Deck Review - Bonefire Tarot

 One of my most special pleasures is the self published tarot deck.  These come from the brave souls who were either rejected by mainstream publishers (often I don't know what the publishers were thinking, but tarot is an incredibly niche market even when it doesn't feel like it when the rest of you tarot-maniacs are running up my watched auctions and publishers run on a tighter budget than we might imagine), or more often, the artist wanted to see each detail come to life just as they saw in their dreams throughout the creation process.

Today's review is from one such self published deck, The Bonefire Tarot by Gabi West.  This colorful gem is loosely based on the Waite Smith system with its' own unique stylistic twist on traditional tattoo art.  The deck arrived in a handmade navy blue felt envelope style bag, with cord and a sweet heart wood detail accent.  It includes a handwritten LWB (Little White Book) by Gabi West entitled, "Bonefire Tarot - Plundering Space and Time for Truth and Meaning".  The LWB is a succinct set of keywords for each card as the artist envisioned them and a brief introduction to her artistic choices and views on art, symbolism, and tarot.  The decks ship from Australia, and unfortunately my first one went walkabout, but Gabi was quick to send me another, which arrived in good time and perfect condition.  I like to imagine that errant first deck made its' way to someone who needed it more than I did and is enriching their days with its' quirky voice.

The cards measure a chunky and squat 3 inches by 3.75 inches.  They feel good to hold.  The cardstock is some of my favorite ever, being thick and sturdy enough to handle rough treatment, but flexible and slippy enough to shuffle easily, with a matte finish light lamination.  The backs are a fully reversible black and white image featuring some bones on fire, which is of course the grey scale version of the title card, and the name of the deck.

There are 22 Major Arcana, who remain unnumbered, except for 13 in lieu of a title, and traditionally named, so they can be arranged in any fashion makes sense to the reader.  The suits consist of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins, with 14 cards in each.  The Court Cards are the familiar caste system of Page, Knight, Queen and King.

Bonefire Tarot

Some of the denizens of the deck are scantily clad, but nothing too scandalous.  There is no overt violence, and there should be very little to trigger sensitive individuals.  That being said, the imagery is somewhat surreal, which can be a disconcerting effect to gaze upon, and the dream landscape of the deck has an ethereal quality that leaves me slightly uncomfortable to look at.  By no means do I consider this to be a disadvantage, because I think it is good for us to be shaken up from time to time.  The images themselves are bright colors against a black background, and the very nature of the coloring can sometimes lend a darkness to the atmosphere of the deck.

Bonefire Tarot

I think intuitive readers will find many, many things to love about this deck, and it is also a good deck for people who like Waite Smith imagery with an edgy twist.  The cards are packed with symbolic images, and each time I pull one I find new things to focus on.  It is a collectors' dream and possesses an exceptional production value along with distinctive, cohesive art.  It is not the best deck for people who prefer a more straight forward approach to their readings, and while there is nothing offensive in the imagery, it is perhaps suited better to some audiences than others.

Bonefire Tarot

The Bonefire Tarot is a beautiful deck with a unique twist that reads like a literal dream.  The strange, and almost familiar but not quite landscape makes me feel like I am almost seeing something out of the corner of my eye, and it evokes a mysterious air that gives me insightful readings.  I am very happy to have this deck in my collection and I hope that you will take a moment to visit the website and consider all of the stunning images.

Daily Draw- So Much Energy!

Maybe it has to do with Mercury going direct yesterday, but really it has been months I have been fighting lethargy and battles with myself just to get the most basic of things done.  Yesterday I felt as if a cloud had lifted and I was inspired, no, even driven to complete projects begun long ago and make headway on new ones.  Whatever the reason, I am grateful for it and I will take it!

Still, I am interested in keeping this momentum going so I would like to know where the sudden burst of energy has come from so I have the best possible options to sustain it and make it into a way of life.  So I did what I usually do- I asked my cards where my energy has come from.

Bonefire Tarot- Queen of Wands, Knight of Swords

I am using a method outlined in Dusty White's Advanced Tarot Secrets, which has become my best friend in tarot reading over the past couple months.  He calls it "Hero and Sidekick" and it is basically a method for linking the cards and having them strike up a conversation.  As you look at a pair of cards, drawn in relation to a query, you decide which of them is the hero, the main card of the answer, and you use the other card as a sidekick, a way to modify the meaning of the first card and fine tune it to your reading and question.  This is a tool I find invaluable as I believe the nuanced message of each reading lies in the context of the reading, which is achieved with a specific question, a positional meaning, or the interaction between the cards (or any combination and whatever other methods you prefer).  Without these things, I am often left guessing where a card falls on its' spectrum of meaning.  Intuition is an important component in reading cards, but one of my favorite aspects of tarot cards is that they show up, always, even if intuition decides to have a margarita at the beach instead.

The Queen of Wands is the one I am least likely to associate myself with, as I am a practical and sensual, sometimes overbearing Queen of Pentacles to my core, sometimes a sharp witted, sharp tongued, clear seeing Queen of Swords, and less often but still reliably a sensitive and sometimes over empathetic Queen of Cups.  But the Queen of Wands, with her confidence and creative force, no not so much.  Clearly I need to channel some more of this fine and fast lady, because I owe this burst of energy to embracing a bit more of her archetype.  I am going to wear that hat, because damn!  I am hot because I'm fly.  At least I feel so today.

The Knight of Swords brings a burst of masculine energy, or maybe he is being brought by his white horse, fairly out of control, which to me symbolizes a new found willingness to work with what is unpredictable in my life, and to ride the energy, wherever it takes me, for as far as it will go.  It's a wild ride, but exhilarating.  The two together create a burning combination, with air to feed the fire, and water to control the boundaries of the flame so that it can be fully utilized without burning.  In practical terms, this means I am uniquely able at this time to channel my emotions and my skills into my work without letting the intensity of them bowl me over.  It is a balancing act, although that precarious Knight shows it is more about faith than skill right now.

Bonefire Tarot- Emperor

I had a bit of help interpreting the Queen of Wands as her Aries self in full glory because twice while shuffling The Emperor decided to take a flying leap out of the stack.  The Emperor rules over boundaries and gives structure to that which may otherwise lay about all loose-y goose-y not ever living up to its' full potential.  Or their full potential, as is the case with me.  I need structure and I know it.  I have been made acutely aware of that and rather than returning to an imposed structure of working for THE MAN, which is not possible anyway, I must take control of my own domain and impose a structure I can both work in and love.  With style.  Like the Queen of Wands.

Are you struggling with blocks in your creative, professional, personal life, or in your relationships?  Book a reading today and we can either power through them together, or softly fold them, wherever the cards lead us.  You may be surprised, as I was today, by who you find waiting for you on the other side!






These images are from Bonefire Tarot, self published by Gabrielle West.

Bonefire Tarot- Judgement

Bonefire Tarot- Judgment

Today's card comes an exquisitely rendered and self published deck, Bonefire Tarot, self published by Gabrielle West.

Whenever I see the Judgment card I have to decide quickly if I feel it is referring to the biblical Day of Judgment, a concept which can span any theology or none at all when we consider it a day of reckoning, or a second chance, or if I feel it referring to literal meaning of the word- to judge.

Tarot cards never fail to entrance and delight me by managing to convey so many nuances of life and love, and so as I look through this card as the lends for my week I know I am likely to see both, and even more, meanings emerge from the card.

I am immediately struck by the ticking clock, which is on fire, adding to the urgency of the situation.  Judgment Day is coming, and no one can stop it, and neither can we know for sure the time it will arrive.  This is a distinctly Christian idea, but we can all apply to our lives and our journeys because the truth is the time we have to act on Earth will end for all of us, regardless of religious beliefs, and we aren't given to know when.  We just have to do the best we can with our finite time and make it all count.  I feel that especially lately, as my kids have grown to the point they do not need constant care and attention but still a good deal of it.

The golden hammer and gavel speak to a judgment being passed, possibly from an impossible position, as the richness of the tool places firmly out of my (current) reach.

The tattoos across the face remind me of the song lyrics by Jordin Sparks- "You're still a part of everything I do, just like a tattoo."  We end relationships of all types for myriad reasons, and many of them are just because it was right, but many people leave their stamps on our souls and they remain there.  I have dreamt this past week of a former lover, which is exquisite in both the memory of the immense love and the pain it causes.  We couldn't stay together, not least because I belong where I am now, married to my handsome man and taking this family where we are all meant to be, but in that time and that place I believe utterly that we needed to be together, too.  I have to, or all the tears and the constant undertone of love that never leaves, even when physical presence does, were in vain.

Do you tend to read the Judgment card as a kind of phoenix, or do you feel the discomfort of being judged, or maybe the righteous smugness of doing the judging?






This card is from Bonefire Tarot, self published by Gabrielle West, who you can contact at her site- http://www.bonefiretarot.com/