Deck of The Week: Sign-up Thread: Week 244 : March 12 - March 18

[VGimlet]

This thread is for those who would like to work through their collection of decks.  Each week we will be picking a deck (or decks) to work with for the week.

 

All are welcome. Please join us!      The only rules we have are the Tarot Tea & Me rules; be respectful to each other.    

 

You can drop in and out anytime,   time and real life permitting.   New to tarot?  Long time reader?   Come on in.  

 

1. Please post with your chosen deck for the week. 

 

2. Chat away about your deck, how you're finding it etc., or not - it's all up to you.  

 

Participants:

1.  VGimlet - Mystic Martian Oracle

2. AJ-ish/Sharyn - Spiritsong Tarot

3. sweeneyish - Robin Wood Tarot + Deviant Moon Tarot

4. Wyrdkiss - Deviant Moon borderless

5. Amberjune - arot Noir and the Gateway Oracle

6. Bodhiseed - Norse Tarot paired with the Wolf Pack

7. Rachelcat - Modern Goddess Oracle

8. Mi-Shell - Wolf Pack + herbal tarots

9. Page of Ghosts - Bohemian Gothic Tarot

 

 

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Edited March 18, 2022 by VGimlet

[VGimlet]

Since the Mystic Martian was not even unwrapped last week (just too busy) I will hopefully get to it this week.  Yes, I will try to post pictures.  📷  No promises though.  Hah. 

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

Spiritsong Tarot for me VG, thank you. Hard to believe but the Herbal kicked my (Y) last week, I wasn't quite ready for that much reality 🙂

[sweeneyish]

I'm feeling super conflicted about my pick this week! Keep going with Deviant Moon? Robin Wood for something totally different? Maybe Mystical Medleys? Ahhh, so many choices! One thing I am finding is that working with one deck quite a bit, I learn it's language and how the different cards interact with each other.

 

I'm so indecisive today. Guess I should asked one of my decks to help me decide. I think I'll actually do the Robin Wood Tarot, as it's a classic and I know a lot of people love reading with it. And I've barely cracked mine. Will be supplementing with Deviant Moon still, since I'm enjoying my immersion in that world. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by sweeneyish
Indecision!

[Wyrdkiss]

Think I'll dive into my Deviant Moon borderless, since it is arriving in a few days in the mail LOL. Will use the standard in the mean time.

[sweeneyish]

Awesome @Wyrdkiss! Maybe I should just stick with my Deviant Moon as well...Deviant Moon buddies! Well, we'll see what my hand grabs next time I go to do a reading! I'm expecting some of Patrick's creepy oracles in the mail shortly as well, so I'll likely add those to the mix. 

[Amberjune]

I'm in with the Tarot Noir and the Gateway Oracle.

Wishing you all much fun with the Deviant Moon, a deck a had a strong aversion to, when I first saw it, hihi. Now, I like it a lot.

[sweeneyish]

Well, despite feeling very scattered about it, I did use the Robin Wood Tarot for my longer weekend reading. And I have to say, it was a stunningly accurate reading. I don’t quite relate to the imagery right now, but we‘ll see if that changes once I’ve spent more time with it. 

 

[Bodhiseed]

I'm in with the Norse Tarot paired with the Wolf Pack. Happy weekend, DoWers!🍀

 

[sweeneyish]

 Nice choices, @Bodhiseed!

 

I ended up doing a three card spread with the Deviant Moon as well - And of course it was amazing and all majors. I think it’s sending me a message - use me! 😆 Maybe I should start a study group for it. 

 

[Bodhiseed]

Thanks @sweeneyish. I have to agree with @Amberjune - I too had an aversion to the Deviant Moon, but watching it be used here has warmed me up to it! 😊

[Rachelcat]

Deviant Moon is still too weird for me, but I'm enjoying the peeks!  And it's good to see the good old Robin Wood again!

 

This week I’ll be using Modern Goddess Oracle by Ethony.  I was digging my modern style tarots, Modern Witch and Good Karma, so I thought I’d branch out into goddesses! 

 

The box says the deck has 49 goddess cards and 16 archetype cards.  I probably tried to ignore it when it came out because I’m still prejudiced against the word/concept of archetypes.  But I think they won’t bother me because I’ll just rename them types.  Yeah, that’s it!

 

 

Shiny silver backs and edges!  The backs have Ethony’s signature bumblebee in the middle of moon phases.

 

The figures are goddesses from many cultures and types in modern dress looking like contemporary women.

 

The guide book is quite chunky and has for each card: a keyword, list of symbols, affirmation, “meet the goddess,” divination meaning, “work with the goddess” (things to do to connect with the goddess), shadow meaning, and “heal with the goddess” (things to do to remedy the shadow meaning).  The author says she didn’t include the keywords on the cards on purpose so as not to limit how users relate to the goddesses.  There are a few spreads. 

 

I also have a fraught relationship with affirmations, but I might want to work with them this week.  We’ll see.  In the meantime, wash, shuffle, interview!

 

 

(I’m checking the keyword in the booklet after I write my first impressions.)

 

Most important characteristic:  Santa Muerte

Classic sugar skull makeup!  The deck focuses on positives but doesn’t shy away from negatives.  See the scales and hourglasses.  It sheds light on dark things.  Keyword is death.  So it talks a lot about endings.

 

Strength:  Hel

Same?  Both sides are featured.  It talks a lot about endings!  Runes in the background sand runes on the crow’s skull necklace.  Cool.  Keyword is hidden.  It brings things to light that we might want to be hidden.

 

Weakness:  Isis

Isis is one of my favorite goddesses.  She’s SO powerful and queen of magic.  Wings as a fashion accessory, not to mention a golden snake!  To be meta, the weakness of the deck is that it diminishes the power of the goddesses by depicting them as ordinary women.  Isis is definitely not ordinary in any way!  Keyword is magic!  A weakness (for me anyway) could be the deck’s focus on doing magic and communing with actual goddesses.  I’m just not into that . . .

 

What can I learn from deck?  Green Tara

Wearing her comfy yoga clothes to meditate.  I can learn inner peace and insight.  The singular spirituality behind the multiplicity of representation.  Keyword is self-care.  I’d like to learn that!  I had a rough couple of weeks, but not for any reason.  Just not feeling emotionally my best.  And physically, too.  So I hope these goddesses can help me really improve.

 

How can I learn it?  Athena

By learning and studying and being proactive.  Love the helmet earrings!  Keyword is strategy.  Thus the cogs and wheels. 

 

Outcome of our work together:  The Badass

Ha!  She’s seen some things and done some things and doesn’t take anything from anyone.  Instead she basks in the sun as she deserves.  Working with this deck will strengthen me and maybe make me more independent and not caring so much what others think.  Keyword is authority.  She’s in charge of herself.  Shakespeare asked what women want, and the answer is self-sovereignty.  It should be too hard to understand, and it shouldn’t be so hard to allow women to have it or take it. 

 

And that’s it!  Well, I like it so far (even though there is a lot of death at the beginning!).  I look forward to working with it more.  Especially if that helps me be a badass!

[sweeneyish]

Thanks for the in-depth share, @Rachelcat! Green Tara is also called “Mommy Tara”

by a lot Tibetans - She is one of the most well-known and practiced Buddhas in the Tibetan tradition. I personally do a Green Tara practice nearly every day. She is certainly one of my protectors! She is especially famous for her swift-acting help and compassion, and protection from fear. 

 

Happy to hear we’re slowly making a Deviant convert out of you, @Bodhiseed 😆. I’m going to start a study group!

[sweeneyish]

This is one of the Green Taras on my shrine, @Rachelcat:

 

[Rachelcat]

Beautiful!  Thanks for sharing!

[Bodhiseed]

This week I’ll be using the Norse Tarot book and deck, created by Clive Barrett and published by Aquarian. The other deck I’ll be drawing from is the Wolf Pack, created by Robert Petro and published by Windspirit Productions. Today’s cards are the Three of Cups and Fulfillment:

Not passion but compassion.

Com—means "with."

What kind of with-ness would that be?

― Anne Carson

 

My husband once hit a hole-in-one while playing a solitary round of golf. He was at first thrilled, but that feeling evaporated when he realized there was no one to witness and celebrate his feat with him. Humans like to celebrate milestones and accomplishments with others; we even gather to honor and commemorate lives lost and other endings. No matter how different we might otherwise be, we can still recognize and identify with the joys and sorrows of others. Fulfillment suggests that when our life is shared, contentment and meaning are easier to find. Experiences that others can relate to can give us a sense of companionship and interconnection.

 

We have a chance to remember what matters in this fleeting, fragile life – our connections, our loves, our families, friends, communities and our host, this endlessly beautiful and constantly changing Earth.

—Elizabeth Monson

 

[Mi-Shell]

@Bodhiseed!♥ ♥

What a lovely reading!

On the 2. anniversary of the pandemic It felt sooo good to read this!

 

I also love my wolf pack deck.

It has a permanent place on our family Altar -  safely tucked into its Wolf fur pouch.

 

A large Sterling Silver Wolf is well hidden within the thick fur.

[Mi-Shell]

Well, I am still fidddddeling with Herbs, herbal decks and comparison of same,

but Bodhi's choice of the Wolf Pack deck inspired me to also use that for my Deck of the week!♥

[Bodhiseed]

@Mi-Shell, the Wolf Pack is one of my oldest decks and is much loved. Your bag for your deck is beautiful!❤️

[sweeneyish]

Thanks for sharing that beautiful reading, @Bodhiseed. So lovely!

 

So far, I’ve been a little uninspired with the Robin Wood - I think we may just speak different languages. When I started reading Tarot, I thought I only wanted decks that were very closely linked to the original RWS, but I’ve found I’m more drawn now to either ones that seem modernly relevant (like Light Seer’s Tarot), or ones with a very unique point of view (like Deviant Moon - which I suppose feels quite modern as well). My Robin Wood spread today:

 

 

Vs. a different spread with Light Seer:

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

the Robin Wood was one of the first to openly present a pagan view to the tarot universe. The standard RWS is openly christianized. Maybe that is where your discomfort comes from? 

 

I am really appreciating the messages from SpiritSong this week. 

[Page of Ghosts]

It's been a while since I last popped in for a Deck of the Week-thread! Please sign me up with the Bohemian Gothic Tarot. I have more of a busy week ahead of me so I'm thinking I really want to pull some cards for it.

@Mi-Shell that is a beautiful pouch for your deck!

[Bodhiseed]

Welcome back, @Page of Ghosts! 😊 Hope you enjoy your week with the Bohemian Gothic🦇.

[sweeneyish]

That’s a good point @AJ-ish/Sharyn -I’m neither pagan nor christian, though the pagan imagery doesn’t bother me (in fact, I prefer it to the christian imagery). I think with the Robin Wood, it might the actual fantasy/medieval setting that doesn’t do it for me. I do love certain cards though, like Judgement - Pure wonder! 

 

The first of my Deviant Moon Inc. orders came in today, the Abandoned Oracle, so I will post some pictures shortly as I add it into my rotation this week. If anyone finds the Deviant Moon Tarot too sappy and light, this may be the deck for them 😆

[sweeneyish]

Not for the faint of heart, says the box of the Abandoned Oracle - And to prove the point, my first spread with it. Scroll on past if you squeamish: