Deck Review - Crystal Visions Tarot

Crystal Visions Tarot- Nine of Wands

The Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc is a lush new deck inhabited by angels, fairies, dragons, unicorns, and all sorts of fanciful creatures.  Even so, it is a great working deck for people who are drawn to those types of images, and anyone who loves twilight colors.

I recently used the deck in my Daily Draws, which you can find here, and for an intense tarot class given locally, Journey to the Ultimate Boon, by Joy Vernon, which really is the best praise I can give a deck.  Using it in the class required a commitment to the deck, and it's not just any deck I want to tell me about my personal issues and deep shadow things.

Crystal Visions Tarot- The Unknown Card

The Major Arcana are traditionally named, with Strength at trump VIII and Justice XI.  The four suits are named Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, with court cards assigned traditionally to Page, Knight, Queen, King.  The cards are glossy and sturdy, as it appears U.S. Games has returned to publishing in Italy with a shiny lamination.  The cards are approximately 2.75" x 4.75", easily shuffled, and packaged in a tuckbox with a Little White Book written by the artist.  The Major Arcana feature an extra card, labelled The Unknown Card, which represents the things that we cannot yet know.  It did not appear for me in my readings, and I think that is likely because I often see the High Priestess as the guardian of deep secrets.  If it does appear for me I will have to give some thought to how the cards differ and how they are alike so I can make a distinction, but the deck seemed to realize I was not ready to deal with the card, so it never came up.

The images largely follow Waite Smith interpretations of the cards, with some twists, and there are plenty of places in the imagery to assign your own meanings and symbolism to the cards.  The colors are rich and deep, and if flying creatures speak to you there is much for this deck to say.  My particular favorite suit is the snowy Swords.  I think this deck would be great for lovers of fantasy, and the cards are likely suitable for all ages, with no nudity or gratuitous violence.  They would probably be good cards to read for people who are new to tarot or nervous about getting a reading.  Tarot is a visual language, and when we find the ones that speak to us we know we are on the right track.

Here are several images from Crystal Visions Tarot, which is available wherever you usually purchase your decks.  Enjoy!

Crystal Visions Tarot

Crystal Visions Tarot

Crystal Visions Tarot

These cards are from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Daily Draw - Sun, Hermit, Eight of Swords

Crystal Visions Tarot- Sun, Hermit, Eight of Swords

These cards today are a reflection of how I feel about my Hermit week.  The Sun and The Hermit are facing away from each other, somewhat at odds with each other.  The Sun is a bright and merry card, and while The Hermit may feel a deep serenity, merry is not a word to describe her.  I think how many times I put on a happy face, for my kids, for the people around me, so they don't see me in what I perceive as my weakness, and for my kids because I think a positive mom has a lot of power in their lives.  I fake it til I make it sometimes, which can be good advice, but is not universal.  Sometimes we need to just feel what we feel, and not put on an overly sweet face when we feel like hell on wheels.  So, the Hermit is facing away from The Sun, and perhaps is offering her wisdom to the bound lady in the Eight of Swords.  Miss Thang in there can't figure out how to loose her bonds, but if she listens to the sage Hermit she may yet have a chance to bust free.  In some situations it is best to just admit we don't have the answers, to not be fakely optimistic, and to just take the help anywhere we can get it.  Knowing who to ask for help, and how to graciously accept it, can be a kind of wisdom all on its' own.

Crystal Visions Tarot- Death

The shadow card of the day is Death.  Because everything is better in Latin, the stone is inscribed- "VITA MUTATAR NON TOLLITUR", which for us plebes translates to, "Life is changed, not taken away."

As the piece of information I least want to deal with in this reading, I take that to be a gentle reminder to roll with the punches, even those I think I don't like, because sometimes the only choice we have in a given situation is how much grace and aplomb we show in it.





These cards are from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Daily Draw - Lovers, Ten of Pentacles, Three of Swords

Crystal Visions Tarot- Lovers, Ten of Pentacles, Three of Swords

To me, these cards embody the phrase, "Do what you love and the money will follow."

The Lovers are about love, of course they are, but the card also represents the choices we make, and its' advice is to follow your own heart.  The Ten of Pentacles is success, on a material plane, and enjoying rich rewards well deserved.  The Three of Swords, again, with dark words on dark wings.  I think this card is a reminder to me that my idealization only brings me pain.  I  have to live in each moment and enjoy it for what it is, not what I wish it were.  Ultimately, it is a hard lesson but God always knows best.  I think I know best, but part of my lessons here are to let go and let God, not to be trite, but I struggle so much for control and I only end up mucking things up that way.

Often, I just let my daily draws tell me whatever they may, but today I had a specific thought in my head, "What will be the result of throwing myself into this card reading thing for business?"  Of course, I don't like the thought of that Three of Swords, but really that is exactly the point- attachment to an outcome causes sorrow, but openness to whatever Spirit has to give leads to fulfillment.  I see doing what I love, making a conscious choice to go with what I love, to follow my heart, even though that does not necessarily lead to a secure paycheck, but it does reap rewards that are beyond money.  And even though there are richer rewards in life than cash, the grocery store seems to prefer the cold hard dollar, and the Ten of Pentacles, with the castle waiting for her to return home, promises that, too.  The catch is, not without pain, of some sort, and since Swords deal with thoughts and communications, I think it must mean mental anguish of some sort.  There is also this- although pierced through the heart with those wicked Swords, she has not fallen.  She refuses to.  She continues on, through pain and through tears and ice and snow, and doing what you love requires you to be strong, sometimes.

Crystal Visions Tarot- King of Cups

The shadow card is the King of Cups, the patriarch of the suit that deals with emotions.  He is the oldest and most mature of the Cups court, and when he shows up he advises emotional maturity.He's balanced, firmly in this world, but not of it, not so serious about himself he can't get his feet wet, but not blithely splashing about, oblivious to his obligations.  Elementally speaking, he is the passion and immediacy of fire, mixed with the coolness and depth of water.  He urges me to embody those traits, to seek my natural balance, to feel what I need to feel, but not to let it unhinge me, so that I can focus heart and soul on the work that needs me.





These cards are from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Daily Draw - Wheel of Fortune, Four of Pentacles, World

Crystal Visions Tarot- Wheel of Fortune, Four of Pentacles, World

This set of cards today speak to me about changing fortunes, and a good way to cope with those changes.

The Wheel goes up, the Wheel comes down, and that is just a part of life.  I waited tables for years, and a trick I had to learn to keep myself together was that of saving when times were good.  Some shifts brought in a couple hundred dollars; some I would have made more if I worked at McDonald's.  It's good to remember to save when we have money, and to spend judiciously at all times.  This isn't always easy for me, I know it's not easy for most people.  We have a few dollars in our pockets and after all, we deserve it, right?  Commercials tell us we're worth it and we want to believe it.

The World urges that we garner our worth from inner contentment.  The Wheel and the World are similar images, the spheres resting upon the lotus leaf.  There is nothing wrong with wanting abundance and prosperity, and even when we do not covet material things we all have to eat.  The bloom in the Wheel looks a bit trodden upon, though, while the World's sparkles.  I am reminded that even when I decide that groceries are a better use of my money than new boots, I am a very rich woman- children I adore, a man who is better than my wildest fantasies, a home to care for, talents to nurture, friends and family, and the beautiful blend when the two become one.

The combination of the two Majors bookcasing the Four of Pentacles also brings to mind the thought of hoarding time, which is the most precious resource we all have.  More money is findable, things can be replaced, but time is gone forever once its been squandered, and squandering time is one of my worst habits.  I lose it everywhere!  I have so many interests, and so many people pulling at me, but seeing the central figure demonstrates to me how important it is that I put the brakes on and make priorities, and then stick to them.  My family is first and foremost, then my art and business, and everything else has to fall in behind those things.

Crystal Visions Tarot- Three of Swords

 

 

The shadow card today is the Three of Swords, a tangible reminder to look at things as they really are, and not as I might wish they were.  This card shows me when I need to grieve, but remind me not to get stuck in grief.  I have made mistakes, with time, with money, with my business, with my relationships, but they are not the sum total of who I am and what I have to offer.  They a just one piece, and making mistakes paves the way for success as we learn what doesn't work.




These cards are from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Daily Draw - Chariot, Star, Ace of Cups

Crystal Visions Tarot- Chariot, Star, Ace of Cups

"This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill

Fifteen percent concentrated power of will

Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain

And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

~Lyrics from "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor

Today these cards make me think about the love we have to have for what we do, and the fact that as much as we love, that is still never enough.

The Chariot, my birth card (for more information about birth cards check out Bonnie Cehovet's Tarot, Birth Cards, and You, Keys to Empowering Yourself.  It's a great book with practical ways to actually use tarot in your every day life!) is a card that shows victory, and charging forward, but it is does not just happen.  "Victory through mastery" is a common set of keywords for The Chariot, and mastery comes from doing, every single day.  I have heard the number 10,000 hours bandied about, and that seems pretty close to me the amount of time it takes to master something.

And what do you do to a Chariot?  You drive it, right?  Drive is both a quality and a verb, and both aspects are required.  Without the drive, those horses are gonna go any which way they choose, and Rush reminds us, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."  The Chariot is a card that is so promising, so positive, but is a card that requires action.  We will win, but we have to go after it, with every ounce of our being.  Victory is assured, as long as we show up and play our A game.  It won't just be handed to us.

The Star is a beautiful card, of hope and healing, beauty and poetry, but it is a far away card.  It's a light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a far off light.  It does not illuminate, only promises that you are not forgotten.  To me, this card speaks today about the optimism and deep faith it takes to follow our dreams.  We have to really believe that it is possible, and we need that ten percent luck Fort Minor rapped about at times.

The Ace of Cups is all about love, and we have to love what we do.  Aces are potential, and as the culminating card of this reading I see that Drive + Unflagging Faith = Unlimited Potential for Love, which surely is an equation I can get behind.

Crystal Visions Tarot- Two of Cups

The shadow card for this reading is the Two of Cups, which is all about sacred contracts to me.  It's also pleasure and adoration, so while the work we are sent here to do is sacred, and there is nothing more important than being the best possible version of ourselves, it doesn't have to always be so serious.  We can approach life, and our own purpose, with a sense of love and fun.  I see the teeny little fairy in the background as the figure from The Star, having left her vessels representing hope and trust with the couple, and as they drink deeply and slake their thirst they become ever more what they were always meant to be.





These cards are from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Monday Majors: Theme for the Week- The Hermit

Crystal Visions Tarot- Hermit

This week I am using the brand new Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.  I am not even gonna lie; this has been one of my most anticipated decks of the year.  I love the purple dusky colors and the 80's fantasy feel of the deck.  What I do not like is the apparent return of U.S. Games to the stinky, slick lamination we all thought we had left behind, but I will save that for the forthcoming deck review.

My theme this week will be The Hermit; or learning to be wise.  This is an apt theme for me, and I know this.  I'm smart, and I am savvy, and I have a good amount of common sense, though I know I sometimes lack something when it comes to exercising it, but I am not always wise, and it may be a matter of quality  of life that I learn to be so.

The Hermit is all alone on the top of a mountain.  This tells me that looking to tv, to books, to the internet, to other people, for wisdom is just not gonna cut it in my world, not this week.

The Hermit bears a silver lantern, a light that shines out in the gloaming.  I love to read tarot because I love to light the way for people who are lost, but to be able to do that, I have to become wiser myself, and have my own affairs in order.  I know this, and I am working on it, day by day and issue by issue.  It's not really as arduous of a journey as it might sound, thanks to having already been on the journey, but it's never ending, and it's better to just realize that and go with it.

The Hermit is a teacher, and it is important that I take the advice of those smarter and more experienced than me.  I need to put ego aside and pay attention to the idea that as much as I know, there is always someone who knows more, and there is always more to learn.  I am a good reader, I know that.  I am a terrible business person, not because I don't care, but just because I don't know.  Ignorance can be remedied, though.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings." ~John Muir





This card is from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.