Radiant Rider-Waite Deck Giveaway

Just a quick announcement! I'm giving away two Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot decks over on my Interactive Tarot Facebook page. All you have to do is "Like" the January 17th post with the giveaway announcement. Easy as pie! I'll draw two names at random (two winners are better than one!) on January 27th and will post the winners on the Facebook page. I have Tarot-related giveaways on the Interactive Tarot page at least once a month, from decks to books to readings to jewelry. Wouldn't winning a new Tarot deck be a great way to start the new year? Bonus: part of the prize is that you can ask me any questions you like via e-mail as you learn the cards or continue your journey with them. I love sharing and discussing all things Tarot, so selfishly speaking this part of the prize will be fun for me. So, head on over and click "Like"...and good luck!

Blogging with the Tarot Pals

I’m so happy to announce that I was invited to be a contributing blogger on the new Tarot Pals blog! I’m thrilled at the opportunity to share blogging duties with six wonderful Tarotists. I was asked to contribute by Tarot author Janet Boyer, who is also a top reviewer on Amazon, has written on many other subjects, hosts radio shows, does social media marketing work, has co-created the soon-to-be-released Snowland Tarot, and on and on. To get the full picture, you can check out her website at JanetBoyer.com and find her work on her author page at Amazon. I’m a big fan, and in particular I love her deck and book reviews on her website. Other members in the Tarot Pals group are Gina Pace (creator of the fantastic Pagan Tarot); John Marani; Michael Banuelos; J.R. Rivera, and Wilma Carroll, all exceptional readers and active members of the Tarot community.

I just put up my first Tarot Pals blog post earlier today, in fact! As we enter a new calendar year, we tend to assess our lives, and this always includes special consideration for finances. My Finance Spread for the New Year post offers up a small, succinct spread utilizing five cards that focuses on key aspects of financial assessment. I hope you try it out and find it helpful!

I will still be blogging here regularly, and of course I'll still be plenty active on the Interactive Tarot Facebook page and running my Interactive Tarot website. If you follow my blog, you already know that I've been reading Tarot cards for over 20 years and absolutely love sharing and discussing Tarot and Tarot-related info and ideas. I plan to do even more in 2012, and I hope you'll be part of this journey. If you ever have questions or comments on anything relating to Tarot, please feel free to post on my Facebook page or send me an e-mail at jennifer@interactivetarot.net. I really am so happy to discuss this passion of mine. I hope that you find your passion this year, or that an old one is reignited--it's never too late!

Winter Solstice, or Yule

A friend of mine just asked me if I had some suggestions for/info about the Winter Solstice, also called Yule...and as it happens, I do! There is much to say about this wonderful time of year, but I thought I'd share just a few tidbits here

The Winter Solstice is on December 22nd this year, falling on the first day of Capricorn (it falls between the 20th-23rd each year). The Wheel of the Year continues to turn, and Yule marks the rebirth of the Sun God, who slowly makes his way back up from the Underworld. Although we’re still steeped in darkness, the world is already turning toward longer days and more sun. Dark is relinquishing to light.

Think “renewal” and "introspection." It’s a time to refresh and take on new challenges. If there’s something you’ve always loved to do but have not spent much time on it lately, make a concerted effort to bring it back into your life. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to try but never have, now is the time to do some research and get started.

A Yule Log is traditionally harvested from one's personal property or given/received as a gift (even a thick twig from the lawn or sidewalk will do if a log-sized piece of wood is unavailable). Lighting three or more candles around the Yule Log is just as acceptable if you can’t go setting things on fire where you live. All white candles, or a combination of red, green, and white are good choices. The Yule Log and/or candles are meant to symbolize the return of the Sun.

Some symbols of the Winter Solstice: Yule Log; candles; wreaths; poinsettias; apple cider; mistletoe; clove-studded fruit. Herbs associated with Yule: thistle; frankincense; laurel (throwing some bay leaves into a meal is an easy way to incorporate this one); holly; oak; pine; bayberry. Some traditional foods: fruits; nuts, pork; turkey; anything with caraway; ginger tea. 

Any ritual activities that are meant to improve peace, harmony, balance, and love in your life are perfect for this time of year, and visualizing yourself achieving these things whilst meditating on the burning Yule Log or candles is a perfectly simple and effective ritual. The very best thing to incorporate into Yule is the company of loved ones, so be sure to reach out and give plenty of hugs!

The Moon Card

The Moon is all about illusion, mystery, dreams, intuition, and a little bit of danger. There is a spooky element here, so I thought it would be appropriate to discuss this around Halloween!

 

When The Moon falls in a reading, pay attention to what you might be avoiding. Sometimes it's an obvious thing that you simply don't want to confront, but if you continue in that vein, what was an inconvenient issue could blossom into a very big problem. You're probably ignoring something that you need to deal with.

 

The crayfish represents the deepest subconscious. When the tide is high, we don't see what's beneath the surface of the water, so we don't give it much thought. When the tide goes out, we have a glimpse at what lurks on the ocean floor. It is not to be ignored--it's as much a part of our world and our evolution as things we see clearly every day.

 

The moon is the symbol of madness (lunacy) and femininity, of our most basic animal urges. Think about the concept of the werewolf--it's mirrored here in the dog and the wolf in the foreground (the former is domesticated, the latter is wild). The moon's light is reflected, not direct, hence all the illusion. It brings our secret side to the surface: suppressed feelings, clandestine motives. You must acknowledge these things or they'll find a way to take over.

 

Purge those deep memories. Look beyond the illusion. Pay attention to your dreams and your subconscious instincts. Once you bring what's in the darkness into the light, you can move forward in a less altered state. Use your imagination, but don't confuse fantasy with reality. This is a very psychic card and, at times, shows that you have an uncanny and very deep attraction to another person...or vice-versa. To wade through the message of The Moon, trust your instincts and be completely honest with yourself.

 

For some more clues to the meaning of The Moon card, compare the version from the Rider-Waite deck above to The Moon from the Halloween Tarot to the right. (I admit I'm partial to this particular version with the French bulldog representing domestication in opposition to the werewolf. Cute!) Note all the arrows lending to the confusing, illusory aspects of the card. The crayfish makes an unexpected appearance, and the castle in the distance signifies finding your way through the chaos to a place of stability. Comparing the same card from different decks is a great way to expand your insight. Look closer--you might find more!

Apple Lore

With autumn hitting its stride (and Samhain coming right up), there's no better time to explore the fantastic folklore surrounding the good old apple. Apple lore could fill a book, so these are just a few tidbits.

 

Apples are a big part of Samhain in many ways, including their place in the traditional "mute supper" (see my October 7th blog post on Samhain traditions and lore for details). If you happen to be looking for love this time of year, there’s a very old-school Samhain apple tradition just for you. Peel an apple in front of a mirror on October 31st, and make sure to keep the peel long. Throw the peel over your left shoulder while still looking in the mirror. When you turn to examine the peel, look closely—lore has it that you’ll see the first initial of the name of your true love in its shape.

 

When you cut an apple open, you’ll see a five-pointed star, or pentagram. Four of the points on the pentagram represent the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire—and the fifth represents Akasha, or the human spirit. The pentagram is a very powerful symbol in both ancient and modern magic (and in Christian tradition, where it symbolizes the five wounds sustained by Christ), and its appearance in the apple has given the fruit elevated status in its use in magic, spells, and potions. Apples are said to be highly protective when used in any form: consumed, rubbed on the skin, worn dehydrated in a Juju bag on the person, etc. The apple’s traditional link to good health is well-known.

 

In Judeo-Christian tradition, the apple is assumed to be the fruit of the tree of forbidden knowledge, though this fruit was probably initially a fig. When this story spread to Western Europe, the fig was replaced with their own local sacred fruit, the apple. In Norse folklore, the apple tree was the tree of immortality. The goddess Idunn was the Keeper of Apples, and she fed them to other gods and goddesses to keep them forever young. Apples were representative of wisdom and love to the Norse as well.

 

One of my favorite legends is tied to Avalon, the eternally beautiful island of the dead and land of faeries where King Arthur was taken after he was fatally wounded in the Battle of Camlann. “Avalon” comes from the Welsh word for apple, “afal” (pronounced “aval”); Avalon is also known as Avallach, the Isle of Apples. Arthur is taken there by Morgan le Fay and her two sisters to be healed and live life eternal. This is yet another example of the apple’s link to longevity, immortality, health, and rebirth.

 

Even the Evil Queen’s "gift" of a poison apple to Snow White has its roots in old beliefs: the Medieval church believed that apples could be purposefully enchanted, then given to unsuspecting victims to cause them to become demonically possessed. Then there’s bobbing for apples, also called Snap Apple in Scotland (where Halloween is also called Snap Apple Night). Tradition dictates that the first to bite into an apple while bobbing would be the first among the participants to marry. This is just another one of many forms of divination practiced around Samhain.

 

Apples are everywhere this time of year. When you bite into a fresh, crisp Granny Smith, or have an apple pie, apple cobbler, apple cider, etc., give a little extra thought to the long and remarkable history of this little wonder fruit!

The Halloween Tarot

There are so many Tarot decks out there that I can't even keep track anymore, and that's a pretty cool thing. No matter what you're interested in--cats, dragons, Arthurian legend, photo collage, specific artists (Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dali, etc.), Celtic traditions, vampires, crystals, and on and on--there's a deck in that theme. I happen to be nuts about Halloween, and when I first saw the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West (U.S. Games Systems, 2003; this link is for the deck and book set) a few years ago in a metaphysical book shop, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't until I finally purchased it just a few months ago, however, that I really fell in love with its numerous charms. I initially thought that this might be kind of a fluffy deck; the colors are bright, striking, and whimsical, and the images are not "dark." Even traditionally unnerving cards like The Tower, Death, and The Devil have a lighthearted bent in the Halloween Tarot. A curious black cat appears in every single card of both the Major and Minor Arcana, and we follow its journey like we would follow The Fool through his. When I finally did a reading with the Halloween Tarot, any illusions I had about it being fluffy were dispelled. These cards were crisp and clear in their message, and, most importantly, I had a lot of fun reading them. I re-discovered Halloween! Traditional Tarot suits are Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), and Pentacles (earth). The Halloween Tarot makes excellent use of these elemental correlations and gives us Imps (in place of Wands/fire), Ghosts (Cups/water), Bats (Swords/air), and Pumpkins (Pentacles/earth). Court Cards follow the typical Rider-Waite structure of Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm including several images from the deck below (some of the Major Arcana; a Court Card from each suit, and a Minor Arcana card from each suit) along with brief comments: I love this Death card. The growth/change/rebirth theme is wonderful here. In Temperance, the artist and alchemist themes are apparent as the witch happily mixes her concoctions. There's a lot going on in these cards. Frankenstein is the steadfast Emperor! The Bride of Frankenstein as The Empress is a fantastic symbol of the creation of new life, and she expresses her nurturing side with her cat. The solitary Hermit is shown as a mad scientist, keeping to himself and spending his time gleaning knowledge. In The Tower card, the traditionally terrifying image is made more whimsical in the spirit of Halloween. Strength makes clear the impact of finesse over brute strength. The image on the right is the fully reversible backside of all the cards. I prefer my card backs to be reversible so that I don't know in advance if the card will fall right side up or reversed. Examples of the suits of Imps and Bats. Happiness and celebration are clear in the Four of Imps, and the woman in the Eight of Bats is wrapped up in toilet paper by mischief-making bats as if in the midst of a Halloween prank. She can easily escape, but chooses not to. Examples of the suits of Pumpkins and Ghosts. The woman in the Nine of Pumpkins is content and successful as she tends her garden. The three Ghosts celebrate, intertwined, over a starlit pumpkin patch. One each of the four Pages and Knights. One each of the four Queens and Kings. If you get a chance to read with this deck, definitely give it a go. As I said, I was surprised at and so pleased with the results (shame on my preconceived notions!). When I was a kid, Halloween was fun and spooky, and a time I looked forward to all year; as a grown-up, I find that I'm reminded of those feelings when I pull out this deck. I consider it a gift.

Some Samhain and Halloween Traditions and Lore

With October 31st looming, I thought I'd share a few random tidbits on its traditions. I'll use Halloween and Samhain interchangeably here; for details on where these names come from, have a look at my October 3rd blog post covering the history of Samhain/Halloween. Now go ahead and impress your friends with some lore:

• It's been said that the traditional orange and black associated with Halloween come from the colors of bonfire flames against the black sky.

• Some herbs associated with Samhain: mugwort, as a divination aid (used in incense, a sachet, or a bundle during Tarot reading, scrying, pendulum work, seances, tea leaf reading, crystal balls, and so on); mullein seeds, for abundance; rosemary, to honor the dead (very strongly linked to Halloween).

• This is a popular time of year for petition magic. Do it right on Halloween if you can. Write what you desire on a small piece of paper. Light a candle, preferably black, though orange, white, silver or gold work well this time of year, too. Concentrate on what you want or need, and burn the paper. This practice stems from the old Celtic Needfire, which is just what it sounds like: a bonfire is created during a time of need (common for Celts at the New Year), and an effigy representing that need is burned.

• Stones associated with Halloween: obsidian; clear quartz; amber; ruby; diamonds; carnelian.

• A "mute supper" is an old Samhain tradition to honor the dead. This supper is eaten in silence, by candlelight, typically on a table with a black cloth. Chairs are left empty for the deceased, or simply one chair, and a black candle is lit and placed at each vacant setting. A silent opening prayer is performed. Why all the silence? It was thought that the spirits were more likely to come in the quiet. Guests should come with a hand-written note for their ancestor(s) or other departed, which is placed under that spirit's plate prior to dining. After the meal is the silent closing prayer, and the guests leave the room quietly, returning shortly to discuss their impressions. At this point, it's tradition for each guest to participate in some form of divination, either in pairs or as a group.

• Traditional Samhain foods, often part of the mute supper, are: meat of any kind with rosemary seasoning; all sorts of nuts; anything that includes pumpkin, turnip, squash, or apples; potatoes; roasted seeds of pumpkin, turnip, and sunflower.

• Samhain saying in reference to the Wheel of the Year: "The Wheel turns, the veil thins."
• Legend goes that if you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween, don't turn around...it could be a spirit following you around!