In Love…with Stella’s Tarot!
VI. The Lovers ~ Stella's Tarot
Like most tarot readers, I love to collect tarot decks. I have lots. Every time I purchase a new deck for the collection, I silently say to myself …girl, you gotta slow down! You have so many decks! and then I try so very hard to not splurge whenever I set my eyes and heart onto a newly discovered deck that I just have to have. Yeah…it never works.
Such is the case with my newest find…Stella’s Simple Tarot!
When I first saw this amazing set of tarot images, it was digitally. The images are whimsical and transporting, taking the reader to another place – which to me is a quality ranking high upon the list of attributes a deck just has to have in order for it to work as a vehicle for visioning. The key to this is the journey that the images take you upon – it needs to be easy and essentially effortless. If you have to try hard or strain to get the process going, then the deck is probably not the right one. This deck effortlessly fits the bill, taking you on a magic ride, likened to falling down the rabbit hole, growing big one minute and then small. Once you start, the rest is enchantingly thrilling. I just had to own this deck. Finding, however, was a journey in and of itself.
The only description I had for my set of digital images was “AnAn Tarot”. I thought …this should be easy. This is such a great deck! It has to be out there still. I hope. Ha! It wasn’t long before I was eating my words and feeling that old familiar sensation of looking for a deck that is out-of-print or impossible to find for under a million dollars (Victorian Romanitc. Lenormand anything. Sola Busca.) So, out into the cyber-sphere I go, searching. I am the Fool.
AnAn Tarot is an ellusive creature. After days of searching I find three sites that refer to AnAn. The first one is a Korean site, all in Korean. The second, Japanese. Also in Japanese only. Darn. The third is a UK site, The Artwork of Modern Tarot - hooray! But, alas…no links. Just a name in a collection that is vast and nearly endless. And here I thought I had a huge collection of decks! This list was huge! There was the name: AnAn Tarot, but no link in site. Double darn.
Always the curious, I decided to check out this collector’s list and started making note of names of decks I have never seen and was not familiar with. It was an impressive collection to be sure. Then I started getting into the “S” category and spied a quaint little title: “Stella’s Simple Tarot”. I fed it into the web browser, hoping. Click. Gasp! I could here angel’s singing! There was my beloved AnAn disguised as Stella’s! Thank you, God/dess!
I. The Magician ~ Stella's Tarot
Some lists and references consider Stella’s a Majors only deck, but this is simply not the case. Seems that Stella’s was dubbed “AnAn” after a special little deck – majors only - was enclosed within the popular Japanese fashion magazine of the same name as a promotional gift when purchasing the publication in 2008. Upon learning this my heart sank, as such limited run decks are very valuable and ellusive and impossible to obtain. In fact, the original 78 card run is very easy to obtain through Amazon.com. Yay! I quickly ordered this prized deck and waited anxiously for it to arrive and when it did I was not disappointed! It is even more charming in person. The LWB is very interesting in that it has unique descriptions of the Rider-Waite style cards that waste no words on their meanings. What I really wanted to know more about was the author/artist of this imaginative set of cards. This has proved to be even more elusive than the deck itself. Everything I find is either in Chinese, Japanese or Korean and impossible to translate through Internet translators. What the LWB says is the most I have been able to dig up. The deck was conceived by and for Stella Kaoruko by Takako Hoei. Stella is a renouned authority on astrology and tarot in Japan. She received a vision of the archangel Gabriel while viewing Frangelico’s “The Annunciation” at Italy’s San Marco Museum at the tender age of 22. The rest, as they say, is history, as she delved into an immersive quest for knowledge of the world’s religions, as well as astrology and tarot. She is credited for helping hundreds of people by giving right and loving advice worldwide with her uncannily accurate predictions, inspiring right change for the better. Takako created the tarot for Stella at her lake shore home. The two are very close. I find it interesting that the most beautiful and inspired decks in history are collaborations between two people… Aleister and Frieda. Pamela and Arthur. Alex and Karen. This union of artist and intuitive always lifts my heart. Stella’s Tarot is like that…heart lifting. Hope inspiring. Door opening.
I hope you check out Stella’s Simple Tarot. It has a special place in my heart next to my other favourite deck, Lenormand. Please visit Stella’s Official Web Site to learn more. I encourage dialogue and discussion about this deck and any deck that you might fancy. Collecting is a passion and the cards are my muse, the indulgence my little vice.
There. I admitted it.
Until next time…
Is Avatar Anti-Religion & Anti-Military?
I heard an interesting thing on the morning CNN news. The piece started out with this statement: “Reports are saying that Avatar, the movie, is anti-religion and anti-military.” I raised an eyebrow.
I find this statement interesting. For one, I smirk and almost resent that anyone would say such a goofy thing! The news commentator went on to say that James Cameron defended his latest movie as “spiritual” and not necessarily having anything to do with religion, to which I wholeheartedly agree. I find it typical and somewhat disgusting that mainstream religious rights and lefts would point a finger at what this movie is – a call to be more spiritual and aware of our Mother Earth and more sensitive to everything around us, especially people. Just like the hubbub that went on when Harry Potter first arrived on the scene, calling it pagan and anti-religious just for the fact that it had an air of the otherworldly about it. Spells and brooms and potions, oh my! Heaven forbid!
It just really bugs me when this sort of thing happens.
The commentators went on to say that $10,000,000 in revenue speaks very loudly to the fact that people love this movie, its message and connect with it in a big way, something the Christian Churches (especially those who’s head master is stationed in Rome!) must find disturbing, when one takes into account all of those $dollar signs$ that are supporting such a “pagan” flavour.
They interviewed two people on the street. The first one, when asked what he thought about this latest sentiment, said, “I think it is anti-overly religious and overly-military.” Another person, a young Asian lady, commented, “I just think it is an over the top sensory stimulation. Nothing ant-anything about it.” So, there you have it. The folks on the street really are not the ones finding this movie “over-anything.” So…who is it that is behind these statements anyway?
Facts are facts. I read a poll not too long ago that said that people were stepping back away from organized religion and wetting their appetites for enlightenment on a more individual and spiritual path, which does my heart good. People are waking up to their own feelings, their own sensitivities and their own spirituality and beginning to realize that they don’t really need a huge religion in back of them to find their way to a higher source. Don’t get me wrong. I am not out against big and/or organized religion as a whole or for people to find comfort and/or camaraderie behind it. Sometimes that is just their style. I just don’t think that these same religions should cast stones at others who don’t wish to follow the same path as they do. It’s like…”your way is right as long as it is just like my way.” Intolerance. NOT what Jesus would do.
What comes to my mind is an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants that my grand daughter and I were watching one time. Mr. Crabs had just sold out his diner, the Crusty Crab, to a big restaurant chain to be pounded and molded into a clone of what they already had going as a national chain of high profile and highly recognizable restaurants. Mr. Crabs sold out and retired, but the rest of the staff stayed on, as they still needed jobs. Of course, as with all big conglomerates, they have their quirks, like the acronyms and the employee manuals to keep everyone brainwashed, under control and in line. After a while, the staff started getting sick and tired of being told what to think and how to fee, (…yeah, this is a kids show! 
and soon they began to revolt. The little peon manager was seen to be running through the restaurant screaming at the top of his lungs, “FREE THINKER! FREE THINKER!!!” This is what the Avatar flap I heard on the boob toob this morning reminds me of. I am glad they ran the story. I am hoping that a lot of other folks out there feel the same way about it as I do.
Although, my partner has another spin on it. He says that the reason they are trying to tear down the movie and cast doubt is because of the fact that it is up for Best Picture. Ha! He’s probably right. There’s always something. He always keeps me grounded. 
Avatar…
Well, I went last night to see the highly anticipated movie by James Cameron - ”Avatar”. At first, when I found out about this movie, I really didn’t wish to go see it. But my Significant Other asked me to go see it with him. How could I say no? He was so excited about this flick.
It is as sad, thought provoking & heart wrenching as it is beautiful, artistic & awe inspiring.
It manages to put the plight of the planet, the ill fate of races such as the Jews, Native Americans and so many others in the setting of a beautiful dream. It also touches upon things of a spiritual nature, which is as old as time itself, but still very controversial in today’s age. In one respect it is almost too much to take in and possibly ahead of it’s time, but on the other hand it is long over due.
This film is by far the most disturbing & brilliant film I have ever seen.
There are many things I like about this movie: it portrays women’s roles in a very positive and powerful way. The dialog is amazing and the score is spot-on. The graphics are the best I have ever seen. In fact, when Jake Sully speaks into his video log and says “I feel like there is real and here is not” I whisper under my breath “…no kidding!” I feel exactly the same way he does as I watch his incredible journey into a planet and culture and race of people that will forever change his life (and possibly mine by the time the lights come up and I venture back out into the real world). I am in awe of this beautiful world I see before me and highly upset that humans would even think about running rip shod all over them and their beautiful home.
But then I stop and think “…this is exactly the thing that HAS happened on the planet Earth over and over and over again. And then I get sadder…
A couple of things bothered me, though, about the mechanics of this film. For one, the name of the mineral/substance that the Earthlings were trying to mine and strip from the planet Pandora was called “unobtainium”… What is up with that? Here you have a film that is reported to have cost $300 – $500 million to make. Why skimp on the name of this very important element of the story? Another thing that bugs me: the violence. It seems to me these days that movie makers think that they have to inject *X* amount of violence into their story lines to make sure their ratings and box office numbers go up up UP. I find this insulting. I don’t need gratuitous bloodshed and violence to entertain me. In fact, it is just the opposite. I find that the older I get, the more I detest the sight of this made-up and thrill seeking type of thing in movies. Really good movies and stories just don’t need the violence to make it a good tale if it has any merit or is well written and executed. Quite to the contrary.
I “get” that this movie has a message about all the social issues that we as a species have to work hard on fixing. BUT…why make up this elaborate multi-million dollar eye candy fantasy tale when there is so much documentation regarding such very real things that have come to pass since before the birth of Christ? The Inquisition, the Holocaust, the Native American massacres, Apartheid, the Civil War, and modern issues too numerous to mention…the list goes on and on and on. If kids need a message, show them the truth, not some candy-coated fairy tale.
I know. It’s “just a movie”. But, parents be warned: this is not a film made for little kids, like the age rating and the trailers would lead you to assume. PG13 I think should be taken rather literally with this one.
Food for thought: Is this movie the work of genius? Just a highly entertaining fantasy trip? Or is this just another attempt at raking in a pile of dough for the movie industry?
Let me know what you think!
