{"id":20963,"date":"2019-11-01T01:10:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T01:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=20963"},"modified":"2019-11-17T21:05:29","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T01:05:29","slug":"seeing-the-signs-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2019\/11\/01\/seeing-the-signs-43\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing the Signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review of The Power Deck: The Cards of Wisdom and Guidebook <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

by Lynn V. Andrews<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Back in the 1980\u2019s, when I was searching for a way out of my depression and drug addiction, I found what was then called \u201cWomen\u2019s Spirituality\u201d. Having been raised Catholic, I was of course well aware of the female aspect in religion \u2013 the Virgin Mary and all the various female saints \u2013 and I always had a strong devotion to the Holy Mother. However, the Nicene Creed recited at all Masses demanded that I \u201cbelieve in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth\u201d, not the Mother of that God, and therefore the true Creatrix. Even as a child, I could see that the Mother of Baby Jesus should take precedence over some white-bearded dude who was never there but raged on anyway. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Since I worked in a public library \u2013 one of my many jobs at that time \u2013 I was able to access all kinds of books about comparative religions and spirituality. When I read a book, I looked at the reference section and I noted the books that the author read and then I looked for those <\/i>books. I can\u2019t remember how I found out about Lynn V. Andrews but it was probably from one of the women\u2019s spirituality books I was reading in those days. I adored <\/i>her books from the very beginning. I read every one, as soon as they came out. In those days I wasn\u2019t able to buy books like I can now and I was only able to borrow them from the library. But I faithfully <\/i>read all of Andrews\u2019 books up to Woman at the Edge of Two Worlds<\/a><\/u> \u2013 I had just had a baby and a book about menopause didn\u2019t seem to have anything to do with my life. At that point, my life got away from me and I stopped reading so many books \u2013 anyone who has ever had a baby knows what I mean! It\u2019s only in the last few years that I\u2019ve been able to get back into truly <\/i>reading again. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In preparation for this article, I read sections of Andrew\u2019s books on Amazon.com and it was like meeting with an old friend after thirty or so years and having a lovely cup of tea and picking up our conversation where we left off like we had never been parted. <\/span><\/span> I have now added all of Andrew\u2019s books to my ever-growing list of \u201cBOOKS I WANT\u201d. I also checked out her website. You can too; there\u2019s a wealth of information there, from how to become a student of Lynn\u2019s to where to buy her books to how to subscribe to her monthly newsletter. Here\u2019s the link: https:\/\/lynnandrews.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Usually when I get a new set of cards, I look at the cards first but in this case, I actually read the guide book first. Not that I didn\u2019t give the cards a peek \u2013 they were so beautifully arranged by color \u2013 but I wanted to follow the directions \u2013 the first line in the book says, \u201cPlease read this introduction completely before you begin.\u201d (Andrews, 15). I went beyond that; I read the entire book. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Then <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>I looked at the cards. They are some of the most beautiful cards I have seen in a very long time \u2013 at least as far as being able to hold the cards in my very own hands. I see fabulous cards every day somewhere on the internet! The artist of these cards is Rob Schouten; his website is here: <\/span><\/span><\/span>http:\/\/www.robschoutengallery.com\/<\/span><\/span><\/a> \u2013 I highly suggest you check it out as he is a very gifted artist. If you live in the Greater Seattle area, you should get to his Gallery on Whidbey Island. I know <\/span><\/span><\/span>I <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>would if I lived there! <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One thing about the cards. They are very large and made of a very thick card stock, which doesn\u2019t make them very easy to shuffle. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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I know that my hands are on the small size but I can handle most larger-sized cards easily. It was really the thicker card stock that made the shuffling so difficult. I decided to try some \u201cFifty-Two Card Pick-Up\u201d \u2013 ok, 45-Card Pick-Up! \u2013 but the cards were so heavy, they just fell in one pile after I tossed them into the air. Honestly, I had to laugh. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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So then I got down on the floor and mixed them up by hand. As you can see, my cat Bobby helped. He was quite attracted to these cards!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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I laid them out side by side and then I noticed something else about them: some of the cards are presented in what is called a \u201cportrait\u201d layout and some presented in a \u201clandscape\u201d layout. I had never seen <\/span>that <\/i><\/span>before. Usually cards are always in \u201cportrait\u201d; that\u2019s how you would hold them in your hand, if you were playing a game. However, these cards are definitely <\/span>not <\/i><\/span>for playing any kind of card game, so that<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Another thing about these cards which I think is really brilliant is that while Andrews has all the meanings of the cards in the guidebook, each card has the meaning on the flip side of the card. So if you are pulling a card a day for daily meditation (as I have been doing; these cards are <\/span>perfect<\/i><\/span> for that) this is what you might find:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Or:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Andrews includes several spreads in the section entitled \u201cHow to use <\/span>The Power Deck\u201d <\/i><\/span>and I found them all to be very enlightening, not only with The Power Deck cards but with my other divinatory cards as well. I plan to work with these spread more closely in the coming months. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I especially liked the Sacred-Task Layout. As Andrews writes, \u201cThe Sacred-Task Layout utilizes the sacred wheel in which, traditionally, the four directions circle the center (the self), with each direction representing different aspects of one\u2019s self or one\u2019s growth in the process of enlightenment.\u201d (Andrews, 20)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first card is south, representing trust and innocence. Your inner child lives here. The second card is west and there resides your sacred dream; it is the place of death and rebirth and transformation. The third card is north, the place of spirit and power. This is where your adult self lives. The fourth card is east \u2013 your creativity and mental illumination. Your grandparents live there. The fifth card \u2013 the card in the middle \u2013 is the Self. This is the \u201cessence of you of the essence of your dilemma.\u201d (Andrews, 22) The last card \u2013 the sixth card \u2013 is your task card. This is the card that tells you what you need to work on \u2013 your spiritual task. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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(<\/i><\/span>The Sacred Task Spread. (Andrews, 21)<\/i><\/span>)<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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One thing I thought was interesting is that, in this spread anyway, Andrews\u2019 instruction includes rubbing your hands \u201cuntil they are warm and sensitized\u201d and shuffling the pack before each card is chosen. Also, you put the cards down with the picture <\/span>side up<\/i><\/span> and you meditate on that side first before flipping the card over and reading its message. Although you pick one card at a time, shuffling between each time you pick a card, you do <\/span>not <\/i><\/span>turn the cards over to see the messages until you have looked over the <\/span>all <\/i><\/span>the cards and observed how they \u201cfit together as a group\u201d and how they all \u201crepresent the \u201ctree of life within the sacred wheel.\u201d (Andrews, 23). Obviously, this is a very long, meditative process but the point is to gain in wisdom and self-knowledge and not a quick and easy spiritual soundbite. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is my Sacred Task Spread:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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At first glance, what I saw was a <\/span>lot <\/i><\/span>of red. What was I doing with all these cards from the south? And those two white cards \u2013 a northern aspect. Nothing from the west or the east? How very curious! And my Sacred Task card \u2013 that\u2019s a super surrealistic scene right there! Just looking at these pictures \u2013 going from one to another one \u2013 gives me hours of ideas and sensory perceptions to think about. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the flip side of the cards, with their messages:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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I know you can\u2019t read what\u2019s written on the cards but I didn\u2019t take the photograph to show you what was actually <\/span>written <\/i><\/span>on the cards, just to show you how the spread looks, picture-side-up and message-side-up. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I cannot say <\/span>enough <\/i><\/span>how much I love this deck. There\u2019s a companion deck, the <\/span>Sacred Vision Oracle Cards <\/i><\/span>and I am now <\/span>craving <\/i><\/span>to get my hands on a set of those! As well of <\/span>all <\/i><\/span>of Lynn V. Andrews\u2019 books! And any of Rob Schouten\u2019s artwork for that matter. <\/span>The Power Deck: The Cards of Wisdom<\/i><\/span> are very simply one of the most beautiful, spiritually appealing oracle decks I have had the pleasure to work with in many years. I look forward to using them for many more years. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Andrews, Lynn V. The Power Deck: The Cards of Wisdom Guidebook<\/u>. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Worlds, 2019. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/lynnandrews.com\/<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.robschoutengallery.com\/<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a> *<\/span>A<\/span>ll photographs by Polly MacDavid<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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