Sparrow Queen

XVII The Star

(Source: anorpheusrising)

It’s almost 3am and I really should be sleeping, but check it out! HALLOWEEN TAROT! Ooooohhhahhhh!

witchywonderworks:

Wonderworks Deck of the Week: The Halloween Tarot

By Kipling West

Wonderworks adores The Halloween Tarot! 

This playful take on the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot imagery is delightful, light-hearted and also easy to interpret. Follow the decks’s resident black cat (representative of the knowledge seeker - the position the Fool takes in most decks) as she journeys through the Major and Minor Arcana. Through looking at the cat’s position in each card, the reader gets a better idea of the querent’s position relating to the situation or circumstance being inquired about.

The traditional minor arcana suits of Pentacles, Swords, Wands and Cups are replaced with Pumpkins, Bats, Imps and Ghosts, respectively. The new suits still maintain their elemental attributions and general correspondences. The illustrations on each card are bright and whimsical, the colour pallett features predominantly oranges, greens, purples and black. 

The Halloween Tarot also has reoccurring motifs related to the popular celebration of North American Halloween including candy corn, witches, bats, classic film monsters and jack-o-lanterns - all intermingling with traditional RWS tarot symbolism. Overall, the tone of this deck is carefree and jovial and the cartoonish illustration style only adds to this. 

This deck is sure to delight Halloween enthusiasts and tarot collectors alike (though I’m sure there’s a lot of overlap in those two groups!) This deck is accessible to read for anyone already familiar with RWS imagery, but would also be appropriate for beginners. 

See Past Featured Decks

-Wonderworks

The Lovers & Four of Staffs

I am seriously digging the Alchemical Tarot right now, it is quickly becoming my very favourite of all the decks I’ve ever used. I really need to order the in depth guide book, because I want to know more about every single card.

Also I keep pulling The Lovers (alternating between both versions as seen above) and Four of Staffs together. I think worshiping that Maypole on Beltane may have tipped the scales in my favour. :)

Strength from The Alchemical Tarot by Robert Place

I highly recommend this deck to all tarot enthusiasts. I received it in the mail about a month ago and it has quickly become my absolute favourite in the collection. The art work is stunning, and the symbols are intuitive to read, but also have multiple layers of meaning if you’re familiar with astrological, alchemical and hermetic symbols.

FYI, the deck’s website also does free 3 or 9 card readings. It only gives you brief keywords for each card, but it’s a nice way to get a better sense of the stunning artwork in this deck.

witchywonderworks:

Wonderworks Deck of the Week: Thoth Tarot                                            
By Aleister Crowley and Lady Freida Harris

The Thoth Tarot is consistently one of our most popular decks. The striking, fascinating artwork in this deck was created by the famous occultist and Golden Dawn member, Aleister Crowley. Though Crowley’s work may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to dispute the beauty of these cards, which are rich with multiple layers of signs and symbols to interpret. Many of the meanings Crowley attributed to the cards remain popular today and have been proliferated through much of the available literature on Tarot, sometimes without the author necessarily being aware of Crowley’s impact on this form of divination.

Crowley worked on the deck from 1938 to 1943. This deck was created to illustrate Crowley’s The Book of Thoth. The artist is Lady Frieda Harris. She worked with Crowley’s rough sketches to produce images that would be faithful to his interpretations and her own vision. The Thoth Tarot deck is generally regarded as another classic Tarot deck, but some previous knowledge of tarot would help when using this deck.  

This deck comes in two sizes - 5 ½”x 4”, as well as 4 ½”x 3”.

See past featured decks

- Wonderworks

 

I am choosing to honour and own the archetype in this card right now. I’ve pulled it several times recently and at first was a bit disturbed by it because she can be so judgmental, harsh or overly analytical.

That being said, though she has seen many things and fought many battles, these experiences have made her instincts, perceptions and insights well-honed. I also choose to embrace her organized, independent nature and directness. She is extremely ambitious and career driven. The Queen of Swords cuts to heart of all matters and is above all else, is honest with herself and others.

witchywonderworks:

-Wonderworks

Four of Pentacles

(As requested by pencilpeople. I apologize for being so late with this one, I’ve been really busy with school/moving house and had to give this card some serious thought before posting it.)

The suit of pentacles corresponds the element of Earth, which is embodied in physical things such as money and property and ownership. It can also correspond to the nature and wildlife, but in this case, it is the former.

The Four of Pentacles depicts a man, seated upon a chair (or stool) and clinging dearly to a large coin. He keeps the other three coins close to his body as well. The coin is quite heavy, and is weighing upon him emotionally and physically. Because the figure is seated, this card indicates a lack of movement. He is not interested in investing, sharing or spending what he has earned. Instead, this man is trying to maintain stability and exert complete control over his affairs. Some readers might see this man as a control freak or miser, but in some instances, holding on to what you have can be a smart move.

For instance, if spun in a positive light, this card could represent an individual who is financially secure and has made smart monetary decisions. She or he may have come to be in this position either through entrepreneurship, by being frugal, or potentially through inheritance.

The extreme negative end of the spectrum entailed in the Four of Pentacles could point towards someone being a pack rat, an obsessive collector or compulsive hoarder. It could also denote someone being extremely possessive of other people. This person may have the tendency to equate financial security with emotional well-being.

This card can appear when the querent is wondering whether they should invest time or money into a project. In this instance, she or he is being warned to save their money for the time being. But to spin this some positive light, the querent is in a position of relative security, with some “money in the bank”. She or he is financially anchored for the time being.

The inverted meaning of this card speaks to a lack, or delay, of the material things discussed above. For example, it could mean the querent is at risk of losing money, or property. If this card falls in a future outcome position in the spread, it could mean lean times, or a slashed budgets. Alternatively, the individual is no longer being smart with their money and may be spending it too freely. The inverted Four of Pentacles may also indicate that there is a lack of control of the situation. In some cases, the inverted Four of Pentacles could be signaling the querent to let go of their need to control everything and everyone around themselves.

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Read more of my Tarot posts here.

Request a card that you’d like me to do next here.

~sparrowqueen ♥

Strength - VIII

Though this card can point to aspects of physical strength, such as endurance or stamina, the meaning is usually less literal. The general meaning of this card has more to do with inner strength.

A woman in a white gown gently pries opens the mouth of a lion. She uses soft persuasion, warmth of character and determination, rather than brute force to achieve this goal. She bends the lion’s will to her own, because the lion is captivated her radiant energy. The woman has an infinity sign over her head, as is also seen on the Magician card.

The lion can be interpreted as a manifestation of our “wild” selves. The beast is pacified through the woman’s affection and calm demeanour. This card can indicated taming your demons.

She is resolute, courageous and keeps a clear head, even though her task could be dangerous or difficult.

The Strength card will often show up in readings when it is pointing to how the querent should handle a situation. She/he needs to know to reach within to find their inner strength. In these cases, the querent is being advised to be patient, compassionate, and unflappable. Demonstrating emotions does not make someone weak, but the ability to keep negative emotions such as anger and frustration in check does demonstrate enormous strength of character.

This card indicates that the strength of love conquers all obstacles. The mountain in the background can be interpreted as achievements and accomplishments, against difficult odds. The querent is being called to have fortitude.

This card can also represent a true, unwavering ally in your corner.

When this card appears inverted, it can signal a lack of strength, particularly in the ways that have been articulated above. Inverted Strength can indicate that you are currently at your weakest. In order to garner strength, you must cultivate self-confidence and believe in your own self-worth. In the present state of mind, the querent is likely to back down from challenges, or to self-censor in order to avoid opposition or confrontations. Additionally, the querent may be being called to tame the beast within. Do this through the same strategies used by the woman in this card: be kind to yourself (like the Otis Redding song says, “Try a little Tenderness!”)

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Read more of my Tarot posts here.

Request a card that you’d like me to do next here.

~sparrowqueen ♥

The Star - XVII

I absolutely adore the Star, it is perhaps my favourite card of the major Arcana. (Fun fact: I have the Marseilles version of this card tattooed on my arm.)

The Star symbolizes happiness, joy and outpouring of emotions. This card is very much about the shedding of ego and simply allowing oneself to be. It also represents pure lightness of the soul and heart, allowing oneself to be filled with serenity. For me, The Star points to inspiration and hope for the future. It is a card that points to deep sense of unity and bliss.

Consider for a moment the imagery of this card. A young woman is pouring water (positivity and psychic energy) into a pool of water, representing universal consciousness. In some decks, she also pours a second pitcher on the earth, representing nourishment.

She is depicted as being beautiful but her beauty comes from a strong sense of self and confidence. The Star is full of grace.

The bird(s) often depicted in the background of this card indicates higher vibrations, peace and manifestation of goals.

This card is similar to Temperance in that it points to serenity, harmony and balance, but because it follows The Tower in the major Arcana, it also points to a change towards these circumstances after painful or destructive periods. In this way, The Star can often point to mental, physical and emotional healing. This card feels like a huge sigh of relief after trauma or shock. As the Star points to the future, it also indicates seeing light at the end of the tunnel and the possibilities of rejuvenation and positive changes.

When this card appears inverted, it can indicate the opposite of its positive associations. Instead of loss of ego, it can mean being selfish, holding yourself back and feelings of hopelessness. The inverted meaning is one of feeling defeated and stuck in a rut. All of the woman’s water is falling down in the sky - there is a feeling of no hope, no future and no healing. When this card shows up for a querent who has some sort of trauma and is seeking healing it can indicate that they will not receive the peace of mind they are looking for. There may be hope and healing available, but the querent is unable to see them.

Of the many attributes of this card that I love, it also tends to be one of the most beautiful cards in every deck. Actually, I usually make my decisions for new Tarot decks I want to buy directly based on how much I like the design of this card.

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I’ve decided to continue to my Tarot series and will periodically be posting little write-ups on each card. Apologies for not posting much in the past few days, I’ve been crazy busy and am now in New York City for a week, so my updates will be a lot less frequent than usual.

Blessings, lovelies.

~sparrowqueen ♥