Deck Review- Ancestral Path Tarot

The Ancestral Path Tarot, by Julie Cuccia-Watts, is a phenomenal deck which depicts  the ancestors of different cultures and times. First published by US Games Systems in 2003, this popular deck uses the myth and traditions handed down through verbal and written histories, was again republished to allow others to enjoy this wonderful Tarot experience.

This 78 card deck will lead you on a path of discovery (through archetypal imagery) that will allow you to discover your own spiritual truths.  The cards are bordered white with a thin double line that absolutely accentuates Julie’s unique and compelling artwork. The Major Arcana are all named with the traditional names such as The Magician, Tower, Star and the like with the exception of The Hanged Man being altered to The Hanged One.

The card stock is the usual fantastic stock used by US Games and will not let you down when shuffling. It’s a smaller than average height and a bit wider, so you may find that shuffling from the side is a bit easier.  The backs are absolutely beautiful with a worshiping gathering under the Sun and completely reversible with the same gathering worshiping beneath a full moon, done in hues of blue.

This  deck beautifully illustrates minors from the cultures and influences of Japan (Swords), Native American (Sacred Circles), Arthurian England (Cups), and Egypt, (Staves.) Julie’s use of color and line gives her imagery a earthy type texture and reads very well. I connected right off with this amazing deck and use it quite often when doing past life readings or questions related to family.

This is the perfect deck for anyone whether just starting out or a seasoned reader, I highly recommend it!

Artist: Julie Cuccia-Watts

Publisher: US Games

ISBN 978-088079-141-0

 

Deck Review- The Shapeshifter Tarot

 

Originally published in 1998,  The Shapeshifter Tarot turned out to be a huge hit for the creators DJ Conway, Sirona Knight and featured the amazing artwork of artist Lisa Hunt…whose other decks include The Celtic Dragon, Fairy Tale, Fantastical Creatures and the wildly popular Ghosts and Spirits Tarot.

The deck went out of print for a time but Llewellyn Worldwide decided that they would give a whole new crop of Tarot readers and enthusiasts a new chance at owning and working with this fantastic deck. The deck itself is made up of 81 cards and comes with the standard LWB (little white book) rather than the original deck that came as a kit, but this in no way detracts from Lisa’s wonderfully detailed and evocative imagery.

The cards are bordered in a lovely deep blue color with the elemental association at the top and a number and keyword at the bottom. The first thing that you will notice about this awesome deck is in it’s elemental qualities. The Wands and Swords suit has been switched to highlight the qualities imbued by DJ Conway and at first may seem a bit different but after working with this deck for several weeks, I found that these associations actually lend a deeper, more intuitive approach when applied to readings themselves.

The Major Arcana have a few cards that are renamed to fit the quality of their meanings and I’ve found this to be more descriptive in assessing questions posed by my clients. Here are a few of the re-named cards…

Initiation, Sorcerer, Sorceress, Mother, Father, Knowledge,
Lovers, Rebirth, Balance, Transcendence, Journey, Dreamer and Oneness

I’ve had nothing but favorable comments when I asked if they would mind using The Shapeshifter Tarot and some even have remarked that Lisa’s artwork truly spoke to them on a level that other decks have not. I absolutely love the extra cards, I’m a big fan of gaining a little extra insight!.

This deck is a awesome resource to help bridge the gulf between people, animals, and nature. I would highly recommend this deck for anyone who loves the fabulous art of Lisa  Hunt and  a fresh insight into your tarot readings!

 

Creator: DJ Conway, Sirona Knight, Lisa Hunt

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide

ISBN: 1567183840

 

The Wind Beneath My Wings

Every morning, I draw three or four cards just to see how my day is going to go or any special messages that Spirit might have for me. This morning was the most encouraging trio,  I heard Spirit say that between connection to Source energy and tapping into my abilities… I will be sustained. Spirit is the wind beneath our wings that holds us aloft and allows us to soar!

The Shapeshifter Tarot by Lisa Hunt and DJ Conway

Tuning In….

Allowing Spirit to speak through the Tarot isn’t always rainbows and roses…Life  is often unfair and although I’m very aware of this, sometimes the message is very sad…especially when the message will cause pain to someone that you love.  Last Thursday was one such time, you see, a child who is very dear to me had taken her kitty to the vet because he had suddenly become very sick. I called my mom that day, mainly just to chat and the topic of poor Perro came up. My mom surprised me a bit when she asked me to pull a few cards and see what they had to say about the situation. So, I shuffled and drew…It was instantly clear that the news was not going to be happy. I was using the new Fantastical Creatures Tarot by the fabulous Lisa Hunt and DJ Conway because it just seemed the right deck to use in this situation and The Knight of Swords, Ten of Swords and Three of Swords came up.

I knew that it would break Nikki’s heart (she’s a cat lover such as myself) and that made my heart heavy as I relayed Spirit’s message back to my mom. A small part of me wished secretly that perhaps I was wrong but deep in my heart I knew that wasn’t the case. I didn’t want to cause undo pain for Nikki, she was in distress enough at this time, so I asked my mom just to keep it between us. I waited till Friday afternoon to ask my guides if anything had changed and once again, the Three of Swords popped up .  Friday night I was looking at Perro’s picture on my altar, still sending comforting energy, letting my mind wander and out of nowhere, this overwhelming, nearly hysterical fear washed over me and I could not miss it’s message. I had made contact with Perro’s energy and the feelings that overwhelmed me came straight from this little fellow. He was very afraid of dying alone and was almost panicked that he could possibly be left at the vets so far from his beloved Nikki.

I instantly sent a message to Nikki and relayed his message…”please don’t leave me  here”  and asked her if she could take him to be buried at mom’s where she could visit often. She got right back to me and let me know that she was indeed going to take him to a special spot at my mom’s… already picked out. The relief that washed over me was palpable…I shed more than my share of tears that evening, knowing that Perro was relieved and needed  not to worry…sometimes tuning in to others emotions is a tough thing to experience.

It’s strange how Spirit works, it will never cease to amaze me even when the messages are sad…..

Happy Birthday Dad

On this day in April of 1919, my father was born. Had he lived, he would be 94 years old today. I miss my dad sometimes, remembering my childhood with our fishing trips and camping excursions…so I closed my eyes and wished him a very happy birthday, shuffled my deck and drew a card…. the Ten of Cups. I wanted to let him know that although he’s been gone for nearly 38 years, I have never once forgotten his birthday. What a wonderful message I received in return…Thank you, death does not mean goodbye!

Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

Lisa Hunt

US Games Systems

Spirit Guide Communication

Spirit guides are spirit energies that are assigned to us before we are born that help nudge and guide us through life.  They’re responsible for helping us fulfill the spiritual path we are on in this world.  These guides, who help us while we are living out our lives in this physical realm that we experience until we pass on to the other side, communicate with us often…if we just still ourselves and listen.

Every now and then, I like to check in with my Spirit Guides…if nothing more, to hear what they have to say or any messages that they want to relay to me. This mornings cards actually brought a tear to my eye as I interpreted their message.

This morning, I shuffled and drew a card with the intention (intention is a big part of this communication) of seeing what my Guides had to say and low and behold I was told “We love You”  this simple statement made me instantly sit and pause while I soaked up their meaning.  What an awesome message of encouragement and support…. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside! I drew two other cards to see what else they had to say and was amazed to see that they were quite happy with my spiritual progress and how working with them and allowing them to work through me as I read for myself and others has blossomed and evolved.

So, next time you hear that little voice deep inside, stop and listen…your Guides are speaking.

Tarot Deck: The Shapeshifter Tarot

Artist: Lisa Hunt

It’s All in the Cards….

I often get the question from people about how to interpret the Tarot, and I asked myself the very same question when I first started out. After you shuffle the cards and lay them down in their positions, just what occurs…how do you get the messages that they try to impart? Is it meanings from memorization of a few keywords? It goes a bit further than that, it’s an understanding, a mental concept so to speak when I look at the cards that I’ve drawn and how Tarot works in my case is difficult at best to try to explain so I thought I would take this question to the cards and use how they speak to me as an example of the language they use in my situation…

As the picture shows, I used The Deck of 1000 Spreads to demonstrate the positions and my most favorite deck, The Ghosts and Spirits Tarot to explain how Spirit comes through and helps me understand my Tarot reading skills and empathic gifts.

The Question that I asked my cards is “What is the situation that occurs when I am reading, how does it work and what do I as a reader need to know about what happens in each reading that I do for people.?”

As you can see, The Knight of Swords has appeared…Now the Knight, being an Air card or thoughts, ideas and information kinda guy, tells me that when I read the cards, I am sharing ideas and information with my spirit guides and they are ever present when it comes to interpreting Tarot information. The Knight of Swords also cautions me to not jump to conclusions or try to force my interpretations,  into making sense. It is what it is and allowing the information to come on it’s own is the whole key to understanding Tarot itself.

What I need to know, or as I prefer to ask, What do I need to do is The Four of Pentacles. A card all about stability and groundedness. When I look at the cards that I’ve layed down in a spread, I am reminded to always accept the gift of Spirit that flows through me to my reading and not to be too greedy or demanding….let it flow they say, accept this gift for what it is and be thankful. Not too many folks are blessed with the wonderful opportunities that working with Spirit has and it is to be respected and treasured.

Their advice? Here we see the Ace of Pentacles….Continue to venture forward with Spirit, embrace the new experiences and new areas that allow you to grow and become the reader you always wanted to be. Don’t allow restrictions that we all find ourselves imposing on ourselves from time to time.  This is an ability that must have freedom of expression and it can never be quantified or measured.  Who knows, you may just find yourself making a living but more importantly, growing spiritually as well!

I hope that young readers out there continue this amazing craft that is Tarot reading, pull the cards and just let their information flow through you!

 

My Interview with The Tarot Lady

Recently, the incredibly amazing Theresa Reed interviewed me for her  popular series “Talkin’ Tarot” on  her website The Tarot Lady. It was an awesome experience, I must admit! I hope that you will all drop by her blog and check out the wonderful things she had to say!

Review- The Alphabet for Lovers

Not long ago, +Orna Ben-Shoshan sent me an email asking if I would like to review her latest creation, The Alphabet for Lovers and of course I replied that I would be thrilled to and anxiously awaited their arrival. You may remember her by her other unique and inspiring works such as The King Solomon Oracle cards; The 72 Names cards and the wonderful Tokens of Light, which I also had the pleasure of reviewing .

 I must admit, I was deeply intrigued as I quickly noticed their lovely heart shape! 

 The Alphabet for Lovers cards offer advice and prophesy about love and relationships by using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These are 72 cards written according to the knowledge and wisdom contained within this alphabet which is often considered the basic ingredients in which the Universe was created.

In the Tarot world, the use of the Kabbalah, can be found in many decks and it’s wisdom often adds the perfect insight when pondering the great mysteries of ourselves and the world around us. 

 Each heart shaped card pictures charming and easily understood imagery along with a number from 1-72 and a short key phrase and Hebrew letter that the illustration and number refers to on the reverse side. I found this information to be a treasure trove of spiritual and practical insight to aid in all sorts of questions related to but not exclusive to love and questions that are not particularly romantic such as boss and employee, parent and child and even friends, relatives and business partners.

As with all of Orna’s illustrations the characters whimsical and endearing and makes it a joy to read with. I gathered a few friends and family members and told them that I would give them a free reading using the Alphabet for Lovers and all quickly agreed…everyone just loves free readings!…I was actually quite surprised with the results as well, the information and advice were very positive and extremely accurate and with each reading, everyone simply raved about how they loved the heart shape and imagery of the cards.

 This little deck of cards is not only fun to read with, it give practical advice and gives insight into the dynamics of any given relationship. I would heartily recommend The Alphabet for Lovers to everyone novice and seasoned reader alike!

 

Tarot Deck Review- Tarot of the Tattoo Age

There’s an awesome new self published tarot deck out that I just HAD to check out, after hearing about it via a podcast. Self published decks, in my own opinion, are such wonderful treasures that sometimes get overlooked by the general public simply because they just don’t get the media attention that larger publishing companies can afford. But they have something that the well known publishing houses don’t have…creative freedom afforded by not having the guidelines and restrictions about size, borders or no borders, and general things we, as consumers don’t usually think much about.

Allow me to introduce The Tarot of the Tattoo Age, an amazing 79 card deck that features fabulously unique artwork from the tattoo community. Most would consider this “just another theme deck”  and I’m sure it could be considered as such but I see it as a Tarot deck that was created by artists, doing what they do best…creating beautiful imagery, they just happen to be tattoo artists.

The first thing I noticed, that I just love, is the large size of the cards. I like the larger sized cards because they tend to feel better in my hands when I shuffle and work with them. Some may have a problem with the larger size but that can quickly be remedied by side shuffling. You seem to get imagery that is a bit more clearer to read as the more narrow, or poker sized deck and it really saves on eye strain when you get to be my age! The artwork seems a little brighter and talkative with the larger cards and therefor, I find large decks much preferable.

The card stock that this striking deck was printed on is absolutely awesome! It shuffles beautifully and is not too thin as some self published decks are. Tarot of the Tattoo Age has a gorgeous glossy lamination that absolutely makes the images pop. Most of the cards are brightly colored and follow the Rider-Waite tradition, there are a few cards done in grey scale and fit together nicely as a whole. I haven’t encountered any imagery that may clash with each other at all, this is a wonderful high energy deck.

The deck comes in a cardboard flip top box featuring the Emperor on the front and the Four of Pentacles on the back. Speaking of backs, the card backs have a prominent green Pentacle surrounded by elemental symbols. The cards have an amazing fade type coloring that starts out a peach color at the top left and slowly fades into a lavender coloring at the bottom right corner. There is also a LWB (little white book) that comes along for the ride that features the artists name that created that particular card along with Rider-Waite keywords.

All in all, I am really impressed with this deck, the imagery is absolutely stunning and it reads very well with a kind of  ”in your face”  style attitude, I just love it when decks just start talking right off the bat and you aren’t found sitting there trying to coax the answers out. This may not be a deck for beginners, as a good foundation of Tarot is required but Tarot of the Tattoo Age is an awesome deck for more experienced readers and collectors alike!

Here is where you can find this amazing deck:

$35 each payable by check or money order to:
FLACO Productions
348 South State St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

OR

PayPal

cost: $38.00 sent to sales@slctattoo.com