Tarot Pink, a Collaboration Deck: My Two of Wands

On April 25, 2015May 16, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, divination, personal, tarot21 Comments

Tarot Pink Promotional Banner by Roxi Sim, Creator of the Pearls of Wisdom Tarot

Tarot Pink for Cancer is a collaborative tarot deck project organized by Ron Leong, founder of Tarot eCards, a digital app for storing electronic versions of whole tarot decks on your smartphone. The mission of the collaborative tarot deck project is to raise funds for breast cancer research. The concept is to reach beyond the tarot community and introduce tarot to the greater public as a tool for emotional, spiritual, and physical healing, with a focus on fighting breast cancer.

The theme of the deck is “Tarot Pink,” with an emphasis on the tarot’s ability to inspire, empower, and support in a person’s physical wellness journey. Although the financial cause is dedicated to breast cancer research, the deck itself is keyed to all forms of physical healing and the path to wellness. The color pink evokes that healing, compassion, empathy, and soft, understanding, non-judgmental support.

You’re going to want to get this deck. Mary Greer is writing an introduction in the guidebook. You’ve got contributions from some of the biggest names in the tarot world: Robert Place of Alchemical Tarot and Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery; Ciro Marchetti of Gilded Tarot and Legacy of the Divine; Eric Dunne of Tarot Illuminati; Marie White of The Mary-el Tarot; Kris Waldherr of The Goddess Tarot; Pamela Steele of Steele Wizard Tarot; Mary Griffin of The Hezicos Tarot; Emily Carding of The Transparent Oracle and Tarot of the Sidhe; Roxi Sim of Pearls of Wisdom Tarot; Major Tom Schick of Major Tom’s Tarot of Marseille; James Ricklef of Tarot of the Masters; Carrie Paris of the Magpie Oracle; J. R. Rivera of Beautiful Creatures Tarot, and oh my goodness, so many more.

You are going to recognize a lot of the names on the contributors list. Tarot Pink will be available as both a mobile app. and a printed deck. The app. will be available as early as July, 2015 and the printed deck available in September, 2015. Please support our efforts over at Indiegogo and please help share news of this deck and our fundraising via social media with #TarotPink.

This is definitely going to be a keepsake deck. A lot of incredible folk have infused these cards with the kind of positive, empowering Qi energy that would help in any path to healing, so use it for yourself, use it for those reading the cards for their healing journey, get it as an inspirational gift for someone, or heck, get it as a collector’s deck. Considering the kind of efforts that have been devoted to the creation of Tarot Pink and the practitioners who’ve worked on it, this deck is going to vibrate at a very cool higher frequency, if you ask me.

If nothing else, please get the tarot app for your smartphone. It’s only a $2 donation. Do it! That is less than your morning cup of joe!

I was so honored and red with delight when Ron invited me to contribute to this amazing project. I hope by sharing about my card contribution, you’ll be inspired to go out and read about all the other amazing tarot people and artists and what they’ve done for this deck. And then, of course, actually get a copy! I’m not sure I have the authority to show you other works, so I won’t, but you have to go searching for them. My below doodle looks rinky-dink compared to what others have done. AH-MAZING! stuff.

two_of_wands — Go forth to plan out an ambitious future. You are called to aspire for the horizon beyond. The orb symbolizes healing and the power that love has for overcoming obstacles. Gaze into that orb and you will see: you walk the path of a soldier. Progress.

The caption underneath the card image is the card meaning blurb that will be accompanying the smartphone app version of the deck. The deck’s accompanying guidebook will have a longer description, which I’m providing after the jump. Continue reading “Tarot Pink, a Collaboration Deck: My Two of Wands” →

9 Easy Ways to Increase Publicity for Your Professional Tarot Services

On April 22, 2015April 28, 2015 By benebellIn divination, professional tarot, tarot23 Comments

tarot_cards

Hey you, budding tarot professional, you. Trying to figure out how to get the word out about the tarot business you just launched? Looking to work for hire as a tarot professional but the concept of PR and marketing intimidates the crap out of you? Here are 9 easy ways you can start. You can do all 9 of these this week, right now, I promise.

So. Treat this post as a checklist. Don’t know where to start with your PR and marketing? Start here, 1 through 9. Complete all of these and you’ll be off to a fantastic start. [This is kind of assuming you’ve already done the social media basics, like gotten your own domain name URL, created a Facebook page for your new business, and created a Twitter or Instagram account.]

Continue reading “9 Easy Ways to Increase Publicity for Your Professional Tarot Services” →

XIII Tarot by Nekro: Deck Review

On April 18, 2015April 18, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, tarot26 Comments

The XIII Tarot by Nekro, published in 2014 by Fournier/Lo Scarabeo (and distributed in North America by Llewellyn) is a Gothic-inspired art deck with ornamental detailing, intense, evocative emotion, and a macabre motif. The art is in grayscale, with select sections of each card digitally enhanced a brilliant red.

The audience for the XIII Tarot deck is going to be aficionados of dark/gothic tarot decks, though without illustrated pips, it’s going to be better suited for Marseille readers.

Many of the reviews for the deck that I read on Amazon complain about the non-illustrated pips, but that didn’t bother me. You just have to know what you’re getting, as a deck buyer. In the context of Nekro’s highly detailed artwork, I like the non-illustrated pips. Illustrated pips, given Nekro’s highly detailed art work, along with the already highly detailed Majors might have been overkill.

Notice how the Majors stand out in a reading spread with the XIII Tarot.

When the cards are set out in spreads, the images on the Majors step forward beautifully, the Courts speak to us in their respective voices, and the pips provide supplemental information. For me, the deck reads quite well, but I see how visual-spatial-right-brained readers are going to prefer the illustrated pips that you might find in other Gothic decks like the Dark Grimoire Tarot by Michele Penco also by Lo Scarabeo, or the Bohemian Gothic Tarot by Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahony, which sadly, is now out of print (I believe).

Continue reading “XIII Tarot by Nekro: Deck Review” →

The Intuitive Tag | Part 2

On April 13, 2015 By benebellIn personal3 Comments

intuitivetag

It took me a lot of words to answer Question 1 of the Intuitive Tag that’s been going around. Read Part 1 here. Here in Part 2 I finish off the Tag. This was fun.

2. Have you ever had a premonition?

I’m not sure I know how to answer this. Yes, sure. I have.

3. When did you get your first Tarot or Oracle deck? What deck was it?

When I was 9, I was using a regular playing card deck for cartomancy, where all the pips were illustrated with characters from Journey to the West, a classical Chinese novel, and there were also captions that summed up that character. I’d say that was my first oracle deck. Tarot came a bit later for me.

I’ve written about it on this blog before, “My Earliest Foray in Cartomancy.”

4. What element do you connect with the most?

Air. Well, Air and Metal. Air per Western metaphysics; Metal per Wu Xing.

5. Do you believe in Faeries?

It’s not a matter of me believing or not believing. I’ve never personally witnessed faeries and have not come across any hard evidence supporting their existence. That, however, certainly does not mean they don’t exist. It just means that at this moment, I have insufficient knowledge and experiences to formulate a belief one way or the other.

6. Do you prefer the Moon or the Sun?

I don’t have a preference. I’m quite fond of both.

7. What is your favorite Crystal or Stone?

Lapis lazuli or selenite.

8. Can you see spirits/spiritual beings?

No. If I have, I was not able to, with unequivocal certainty, identify what I saw as “spirits/spiritual beings.”

candle

9. Would you rather be able to fly on a broomstick, breathe under water, make things grow fast, or control fire?

Control fire. It’s funny, given that list–those options–it’s not even up for debate to me. Of course: control fire.

10. What is the animal totem that you feel most connected too?

Owl and swan, equally.

11. What is your first animal/spirit totem?

Swan.

I should also mention I have no idea what this whole animal/spirit totem thing is, but as I developed in my own practices over the decades, there were certainly two animals I identified very closely with, surrounding myself with their images or likeness, and even picking up traits from them. The first was the swan, and later I also came to be connected to the owl.

12. Tell us about your first spirit guide?

Huh?

13. Do you feel more connected to the stars or the Earth?

I don’t have a preference. I’m quite fond of both.

14. What is your preferred method of blessing/cleansing?

Blessing and cleansing are two separate functions, per my practice. What I do for blessing is very different from what I do for cleansing. Even when we say “blessing,” that’s vague. A blessing for what purpose?

Also, my approach to these functions are rather personal.

15. What color do you feel most spiritually connected too?

I don’t have a preference. If I thought about it, though, I tend to work predominantly with white, black, and/or blue.

* * *

If you decide to answer these questions on your own blog, please link me below so I can read. I know this is a Tag and that means you’re supposed to get “tagged” to participate but screw that. I didn’t get tagged. I just saw it and went, “Oh, yah, that looks fun.” And went for it. Please feel free to do the same.

The Kuan Yin Oracle Deck: A Review

On April 13, 2015August 22, 2019 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, oracle deck33 Comments

Kuan Yin Oracle Deck - 01 Box Cover

The Kuan Yin oracle deck by Alana Fairchild with art by Chinese painter Zeng Hao caught my attention as soon as it came out on the market. It’s published by Blue Angel, an affiliate partner with Llewellyn. I wanted the deck for Zeng Hao’s breathtaking artwork and also because it’s Kuan Yin.

Both my paternal and maternal grandmothers venerated Kuan Yin and so did my husband’s maternal grandmother. My mother has an altar in our home for Kuan Yin. When I was little and afraid of the dark, not wanting to go to sleep, crying out for mommy, my mother would come in to my room and tell me to recite this mantra that included Kuan Yin’s name, which would keep me protected. Kuan Yin is the energy I invoke any time I seek protection or personal fearlessness. I never really thought of her as the “Divine Feminine,” but okay I can work with that interpretation.

(As a practicing Buddhist who has studied at monasteries since the age of ten, I’ve literally never heard Kuan Yin associated with the “Divine Feminine” until white people got involved. Just saying.)

Kuan Yin Oracle Deck - 06 Pick a Card

To kick off this review, let’s start with a divination for you. Look at the three cards above and choose one, left, center, or right. Be receptive to what message most needs to be conveyed to you right now. Hold that thought. Continue reading “The Kuan Yin Oracle Deck: A Review” →

Golden Tarot of Klimt: Deck Review

On April 5, 2015April 5, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, tarot, tarot symbolism27 Comments

One year in high school I had a spiral bound day planner I bought at a museum gift shop that featured Klimt’s artwork. I carried Klimt around with me everywhere that year and afterward, cut out the full-color prints that appeared in the day planner, framed and placed them around my room. An art poster print of “The Kiss” was hung up in my bedroom through my adolescence and young adulthood. Currently in the halls of my day job office hangs a really nice framed print of “Adele Bloch-Bauer I.” [Also, tell me it isn’t just me– is there or isn’t there something very Nine of Pentacles about that painting.]

Like many artists of his time (Pamela Colman Smith included), Klimt was influenced by Japanese block art. Klimt’s art is bold, sensual, deeply ornate yet symbolic, and iconic of the Art Nouveau and Symbolist Art movements, with mystical tendencies. His art was controversial for its time. Klimt would have been about 50 years old around the time Waite and Smith created their tarot deck.

The Klimt Tarot or Golden Tarot of Klimt by Lo Scarabeo and Llewellyn is one of the most well-done collector’s art deck I’ve seen. There on the box cover you see one of Klimt’s iconic paintings, “Judith I.” The cards are 2.5″ x 4.6″, which fits comfortably in my hands and the smooth texture on the cardstock renders the deck very easy to shuffle and fan for reading purposes. There isn’t much to the Little White Booklet (LWB), as the text in there is short and sweet, and in those few pages, is packed with 6 language translations.

On the side of the box pictured above, the top image is from one of my favorite paintings by Klimt, “Medicine (Hygieia),” which so perfectly appears on The Magician card in the deck. While more and more decks are moving to China for printing and manufacturing, these decks are still made in Italy. The box and packaging is finished beautifully and is part of what renders this deck such a rewarding collector’s item. It was first published in 2005 and the brainchild of the Bulgarian-born Atanas Antchev Atanassov. Continue reading “Golden Tarot of Klimt: Deck Review” →

“A Sea of Calm” Mandala Oracle Deck

On March 31, 2015March 24, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, oracle deck8 Comments

A Sea of Calm is a self-published 52-card mandala oracle deck by Fiona Stolze. I got a deck from the second printing and just love the artwork. In true contemporary oracle deck form, each card features a keyword or phrase, which can be applied to the divinatory exercise at hand. The deck has a calming, soft energy with exquisite mandala art by Stolze. These are paintings on silk printed onto borderless cards with captions like “Embracing the Divine Feminine,” “Thy Will Be Done,” or “Synthesis.”

The cards are a good fit in my hands, at 2.75″ x 4.75″ and altogether make for a rather slim deck, so it transports easily alongside a tarot deck. The deck description on Stolze’s website notes that the deck is ideal for meditation and contemplation.

Mandalas are, in a nutshell, an art form intended to express the artist’s perspective of the universe, or a certain part of the universe. Religiously, they’re used to help establish sacred space. Thus, an oracle deck of mandala art would be ideal for practitioners who use tarot or oracle decks in meditation. I’d imagine they’d work pretty well, too, for work on the astral plane.

Continue reading ““A Sea of Calm” Mandala Oracle Deck” →

The Intuitive Tag | Part 1

On March 26, 2015April 29, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, divination, personal, tarot13 Comments

intuitivetag

This one seems interesting. It’s a tag that’s been circulating video blogs, but since I don’t do those, I’ll write out my responses instead. Please also consider participating and, in the comments section, link me to your responses. Also, be sure to share with the blogosphere using the #IntuitiveTag.

I’ll be completing the intuitive tag in various parts. Here’s Part 1.

Share your first paranormal experience that comes to mind.

The first one that comes to mind happened about five years ago, no, maybe even more years ago than that. Know that I have a strange affinity with “11.” It recurs throughout my life and I, like a handful of others, always seem to glance over at the clock when it’s 11:11 exactly.

At the time of this occurrence, the address number of the condo that Hubby and I lived in was 109. The condo next door was 111. We had just moved into this condo, so I was not yet familiar with the neighborhood. In other words, hadn’t one clue where the nearest hospital was.

It was evening, a weeknight. Hubby was still at work and I had just gotten home to start preparing dinner. I had oil heating up in a wok and was chopping up the eggplant to be fired up in that wok. Meanwhile I was yapping away on the phone with my sister.

I lost track of the stove and FOOM! I turned around to see where the sound was coming from and oh my @#$%ing the wok was on fire. The flames were 3 feet high and melting the microwave that was situated above the stove.

“Gotta call you back,” I muttered to my sister on the other line. Then I dropped the phone and panicked.

In a state of panic, I couldn’t think straight. In that moment, it made more sense to me to try to run the flaming wok out of the house into the parking lot than it did to simply try to get it in the sink. I think it’s because I recalled watching something about putting water on a fire and the fire getting bigger, I don’t know, I’m just making excuses now. Anyway, in the moment, I grabbed the handle on the wok and dashed for the front door.

Continue reading “The Intuitive Tag | Part 1” →

Jujubes: Traditional Chinese Medicine That Tastes Good

On March 24, 2015February 3, 2015 By benebellIn holistic food6 Comments

Jujubes 5

I’ve been told that jujubes have been used as part of traditional Chinese medicine for at least 2,500 years, and that they’re great for those with weaker constitutions or frailer health. Drinking jujube tea regularly is supposed to be a great health tonic, and can improve your blood circulation and immune system. Even jujube pits are made into a medicine to heal wounds and treat abdominal pain; the leaves are supposed to help with fevers; and the fruit great for overall physical well-being. Jujube wood is also made into mala prayer beads for meditation, and the metaphysical properties for jujube wood is believed to facilitate spiritual healing.

For women who care about beauty, jujube juice helps improve skintone and complexion, and is supposed to help with beauty. Hey. I’m sold. Pour me some of that jujube juice! It’s also my understanding that they’re “warm,” and so great for those with “cooler” constitutions, like me. So I’ve been trying to improve my health (and hey, I’ll admit it, beauty) with regular dosages of jujube tea. Fortunately, we have a jujube tree in our front yard.

In the spring and early summer, the jujube tree blooms these delicate white and fragrant blossoms. In the above photo, they haven’t reached their full whiteness yet. I took this pic last spring. Jujube blossoms symbolize love and romance in Eastern cultures, an association likely to have come from the fragrant scent of these flowers.

Continue reading “Jujubes: Traditional Chinese Medicine That Tastes Good” →