Modern-Medieval Tarot

The Modern-Medieval Tarot is a digital photography collage art deck created in 2006 by Shayne Amber and Tim Wetherell. It was published by AGM Muller in 2007, and unfortunately I don’t believe the deck has had another print run since then.

Modern-Medieval Tarot Death and Hermit

Pretty much anyone that can read with the Waite-Smith deck will be able to read these cards. All cards have a black background with key words. The suits are Coins, Swords, Staves and Cups.

Modern-Medieval Tarot Queen of Swords and King of Staves

I see three new decks available for sale on eBay for around $140 on eBay (plus about $17 shipping). I will post the link here. There’s one used deck in good condition for sale on Amazon here.

Apologies for the lighting in the photographs. The cards pick up the light.

Modern-Medieval Tarot Six of Swords and Four of Coins

You can read a deck review (which, again, this is not intended to be) and see more photos of the cards at Aeclectic here.

Ator Tarot

This is another deck I used when reading with my Tarot group. The Ator Tarot, as far as I know, is a limited edition deck (the original print run may have been 1000 copies) created by the artist Robin Ator. I believe the first run of the deck was privately published in 2001 through Glow in the Dark press. There was a second printing done with larger cards and better cardstock. My deck is from the initial print run.

Ator Tarot King and Queen of Pentacles

This is a colorful Waite-Smith clone that would make a great starter deck for beginners. The images are fairly non-threatening and would be suitable for readings with people that may have strong/negative reactions to some of the cards in the Waite-Smith deck.

Ator Tarot II Cups and The Chariot

There is a walkthrough video of the first edition of the deck here (scroll down a bit). And it looks like you may be able to get the second edition of the deck for around $30 here.

Symbolic Soul Tarot

This is another deck I used when reading with my Tarot group. The Symbolic Soul Tarot by Elisa Seitzinger is a unique, beautiful and challenging black and white deck with gold foil accents. Each card in this deck has several symbolic details that allow you to pull meanings out of it when doing readings.

Notice the non-traditional details on the two cards below, for example. One thing that pops out at me is the Charioteer’s closed eyes. The Symbolic Soul guidebook, written by the fabulous Barbara Moore, comes with the deck and provides insight (pun intended). It explains, “To achieve lofty goals, here are some of the Charioteer’s secrets: Spiritual strength is essential. Sacrifice and renunciation are required. After all, if it were easy, everyone would win. Most importantly, the Charioteer realizes that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. True wisdom, indeed. His heart opens to the sky infinite possibilities rather than focusing on a specific goal. He allows the sphinxes to navigate, trusting in unseen but trusted guidance. Balancing will and faith keeps the Chariot running smoothly as it races toward triumph.”

Symbolic Soul Chariot, Eight of Swords

The mummified figure in the Eight of Swords jumps out to me, so I checked the guidebook. Keywords are offered: precarious situation, limited options, feeling helpless. Each card has a little paragraph with guidance for reading the card. For the Eight of Swords the guidebook says: “We spend a lot of time and energy avoiding death. Yet many people metaphorically bury themselves, numbing themselves from within and separating themselves from others and from life. They act lifeless and feel helpless as life flows through and around them. Better to do something, anything, than play dead. Unwrap, burst the coffin, remove the swords. Engage.”

Symbolic Soul Hierophant

The companion booklet includes a few notes about some of the inspiration behind the symbols on some of the cards. For the Hierophant card, symbols were taken from three monotheistic religions: a beard from a Mesopotamian deity, a blessing hand is a mudra with an eye, and the crosier symbolizes an Egyptian staff (the guidebook says “hekat”, but I believe it should be “heka”). No mention is made of the Pharrell Williams hats, however.

Benebell Wen did a great review of this by using her actual brain (and not AI). You can find the link here.

The deck was released in 2022 and is still readily available. You can find it on Amazon or Llewellyn.

Spirit Within Tarot

In my last post, I mentioned a Tarot group that I participate in once a month (or more). When our group meets, we all read on the same subject and share our cards and interpretations with the group. A few of the members have inquired about some of the decks I use, so I thought I would post a few of them here for anyone in the Tarot group or anyone else who is interested.

This is not a deck review. I just want to share a few details about the deck and check on the availability of it since some of the decks I use are rare, hard to find or out of print.

The Spirit Within Tarot is a Waite-Smith based deck that uses silhouettes for the figures in the cards. In my experience, the cards stimulate intuitive readings by using the shadowy but familiar figures and carefully chosen colors and details.

The Empress and Page of Swords from the Spirit Within Tarot

The images are easy to read and do not overwhelm you with information. The cards seem to get right to the point when you ask them a question.

Justice and the Ace of Cups from the Spirit Within Tarot

The deck comes in a nice magnetic box with a full-color booklet. It has a “voice of the card” blurb for each card in the deck. For example, the sentence for the Justice card is, “I am the one who will reward or punish you for the seeds you have sown, whether you still remember them or not!” Then there is a description of the images on the card, a paragraph about how to think about or interpret the card, and some keywords. Keywords listed for Justice are: fairness, balance, karma, the truth.

The deck was published by Red Feather in 2018, but is still available. There are copies on Amazon for $20, or you can get one for $25 if you prefer to support a small business like Tarot Garden.

https://tarotgarden.com/spirit-within-tarot/

Benebell Wen did a great review of this deck and her images are waaaaaay better than mine. She wisely chose not to photograph the deck in a dark house during a thunderstorm with white Husky fur on her reading mat.

https://benebellwen.com/2018/06/26/spirit-within-tarot-by-steven-bright/

My June 2024 Tarot Reading

For a long time, I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about how to tell a good Tarot reader from a fake one. I haven’t written that post yet, and will not do it now, but I do have first-hand information about what getting a good Tarot reading is like.

I’m part of a group of Tarot readers who get together once a month (or sometimes more often) to talk about current events and practice Tarot reading together. One of the readers in the group offered to do practice readings for those in our group in one-on-one settings, so I volunteered. The reader, G.C., set up a Zoom meeting for us, and we met this evening for my Tarot reading.

In order to prepare for the reading, I had to think about my question. There are at least five areas of my life that are competing for attention right now, so I wanted G.C. to look into least one or two of them during our reading. I told her that I had a lot going on in at least five areas of my life, and I was thrilled to hear that G.C. wasn’t overwhelmed by all I have going on. She said she’d throw cards on all five areas to get a general sense of what’s going on currently each situation. I ended up only asking about four areas of life/situations, and G.C. still read for me for almost an hour. For each question, she focused on the area of inquiry, shuffled, and laid the cards down in front of her. Then G.C. picked each card up one at a time and held it in front of the camera to show me the card and describe her interpretation of it. (Note: G.C. pulled several cards for each situation. After our reading and using my own deck, I pulled three cards from my notes about each of G.C.’s readings. I’ve photographed and uploaded them to highlight a few for this blog post.)

“Situation 1.” This situation is a potential opportunity to return to something (work) I did earlier in life. The opportunity arose in a convoluted way, and also out of nowhere, it seems. I have a lot of history with this work “thing”; some experiences were really good and some were absolutely terrible. I’m excited about it when I think about the good times, but I’m also cautious about re-engaging with it. I’m also somewhat concerned that I’ll be pressed to make a quick decision about whether or not I choose to act on the opportunity.

Situation 1 cards: The Devil, Death, Ten of Wands

G.C. pulled several cards (three lines of five cards, if I remember correctly) for this situation and the cards that appeared are troublesome. When she showed them to me, I felt like they reflected my concerns. There weren’t many cards that spoke to the good history I had with the work “thing”. The Ten of Wands really shows how burdened I was by all of the responsibility (and other negative aspects), and that card may be cautioning me that I’d be overly burdened by it again.

Sign of a good Tarot reader: When reading about a concerning situation, they pull cards that reflect your concerns. The cards may reflect your fears or concerns back to you. They may confirm that your intuition or gut feelings about the concerning situation are right on.

Some of my worries about re-engaging with Situation 1 have to do with problematic things that transpired in the past, and the way it burdened me. I told G.C. that Situation 1 is “the Devil I know”. In other words, if I find myself there again, I have a good idea of the problems I may encounter. In response, G.C. made it clear that she would not tell me what to do (in terms of acting on the opportunity or not), but it was obvious to both of us from the cards she pulled that this is something that doesn’t look like an especially attractive offer at this time. G.C. told me to trust my intuition.

“Situation 2.” G.C. asked if I had any questions or needed any additional cards thrown for Situation 1. When I said “no”, she said she’d read on Situation 2. G.C. said she had another deck handy and would use it for reading about the next area of inquiry.

Sign of a good Tarot reader: The reader is prepared. G.C. was so prepared, in fact, that she used FOUR different decks to read on each of the four different situations I described. While this is not meant to imply that every Tarot reader should have multiple decks, or use multiple decks for readings, but in this case all four decks were very helpful. There were certain cards that appeared multiple times. The Sun, Queen of Wands, Nine of Cups and Six of Wands each appeared more than once. G.C. explained that because she used multiple decks, we could be certain that those cards that showed up more than once were absolutely meant to appear. We did not need to wonder if they appeared multiple times due to insufficient shuffling because G.C. used a different deck for each situation.

Situation 2 cards: The Empress, Three of Pentacles, The Sun

The cards for Situation 2 had a much better feel to them. The Empress represents abundance and, as G.C. mentioned, a mother figure who, in this case, appreciates me. The Sun card appeared to represent happiness and joy. The Three of Pentacles shows a positive collaboration. The most negative card that appeared in the reading on this topic was the Two of Swords (inner conflict). G.C. and I both felt that the Two of Swords popped up in the reading only because of my own indecision/anxiety about Situation 2 as a whole.

G.C. told me her interpretation of each card based on what she was hearing (she’s clairaudient) and the feel of the energy of each card as she pulled it. It was super helpful to get her take on the situation since she’s an objective person reading the cards (as opposed to a person close to the situation with biased opinions).

“Situation 3.” I didn’t really plan to ask about this topic, but did so on a whim. G.C. pulled another deck to use (all were variations of the Waite-Smith deck) to read about this area of my life. When she was shuffling, it was as if I could feel her tapping into the energy of the situation.

Situation 3 cards: Ace of Wands, Ten of Swords, The Hanged Man

Sign of a good Tarot reader: You can feel them accessing the information that answers your question. Or, put another way, you can feel them accessing the situation so they can access the information that will answer your question.

G.C.’s body language and facial expression changed when shuffling the cards to read about each situation. For this Situation 3, the energy I picked up from her was different than when she read on the other topics. It was almost like she was sitting next to me, looking at all things related to my business (which was Situation 3, the question I asked). G.C. didn’t need to travel the entire universe, turn around and come back again to get the answer to my question. She just needed to tap into the energy of my business, focus on the cards, shuffle and interpret what she saw, which is exactly what she did.

Many, if not most, of the cards for this topic were favorable. G.C. didn’t know anything about my business, and I didn’t tell her anything about it prior to her shuffling, but the cards she pulled seemed exactly right. Two cards that appeared next to each other were the Ace of Wands (new ideas, beginnings) and the Ten of Swords (a card of loss). G.C. gave me her interpretation, which included the word “growth”, but also “something coming to an end”, which referred to the Ten of Swords. This is exactly in alignment with some of my (hopefully) evolved thinking about my business based on recent advice from teachers and other business owners and practitioners. My plan is to focus on what’s currently working in my business including new areas of growth (Ace of Wands), and temporarily discontinue or simply no longer offer (Ten of Swords) some of the other services I’ve provided to clients.

Interestingly, G.C. mentioned meditation when the Hanged Man card appeared in the reading. Key words for the Hanged Man include surrender, hindrance, and delay, but it can also mean a change of perspective. G.C. said she saw me meditating on something. Again, I didn’t tell her about my business or anything I offer (with the exception of Tarot readings, which I only mentioned as something that I may discontinue based on the Ace of Wands + Ten of Swords combination). But she was right on with her interpretation. Meditation is an important aspect of my practice so I can provide some of the services I offer here. Certain healing techniques require weeks of meditative practice before I can offer them to another person (or animal). Even then, I must regularly use the technique to keep that certain vibration in my auric field or I will temporarily lose the ability I gained through practice. At that point, I would have to start over again from scratch, and meditate daily again until I can hold and then transfer that certain vibration to the client. Other techniques are done entirely with focused conscious awareness and are then “sent” to the client remotely, which obviously takes practice. At any rate, this meditative skill is obviously an area of continued focus since I do so much healing through distance, so G.C. got it right.

“Situation 4.” I was laughing out loud when G.C. started shuffling with the intention to see what I need to know about this situation. Her face and body language changed again while she focused and shuffled. I felt like I could tell she was tapping into the energy of the situation, and my thought was, “That seems about right!”, meaning that I felt that she was there, actually IN the situation. She turned over cards that were mostly favorable, with a hint of something else. She turned the first card over (it was the King of Pentacles) and asked a question that was right on.

Situation 4 cards: Queen of Swords, Two of Pentacles, King of Cups

Sign of a good Tarot reader: They ask questions that let you know they have tapped into the energy of your situation. G.C. pulled the King of Pentacles and I immediately knew who the card represented. G.C. asked me if the person involved in the Situation (the person I thought of) was male, and I confirmed it. This gave me confidence that she understood the question I asked, tapped into the energy of the situation, and pulled the right cards. You should have this “good” or “yes!” feeling when someone reads cards for you, regardless of whether the cards are “good” or “bad”. That’s not to imply that you should feel “yes!” if the cards are positive. It just means that you should feel that the Tarot reader, the cards, the situation and you are all in alignment. The reader and the cards should resonate with you in a way that makes you feel understood.

The reading from G.C. about Situation 4 and all other situations were very much in alignment with my own thoughts, feelings and beliefs about them. That isn’t to say that they weren’t helpful readings because they absolutely were. The readings were helpful and useful because each set of cards had a meaning attached that helped me progress in my thinking about each of the four situations.

For example, in Situation 1, the reading helped me realize that I was probably putting a bit of lipstick on a pig in terms of how I was thinking about the thing and the opportunity. I was doing so in an effort to be forgiving or at least objective. That’s fine, but the reading helped me realize it is probably a good idea not to re-engage with it. That’s not a decision I felt I should make because the reading or the Tarot reader said not to do it; it is a conclusion I’ve drawn based on the information the cards provided. There’s a difference. My decision is my own, based on my own thoughts and feelings, and I take responsibility for it.

For Situation 2, G.C.’s reading helped me understand that I probably don’t need to be as cautious as I have been about it. G.C. mentioned positive aspects of the situation that I know are there, but I tend to overlook. The reading helped me evolve my thinking on the topic.

For Situation 3, the reading confirmed that I need to re-think what I’m offering in my business and make adjustments based on what I know now. This is something I’ve been considering, but I hadn’t finalized the decision until today.

And for Situation 4, the cards confirmed that it just is what it is. While there aren’t any monsters hiding behind Door 4, Situation 4 may never be what I want it to be. That is truly helpful. I don’t need to expend any energy to try to change it.

I hope this post was helpful in terms of illustrating what the experience of getting a good Tarot reading can look like.

A good Tarot reader will help empower you, but will not tell you what to do. They should not attempt to take your power away. A good Tarot reader will provide you with insight into the energy of a situation that will help you make an informed decision on your own.

If you are in alignment with your reader, and your questions are answered and you feel understood, getting a Tarot reading can be tremendously helpful. It can assist you with clarifying your thoughts and provide you with insight to help you make informed decisions in all areas of your life.

Ace of Wands + Ace of Wands + Ace of Wands, etc.

The Ace of Wands has appeared in my daily readings frequently over the past week (and a day).  It has turned up four times in the past eight days.

Ace of Wands and Queen of Cups from the Touchstone Tarot

With the Queen of Cups, from Sunday, April 15.

Ace of Wands and Seven of Coins from Touchstone Tarot

With the Seven of Coins, from Monday, April 16.

Two of Cups and Ace of Wands from Touchstone Tarot

With the Two of Cups, from Friday, April 20.

The World and Ace of Wands from Touchstone Tarot

With the World, from today, April 22.

Some card readers refer to this type of situation as a card "stalking" you.  I'm not a fan of that phrasing/language, so I just think of it as a recurring card.  No matter what you call them, cards that show up time and time again are trying to convey a message.  

So what is the message of the Ace of Wands?  For me, I have been reflecting on the possible meanings of this card and how it applies to my day each time it has appeared.  Drawing it two days in a row got my attention, and I recognized it as a recurring card the third time I drew it. When it appeared again this morning, I was able to see the pattern and tie it all together: I think this recurring card is telling me that I may be spreading myself too thin (with projects, work and other responsibilities).  It is letting me know that I need to slow down.  It is letting me know that I need to be careful so I don't get burned out. 

In general, though, I don't believe there is only one answer to what the Ace of Wands means; interpretations can vary depending on many factors, including the client's situation, the question asked, surrounding cards in the spread, the position the card falls within a spread, whether the card is upright or reversed, and the deck used for the reading.  

For purposes of illustrating that last point, the deck used for the reading, I thought I would show a few variations of the Ace of Wands as depicted in a few different Tarot decks.  This type of comparison can help show similarities and differences to help determine this (or any other) card's meaning.

Ace of Wands from five decks

From the first three cards this photo you can see that the Ace of Wands is often shown as a single wand.  In the middle card the suit is called Staves (and in other decks it is the known as the suit of Rods, Clubs, Staves or Batons).  And in the last two images we see human figures or illustrations in the cards.  Although these cards have many differences, one thing they have in common is that in each of these cards the suit of Wands (or Staves) corresponds to the element of Fire.  Or, to put it more correctly, the Fire element in each of these decks is represented by Wands (or Staves).  (Note: in some decks, Wands represent the element of Air.)

Fire is a very yang, or active, energy.  It gives off light and heat (positive qualities) but can also be destructive by consuming everything in its path (negative qualities).  Similarly, Wands represent the positive qualities of primal energy, will, confidence, courage and optimism.  The negative, or shadow side, of Wands can show up as aggression, lack of direction, inability or unwillingness to commit, impatience, recklessness or burnout from taking on too much.

These are all generalizations, of course, so I will show each of the Aces above with some of their key words.

Ace of Wands from the Original (aka "Blue Box) (Rider) Waite-Smith Tarot

Unfortunately, the descriptions from the LWB (little white book) that came with this deck are not particularly helpful.  In some ways they are confusing because they don't seem to "stay in their lane" as far as the elemental correspondences are concerned.  For purposes of this post, I won't list the meanings that might lead to confusion. 

The description of this card as set forth in the LWB is: "a hand issuing from a cloud grasps a stout Wand or Club."  Key words for the upright meaning include: creation, invention, the powers which result in these.  Also: beginning, source, the beginning of enterprises.  Key words for the reversed meanings include: fall, decadence and ruin. 

Ace of Wands from the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy

Amusingly, the LWB from the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy claims that "Divining with tarots is very easy."  That's awesome!  Nevertheless, I will continue my discussion.

The Ancient Tarot of Lombardy LWB interprets Wands as "the Fire suit: physical, corporeal, creative activity".  It lists key words for the Ace of Wands as: invention, discovery, masculine strength, initiative and fertility.  "Fertility" as a key word for Wands can be a bit confusing because that can be a key word associated with the suit of Pentacles (or the Empress).  In this case, fertility can be thought of as the energy, passion or enthusiasm (Wands qualities) that you have before starting a project, as opposed to having the resources (like money, Pentacles) that you may need to see it through to fruition.

The LWB for the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy does not provide separate meaning for reversed cards.

Ace of Staves from the Modern-Medieval Tarot

The description for the Ace of Staves in the LWB for the Modern-Medieval Tarot says, "An Ethereal arm holds a mace against a background of fire."  Obviously this is very similar to the description for the Ace of Wands in the Waite-Smith Tarot.

The meaning set forth in the LWB for the Ace of Staves is: "Creativity. You begin a new project."  This doesn't seem to add much to the discussion, but it does reinforce the theme/idea of beginning a new project.

There are no meanings for reversed cards in the LWB for this deck.

Ace of Wands from the Transformational Tarot

The LWB for the Transformational Tarot says: "Wands/Rods (clubs) = fire, creative, active yang energy."  By now, I'm sure you're getting the picture.  But what's up with those people in the card?

According the the LWB, the Ace of Wands represents, "Pure creativity.  The Ace of Wands depicts two fiery redheads, each carrying a torch - an element of the wand suit.  They seem almost fused as one, and can represent willpower and the creative spirit moving together towards a desired goal.  An altar, signifying ritual and inspiration, illuminates the darkness."

Key words and phrases for the upright meaning include: "A creative beginning.  Inventiveness.  Empowerment.  It may suggest a career change or an important new direction."

Reversed meanings in the LWB include: "...could indicate a false start, setbacks, destructive energy, feeling uninspired."

Ace of Wands from the Paulina Tarot

Finally, we have the Ace of Wands from the Paulina Tarot (by Paulina Cassidy).  This deck also has a very different feel from the Waite-Smith deck.

The LWB description reads, "The perceptive owl guides the child in developing intuition.  His green feathers symbolize the "go-ahead" to pursue new ideas.  The child gazes up at the stream of stars, determined to begin life's adventures."

So, here again, we have the idea of spirit, energy and beginnings.  

Upright meanings from the Paulina Tarot's LWB include: "Creative beginnings, a new way of life, ambition, enthusiasm."

Reversed meanings include: "Setbacks, lack of determination and failed communications."  

I hope this post has helped you understand potential meanings for the Ace of Wands, how cards and their meanings can be similar and dissimilar in different decks, and how to begin to elicit a message from a card when you encounter a "recurring card" situation.