Ten of Swords (The Ten of Swords Card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** After all this time talking about the Tarot together, we have not yet explored the Tens of the Minor Arcana! Let’s remedy that right now, and talk about the Ten of Swords, a card which could be in the running for “the most frightening card in the deck.” This will be the first time we talk about the Tens, so first a review of some basic information. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues,…

The Page of Cups (The Page of Cups Card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** Back to the Court Cards! This time, we will revisit the Tarot “Royals” by examining the Page of Cups. We haven’t talked about Court Cards in a little while, so first we will review some basic information. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards dealing with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. There are 56 Minor Arcana cards that are customarily grouped into four categories or suits that represent the four elements…

Tarot by Design Workbook: Color and Learn Your Way into the Cards by Diana Heyne Published by Weiser Books, Massachusetts, soft cover, with introduction by author     I have always loved coloring books. As a child, I valued my giant box of Crayola crayons (with the built-in sharpener), and could spend hours filling the black-lined drawings with colors. As an adult, I have indulged in the adult coloring books, spending time with images of ocean creatures, forest creatures, flowers and plants, and geometric shapes, and my colored pencils, bringing myself into a meditative state as I applied colors to the lined drawings. I have a lovely coloring book of…

The Magician (The Magician Tarot Card from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** This month, we will stay with the Major Arcana, and talk about The Magician, the masculine version of The High Priestess. Before we begin breaking down The Magician, let’s remind ourselves of some terms. There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot deck, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. An archetype (pronounced “ark eh type”) is a generic, idealized model of a person, an object, or a concept which…

(The Tower Tarot Card from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** This month, we will stay with the Major Arcana, and talk about The Hierophant, one of the three Major Arcana cards that refer to traits of the Sacred Masculine. Before we begin breaking down The Hierophant, let’s remind ourselves of some terms. There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot deck, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. An archetype (pronounced “ark eh type”) is a generic, idealized model of a…

The Tower   (The Tower Tarot Card from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)**   This month, we will return to the Major Arcana, and talk about The Tower. Now, I know that many are afraid of this card, but don’t panic. You will find that The Tower is not quite as bad as it seems. . . I promise! Since it’s been a while since we talked about a Major Arcana card, let’s begin by defining and describing some terms. There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot deck, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are…

  (Page of Swords Tarot Card from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)**   Let’s cement what we learned last month when we talked about the King of Swords, by examining another Tarot “royal” of the suit of Swords, the Page of Swords. This will be the first time we talk about the Pages, so first a review of some basic information. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. There are…

    The English Magic Tarot is a Tarot deck created through the combined efforts of Rex Van Ryn, the creator of the thinking behind the deck and the original artwork, and Steve Dooley, the talented artist who provided the vibrant palate of colors found in this deck, and Andy Letcher, the author of the companion book, with plenty of cross-pollination of talents between them all. This 78 card deck and the soft-cover companion book are published by Weiser Books, and they come in a sturdy and brilliantly colored box, the cover of which pictures The Fool of the Major Arcana, a fitting first look at this exciting deck for…

(King of Swords Tarot Card from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)**   For this last essay of the year 2016, let’s go back to the Court Cards of the Tarot by examining a Tarot “royal,” the King of Swords. A good start would be to review some information regarding the royal family of the Tarot. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. There are 56 Minor Arcana cards that are…

Last month we talked about the Five of Wands; since we are in a “Wands” state of mind, let’s look at another Wands card, the Two of Wands. The typical image on this card shows a man, or sometimes a woman, holding a wand or staff with another wand or staff on the other side of the image, and holding a globe or crystal ball in the palm of his/her other hand. The person is usually standing in profile, or facing mostly away from the viewer, looking to the beautiful landscape in the background. There are usually mountains in the distance, and often there is some kind of water in…