Category Archives: Tarot

Crushing Taboos! – Your Cards are Marked

Once upon a time I used to have an almost photographic memory (as long as it was on a subject I cared about). When taking exams I could close my eyes and see the text I wanted to recall on the page in the book, like an picture in my mind. That got me through more than one or two tough exams I tell you! When arguing on the internet because somebody was wrong I knew exactly where I had read something and would often send the long suffering husbeast to find the book which would help me win an argument with a blase comment like – “its on the fourth shelf down about 6 books in from the left, it’s on a right hand page about a 3rd of the way through” I was rarely (if ever) wrong.

My personal “marked deck”

Thing is to achieve this feat I needed to see the thing first laid out in front of me and when I got serious about the Tarot I struggled to make the connect between the elemental attributions and the astrology associated with certain cards because most decks don’t include the symbolism for these attributions in their designs. In fairness I’ve got lazy now and I would still really have to wrinkle my nose and squint hard before I could tell you that the 2 of Swords was Moon in Libra, but is partly because I hit upon a thing that changed my tarot reading forever and literally levelled me up by an order of magnitude. I started writing on my decks.

For me cards are just that, cards. OK there are now a few exceptions in my collection. Items that were created and consecrated in a talismanic way. But for the most part our decks are mass produced objects, it’s what we do with them that makes them special, so writing on them when you first get them isn’t a no-no in my world. So when I get a new deck the first thing I do now is mark the astrology, elemental and sometimes even keyword associations. With my main “working” deck which I use for the clients I work with on the lines I even properly write on the cards, new ideas, thoughts for new associations etc. My cards quite literally become a book of mysteries.

Annotated Etteilla II from the Hexen Museum

And yet this practise is often frowned upon, considered a basic or beginners move, although goodness knows why. So although I teach my students to do this its not something I publicise very often. Until now that is. Last year I read an interview with Wicca Meier Spring in the Esotoracle magazine about the Hexen Museum in Switzerland and its collections of rare cards. One deck a Grand Etteilla II discussed was of particular interest, it had once belonged to Mde. Moreau a student of the infamous Mlle Lenormand, it is heavily hand annotated. In fact if you look at other decks from the same stable, the Grande or the Petit Etteilla all have writing and keywords on the Trumps, Pips and Courts. This isn’t a new concept. The Queen of Pentacles for example is “La Femme de Campagne” – the country woman, which gives a great new view on that particular Queen don’t you think? but I digress.

Benebells Golden Universal

The Universe often likes to tell me that it’s got my back when I do heretical things, so shortly after I read the article about the Etteilla deck, whilst debating if I would go “public” as it were I was doom scrolling social media and a Youtube video caught my eye. The esteemed Benebell Wen with a deck of marked cards eschewing the benefits of adding – with a sharpie no less – correspondences to your cards.  If it’s good enough for her, then it’s good enough for me. So now I don’t fret too much who sees my cards and I push the joys of card marking even more to my students. Go on do it, you won’t regret it, well unless its on some uber rare 1st edition – then I’d probably stay your hand; but for a mass produced deck hey what could go wrong if you bungle it one of two things will happen, it will be a laminated or plasticised card so with a bit of good old Florida water and a tissue you can quickly wipe away your mistake with minimal damage OR you just buy another blimmin deck.

Let me know how you get on

 

 

 

 

Thanks to both Benebell Wen and Wicca Meier-Spring who gave me permission to use thier images. I am very grateful x

A Tarot Grand Tableau Pt 2

Although houses can be used to quite some success when combining Tarot with a Grand Tableau, it probably isn’t the best starting point for a learner. Directions and smaller clusters of cards on the other hand, people get those quite quickly and easily and can apply them with very little skill or experience required.

What follows here are techniques I have garnered from various sources, I cannot claim them to be my own, although how I am using them is.

Box 1 – The overall meaning of the reading

2 of Cups, Page of Swords, 10 of Wands. A relationship is headed for troublesome news and quarrels, and the querent just can’t see the wood for the trees. This is the straw that broke the camels back.

Box 2 – The heart of the problem

10 of cups, Kn of Swords, 7 of Swords. Ohh boy we have the “happy home” matched up with the impulsive grudge holding knight with the pokey swords, he’s the only one in the deck who rushes away from the future, headlong as fast as he can, and what he is running from is the 7 of Swords, the Sneaky Pete card, if you think someones talking about you behind your back and this card comes up, then I bet a pound to a penny they are.

The 10 of cups is directly above the Knight so he is focussed on wanting that happily ever after even if it means making a few swift cuts along the way.

Box 3 – The querent (and their love interest if any).

6 of Swords, Strength. Although we are not using the house system it is really useful in a Tarot GT (and this interpretation of the original spread) to keep the “Man” and “Woman” houses, to represent the querent and the partner. It can give very interesting insight into each persons mindset and paired with the corner cards (marked with stars) can reveal previously unknown aspects to personality and intent. Here we have the “wife” studiously ignoring her husband in favour of her cat, the cat which we see echoed in the Queen of Wands, so “I ain’t saying she a gold digger but she ain’t messing with no broke” and the 7 of swords crowning her suggests she’s got a spiteful tongue and she’ll use it if she has too. Looking at the 2 of Cups, the Devil and the Ace of Wands I’d also be cautioning the “husband” to watch out she could use sex as a weapon too.

Box 4 – The outcome

Judgement, 4 of Coins. We are starting to move into predictive reading here, which is great. This suggests an amenable outcome to the divorce with the powers that be literally ruling from above in favour of the querent, financial stability and the hard earned cash will be theirs.

Arrow 1 – What is behind them

The Devil, 9 of Swords, Tower. Codependence and toxicity are a trap of their own making, sleepless nights will only cease if you are prepared to make a change. They’ve done their thinking, they’ve acted and now its all done bar for the shouting. They’ve worked through the heart ache mentally and its time to move on. What we don’t get here now by not including the house system is that the paperwork has been drawn up which we would have seen with the Lenormand houses of “Book” and “Letter”, this is where Lenormand can be far more succinct and fusing the two systems is really powerful.

Arrow 2 – What is in front of them

The future is relatively unknown at this point because the querent didn’t lay a full spread. But one thing is clear, growth an opportunity will take a front and centre role in the querent’s life once all this muck and gubbins is over.  And if we are going to get a little crude, that great big wand is a waving, so he looks like he will get some.

The 4 corners (marked by stars) Additional details of note that can shed additional light on the situation, see explanation of Box 3

This has all been written from a male querent’s point of view, but what if this was a woman that laid those spreads, well we don’t get to chose our clients. Best case scenario they are just a bit spoilt and selfish in which case a blunt read may have just saved a marriage as it may have bought them time to self reflect. If they were a narcissist there would be nothing I could do, they would protest their innocence, stamp and shout, declare me wrong and not making a connection possibly. Until they contact me again a few months later for another reading! And therein lies the true skill of a Tarot reader 😉

A Final Word…..

So using techniques from another system we can adequately interpret what on face value looks like one red hot mess of a spread, we have allowed the newbie reader to consider “houses” which really aren’t so different from the titles given to various card placements in more traditional spreads associated with the Tarot such as the horseshoe, Celtic cross or Wheel of the year. We have allowed them so search for connections in the cards to see deeper meaning, and we’ve looked at directionality, past, present, future and boxing, all in a hap hazard grid layout. By examining both approaches we can see that the interpretations are not so different, but that combining the two gives a more detailed picture. Not a bad knowledge dump for a shoddy meme. Can I reiterate, please folks don’t stop posting these spreads this is how you learn ignore the negative nellies, they are not your people!

I truly hope this helps someone, maybe inspires them to pick those cards back up, or for once stays a scoffing tongue when they see a spread like this.

Peace out xxx

 

 

 

 

A Tarot Grande Tableau – Pt 1

I thought I might start this post in a better frame of mind but at the time of writing I am sad to report that pointing out that its a bit mean to mock and also that lateral thinking could have been used to help the person is me wanting “to pwn people with my magical knowledge of leno”.  It never ceases to amaze me how unaware people truly are and how readily they attack rather than reconsider a point of view. But I shall continue regardless.

So let’s talk for a moment about the Lenormand GT as mentioned in my post yesterday, the GT is normally either 9×4 or 8×4+4. This uses every card in the Lenormand deck and each “slot” relates to a “house” (sort of a bit like in astrology) so position 1 in the spread relates to the Rider, 2 to the Clover etc. Then when you lay your cards down what you are seeing is the information relating to that area. So let’s say you get “The Ring” in the house of “Clover”, what does that mean, well depending upon the question it might mean success and good fortune regarding a business contract or maybe a marriage proposal.

These are not discrete interpretations though, not only does the card relate to the house within which is sits, it also relates the cards that are around it and even what card is in a reciprocal house. So whilst Ring in the house of Clover may seem very fortuitous, should The Clouds be in position 25 which is the house of the ring, then I would caution that the engagement may be short lived or overshadowed in some way.

Houses obviously aren’t necessarily very helpful when it comes to helping the beginner who laid the original spread which we looked at yesterday, especially when you consider the crude ad hoc nature of that spread. If the poster was a completely new then complicating the issue by mixing system is also a no-no from a teaching perspective, but for purposes of this post lets look at them briefly anyway as after all the whole point of this was to see the different ways that we could pick apart the original reading to help. (click back here to refresh your memory if you want)

So what could we do here with houses to help a person interpret the spread that was confusing them so much?

After studying the cards for a few moments my considered opinion is that the best way to go was to scrub out the houses where a card wasn’t laid. We are after all told that we should read what we see, and only what is relevant. Seems to me that maybe then those missing cards just aren’t relevant to the read!

Let’s have a look now at a few details. I am going to out on a limb and hazard a guess and suggest that this is a relationship read. There isn’t a lot of psychism here I am afraid, those cards are gnarly and there are far too many pointy swords and weepy cups for my liking. Also in my experience, I would say at least 70% of my clients ask me for a relationship read, even if they start the session by asking about career, or to find a lost object or help with a house move, it nearly always ends up with an “actually before we finish could we just look at my love life”. It’s just the way it is, human nature if you will, we all want to be loved and to be happy.

It’s not necessary to read every card here to get the main point of the read, it rarely is unless clients start asking deeper questions so my draw is to the bottom two lines primarily.

Here is my rationale as I would explain it:

Studiously ignoring what is going on around her, preferring to turn her focus away from the inevitable, the woman is oblivious to the actions of her husband (strength in the house of the Woman). He however is taking action and getting ready to move on from this toxic relationship no matter how painful and argumentative it may get (6 of Swords in the house of the Man with Kn of Swords above in Garden, Devil in the House of Ring) he’s going to try and take the money with him too, after all he worked hard for it (Judgement in the house of Fish and 10 of wands in the House of House *ha! thats a mouthful*). The divorce papers are drawn up, but he’s been having sleepless nights not knowing when to tell her. He knows his mean spirit wife, will bad mouth him (7 of Swords in the house of Mountain) which may cause complications and she will try and take him for everything he’s got (4 of Pentacles in the house of Anchor).

We could go into more details but let’s face it, there is plenty to go on right there and if its worth saying once its worth saying again. You do not have to read every card in a spread! It’s still not an ideal learning exercise though. Tomorrow we will look at how we can use directionality to help decipher the cards in a more beginner friendly way and also see if it changes the reading at all.

Lets talk about this meme shall we?

I don’t know who created this meme and even if I did I am not sure I would want to give them any credit*. Why? because to me it is indicative of a worrying trend I am seeing in certain parts of the Tarot community. The trend of mocking and gate-keeping.

Its also indicative that the meme maker was most-likely a little short on both knowledge and compassion.

What followed on the social media thread where it was posted was a lot of guffaws, laughter and out right piss taking. Here and there, one or two people said they felt sorry for whomever had posted it, others worried for the person saying it was s sign of a chaotic mind. I looked at it and went – Oh its almost a GT we could work with that.

So what is a GT (Grand Tableau/Große Tafel), well its a spread not often used in Tarot. Mostly found amongst Lenormand or Kipper readers it is a spread according to Cafe Lenormand that :-

“explains how you got to where you are at present, what you’re dealing with today (even what’s on your mind), and what will happen next. It will show external influences that you may not be aware of – such as a secret rival at work, a hidden health issue, or a friend lending you a helping hand. The insights the Grand Tableau gives you can help you to know what course of action to take to achieve the best possible outcome.

It’s an excellent spread for gaining an overall synopsis of your life and the months to come.” ~Cafe Lenormand

Normally a GT is laid out either as a 9×4 grid or as an 8×4+4 so as you can see this isn’t exactly correct but there is no reason why, with a little bit of lateral thinking, a sincere discussion couldn’t take place with the person who posted this and some semblance of a reading gleaned that would be both educational and helpful to all concerned.

But instead it was used to mock and scorn. I don’t know how you would feel but assuming this spread was a genuine one nabbed from one of the plethora of Tarot groups on social media (and there is no reason to assume otherwise because I have seen similar) if this was my photo and I came across this meme I would have been devastated. Maybe even devastated enough to put my cards away and not bring them back out again. And like that *poof* a potential Tarot star may fall into obscurity never to be heard of again. How sad. Shame Tarot community, shame, shame, shame.

So over the next week I am going to recreate this spread, use it as a teaching tool, not just to help all the people out there who have posted images like this on Tarot forums  – BTW keep doing it that’s how you learn – but also for those who were so quick to mock they forgot that they were once learners too. Remember that you’re never too experienced to look at things in a new way.

So look out tomorrow for Pt 1 of the Tarot Grand Tableau – A teaching tool!

*I will credit the deck however, thats only polite. It looks like the Centennial Waite by U.S Games but not being able to see the backs or get a clear look at the cards I’m guessing a bit here. Maybe some can come along and tell us.

Thank you Frieda, Lady Harris

“She devoted her genius to the Work. With incredible rapidity she picked up the rhythm, and with inexhaustible patience submitted to the correction of the fanatical slave-driver that she had invoked, often painting the same card as many as eight times until it measured up to his Vanadium Steel yardstick!”

― A. Crowley, The Book of Thoth

Ancestral Spirits play a huge part of Pagan and Magickal world view. For me this isn’t just blood Ancestors, although I’ve got a couple of pretty exciting ancestors in my history. If my fathers tales are to be believed my family line includes a Scottish Cattle raider and a sailor who went with Columbus to find the New World. But that is by the by. I also believe that our political, religious, spiritual and magickal ancestors should also be venerated. Their lives, their work, their struggles, have all contributed to who I am now. Had Emmeline Pankhurst and her sisters never been born I would not have been able to vote in our local elections last week. Thats worthy of rememberance.

Without Gerald Brosseau Gardner, Philip Peter Ross Nichols (who I have recently discovered went to school in the same village I grew up in) or Orrell Alexander Carter (Alex Sanders) I would not have the religious and philosophical view that I have. They are another form of ancestor. And I also venerate them accordingly. As a result my personal diary doesn’t just contain the important dates relating to family and friends it also lists the birth and death dates of other important people. This week we have the anniversary of the death of Helena Blavatsky and Frieda, Lady Harris. Both movers and shakers in the Occult world in the last 150 years.

I shall leave Mdme. Blavatsky for another day because her influence on the world probably deserves several posts dedicated just to her alone. But Lady Harris is currently of great personal interest for she, along with Moina Mathers and Pamela Coleman Smith form a Triad of talented mystical women who have shaped the face of the world of Tarot. One of my life’s great passions.

Much of late has been done to recognise Pamela ‘Pixie’ Coleman Smith and the part she played in the Rider Waite Smith deck. And not surprisingly because its is probably the most popular deck in the world. I know very few readers who didn’t start out life with some variation of this deck. But two other decks have also shaped the world of tarot, although they are somewhat less talked about. Possibly because their symbolism is a little bit more obscure, a little bit more abstract, and at times dare I say it, more beautiful.

The Thoth, sometimes called ‘The Aleister Crowley Thoth’ is to me as much the work of Lady Harris as it is of the Great Beast, as Crowley liked to call himself. And it is said that this deck is the stunning, complex, detailed and deeply occult deck it is today because Frieda encouraged Crowley to add his own knowledge and imagery to the work rather than just creating another derivative Book T inspired Tarot deck.

Born in 1877 Marguerite Frieda Harris seems to have lived the first half of her life in relative comfort and respectability. The daughter of a Surgeon she went on to marry an MP of the liberal party who thanks to a baronetcy awarded in the 1930s was entitled to call her self Lady Harris. There is an interesting quirk regarding this title. As the wife of a Baronet she was entitled to use the name Lady before her surname, so in formal situations she could be introduced ‘Lady Harris’ but in more informal situations she could not be called ‘Lady Frieda’. Thus when discussing her it is correct to call her Frieda, Lady Harris. However this didn’t seem to stop her from ‘adopting’ the name ‘Lady Frieda’ and it seems to have stuck. It’s not very common to read articles or listen to discussion involving her that use her correct title.

Although an apparently quite private conventional person, in my opinion this little quirk alone is indicative of a more free spirited personality hidden underneath. The fact that at the age of 60 she took up with the man who was known as ‘the wickedest man in the world’ to paint the most amazing tarot deck ever created cements that belief in my eyes. What is it they say, behind every strong man there is an even stronger woman and I truly believe that to be the case when it comes to Coleman-Smith, Mathers and Harris.

She was obviously a deeply loyal woman, she continued to care for Crowley supporting him both physically and financially right up until the end. She used her connections to promote gallery exhibitions of the original artwork for the deck. Helped finance the first run of 200 decks, and as a woman of means even paid Crowley an allowance to allow him to pursue his work in the Occult. And when his body (and many friends) failed him she provided nursing care. Finally she then gifted the original artwork to Crowley’s secretary Gerald Yorke before moving to India to live out her days.

She died on this day 11th of May 1962 in Srinagar Kashmir.

 

Travel well Lady Harris,  daughter of the firmament, may your artwork continue to inspire students of the Tarot and the Occult for generations to come.