meet the Troupe of the Chrysalis Tarot.  Holly Sierra, the artist behind this soon-to-be released Tarot, chats about the deck.  Pull up a throne and feast your eyes, people!

    Hi Holly and thanks for agreeing to answer my questions! First of all, can you tell me a little about where you are – just to help set the scene a little?

    ‘I live and work in beautiful and rural Stowe, Vermont. Entering our little village is like taking a step back in time! I used to work in an art gallery here in town and on my way home, I often found myself stopping to take photographsā€¦Can you imagine that after living in a place for 5 years? Stowe is like a picture postcard come to life and this is very important to me as an artist. So much of America is being turned over to strip malls and developments, which I detest.’

    Now then, tell me a little bit about your Tarot background – just how you got into Tarot?

    ‘I have always been drawn to that which is decorative, mystical and obscure in nature so when I first happened on a Tarot Card deck as a child, I was fascinated. My parents had a lovely old Italian deck in their attic which I took possession ofā€¦Later I had a high school friend, Danny, who took a Tarot course with Rolla Nordic and he shared what he learned with me. Danny and I worked on perfecting our ā€˜Tarotā€™ skills for monthsā€¦’

    And what made you decide to create THIS Tarot deck?

    ‘The Chrysalis Tarot Deck is the first I have created but will certainly not be the lastā€¦It took me two and a half years to complete all the paintings for this deck and doing so, I was really realising a dream!

    ‘My co-worker and author is Toney Brooks, by the way! I met Toney through Facebook and when I did a little research, I found he was a retired broadcast executive, journalist and author of the Mystic Rose trilogy (A Celtic mythology). Toney writes on the theory of cycles, metaphysics, mythology, spirituality, and occasionally on financial markets and politics. He was delighted to join me in creating a new, holistic approach to Tarot entitled ā€˜Chrysalis Tarot.ā€™

    ‘The wonderful thing about creating a deck and recording the process through social media is that I have gained so many lovely followers from all over the world. Chrysalis has been just that – An awakening for my spirit! It has helped me make friends all over the world!!!

    What’s the theme or ethos behind this deck? I’ve only seen the court cards and it looks wonderfully romantic and fairytale like!

    ‘Chrysalis Tarot is wonderfully romantic and magicalā€¦ This is exactly the feeling I like in other deckā€™s art and wanted to achieve in my own. Our deck is about achieving your destiny through a life filled with chance, chicanery and choice. The pursuit of personal destiny is a struggle to find inner peace, to find balance between an ego that wants and takes and a psyche that allows and gives. By your side on your quest for self-fulfillment is an unseen force. It’s an energy field known by many names and recognized by many masks; a force that informs your psyche and nudges you forward. At Chrysalis, we refer to this force as the Otherworld. It’s also known as The Ground of All Being, the Collective Unconscious and the Universal Mind.


    ‘In modern times, as tarot became associated with mysticism, divination and magic, users noticed the cards’ uncanny ability to flesh out future possibilities. Tarot’s illumination of your psyche is a vital component in the art of listening to your internal voice, raising self-awareness and informing decisions. Our Court Cards are actually a Medieval Troupe or cast of Characters who help the querent on his path. As an artist and a reader I was very pleased with this alteration because I always felt at odds with the traditional court cards. These folks seem more accessible and relatable to me.’

    I find the colours vibrant and quite delicious ā€“ which seems to run through all your work! How would you describe your cards to someone that hasn’t seen your work before?

    ‘Although I donā€™t feel ā€˜especiallyā€™ colourful when I work on one particular piece of art, I do find that when seen altogether, my paintings are quite vibrant and very colourful!! I love the range thatā€™s possible when creating a ā€˜series of workā€™ and I was very interested in colour-coding this deck for easier use.

    ‘If I were to describe my art to someone who has yet to see itā€¦I would say itā€™s mystical and magical in content and vibrant and colourful in nature. My focus is the stuff of legends and fairytales with a mix of multicultural diversity thrown in for spice. I love uniting the worldā€™s myriad of artistic styles and making them my own.’

    Tell me about the composition of your deck. For example ā€“ what’s the Strength/Justice positions? Have you renamed any of the Major Arcana? Do you have 22 Majors? Anything about your Major Arcana that’s a bit different to other decks out there?

    The Chrysalis Tarot does have the same number of cards as a traditional Tarot Deck. Many of our Majors differ but when it came to the Sun and Moon, we followed the traditional path, though with slightly altered meanings.

    The Major Arcana is as followsā€¦

    0. Merlin
    1. Ravens
    2. Sorceress
    3. Gaia
    4. Green Man
    5. Divine Child
    6. Lovers
    7. Herne The Hunter
    8. Maā€™at
    9. Storyteller
    10. Wheel
    11. Papa Legba
    12. Celtic Owl
    13. Ariadne
    14. Golden Flower
    15. Bella Rosa
    16. Kali
    17. Elpi
    18. Moon
    19. Sun
    20. Phoenix
    21.Psyche

    Sadly, US Games only provides a small booklet with most of their decks so it was hard for the author Toney Brooks to expound much on his creations.

    Will you create a larger accompanying book to allow Toney to wax lyrical?

    ‘I wish we could but as neither of us can afford to self publish
    and the deck is under contract with US Games, I fear we might be at
    cross purposes with them…


    Tell me about the Minor Arcana cards and the associations that you have created for them? And about the Courts, of course!

    ‘So here is how the colour associations fall out for the Minor Arcana (Pips). The 16 card Troupe also follows this pattern. Four of the Troupe members are of the Mirror Suit, Four are of the Spiral Suit, Four of the Scrolls Suit and Four of the Stone Suit.

    COLOURS and MEANINGS:
    The Stones Suit: Greens – Nature
    The Spirals Suit: Gold and Reds
    The Mirrors Suit: Blues
    The Scrolls Suit: Lavender

    The Suit of Stones ~ Traditional Names: Pentacles or Coins
    Values: Happiness | Prosperity
    Stones represent the element of Earth, matter and material consciousness. The suit’s highest values are material happiness and prosperity. Stone pips help you identify specific material or physical values exerting influence upon your reading ā€“ values that can be desirable or undesirable.

    The Suit of Mirrors ~ Traditional Name: Cups
    Values: Nourishment | Love
    Mirrors represent the element of Water and introspective consciousness. The specific
    attributes of Mirrors are feelings and emotions. The suit’s highest values are nourishment and love. The Mirror pips accentuate the values of self-examination and self-awareness.

    The Suit of Spirals ~ Traditional Name: Wands
    Values: Passion | Personal Growth
    The Chrysalis Tarot Spirals represent the element of Fire and rational thinking. The specific attribute of the Suit of Spirals is Energy. The suit’s highest values are passion and personal growth.

    Suit of Scrolls ~ Traditional Name: Swords
    Values: Clarity | Intuition
    Scrolls represent the element of Air and the intellect. The specific attribute of the Suit of Scrolls is Intuition, which is the suit’s highest value. Scrolls are truth-bearing cards pointing to clarity of thought.

    The sixteen court cards (The Troupe) look wonderful ā€“ tell me about them! What are the ranks that you have chosen for them? How do they relate to each other within the suit and across the other suits? I see that each character has an animal with them in their card ā€“ tell me about these animals!

    Without going into too much detail, I will relay what Toney Brooks says about the Troupe, for it is his creation and I LOVE it. As the artist, I interpreted each character visually and decided which animal companion would be accompanying each on his (or her) journey. I made this judgment based on what I felt from each and if position in life or trade, legend or history allowed, such as in the Pirateā€™s case, I acted accordingly!


    The Troupe!

    ‘The Chrysalis Troupe is a delightful ensemble of medieval merrymakers. Unlike archetypes, the Troupe’s characters stand in for real-world people and personality types from your past, present or future. They may be family, friends, acquaintances, or even total strangers. You attract them naturally via compatible energy signatures. Using synchronicity, the Otherworld places these characters in your path to be mentors, messengers, mystics and muses.

    ‘This much is true with all spiritual quests: you never walk alone. We humans are interdependent; you meet those you are destined to meet. Our Troupe corresponds to traditional tarot court cards like King of Pentacles, Queen of Cups, and so forth. There’s an equal number of male and female characters in the Troupe. However, in real life these characters can appear as men or women of any age. To avoid confusion, card descriptions refer to the gender of the character portrayed.

    Tell me about your deck’s equivalent of the Page of Swords, Holly? 

    Our Deckā€™s Page Of Swords is the Pilgrim whose attributes are perseverance and endurance. His role is that of the messenger.

    The Pilgrim’s llama symbolizes inner peace that comes from waving goodbye to creature comforts and the security of home, at least for awhile. The distance a pilgrim travels matters not ā€“ the essence of the pilgrim’s true journey is interior self-discovery. The Pilgrim symbolizes ascendancy, the primary benefit of pilgrimage. The word ascendancy combines the essence of spiritual transformation with self-fulfillment. It’s the castle you leave behind to pursue the exotic butterfly. This card foretells very positive changes taking place in your life.

    Tell me about your creative process!

    I painted the cards proportionally according to standards Iā€™d researched for Tarot Card publishing companies. Each original painting is 6 x 9 inches and is painted in acrylics on Arches 300 lb test watercolour board. I use the acrylics much as one would watercolours with a lot of water and thin layers. The difference with acrylics is that the previous layer doesnā€™t ā€˜pick upā€™ so I can continue layering effects. They Troupe paintings are quite lovely when lain out altogether on my bedā€¦Unfortunately I can only fit about 16 pieces at a showing. I have included a photo of them all.
    (see above)

    How will people be able to get a hold of your new deck and when will it be available?!

    The Chrysalis Tarot deck is with US Games right now, undergoing editing and layout processes. Upon our approval, it will then be sent to Asia (most likely) for printing and is expected to be available to the public next spring!!! I hope Chrysalis will bring a little magic and beauty to all who have awaited its arrival!! I know I get so excited when a deck that I have been anxious for finally materializes. And for all those who are interested~ I will be selling special autographed copies of the deck when itā€™s ready. I must say it will be a very exciting and rewarding time when we finally see Chrysalis in print!!!

    You can find out more about Holly’s and Toney’s Chrysalis Tarot on Holly’s website
    Explore Holly’s Courtly Troupe here  and keep up to speed with what she’s creating via her facebook page 

  • Review | Lenormand de Marseilles | Edmund Zebrowski

    Lenormand de Marseilles (and Mini Me)

    *theme from Love Story plays in background*

    Like so many love stories for the social-networking age, I fell hook, line and sinker for the Lenormand de Marseilles when I saw her photo on Facebook.

    It really was luff at first sight.  But with none of that why-he-hasn’t-called-me-in-three-days nonsense.

    I bought the Illuminated version (limited and signed) and the mini version too, just as soon as a kind hearted fellow addict friend sent me a link to Edmund’s shop.  I don’t have a compulsion to buy decks.  I DON’T.

    *eyelid twitches*.

    Once you click through to Edmund’s shop, you’ll see the clutch of Lenormand decks that he has created – try not to give in to temptation and buy all of them.   *looks guilty face*


    As you may have guessed by the deck’s name, the imagery is inspired by the artwork of the Marseilles Tarot.

    The Illuminated version measures 3.5″ x 2.25″(9cm by 5.5cm for you new-fangled and modern types)  and is made from wonderful card stock that has a linen-effect surface.  The cards slide over each other wonderfully well, which is handy when you want to start shuffling as soon as you’ve slipped the cards from their smart little cotton draw-string bag!

    Happy Day! The arrival of the Lenormands!

    Card numbering is in Roman Numerals, paying tribute to the numbering method of the Marseilles Tarot itself.

    The card names are in French (again, homage to the Marseilles!) and I adore the antique font that Edmund has used – that has the old long ‘s’ that looks to our eyes like an ‘f’. The net result is that Les Poissons (Fish) looks as if it’s called Lef Poiffonf.  Thank goodness there isn’t a card called The Sucker *gives her reader a moment to work that one out*.

    Cards are unfussy white, providing a perfect foil for the images and punchy colours.  The card backs are decorated with tiny black and white pattern on rear.  Since one doesn’t use Lenormands in reversed positions (generally speaking!) it doesn’t have to be a mirroring image, and it’s not.

    The playing card inserts are also inspired by the Marseilles Tarot’s Minor Arcana – and the overall effect is classy and in keeping with the whole ethos of the Lenormand oracle.  Please note that card four is shown as IIII, not IV,  as you might expect.  That’s because in the Marseilles, the four is shown as IIII.

    There IS an error, and Edmund is now on the case to rectify it, but if you look closely at XXXVI above, you will see that the large card has 6 of Wands illustrating the playing card inset, but the tiny roman numerals at the side show ‘IV’.  The mini version of the same card also has an error, the 4 of Clubs is the insert, and it should be the 6 of Clubs.  Yes, these are errors, but I can honestly say that it doesn’t impinge on my use of these Lennies at all *whispers* because I’m not good enough to bring in the playing card inserts to my interpretations yet šŸ˜€

    Looking more closely at the Mini  (which also comes in its own teeny tiny bag).  It measures 2.5″ x 1.75″ (6cm x 4.5cm) we can see that the playing card inserts are standard, the titles are in English and the Roman numerals of the large illuminated version have been replaced by the more familiar Arabic numerals.

    So it’s been a week or so that we’ve been together and things are going well.  She’s just as beautiful in the flesh card than she was in the first picture that I saw of her.  And you can’t say THAT about many things on Facebook.  I think we’re going to be very happy together…..

    You can explore Edmund’s work here:

    http://delphischamber.bigcartel.com/

    What have Lenormand cards got to do with Court Cards?!  See earlier posts by Andybc and Helen Riding

  • Litha Blog Hop | Spread | Embracing Your Gifts

    TADAAAAAH! Welcome
    to This Game of Thrones Litha Blog Hop for Midsummer 2013!!  You may have happened along here from the last blogger in the train, the lovely Joanna Ash or be working your way back through the list (because you’re a REBEL!) and have alighted here from Cher’s site.  Heck, you might even be here because you are already familiar with the rose-strewn path that leads to Throne Towers šŸ™‚


    If you’ve not been across the draw-bridge before, you are very welcome.  Here at Tarot Thrones I focus on those pesky critturs the Court Cards and hope to persuade you that they are excellent allies in all your Tarot work and that they are nothing to get into a hyperventilating fug about šŸ™‚

    Please, take a seat!  *beckons towards an empty Throne*.  Just let me fluff up the cushions…….. A poorly fluffed cushion can lead to discomfort on even the loveliest throne. Just ask The Queen of Pentacles. She’s always crocheting us comfy stuff to sit on*

    There, now that you’re comfortable, let me explain this Litha Blog Hop theme.  Our
    challenge seemed quite straightforward – shed some light on something
    that we are good at.

    I sat and stared at the blank screen for quite a long time with this one.  I struggled to accept that I was good at anything!  Well, certainly good enough at anything that I wanted to toot my own trumpet about in public šŸ™‚

    That got me thinking – why is it difficult for some people to accept – and promote – that they’re good at things?



    It can take a lot of courage to say aloud (or in pixels!) that you want to achieve something, that you have a goal, a skill, and that you want to take that skill to the next level.  And I think that’s because to admit that you are GOOD at something is to invite criticism that you’re simply NOT good at it!

    Thinking of publishing a book, a deck…launching a teaching package…. creating tap dancing tutorials on youtube!?  You can bet your bottom dollar that there is someone out there sniggering into their coffee at the very IDEA of YOU doing this – just who do you think you are?!  They will be gleefully messaging their friends and together they will privately mock and deride you for your efforts.  Have you heard of Tall Poppy Syndrome?  Yeah? That’s it at its worst!   

    I think that we are all guilty of Tall Poppy Syndrome, in some way or another.  It might be nothing more than a slight green-tinged pang when a friend makes an announcement – quickly scorched and replaced by genuine delight at her success……or it can be something much more insidious – a resentment that grows and festers, sending out deep, irrational roots and poisoning you from within.

    And do you know who is the worst person for it? That’s right – YOU!  How often do you come up with something that you’d love to do, but you immediately talk yourself out of it because inside your head is a little voice that says ‘How DARE you think that YOU might succeed at this! People will totally laugh in your face!’ yada, yada, yada….. 

    Now, one
    of the things that *I’m* good at is helping other people make the most
    of their ideas and opportunities. I get REALLY enthusiastic about
    people’s ideas and can see so many ways to help them along the
    road that they want to be on…. Honestly, I get as excited as Kim Kardashian with new shoes!


    I say: Don’t let that irrational stuff poison your dreams from within!


    I
    LOVE it when people feel that they can trust me enough to say ‘this
    is my Big Idea’ and I can help them work out those first little steps to working towards it! I get such a kick out
    of it, I can’t tell you!  I get to over-ride the little How Dare You voice inside that person’s head AND be part of their journey (squeak! did I really just use the word ‘journey lol!?’

    So, today, I decided to come up with a spread that might help you embrace your
    qualities and admit that you are good at stuff and that you have not only a RIGHT to pursue it, but a duty to the WORLD to pursue it!

    SHINING YOUR LIGHT IN THE WORLD SPREAD

    I’m taking my inspiration from the Queen of Wands (this is a Court Card blog, after all!).  The Queen of Wands is the epitome of enthusiasm and the fire in
    your belly that you need to engender to make your dream a reality. She’s also got nurturing Queenly energy to help things progress.


    In the RWS, the other queens focus on their suit symbol, not the Queen of Wands,
    she looks out at you ā€“ daring you to look back at her and get
    engaged!  Are you ready to engage?!  Don’t expect a lot of emotional sympathy from this Queen when you are pummelling yourself with self-doubt and listening to the Witch of the Tall Poppies that lives inside your head.  Her message is:  Get. On. With. It.






    Card 1:            I am a Queen:  In what way do I manifest mastery?

    I hold my Wand, like a walking support:

    Card 2:          What
    supports me in developing this mastery?

    I offer you my sunflower totem:

    Card 3:          How
    will this gift of mine shine light in the world?

    Here is my little companion animal:

    Card 4:          This is untapped energy, make use of it – it’s here to help.


    I’d love to hear how this spread turns out for you in the comments!  And now on to the next blog in the hop!! Hope you come back to visit me and the Courts soon!!  We always have biscuits and fancy tea……..


    To visit the next blog in the train, Tarot by Cher, click here.
    To visit the previous blog in the train, Sun Goddess Tarot, by Joanna, click here.

    Broken links?  Here’s the master link

  • Spreads | James Wells – Regret to Authentic

    The man has GLOWING HANDS!!! What’s not to like?!

    I’m a big fan of Canadian Tarot author James Wells.  If you’ve not read his blog, you should mosey on over there tout-suite to find out what he’s up to.  You can go now if you like.  Honestly, I’ll wait here for you.

    *calls out* I’m just putting the kettle on, so come back when you’re done and tell me what you found!

    James recently posted this spread – about taking steps to ensure that you don’t leave this world burdened with regret.  Something that far too many people do.

    And, with his permission, I’m sharing that spread with you.

    1. How can I remain true to myself?
    2. How can I remember to set work aside for other important things?
    3. How can I develop and maintain the courage to express my feelings?
    4. How can I remember to stay in touch with people whom I love and value?
    5. How can I demonstrate my choice to be happy?

    I used the RWS. Here’s mine:
    1 How can I remain true to myself?
    7 of Cups – A figure in silhouette stands before 7 Cups that float on clouds, like dreams.  Each cup offers a different wonder – riches, beauty, mystery, victory etc.  I am minded that this card is called ‘Debauch’ in the Thoth.   All the things that lie in the Cups SEEM to be valuable, but really, they’re not worth anything once we are Past The Gate.  I remain true to myself by reminding myself that although these things seem fabulous, these are not the goals worth pursuing in life.
    How can I remember to set work aside for other important things?
    The Queen of Cups –  The Queen sits on the seashore, admiring an elaborate cup as the tide laps around her feet.  As Water of Water, this queen governs and is governed by her relationships.  She’s about empathy and understanding and being able to truly SEE the other person. So when I am seated before the flickering screen in the corner of the room that threatens to consume my very soul, I shall call upon her energies to help me focus on what matters: relationships.
    How can I develop and maintain the courage to express my feelings
    6 of Cups – The scene is a domestic courtyard with a home or town buildings in the background.  A young person hands a cup containing a white-starred flower to a smaller person.  The message is simple – By giving and sharing what is beautiful and important to me, I will develop and maintain the courage to express my feelings.  
    How can I remember to stay in touch with poeople whom I love and value?
    VII Swords – I am shockingly bad at staying in touch with people that I love and value.  Really.  Embarrassingly bad.  In the 7 of Swords a character tip toes out of camp in an exaggerated fashion.  He holds 5 unsheathed swords in his bare hands and over his shoulders.  He leaves two behind.    Maybe it’s about admitting that I AM really bad at keeping in touch with people – and by admitting it, I disarm my enemies (well, at least those people who are hurt that I have not been in touch).  However, just like the character in the card, simply disarming the opposition doesn’t actually protect you – those swords need to be sheathed. I need a practical reminder to keep in touch with folk – maybe ical or something? Google must have something that can remind me to phone people on a regular basis?!
    How can I demonstrate my choice to be happy?
    2 Cups – Love – A man and woman face each other and toast each other with their golden cups.  Behind them hangs the caduceus. This is a card about love and peace.  I demonstrate my choice to be happy by being loving and acting as an equal, not subservient, nor superior, but equal and worthy.

    In a five-card reading, I drew four cups cards – the answers are, therefore, in the realm of the Cups energies – emotion and relationship.  And the number seven showed up twice – I am a seeker after truth šŸ™‚  But number symbolism changes from person to person – what does a seven mean for you in your system, I’d love it if you shared that with me – help me create a more rounded picture?

    Find out more about James Wells here at Circle Ways .

    ‘Like’ James on facebook too

  • Page of Swords | Sola-Busca Tarot | Giordano Berti

    The Page of Swords – Sola-Busca Tarot
    If you have a passion for classical Tarot decks, you will know that the Wolfgang Mayer version of the 15th century Sola-Busca Tarot is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.  


    Giordano Berti, Tarot author and scholar, is the man behind this work and he has very kindly agreed to answer some questions about the deck, and, more specifically, the Court Cards.


    First of all, Giordano, tell me how you came to reprint the
    Sola-Busca Tarot?



    The version of
    the Sola-Busca Tarot     I’m promoting is not my
    work. As you know Iā€™m writer, not Tarot producer.     This is the deck realised by
    Wolfgang Mayer in 1998 in Germany, faithfully reprinted from the
    original deck of 1491.

    Mayer made an edition limited to 700
    copies.  Each of these decks has a Warranty card numbered and
    hand-signed by Mayer.

    In 2012 the Mayer family decided to
    sell the warehouse stocks, the printer having died, and I have bought
    about 300 decks.
    What is your involvement with the
    artwork – has it been edited or recoloured?

    Mayer’s version is really
    extraordinary because it respects both the measurements and the original
    colours of the fifteenth century deck.

    Since the decks that I bought from
    the family Mayer had no packaging, I asked an Italian craftsman to
    manufacture two types of box. A book-shaped box, with marbled paper
    in Florentine style (DeLuxe box), and a box with sturdy golden
    cardstock (Golden box).

    Then, I added the
    deck’s 8-page booklet where I summarise the story of this deck.      I also give the meanings of  the 78 cards taken from the book ‘Sola-Busca
    Tarot’     by Sofia Di Vincenzo (US Games
    Systems, Stamford, 1998) and a simple method to use these cards.
    Is is quite a large
    format deck?

    Each cards measure exactly 150 x 82
    mm, i.e. 5.9 x 3.2 inches.      Wolfgang Mayer used a cardstock
    slightly larger so you can see exactly the boundaries of the paper in
    its original size.
    The Sola Busca is the first Tarot to
    show fully illustrated Minor Arcana cards, is that correct?
    We must remember
    that     the Sola-Busca is the only Tarot deck
    that came up to our day complete with all 78 cards. But this deck is
    very important historically because is the first fully-illustrated deck.     It was necessary to wait for the
    Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, printed in 1909, to find a new deck
    illustrated in the Minor Arcana.     In fact,
    some of the Sola-Busca served as inspiration for the Arthur Edward
    Waite and Pamela Colman Smith.
    This is, of course, not your first
    Tarot deck – which other decks have you been involved with, Giordano?

    I started to study the Tarot around
    1974 and afterwards I studied at the University the relationship
    between art and esotericism … but the Tarot are my first love and I
    have devoted a lot of effort both in the historical study and the
    design of new decks.

    I have created many
    h    istorical exhibits about Tarot in
    important places such as the Castello Estense in Ferrara (1987), the
    Archaeological Museum of Bologna (1983) and the Museum of Castel
    Sant’Angelo in Rome (1985).

    On Tarot I also wrote several books
    and exhibition catalogues, but one of my biggest satisfaction has
    been the design of new Tarot decks.

    Since 1994 I have
    created eleven new decks, all illustrated by great artists.     The
    complete list can be found on the website Tarotpedia, at the page dedicated to Giordano Berti.

    I couldn’t say which of these is
    most important, because each deck requires a great effort and
    each one almost becomes a child to you.
    • Celtic
      Tarot       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 1994), 78 illustrations by Giacinto Gaudenzi and Saverio
      Tenuta.
    • Tarot
      of Druids       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 1994), with Bepi Vigna, 78 illustrations by Antonio
      Lupatelli and Severino Baraldi.
    • Enchanted
      Tarot       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 1995), 78 illustrations by Giacinto Gaudenzi.
    • Dante’s
      Tarot       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 2001), 78 illustrations by Andrea Serio       Dante_Tarot.
    • Ramses.
      Tarot of Eternity       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 2003), 78 illustrations by Severino Baraldi.
    • Golden
      Tarot of Renaissance – Estensi Tarot       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 2003), 78 illustrations by Jo Dworkin.
    • Bacchus
      Tarot       (Dal
      Negro, 2005), 78 illustrations by Luigi Scapini.
    • Venice
      Tarot       (Dal
      Negro, 2007), 78 illustrations by       Davide
      Tonato       ([8]).
    • Angels
      Tarot       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 2007), 78 illustrations by Arturo Picca.
    • Universal
      Wirth Tarot       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 2007), 78 illustrations by Stefano Palumbo.
    • Initiatory
      Tarot of the Golden Dawn       (Lo
      Scarabeo, 2008), 78 illustrations by Patrizio Evangelisti.
    I think that the
    artwork is beautiful and I have been looking at the Court Card
    images.     Why are the Pages the only
    rank who do not have names?

    I suppose
    the inventor of these cards have not given a name to the Pages
    because there are few references to famous servants in ancient
    literature.
    What significance
    are the names of the remaining Court members?     Are
    they characters from classical literature?

    Some
    famous Knights, Queens and Kings are included in the Sola-Busca Tarot with the
    clear intent to put them in relation with the life of the Alexander
    the Great, represented in the King of Swords.
    Tell me about the Major
    Arcana of this Tarot, how is it different to other Tarots?

    The Major
    Arcana of the Sola-Busca Tarot portray characters from Greek and Roman history,
    except for     Nenbroto
    (Trump XX) and     Nabuchodenasor
    (Trump XXI), who are Biblical characters, and the     Fool
    (Trump 0), which has no name.

    I suppose the
    intent of the inventor was not to create a gallery of ancient
    celebrities, because many of the names of the     Major
    Arcana are not famous for anything. Probably there is a profound
    mystery in choosing these characters: they could refer to friends of
    the author of the deck, who shared philosophical interests with him.

    In any case, the
    iconography of the     Major Arcana in
    the Sola-Busca Tarot is very different from the traditional one. In many figures
    there are torches and altars with fires: a detail that, according to
    Sofia Di Vincenzo, alludes to the practice of Alchemy.

    Apparently the
    supposed inventor of the     Sola-BuscaT, the
    painter Nicola di Maestro Antonio, was a friend of alchemists.
    The Page of
    Swords is a wonderful image – he seems to be strumming a tune on his
    lute to the sword in front of him!     Tell me about his
    character and how he is interpreted in the Sola Busca Tarot.

    This image, in my opinion, show in
    allegorical way the ambiguity of feelings that animate the immature
    people, not just those who are young. The contrast is given by the lute,
    an instrument of peace and poetry, near the sword, instrument of war
    and death.

    The proximity of the sword means
    that at any moment the Page could take it in his hand with menacing
    intent, both defensively and offensively.
    How is your Sola Busca edition
    different to other issues of the deck?

    I am convinced, along with Sofia Di
    Vincenzo, that the Sola-Busca Tarot is the first deck to be designed
    with non-gaming purposes, but this is purely speculative.  It is evident in
    many cards references to Alchemic tradition, which must be
    interpreted not as a way to make gold but as practice for improving
    the individual.

    I hope to
    publish    , before the end of 2013, a
    book I’m working on, entitled     Sola-Busca
    Tarot. Secret Code of Alchemy.


    If you would like to buy the Sola-Busca Tarot,  write to: giordano.berti@gmail.com

    Many thanks to Giordano Berti for taking the time to answer my questions about the Sola-Busca Tarot.  You can explore the deck here.

    Giordano provided his answers in English, which I edited in one or two places to read more smoothly.  Any translated errors are, therefore, entirely of my own making šŸ™‚

    ‘like’ the Sola-Busca Facebook page!

    Visit Giordano’s website to explore the deck in greater depth.  Read other articles about the Sola Busca Tarot here