DTC: Seven of Spears

Daily Tarot Card:

Seven of Spears

Arch of the Twelve Kings

This is a lovely card for today.  

I find this card to be very soothing.  It depicts 2 soldiers/Knights resting under an arch.  This arch is well light with statues of Kings set in the walls.  Each king is softly glowing with the color of candle light.  The top of the arch is decorated with a floral garland.  The arch feels like it is place of worship or reflection.  It would be someplace to go when you need guidance.

Usually I read this card as taking time to reflect and gather your bearings.  A quite moment of Zen before moving on with your plans.  Which is very different from the imagery in other decks.

DTC: The Hanged Man

Daily Tarot Card

The Hanged Man
Major Arcana #12

Castle Perilous

Today I actually drew a card from the Major Arcana! I am surprised. Normally these cards are elusive in my readings. I will need to do a post later on what the Major Arcana is and how these 22 cards stand apart. But that will be later, for now lets just keep in mind that these are the big cards.

That being said I do not like my card today. It is a sad/depressing scene. You have come upon a an army hanging in the grove outside a castle. It looks like this may be the lane into the castle. These men appear to have been laying siege to the castle, as evident by their camp behind them. the knights are hung and their right leg and arm are bound behind them. The trees are barren, the grass is brown, and overall it feels grey in the picture. I look and look for that little bit of bright light, that small glimmer of hope and I just cannot find it.

Typically this is a card of stagnation and feeling trapped for which its is spot on. In most other decks the man is hung upside down and alive and thus hope is given that it will be better. It is meant to represent self sacrifice and mediation. The Arthurian deck makes it more difficult because the card depicts death from the men to the trees and even to the very grass!

Castle Perilous: The would-be champions of Lady Lyones hang in the trees, unable to free her or themselves. Eager to make a name for himself, the Knight Ironside held Lyones hostage in Castle Perilous, hoping to attract the rescue attempts of the Knights of the Round Table. Many knights came and failed, but still the opponents Ironside wished to face, namely Gawain and Lancelot, had not come to take up his challenge. In a further effort to lure the chosen knights, Ironside began the grizzly custom of hanging his fallen opponents in the trees for all to see. Arthur eventually sent the young Gareth to challenge Ironside. On his arrival, Gareth counted forty knights amongst the trees. This sight enraged Gareth and gave him the strength to overcome Ironside, the Red Knight of the Red Laundes.

May be I should not be focusing on the men, the Card is named for the Castle not the men.  The Castle holds the Lady, she is trapped and waiting.  Possible I should look at this card and see the failures as just that a failed attempts, and that with proper motivation (not death a destruction) that circumstances will change.   That with patience and planning one can change and rescue the lady?

I do understand why this card is showing up in my life.  I will not be posting a recap, it is personal and not something I want to discuss on a public forum.

Daily Tarot: Nine of Cups

Daily Tarot Card

Nine of Cups

The Healing of the Maimed King

I must be a cup person. I really like the imagery in the cups. This card feels warm to me, the main colors that you see are reds and orange light falling on the people in the card. Makes me think of the sunrise and a fresh start. The center of the card you can see a person tending to another on a stone bed in the forest. Normally that would make me think of end (the bed looks a great deal like a funeral bed) but the colors reminding of morning and starting fresh makes me reconsider the death toll to the card. If it was an ending I would expect cool colors of the evening. The title of the card also leads me to think otherwise, healing of the Maimed King. I am looking at healer working in the woods saving his king who was thought to be lost to his woods (my justification for the funeral looking bed).

I get a very different feeling when I see this card in the RW deck. I think more of greed and self satisfaction. A man sits in front of his nine cups looking very happy with himself.

I am hoping that this means today will be good day to start my new adventure.

AL/RW/CD

*recap*

Yesterday was a a good day.  I started a new adventure in my dancing and it went really well.  I was not as nervous about starting new things yesterday.

Daily Tarot: Eight of Swords

Daily Tarot Card
Eight of Swords
~Gwenevere at the Stake~

This card depicts the title perfectly. Center of the card is the fair Gwenevere being chained to her stake. She is scared and wildly pulling away from her fate. No matter how hard she struggles her hands and feet remain bound as the "monk" prepares her for what must be done. This card is the saddest card in the minor arcane for me. It fills me with hopeless efforts to change, bring trapped but desperately seeking freedom.

Other decks do have a figure trapped and/or bound but they are not in such immediate danger. Often they give the sense one is trapped by themselves and one's own mind. But in AL it feels more grim, death is behind her pulling her in. Where in RW she (also female) she is simply bound on a plain or beach unsure what is to happen but feeling trapped by what it may be.

I drew this card first thing this morning after bed dreams last night. I think the deck grabbed on to my unease of the dream and found the card to explain myself in the dream. Well played deck, well played.

AL/CD/RW/Phantom Wise (out of print)

Daily Tarot: Six of Spear

Daily Tarot Card

Six of Spears (reversed)

~The Return of Ambrosius~

The victors return.  This card is a celebration, a commander returning home victorious.  But we see this in reverse, turned on it's head.  For today this is not a card of celebration.  I will not think it utterly devoid of happiness but it is not a celebration anymore.  Possible in reverse this card is more returning home by the narrowest of margins or at some loss.  The castle is happy for those that have returned but remembering at what cost.

Six of spears carries this image of a joyous triumphant return in the Rider Waite deck.  The Celtic Dragon takes another image.  It still gives the impression of achievement but not a return.  I like the idea of the returning triumphant.

This card feels like a warning for today.  With the good will come the bad.  Tempering joy with reality.

Athurian/Rider Waite/Celtic Dragon/Shadowscape

*recap*
I was utterly exhausted on this day.  Nothing out the normal occurred.  I am doing this update 2 days later so I may not be remembering properly.

Daily Tarot: Seven of Cups

Daily Tarot Card

Seven of Cups (reversed)

~The Questing Beast~

I love the seven of cups.  It always a whimsical card.  The Arthurian deck depicts the questing beast for this task.  A golden creature of wonder and amazement caught stretching in a beam of sunlight upon it's rocky outcrop ready to jump out into the forest beyond to seek the future.  The card brings about that sense of wonderment and bright aspects.  It just makes me feel good and makes me smile.  Oddly enough this card seems more realistic when reversed, all the creativity and whimsy but a good realism along with it.

As I said this is the card for whimsy.  All my decks depict something wonderful.  Typically it depicts a person choosing from six cups with wondrous or magical fillings.

Arthurian/Rider Waite/Celtic Dragon/Joie de Vivre Tarot 

*recap*
This was the day I auditioned for a dance troupe.  I did make the troupe.

Daily Tarot: King of Swords

Daily Tarot Card

King of Swords (upright)

~Mordred~

The artwork for this card is wonderfully detailed.  Mordred is depicted on his throne staring straight at you, intently.  HE is the center of this card.  You are drawn to his face where you see a man of intelligence and cunning.  But knowing the story of Mordred, there is a shadow of something dark in those eyes.  The room seems a bit darker as only one small fire in front of him is the light source.  My initial reaction is always male, intelligent, and tactful.  So to me this card represents a tactician,someone who is cunning and just a tad ruthless in his quest.

Swords always seem a bit menacing to me.  They are instruments of death, beautiful and deadly.  Rider Waite Kings all seem the same to me.  Celtic Dragon shows a King deep in thought with a fire drake, I still get that sense of intelligence and tactician but it lacks the menace and cunning.

Today I am going to spending time with my family which makes me feel like I am eggshells.  I will plan everything I say, do, and wear with them in mind.  This is not what I should be thinking about but that is how approach the day with them.  Today will be keeping my plans in mind.  yes, there is stuff unsaid and it will remain unsaid.

Daily Tarot: Six of Cups

Daily Tarot Card

Six of Cups (upright)

-In Ectors Keeping-

This card just makes me smile.  I love seeing it come up.  The card shows a swimming hole and youths taking time to enjoy it's cool waters.  I can practically hear the shouts and laughs filling the air.  The first thing I think of when this card appears is nostalgia and remembering happy times.

In my other decks, I do not feel that overwhelming sense of nostalgia but I still see that youthful carfree time.  It feels like this card is meant to be one of looking back to your youth or taking time to enjoy what is around you.

I am always living with one foot behind me.  I am always looking over my shoulder at what has been.  I think I will make more of an effort today to look at the bright spots, and enjoy the small things around me.  Smile to brighten my day all day.

Arthurian Legends/ Celtic Dragon / Rider-Waite

*Looking back on yesterday*

Again work was being trial.  It is silly I know and I know it will be resolved, I just hate having to remind others what they need to be doing.  I was trying to keep this card in mind today.  i was using it as my guide so to say.  So when things got to point of utter annoyance, I went for a walk to clear my head and enjoy a few moments in the sun.  When I came back it was much easier to adjust.  I also made more of an effort to smile and be cheery.  Overall I think the day went very well.

Favorite Card

If you have spent time reading Tarot in public.  Someone will eventually ask you "What is your favorite card?"  This is such a hard question for me to answer.

Honestly, it depends.  It depends on the deck (or decks) I am using.  It depends on how well my cards like me that day.  It depends on the flow of the readings.  It also depends on if you are asking what is my favorite card based on artwork or meaning.  This is not a simple question!  It does vary deck to deck (especially the artwork question).  I hate to pin one card down.

I have 3 decks that is primarily use and one that is an alternate.  I then have 3-4 decks that I just collected and don't use for readings.

I will answer for artwork for each primary deck.  That card seems to change the least.  I may pull a card from my collection decks to show off as well. Most often The Strength card is my favorite card. Both in symbolism and artwork.

From left to right: Celtic Dragon; Arthurian, and Rider Waite.

Bonus card:

Amy Brown Oracle Cards