Echoside: Phoenix Rose

The Chariot. Photo credit: Phoenix Rose This comes from the Apophenia Tarot by Steven Archer. The deck's stark imagery is captivating, in my opinion. When I was gifted the deck I did not know much about Archer. The deck had no guide book and on his website the artist said there would never be a book. I admire his brazen honesty. Archer stated that he only created the deck because his fans kept pushing for it, that he himself is an artist and not into tarot at all. The cards are a fan bit and nothing more. The title, apophenia, makes so much sense given his statement. As someone who has read tarot for half of my life I can see how, as an artist, Archer did a great job with this deck. I feel artists have a way of channeling things and end up with something they didn't know they knew. One card in particular struck me. The Chariot. Pictured is JFK, the First Lady is not with him, but the Lincoln Continental, the grassy knoll, and arrows imply his ...

Today's blog will be showcasing The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck by Kim Krans.  This is a beautifully illustrated oracle deck.  On the surface the meanings behind the cards are simplistic, however these simple reflections to ask oneself can have you diving quite deep into yourself. New Deck Interview ...5…...6… ……4…… ...3…...2… …...1……. 1. Tell me more about yourself; What is your most important characteristic? **Hummingbird** Positive, Enthusiastic, Spiritually Resourceful Inside the tiny hummingbird resides in endless well of energy and positivity. The hummingbird's secret is that it has learned where to gather nectar, and it returns to these sources daily for nourishment and rejuvenation. The secret elixir springs from many sources, but usually involves nature, creativity, and exploring spirituality. Follow the way of the hummingbird and you cannot go wrong. Every drop of life becomes sweet, every moment worth savouring. 2. What are your strengths a...

It's been almost a year since focusing on the blog.  In my tarot studies whenever I get a new deck I always do an interview spread.  It just dawned on me I should post them to the blog.  Over the next few weeks / months / whenever I have time I will be uploading the interviews. This week I'm going to start with my newest deck: Tranquil Willows by Rowan Saille and Tranquility Fearn New Deck Interview ...5…...6… ……4…… ...3…...2… …...1……. 1. Tell me more about yourself; What is your most important characteristic? **The World - Capturing the essence of allness. This deck has its unique world. Can be used in many ways. 2. What are your strengths as a deck? **5 of Wands - Fairness, seeing both sides of conflict. Helping in making decisions. Learning to work with rather than against. 3. What are your limits as a deck? **4 of Discs - Relating this to the decluttering aspect, the workbook may be cluttered with too much options. Putting things in boxes. T...

A conversation happened recently where a good friend was asking about the concept of how tarot decks have to be given to you, that you shouldn't buy one for yourself. He threw out his deck based on this information he was told. While this old wives tale has a mysterious allure to it, almost a romanticism that somehow makes a deck more special, it is still just an old wives tale. There is an adage to "the deck must be given" and it's "or stolen." I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not becoming a thief to acquire a deck, not in today's day and age when they are so readily available! Our fore-mothers, the old wives that made up all these tales, I do not wish to discredit them. There are still nuggets of truths that are valid today, though some things just no longer hold truth, and we need to use discernment in the now-moment. I have been given decks that I absolutely adore. My first deck, Rider-Waite-Smith, was given to me. I did my best to...