My mother can use Sibilla better than I can!

Back in April I took part in an Instagram tag called #sibillaprile, where we looked at the Italian Sibilla card meanings and used the cards for daily draws and short readings.

At the same time I was beginning to try to communicate with my mother in order to resolve past issues (daughters, mothers - there's always issues). So I invited her to speak to me through the sibilla cards.

Mistake.

She took over! No matter what I pulled cards about, she was in there. I'd be like "How the heck does that relate to--?!... Oh. Hi Mum."

So we came to an agreement. I would have a card conversation with her every morning, and she would leave my cards alone the rest of the time. So far that seems to be working.

But dang! if she isn't better at using the cards to get her point across than I am at interpreting them. And she was never into cards when she was alive. How does she do that?

And here is a prime example that I just had to share with you. Yesterday was our granddaughter's first Communion (that side of the family is Catholic*). That morning I asked Mum if there was anything she wanted to talk about and La Fedeltà fell out. So I put it back in the deck, shuffled a bit more and then pulled the two cards before and the two cards after that card in the deck. I noticed that the next card was Donna maritata, the mother card, so I put that down as well - it seemed to be saying "Listen to your mother".

There was to be a garden party/buffet after the event, and I knew it was going to be a very hot day, so I took this to mean keep an eye on the granddaughter (Bambino-La Fedeltà) so that she doesn't overdo it (La Leggerezza: recklessness, Disperato per gelosia: get frazzled) at the party (Allegrezza al cuora). I also noted the tent and hat in la Fedeltà - stay in the shade.

I often check the card on the bottom of the deck for extra details, and this time it was Ammalato: Sickness.

Soooo, guess who got heatstroke, was violently ill all yesterday afternoon and evening, and had to take to her bed. Yep. Me!

I should have known the message was meant for me. I am my mother's Bambino after all, and she even appeared at the end of the spread.

To top it off, when I made a note of all this in my journal, I wrote that I was "sick as a dog"...
Oh haha, Mum, very funny.

*Apologies for the distancing tactic, but it matters to me, and I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Frankly, whenever I witness a Catholic ritual, I can't help but notice how much it resembles witchcraft. I mean - candles, bells, incense, recitations, transubstantiation... Just sayin'. 😉 

La Corte dei Tarocchi - new deck interview (Instagram)

Questions 2, 3 and 4 from Ethony's "Get To Know Me" spread. 1. What are your strengths as a tarot deck? - I am the spark of Creativity. 2. What are you here to teach me? - To reach out to others. 3. How can I connect best with you? - Let go. I love this Dancing Death, swinging his scythe and boogieing on down. :D #tarot #lacortedeitarocchi #tarotreadersofinstagram #newdeckinterview #ilmeneghello

A photo posted by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Sep 8, 2016 at 10:22am PDT

There's an interesting play within the imagery here. Imagine Death's wrap extending underneath the table and appearing as the arm holding the Wand. Birth, communion, death. Repeat...

Repost - Art of Cartomancy: Accuracy in a Cartomancy Reading

The incomparable Kapherus says Keep it focused and keep it simple.
Accuracy in a Cartomancy Reading

Family rallies 'round

On this day of my honouring my grandmother's birthday and dealing with Brexit [shudder] I asked Oma to come to me and comfort me.

The Queen of Diamonds/Mum came instead, or rather 'as well' because the shadow card was the Queen of Spades/Oma, and reassured me that everything will be okay soon.

Thank you, I really needed to hear that right now.  ♥ you.

My cards are possessed

You cannot tell me there is not something “conscious” at work with cards.

A week or so ago I was shuffling the Balbi while contemplating out loud what deck I intended to take away with me in May. No sooner had the words “I think I’ll take the RWS” left my lips when the 4 of Swords literally flew out *at* me. In this system it represents ‘a declared evil’. Balbi was clearly not impressed that I had just declared my evil intention to leave him at home! 

So when, for #WithinWithoutAdvice, I asked if I should continue to work with only the Balbi for a while I wasn’t surprised to see the 4S again, occupying the Without position. My betrayal has not been forgotten. 

Within: I’d made a written commitment (letter, decree) to work with only the Tarot Balbi. I did say for just two weeks but the concept of time seems to be lost on Balbi, at least on this occasion. 

Advice: ‘Shared love’. Looks like I’m expected to be faithful a while longer.☺

What a team

Tarot Balbi, using Eudes Picard's* meanings: A collaboration will give birth to a woman who earns her money in an unusual way.

Backstory:

1) Taliesin McKnight recently posted a video about Sigil Magick and encouraged viewers to give it a try. I thought "Why not?", so I scratched around for something to manifest and decided on "It is my will to make money reading cards." New decks don’t pay for themselves. 

2) During a guided meditation one of my spirit guides, Daisy, reappeared after a long absence.

3) I'm taking part in the #WithinWithoutAdvice Tarot challenge on Instagram and decided to pull three cards asking Daisy if she had anything she wanted to tell me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*Using only this deck for a few weeks has been very useful, as it’s drawn to my attention that Balbi (or whoever actually wrote the LWB) redefined a fair number of the cards while staying somewhat true to Picard’s images, which has led to some weird visual mismatches.

So having translated almost all the Spanish, I find I now have to translate all the French. But when I'm done I intend to share my findings here. So if you're at all interested in the Tarot Balbi, watch this space.

Side note: Yes, I do have a candle labelled "Spirit Team" - what of it? LOL! I burn it for a short time every morning to "check in". And the crystal is the one I've charged to aid me in connecting with them.

Chatting with my grandmother

This is why I love working with cards. Gentle reader – allow me to introduce my grandmother.

I was listening to WitchUpTheRoad talking about how important it was to her to remember her family history and honour her ancestors, and I was moved to ask my ancestors to give me a message for today's #WithinWithoutAdvice.

I use my grandmother's, Oma’s, playing card method and she sometimes “drops in” as the Queen of Spades. So imagine how delighted I was when she appeared in this spread in such a familiar and unambiguous way. And notice the zodiac sign on her chest? No prizes for guessing what sign Oma was.

My ancestors are always Within.

The Balbi '8 of Coins' speaks of legacies, and the fair distribution of property or inheritance, as well as perseverance. Value my inheritance and continue to share it Without.

The Hanged Man confronts the various possibilities between the past and the future. It is the balance of power between necessity and freedom, between that which is an essential part of us from our past and that which we make for ourselves in the future. I’m Advised to acknowledge that balance.

Thanks for stopping by, Oma. x

A Fortnight with Balbi

I have decided I need to focus on one deck, and one deck only, for a time, and I'm telling you for accountability. ☺

I've settled on two weeks. I know that doesn't sound like much but I will find that a challenge. And the deck will be my beautiful Tarot Balbi. I've reduced (not eliminated, that would be impossible) temptation by clearing my desk of all the other decks I normally keep "to hand".

Here's my inaugural reading -

The meanings applied to this deck, based on those of Eudes Picard in his book "Manuel Synthétique et Pratique du Tarot" (1909), are quite different from the RWS standard. I believe the Gran Tarot Esotérico and the Universal Wirth are in the same vein.

The Priestess
La Sacerdotisa – Este arcano, que corresponde a la letra hebrea Beth, es el dos sin el cual nada existiría. Es una carta dominada por la luna, simbolo de la imaginación y del análisis, lleva consigo los germenes de la ciencia y el error, de lo positivo y negativo. Es, en una palabra: La Ciencia.
This card, which corresponds to the Hebrew letter Beth, is the two without which nothing would exist. It is a card dominated by the moon, symbol of imagination and analysis, carries the seeds of science and error, positive and negative. It is, in a word: Science.

5 of Wands
Ambición, irritabilidad. Trabajo penoso. Mal examen.
Ambition, irritability. Drudgery. Bad (evil) test.

Ace of Swords
Simboliza la Justicia. Fuerza, poder, éxito. Fertilida
Symbolizes justice. Strength, power, success. Fertility.

So...
This experiment will be difficult and at times tedious but potentially successful and worthwhile.

Wish me luck!

Reading Mash-Up

Another video - In which Judy confesses to doing something she said she wouldn't do - i.e. use more than one deck to answer a single question (Earth Magic Oracle, playing cards and Tarot).

In my defense, when, as part of Ethony's 31 Days of Tarot Challenge, I answered that question, I envisaged spreading several decks at once and then commencing the reading. What I did was spread and read each deck one at a time, and then round off by combining the overall message from all three.

The person I read for knows I'm only practicing on him, so I felt comfortable trying something a bit different. It was fun seeing how the three spreads, plus the 4th "Don't Do/Do spread (check out the Angelo Nasios link below), all seemed to align. It was also interesting to spot patterns between them. For instance, three of the four began with an Ace, a different one for each.

I don't think this is something I'd make a habit of doing, but at least the prospect isn't as daunting anymore.

Links to things referenced in the video:
Nikkiana (shop) - https://www.etsy.com/shop/nikkiana
Nikkiana (YouTube) - https://www.youtube.com/user/nikkianah
Angelo Nasios "Master Tarot Lesson with Rachel Pollack" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJRQ0DwKBUs

Day 31 of the Challenge - the Grand Finale

Oh! I've only just remembered that I haven't shared my final video for Ethony's 31 Days of Tarot Challenge. Sorry! I know you've all been waiting with bated breath. Here you go - I hope it was worth the wait. ☺

All things considered, I think it went quite well. And I am hugely relieved, LOL!

I really enjoyed this challenge. Yeah, I was nervous, but it was still fun answering the questions. I hope I find another good challenge soon. I really don't know what else I'd want to commit to "film" and inflict on the general public. If there's something you'd like me to tackle go ahead and leave a comment. And please subscribe to my YouTube channel, just in case. I wouldn't want you to miss anything!

This one's for me

If you've watched my latest 31 Days of Tarot Challenge video then you know I've been suffering with a cold for a while now, and that card reading takes a back seat when I'm ill.

But sitting here this evening, I suddenly got the urge to dig out Madame Dora and have a go. I thought perhaps I'd post an "open reading" for you. It's been a while, after all. But as soon as I saw the cards, I knew they were meant for me.

Richard and Simon: You're improving but the reality is you're not quite up to it yet. Ivy: (somewhat less irreverently) They can wait.

So there you have it. Madame Dora has spoken. I'll wait a bit longer before I tackle a reading for you all. That said, if this one says something you feel you need to hear right now, take it with my blessing.