Bat Crazy

By Leo Tang

Another lovely card today from the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008).  This week is reminding me why I love this deck so much :)

Here we meet the Hanged Man, a white bat wrapped cocoon-like in his own wings.  He dangles from a spindly tree, with another curving across to meet it, creating a lovely frame for the full moon behind him.  In a strange play on perspective, a mountain rises in the distance, seeming dwarfed by both moon and bat.  It pokes straight up, as though the moon were a bubble that could come to rest on this little pedestal... or be popped by it!

In the Hanged Man's hand is a bok with a long-eared bunny on the cover.  And though he holds onto the tree with one foot, he is also tied to it by a hangman's noose-type rope.  So, is he just hanging out, taking some time to study before getting on with things?  Or is he trapped but making the best of it?  I like the suggestion that this is all part of a cycle (the moon), and that wisdom will come of it (the mountain).

Huh, looking at this card makes me think I'd like to take some time to read a novel.  Though actually, what my Dear One and I are planning is a trip out to see the new Star Trek film: Into Darkness :D  Won't get much done that way, and I'm not sure how "educational" it'll be, but at least it's a fun break in our routine.

I am grateful for an evening out with my love.

Cunning Fox?

By Leo Tang

Today's card from the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008) is a Court card, the King of Pentacles.  So, as mentioned yesterday, being a Pentacle card it shows a fox.  I quite like the association of foxes with Pentacles.  After all, foxes live in burrows in the earth.  Also, they are quite "smart", not in an over-thinking way, but in a getting things done way, which for me fits with the earthy, material Pentacles.

Here, then, is a fox King on his throne.  He wears an ermine-trimmed red cloak, and his throne is also upholstered in a deep, rich red.  His crown is three-pointed, and right above his head is an eight-pointed star.  He holds a Pentacle, and there are apples by his feet - a fruit which, when cut shows a pentacle shape at its core.  Of course, the apples could also be to show abundance...

The location for this King is interesting.  There is a little yellow wall just in front of him, curling around his throne, with a gap right in front of it.  Beyond the throne though, instead of a palace or throne-room, we see rolling hills which seem to almost merge with the wide blue sky.  Although the sky is prominent, so too is the landscape around him.

Altogether, this King has a lavish throne, with signs of abundance around him and in his clothes, and a strong connection to the land.  These are all symbols that fit well with my understanding of this card.  He feels a part of his environment, and acts responsibly towards it.  He enjoys the fruits of that connection, and isn't ashamed to take pleasure in sensual delights, be they the crisp freshness of biting into an apple, or the soft brush of ermine against his throat.

I've been thinking about where to take my tarot and Lenormand "business" recently, especially having decided that more regular work is going to be less possible with Big Boy's current state of health.  Yesterday, I created a database of people who have attended or expressed interest in my Lenormand workshops, and another for my Inner Whispers accounts for this financial year.  Definitely King of Pentacles- type pursuits.  As for today, I want to try out an on-line service for offering workshops at a distance...

I am grateful for the technology that helps me do so much from home.

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.