Tarot throughout my life

I don't know why I haven't shared this in the past. I suppose it's because this blog was started mostly for my own personal use and I know the story well. But time has a way of fading and softening memories. I don't want to forget or loose sight of how strong of a spiritual tool the tarot has become to me. So herein follows the story of my involvement owning and using tarot decks

I bought a deck at Chapters in my teens and was amazed. At the time I admit to testing the cards by doing readings for friends without their consent. I was never into using them to forecast love interests, but used them more to understand and support friends to cope with life struggles. I didn't know at the time that it was considered in poorer taste and equivalent to eavesdropping. I did always tell them the outcomes and they were kind enough not to take offense.

My mom was a little uncomfortable so I wasn't very open or free to pull the cards out when the mood suited. Then I moved in with my SO and they made him more uncomfortable. At the time they didn't seem as powerful a tool or as strong of a spiritual outlet as they do to me now, so I left them in a box at my mom's and didn't pine for them.

Two or three years ago, a kind open minded fellow fae lover and friend was moved to buy me the Mystic Faerie deck. She reads and has a large collection (ohhh, she also the one who told me about AT " hi Nimbus" ). The fae and the years together combined to somehow put my SO at ease... and my love and involvement were renewed. I now use them for meditation or reflection, sometimes by purposefully choosing a card but more often by shuffling and asking for a card that applies to me or that I would connect with and it would provide insight and deep thought. I've also used them as a guide to help me keep myself in check, asking what traits to bring forward and which traits to leave behind ( example: at an upcoming work meeting that was sure to become heated).

My cards ground me and set the stage for inner reflection the way a solitary hike in nature would.

Deep peace to you.

A favorite prayer:

the dominion of dreams : under a dark star - fiona macleod - 1895

Short version
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

Long Version:
Deep peace I breathe into you, O weariness, here:
O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to You;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to You;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace from the Son of Peace to you,
Deep peace from the heart of Mary to you,
And from Briget of the Mantle
Deep peace, deep peace!
And with the kindness too of the Haughty Father
Peace!
In the name of the Three who are One,
Peace!
And by the will of the King of the Elements,
Peace! Peace!

Mona Lisa Tarot

I finally had the time and mental and spiritual energy to greet my new Mona Lisa Tarot deck. My first time with a deck, I usually say a basic "hello" and pull a card or two to see what comes from it, it's been a good indicator to show me from the get-go if I can connect with a deck as a reading deck or if it's only a deck to admire. I was pleasantly surprised with the cards that I pulled and indeed it's shown strength as a reading deck for me. Instantly I see this will be a deck that I will need to use intuitively and toss out the typical RWS meanings. While the RWS meanings are there in abstract ways, the images on these cards are far from being typical.




I pulled the 3 of Swords, and very plainly, the image is a woman writing with a baby in the background, replace this with my computer and it's unmistakably how I've spent my last 7 weeks. The other card was the Knight of Pentacles and again, the sense of wanting to flee the city and responsibility is too strong to ignore. Alexiss has been what they call a colicky baby and it's been a difficult time, sometimes making me want to run away from home. (but I love her dearly and understand she's just as irritated by all of this too) The LWB keywords are fate/mission and disagreement/misunderstanding, true but the words are not as strong as the impact of the images. I don't feel a need to peer further and meditate on these cards as they only show me in a snapshot of the current day, and show it very well! I won't delve into them further, but what they have done is made me want to study this deck further and compare, but this deck has shown it's value for reading intuitively rather than relying on the cold hard RWS meaning, perhaps giving more depth and clearer pictures into my future readings.

I then asked what I could do to make Alexiss happy or comforted and once again, the cards were plain and in-my-face.

I pulled the 7 of Wands and the Queen of Swords. The 7 of wands shows Mona Lisa protecting a child, the orange/red background is so prominent, I can only see it as protecting Alexiss with fiery and all my might. Plain and simple, she needs me to protect and care for her best I can. Mona Lisa herself is a mystery and her "face a study in contradiction" (from the intro in the LWB, in the Queen of Swords I've taken her representation as someone whom I don't know well and may very well have her own agenda or not portray herself for who she truly is. This card tells me not to listen to all those that preach about care of babies, they have their own agenda and are speaking in general terms instead of on a personal level, and those who've had babies know that each one is different and unique.

What I found interesting was we both got a card from Swords, this suit relates to Air and is about communication, Alexiss is verbal (cries, coos, babble) but cannot tell me outright what she needs, it's become a practice of picking up her other non verbal ways to communicate to tell me what she needs. Funny how little Miss Alexiss is running the show these days, she gets the Queen and I get the 3, I guess that tells the tale how she's pulling the strings right now and I'm following. lol. The Knight of Pentacles can be interpretted as upcoming travel by foot... mmmm... all those nights with her on my shoulder pacing to calm her.

I'm amazed at the clarity of this deck enough to put more time into more in depth study, but that will come later.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
Douglas Adams

You
are not here to fix anything, because nothing is broken, but everything
is continually changing and expanding. Release your struggle, and seek
joy and fun, and in doing so, you will align with the fantastic
expanding rhythm of this Universe.
...
- Abraham-Hicks

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.

Love

Times when it's hardest to love someone is when they need your love the most.

be

If you want to be happy, be.
~ Leo Tolstoy


The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.
James Oppenheim

The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you'll never find it.
C. P. Snow (1905 - 1980)

Happiness depends upon ourselves.
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892)

A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.
Anatole France (1844 - 1924)

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Samhain Blessings

A Prayer to the Ancestors
from about.com

This is the night when the gateway between
our world and the spirit world is thinnest.
Tonight is a night to call out those who came before.
Tonight I honor my ancestors.
Spirits of my fathers and mothers, I call to you,
and welcome you to join me for this night.
You watch over me always,
protecting and guiding me,
and tonight I thank you.
Your blood runs in my veins,
your spirit is in my heart,
your memories are in my soul.

[If you wish, you may want to recite your genealogy here. This can include both your blood family, and your spiritual one.]

With the gift of remembrance.
I remember all of you.
You are dead but never forgotten,
and you live on within me,
and within those who are yet to come.

____________________________________________

Kids Prayer for Samhain
from about.com

Samhain is here, cold is the earth,
as we celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth.
Tonight we speak to those through the veil,
the lines between worlds are thin and frail.

Ghosts and spirits in the night,
magical beings rising in flight,
owls hooting up in a moonlit tree,
I don't fear you and you don't fear me.

As the sun goes down, far to the west,
my ancestors watch over me as I rest.
They keep me safe and without fear,
on the night of Samhain, the Witch's New Year.

_________________________________________________
May the ancestors deliver blessings on you and yours...
May the new year bear great fruits for you...
May your granted wishes be as many as the seeds in a pomegranate...
May the slide into darkness bring you light...
May the memories of what has been keep you strong for what is to be...
May this Samhain cleanse your heart, your soul, and your mind!
--- traditional Samhain blessing from The Zen of Motherhood

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I found some prayers online that were written by Galen Gillotte in the Book of Hours: Prayers for the Goddess and the Book of Hours: Prayers for the God and found here. Not one stuck out and touched me as deeply as some, but it`s got an affirmation and thing to think about, which I think is a nice touch.