Angel Tree

This week I'll be drawing from the rather controversial Doreen Virtue, Radleigh Valentine and Steve A. Roberts Angel Tarot Cards (Hay House, 2012).  This deck is sold as being "100% safe, gentle and trustworthy!", which strikes me as pretty silly - life is never 100% safe and gentle, so why should something which reflects life be?  Nevertheless, I think the deck itself is better than the advertising, so here goes :)

While the text follows traditional RWS interpretations, the imagery is rather different.  A magical tree creature with seven crystal balls containing the image of a beautiful blonde seems to wave his branches.  At the base of the tree, a fairy with gossamer, multi-coloured wings stands, looking towards it.  Is she there to harvest the crystal balls?  Is that her image they contain?  Will she have to wait for the balls to float free of the tree on their own?  While the hardwork aspect isn't apparent, the idea of waiting for a harvest is possibly there.

What seeds have you planted?  How long will you have to wait before they bear fruit?  What can you do in the meantime?  Can you allow nature to soothe your soul?

Manga Hanged Woman

We end this week of draws from the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006) with a Major, renamed to match the gender change it illustrates.

Far from traditional imagery, here we have a naked woman doing a handstand on a rock, beneath a waterfall.  The colours are fabulous, but I have to admit the card itself makes me feel rather nervous.  While she looks athletic and calm, I can't help feeling she must surely drown with the water pouring down over her.  Yet, though it splashes down against her feet, the water doesn't seem to touch the rest of her.  Perhaps, as long as she can hold this pose, her own feet are deflecting the water, allowing her to be washed clean and to see the world through the prism of the waterfall, without suffering ill effects from it.  In that, I can see traditional ideas of a change in perspective, and a willing sacrifice made for the potential to learn.

What change in perspective does life offer you today?  How can you prepare yourself for deeper learning?  What do you need to sacrifice in order to grow?

Manga Priest

In the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006), there has been a conscious choice to reverse the genders of the characters on all the cards in comparison to the RWS deck.  So here, on Major II, we meet the Priest instead of the High Priestess.  Nevertheless, I still get a distinctly Hierophant-like feeling from him.

However, there is also a big difference, perhaps a softness to him compared to traditional Hierophants.  Retaining the idea of institutional power and tradition, he seems not so much to wield it himself, but rather to focus on passing along both knowledge and power.  Instead of acolytes below an officiating priest, here a young man bows his knee to receive a crown from an older figure.  There is deference and reverence, but also a transfer of power.  It might also be that the young man is a king, being invested with spiritual authority by the Priest.  Either way, though, there is more of a balance here, not a rigid "I'm the boss of you" approach.

What do you want to learn today?  How could you help someone else in their learning?  What power balance do you need to find or negotiate today?

Manga Generosity

©Ricardo Minetti & Anna Lazzarini

Today's card from the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006) is somewhat non-traditional, adding an interesting new perspective.

Instead of a man dispensing alms to those in need, here we have a well-dressed woman interacting with people dressed in rags, with faces covered.  I get the sense of sleeper community, shunned by others. Yet here is this woman, not only going among them, but even taking off a glove to touch a man, offering the gift of human kindness. 

This card reminds us that generosity and charity come not only in the form of money, but perhaps more especially in what we dedicate our time and energy to.  Also, perhaps, in whether we are willing to see the human in the other, rather than just the neediness.

How can you show generosity today?  Are you able to receive compassion as a gift? 

Manga Falconer

©Ricardo Minetti & Anna Lazzarini

In today's card from the Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo, 2006), the swapping of genders compared to the Rider-Waite-Smith is very apparent.

A man stands in a forest, with leaves and pentacles blowing all around.  On his left arm is a hooded falcon, and in the other hand a bunch of grapes.  He wears a green robe, loosely belted by a yellow sash, and his black hair blows in the wind.  Other than the fact that he is rather gorgeous, I am struck by the fact that the wind is such a strong factor in this card, which would seem more appropriate to the suit of swords.  While the grapes suggest abundance, the fact that the pentacles are blowing around in a rather dangerous fashion does not speak of calm or prosperity.  Rather, I fear he might be beheaded by one of the flying metal disks!  Still, he seems calm in the face of this danger, perhaps certain of his own quick reflexes, honed by years of training.

This is a card I normally adore - that sense of female independence that has been hard-earned appeals to me on many levels.  Swapping the genders around is, at first glance, disappointing.  Yet, looking deeper at the card, it brings up questions of how men may also feel the need for that supportive sense of their own worth - something it can be easy to forget as a woman in what sometimes seems a very male-centric world.  A good reminder, then, that anyone can benefit from being reminded of all they have achieved, or empowered to go out and do what they really want to :)

How independent do you feel?  What could you do to feel more empowered?  How often do you follow your bliss?