The Touchstone Tarot

The Touchstone Tarot
by Kat Black 

I was going through my stash of favorite Tarot Cards, and seen this deck. It's lovely box enclosing the golden, gilded, large, and lovey cards. I started going through the deck, and since I have watched 'The White Queen' by Phillipa Gregory, over and over, I love that time in history. Love the clothing, the dancing, the manners of politeness. I could not put the deck down. Now that I have read every book I could find about that era, I picked up Kat's, very well written accompanying book, and re-read it. Actually until 2:00 this morning. !

The first card I want to draw attention to is her Introduction Card....and it is so quaint! Not only are you given a phrase to say over the cards as you shuffle them, you are given this advice from a lady in the most divine, bejeweled clothing and hair dressing! 

Then I went on to find my favorite card from her Touchstone Tarot Deck, and it would have to be the Chariot Card,#7. Her headdress has an angelic phoenix with white feather plumes.....and she is in control of her chariot, dressed elegantly, even pearls at her neck. Her face is serene, and her goal is in reach. A white dove fly's behind her, watching over her. And a golden wrap, flows in the wind....she is on the move. I adore her. 

I looked for the Card I liked least....and it would be this 3 of Swords. Clothing of mourning, stormy skies gathering, her eyes look terrified, and she holds the 3 swords close to herself. Could this be 3 people that have hurt her? That she thought were friends, close to her? Like deadly hurt her? In Kats accompanying book, it suggests this is Katherine Howard, Henry the 8th's, 5th wife, that followed in the footsteps of her cousin Anne Boleyn. Once she was his 'Rose without a thorn' now she is to be gone. Like forever.  This part of history I'm not crazy about....but I can see how we have not evolved so much. Look how women are still being treated in other countries. And sometime in our own country. This card saddens me, and when drawn for a reading, I pause. I am very careful to look at the other cards that surround it, to see the most accurate way I can interpret this for my reading. 

The last card is the 9 of Cups....and it confuses me. At first. I had to sit with it, think about it. It typically represents joy, getting your wishes fulfilled, happiness. Yet, this man does not seem happy to me. But when I studied it,  he is older, has lived a long, healthy, life...that is a gift. He has had 9 wishes fulfilled....all of them still sharp in his memory, as they sit on a shelf that aligns with his upper head. And his memory being sharp, I think he fondly remembers each golden cup. Some could be something he could never tell anyone about, some of those are the best stories! And he is dressed in a lush fur coat, rich indeed. And a golden wedding band still adorns his left hand. He is not alone. He has someone to share his life and his joy with. She could be one of those golden cups. The memory, like the movie, "The Notebook" of someone you love so much, you cannot literally live without.  No doubt, children. And grandchildren. But his life is his wish, all come true. There is a bowl of cherries on the counter, and the saying,' life is like a bowl of cherries, it comes with the pits.' That can be true...but toss them aside and savor the cherries.  I can imagine sitting with him in a lovely old library, filled with books and cherished items. Memories all around him....happy ones. .
Silence, then he slowly starts to open up to me, and his life is very blessed, and rich. And he is most grateful. Now I love this card. 

Take out a deck you have, and find out 3 cards, you love, hate, and one card that don't know what you think about it. Journal on it. And it will open up to you. 
Thank you Kat, for your Art, your Passion, and please keep creating!   Linda

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

This year is 2014, so I have added it’s numbers up and it equals ‘7.’ Which is the Chariot Card in the Tarot deck. !!!  A divine card to have this year. Honestly.  Do you see all the images in this card?

Taking Action, Being in Control, the 2 horses give you a choice, which way? Either one is the right way. The Wings of a Angel….you are graced with focus and determination. No sitting on the couch this year, you will be up and moving, literally, moving….a new home, a new job, a new lover, something new, and if not what you want, on to what you do want. 

 

 

I have divided the Tarot Cards for each number of this New Year, 2,0,1,4. And we have :

The High Priestess

The Fool

The Magician

The Emperor
What a line up!  

The wisdom you have been adding to by, reading, studying, listening, knowing deep within your mind, that you have needed to keep a heads up attitude…..is now right there for you to call upon. Front and ready….

Don’t get so serious that you forget to have a bit of fun and make some crazy memories this year. Keep the camera handy, and take your friends and family up on impulse journeys, get together, zany birthday parties….follow you instincts, trust yourself, bring your dog alone and remember, the journey is really the lesson. The goal will be reached, then you will knock it up another notch, and off you go again. Keep that smile on your face and joy in your heart, that is what it is really all about.

Look what you have created! It has been simmering in the back of your mind, and you play with the idea….now, is the time to bring it out and tweak it, finish it, get it ready to be used, and in a big way. You cannot even imagine how far this will go, so don’t speak limits on it…just keep the faith and watch it go. You are talented beyond anything you have ever thought. And this year, you will have tools placed on the table of life right in front of you, and you will know how to use them, and how to bless and be blessed with them. A very good year. Go to some New Years Eve Party and really Party! This coming year will be worth dancing on the table with the lampshade on your head! Send pictures, please!   Linda

 

This lovely Tarot Deck is designed by Ciro Marchetti, It is the Tarot of the Divine Legacy. Check out his site, and all his beautiful Tarot and Oracle Decks.  Thanks, Ciro!

8 of Swords

I have not posted on my Tarot Blog, for over a year. There is a good reason, I was hurt in a car accident, and have been slowly, really slowly, recovering. I have had many hours to read, and play with my cards. One day, I was shuffling through the Gilded Tarot Deck designed wonderfully by Ciro Marchetti, and found one card that stood out for me. This card depicts how I feel….and how this past year has been.

Knocked to your knees…humbled and in a prayerful position.

Blindfolded….not seeing the car that hit me, and unable to see when I will feel completely healed. Time to go within, focus on what I can do, go with the lesson; look at this from another angle. Surrender into feeling helpless and actually needing friends and family to help me….learning to ask for help. Not easy. Even when I cannot see, when this place is going to be over, I have no power to make it happen sooner. Just relax and stay in this moment.

Hands being bound, by chains….ugh. Stop trying to fix it, and cannot do one thing to change it.

She seems to be suspended, not on the ground (no solid ground), in an unfamiliar place.

8 Swords surrounding her. 8 is usually a number that represents Strength. In the Major Arcane is it the Strength Card. The bad news, she is stuck. Any way she tries to move out of this dark hole, she is unable to. And it’s not just one issue; it is 8 things that you will deal with. The good news, you will get through this, you will come out of this test, stronger and wiser. You will learn to ask for what you need, and you will find out who your friends are, and who could care less.

The white gown….could be a soft nightgown. Go to bed, read, pray, sleep. Let your body and mind heal. And the color white, she could be innocent. Not her fault, or bad karma, in any way. It just happened. Keep the innocence, trust the process. Don’t blame yourself, or anyone else. It just is.

I am a Seamstress, and love to use fabric to create Artsy Fabric Items. I have already gathered the items to re-create a fabric version of this Tarot Card. I have posted a picture of what I am putting into this project. As I go through each phase of creation, I will post pictures and thoughts that float up, and play with this 8 of Swords. I am giving myself a one month goal, to have it finished…..and then I will choose another card, and recreate it into something using fabric and embellishments. This seems to me, a great way to work with the painful parts of this experience, and create something lovely from it. Stay tuned…!

Cards for Today

Using the Universal Fantasy Tarot....today I drew 3 cards, just for fun!

It appears I need to stop thinking of all the many things I need to get finished...and focus....really focus on maybe just 3 things to get finished today.

One is post on this blog! Another was organizing my office, easier to find my desk now. And maybe the last one would be to finish an apron I started on last week. It was a Battengerg lace, full size bed skirt, my daughter Jona gave to me...

I like it, but wasn't using it, so I chopped it up and am re-designing it into a really cute layered vintage apron. Will post it here when it is done....

It appears I get 2 things done, as the 2 of Pentacles is the last card in the line up of the 8 of Pentacles (look at all the things I need to climb that ladder and tweak!) then the 3 of Pentacles (stop, really focus and go into detail mode!) and get 2 things finished and dance around the room about it. !!! Have a great day...

Tarot Tells the Tale

There are so many ways to play with the Tarot Cards.....I honestly dislike seeing someone keep them in silk, in a wooden box, only to be brought out to use during certain phases of the Moon. To me, they are a tool, and a toy, and a gift. The answers are inside of us....they, the Tarot, give us the same answers via pictures, telling fascinating, detailed stories. On my Blog post tonight, I chose to use an example from James Ricklef's book, 'Tarot Tells the Tale.' A wonderful, fun and informative book for Tarot enthusiasts, I must say! He has chosen people from history, given them a voice, let them ask for a reading, and drawn cards on what the answer would have been. I loved it, and would recommend it to anyone to read and learn from!

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel

 One of my hero's. At my daughter Johnna's suggestion, I watched this movie, and had to buy it. Just loved it. Then I found this book, 'The Gospel According to Coco Chanel' by Karen Karbo. Once I opened it, I could not put it down. Excellent writing style, and all the details of Coco's life, I now held in my hands! Maybe the reason I adore her, is she looks alot like my Grandmother Evelyn. Who was a Seamstress, and worked for Fabric Companies flying all over the world as a stylish Fashionista, highly Independent, and quite Couture. I also am a Seamstress/Designer, and have many things in common with Coco. I truly admire her.

If Coco were sitting across from me, let's say she is in the rowdy bar, she one time sang in, with her sister. They were entertainers, would sing and dance, then pass a hat around the room to gather enough money to barely live on. And let's pretend, she would take a moment, to pick up a glass of her favorite wine, and pause to join me in the corner, and ask what her life would be like......

I would lay out the first 3 cards, and later, after explaining those 3 cards to her, I would draw one more card from the bottom of the deck.....

Using the Fenestra Tarot Deck, I draw the 3 of Swords, the 9 of Pentacles, and the Queen of Swords.

Coco, what I see is much pain and sadness in your past. Your tender little heart has been broken, and not just once, but many times, and there will be scars you will carry forever. But that is behind you....You have a Divine talent to make money, actually be very wealthy, believe it or not! You have on man's slacks...you study men and learn from them how the financial world thrives, and you build your empire upon many of their ideas, yet you make them your own.  In your future, you will become famous, a severe Queen, that puts up with nothing, except the very best. Almost like Life owes you something....as it will seem to take away from you some of the things you love. Your sharpened sword, may be your sharpened scissors you literally redesign women's clothing with. And you will go down in history books, as a woman that would not take 'no,'  for an answer. You could do whatever you decided you could do, and you never gave up. I see no men in these 3 cards....so I do not believe you will choose to marry. But I do believe many men will ask you to be their wife. The scars from the little child within you, Gabrielle, may cause you to keep your heart to yourself. I don't think very many people will know the real Coco....as she is shy and fragile. I believe you will need that outer veneer of coolness, to protect you. For the right man, you will have passion, for the others, you have disdain. You will be a very smart, talented, wealthy woman.  The last card was on the bottom of the Tarot deck, the Magician! I see it as the unspoken Lesson of your life.....and it is a fantastic card to have, to hang on to and remember! You have many gifts life has given you, and you will learn how to use them to accomplish whatever you desire to do. You honestly are a Magician....turning bolts of fabric into stunning, ladies gowns. Your very own line of Clothing, your own Creations.  Your name will never be forgotten. It is like a fragrance from the flowers that surround the Magicians table....it will reveal the soft, sensual side of you. Elusive......and impacting. Never doubt yourself, you have an inner strength that will guide you, and protect you. Some you will be very happy, and amazed at how far you have come, and a part of you will live on, with your name and your story,  never forgotten.

 

If you get the chance to see the movie or read this book, do it!   She followed her passion, never let the pain she walked through break her spirit, she is a fantastic inspiration for women today!

Don't let life break your spirit.....it is your essence.....your gift to your children and life!

Stones

Stones

I was wandering around a Bookstore in town, when this book stood out to me. Healing Stones by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn. I have never been a fan of Christian fiction books, but this one grabbed my attention. I bought it, brought it home, and could not put it down. I understand some people do not see how I can be a Christian, and a Tarot Card Reader. Well, I am. I was born into a religious family, and have struggled with what I honestly believe, and what I was taught to believe. And I am at peace with my faith, with Jesus, and with the cards.

This is a story about a woman, a woman that did everything right to make a wonderful home and have the perfect marriage. Then she fell in love with another man, and had an affair. A very public affair. She meets a unorthodox psychologist and begins to delve into what and why this happened. And as he began working with her, this is no easy job, as she thinks she knows why it happened. And yet, she really doesn't. As they go into short sessions, he drops questions, like pebbles, for her to ponder. She is being blamed, by her friends, colleges, family, everyone.....for the demise of the marriage. And riddled with guilt, she accepts the blame. And questions, where is God in all this mess? 

During one conversation, Sully, the counselor, asks her how she is doing....and she answers, she feels like she is being stoned. You remember in the Bible, when you committed adultery, you were stoned to death. Seems we haven't learned as much as we think, as we still point fingers, and want to place blame on someone. Some guilty party.  And you are stoned, word by word, you feel like you are being tortured, little by little, you die. Maybe no one can see it, but you feel it. And part of your Soul dies. Sully asks her, who do you see, holding the stones? She rattles off all the people she thought were her friends, family, by name. And especially, her soon to be ex husband. He is holding the biggest stone. 

Affairs are never about sex. They are about someone that listens to you. And this wise, nutty, counselor, takes her back in time, to what her life was like, way before this other man came in the picture. Her husband was busy, distant. Expected her to take care of the house, kids, everything he really didn't want to deal with. That was what a good Godly wife should do. And she did it. Not as a couple, but as this is her job,  just do it and God will fix all the problems. And don't question the husband, as he has a job also, and so much pressure, leave him alone. Don't burden him with your stuff. So, slowly, like stone by stone, resentment builds up. No big fights. Just quietly.....stone by stone. And you know how a beautiful meadow creek is, when the water is running over the stones in the bottom, it is soothing, and clear. You can see every stone. They just sort of show up, and fit together.

I had taken this picture this summer at a park, and loved the way the stones were laying, and the different colors. So I posted it for you to see.

Then I looked through my Tarot Cards, the Initiatory of the Golden Dawn Tarot Deck is used here. I looked for a card with stones on the bottom of the card. And I found it, The Devil. These stones are packed in there. No getting them out. Each one represents something one of these people are holding against the other person. This is the same pose as the Lovers Card, but love is gone now. And fear, feeling chained to each other, and believing you are in a living hell, is where this couple are standing right now.

What if you could honestly go back in time, to the first stone. And give it a name. And as a married couple, both of you could look at it, and love it, forgive it. Toss it away. Far away. And as the stones in life, start to pile up, fall down and we just walk over them, not really looking at, what we choose to not see. Don't rock the boat, no confrontation. Whatever you do, don't fight in front of the children. Act like everything is fine. Yet, you both know it's not. And what really got my attention, is how the counselor presented it to her.....one person cannot do this alone. And one person cannot have an affair alone. She had been alone in her marriage for so long...she numbed herself out by staying busy. By doing everything, keeping all the bases covered. And tried not to bother him, her husband, with her problems. He taught her to do it all herself. He taught her to leave him alone. And she learned her job very well. Then one day, a man, it could be any man, was kind to her. Talked to her and listened to her. And that was all it took. She had found a friend.

Then I looked for a Tarot Card with no stones in it. And I found The Star. Just beauty, peace, and 2 pitchers being poured by a naked, innocent woman, into peaceful waters. This chic is hiding nothing. She has told him everything, her husband, and he has listened. He has helped her pick up the stones that would block the flow of passion, love, friendship, they had at one time. Look at how high the water is, and how lovely. And they can find love again, if both of them are willing to see, who placed the stone there. And why. And they both can pick it up together, and do something else with it. How about building a real loving home with it? It could be the foundation, all the stones.....bathed in forgiveness, could now hold up the home. Hold them together. Instead of apart.

The Tarot is a pack of pictures, that bring up memories, thoughts, answers that are within you already. You just don't know it yet. And beyond fear, hate, unforgettable things, can be forgiveness. And that is where I need my Faith, as I cannot do it alone. None of us can.

As soon as you trip over the stone, pick it up, listen to it, show it to the person that hurled it at you, and talk about it. Forgive, and toss it far away.   Linda

Sad

Sad.

As I chat with friends on Facebook this morning, a new chat window pops up.

It is my friend Clarence. He is someone I met years ago, while I was doing Tarot Reading in Elaine's lovely little bookstore, 'Renaissanse.'

He has been a minister, missionary, inventor, designer of meditation gardens, a painter of beautiful pictures, and now is nearly famous for his spiritual tweets, bits of divine wisdom going all around the world....daily.

Last week he went in for some medical tests, biopsies, you name it. Short of breath, thought it might be his heart. And what a huge, precious heart, he has. But it was his lungs. An incurable, rare, lung disease. Go home, deal with it. Merry Christmas.

If there are Angels in human bodies, whispering words of comfort, words of wisdom, words to make us stay here, on planet earth, and not want to go 'home' until our mission here is complete.....he is an Angel. When I ask, what can I do? How can I help? He answered, 'pray.'  And I am. 

5 of Swords. 5 words......An incurable, rare, lung disease.

Swords are forged in fire, and ice cold when perfected. I wonder what is the most painful....the struggle to breathe, the Doctor's honest answers, or the faces of his grandchildren as they grasp to understand what this means.

I believe in miracles, and so does he. Many mornings you will find him in a tiny chapel, sitting silently, reverently, waiting. For the whisper of Wisdom to float up in his heart, to tweet, to spiritually starving souls, across the waters. We all have a pulpit. Just like Moses....when he was arguing with God about how he could not do, any of the things God was asking him to do. And God said, 'What is that in your hand?'  Moses said, numbly, 'a staff?' And God started to show him how many miraculous things He could do with that simple Staff. Shut Moses up for a minute. What is in Clarence's hand? Something to Tweet with. Well, he went right to it. And tweet he did. And still is, every day. You will find him here: http://twitter.com/cvposing

How about that, he is using his other name, Victor......how cool! And still speaking words of Wisdom. Wonder what kind of miracle this will be.....I'm expecting something big!  L.