Battling or Building?

By Leo Tang

And so our week with the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008) ends.

For our last card we have the Five of Wands.  Five bug-eyed frogs wearing red capes heft large wooden wands over their heads.  Are they jousting with them, or trying to build something?  And if trying to build something, wouldn't it help to have a plan or a leader? 

Overall, I'd say they are more constructive than aggressive, but the crazed eyes lend an air of madness to the proceedings.  I like their red capes, which are a nod to the element of Fire, and suggestive of their dynamism and strength of purpose.

Likewise, the choice of frogs for the suit of Wands is an interesting one.  While in no way fiery creatures, frogs are renowned for their creativity and adaptability, which does fit the suit of Wands.

A card, then, of people striving to get something done, but where a lack of organisation, a slight being at counter purposes, may get in the way of efficiency.

Hmm, not a great card for a day when I have a lengthy business meeting scheduled.  I take this as a suggestion to try to stay clear in my purpose, and avoid pointless battles. 

I am grateful for the Bank Holiday weekend coming up.

All Tied Up

By Leo Tang

For today's card from the Tarot of the Magical Forest (Lo Scarabeo, 2008), we have another Swords card.  That means another cute kitty in dire straits :)

A sweet, grey tabby plays Puss-in-boots, yet she doesn't seem strong, defiant or smart.  Instead, she is bound by a thick, white ribbon that wraps around her eyes and the top of her arms.  Behind her, eight swords bar the way towards a castle in the distance.  The sky above her is a gentle pink that is echoed in kitty's ears, nose and mouth.  However, the land around her is barren and grey.

The pink sky suggests love, yet our puss cannot see it due to the ribbon over her eyes, though the ribbon would fall off if she'd just move.   And she is blocked from the security of the castle by those pesky swords, which of course she could walk around if she freed herself from her ties.

I'm not quite sure why, but when I saw this card today I heard a song from a Canadian pop singer from the Eighties, Roch Voisine.  As I remember it, one of the lyrics went "I'm all tied up, dying but I'm feeling fine".  Just googled it, and it's actually All Wired Up, but my sense of the lyrics was right, and preempted Maroon 5's One More Night by nearly three decades ;)  What this may be trying to say is that not only are these restrictions of our own making, but there is something comfortable or even pleasurable about them.  Like saying "I can't do that" and even though there's a part of us that regrets the inability, there's another part that is dancing with glee: I can't do that means I don't have to challenge myself or put myself on the spot.

For me today, I think this is about eating.  I tell myself that giving up chocolate is too hard when I have so many other stressors in my life.  And yet, eating chocolate is also a stressor, leaving me feeling fat and weak-willed.  On the other hand, I didn't eat chocolate for most of 2011, so I know I can do it...

I am grateful for the people around me encouraging me towards healthier patterns.

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.