Sea of Emotions

©Ricardo Minetti & Anna Lazzarini

This week, I will be drawing from the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006) by Riccardo Minetti and Anna Lazzarini.

This first draw was done totally randomly, but fortuitously it gives us a direct comparison with last week's Magic Manga Tarot (AGM Müller, 2008). Here we meet the King of Cups, and I personally prefer this version.  He doesn't seem like a child, for one thing!  Besides, I like the fact that, with bubbles floating up around him, he seems entirely immersed in his element.  He does not fear emotion, nor sulk and pout about it, instead drinking deep of life.  On the negative side, ill-dignified or reversed, he may have a tendency to drown his sorrows in alcohol or other pursuits designed to mask emotions.

As for me, after a couple of days this week when I gave in to chocolate cravings, I see here encouragement to explore the emotions that led to that, and deal with them more appropriately!

I am grateful for pathworking as a means to explore and understand my emotions.

Weekly Vlog Reading for 19th May

This week I'll be using the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006), so I decided to do a three card reading with it.  I think it's the first time that a reading has been all of one suit!  Anyhow, looks like a time to be practical, loyal to ourselves, to let family get on with their own thing, and to maybe pamper ourselves a little in celebration of a job well done, and in preparation for more work to come :)  To see the video, just click here!

Cutting Through

We end this week drawing from the Magic Manga Tarot (AGM Müller, 2008)  with the Six of Swords.

Once again, this card does not obviously speak to traditional meanings of movement to a calmer place, the need to leave old thought patterns behind, or conversely to learn from the past and apply knowledge to a new situation.  Here, a man with a sword held high has his back to us.  We cannot see what foe he faces, where he is going, or where he has been.  All we know is that he feels the need to have his sword ready to hand.  Perhaps he is cutting through a forest of incomprehension, allowing himself to move into a clearer space - that chimes with traditional ideas. On the other hand, he could be startling at shadows, plagued by invisible ghosts.

Today I see a client, and so I hope that it is clearing through the debris of the past to move towards a brighter future that is indicated here.

I am grateful for the chance to help someone move forward.

Magical Clarity

Another King greets us today from the Magic Manga Tarot (AGM Müller, 2008).

This one is more kingly in my eyes, though still youthful in appearance. He wields his sword with a more regal air, crossed over his heart, and looks at us straight on, unflinching . The red of his crown suggests that his thoughts are focused on practical matters, that he is connected to ancestral knowledge. The pink diamonds on his cloak imply a certain inner softness, which may not often be apparent. It is this compassion which he sometimes fights against, wanting to be seen as strong and decisive, hence his coving of his heart with the unsheathed blade of his sword, symbol of his sharp mind.

This King is one I would call on when decisions must be made, strategies planned, and when we cannot give in to our softer emotions, but must maintain a certain detached objectivity.  I often see him as a doctor, scientist, politician or judge.  Equally, though, we can call on these traits if, for example, we need to take a child to the doctor and stay calm and focused as we discuss what is happening and what is needed.

This isn't a card I would often associate with seeing my therapist. However, after a couple of very emotional weeks, perhaps it is time to calmly see where all this emotion has left me, to assess what has changed, and what still needs work...

I am grateful for clarity of vision and calm.

Manga Tarot Video Review

As I promised in a comment about the Magic Manga Tarot (AGM Müller, 2008), starting on Saturday I will be drawing from the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006).  This is a deck I absolutely adore!  So, I thought I'd do a video review of it to show the images for anyone who might be tempted, and to talk about some of the reasons I like it so much :)  Check the video out here.