Deck Review - Rumi Tarot

This week I have used the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson. I adore Persian poetry, I adore the artwork of Nigel Jackson, and I adore tarot, so it should follow that that I would love this deck.

There are many things to love about this deck, in fact. The colors are sumptuous, and the artist reportedly worked at scale. That is, the original paintings for the cards, done in tempera, are the same size as the cards themselves. This fact only becomes more amazing when you consider the Minors, done in miniature portrait style. I thought the small size of the Minors was going to be a bother, but upon working with them, I have not found that to be the case at all. The Minors are fully illustrated, rather than just being decorated pips, but do know the illustrations are miniscule in relation to the size of the card.

The good- the cardstock is thin and flexible, and lightly laminated, with gorgeous colors and stunning artwork. The backs are equally attractive, in my opinion, and it was obviously a labor of love to sift through the prolific works of Rumi to come up with appropriate matches to tarot symbolism. The gentle words of the poet sometimes hit home rather hard, and sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered. The accompanying Guide to the Rumi Tarot is very good for what it is, and I am so glad it was included. Most of the messages are very upbeat and positive, although there are some that just put it out there, too, which is good. I like to have a balance in my decks, because life is like that, the salty and the sweety combine to make the most flavorful palette.

The bad- Llewellyn packaging is redundant. Black organza bag, useless cardboard inner box. As much as I love Rumi, I do not care for keywords on my tarot cards, and I feel like the poetry on each card is akin to keywords, telling one how to interpret the card. I am having a great deal of trouble reconciling some of the court cards, in particular, to their poetry snippet. In addition, the gold borders on my cards are showing quite a bit of wear for only being used for a week, and I do not riffle shuffle.

I will definitely be holding onto this deck, but I do not see it becoming a main reading deck for me. I think it is beautiful, and I am likely to continue drawing single cards from it, but I am having a difficult time putting the poetry and images into a coherant reading format when an actual spread is used. This is user error, I am sure. *grin*






These images are from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Knight of Cups

Today, I drew the Knight of Cups, and as is my wont when drawing court cards, usually, I also drew a clarifier, the Two of Cups.

Whoa, baby!

I see the Knight as the most intense expression of a suit, in this case, probably about love, as it is the Knight of Cups, which is reinforced with the Two of Cups drawn when I asked for more information.

Why is it we can sometimes be so scared to possibly get that which we most desire?

The twin dragons in the Two of Cups bring to mind my favorite series of books, A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. There are dragons in the books, and these two could certainly represent fire and ice, the duality of the twos, the harmonic convergence of two seeming opposites, which brought to mind a poem by Robert Frost -

Some say the world will end in fire;
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Update: As I was shuffling randomly, for no good reason, but only because I like to have something to do with my hands, I was thinking about what these two cards could mean today, when I got a clear and most distinct jumper (a card that JUMPS out of the deck, begging to be read) - The Lovers. I am so perplexed...

Update #2: Well, I did not meet the love of my life today, at least I don't think I did, but a very attractive man with skin like mahogany said, "hey sexy" to me on the street as I walked to the Tarot Geeks Meet Up. I did not stop to talk to him, but I am not yet enlightened enough to not take some small, secret pleasure in that.

These cards are from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Temperance

I am not the most temperate person I know, so I am actually surprised this card does not pop up more often for me, as advice, as what I need more of in my life. Sometimes, though, Temperance is about the blending of opposites, as well as the quality of moderation. So, what opposites do I need to blend?

I am enamored of the angel's beautiful, colorful wings. I think the colors in this deck are surpassingly lovely, all around.





This card is from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Wheel of Fortune

Usually, when I draw this card in the morning, it is an indication of a good, prosperous day at work. I'll take it!

The sentiment expressed in the snippet of poetry is a powerful one - become your own fortune.

The larger context of the poem is thus:

When, O spiritual one, you have become your own fortune, then being yourself your fortune you will never lose it. How, O fortunate one, can you ever lose yourself when your real self is your treasure and your kingdom?

Value of self is a difficult concept for me, but I am not doing myself any favors by not taking care of myself.

Update- It was a great night at work, indeed quite profitable and I was pleased!

This card is from the Rumi tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Four of Swords

Perhaps today I am being offered a solution for my disconnect. Take some time out to reconnect with the Source. I know that seems logical, but I need help with these things, you know. Sometimes I need a big ol' cosmic backhand.

I am going to cut this morning's post short and do just that.





This card is from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

New Deck Interview - Rumi Tarot

I am doing FireRaven's New Deck Interview Spread again today, with my Rumi Tarot. I am quite entranced with the artwork of Nigel Jackson, so this has been on the wishlist since I first learned of it. It looks like so:

***** 5 ***** 6 *****
******** 4 *********
***** 3 ***** 2 *****
******** 1 *********

1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic? Justice - From this card, I can assume that despite it seemingly sweet nature, the deck is very fair and balanced, and most interested in dispensing justice. I can always expect truth and integrity from this deck, and it will push me to be as honest with myself.






2. What are your strengths as a deck? Two of Staves- Again, two staves are very balanced, and this deck is good at winning. This deck can show me things in an entirely new way, ways that will surprise me, that I did not think was possible, much like getting sovereignty without war. It is powerful as well as gentle.






3. What are your limits as a deck? Queen of Staves- The deck is limited only by my own preconceived notions. I tend to be very stubborn at times, and often I just think I know what is right, what is. I am going to have to be open to going beyond what I think I know, so that I can actually learn new things, experience new joys.






4. What do you bring to the table - what are you here to teach me? Seven of Cups- (this was also my Daily Draw card this morning) Working with this deck will help me look beyond the veil, so to speak, and go deeper into the imagination of Spirit.






5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with you? Death- I will have to be willing to die to some old things, so that new and better ones can thrive. Some old habits have to go, and some new, better ones will add more to my life. Some of my old ways of thinking are due for a transformation, as well.






6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship? The Fool- a type of Divine Madness awaits. Working with this deck can help me start a brand new, totally different journey and experience. I fond that easily believable.






Shadow Card - Three of Cups: Spirit is full of abundance, and I should remember that when what I think I feel most acutely is lack. There is no darkness in God, at all, and that way lies the path of the most intense joy.




So far, I like this deck. The minors are very small, and very detailed, and my eyes are very bad, but we are getting along just fine even so. This deck seems very spiritual to me, with no Coins (Pentacles) or Swords in this reading, and with the Persian mystic's poetry on every card.








These cards are from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Seven of Cups

As a writer, I spend an immense amount of time in fantasy worlds, both those of my own making, and those created by others. It is a necessary part of the writing life, to be immersed in books, and the most basic question a writer must be enthralled with is what if?

I do not believe we were built to live in a world so fallen.

The Seven of Cups often means "choices" to me, and within those choices to be aware that not all is what it seems. I often get this card when I need to wake up and face the music, so to speak. I also often get this card when it is necessary to give up something good for the best, which is never an easy call to make.

I have been feeling a bit disconnected lately, almost as if I am walking through a dream. I work, I eat, I play with the kidlettes, we all do homework, but something is missing, something is not quite right. Perhaps it is time to do a reading to figure out what that is.





This card is from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Five of Swords

Well, I am apparently having a very Swords week so far. I will be back later to talk about this card.

Later- okay, I am back. Not too long ago, I read The Third Jesus by Deepak Chopra. There was a passage in the book extolling the message Jesus gave about "resist not evil". The basic concept, as I understood it, was that we are not to fight the evil things that others sometimes do to us, because fighting is not love, and love is the only answer to the darkness of the world.

Now, I do not take this to mean that we should just let bad things happen to us, or other people, but rather that our energy should be placed on increasing the love in the world, not the hate. Even righteous anger does not always burn clean, and everyone who plays with fire eventually gets burned, innocent and not alike.

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only love can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.






This card is from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - Page of Swords

Today, clarified by the Ten of Swords. Yes, I shuffled well, teehee. I believe these cards are bringing me the message that many of the things I have seen as destruction of something desperately wanted are in fact the seeds for what will bring me true delight. Both of these cards can sometimes be seen as "difficult" but Nigel Jackson's treatment of them in this deck has rendered them achingly poignant instead.





These cards are from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.

Daily Draw - King of Swords

Clarified by the Eight of Cups, using the new Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson.

The Rumi Tarot takes keywords one step further, going so far as to put snippets of Sufite poetry on each card to relate the image and the meaning to each other in a new way. I have not yet decided if I like this, or would rather it didn't happen.

My card today is the King of Swords, with a message that is distinctly different from that which I usually get from the steely old guy. As is my wont with court cards, I drew a further card to clarify the situation, which was the Eight of Cups. This card fits better into my general understanding of its' usual meaning. For me, today, these cards urge me to live more fully in the moment, letting tomorrow worry about itself, and not letting the past define me more than it must. I have a tendency to do exactly that, lose myself in worrisome thoughts and reliving past moments in a desperate attempt to figure out what went wrong. Sometimes nothing has went wrong, but the cycle is over and it is time to move on to bigger and better.





These cards are from the Rumi Tarot by Nigel Jackson for Llewellyn.