XI. Strength ~ Mary-El Tarot

 So many people wonder what it is like to have their tarot read. I know only too well the gamut of emotions that goes into even thinking about having one’s cards read, what with all the stigma and superstition that has been attached to the tarot, readers and the whole idea of going outside the realm of what is common and mundane in the established world that we live in and what that evokes and entails. When I was very young and first wrapped my hands and mind around the cards, many feelings crept in, from religious taboo to “what would my mother say?” (I decided not to tell her! ) to “my friends will make fun of me” (well…they weren’t that great of friends, anyway…) and so on and so forth…fill in the blank, I’m sure many people reading this blog right now can identify with one or even more of these scenarios. I finally decided, one day so long ago that it really didn’t matter, all of those little questions fueled by guilt or fear or the control by others, and to follow my heart and explore those hidden realms that only the mystery schools used to claim to call their own. Looking back, I am so glad for the desicions I have made in my life concerning my spiritual path and where it has lead me even now, as I write here in this, my little electronic link to the outside cyber world.   

I know everyone’s journey, methods and ways of doing things are different. So when I think about the many ways readings are done, I feel a need to share a little of what happens when someone has a reading with me, what they can expect and how it generally goes. Having had many readings myself over the years I have found that everyone’s style is different and I don’t want anyone to come away from a reading with me feeling weird because they expected something different or an experience like someone elses altogether. Simply put: no two readers read alike and no two readers tap into the etheric realms in quite the same way.   

I have developed a style of reading over a span of 30 plus years and, looking back, I smile at what a learning experience it has been. The first step was to take that LWB (Little White Book – the pamphlet that comes with decks of tarot cards) and put it away in a box where others would soon join it after glancing through any interesting information about the author/artist of the work. That is really all the LWB is really good for, in my humble opinion, because the heart of the deck is where that of the creator’s heart and soul resides. That information is quite valuable. After that, however, the cards are all mine. (Watch this blog for a coming post all about what to look for in a deck and what I look for when chosing decks that I love.)   

III. The Empress ~ Mary-El Tarot

When I sit down to do a reading, many things come into play and a lot of convention goes right out the window. First off, I prefer to have whomever I am reading for sit next to me as we deal out the cards together. I like to have the seeker be able to see the cards as they pick them and we lay them out together; they see the cards and the layout as it unfolds, and are encouraged to bring whatever feelings, intuition, thoughts and ideas into the reading at any time. Traditional spreads are not used during the readings, as we set down the cards in a unique and different way so as to watch as the relationships between the cards come up to initiate a relationship with the seeker. Meanwhile, I watch, look and listen to what is going on while the cards are revealed. One or more things come into play now. Guides, angels, those in spirit – both in the human and animal form – begin to come through as the session progresses. Depending on the questions and the things a person wants to touch on, any or all and even more can happen during a reading. I can never tell what will happen and I am constantly amazed by the things that we see and hear! And, one by one, as the cards come down, the doors to the other realms are opened and important information is imparted, loved ones in spirit begin to come through and answers to questions in deep desire for answers are brought into the light of day. All there for the asking, if only one has a need to know and a yearning to find the answers to their most burning questions.   

The duration is no less than an hour and most times run into the hour and a half time frame. All readings are held in the strictest of confidence, never told or revealed to anyone ever. A session is always private unless the seeker requests that someone else be present, which is entirely fine. The seeker has very much control over their reading and I will always do my best to accommodate.   

There are other services which are available in additon to oracle as well as traditional tarot readings: spatial cleansings of homes, areas of business and larger lands; group readings and parties; psychic investigations and walk-throughs of areas suspected of spirit activity, with follow up solutions in regard to spirit activity; gemstone and aromatherapies. And more!   

For further information, please visit my website at: Sleeping Gypsy  to find out all about readings, other interesting people and places, and the world of the Sleeping Gypsy! I will be sending out a newsletter beginning in August that will include all sorts of interesting and sundry things pertaining to tarot and the world of those who seek knowledge and answers from the intuitive realms. Please sign up on the main page!   

Finally, please feel free to email me at any time with questions and inquiries and take advantage of the FREE tarot reading services offered at my website! New and free stuff will be added  throughout the year, so make sure to visit often!   

Until next time…   

…Namaste!   

[Note: Please visit the Official Website for Mary-El's Tarot featured here in this blog post. It is beautiful and I can hardly wait for it to be available!]

16. Stars ~ Mystical Lenormand

As many of you may know, I am always on the look out for the rarest of the rare Lenormand Cards. Never have I seen a more provocative nor awe inspiring set of images as the original Lenormands! The original decks are as illusive as they are beautiful, however, and sometimes one must settle for more recent facsimiles or current editions of updates inspired by the originals. Such is the case with he newer Mystical Lenormand.

At first I was sceptical and wary of this newer deck, produced by Swiss artiste Urban Trosch in 2005 using a technique older than the original cards themselves, an egg tempera on wood with a chalk base. In doing so, Mr. Trosch has created a mystical deck whose images truly resemble the icons of yesteryear, as each image is framed by a “window” that really makes one feel as if they are looking though a portal and glimpsing an altogether different reality, a place of mystical wonders and other worldliness. Even the backs of the cards takes one away from the ordinary. Celestial angels encircle the earth and look down at the planet from the heavens, leaving one to feel as if they are going on a journey, far far away.

The deck is smaller of size, and I thought that would be a turn off, but quite to the contrary, it lends to the charm of the deck. When first opening the sturdy little box one is confronted with the LWB (little white book) which is really quite informative, with a brief history of Mlle. Lenormand’s life, her deck and how Urban Trosch came to make this new take on the French classic. There are spread suggestions and the original meanings for the cards as well.  What really impressed me, however, was the way the instructions treated the art of reading the deck (or any deck, for that matter) for beginners. They really stress the personal experience and encourage the neophyte to branch out and feel the cards and use first impressions and personal deep seated meanings before ever looking at the black and white traditional meanings. Nothing cut in stone here! This is so refreshing to me. It does my heart good to see the art of reading decks go beyond the cookie cutter definitions and diving head long into how a card makes a person feel in their gut, where all good reading begins and ends, with the intuition and uncharted senses.  Add to that the mentioning of how to treat a deck with awe and respect from the beginning, and you have a really good deck for the beginner that an experienced reader will also enjoy. This is how deck reading should be and this is how itis presented from the beginning, with honour and dignity and not a frivolous “game”.  I know Mlle. Lenormand would agree with me on this.

All in all, this deck is a very nice package, especially if one cannot get heir mitts on any sort of Lenormand deck. This demure replica is a good start and far from a mere copy, it can hold its own reading after reading, or simply as a tool for meditation and contemplation. I find the images compelling and possessing their own personalities apart from the original Lenormand – like a long lost cousin to the original, or even a sibling – they are very much alike, but different enough to be able to show unique traits original to each and the other.

I highly recommend this deck to anyone looking for a meaningful departure from the classic Waite-Smith fare. In a day and age when everyone and their brother are making and publishing their own decks, both oracles and tarots, it is a rare thing to find one or two that really stand out and stand up on their own merits, The Mystical Lenormand is one such deck. And especially in the case of the Lenormand decks, as they sort of fall somewhere between a tarot and an oracle style of deck. If one decides to add this deck to their collection of cards you ave my word that you will not be disappointed…

Until next time…

…Namaste!

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…