Ariana's Archives

It doesn’t really matter which deck of tarot cards we use because the cards themselves are just a focal point for our intuition. The cards guide us and stimulate our psychic abilities but as we learn to trust our own intuition, we learn to rely on the cards less and ourselves more.

Sometimes it’s very difficult to trust our intuition. We are raised to be logical and often our logic will tell us that “it can’t be so” or “it doesn’t make sense. If we get pictures in our head or feelings in our gut, how do we know they are real and not just figments of our imagination? Time and practice are the best teachers. Eventually, we do learn that what may not make sense to us might make perfect sense to someone else.

One of my mentors was a third generation psychic. He always stressed the importance of trusting our own feelings and liked to tell the story of one of his students who was doing a public reading for the first time. The student’s client was a large, bald man who just sat quietly in front of her. The student was very nervous and took a long time to speak, but eventually said (in a very small voice) to the man, “would it make any sense at all to you if I said I see a very small man roller-skating on the top of your head?”

The bald man looked startled and then got tears in his eyes. “You can’t know how long I’ve waited to hear someone say that,” he told her. “Years ago, my best friend was dying of cancer. He didn’t believe in life after death and he said to me: ‘tell you what – if there’s such a thing as an afterlife, I’ll come back and roller-skate on the top of your head!’”

In today’s crazy, hectic, hurry up world, I often find myself looking for a glimmer of peace and quiet. Perhaps that’s why the Osho Zen appeals to me so much. Zen wisdom says events in the outer world are just a reflection of our own thoughts and feelings. If we understand our thoughts and feelings, we can then understand our world better.

So, what or who is Osho Zen? Osho was a guru who spent over thirty years of his life teaching. He wanted to be called “Osho” because it means “a sound that heals”. Osho taught that Zen is not a religion but a path, a style of life. Although Osho died in 1990 at the young age of 59, his messages are still taught today and his tarot cards are a way to find out what is happening in our lives.

The Osho Zen cards are beautiful. Some seem to be painted by the likes of Monet and some appear to have been scribbled by aliens, but they are all beautiful. Vibrant and alive but at the same time, soft and muted.

The cards are divided into four suits with 22 plus one extra Major Arcana cards (the extra card is “the Master”). The four suits represent the four elements (fire = wands, water = cups, rainbows = pentacles, and clouds = swords). All of the cloud cards are either cartoonish or troubled because Osho believed the human mind is either silly or troubled and becomes easily clouded. Of course, Osho reminds us, clouds “come and go and therefore, should not be taken too seriously”.

The Osho Zen cards are wonderful for self-readings and pulling one card a day can go far in promoting our growth and understanding. The book that comes with the cards actually has two comments on each card – one for the card itself and one for the message it is giving you. If one comment doesn’t reach you, the other one will.

These cards remind us that life is not about hiding out in some cave – but about being in the here and now and dealing with it. As the book says, “the Zen attitude towards life is that of laughter, of living, of enjoying, of celebrating. Zen is not anti-life - it is life affirming. It accepts all that is.”

Animals are not just fun, fur, and food. They teach us about every aspect of lives. Would we be able to fly today if the birds hadn’t inspired us? Did not the horse give us the freedom to move from place to place more easily? Would we know how to be courageous if there were no brave animals? Humans are not born compassionate, disciplined, kind, and forgiving. We have to learn these things and animals continue to be our greatest teachers. Without tools, animals build mounds, tunnels, shelters and dams. Without equal, animals teach endurance, tolerance, and respect. Without expectation or restriction, they give love freely. They help us to live in this world and they teach us about the spiritual world as well.

In our homes, in our fairy tales, in our dreams, it makes sense that animals would be on our Tarot cards as well. And they are – birds, dogs, horses, crabs, butterflies, bats, dragons – all kinds of animals on all kinds of cards. But, Ted Andrews has devoted his entire deck to nothing but animals, birds, and insects. The Animal-Wise Tarot features a variety of creatures as the Major Arcana. The rest of the deck is divided into the Winged Ones (swords), the Ancients (wands), the Four-Leggeds (pentacles) and the Shapeshifters (cups).

Some of the cards are easily read with obvious correlation to regular Tarot cards. For instance, the Bat represents Key XII, the Hanged Man in the Animal-Wise Tarot. Bats normally sleep with their heads hanging down. And Bat, like the Hanged Man, reflects a new perspective, the coming of a new awareness.

A little less obvious, the 10 of Winged Ones (the ten of swords in a regular tarot deck), is represented by the peacock. Of all birds, the peacock most resembles the legendary phoenix rising from the ashes to fly again. The markings on a peacock give it the appearance of having many eyes and we are reminded to look beyond our first glance, past the obvious as things are not quite as they seem. Also, the peacock has a very raucous, loud laughing sound which reminds us that although things might appear grim, if we keep our sense of humor, we can handle life much easier. The ten of swords does not seem quite so somber when represented by the proud peacock.

Encounters with animals are hidden messages for us. We see them on TV, in magazines, in dreams, in our homes and yards, everywhere. Ted Andrews knows his animals well. Using his deck for readings, for meditation, or for education helps us open our intuitiveness to the world around us. And when we understand the life around us, we learn more about life itself!

Tarot of the Cat People
By Karen Kuykendall

“If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve the man, but deteriorate the cat.” – Mark Twain

Anyone who has ever had a cat knows that most of the things said about them are true – cats are indeed (among other things) mysterious, independent, changeable, finicky, daring, bizarre, resourceful, loving, intuitive, and entertaining. They are obvious inspirations for Tarot cards and have become just that in The Tarot of the Cat People by Karen Kuykendall.

Ms. Kuykendall, who was born in 1928, was ahead of her time, experiencing various and successful careers as an artist, author, teacher, costume designer, and even a medieval furniture designer. But it was her ten cats and her love for science fiction that inspired her to create the Cat People Tarot deck as well as a guide of the same name. The guide describes the Outer Regions which are wild and unpredictable, but where the Cat People live in harmony with nature, rather than fighting it or trying to control it. There are five kingdoms in the Outer Regions, which correspond to the Major Arcana and the four suits of the minor arcane.

Each card has the appropriate, meaningful feline on it. For example, the Emperor walks with the regal and proud snow leopard. The Sun, of course, features the large lion head radiating the life force of the universe. Very loving and contented cats loll about on the ten of cups. Other cards feature panthers, bobcats, jaguars, tigers, alley cats, black cats, fat cats, and stray cats.

The artwork on the cards is intricate, detailed, and beautiful. Colors are muted and earthy. Card interpretation is easy, especially for those who know and love cats. The Tarot of the Cat People is offered as a single deck or a deck and book set. Either way, it is a purr-fect treasure.

I can’t remember when I’ve felt such an instant rapport with a Tarot deck. “Songs for the Journey Home” by Dwariko von Sommaruga and Catherine Cook is described as “Alchemy through Imagery – a Tarot Pathway”. I describe it as deliciously comfortable and just what I’ve been waiting for.

This was my first experience with a round deck and I was afraid it would be awkward. But the cards are small (4"), shuffle easily, and feel, oh, so good. They come wrapped in lilac tissue paper inside a small, foldout square box. You realize immediately that this deck is special. And the 198-page book with the deck is a fountain of information with stories from both Dwariko and Catherine, a complete description of each card, myths, creative visualization, and tarot reflections (including spreads).

The Major Arcana in “Songs” are called “life songs” – they deal with our life lessons and the journeys we must take. They follow traditional Majors except that Temperance is called “Renewal” here, Judgment is “Beyond Judgment” and the World becomes “Homecoming”.

The four suits, representing the four elements, become wind, earth, wave, and flame. The Court Cards are referred to as “Shell Songs” to represent the masks we wear, the shells we put around us, the roles we play. This is one of my favorite aspects of the deck as it makes the court cards so much easier to understand.

Pages are called Innocence

Knights are Awakening

Queens are Creating

Kings are Resolving

Thus, Flame Resolving (like the King of Wands) realizes his dreams through hard work and persistence. His journey has resolved into wisdom and self-acceptance of who he is. Wave Innocence is the vulnerable, daydreaming child – Wind Awakening has purpose and fearlessly rushes in.

A complaint I hear often is “no pictures on the pips” – The “Songs” deck has plenty of pictures on the Minor Arcana. Here the pips are called “Hearth Songs” and they follow the same patterns as the Courts….the first wave song, the tenth wind song, the third flame song, etc.

Although these cards may seem complicated at first, they speak to some inner knowing and become easily understood very quickly. I’m one of those illogical, directionally challenged, two left feet persons, but I can figure these cards out – they speak to me. They speak of earth, wind, air, fire, time eternal, Mother Earth, Stars, Moons, and Suns. They speak firmly but also gently and with the knowledge that we are not perfect. They speak knowingly of journeys taken and journeys yet to be made. They speak of hope, optimism, joy, and love.

This is a deck I have waited a long time for….it was worth the wait.

Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm).
If your browser doesn't support Java, and the card images aren't appearing
CLICK HERE to view the cards

To purchase this deck, visit
www.tarotjourney.co.nz

The Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot

a deck by Graham Cameron

reviewed by Arielle, CTI

Do you know what a “phantasmagoric theater” is? I didn’t – and I must admit I didn’t really care either. Not at first.

But then a fellow reader used this deck for a reading and I was entranced.

Phantasmagoric Theater: (as per Webster’s dictionary) “a continuously shifting sequence of figures or images, as seen in a dream.”

And, of course, the dream that immediately comes to mind with this deck is “The Nightmare Before Christmas”!! A mix between this movie and cartoon characters, the figures on these cards are delightfully strange. Most have large heads and stitched mouths. Nobody is beautiful or perfect. They are alien and surreal characters – but at the same time, very familiar and comfortable.

The Little White Booklet that comes with the deck provides a mini-story that we can relate to and at the same time smile about. On the six of swords, we see “The Lunatic of Negativity dances on top of his turret, he is in need of help. A neighbor is leaving this place of great danger, taking herself to more harmonious surroundings to find a solution to the problem.” For the eight of wands: “Being part of the circus guarantees plenty of activity and movement. Here is Fingerpin with two of his road crew. The time has arrived for the Fire Wand Circus to move on toward new land. Great opportunities await them and so they travel with positive feelings.” The three of cups shows two alien type figures and one figure that looks like some child’s much- loved stuffed animal – all sharing a good time and drinking from their cups.

This deck operates on the theory that “all the world is a stage” and we are all just playing out our parts. Which parts have we already played? Which roles are ahead of us? This deck makes finding out a true adventure!

************************************* ***********************************

Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot (ISBN 1-57281-195-1) is published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 179 Ludlow St., Stamford, CT 06902 USA www.usgamesinc.com