LeGrande Circus & Sideshow Tarot

From the Aeclectic Tarot site, this new deck with a circus theme. Here's the blurb from the site:

LeGrande Circus & Sideshow Tarot: The LeGrande Circus & Sideshow Tarot was created by a former professional clown, and has 78 cards illustrated in the style of vintage circus posters. Each major arcana card features a well-known circus archetype (from the magician to the balanced elephant), while the minor arcana show everyday scenes from life under the big top and its sideshows. - Created by Joe Lee
Tarot Deck - 78 Cards - US Games 2015

I am both intrigued and repelled (mostly repelled) by circus and carnival themes. (And I intensely dislike clowns. Disgusting things.)  After all, I come from circus folk. Really, I do. You can find my I Come From Circus Folk pages on tumblr and Facebook, as well as the following two poems about my circus folk experiences on my blog fragments, found: Big Duke, and Goat.

My grandmother, Louise Gladstone Lee, of the Tom Mix Circus

Another reason I despise circus and carnivals: exploitation of animals.

But back to tarot. I do enjoy the artwork, especially vintage circus posters and related items. I like The Magician card shown here. These cards do look like fun. I don't know if I would personally use them, doesn't seem to be a good fit for me. But as I've learned, you never know what you'll decide works for you in the future.

Mothman Flutterings : Swastika Talking Board and Spirit Board Synchronicites

I have a post at my Mothman Flutterings blog about synchronicity, talking or spirit boards, and the swastika. What's the Mothy connection? The Nirvana company, which produced the Swastika Talking Board, was in West Virginia. Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia, is home to the Mothman of course!

Mothman Flutterings : Swastika Talking Board and Spirit Board Synchronicites: A bit of synchronicity. I was thinking about oracles in general as I was waking up, and Ouija boards in particular. Toying with the idea of a folklore presentation on oracles -- how there were talking boards before the Parker Brothers Ouija board most of us are familiar with today, etc. Then I see this vintage ad for the Niravana Swastika Talking Board this morning on Andy Colvin's Facebook page:

The Orange Orb: White Raven/Black Raven: Mind Postcards and UFOs

I have a post about Raven on my Orange Orb blog:

The Orange Orb: White Raven/Black Raven: Mind Postcards and UFOs: I don't recall having the vivid "mind postcards" pre-UFO events. Or I should say, pre-orange orb sighting - - I've had UFO related episodes all my life. Who knows if these mind postcards, as I call them, have anything at all to do with the energies surrounding manifestations of UFOs. Lately I've been trying to remember events post orange orb sighting, to see if there is a connection between psychic or precognitive experiences, apparitions, dreams, synchronicities and my UFO sightings, particularly the orange orb one.

Connolly Tarot Reviews

One of the decks in my Goodwill mystery box purchase is the Connolly (Elleen Connolly) tarot. I haven't used the deck in a straight out reading, but have been playing around with it. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I kind of do, to my surprise, but there things I don't like. Yet, I do like it. Then again…


I'm not the only one who feels this ambivalence. "Chronata" on Aeclectic Tarot wrote a review of the deck:

Connolly Tarot Reviews: Review by Chronata "Ah the Connolly tarot... I know a few people who absolutely rave about this deck, and I know quite a few others who absolutely detest it. Me?....I'm somewhere in the middle. Normally I wouldn't bother to write a reveiw for a deck that I feel kind of apathetic and "middle of the road" about, but this deck merits some appreciation from me because I actually use it often in professional readings." (Aeclectic.net)

She goes on to write that she uses the Connolly deck in Angel readings, with Angel decks. I can see that; I have Doreen Virtue's Healing with the Angels, Mary Queen of Angels oracle and her Angel Tarot. For times when I feel this is the way to go, it seems like the Connolly deck is a good deck to use, possibly with blended readings using these decks.


The colors are vivid and lovely. The illustrations are nice with a RSW feel in most cases. The cards are clear, easy to read, nice to look at. Gentle yet invigorating at the same time.

But I don't get some of the interpretations, like The Moon card. The Fool should have more action, more energy, instead he stands there rather calmly.  The Christian slant puts me off a bit -- though I just put that in a context of traditional Christian mysticism -- and I am a little put off with Death and The Devil renamed to Transition and Materialism. Then again, Doreen Virtue has done the same.

So, so far I like this deck, to my surprise. I'm not sure how much I like it yet -- I guess I like it more than I don't -- I am looking forward to using them in a reading, as well as blending them with other decks. It does seem like a good deck to use in conjunction with other types of decks (Angel cards, etc.) for those clients who respond positively to those images. I think I'll hold onto this deck for awhile.

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Mystery Tarot Box Surprise!

At the Goodwill today, looking for magnetic letters for the students. Didn't find those, but I did find a white cardboard box, sealed in plastic wrap and marked "Tarot cards and other misc." The box had lettering on it: "wind chimes, mahogany." All for a $1.99. I figured it was worth a chance, so I bought the box, contents unseen at the time.

I had a surprise when I opened the box! As you can see, there were several decks of cards, including the Alice in Wonderland deck, a RWS deck, I Ching mini deck, a blank deck to make your own cards, the Morgan Greer deck, a Rune deck and a collection of cards of pulp sci-fi covers from vintage publications, such as Astounding Stories. 

Want/Don't Want Spread

A few weeks ago I created this spread. I used this in a reading for someone, and it worked very nicely for her situation. This layout focuses on what the client really wants in a situation, what they don't want, what the distractions or blocks are, and where they can put their energies for positive outcomes.

Want/Don't Want Spread

1.

Overall vibe of situation

2. What you want                                                    3. What you don't want

4. What others want/expect from you

5. Distractions/Blocks from within:                                 6. Distractions from without

what you're doing to yourself                                            don't go there

7. What you have going for you                                      8. Support from others;        

within: focus on this                                                           don't be afraid to ask for help 

9. 

Possible path...

Deck Snobbery

Readers have their tastes. I really like the Deviant Moon tarot, (and it is a popular deck) but I know others who do not like it all. Doreen Virtue's Angel tarot is another deck I like, even though I have some minor issues with it. Others I know find the deck too sweet. And that's fine, of course. There are thousands of tarot and oracle decks out there, to fit all kinds of tastes and philosophies.

But then there are "tarot snobs" and I admit, I was guilty of such snobbery myself. Someone very close to me, who's also been reading cards for a good forty years and more, hates, and I mean detests, the Rider Waite Smith tarot. He's gone so far as to say he wouldn't respect any reader who uses that deck. I used to think that as well, to a point.  But funny thing about opinions; often we have them and aren't sure why, and often, they change.

I've had a mini Rider deck for years. Almost have given it away at times, but couldn't bring myself to do that. Lately I've been reading with the deck, and I had to wonder why I had negative opinions about the deck. As with many of us, when I first began to explore the tarot, the Rider deck was the one I used. It was the first tarot deck I was introduced to -- my mother had the same deck. Reading with the deck lately I had not only good readings, but good energy around using the deck, and those readings.

So I've been looking for a deck similar to the RWS deck. I wanted something very close to the "original" but, slightly different. I finally found it! The Diamond tarot. Unfortunately, it appears hard to find, and is very expensive. Amazon has the decks ranging from about $70.00 to over a $1,000.00! Good time to practice my manifesting mojo and see what comes.

The cards are very much the traditional RWS cards, but the borders add a psychedelic energy to the cards that I like. The wide and colorful borders frames the images in a new way. One of the criticisms about RWS from my friend is that the images are too "obvious" and put assumptions into the client's head. (Hmm. That happens anyway, doesn't it, and the role of the reader is to facilitate the interaction between both…) At the same time, the borders and coloring do add something fresh to the tradition, and I like the interplay between the new and classic.

White Rabbit Oracle

Browsing through Aeclectic Tarot's site, came across this oracle deck; the White Rabbit oracle.  I am in love with the illustrations. Very lovely deck. Reminds me a bit of the Cosmic Tarot deck. So now another one to add my list!

Steampunk Magick

The inventor of Steampunk Magic (k), Gypsey Teague, is tonight's guest on George Noory's Coast to Coast radio program

.

I'm unfamiliar with Teague, but the blending of steampunk and magic seems like a natural partnership. Steampunk itself is new, even while based on old. So how new is this new compared to the traditions it's based upon? Moot point I suppose. (For example, we have at least one Steampunk oracle deck, and so on. Steampunk fashion is popular within the witchy realm)

Speaking of steampunk and magic, I've been enjoying the BBC program Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, based on the book by Susanna Clarke.

 The character of Jonathan Strange is a new practioner of magick, fighting against the "respectable", rigid and conservative master magician -- England's "only" magician -- Mr. Norrell.

Full Moon

Getting ready . . .