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Friday, February 20, 2009

Daily Draw - Eight of Cups


Today my card is the Eight of Cups. I simply adore this image in this deck. She is so clearly done with the cups, so fed up, and she is just walking away in disgust. She has thrown her hands up on the air, and she is out of there! From the LWB : "The woman in red has abandoned her old ways, for they are no longer relevant to her life.Wanting no part of the past, she moves on to new, brighter situations." This image lacks the poignancy of most RWS decks, with the lone figure turning his back on the cups as a bright moon looks on. As a matter of fact, though the moon plays prominently into the artwork of the Deviant Moon deck (obviously) the soft light of the lunar body is nowhere to be seen on this card. I feel much more like her, walking away in disgust, than I feel like the sad figure in the traditional image.

My work situation, with a certain manager, has escalated to the point I no longer feel that I can work with him. I have asked for the next week off, and I plan to use that time to try to make a decision about whether that particular juice is worth the squeeze. I am by no means rolling in cash, but I will be okay for a few months while I look for something that will suit me better, or possibly by taking this time off I will be able to heal and gain a better perspective that will allow me to continue where I am. I have been getting The Star card frequently in my readings as my foundation in a Celtic Cross, which I take to mean I need to retreat for some rest and spiritual healing. Either way, I am walking away from the situation. Whether I return or not, we shall see. You never step in the same river twice, it is said, and I am ready for it to be something completely different, at that job, or at another.

When I asked for guidance about how I could best handle the situation, before I made the decision to ask for the time off, I was given the Queen of Pentacles, which is the card I associate with myself. I took this to mean that I am on the right path, and that me being me is the best way I can handle this, or any situation. I grow and stretch and strive to be the best I can, in every situation, and the energy of the Queen of Pentacles, with her pragmatic, hard working ethic, is always a good one to apply to work.

In other news, I have discovered that basically I have no taste in tarot decks *laugh*. Now, if you enjoy some of the ones I am about to list, please don't take offense, because I am saying I ADORE them. It's just that they are not classy tarot, like a Vieville or a nice Visconti or a proud Thoth. My latest love is the Pictorial Key Tarot, by Lo Scarabeo. I started out with a traditional Universal Waite, and though I find it so easy to read with, I felt I had absorbed most of what it had to teach me. That will always be a trusty reading deck, but I seem to love the slick glossiness of computer generated tarot decks. For example, the Tarot of Elves really is not a fabulous deck. Even I, who like it, can say that the artwork often leaves the characters looking like plastic, and it should be hard for me to connect with the, but it's not. It's a dream to read with, for me at least. I think that the writer in me appreciated the mini novel that went with the cards. Incidentally, both of those decks are by the same artist, Davide Corsi, and I do have his forthcoming vampire deck preordered. And it is no secret that I just love my Deviant Moon, in all it's glossy glory. Some readers look for cards that are not as laminated, but I like mine to be able to withstand dunkings in lattes and three kiddos running around the house, so the thick lamination suits me well. Just a little observation!

I hope this Friday finds everyone happy, healthy, and wise, and less befuddled than I!






These images are from the Pictorial Key Tarot and the Deviant Moon Tarot.

5 comments:

  1. oh dear, i MUST have the pictorial key tarot - here's another queen of pentacles (capricorn) lady with no taste... apparently :-D

    i'm a great fan of the DM tarot too... patrick valenza is a f**king genius!

    hope things work out for you with your job... or a new one... and enjoy your time off! what a great card for how you seem to feel about it all.

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  2. Haha, I meant no offense. One of the people in my life who most frequently gifts me decks told me that I have no taste in them, though, because he expects tarot readers to prefer an earthier, more organic art. That is a dig on him.

    I like the Pictorial Key much! I do not like to share my Deviant Moon with other people I read for, so I most often use this deck for others, as well pull out comparison cards. I think best of all is that there are no words on the cards to distract from it's slick, no taste having glory.

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  3. Well I love the DM!

    I was looking at your daily reading Manda, she does certainly walk away. There is no doubt in this 8 of Cups card that she is finished and ready to move on to something better. I think it very appropriate that the Queen of Pents. turned up for you in guidance. She is the one who urges you to apply a practical approach to realistic goals, but at the same time she says believe you yourself!

    Here you start with an 8. In tarot that means to me movement, decisions, power and gaining control. 8's can often suggest a new start to what may not have been working. It's a number that takes what has gone before and trys to apply it in a practical way. You follow this with the Queen which can been seen to be a No. 13 and reduces to 4. Again in tarot for me this has come to represent, security structure, stability and material completion. Very often when a four shows up it can show us what has happened in the previous 3 cards now manifest in the material - four can be the moment when we reflect upon this. They can provide the bridge or the stepping stone into the next phase. I also have found that it is a number that can relate to reason and logic, so most importantly it says what you learn at this stage helps you complete that journey.

    I hope your journey from now on will be a smoother one for you!

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  4. Thank you for the numerology lesson, Helen! When I read for others, I try to apply everything I know to the tarot, but often for myself I just go with my instincts. But tarot IS structured, and it is inextricably linked with other studies, like numerology, kabbalah, astrology, and symbolism. It's good to keep all of those in mind.

    I t was so neat that you said "bridge" and in my next Daily Draw, a bridge came up. You are a wise woman indeed!

    To add to the list of my tasteless tarots - The Mystic Dreamer which I adore in all it's cheeseball glory, the Quest, the only Thoth based I have really been able to grasp, the Witches Tarot with it's weird proportions and funky people, and the Archeon, too many boobies and all!

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  5. I don't know if what I do is really numerology as such, numerologists may disagree with what I say. But it is what I have come to understand that the number sequence in tarot means for me.

    BTW I have a hard time reading for myself, reading for others is always so much easier LOL

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