Sad Kitty

By Leo Tang

Today's card from the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008) is the Six of Swords.  In this deck, as in the Mibramig Magical Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2013), each suit has a type of animal associated with it.  Though here in the Magical Forest, these animals are simpler and more recognisable, if still somewhat unusual for traditional elemental associations.  For instance, in the Wands cards we have frogs, Cups show white rabbits, Swords are cats, and in the Pentacles we see foxes.

The Six of Swords shows a cat in a red cloak poling a boat across a stretch of water.  In the boat are two more cat figures, one hidden under a cloak, suggestive of a mother and kitten.  In front of them, six spindly swords stick up, their tips buried in the bottom of the boat.  As for the waters, they are a calm turquoise in front and to the left of the boat, a choppy purple to the right and back.

All very traditional, then, suggesting moving to calmer waters after a time of difficulty.  I like the little touches such as the poling cat's cape, suggestive of dynamic action, and the mother cat's cloak, which is almost shroud-like, covering all but her tail.  When we go through a period of hardship, it can help to have a bit of protection and comfort, as well as someone to help us move beyond the difficulties.

Really hope that I'll be moving past the problems of the last week now.  Unless Big Boy has a huge coughing fit in the next couple of hours, he'll be going to school, which will be a massive relief.  As for protection and comfort, I see those in having some time to exercise today :)

I am grateful for habits which support me in hard times.

Hedgehog Joyride

By Leo Tang

For this second day with the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008), we have another small creature riding beasts far larger than himself.

This time, though, it is a hedgehog riding a Chariot pulled by what look like wildebeest (though, once again, I'm no biologist).  All of the creatures have the same strange, staring eyes, giving them a somewhat crazed look.  Perhaps that's what makes me think of joyriders when I see this particular card ;)

In this version of the Chariot, the two beasts yoked to the cart are the same, and don't obviously seem to be pulling in different directions.  The only nod to tradition, in that sense, is that they wear a white and a black blanket to differentiate them.  When we harness our dark and our light sides, we can move forward with determination and power, embracing our destiny.  It can be scary to take our destiny into our own hands.  And yet, the joy of knowing we are doing what we choose and what we can is intense, too.

It's funny, this is the second Sunday in a row that the Chariot has come up here.  And Sunday isn't a day I really associate much with taking charge of my life, as it's our biggest family day.  Which means trying to make sure everyone gets enough of what they need.  And there it is, the Chariot I harness.  Not just my own desires, but those of Big Boy and my Dear One.  With both of them being fairly headstrong, it can sometimes feel like an out-of-control ride, but overall I think we do ok.

I am grateful for the people who share this road with me.

Don't Be A Boar?!

This week, I'll be drawing from another deck which I realised with surprise I had never used on this blog!  This is the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008) by Leo Tang.  I got this deck when it first came out, and think it wonderfully cute, interesting and evocative.  I guess, though, that because I bought it before I started blogging, it somehow got lost in amongst the shiny new decks...

While this deck is undoubtedly super cute, it also brings a lot to the table.  Take today's card, the Knight of Pentacles.  A little fox rides atop a huge boar.  The fox appears to hold a pentacle-tipped javelin, and charges forward with single-minded focus.  Having a boar as his steed also seems very a propos.  For one thing, the Knight of Pentacles is sometimes seen as a bit of a bore, with his practicality and sense of responsibility.  For another, the boar is renowned for its surprising strength and determination, qualities well-suited to its rider.

Just imagine riding a boar that big!  That would take a degree of confidence, as well as steadfastness.  After all, I imagine the boar would notice if you weren't firm on the reins, and toss you off like yesterday's rubbish.

A card, then, of determination, practicality, and a willingness to do something even if it's hard, to stick to it no matter what.

Today, this card reminds me that slow and steady wins the race.  Big Boy is still ill and grumpy, and now he's shared his cold with me :(  So, anything I do today is likely to take twice as long as usual, but things still have to get done. 

I am grateful for the reminder to persevere.

Longing

By W. Crane & E. Fitzpatrick

A decidedly non-traditional take on the Nine of Swords here from the Harmonious Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2005).

A woman wearing a crown and a long, flowing pink dress walks off the step of what could be a throne.  She holds out her right arm as though in supplication: a reaching out without much hope of the person coming back.  Her left hand rests on a wall painted with small, leafy plants.  Four horn-like flowers peer in the same direction as the woman, stretching up above the wall.  Above her are nine swords, alternating between point up and point down.

This could, I suppose, be the woman's nightmare.  Stuck forever brimming over with longing, unfulfilled despite the trappings of wealth, beauty and power.

Certainly, this card also offers interpretations besides the traditional insomnia and churning thoughts.  The neat row of swords could suggest our thoughts being at counterpoint to one another: so many thoughts, yet leading nowhere as one negates the next.  We could also go with longing, heartache, despondency, or even giving up what you have for the sake of an ephemeral dream.  She seems thoroughly at the mercy of life, moving without conscious thought nor preparation.

What I've been longing for this week is less uncertainty and better health for Big Boy.  Yet, talking with my therapist yesterday, I realised that I probably have to face the fact that there will always be uncertainty and health issues to be dealt with.  So, at a more practical level, perhaps I should plan for not being able to commit to other things and to strict deadlines.  My time suddenly seems to vanish when Big Boy gets ill and I act as his point person organising appointments, referrals, prescriptions and care.  Being prepared may include factoring this into what I choose to do and how I choose to do it...

I am grateful to be able to make choices about what I commit to.

Eastern Devil

By W. Crane & E. Fitzpatrick

Wow, what a fierce and strange Devil this is from the Harmonious Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2005). 

A humanoid figure with pointed ears, a fierce, ape-like face and clawed toes swings a sword and rides a huge black cat.  An even bigger black turkey looks on from just behind them, while further back we see a human in a toga with hands thrown up in shock.  There are also what may be human figures looking down from a colonaded balcony. 

In front of the sword-wielding Devil figure four flames spring up from the tiled floor, and in the background the sun shines through pinkly from a cloud-strewn sky.

This Devil is both scary and bizarre.  He makes me think of a Djinn out of the Arabian Thousand and One Nights.  A terrifying demon come to steal us away to a life of torment and slavery.  Which brings us round to traditional interpretations of the Devil. 

Of course, these are tales told to frighten us into good behaviour, as defined by the teller of the tale.  Yet oftentimes, the situations or behaviours I see as more within this archetype involve a battle with ourselves.  And no tale is likely to scare us out of them, though a life-threatening shock might.  Even then, for some the habit or addiction outweighs even that kind of experience...

I sometimes wish I'd have some kind of experience that would frighten me out of eating sugar - like a diabetes scare, for instance.  Realistically, though, I'm not sure how much of a difference it would make to my habits (addiction).  I've noticed this week once again the difference that stress and lack of sleep makes - I've been eating worse than I had for a while :(

I am grateful that I know my demons, and hope that is the first step to accepting them and digging their claws out of me.