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Order from amazon UK ?

5.0 isn't out in the States, yet. I've preordered it but it won't be out here until March 2026.

I keep my cards in a sort of dresser’s shelf. The oracle and miscellaneous decks are on the sides. I have them in a particular order that makes it easy to find them. There’s 27 tarot decks, 5 oracle decks, 2 playing card decks, and 2 therapy card decks. I hadn’t used the therapy cards much. I need bags for a few of them and am looking into getting some. edit: old but up to date pictures of my tarot deck collection

My favorites are Shadowscapes’ Star card (and World, but image limit), Numinous’ Emperor, and Tyldwick’s Emperor. The first two images are from the artist’s websites, the last is from TarotCake’s blog. Sorry for the large images, it wouldn’t let me resize them in the editor.

4 of Swords The third decan of Libra, a decan ruled by Jupiter Post at TabulaMundi.com - DECAN WALK: LIBRA 3, FOUR OF SWORDS – Part I – Tabula Mundi Tarot Excerpt: "Surprising that the card is merely "truce" and not something more beneficial, with the Greater Fortune (Jupiter) and Lesser Fortune (Venus) involved. [Venus rules the sign of Libra] But in the first card below the Abyss in the Swords suit, we merely get a compromise or rest from strife. The suit of Swords is notoriously troublesome, just like the mind itself the suit represents. The Air element of the Swords suit is inherently turbulent, as the offspring of the two opposing elements Fire and Water." RWS, Thoth, Tabula Mundi Other related cards: Justice/Adjustment for Libra Wheel of Fortune/Fortune for Jupiter Prince of Cups (for the last decan of Libra and the first two decans of Scorpio) Telos Tarot of 777

Thanks @FindYourSovereignty and @JoyousGirl! (At this point I'm mostly just trying to catch up on work and my energy level. My dogs get their walks, no excuses! 😅) And, @JoyousGirl, yes, you really feel the Saturn in this card. As you said the sword cuts both ways, which goes along with Libra's balance. Part 2 went up at Tabula Mundi , and I'm about to post Libra 3.

Oof. That one doesn't work for me at all. Reminds me of lower level Hollywood talent scouts scanning photography portfolios sent in by wannabes.

Well, to add to your confusion, OP, there are many readers who associate swords with fire (steel is forged in fire to make a sword), and wands with air (they're made from trees which need air/oxygen to live), especially if they initially learned the associations through Wicca or witchcraft. Others who agree with that say that the "original" associations were changed by Waite and the Golden Dawn. Some say Crowley switched them. And apparently, historically, there were other ways to associate the suits with elements, depending on who wrote about it. To me, it makes more sense that swords would be fire, and wands air. Or possibly even swords as fire, wands as earth, and pentacles as air. I recently started seeing the swords suit as being mostly about conflict, challenges, aggression, and physicality. The wands seem, to me, more about growth, stability, and steadiness. But most of the time I don't even consider the elemental association or will associate a card with whatever element makes sense to me intuitively for that specific reading. I read mostly by seeing what the imagery will tell me. Some articles, blog posts, and discussions on this: (Scroll down the page a bit to read this one): https://www.tarotcardmeanings.net/tarot-playingcards.htm https://www.darkdaystarot.com/single-post/why-i-associate-wands-with-air-and-swords-with-fire-in-my-tarot-decks https://autumnsunrise.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/tarot-elements-seasons/ https://www.tarotforum.net/threads/fire-versus-air-the-swords-wands-controversy.303593/ https://www.tarotforum.net/threads/wands-are-fire-swords-are-air-or-maybe-not.266456/

I like to bring one to public readings because I never no what kind of surface the venue will provide. Otherwise, I use solid or neutral-colored cloths for taking pictures of my spreads, either for blog posts or sending to remote clients.

I use John Frawley's methods but also picked up ideas from William Lilly. Frawley works with the Regiomontanus house system. The chart is cast for the instant the question is understood using the astrologer's coordinates.

Here is one for the spiritual mystics and pendulum users to play around with. AUTHOR'S NOTE: All of the spirit-contact methods I'm aware of assume that we're going to encounter precisely the entity we're seeking (ancestor, god-form, elemental figure, spirit guide, etc.) whenever we ask. But I've never been convinced that disembodied beings are lurking at the threshold of the Astral Plane, just waiting for us to reach out, nor are they necessarily sympathetic. Here I'm postulating that three spirits of diverse disposition will be "enlisted" for our rendezvous, one cooperative, one uncooperative and one impartial (maybe they're near the portal at the time and by chance there are three roles to be filled: "good cop," "bad cop," and "unbiased arbiter"). The one we engage will depend on the random spin of a board-game dial. For those who want to use a pendulum instead of a spinner, this pattern lends itself to that approach. (All images are from the Retro-Thoth Tarot, privately published.) Begin by placing a board-game spinner at the center of the reading surface. (Invoke any psychic protection you normally use before continuing.) Concentrate on what you want to know while shuffling a tarot deck (reversals are permitted), then deal three cards face-down above the spinner in any order, being careful to place them in a way that eliminates overlap by the pointer. Next deal three cards below the spinner in the same manner, and two cards into the "Interlude" positions. Spin the dial, continuing to concentrate, and turn the card it points to face-up. Find the card diametrically opposite that one and turn it face-up. This pair will represent the nature of the contact ("Spirit-end") and the contents of the message ("Seeker-end"); the latter always travels from Spirit to Seeker regardless of which way the arrow is pointing. If you want to create an expanded narrative, add two more cards to the "message" position (unless it has already confirmed a "disconnect" as in the example reading's "loss of signal"). When the pointer lands on one of the "Interlude" positions, it means that the contact has not yet been made. If it is a "Helpful Interlude," spin again for a connection. An "Unhelpful Interlude" advises stopping for now and trying again later. It may be useful to examine your state-of-mind before doing so, since you could have been confused or indisposed the first time around. Close the psychic channel in your usual fashion. Here is an example. The reversed Ace of Cups indicates that the spirit is intensely private and emotionally disinclined to cooperate, while the reversed 9 of Disks conveys mundane interference at the seeker's end (the dog is barking, the kids are screaming, motorcycles are drag-racing in the street, etc.). Had I been asking about an investment of some kind, I would have just been shouted down. If this were a real scenario, I would break the weak connection and come back at a quieter time.

I used to have a modest thrifted collection of various sort of colored or patterned fabrics. One ended up becoming what I wrap my Shadowscapes deck in but the rest are gone now. I didn’t always use them even back then anyway. These days I do readings on my bed. When it’s made the fabric is pretty enough. The blanket color is one of my favorites. Here’s a picture of what it looks like. The lighting in my room is minimal and orange so the green comes out dark especially on my camera, but it’s a darkish shiny emerald green. If my bed isn’t made I’ll just throw a shirt down as the cloth. I used to do readings at dining/coffee tables too but these days I live with family and am more comfortable doing readings in my room. Plus there’s a lot of space on a bed. edit: if I were going to do a reading outside, I’d want some sort of barrier but that doesn’t happen much these days.

Are we assuming that's an olive branch? Might it be a bay/laurel branch, often associated with victory, kingship, etc? Some of these have red berries.

You might want to take the spread with you, if you move it, in case the cards sort of "look at each other" as you might say.

@DanielJUK Oh that’s cool! Thanks for letting me know. I’m currently just getting back into tarot after being away from it for a long time and am resuming doing a reading a day going deck by deck in my collection. Maybe after I finish that I’ll consider it. Nice to know M still frequents tarot forums 😄

There's a study group working through Meleen's Decan Walk if you are interested. M sometimes posts in it....

@gregory You're my hero !!! @DanielJUK I'm not sure whether I should start a new thread for this, because I'm going to comment on / delve into Gregory's pull. It's making me want the deck again. Here's the spread and cards all put together for 'at-a-glance' summary: Position 1: Present. The current global condition or dominant force. OMNICIDE (Tower) No surprises there. Position 2: Challenge. What aggravates the conditions or force of Card 1. EXTRACTIVISM (Knight of Swords) No surprises there, either. And rate at which it's occurring without awareness of implications and thought to the future is of concern. Position 3. Past. Historical or ancestral influence shaping the now. ETHICS OF TERRAFORMING (Queen of Swords) Ethics is a key word here for me. Feudal origins and modern 'aristocrats' in the form of corporate billionaires. There's an increasing number of plebs. Position 4: Future. Emerging developments or potentials. THE DARK FOREST (5 of Chalices) The dark web (and where is its brother, AI?). Ha, you couldn't make that sh!+ up. Position 5: Conscious. Collective ideas, hopes or known forces. PSYCHEDELIC SPACESHIPS and INTERPLANETARY BIOSPHERE ISLANDS (4 of Cups) I don't know about the psychedelic spaceships, but interplanetary biosphere islands instead of doing something to remedy this beautiful planet is questionable. Position 6: Subconscious. Unseen forces, fears or unknown unknowns. POST TRUTH (Wheel of Fortune) What are the implications of not knowing a lie is a lie? Particularly when someone is telling the truth and knows something is a lie? What do those who believe the lie or seek to perpetuate it do to those who know the truth? Optional Position 7: Seed card. Representing what can be cultivated or tended to today to support future transformation. REWILDING (Knave of Chalices). We take from Earth but don't offer much back like the typical KoC. This rewilding is essential and yet the issue is that population growth won't allow it. Yet population control discussions are anathema to people who believe in Human Rights over the rights of life itself, and those who need humans to profit - and governments who won't explore alternative economic systems. This is the Wicked Problem. The answer is easy. Everyone knows it. The ancient wisdom of the 7 deadly sins that control us still has clout. Thanks again Gregory!

Hi, I have some resources I’ve used heavily in the past. Esoteric Meanings has a great card by card in-depth breakdown of the thoth tarot. I still use it. Here’s the major arcana page, though they have all the cards. https://www.esotericmeanings.com/thoth-tarot-major-arcana-tutorials/ Fortune’s Wheelhouse podcast by MM Meleen and T Susan Chang is a great resource on comparing and understanding the RWS and Thoth decks. They stopped the podcast but not before going through all the cards and numbers in general too I think. I remember when I started out I’d compare websites and one was Crystal Reflections. It’s a bit woowoo but they have questions at the bottom of each description of the cards. The website got an update since I used it a decade ago but idk if the content has too. https://crystal-reflections.com/tarot3/

I’m just getting back into tarot after a year and a half break (and then some) but I remember I used to not like collage decks with people in them. They put me off for some reason. I have a few decks with real people in them, drawn or photographed, and it’s been a while but I don’t think they bother me too much, though some cards can be a little distracting. There was one deck I was interested in a few years ago that seemed to do it well that I liked the look of but didn’t end up getting, called the Illest Tarot/That 90’s deck. I’ll include a picture from thehoodwitch on twitter I found by googling. I’m not sure if I’d actually like it in real life because I know in the past there have been collage decks with people in it or just photographic real people-heavy decks that I liked the look of online, but when seen in real life lost the appeal for me.

And these are the cards I drew (MAN they are slippery !!! VERY hard to handle. Cards 1 and 2: Cards 3 and 4: Cards 5 and 6: Card 7: I LIKE that as the seed card. There is no way I can lay those out in a way that makes all the stuff legible so you'll just have to imagine.

OK. NOT doing interpretations right now, but this is the spread:

Great, this is interesting. There's a lot of things I am picking up that don't always gel from one source to another (as mentioned at the start) & this is just the sort of challenge I need to hear. Eden Gray says Swords "...aggression, strife, boldness, courage. (hatred, battle, enemies), misfortune & disaster. Sword temperament is melancholy. The suit of warriors. " (I abbreviated) There is no mention of Communication or Truth. Nether does Pictorial Key mention Communication or Truth for suits (but there, suit themes are not covered at all afik) Individual cards talk about communication, but its spread over all suits as you note. Modern guides I've read do talk about Communication & Truth. Part of the work I'm doing to personalise is to cross-reference info & try to find words that best convey the card & stay true to the Pictorial Key. Ive done it for all the cards, but not the suits. (more work now, thanks 😅) Eden Gray has great info about symbolism, but its also very geared toward marriage, romance, traditional male/female roles, business, investments - I get the feeling this is social influence & popular interest of the times & I try to filter some of it out. There's a great deal of that in modern guides too & they tend to be softer & positive. They shy away from negatives. Personally Ive noticed Wand & Swords seem generally to lean towards conflict, while cups & pentacles are more about improvement. But I need to make a word list i think. What is Truth? Its a good thinking point. Nowadays Truth is what you say it is regardless of validity. but I wont get into that. Truth to me is fact. But a cold fact cant covey intent. If you dig deeper then truth is "perception by experience" - Its true that I think its cold today, but maybe you are sweltering. Its true that I gave a complement, but its also true that you were offended.

Brilliant. thanks again. This method seems like the natural path to me, of course coupled with the background learning. I would say, as a beginner, I have doubt & uncertainty about how to proceed & I worry about learning something & later finding out its wrong. Because, you form an imprint, a mental association bond between the card imagery & your intuition. & later this may be difficult to resolve.

I read this a lot, and I disagree with this notion. Every suit has its own mode of communication; cups exchange information, and so do wands, pentacles, and swords. Even a 4 of Cups is communicating: “Leave me alone.” We cannot not communicate. Same for truth. What is truth? Is something only true when it is mentally processed, verbally articulated, or decided upon? I’m just offering these thoughts to encourage some questioning of how we use these terms and abstract concepts.

Thanks. That's very useful info to consider. You are well informed. I had read some advice that said the card meanings should be learned strictly otherwise you will only be interpreting with part of the info, & others that say it a personal interpretation. So having you support the personal interpretation side is helpful & its something that speaks to me also. or rather I lie between the two somewhere ... Im just navigating though what advice I think is core & what is perhaps based on society, or popular trend at the time of writing. I'm still sceptical about the berries, although I do agree with you that indeed mistletoe & olives can be red, it doesnt sit comfortably with me that PCS would choose to depict Middle-eastern or Japanese varieties over more commonly recognisable ones. & given the art variety across decks - some are multi-coloured - its making me think that the plant identity is not the key. I still do, like you, like olive & palm as those symbols do fit very nicely. I particularly like your last paragraph. Duality, different things, ahh yes! This is great because even without an absolute answer, we can still apply some truth. I am fine with not knowing all the answers & accepting my novice state. Im in no rush. I simple wish to enjoy the process & along the way learn. Many of the cards fall into place for me easily. There are few that I cant help picking at.