Amun Ra Tarot

I have just discovered (or, rather, I have just had pointed out to me) the Amun Ra Tarot – a deck in progress by RF Savage. I’m not going to post any images here for fear of stepping on anyone’s copyrighted toes, but I urge you to – nay, insist that you – visit the site.

Be warned. There is nudity, and fire, and lots of pointy-looking teeth. I suppose you could consider some images disturbing…but don’t. To do so would be to deny yourself the joy of studying the meticulous details and vibrant colours in each card, which would be a crime.

It’s a bit Thothy (quite a lot Thothy actually), and maybe also a bit Cosmic Taroty, but mostly it’s very Amun Ra-y. The creator admits it will probably take decades to complete. I say, you’ve got 21 cards already…publish us a majors-only version and that should keep us happy for a while (though, probably not until you’re a hundred).

It’s also listed at Aeclectic if you’d rather not see any flames.

Shining Tribe – 6 of Birds

I had a little free time this afternoon and on a whim decided to create my own version of a card from the Shining Tribe Tarot. The card I chose to copy was the 6 of Birds, for no other reason than it seemed quite nice.

I traced the outline onto card and then added the individual elements in freehand. Never again will I dare to judge Rachel Pollack’s drawing ability - it’s a lot harder than it looks!

Anyway, here’s her card and my copy:

I haven’t coloured it in yet and may not do. I think it would be fun to create – or, rather, recreate – the whole deck this way. It was a great way to get acquainted with the card and consider the possible symbolic meanings. To me, the large bird above the sleeping woman’s head seems like a guardian, protecting her and watching over her as she dreams. Just as the stones form a protective circle around her. And the snake slithering beneath her represents her dreams, which flash with hidden meaning and insight in her resting mind.  

A 4-star review!

Solandia has just posted a very positive review of Tarot Stripped Bare over at Aeclectic Tarot. It got 4 stars, don’t-you-know?

I’m beginning to think maybe we didn’t do such a bad job after all.

A Work in Progress (Maybe)

Today I remembered a deck I was designing about a year and a half ago. My big plan was to finish it in a few months – or, at least, finish the majors – and then publish it to great acclaim or something like that. I sort of fizzled out (as I tend to do ) after a few cards.

Anyway, I’ve been looking back at it this evening and maybe it is worth salvaging. I’d actually only finished eight cards, and half of them I’m not that happy with. But I rather like these - the Fool, the High Priestess, the Star and the Sun:

   

   

Anyway, I just thought I’d share, seeing as this may be the only exposure they’ll ever get…

My New Daily Reading

I never really got much from the ‘Mind-Body-Spirit’ type of three-card spread. But as I was thinking about this a few days ago, I realised it wasn’t completely useless – I just needed to make some adjustments. So now I have a new 3-card spread that I’m using every morning and so far, it seems to be working very well.

I ask for advice for the day in the following areas:

1 – THOUGHTS. What should I focus my thoughts on? What do I need to pay attention to?

2 – DEEDS. What should I do? Where should I focus my energy today?

3 – RELATIONSHIPS. How should I relate to others today? What approach will help me?

As an example, here’s my reading from this morning. At the moment I’m using Kat Black’s beautiful Golden Tarot:

1 – THOUGHTS – 8 OF PENTS : Last night I went to bed thinking about the idea of craftmanship and vocation. As I drew this card this morning, it encouraged me to keep pondering this issue and how it is perhaps absent from my life.

2 – DEEDS – 10 OF WANDS : This card told me to shoulder a burden. Early in the afternoon, I spotted an opportunity to do just that, and stepped in to take over from someone whose work was beginning to back up. This paid off later in the afternoon as we both managed to avoid a big last minute rush.

3 – RELATIONSHIPS – KING OF SWORDS : This card told me to use careful judgement and objectivity today – to not get drawn into any petty squabbles. This turned out to be good advice and I managed to stay impartial when someone I came into contact with got into a heated argument with their ex.