Tarot Thrones | The Court Card Blog

Tag: Alexander Daniloff

  • Orient Tarot | Alexander Daniloff

    Orient Tarot | Alexander Daniloff

    I am an enormous fan of Alexander Daniloff’s work and I am thrilled to see that he has created a new tarot deck to mark 10 years since his first tarot, brought out in 2012. This new tarot is called the Orient Tarot and from the few cards posted online so far, it is gorgeous.

    Today’s card release into the wild of social networks are these two beauties :

    Aren’t these guys glorious? On the left we have the Knight of Swords and on the right we have the Knight of Cups. I am loving the colour choices for the suits as well as having astrological symbolism on their shields – Gemini for the Knight of Swords and Pisces for the Knight of Cups.

    The art styling is of the entire Orient and I am loving the Mughal-style of these warriors and their beautifully rendered horses with the sweeping landscapes behind them.

    Although the deck is completed, there is still some way to go before this self-published beauty is for sale. I’m hoping that I won’t have to wait too much longer! I’ll have a price for you just as soon as Alexander has one!

    You can see Alexander’s artwork here.

  • 2020 Tarot Court Card | Attention to Detail Required

    2020 Tarot Court Card | Attention to Detail Required

    This guy. THIS GUY!

    If you have worked out your Court Card for 2020, you will hopefully be factoring in their guidance for the coming year.

    I like to look at them as attitudes that can affect your every interaction – if you let them. (See tomorrow’s blog post!)

    I patiently worked out that my 2020 companion in arms would be Court Card No 7 and promptly checked my ready reckoner of court card number allocations and tooted to all and sundry that my main man for 2020 was going to be the Knight of Wands.

    Knight of Wands Alexander Daniloff
    Not, in fact, THIS GUY.

    Reader, I got myself a THEME TUNE, some words to live by and was very much looking forward to roaring into 2020 with my fiery companion.

    Except I was wrong. Head-the-desk-stoopid wrong.

    My companion is, as was gently pointed out to me by a much more reasonable head than my own on instagram, the Knight of Swords. For it is HE who is No 7.

    I double-checked. Which is crazy because I quadruple-checked the first time. And yet I’d still read the information wrongly.

    Far too much hash-bash-let-me-at-em Knight of Wands energy and not enough cerebral Swords energy.

    And YET, now that I see him, he is indeed the perfect energy that I will need for 2020. Heck, even this morning I shared info about Northumberland Humane Society thinking that it was Northumberland in the UK, when it was actually Northumberland in CANADA.

    Yeah, Swords energy is going to be very, very important this year.

    So, my dear friends, for all of you who have ended up confused AF as to how Court Card 7 can be the Knight of Wands when the eyes in your head are showing you that Court Card 7 is the Knight of Swords …. I am truly sorry. Also – I like to keep you on your toes 😀

    Proof, if proof were needed, that I don’t so much as have feet of clay, as boots of concrete when it comes to Tarot Court cards.

    On the upside, it shows that it works – I’m in much more need of the Knight of Swords than the Knight of Wands – witness the cock-ups that I am making a scant 3 days into the year.

    And with that, I shall now edit my own 2020 info in the other posts to make better sense.

    Apologies!

  • Making your 2020 Tarot Court Card work for YOU!

    Making your 2020 Tarot Court Card work for YOU!

    If you have worked out your Court Card companion for the year, now’s the time to begin to employ their services usefully!

    For those of you who used a deck that had a keyword on each card, this will be simplicity itself – find the keyword on your 2020 Court Card and make it your watchword for the coming 12 months.

    For the rest of us, it’s going to take a little work – 10 minutes or so, sequestered away from the rest of the world with just you, your court card and a pen and paper.

    Prop up the card so that you can see it comfortably, without straining your neck up or down. And just sit. Quietly. Leave your stresses and strains and duties and noise outside of your little space.

    Just sit.

    Let your breathing steady and lengthen naturally.

    Just sit.

    Look at the card.

    Look at the character in the court card – is it a person or an animal? Both?!

    What is the energy of the card – active? pensive?

    Look at the position of the character, the expression.

    How does this character make you feel?

    What colours are used in the card – which is your favourite?

    What else is in the card?

    As you tune more deeply into the card’s energies, ask the main character what it is they want to empower you with for the coming year?

    Here’s mine, using the Knight of Swords from The RWS Tarot.

    Learning into action
    Mental agility (oh my God, do I need this lol!)
    Air
    Speed
    Other points of view

    Taking these words are the essence of this card (and your card image might be quite different, for the same court card!) my talisman words for 2020 will be … LEARNING TO FLY.

    Hey – I’ve even got a ready-made theme tune! Stand by for spot of darling Dave and The Foo Fighters!

    What does your Court Card say to you?



  • Court Card for 2020

    Court Card for 2020

    Just a bit of Tarot Court Card fun to start us thinking about what we want for ourselves in 2020. I’ve done this for the past four years or so and it’s just a bit of fun, not rooted in any deep and meaningful ancient system. Just my own 🙂

    So, you might be working out your Major Arcana card for 2020 to give you a THEME for the coming year, as inspired by your personal year data. To find our what your personal year card is, take your day and month of birth and and add to 40 (ie 20+20, the incoming year). Here’s an example: mine!    13 +  8  + 40  = 61

    Since there is no Major Arcana card numbered 61 (hey, we’re not using Minchiates here, people!), these digits need to be further reduced by adding them together, giving us a total of 7. My theme for the year will be inspired by The Chariot *and I absolutely need to be better disciplined*

    The Chariot | Alexander Daniloff

    But since my blog focuses on the Court Cards, I thought we’d have a little fun and extend the exercise further: Instead of adding up your digits, above, until they total 22 or under (ie the number of Major Arcana cards we have), total them up until they are 17 or less. I numbered the Page of Pentacles, the lowliest of the lowly, as 1.  But your numbers will not reduce to one, so I’ve also accorded him 17 (because he’s also VERY special, as well as being the lowliest of the lowly). So, if you add up to 17, then you are having a Page of Pents year 🙂

    Taking my example again, this means that my 7 Chariot year – becomes further compounded by Court Card 7…. which is The Knight of Wands.  the Knight of Swords! (yeah, I screwed up – I can’t read without my glasses on … it’s the Knight of Swords, honestly!)

    The Knight of Swords – Card No 7

    This year is going to be my Airy Challenger year, and my challenge will be to control my Chariot’s horses sufficiently well to move forward and not laps into inaction. As is currently the case! 

    Try it for yourself – find your Major Arcana year card and your Court Card. How will they combine for 2020?

    Page of Pents (1) or 17
    Page of Cups 2
    Page of Swords 3
    Page of Wands 4

    Knight of Pents 5
    Knight of Cups 6
    Knight of Swords 7
    Knight of Wands 8

    Queen of Pents 9
    Queen of Cups 10
    Queen of Swords 11
    Queen of Wands 12

    King of Pentacles 13
    King of Cups 14
    King of Swords 15
    King of Wands 16       

    Cards: Alexander Daniloff 2012 Tarot

  • Alexander Daniloff | Lenormand Oracle

    Alexander Daniloff | Lenormand Oracle

    I am a massive fan of Alexander Daniloff’s Tarot decks and I was super-excited when he contacted me a couple of weeks ago to let me know that he had completed a new deck – a Lenormand Oracle!

    What can I tell you about it?

    This first printing is limited to 500 copies and will be signed and numbered. Size-wise, this is a 2.25″ x 3.5″ deck – perfect for a Lenormand deck and for laying out the 36-card Grand Tableau spread.

    It’s a standard 36-card Lenormand with two additional cards to play with – an extra Lord and Lady. This will ensure that all types of relationships can be comfortably read, not just M/F.

    As you can see, each card is numbered at the top and has its title, in English, at the foot of the card. Pip playing card associations are presented in a fluttering banderole that features the appropriate number of pips in the suit concerned.

    Those cards who have court card inserts have lovely character studies of Kings, Queens and Knaves.

    The imagery and colour-palette is exquisite (of course, I’m biased!) and I am very much looking forward to holding a set of these cards in my sweaty little paws!

    There will also be a downloadable pdf (written by me) available from Alexander’s website that will help you get started on your Lenormand journey, if it’s a new system to you. The final page of the document has links and suggestions for fab authors and content creators to take a deeper journey into the world of the Lenormand.

    This Lenormand is set to become a much-coveted item in your collection!

    The deck will be ready to order from Alexander’s website in December.

    To see all the images: http://www.daniloff-art.it/Tarocchi%20gallery/Lenormand%20Oracle.htm

  • The Page of Wands | Blogger to WordPress

    The Page of Wands | Blogger to WordPress

    Well, last night, just before dinner, I decided – in an absent-minded Knight of Swords reversed kinda way – “I will migrate my blog to wordpress.” No biggie, right?

    Well, that was about 6pm and although the setting up of the new hosting and the repointing of the domain went smoothly (very King of Swords), the actual transfer was a bit of a clusterf*ck.

    Yes, everything moved – posts, comments, pages, pix but when it arrived in WordPress, it was all … uncooperative…fonts grew and shrank randomly within the same post, posts extended out into the sidebar *le sigh*

    Also, I could not get the new blog to look as nice as the old one.

    When I went to bed, my eyes were dry with screen-peering and my heart was heavy with blog-snafu doom. I needed some assistance. I decided to ask my beloved Court Cards for a little helper today (ie not gin) to get it back on track and I pulled the guy at the top of the post: The Page of Wands from the Daniloff Tarot.

    Alexander Daniloff | Page of Wands | Tarot Thrones
    Page of Wands by Alexander Daniloff

    As a Page, the first message that I get is to approach the problems with a Beginner’s outlook – don’t make assumptions, don’t think that you know what to do, don’t try to be fancy. The Page of every suit is new, open, malleable …

    The Wands Page brings adventure, courage, action to the table. He is telling me to not be afraid, to go forward with a willingness to try, to see opportunity … and, in this image of the Page of Wands at least, be attentive and LISTEN to what’s out there!

    Also, maybe wear a hat with nice feather.

  • Beltane Tarot Blog Hop | What Lesson Can I Teach The World? |

    Beltane Tarot Blog Hop | What Lesson Can I Teach The World? |

    Photo of Ganesha by Jose Luis Sanchez Pereyra on Unsplash
    Lord Ganesha

    Blessed Beltane to you! May the coming 12 months be fertile and fecund in whichever ways you need them to be!  You have either stumbled here fortuitously or come from the Sacred Healing blog or the Willow Path blog – whichever path you walked to get here – sit down, you are very welcome here at Tarot Thrones.

    So, our challenge for this Beltane hop is to wax lyrical about the ‘Lesson I Can Teach The World’.  Reader, I trawled through the archives of my life looking for some profound and enriching gem to share with you, but could only come up with:

    (more…)

  • Full Moon Spread

    So I thought I’d come up with a Full Moon spread for the fans of the Wildwood Tarot over there in facebookland. Am popping it here in case it might be something that you want to add to your own toolbox.

    You can use any deck 🙂

    Focus on one aspect of your life that you seek clarity on and think about The Moon* card from your deck (it’s going to be acting as your totem in this spread).  Give your cards a good shuffle, face-side down. When you have shuffled sufficiently, turn your deck over, face-side up.

    Without changing the order of the cards in your deck, work your way through the upturned deck until you spot your Moon card.

    The card ON TOP (ie the card in front of, or before, The Moon) shows you the energies that can be embraced to gain clarity.

    The card BEHIND (ie after) The Moon will show you the energies that no longer serve you in this issue and can be let go to help bring clarity to the situation

    You don’t need to interpret The Moon card itself as it was acting as our sign post to find the best cards.

    * If your deck doesn’t have a Moon card, pick another card that has a prominent moon feature.  

  • Queen of Swords | Alexander Daniloff

    I have purchased a companion for the beautiful Queen of Hearts that was gifted to me by Alexander Daniloff: the Queen of Swords.
    Isn’t she pretty and sweet-natured? A far cry from the unhappy profile and bolt-upright sword that we associate with the Rider Waite Smith Queen of Swords, below.

    Often this lady is interpreted flatly as a woman alone/lonely with a harsh tongue as sharp as her sword:  Brainy, but not very nice.  This is certainly PART of the picture, but she is soooo much more than that!

    Add Alexander’s lovely Queen to your mental ‘Queen of Swords’ repertoire! Think of the word play of Dorothy Parker (‘if all the women in this room were laid end to end….I wouldn’t be at all surprised’).

    Alexander’s Queen is the woman at the party who can engage everyone in delightful conversation – chatting as easily with the children as she does with the Lords and Ladies of the land.

    She is a social butterfly – popular and witty.

    Her conversation can be as light as the clouds and as sweet as angels.

    But …

    Irritate her with your clumsy bumbling or try to impress her by embroidering on the truth (or out and out lying!) and you will be smacked down by the barb in her waspish comment.

    Be careful or it will be YOU who finds yourself frozen out of the party scene 🙂

    Fancy one of these paintings for yourself? Check out what Alexander has available here on his facebook page  or on his website

  • The Queen of Hearts | When Ali met Alexander

    Another sweltering hot Italian day. Another day where I whine pathetically about having a dodgy inner thermostat and bringing all the wrong clothes on holiday.  Honestly, Scottish people should really never go abroad…..

    Our Merry Band of 31 souls hopped onto our coach, drove out of the baking piazzas of the gorgeous city of Bologna and up into the blue and hazy hills of Riola to visit the Tarot Museum.

    The 400 year-old property that was once a shop has been magicked into a Tarot Museum by the hard work and arty touches of Ernesto Fazioli and Morena Poltronieri – two of our guides on our 14-day Tarot Tour.

    The view from the Museum garden is breathtaking. My God, if I had those mountains to look at every morning, you would never find me on facebook again!

    We had an action-packed afternoon ahead of us – not only were we going to meet and listen to some presentations by some of the inspiring artists and authors who had contributed towards decks published by the Museum, but also meet Tarot luminaries such as Andrea Vitelli, Giordano Berti and my own favourite, of course, Alexander Daniloff.

    And there would be GENUINE home-cooked Italian food!!!

    I was practically hyperventilating by the time we arrived (not just down to the heat and anticipation of the fab food!) but also nerves.  They say that you should never meet your heroes, right?

    The place was soon buzzing with Italian and English chatter and photo opportunities abounded.  There was some wine. Of which I partook. Of course.

    Our merry band of travelling Tarot dudes!
    Me and Alexander
    Those horizontal stripes are not helping me, are they?
    The Mitsubishi cap, it’s not helping either, right?

    I proudly handed out some of our rare TABI lapel pins.  I told the baffled recipients that I was the ‘Capo di TABI’.  See? Watching all those Godfather films HAS come in handy after all.  Although I don’t suppose I’ll ever have to do anything terribly interesting with a horse’s head. Stew perhaps 😀

    Every nook and cranny of the Tarot Museum is crammed with Tarot art, decks and books.  Every place that your gaze alights there is something intriguing going on – little doors to be opened, piles of books to be rifled through!

    Alexander Daniloff and his wife soon appeared and a fair old amount of hugging and kissing took place.  I presented him with a small glass for whisky (decorated with thistles) and also a small bottle of whisky (you cannot give a glass without whisky to put in it!) He looked happy and I was very glad that I had managed to smuggle the bottles through security at Heathrow (don’t ask, but I won’t be taking bottles of booze as presents anywhere abroad again!) **

    At this point Alexander reached into his knapsack and produced the original artwork for his Tarot decks….. Yes, THE artwork for the very deck that I have droned on and on and on about for YONKS was in my sweaty little paw, AT LAST!

    Just a handy size for stealing….. *looks innocent*

    With shaking hands, I – and my new American friends, Jessica and Roz – poured over the images.  We had no Italian and Alexander had very little English, but fluttery ‘we love your work’ noises are the same in any language!  Ah, but sadly these paintings were not for sale!!!

    Another folder deftly appeared and Alexander assured me that these images were for sale.  Ohmygollygosh.  My Euros started to burn a hole in my money belt……

    Eventually I decided on the lady whose image is right at the top of this blog post, the Queen of Hearts.  She was about E80.   I started fiddling about in my money belt and Mrs Daniloff and Alexander both mentioned the word ‘regalo’.  Regalo?! My Duolingo app had only got as far as: Dov’e la stazione? Dov’e la ristorante? Due Birre etc

    Gorgeous Andrea, our coach driver, was drafted in to clarify – a regalo is a gift.

    ‘Does Alexander really mean a discount?’ I venture, not wishing to embarrass myself or the Daniloffs.  ‘It’s a gift,’ confirmed Andrea.

    Yes, a GIFT!

    Well, there were TEARS, dear Reader.  What a kind and generous gesture – something that I can never hope to repay!

    There was even more hugging.  There was a LOT of kissing.  More snottering into my sleeves from me.

    Yes, you absolutely SHOULD meet your heroes!

    We are standing on a slope!!

    Could the day get any better? Indeed it could!!


    Stand by for another update that involves Giordano Berti (more kissing!) and a fantastic Tarot artist called Carmen Sorrenti!

    ** The embarrassment of having to ask esteemed author Caitlin Matthews whether she’d help me drink a couple of the small bottles of whisky rather than leave them behind in Heathrow Security will have my cheeks burning with shame for months! To her eternal credit though, she said that she was up for it if necessary.  It was 6.30am.  That woman is GAME!