Deck Review- The Sirian Starseed Tarot

It has been a very interesting week, well two weeks, for me with The Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha, published by North  Atlantic Books.  It ended up being two weeks because I hit some Resistance, with a capital "R" (a concept I believe I have to credit to Steven Pressfield, whose books I read to pump me up every now and then) and the recovery from surgery gave me a nice, neat excuse to "take it easy" though if I am really honest with myself I wasn't that unwell, but I was being challenged by this deck.

The first thing I will say about the Sirian Starseed Tarot is that it is fully usable as a tarot deck regardless of your beliefs, but if you are going to partake of the accompanying book by Patricia Cori you will be expected to accept, or at least be open to, the notion that some of us on Earth are "Starseeds", sent from something called "The Sirian High Council" to live a life here, learn lessons, have experiences, and gather information to return with.  I have to be honest and say this is a pretty "far out" idea for me, or at least it was as I began using this deck, but its' beauty and gentleness, along with it closely following tarot structure, drew me in, and I am always open to new ideas.

Sirian Starseed Tarot Back

The Sirian Starseed Tarot is a deck that always reads at the highest possible vibration of the cards, and the suits are in fact named to reflect the highest vibration of each Element; fiery Wands become Flames, watery Cups become Chalices, airy Swords are Orbs, and earthy Pentacles are expressed as Crystals.  Each suit contains Ace-Ten, and four court cards who are Seeker, Adept, Sage, and Master, replacing Page, Knight, Queen and King.  The entire deck is beautifully illustrated by Alysa Barth, who was at times surprised to see faces and orb-like abstractions in her work which she did not place there.  The creators believe that they were placed there by Guides and The Sirian High Council, so that the deck would best reflect the messages they wished to convey to the users of the deck.  The backs are non reversible, but they are not meant to be reversed, with The Sirian High Council's symbol, according to Patricia Cori, who has written several books on this subject.

The suit of Flames, in the middle cards, could have been a little more exciting, as a few of them resemble pip cards, with the corresponding number of Flames and little else that drew my eye, but your experience may vary, or maybe my eye was not meant to be draw to anything, and I did not pull any of these cards in my work with the deck.  If I had, my experience may have been different.

The Major Arcana contain 22 Trumps, which basically follow traditional tarot structure, but many have been renamed.  It is actually easier to tell you that the Majors that stay unnamed are The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, and The Tower.  You will find Strength at Trump VIII and what has been renamed Divine Justice at Trump XI.

Particular favorite twists on imagery for me were The Shadow, which is Trump XV, The Devil, and Solar Deity, Trump XX, The Sun.  While Reflection, Trump IX, closely follows Wait Smith tradition for The Hermit, I did find it beautifully wrought.

The cards are quite large, 4 inches by 6 inches, and glossy, with small white borders.  All the cards are fully illustrated in a photo collage, digital style that will appeal to some, not as much to others.  I happen to think they are beautiful!  They come in a sturdy lift off box which holds the cards and book perfectly, and will keep them safe and well protected.  I do not riffle shuffle, but I do not imagine these cards will do so easily.  I hand over hand shuffle, and at times used a fanning methods to pick cards that seemed energetic to me.

I believe this is a good deck for anyone who believes in this system of The Sirian High Council, or who is at least curious about it.  There is no violence and very little nudity, which I believe is limited to a nipple peeking out in the Two of Orbs (Swords), so the images are appropriate for most audiences.  I used it for both deep, spiritual questions, and every day mundane things, and it answered both with equal aplomb.  While it did read at a very positive level, it also tackled shadow issues for me, and made me think deeply.  I do not recommend it as a first tarot deck, unless ones' only interest in tarot is relating it to Sirian Revelations, or if the student intends to use it in conjunction with a Waite Smith deck to learn.  The symbolism is there, if you know what to look for, and purely intuitive readers should find many things to read with ease.  I do not think people who are married to any kind of tradition will love this deck, but those people will know what they like and where to find it.

I attended a webinar hosted by North Atlantic Books and Patrica Cori on the deck, and she said (I paraphrase) that anyone who is drawn to the deck is a Starseed and should explore that as part of their spiritual practice.  Well, I am drawn to the deck, but whether or not I am a Starseed I do not yet know.  This deck, while always reading at a gentle yet insistent level for me, raised many questions for me that I am now on a quest to have answered, and that in itself is a lot to ask of any deck, so I think it has been a worthy investment of time and resources to use this deck.  I have ordered The Cosmos of the Soul: A Wake Up Call For Humanity by Patricia Cori, the first in a trilogy entitled Sirian Revelations, proof my curiosity has been peaked.

My friend Pip Miller, an extraordinary healer at As You Wish Hands of Light, hooked me up with this video, and several other resources for figuring it out, so if you wonder about your Starseed-edness, I suggest you start with the video.

You can see all my work with The Sirian Starseed Tarot here, and I leave you with several images to decide if the artwork appeals, draws you in, or in any way suggests you may be a Starseed, too.  A favorite blogger of mine, Lisa at Seer Pathways (and a few other great blogs) has no doubt she is a Starseed and she expouds upon the idea in greater depth than I am currently able to embrace.  I have no doubt there is possibility, but I am still seeking, and that is just all right with me.

As always, I chose both favorite and less favored images to share, hopefully presenting a balanced idea of what you will see in The Sirian Starseed Tarot.

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Strength, Three of Crystals (Pentacles), Ace of Orbs (Swords)

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Luna (The Moon), Seven of Flames (Wands), Four of Chalices (Cups)

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Nine of Orbs (Swords), Five of Crystals (Pentacles), Abundance (The Empress)

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Seven of Chalices (Cups), Four of Flames (Wands), Reason (The Emperor)

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Ascension (The World), Three of Orbs (Swords), Seeker of Chalices (Page of Cups)

Sirian Starseed Tarot- The Great Wheel (Wheel of Fortune), Sage of Flames (Queen of Wands), Eight of Crystals (Pentacles)

These cards are from The Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha, published by North  Atlantic Books.

NicNoodle & The End of Cheer Season

Another mundane question for The Sirian Starseed Tarot today, except all mothers know nothing that has to do with their kids is really mundane.  It all matters desperately to us, if it matters at all to our kids.  There is a saying that a mother is only as happy as her saddest kid, and I have found that to be true.

Danica, however, is not the least bit sad, at least not today.  Although it did not have to be, since they emerged victorious, today was her last Cheerleading competition in her first year.  Having taken First in their division at Regionals, my sweet girl and the Spartan Cheerleaders are qualified to attend Nationals in February in Orlando, but the coaches do not feel like they can ask the parents to spend that kind of money, since we had no idea we were dealing with superstar cheerleaders this year and we did not plan for it.

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Reflection (Hermit)

I want to know how Cheer has affected my girl, and the answer is a kindly old gentleman who has been around a lot this week- Reflection, or The Hermit.  I take this to mean that she has grown a lot, learned a lot, and is on a path to becoming who she is meant to be.  Although she now has a sweet baby brother, she is the baby in this part of the family, something that has sparked a lot of rivalry between the Little J Man and her, since he was the baby before his dad and I married, and our union placed him squarely in the middle of the sibling group, but she has been both beautifully mentored this year, as well as having the opportunity to be a mentor and leader herself.  As the Back Spot for her stunt group, she was responsible for helping the younger girls get into place and making sure their part of the cheer routine came off without a hitch.  I really think this has been an amazing experience for her not only because she has found something to love, grown in her self esteem, but also because she has, for probably the first time, been responsible for leading and teaching her peers, and since she is the youngest in a family full of boys, she was not likely to get that experience at home.

She has decided Cheer is her thing, along with acting, writing, singing, drawing, photography, and scrap booking, and she is now taking a tumbling class to help emerge a stronger, more skillful Cheerleader next season.  I am so proud of her for her initiative and her incredibly hard work!

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Five of Chalices (Cups)

The Shadow Card of this reading is the Five of Chalices, a card which signals to me that while she is currently high on her teams' win, she is going to soon feel the emptiness those hours not filled with practice, travel, games, performances, and competitions leaves, as well as the camaraderie of her peers on the team.  Since football and Cheer has ended, I am not sure any of us are going to know what to do with our not-packed weekends.  There is a high danger of her forgetting the parts of Cheer she did not like, the practice she had to do outside of the group and the primping that goes into getting the hair and make up just so.  She has expressed interest in competitive full time Cheer, but that is both expensive and time consuming.  One of her coaches recommends it, and the other says no, that girls that start competitive Cheer this young get burned out by the time they are in high school.  I think she might feel bad that her dad and I just aren't going to be able to invest in a full time competitive team, without remembering that a lot of work goes into it on her end, too.  She has a tumbling class, intended to sharpen cheerleading skills, she has choir, she has theater classes, Scrapbooking Club, and she is just going to be happy with what we can provide.  Hopefully this can be an opportunity to learn to be grateful for what we do get, instead of bemoaning what we can't have.

These cards are from The Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha, published by North  Atlantic Books.

What To Do, What To Do

I have a simple question for The Sirian Starseed Tarot today- How is my time best spent today?

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Eight of Flames, Two of Chalices, The Shadow (Devil)

*loud sigh*

I already knew the answer.  The Eight of Flames is traditionally communications for me, and my writing projects, including this blog, are communications and need attention.  In addition, this Eight of Flames is particularly powerful, and some particularly powerful communications are on the slate for today, so I know they are essential.  It is also fast moving, intense energy, so I know a couple of things I would rather save for another day must to get done today, even though I don't feel like I have the energy.  I'll have to dig down deep and come up with it.

The Two of Chalices, all about sacred contracts, and writing is one of mine, as well as reading tarot, and I gratefully have clients today.  That of course has to be done, the writing and the readings, and I am grateful every day that is what my world is made up of.

This card also refers to the love I have for The Man, who has tasked me, even though he doesn't want to, with some time consuming work.  I have been feeling kind of resentful of it, because I don't feel good, and I have plenty enough work of my own to do.  But because we are in a sacred contract together, his work is my work, and he is always so good to us, me, my kids, his kids, our family, and I feel guilty for feeling resentful.  It is a really selfish reaction to not want to help him when he does anything and everything he can for me.

Which brings us to The Shadow, a card which would be called The Devil in a Waite Smith themed deck.  It asks me to examine my emotions, and why I feel guilty.  I feel guilt over some other issues, too, and I need to figure out which ones of those I have legitimate responsibility in and should feel guilt, so therefore need to make amends, and which I feel guilty about because I have Woman's Disease and tend to take things upon myself that I have no business worrying about.  This often looks like a kind of martyrdom, but it is actually a personality flaw and a manifestation of ego; to believe that I am in some way responsible for things that I actually have nothing to do with.

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Karma (Judgment)

We have seen this Shadow Card before, Karma, the twentieth Trump, relating to Judgment, but it is different for me today.  The lotus flower shies through, and the most beautiful lotus flowers bloom from the nastiest ichor at the bottom of the water.  The Eight of Flames, with its' quick communication, the Two of Chalices, things we are meant to do and love to do, combined with The Shadow indicate that some Karmic events have been set in motion, or more likely moved forward today, already having been in motion, and at some point I will have to deal with them, but despite of, or maybe because of, the appearance of The Shadow, and because the lotus bud is drawing my eye, I know that all the energies that are swirling around us ad all of the things happening will, probably fairly quickly, settle into what is best and to everyone's highest good.

I have to believe that, or I am lost.

And I have to go pack up some eBay sales for The Man, and get my kiddos ready for their very busy weekend.  With no resentment, because I chose this life, and I love it.

These cards are from The Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha, published by North  Atlantic Books.

Reflections of the Way Life Used To Be

I can be a bit morose at times, and yesterday I came to decision that has been a long time in the coming, but I either decide everything in a split second, as my intuition dictates, or I think on it good and hard and long and thorough.  Even though I am a Taurus I am not actually stubborn; I just appear that way at times because once I make my mind up about something there is no changing it, simply because I have usually give each decision and opinion a lot of thought.

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Reflection (Hermit)

I used The Sirian Starseed Tarot to ask, What can I expect of the decision I finally came to?  And my answer was this card, Reflection, who reflects The Hermit.  Probably because of my mood, I immediately thought, Oh no!  I am going to be all alone in the world!  But I snapped back pretty quickly, remembering two things- First, this deck always reads at the highest possible vibration, so unless there are cards, feelings which equal intuition, some indicator in the imagery (which I have not yet seen), or something else (vague, I know, but I can't really tell you how this tarot thing works.  I can't tell you how my car works, either, but I drive everyday) I read these cards at their lightest end of the spectrum.  I pulled only one card, and I did not look to the bottom of the deck, my Shadow Card, a habit so ingrained that to not do it is surely significant.

Second, my Lens for the week, my Major Arcana I drew on Monday, is Solar Deity, The Sun.  Unless I am otherwise indicated, I am to read with the bright light of that card shining down on all my readings for the week.  The cards couldn't be on further ends of the spectrum in terms of imagery.  Reflection is a a grizzled old man, in the dark of night, and Solar Deity is a mythical Pegasus, but The Sun is also completely in the dark of night.  Just its' light shines so bright it becomes day.  The Hermits' Lamp is not quite so bright, but it is still a very useful tool.  These cards both shed light on a situation.

Sirian Starseed Tarot- Solar Deity

So the card reflects back to me the careful thought I put into my decision.  The Hermit corresponds with Virgo, who does very little without being very sure, so I am reassured that I did as much thinking as necessary, and likely over thought the deal.

I also know, from my own personality quirks, that I am better off working alone, usually, so I don't know why I would have a fear reaction to being alone.

This card also shows me going into a time of greater reflection.  Nines are the end of a cycle, with Tens being the culmination.  One cycle for me is over, and that can be bittersweet, but another is about to begin, so I can know this is for my highest good and I will be best served by this.

I expect to be entering a new period of learning, delving deeper into who I truly am, and inner peace, and those are all things to celebrate, especially with the bright positivity of The Sun casting brilliance all over the situation, and I am grateful, both to the people involved, and to the cards, for offering such unflagging reassurance.

These cards are from The Sirian Starseed Tarot by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha, published by North  Atlantic Books.