Learning how to read Tarot cards is often perceived as a very daunting task. If you search around on the Internet, you will find several books and websites that promise to teach you how to read Tarot cards as well. In my experience, some of these books and websites are often quite good.

So imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail from Brigit of Biddy Tarot asking me to review her eBook – Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence! To say that I was floored would be an understatement. I follow all of Brigit’s blog posts on her site via my RSS news reader, and am constantly amazed by her insights and observations. You too can visit Brigit’s website, and go through her blog and share her deep insights.

Naturally, I spent the past few days reading her eBook and confirming my great opinion of her knowledge and understanding of the Tarot cards.

So, without much ado, let’s take a quick peek into what the eBook is all about.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence by Brigit Esselmont

If ever you wanted to learn how to read Tarot cards, and you wanted a step-by-step approach which you could spread out over a period of 31 days, then this book is perfect for you!

Mind you, if you are looking for a book that gives you card pictures and meanings, then this eBook is not what you are looking for. Although, you will find the keyword meanings for each card at the end of the book in the Appendix section, this book is more devoted to a self-study approach. In the eBook, Brigit does ask you to go through a list of suggested books that do follow the typical pictures-meanings approach, and purchase one such book for the purpose of this 31 day course.

Also, it bears to mention that Brigit’s eBook is peppered with links to other online resources (blog posts and websites), both hers and others, where you can find additional information or more information about various topics that she is covering in that chapter.

In my opinion, Brigit’s way of teaching you how to read the Tarot cards using an activity-based, self study approach does have a lot of merits, because it helps you form deep and personal connections with your Tarot cards.

So, let’s look at each of the sections of this book, and understand what they are all about.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Welcome

The book begins with a welcome message that immediately puts you at ease with the seemingly daunting task that lies ahead of you when you are planning to set out on a course to learn how to read Tarot cards. Brigit starts off by telling you how you should use the book (and she calls this a ‘Workbook’ – which is perfect, because that is exactly what this book is), and how you should go about pursuing your studies of Tarot. Brigit also tells you about her Tarot Foundations Community, where you can connect with other Tarot enthusiasts who are learning the Tarot just like you. And then, of course, there is a short Bio of Brigit, which tells you all about her journey with the cards.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Timetable and Lessons

After all the introductions and welcomes, you are presented with a timetable which I strongly suggest you follow. Since the lessons are spread out over a period of 31 days, it is here that you get a quick glance at what lessons lie ahead for you.

Although I am jumping a gun a bit, I would like to point out that the best thing I liked about her eBook was the ‘Activities’ section at the end of each chapter. Not only do these help reinforce the the lessons one reads in the chapter, but it also gives you a practical way to experience that lesson and drive the learning points home.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 1 to 5: Getting Started

The first five days of this course help you get started with the process of learning to read the Tarot cards.

You begin with learning about what Tarot is all about, and how it can be used. You learn about the deck of Tarot cards, and understand the basic philosophy regarding looking at predictions using these Tarot cards. Since it is the beginning, you are asked to examine your personal motivations regarding the Tarot, and examining what you want to do with your knowledge of the Tarot. Brigit then guides you in the process of selecting the right Tarot deck for your study, and then tells you of the various methods in which you can care for your Tarot card deck.

As I have mentioned before, the eBook doesn’t follow a typical approach where you are presented with the pictures of the cards and their meanings. So it is also during this time that you are guided to buy a good Tarot book which follows the typical pattern. Brigit’s suggestions for the books you can buy for this purpose are also great – these books are perfect companion books for your study.

Next, Brigit guides you through the process of creating a Tarot Journal. It is in this journal that you will be recording all of your thoughts, ideas and keywords, and of course, everything else that you might want to record about your study and understanding of Tarot. This eBook also has some wonderful templates which you can print out and make copies of, and use in your journal to record your observations and thoughts.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 6 to 18: Learning the Tarot Card Meanings

The next few days will be focused completely on the process of learning the meanings of your Tarot cards. Brigit begins by talking about the difference between ‘rational’ and ‘intuitive’ learning approaches. Then we get a overview of the Tarot cards in our chosen deck, and familiarize ourselves with the cards. Then Brigit talks you through the process of creating keyword charts, which will be the cornerstone of your knowledge collection process during the time you learn how to read Tarot cards. Of course, a template for such a keyword chart is also given for you in the Appendix section, so you can quickly print it out and make copies for your Tarot Journal.

Tarot Cards

From Day 9, you begin your actual learning process, by starting with the Minor Arcana. Personally, I found this very interesting and refreshing. Most of the books generally start the learning process with the Major Arcana, which can be daunting for beginners. The Minors are very easy to understand, and the images are also quite relatable for most of us. And that is why, I really liked her choice of beginning the learning process with the Minor Arcana.

After an interesting overview of the Minors, we begin by delving into the Suit of Cups, Suit of Pentacles, Suit of Swords and the Suit of Wands, one by one. For each Suit, Brigit starts off with an explanation of the suit’s energies, and then in the ‘Activities’ section, we delve right into the process of understanding the meanings of the cards themselves. A Suit Summary Template has also been provided in the Appendix section, so you can quickly use it to fill it up with your observations and thoughts and keywords.

Once you are done with the Suits, on Day 14, you will tackle the Court Cards. Many people find the Court Cards quite confusing, and Brigit easily guides you through the intricate layers of meaning hidden in the images of these cards. If you sincerely do all the ‘Activities’ for this section, you will be truly at ease with these cards, and find yourself making friends with the Court Cards!

On Day 15, you will finally tackle the Major Arcana cards, again, using the Keyword Template provided in the Appendix section. Since you’ve used this method before for the Suit and Court cards, you will find that you can easily use this method for the Major Arcana as well.

The following days are spent looking at the other aspects of the Tarot cards such as Numbers (basic Numerology) and Symbols. What I loved about these chapters is how each of the numbers and symbols were nicely explained! The list of commonly found symbols is presented in an alphabetical order, and Brigit walks you through their meanings and helps you understand these symbols better. Of course, this includes a quick look at the Colors and their meanings as well. Assigning a personal meaning to these symbols is also very well explained, and the following ‘Activity’ helps you do the same for yourself!

Finally, on Day 18, you start with deepening your knowledge of the cards by looking at the stories (or making up your own stories!) for the images in the cards – which, according to me is the best thing you can do to really deepen and strengthen your knowledge of the cards.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 19 to 23: Deepening Your Tarot Knowledge

What begins on Day 18, continues through this section as well, as you learn how to deepen your knowledge of the Tarot cards.

It is here that Brigit walks you through the processes of creating a Tarot card profile using her Card Profile Template.

Then you learn about the benefits of drawing a card every day and recording your observations in your Tarot Journal, and how it can truly add to your already growing knowledge base.

On Day 22, you learn how to connect the cards and form a story. For this purpose, you look at the 10 cards of each suit, and finally the 21 cards of the Major Arcana, and see how the dots connect. You learn how you can form a story that not only resonates with the meanings of these cards, but also helps you understand the journey of the energy within each of these suits.

On Day 23, you will learn how to create combinations of Tarot cards. I have to be very honest and tell you that I totally delved into the process for myself over here! And, I have truly found a great way to form connections between two cards! As such, this process lays the foundations for becoming a good reader, and I found it really inspiring!

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 24 to 29: Learning to Read Tarot

And finally comes the section where you apply all the learning you have done so far! It is in this section that you learn how to do a basic Tarot reading, and learn how to use a basic 3-card Tarot spread.

Brigit walks you through the steps you can take to prepare for, and use, before, during and after a Tarot reading. This includes framing a question, selecting a spread, and even how to shuffle the deck!

Brigit also gives a very useful list of the various types of 3 card spreads you can use for your readings (and of course, there are some great examples too!), after which she walks you through the process of interpreting the reading. Of course, you’ve been doing a little bit of this ‘interpretation’ process right from the start, but here is where you truly begin to flex your ‘Tarot’ muscles for real!

She lays out the interpretation process in an easy to understand manner, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning. All the various aspects of the cards (like colors, symbols, numbers etc) are tackled and considered for this purpose, helping you understand and apply the interpretation process for your spread and readings. Using examples and a step-by-step approach, you are guided through the process of interpretation, which helps you become a good Tarot card reader and fruitfully apply all your Tarot knowledge.

Brigit then goes on to talk about Intuition, and explains how you can learn how to trust and develop your intuitive processes, which help you in your Tarot reading.

On Day 28, Brigit tackles the topic of ‘timing’ which addresses the ‘when’ questions most Tarot card readers face when they start reading the cards for people.

On Day 29, you can learn about the six mistakes you can avoid when you want to read the Tarot cards for yourself. This was yet another section in this eBook which resonated very well with me.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Days 30 to 31: Establishing Your Networks

Once you are done with learning the meanings of the cards and learning how to use that knowledge to do a variety of 3 card spreads, the next step involves practicing your Tarot reading skills, and of course, connecting with other Tarot readers out there. The last 2 days of your 31 days are spent understanding these topics.

Brigit links to some very awesome Tarot communities on the Internet where you can connect with other Tarot readers and students from around the world, and make your connections with others like you. It is always great to meet other Tarot enthusiasts – because I have found that with the Tarot, every reader brings in her own perspective of the cards and you always learn so much more than what you already know!

Finally, you learn about the various ways and different places where you can use your knowledge of Tarot.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Where To From Here?

Of course, the story doesn’t quite end with the 31^st day. Brigit has some very good words of wisdom that will help you navigate the next part of your journey with the Tarot cards – which I suggest that each of you read through carefully. I loved how she gently leaves you feeling empowered with all the knowledge you have gained in the past 31 days with her and her book.

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Appendix

Since I’ve mentioned the Appendix several times, I am just going to give you a quick list of the tools and templates that have been provided in this eBook.

• Tarot Suit Summary
• Keywords Charts for each of the Suits (for you to fill out)
• Keyword Chart for the Major Arcana (for you to fill out)
• Getting to Know Yourself with the Major Arcana (questions for your Tarot Journal)
• Tarot Card Profile
• A Card a Day
• Three-Card Tarot Spread (for recording your readings in your Tarot Journal)
• Suits Keyword Charts for each of the Suits (with keywords)
• Major Arcana Keyword Chart (with keywords)

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — What I Liked

What I really liked about this eBook is the way Brigit literally ‘talks’ to you! When I was reading the eBook, I didn’t feel like I was reading a book. Rather I felt as if she was sitting by me and telling me all those things. The book reads so well that I felt so naturally drawn into it.

I liked the way she has divided up the activities and topics of the Tarot learning process into easily understandable chunks over a period of 31 days, making the learning process easy for Tarot students.

I liked how the ‘Activities’ at the end of each lesson helped, or rather made up the process of learning! Truly, this is a great learning-by-doing approach for learning how to read the Tarot cards!

Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence — Where Can You Get This eBook?

You can click here, and order your copy of the e-book. Typically, you get a PDF which you can easily read on your computer. But if you prefer reading your eBooks on your tablet devices, you can easily opt for the ePub version of the eBook too!

In fact, I read my eBook on my iPad, having requested Brigit to send me the ePub version, and it reads like a dream in iBooks. *Technology Rocks*

I have also had a chance to go through the PDF version of the eBook and that too is great to read on your computer, and also on your tablet device!

My Thoughts

If you were looking to learn how to read the Tarot cards, and wanted a step-by-step, well planned, self-study and activity-based approach towards the process, then the Tarot Foundations eBook is simply perfect for you!

Brigit is a great Tarot-ist, and her knowledge and open heart truly shines through the entire eBook, making it easy for you to connect with her and her words, and get into the flow of the learning process that she underlines.

If you are already a Tarot card reader, and want to deepen your knowledge of the cards, then too, this is a great eBook for you. With its activity-based approach, you can easily find various ways of connecting with your Tarot cards and deepening your understanding of their images.

Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner is an amazing resource for writers and storytellers across the world, who are looking for another source of inspiration for their work. Let’s have a look at what this book is all about.

Corrine Kenner

The way I see it, most Tarot card readers tell stories when they do their readings. They look at the spread positions, they look at the card images, they listen to their intuition, and they connect the dots to make a coherent story – the reading for their client. I firmly believe that in order to be a good Tarot card reader, one should have some ability for storytelling.

Naturally, the same Tarot cards can also inspire writers in their process of imagination weaving! The book Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner tells writers exactly how they can leverage the imagery and meanings of the Tarot cards to help them in their creative process.

The book Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner is divided into three main parts. Let’s take a quick look at each of these parts and what they are all about.

Tarot For Writers by Corrine Kenner

The book begins with a quick chapter that tells you how to use the book. It briefly touches upon the literary history of Tarot (the various ways and places that Tarot cards have appeared in literature). From there, Corrine moves on to the part where she tells us how Tarot cards can be a great brainstorming device. As she says, one can read the book in a straightforward, beginning to end manner, or, one can skip around if that suits.

After that, we move on to the first part of the book.

Part I: Tarot 101

This is the section where Corrine covers the basics of Tarot. While most Tarot readers are storytellers in some form, not all storytellers and writers are familiar with Tarot. So, we begin with the basic structure of a Tarot deck, and then go into the basics of the Majors and the Minors. This is followed up with information about the Court Cards.
The second chapter in this section talks about how one can read the Tarot cards. Corrine goes into the basics of reading like doing a quick meditation before the reading, and then she talks about a step-by-step way of laying down a spread and doing a reading. Of course, since the ideal reader for this book isn’t a Tarot card reader, this process can seem to quick. But it will make some sense in the end, promise.

The next chapter talks about some typical Tarot reading spreads used by Tarot card readers across the world. She begins with one card, two card and three card spreads, and then goes into the Horseshoe Spread and ends with the Celtic Cross. All of these spreads have sample readings that should help any writer get into the groove of the cards.

Within the second and third chapters of this section, you will find a ‘Writing Practice’ exercise, which will be very helpful. My suggestion is to work through these exercises as you move forward through the book. Not only will these exercises drive the point home, but they will also help you connect with the cards better, and give you a chance to actually figure out how the cards work for you. As the Apprentice in the 8 of Pentacles may say, many a times, the learning happens with doing!

These exercises continue through the next section of the book as well.

Part II: The Writer’s Tarot

This is the part that most writers will be familiar with. This section deals mainly with the various aspects of creative writing and how the Tarot cards can come in handy at each of these places.

The first chapter focuses on character creation. As a writer I know, most stories have several focal points that drive it forward. Characters are one such focal point – after all, isn’t the story about the people who are in the story? Here, we learn how to use the Tarot cards in the process of creating and building the characters and their personalities. Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner also uses a great list of Tarot archetypes to help a writer find more details about the character he is building or creating.

Astrology has always had some very deep connections with the Tarot cards. The next chapter in this section gets into that very same connection. Here we learn about the Major Arcana and their correlations with the different planets and sun signs. These too are very useful tools for writers to glean more about their characters. Here Corrine uses the Zodiac Spread to give a quick overview of the 12 Houses in astrological charts, and how these can be used in the character creation and building process for any writer.

Along with the character, the plot also drives any story. While each character has their own storyline and character arc, the plot is the one thread that pretty much holds it all together. Again, this will be familiar territory for writers as Corrine gets into the standard 3 Act Structure, and talks about how the Tarot cards can be used to chart the plot in that structure. A modified version of the Celtic Cross is also presented to us writers so that we can use it to devise the plot for the story. Topics of multiple storylines and sub-plots are also discussed.

Joseph Campbell

The next chapter looks at the Hero’s Journey. First experienced in Joseph Campbell’s ‘A Hero with a Thousand Faces’, this structure has also garnered a lot of appeal with writers. Using the Tarot cards, Corrine describes how writers can chart the course of the journey of their story’s hero / heroine using the Hero’s Journey as a guideline. And of course, there is a Hero’s Journey Spread to help out with the process.

As with the characters and the plots, the setting is another factor that matters for a story. The setting is where the story is actually taking place. And if used well, the setting too contributes to the story! Using the Tarot cards to determine the details of your setting is truly an experience to look forward to. Corrine also shows how one can use the images of the Tarot cards combined with the five senses to determine more details about the setting.

Writer’s Block is one of the major hurdles in the writing process. One way or the other, every writer has experienced some form of writer’s block during their writing careers. In Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner, you will find how to use the Tarot cards to find a way out of writer’s block. If you are a writer participating in a writer’s group, then Corrine also has an interesting game which you can use in the group to help with your writing.

And if you are looking to go deeper and make your connection with the cards stronger, then this next chapter will be just right for you. Here, Corrine advises you to go ahead and ask the cards all those weirdly strange questions that keep popping up while you write. Questions from ‘Which sections of your story should you delete’ to ‘How to your characters feel about you as their creator’ – all these and more can be addressed to the cards.

Part III: A Writer’s Guide to Tarot Cards

This third section of the book will prove to be very useful for most writers who intend to use Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner for exploring their writing using the Tarot cards. In this section, Corrine puts together all the information about each of the 78 cards of a Tarot deck in a neat easy-to-refer manner. I promise you, once you’ve gotten the hang of the techniques, you will be coming back to this section often to look at the various meanings and connections that the cards have to provide.

For the Major Arcana, Corrine talks about the meanings of the card, the various symbols on the card with their meanings, keywords to help you recall the card meanings, the astrological association, mythological connections, literary connections and finally, writing prompts for your writing exercises.

For the Minor Arcana, Corrine talks about the meaning of the card, the various symbols on the card with their meanings, keywords and then gives you writing prompts. For the Court Cards, the astrological and elemental connections are also included.

Conclusion

At the end of the book, you will find a glossary of the various terms and symbols used in Tarot. Again, this is a section to which most of you will be returning to for reference.

My Thoughts

As a Tarotist and as a Writer, I have found the techniques mentioned in this book quite useful. I have personally used many of these techniques in the process of writing out the outline of the novel that I am working on at this time. And I have found them to be very useful and insightful. Of course, I used several different decks to get into it, and trust me, the more imagery, the more intense and better the process turned out to be.

If you are a writer and are looking for inspiration for your next project, I can promise you one thing: you certainly get that! I can understand the trepidation for a writer who isn’t into Tarot, but believe me, that will not be a hurdle in this process. You don’t have to get into the depths of the Tarot that much – just have to use your imagination and look at the images and let loose with your creative juices!

Your Turn…

I have found Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner to be tremendously useful during my writing and planning for writing phases. What about you? What have your experiences been like? If you haven’t read the book before, do you plan on getting a copy for yourself? Why?

Please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The myth of Isis and Osiris is an immortal story of love, betrayal and revenge. And several images / symbols that relate to this egyptian myth find their way on the images of the Tarot cards. Today, let’s have a look at the myth of Isis and Osiris.

Isis and Osiris: The Happy Days

Osiris was the King of Egypt. Isis was his sister. But back then, the Pharaohs used to marry within the family to keep the bloodlines pure. So Isis and Osiris were married.

Osiris and Isis were well loved by the people of Egypt because of various reasons. They were just and good rulers, and most of all they had brought civilization to the barbaric population of the country. Osiris and Isis taught the egyptians how to plant the seeds of wheat, how to tend to the crops, and how to make flour and subsequently bread out of the wheat that they had grown. They also showed the people how to plant grapes and make wine, and make beer from barley.

Egypt was a happy and flourishing country, and everyone was happy.

Osiris then travelled across the world to spread his knowledge and to bring civilization to the rest of the world. And when he was gone, Isis ruled Egypt in his place. She was a good Queen, and was also very well loved by the people.

Isis and Osiris: Enter the Villain

Naturally, with all this nice stuff happening in his brother’s kingdom, Set (Osiris’ brother) wasn’t quite happy. He wanted to rule over the kingdom of his brother, but he knew that the only way that he could take over the kingdom was when his brother was dead. So he waited till the time Osiris returned from his travels across the world. And when he did, he put his plan into action.

In order to fulfil his evil plans, Set had made a sarcophagus using the exact measurements of Osiris. And he brought the sarcophagus into the court during the celebrations of Osiris’ return and proclaimed that the sarcophagus was a gift for the one who would fit into it properly. All of the attending Kings tried it, but failed. Finally, when Osiris went and tried it out, it fit him perfectly. Osiris was thrilled, but so was Set.

The moment Set had been waiting for was here, and Set put his plan into motion. His attendants quickly closed the lid of the sarcophagus, nailed it shut and poured boiling lead over it, effectively killing Osiris in the process.

Set then took over the throne of Egypt, becoming the new Pharaoh.

As for the sarcophagus with Osiris’ body – Set had it thrown into the Nile.

Isis and Osiris: The Grief of Isis

When Isis discovered Set’s treachery, she was overcome with grief. She also discovered how the sarcophagus had been thrown into the river Nile. So Isis set out in search of the sarcophagus. She wandered along the banks of the river Nile and cried. All she wanted was to find Osiris’ body and give it a proper burial so that his soul may rest in peace.

Meanwhile, the sarcophagus had flowed along the river, and had gotten entangled in the branches of a bush. Due to Osiris’ great powers, the bush became a beautiful tree. When King Malcander and Queen Astarte of Byblos heard about this wonderful tree, they came to see it. And the King of Byblos ordered the tree to be cut down so that it might be used in one of the pillars in his palace.

As she wandered, Isis heard about the tree and about the King and Queen of Byblos and realized that the pillar in their palace held the sarcophagus of Osiris. She began to wonder how she could get to it. She sat down by the banks of the river Nile and began to think.

Soon enough, the handmaidens of the Queen Astarte came to the river bank to bathe. Isis taught them how to plait their hair, since they didn’t know how to. Then she breathed over the hair, so that when they reached the palace their hair would smell nice. Of course, Queen Astarte was curious about all of this and sent for Isis.

Queen Astarte then asked Isis to serve in her palace and look after her children, to which Isis agreed. Isis would take care of the children by day, and by night she would go to the pillar and mourn the death of her husband. Soon enough, Isis got attached to the baby she was caring for, and decided to make him immortal. So she built a fire and burned off his mortal parts. Then she turned into a swallow and began to fly around the fire.

That night Queen Astarte woke up and decided to investigate the sounds of the fire, and discovered this scene. Seeing her son being burned off, she began to scream. Isis immediately stopped what she was doing and turned into her true form. Queen Astarte immediately realized her mistake, and sought Isis’ forgiveness. Her son wouldn’t be immortal now, but Isis asked for the pillar where Osiris’ sarcophagus had been trapped. Queen Astarte immediately granted Isis request.

Isis and Osiris: It Ain’t Over Yet

Finally, Isis had the sarcophagus of Osiris. When she opened it and saw Osiris lying dead in it, she let out a loud wail of lament. But eventually, she took the sarcophagus with her and returned to Egypt to give her husband a proper burial.

When Set heard about this, he was furious. He went to the river bed where Isis had just returned, and in a flash of anger opened the sarcophagus and took Osiris’ body. He tore it into fourteen pieces and threw them all over Egypt.

Seeing this dastardly act, Isis grew sad yet again. She cried out for help. Set’s wife, Nephthys came to help her. Along with her came Anubis, the son of Nephthys and Osiris. As they traveled across the land in search of the body parts, they were accompanied by seven scorpions. Wherever they found a part of Osiris’ body, they built an altar. Soon enough all the body parts, except one, had been assembled. The final missing part, the phallus of Osiris, had been thrown into the river and was eaten by a fish.

So Isis took the body parts and used her magic to join the body of Osiris. Then, using the secret name of Ra, she breathed life into him. This time, she had a plan. She spent the night with Osiris, and conceived a child.

Since Osiris had been dead and now had been returned to the land of the living, he went to the Underworld, Duat, and became the ruler of the Underworld.

Meanwhile, Isis went into hiding.

Isis and Osiris: Horus’ Revenge

While in hiding, Isis gave birth to a son whom she named Horus. Horus grew to be a bright, intelligent and brave young man. And he wanted to avenge his father’s death by killing Set. As he grew up, Osiris often visited his son and taught him many good and useful things and made sure that Horus was capable of defeating Set.

Finally, when Horus was ready to fight Set, Osiris ordered him to gather an army and march on to Set’s kingdom. When Horus was ready with his army, the Sun God Ra visited him so that he could bless Horus. To do that, Ra would have to look into the eyes of Horus.

But Set had come to know of all that was going on. When Ra had just started to look into Horus’ eyes, Set took the form of a huge black boar and passed from there. This distracted Ra, and Set attacked. He sent a flame of fire towards Horus’ eyes, and since Ra wasn’t ready for such an attack, Horus lost his eye. But Ra quickly recovered, and took Horus into a dark room. After a few days, Horus could see again with his one good eye.

Finally, the war began, and Horus took his army to fight Set’s army. In the final battle, Set took the shape of a huge, red hippopotamus and straddled the river Nile, causing a great flood of water to drown Horus’s army. But Horus immediately took the form of a giant young man with a harpoon in his hand. When Set opened his mouth to utter more curses at Horus’ army, Horus immediately sent the harpoon flying. The harpoon went straight into the mouth of the hippopotamus, and Set died on the spot.

With Set’s death, the storm and flood ceased and the people of Egypt began to rejoice.

Isis and Osiris: An Immortal Myth

This myth of Isis and Osiris has many shades to it. And several of its shades are seen across some Tarot cards. We see Isis in her veiled beauty in the image of the High Priestess, and we encounter Set, Anubis and Horus on the image of the Wheel of Fortune card.

This immortal myth has many interesting aspects that shed light on the way both Isis and Osiris brought a sense of ‘civilization’ to the population that they reigned over. Perhaps, this is why they were worshipped as Gods.

Such was their legacy that all the Pharaohs and their Queens after them claimed to be the living form of Isis and Osiris.

With their good deeds and their wisdom, (and of course, magical feats), Osiris and Isis have passed into the pantheon of those Gods and Goddesses, whose myths inspire us and enchant us.

Reference Links

This story wouldn’t be complete without me linking to those websites where I read about this myth for the first time.

• http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythisis.htm
• http://www.philae.nu/philae/IsisOsiris.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris_myth
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis

Your Turn…

Did you enjoy the story of Isis and Osiris? What about this story appealed to you? What didn’t make sense and why? Why does the story of Isis and Osiris have such a deep significance in the Egyptian myths?

Please do share your thoughts and comments below.

The 3 of Swords is yet another scary looking Tarot card. And yes, when it does pop up in a reading, I don’t even have to explain what it is all about to my clients – they just know! In this case, the picture does speak a thousand words!

But, as they say, once you get to know something, it isn’t all that scary after all.

Painful? Yes.

Scary? No.

3 of Swords – Image

If we look at the image of the card, we can clearly see why this card has such a bad rep.

The image is dominated by a big, red heart that has not one, not two, but three swords stuck right into it.

And of course, the oft ignored background of the card has clouds that pour rain.

All of these are classic symbols of pain and suffering and crying and betrayal.

And yes, the card does talk of this.

3 of Swords – Meaning

The clouds and the rain talk of cloudy thoughts and crying. The heart is, of course, the heart, which when struck with swords will be going through a lot of pain. Specifically the number 3 is something that is very interesting here: this could show the entry of a third person in a relationship which was already going through its painful struggles to begin with. Or perhaps, it shows that the entry of the third person has caused these painful struggles.

Even if our intuition doesn’t talk about such a betrayal, then the 3 swords show us how the pain has actually dominated the heart – from all possible sides, this heart has been struck down!

The 3 of Swords card from the Ancient Egyptian Tarot effectively conveys both the aspects of this story in its image.

I also find another thing quite interesting – and that is the perfect symmetry in which the swords pierce the heart. As the old sayings go: it takes two to tango and you can’t clap with just one hand. The way the swords are arranged tell me that the hurt and the pain which emerges from the mind has come from both sides of the table. And it was the third sword, which became the final point that was driven home. Essentially, the pain is caused by and felt by both parties to this heartbreak, and yes, it does cloud things over for a while.

3 of Swords – Hope

But does this image of the 3 of Swords talk only about gloom and doom? I don’t think so. The way I see it, it also tells us how to deal with the situation that has ensued.

Feel It – The swords pierce the heart completely. The image of the 3 of Swords from the Universal Waite deck doesn’t show any blood. But it does show that the swords cleanly come out at the other end of the heart. Essentially, this is a message to go through the pain, to feel it from the depths of your being. That in itself is the only way that you will completely understand the lessons that you had to learn from the entire experience. One can use one’s mind to logically sort through the conflicts that one encountered in this relationship and truly understand the cause, and ultimately the lessons one has to learn from this disaster.

Let It Out, Let It Go – The clouds and the rain talk about gloom and crying. Yes, depression isn’t a good place to be, but sometimes it takes an effort to cry. Personally, I find it very challenging to cry in real life. And yes, this card has guided me to do so on occasion. And yes, it has helped. Crying helps you let go of all the pent up hurt and pain, and helps you physically let out all the emotions that have been held back and / or suppressed. The pain finds an outlet with your tears, and this is the best way to let it all out, and essentially let it go.

With these important lessons, I find the 3 of Swords card particularly enlightening because not only tells me of the pain I have suffered, but also tells me how to handle it and deal with it.

3 0f Swords

Thus, to sum it up, while the 3 of Swords card does talk about all kinds of heartbreak, betrayal and pain, it also tells us how to handle it and come out at the other end, wiser and calmer, having dealt with all the aspects of the pain.

Your Turn…

What else does the 3 of Swords card tell you? What other interesting and important lessons has it shown you? If the 3 of Swords card scares you, why does it do that? Does it remind you of painful times and places from your life? How have you been able to absorb and learn the lessons that this card has to offer you?

Please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The 10 of Swords card is among the various scary looking Tarot cards from the Minor Arcana. Just looking at it brings about a whole lot of pain and anguish. And when clients see it pop up in their readings, they often feel scared too.

However, while the 10 of Swords might look scary (and it does talk about a whole lotta pain), it isn’t really all that scary once you get to know it well.

In fact, the card can also be a very important guide and a lesson. And, many a times, the card also tells us a good news is on its way. To understand this, let’s first have a look at the image of the card, and understand its meaning.

10 of Swords – Image

The image of the 10 of Swords is pretty grim, to say the least.

Right at the outset, we are faced with the image of a man who has been killed – he has not one, not two, but 10 swords stuck in his back. And he lies there, pinned down by these swords. And some might even think of him as dead.

He lies at the edge of a water body, and in the distance, we also see that a new day is dawning, as the dark night comes to an end.

If you look closely, you will also see that his fingers are forming some kind of a sign – if you look a the fingers of the Hierophant, you will see the similarity of this hand sign. It is the sign of benediction, of blessing.

10 of Swords – Meaning

Let’s look at the meaning of this image.

We know that swords are all about the mind – logic, thoughts, and all the stuff that can emerge from this. Now, if we see the image from a very symbolic perspective, we will see how these thoughts and mind stuff has effectively managed to completely stop this man from moving anywhere. He is pinned down, unable to find a way out his predicament. Thoughts are like that – sometimes the negative thoughts we have can pin you down so completely, that you are unable to do anything at all.
In fact, most of the journey within the Suit of Swords is a testament to the fact that the mind can cause pain and debilitate you completely. And the 10 of Swords is the picture of this complete debilitation. Now, in this card, the journey is, for all intents and purposes, finished.

Thank the Gods that there is no 11 of Swords, eh!

10 of Swords – Hope

But this image also carries within it a few rays of hope.

First and foremost is the dawn that breaks over the horizon. This clearly shows us that this is the end of the pain and suffering that was caused by the mind stuff in the suit – and that with the new day dawning, there will be a new beginning, and hope that the future brings something good and different. Sometimes, this can also signal something good that suddenly comes into your life.

The second sign of hope is the sign of benediction that the man makes with his fingers. After struggling with his mind till the very bitter end, he finally realizes that this entire experience has been a blessing in disguise. Only after he has confronted these thoughts, and has been completely annihilated by the mind, does he finally realize that he is now free of its tentacles.

The body of water represents the subconscious mind. He lies at the edge of it, close to it. All these encounters with the patterns of his own mind, he has come closer to the truth – he has discovered a path towards his subconscious, which he can only find after he has faced and fought off the mind’s confusing maze of thoughts and patterns.

10 of Swords

So, to sum it up, while the 10 of Swords might convey a whole lot of pain and suffering, it also shows us that this pain and suffering might help you unveil the path to your inner self where you won’t get caught up in the mind’s traps. It also gives us hope that while this may be the pinnacle of pain, the rest of the way is only going to be a lot less of pain. You are at the peak of the suffering, and now its only going to ease up.

In short, the 10 of Swords does look scary, but along with its inevitable message of pain and suffering, it also sows the seeds for hope and blessings.

Your Turn…

The message in the 10 of Swords card is clear – yes, you need to be vary of the mind’s patterns and confusing thoughts because they might lead you to this place where you will be completely immobile and pinned down. But if you are brave enough to see the new dawn and the blessings it brings, you will also find the strength within you to face and deal with these mind patterns and find a new path in life which is free from such debilitating thought patterns.

What is your take on the 10 of Swords? Do you have any other thoughts about this card and its symbolism? Do you have any insights to share? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section. I would love to know.

Making choices are a very important part of life. And sometimes making choices, especially making tough choices can be very daunting for many of us.However, the Tarot has also given us a way to reach within our subconscious mind, and find the guidance and help that we need to make those tough choices.

Making Choices: the 2 of Swords

In the Tarot deck, we have the 2 of Swords card – the card which talks about making choices.

Right here, in this image, we see a lady who sits on a bench, with her eyes blindfolded, and holds two swords. She crosses her arms across her chest, and holds one sword in each hand. Behind her, we see a water body, and also a crescent moon in the sky.

We know that the suit of swords is all about mind and logic and thought processes. Making choices often involves using all of these aspects.

However, this card also outlines some more scenarios which are at play over here.

First of all, we see that her eyes are blindfolded. I interpret this in two ways:

1. She cannot see what lies ahead of her.
2. She does not want to see what lies ahead of her.

In either case, the outcome of the choice she is making isn’t quite clear yet.
She, most definitely, needs to get the blindfold off, so that she can know how everything turns up, or what the next steps will be for her.

Another scenario is shown in the way she crosses her hands across her chest. I feel that this displays a certain vulnerability in her – she is trying to protect her heart. She doesn’t want to get hurt by making a choice.

Also we see the water body (the subconscious mind) and the crescent moon (intuition) which tells us that she needs to delve within the depths of her subconscious mind, and use her intutitive forces in order to make the decision.

So, to sum it all up, we see an image in this card which tells us that she needs to make a choice – by using her inner self and intuition to guide her – but at the same time, she doesn’t want to get hurt, and she has no idea how it will all turn out in the end.

Making Choices : A Meditation with the 2 of Swords

Using the clues provided within the 2 of Swords card, here is a meditation / visualization process that I have devised. The aim of this meditation / visualization process is to help you to make that tough decision. It will also help you understand or visualize what the consequences of that decision will be all about.

So, lets begin. Here are the steps involved in this meditation / visualization exercise:

• Make sure you are in a quiet space. Turn off your phone. Close the door of your room. Switch off the music. Just be sure that you won’t be disturbed for the next 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sit on a chair, with your feet lightly on the floor.
• Close your eyes.
• Breathe in and breathe out, till you feel a bit calm.
• Imagine that you are sitting on a bench, with a calm sea behind you. It is evening time, and there is a crescent moon in the sky.
• Imagine that you have a blindfold on your eyes. (If it helps, you might even put a real blindfold on your eyes).
• Now imagine as if you have a sword in each hand, and you are holding them exactly in the same way that the lady in the 2 of Swords card is holding them – one in each hand, with her hands crossed across her chest.
  Now stay in that position for a while – perhaps you might start to feel a bit weird, but stick around.
• Now, each sword is an option – the first one is where you take the action, and the second one is where you don’t take the action. Each choice is pretty much like that. Either you take the action or you don’t.
  Let the pose begin to weigh on you.
• Let the feeling sink in that by not making any choice, you are simply getting tired by holding the swords, and that your life is at a standstill.
• Now that you are really tired of holding on to the choices, imagine that the water from the sea behind you gently begins to provide a calming and soothing sensation all around you. Rays of light from the crescent moon begin to reach out to you, providing you with intuitive information.
• Now imagine that the blindfold falls off and in front of you are two screens.
• On the first screen, you see what happens if you take the action.
• On the second screen, you see what happens if you don’t take the action.
• Now, you know which sword you have to keep, and which sword you need to put down.
• Do it. Put down the sword that you don’t choose, and take the sword you choose and stand up, holding it in your hand triumphantly.
• Say the words out loud, and confidently: “I have made my choice. I decide that (put your decision here) / I am going to (put your action here). Once I do this, then (put the outcome here) will happen.
• Slowly open your eyes and relax.
• Take a notebook and write down what you saw – make a record of your visualization and also of your decision / choice.

This is a very powerful meditation / visualization technique. It will not only help you visualize the fact that by not deciding, or by not taking action, or by not choosing, you are tiring yourself out. It also helps you to visualize what the consequences will be in either case. And once you have decided what to do, it helps you verbalize it, and helps you in the implementation process.

Of course, feel free to tweak the visualization to suit your needs, so that it becomes more useful for you.

Making Choices with the 2 of Swords : How it Began

Just wanted to share with you the story of how this exercise came to me.

I actually came up with this exercise while I was doing a reading for a good friend of mine, who had a pattern of being very passive, especially when it came down to taking decisions.

Because of this behaviour, he was facing many problems, chiefly in his relationship, where due to his unwillingness to act upon what he knew was the right decision, he was facing the likelihood of a breakup with the girl he loved dearly.

This wasn’t the first time it was happening to him either.

The clues started to come to me when the 2 of Swords card kept popping up in each and every spread I did for him, highlighting the fact that he had the power to take the decision, but he wasn’t taking any decision.

And then, when we spoke about it, he agreed – he realized that it was something that he always turned away from, to his own detriment, but was unable to change about himself.

I kept staring at the card, and then the whole exercise just came to me, and right there, I made him sit on a chair and do this visualization. And then I told him to keep doing this visualization every time he found himself in such a situation in life.

It’s been a few years now, and the latest update is that he is finally getting married to the girl he loves! (Yay!)

And yes, the exercise did the trick for him. He finally found the inner strength he needed to take the tough decisions and make the hard choices, and bring about the required harmony within his relationship.

Your Turn…

Have you tried this meditation / visualization exercise? Did it help you?

Do you have any suggestions to tweak / improve this visualization exercise? Do you have any variations that make sense and can help other readers?

I would really like to know what you think and what your experiences have been. So, please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Doing a Tarot reading with two or more Tarot decks was one of the most fascinating experiences I have had in my entire career as a professional Tarot card reader. Not only was it more illuminating, but it was also challenging and interesting for the client.

Normally, most Tarot card readers end up using a single Tarot card deck for their Tarot card readings. In fact, I have my personal favorite, the Universal Waite deck, that I always use during my professional readings.

Sometimes, readers might offer a choice to their clients, and let them choose which deck to use for the reading. Based on their personal preferences for imagery and theme, each client might end up choosing a deck that makes sense for him / her.

And so, one day, I ended up thinking: What if I did a Tarot reading with two or more Tarot decks? And, I was so pleasantly surprised at the result! Not only was it something new for my client (thank the Gods, he was a regular client of mine and wasn’t averse to a little bit of experimentation that I always ended up doing!), but it was also opened up a lot of doors for my intuition.

Doing a Tarot Reading with Two or More Tarot Decks: How Does it Work

Actually, it is quite simple really! Instead of using just the one deck that you use normally, use two or even three decks if that’s what you feel! Here’s how I do it:

1. I shuffle each deck individually.
2. Then I hold all the decks in my hands when I Open my reading.
3. I make a fan of all the decks individually. (Yes – this is the part where you really become demanding from your Spread Cloth!)
4. When I begin my General Spread, I ask the client to pick out the requisite number of cards from each of the decks.
5. I lay the cards from each of the decks on top of each other in the spread.
6. I open them one by one, from each deck, for each position, and do the reading.

Yup! That is, in a nutshell, how I do it.

Benefits of Doing a Tarot Reading with Two or More Tarot Decks

The result of doing a Tarot reading with two or more Tarot decks:

• The client gets a lot of information for each position of the spread.
• I found myself getting a lot of clarity about the situation from the card that I had used from the other deck.
• I experienced an interesting expansion of my intuition, and yes,
• Sometimes, the client might not like pulling out all those many cards

Doing a Tarot Reading with Two or More Tarot Decks: Deck Compatibility

One of the first things I realized when I started to use two decks for a reading was that sometimes two decks just might not be compatible with each other. That doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you or with the decks – its just that their themes might not mix or blend well with each other for you.

For example, whenever I used the Universal Waite deck with the Mythic Tarot deck, I just couldn’t figure it out. Basically, there’s nothing wrong with both the decks. And the Greek Mythology theme does find many reflections in the Waite-Smith imagery. But, for me, it just didn’t click. You might have a totally different experience, though – so go ahead and experiment!

Since the primary deck that I use is the Universal Waite, I found that it paired well with:

• The Osho Zen Tarot Deck
• The Tarot of New Vision Deck
• The Pagan Tarot Deck
• The DruidCraft Tarot Deck

Other deck pairs that really work include:

• The DruidCraft Tarot Deck and the Osho Zen Tarot Deck
• The Sun and Moon Tarot Deck and the Osho Zen Tarot Deck
• The Pagan Tarot Deck and the Tarot of New Vision Deck

I believe that somewhere, your perception of the deck’s energies must somehow mix well with, or enhance the energies of the other deck. Once that happens, you can easily use the pair in your readings.

Doing a Tarot Reading with Two or More Tarot Decks: Some Tips

Based on my experiences, here are some tips for you when you think about doing a Tarot reading with two or more Tarot decks:

• Make sure you have a big enough surface (table) and spread cloth to handle all those cards (Really! You will need it!)
• Meditate on which two (or three) decks you want to use – put them next to each other and see if you feel as if they will play well with each other.
• Before you do this professionally, make sure that you have practiced this a few times and figured out your compatible deck pairs.
• Make sure your client is ok with this sort of thing – it always helps to be polite and ask. If they don’t agree, then you can always try it out with a good friend who won’t mind.

Your Thoughts…

So, what are your thoughts about doing a reading with two or more Tarot decks? Have you tried this as well? What were your experiences? If you haven’t tried it out, please do share your experiences! And don’t forget to post your favorite pairs in the comments section! I would really love to hear about it!

The book Past Life and Karmic Tarot by Edain McCoy is part of the ‘Special Topics in Tarot’ series of books published by Llewellyn. Many among us who believe in the concept of reincarnation and past life, want to explore the different past lives that we have led, and understand the various Karmic lessons that we are meant to learn in this lifetime. Using the Tarot cards to do readings to gain this kind of insight is a great idea.

Past Life and Karmic Tarot by Edain McCoy has, chiefly, a large number of different spreads that address a variety of questions that might come up while exploring the various past life lessons and experiences that one might want to know about. I have often used the different spreads given in this book to ask questions to the cards and have gained a lot of insightful information that has helped me understand my various life lessons.

So without any further ado, lets dive right into the various sections of this book, and see what it talks about.

Foreword by Mary K. Greer

Past Life and Karmic Tarot by Edain McCoy features a foreword written by none other than Mary K. Greer, a master of Tarot herself, which serves as a great beginning to an even wonderful book.

Introduction – Tarot and Your Past Lives

This section basically introduces the concept of past lives to those who don’t know much about it. After that, you learn about how to go about using the book, and how to keep records of your readings. There are also a number of links provided to websites on the Internet, where you can find more information about Tarot as well.

With the introduction of the basic concepts done, we start right away with the spreads. Needless to say, each of the spreads are explained and outlined and an example reading has been given so that we can easily grasp the spread properly.

Lets look at the spreads.

1 – The Invoking Pentacle Spread

This spread gives one a broad idea of the various aspects of one’s past, including inherited traits that make up one’s personality.

2 – The Dark Moon Spread

This spread shows the hidden aspects of ones Karma from a past life, and how that karma can manifest in this lifetime if one stays on the same course of life.

3 – The Irish Cross Spread

This spread helps you understand if you are on the right course for your future, or whether a change in your life can change the future for better.

4 – The Solomon’s Seal Spread

This spread is considered to be the hardest to learn to read, although it might look simple. It shows the elemental influences on your past life issues. One is therefore able to see a theme running through one’s current lifetime that comes from a past life.

5 – The Karmic Choice Spread

If you want to know how a particular Karma that formed over several past lives has manifested in your current lifetime as a major karmic challenge, then this is the spread to do. Here, you also get to see two choices or two paths that you can take so that you correct these imbalances and also shows you a probable future for each choice.

6 – The Rainbow Bridge Spread

If you are curious to know what happens between two lifetimes and why one chose a particular lifetime and those specific issues to tackle with, then this is the spread to go to. The Rainbow Bridge covers the time between two lifetimes, when one chooses the challenges and lessons for the next lifetime.

7 – The Tree of Life Spread

Based on the Kabbalah Tree of Life, this spread helps you tap into the mystery of your Karmic lessons using the Tree of Life as the guiding force.

8 – The Big Picture Spread

With this spread you can get a macro view of who you were in a past life. You can choose to focus on a past life that you already know of, or choose to see a past life from a particular time period or set of circumstances etc.

9 – The Feng Shui Spread

This spread helps you see who you were in a past life, and compare it to your present life to see if there are any blockages or lessons still to learn.

10 – The Lifetime Convergence Spread

If you want to know what your karmic connection with another person is, and how, through several past lives you and that person got together to forge those karmic connections, then this is the spread you want to do. This spread helps you see your relationship with a person across several lifetimes.

11 – Omniscient Time Spread

With this spread you can see four of your past lives that have the strongest impact on your current life.

12 – Growth Over Three Lifetimes Spread

If you want to trace the evolution of your energy or growth pattern over a course of several lifetimes, then this is the spread you want to do.

13 – The Next Challenge Spread

If you want to know what your next challenge / major hurdle will be in your current lifetime, then you can do this spread to find out about it.

14 – The Future Life Spread

Want to know what your next life is going to be like? Well, then the future life spread is what you need to do.

15 – The Constellation Past Life Wheel

This spread looks at a past life through the cycle of some of the major constellations in the heavens. We can compare the energies of the different constellations with the cards to find out more about a past life.

16 – Unmasking the Past

If you have past life connections with several people in your current life, then this spread helps you look closely at one of those relationships and the influence that this relationship holds over your past, present and future.

17 – Past Life Epiphany Spread

If you want to know about the important lessons that you’ve learnt in your past life, then this spread shows you what the lesson was, whether you’ve learnt it or not, and if you have, then how, where, when, why and how you did.

Once these spreads are done with, there are 2 more sections / chapters to go.

Entering the Tarot Cards

In this section, you learn an interesting technique using which you can enter into the image of the Tarot card, and visualize and imagine and interact with the characters present on that Tarot card.

You can also refer to an article I wrote a while back about Entering a Tarot card.

Uncovering Your Past Lives

This section offers a number of tips and ideas that will guide you and help you as you explore the realm of your past lives and gain a deeper understanding of your life’s lessons, challenges and purpose. Learn how you can work with a friend whilst doing these exercises. Find out how you can work through your past life regression exercises by yourself. After a regression exercise, you need to record it so you can recall / go through it later on. You can learn how you can do that in this section as well.

My Thoughts

I have always been interested in the topic of past lives. In fact, I have been through a very interesting past life regression workshop several years ago, that has given me great insight on my life’s path. The spreads from the Past Life and Karmic Tarot by Edain McCoy have been very helpful for me to keep this quest alive! I have been able to work through and find guidance about several karmic lessons and challenges using the different spreads from this book.

My favorite spreads are the Rainbow Bridge Spread and the Lifetime Convergence Spread.

Buy This Book

Your Turn

Do you already have this book? Did you like it? Were the spreads useful to you? What are your thoughts about it? Do share in the comments section below.

The Ancient Egyptian Tarot Deck by Clive Barrett (or the AET, as it is often called in the Tarot world), has been one of my most favorite Tarot card decks. Ever since I bought it many years ago, I have been in love with it! So, it is with great pleasure that I am going to write a review of this amazing Tarot card deck today!

A Tarot card deck themed on Egyptian Mythology, the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck has been lovingly created by by author, illustrator and sculptor
Clive Barrett, who has painted the images that we seen on these cards.

The Cards

The size of the cards of the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck is approx. 7.25 inches X 4.8 inches. They are easy to handle and shuffle, and I am quite comfortable using them in readings. According to Clive Barrett’s interview on the Aeclectic Tarot, each card of the AET took about 40 hours to complete, right from the rough sketches to the final painting!

The deck follows the Rider-Waite-Smith structure, where Trump 8 is Strength and Trump 11 is Justice, which I am quite happy with, since I am pretty used to this structure.

The backs of the cards, however, are not reversible. However, since the design is a bit busy, you can ignore that and read with these cards in the reverse too!

The Book

Along with the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck, you will receive a very well written book that explains each aspect of the card. This book is also written by Clive Barrett. A very informative book, it talks about the different aspects of reading the Tarot cards, the symbolism and structure of the cards, Tarot’s connection with Egyptian mythology, a bit about Egyptian religion, and then about the cards themselves.

For each of the cards, the book gives a detailed explanation of the image, the symbolism and the myth associated with it, followed by the interpretation of the image in a reading. It doesn’t give any separate meaning for reversed cards, so I often just let the interpretation speak to me as they will.

The book also as a section where the author gives a few spreads which you can try out with this deck.

The Appendix section contains a list of correspondences of the cards with Hebrew alphabets, elements, astrological signs and planets, and colors.

The Majors

The Major Arcana cards of the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck contain images of the different Gods and Goddesses from the Egyptian pantheon. For example, The High Priestess card is Isis, and Strength is Sekhmet.

Here’s where reading the book comes in real handy!

For example, the book tells us that this card talks about Isis, the lunar goddess. Then, the book goes on to tell us how the Ankh, which she holds in her hand, is the key to the mysteries because it is a representation of the union and unification of the sexes and thus depicts the mystical union of heaven and earth.

The Major Arcana cards in this deck have a vast richness in their imagery – all the lushness that one would associate and imagine with Ancient Egypt shines forth in each of the images of the Major Arcana. These Gods and Goddesses come to life in  the images of these cards!

Awesome!

The Minors

The Minor Arcana cards of the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck talk about the everyday aspect of life in Ancient Egypt. It is as if one is transported to the sands of Egypt, living among the people of those days, walking through the vast palaces and peeking into the lives of the men and women, Princes and Queens of the Nile peninsula.

Every time I go through the images of this deck, I feel as if the deck’s creator, Clive Barrett has actually gone back in time and seen the life of the Egyptians back then, and stood there and made his paintings! LOL

The images of the Minors are so life-like, it is amazing!

Along with readings, I often use this deck for storytelling situations, when I am inspired to look at these images while getting into a story that I might be writing.

The Courts

The Court Cards of the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck are also quite awesome.

And the book is truly quite helpful with the interpretations of the imagery present in these images.

For example, in the description of the Princess of Cups, the author describes each and every part of the image and then goes on to give his interpretation of the card.

The Princess of Cups, for example is imaginative, artistic, and spends a great deal of time in reflection and contemplation. She can also be described as a day dreamer.

Getting close to these court cards and understanding their imagery and symbolism isn’t difficult.

Reading With the Ancient Egyptian Tarot Deck

Reading with the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck is an amazing experience. I find the cards to be very open to the intuitive forces and are very easy to get into and make friends with.

Even if you haven’t spent much time reading the book and learning the names of the Gods and Goddesses, you can still read with this deck because it’s imagery conforms to many standard norms that most Tarot readers will be familiar with. Still, I wouldn’t recommend not reading the book – because it is a veritable storehouse of information. Also, if you are using this deck to read for clients, its a bunch of fun to impress them with the names of these Gods and Goddesses.

As I mentioned before, the Ancient Egyptian Tarot Deck is my favorite go-to deck for storytelling. I love how the cards and the images are so natural and real, even while evoking images of an ancient past!

The Cards I Liked

There are many cards from this deck that I absolutely love.

But here, I am going to show you a few of them which really caught my eye!

For example, look at the 9 of Disks! Isn’t she just beautiful! A woman of noble birth stands at the entrance of a cave, gazing at the gold plates that she has stumbled onto. The 9 of Disks has always been a favorite card of mine, in terms of depicting a wealthy woman who can figure out what she wants to do with her money!

Another classic example of the beauty of the cards of the Ancient Egyptian Tarot deck is the image on the 3 of Swords card. Actually, it was only after I saw this image and fell in love with it that I had decided to buy this deck all those years ago!

Now don’t get me wrong! But I just fell in love with the very simple and effective way in which the meaning of the 3 of Swords has been painted into this card!

In most all decks, I find that lingering too much on the images of the Swords cards gives me a bit of a headache. But not so with this deck! Wonder why?

Just look at the image of the 5 of Wands! If we compare this image with that of the Rider-Waite-Smith card, then this card seems different. But the competitive spirit amongst these soldiers actually becomes more pronounced with their rigid stance. According to the book, the conflicts are present in the image, but also present is the ability to overcome them!

And of course, my favorite card is the Queen of Wands! Surrounded by fire (her element) and her pet leopard, she sits there calmly. This is one woman I totally admire for her calm and presence of mind, especially in tough situations. She is warm, giving and loving, while maintaining her regal bearing, never once seeming or being snobbish.

You have got to love how Clive Barrett has brought the people and places of Ancient Egypt to life in the images of the Ancient Egyptian Tarot Deck!

Buy This Deck

Normally, I would give you links to the deck on Amazon.Com, but not this time. If you go there, you will find the deck to be super costly!

Clive Barrett has two sites: www.mythographica.fsnet.co.uk and www.greenmangatekeeper.com. As of the date of writing this post, the Mythographica site was down for repairs. But you can go to his Green Man site to buy the deck.

Your Turn

Do you  have this deck? What do you like about it? Would you want to buy this deck for yourself? Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The Devil card is yet another card that tends to scare people whenever they see it pop up in a Tarot card. Some people might find the image on the card scary, while some may feel its implications to be very frightening. However, the Devil card is neither evil nor frightening.

So what does the Devil card really stand for? Lets have a look.

The Devil card usually depicts a character with horns and surrounded by fire – an image typical of the Biblical versions of Satan in Hell. However, while these images may evoke this aspect, it is a matter of common knowledge that this image of a horned character is borrowed from various Pagan myths.

So, lets look at the different aspects of the image on the Devil card.

The Devil Card: Image Description

If you look at the image on the Devil card, you can see the horned figure. He looks like a creature with bats wings, a man’s upper body, the lower body of a goat.

This figure sits on a pedestal, holding a burning torch in his left hand. He also holds up his right hand, in a gesture reminiscent of Mr. Spock.

On the top of his head, we also see the image of the Pentacle. But this pentacle is different from other normal pentacles – it is reversed.

Chained to the block that he sits (or shall we say, perches) on, are the two figures from the Lovers card.

But this time, these figures have also sprouted horns and tails. The tail of the male figure looks like a flame, while the tail of the woman looks like a bunch of grapes.

The entire tableau is shrouded in darkness.

It is pretty natural that this entire image evoke a sense of fear or dread.

The Devil Card: Symbolism

Naturally, there is a whole bunch of symbolism within these images. Lets have a look at that.

The Horned Figure: As mentioned before, the horned figure is borrowed from several Pagan deities – and is derived from various sources like Baphomet, Baal, Dionysus and even Bacchus. All of these various deities stand for Gods of  Ecstasy, Enjoyment, Drinking, Merry Making and so on. All of these Gods stand for giving into one’s desires and wishes. They also represent pleasure and indulgence.

The Inverted Pentacle: The pentacle is a symbol of all the five elements in Nature – Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Ether. Drawn in the normal manner, the pentacle stands for the union of all these elements in nature. And, contrary to popular media, it doesn’t stand for anything evil or Satanic. So when the pentacle is drawn in an inverted manner, it shows how the energies of these five elements of Nature have been drawn down onto Earth, into our plane.

The Figures from the Lovers Card: In the Lovers card, these figures represent Adam and Eve, or especially a man and a woman who connect with each other not just through their physical love, but also through their emotional and spiritual love.

The Tails: The depiction of the tails in such a manner talks about how the figures of the lovers card have changed. What was once a spiritual, emotional and even physical connection between the two, has now evolved into a connection that is based on materialistic values. They have given into their materialistic desires completely.

The Chains: The chains show how these materialistic desires and the desire for more and more materialistic benefits have chained these two figures to the energies depicted by the Horned Figure. They have given into their enjoyment, merry making, pleasure and indulgence. Now, their connection and their desires for material pleasures have bound them into an endless cycle – one that only they can walk out of.

The Darkness: The darkness is the darkness of the soul. It is the darkness that exists in the mind and the heart, when one gives into their material pleasures, and thinks that attaining material things is the only right thing in the world.

The Devil Card: In a Nutshell

The Devil card is a mixed bag. While it talks about material benefits and pleasure, but all of these come attached with many dark strings.

From all of the above, one can derive that the Devil card is all about:

• Material benefits abound. The Devil card brings with it a lot of material benefits and many attachments that bring about a lot of material benefits. This card brings with it stuff like monetary benefits, and many material luxuries. This card also talks about situations that can bring about such monetary benefits – like getting a job or a promotion.
• Materialistic Relationships. The Devil card talks about relationships whose only basis is materialistic. A man and a woman may get married only for the money, and not for any other reason. A job may be obtained only for the sake of material benefits, not for true enjoyment of it. Such relationships are formed only for the sake of gaining material advancement, and no other.
• Addiction. When one completely gives into the satisfaction of one’s desires, and nothing else, the threat of addiction looms pretty large. This card can also talk about addiction to drugs and alcohol. Even addiction to money and sex can be included in this category.

Thus, we can see that while the Devil card does give many things on the material plane, all of them come with strings attached. The very lesson of this card is that while material things might not be bad by themselves, one ought to be careful not to get chained to them and surround one’s self in the darkness that they bring.

While enjoyment and pleasure of the material plane is not a bad thing by itself, becoming a slave to its acquisition and possession can often take you to ‘the dark side of the force’.

The Devil Card: Your Turn

While the devil card may not be such a happy card, it certainly is not an evil card as many people think it to be. Sure, it has some very nasty connotations, but none of it is actually connected with evil per se.

What are the aspects of the Devil card which scare you? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.