Daily Draw - The Magician, Six of Coins and The Hermit

This morning as I was shuffling, the Magician leaped out of the deck. I set it aside and pulled another two cards, the Six of Coins and The Hermit.

Since the Magician jumped out, I used this as the focus for the reading. I have made it my mission this year to become a manifesting magician! And so far, so good! So this card is speaking to me about the things I am doing to create miracles in my life this year.

Laying out the cards in a line, I see it as a sort of sandwich. The Magician and Hermit together encasing the Six of Coins. The Magician and the Hermit together remind me to continue the work that I am doing with my manifesting. It is done alone and at night, in my Hermit time just before drifting off to sleep at night.

The Six of Pentacles shows the rewards that I am already seeing trickling in as a result from my almost effortless efforts! One of the things I have learned is not to speak to others about what I am attempting to manifest until it becomes reality, so I won't go into more detail here. But suffice it to say that these cards are a welcome reminder to stay on the fruitful path that I am on.

(By the way, in case anyone's wondering, my cards have holes punched in the upper left corners. My mom bought this deck for me from a used bookstore where the cards had previously been on a ring for display.)

Deck: Dragon Tarot

Daily Draw - Queen of Coins, The Hanging Dragon and Knight of Swords

This week I'm using the Dragon Tarot. I've had this deck for awhile but have never used it. I'm not particularly into dragons, and most of the card scenes don't really tell much of a story. That being said, I thought I'd try it out for a week and see what I can make of it.

I just drew the Queen of Coins, The Hanged Dragon and the Knight of Swords.

The Queen of Coins, who I often relate to as a domestic goddess, is situated between a pentacle above and an egg below. The pentacle implies that she is well taken care of, she is financially comfortable. The egg below is her new family or project, something new for her to nurture and tend to.

The Hanging Dragon is slumped down, tail tangled in the branches. Waiting, expecting, bored. The Queen of Coins has been waiting a long time for her egg to hatch.

The Knight has the sword that can cut the Hanged Dragon down from the tree, but the first thing I thought of when I saw the bubbles and sword in the card is the phrase "I don't want to burst your bubble, but...".

So it looks to me as though I have the ability/tool needed (sword) to cut down the waiting time for something I am expecting. However, I am being advised not to do so. It might not be the best time to go hacking away with the sword, so I need to patiently hang in there a little while longer until the time is right. Eggs hatch on their own good time. I need to keep that in mind.

It hasn't yet registered in my brain what these cards are referencing in my life (it's still early and I'm still tired), but I got a pretty clear message from them. I expect it will click a little bit later when I'm more awake!

Deck: Dragon Tarot

Reading: Malfunctioning New Computer

Last week I ordered a new laptop. It arrived two days ago, but my great excitement was short lived, as I have been frustrated by a number of malfunctions which I feel I shouldn't have to deal with when opening a brand-spanking-new computer.

So this morning, trying to research ways to fix the problems, I gave up and went to the cards. I wanted to know if my computer issues would clear up or get worse. I don't want to deal with the hassle of sending it back, I'd really rather find the solutions online, if possible, and fix it myself.

I pulled out my Old Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards. This is the really old deck I bought from eBay that I mentioned in this post where I used the modern version of the deck.

I drew The Flame, The Moon and The Sun. The first thing I noticed was the fire on both sides, from the Flames and the Sun. I'm very heated up about the issue, for sure!

Here's what the pamphlet has to say about the cards:

The Flame: This is a good luck card. It weakens the meaning of all evil cards near it, and strengthens the meaning of all good cards.

The Moon: This card predicts honor and happiness. If the card lies at some distance from the subject's card, worries will trouble him. However, if the Sun is near, the troubles will be lighter.

The Sun: This card brings good luck and happiness.

Well, all these cards promise good luck and/or happiness... And the troubles mentioned in the Moon card are lessened by both the Flame and the Sun, while the Flame strengthens the good fortune of the Sun. That's exactly what I'm looking for!

So overall, it looks like things will get better and I will be able to resolve all of my computer issues. I'll have to keep these cards in mind when I continue working on the challenges I'm having, and try to remain optimistic about it all. Perhaps I can approach it differently by appreciating it as a learning opportunity (as opposed to wanting to tear all my hair out in frustration and rage!).

Deck: Old Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards

Deck Review: Tell Me Tarot

Tell Me Tarot is a deck geared toward newcomers to tarot, with a keyword and general meanings printed on each card. The brightly colored cartoon-ish style would appeal to a young audience (or those young at heart!). The lack of nudity or frightening images also makes it a welcoming starter deck for younger people.

The people in the Lovers (shown at left), World and Star cards are clothed in this deck. That being said, there is one card that jumped out at me, and I couldn't go without pointing it out. The Ace of Wands (below) is quite obviously phallic, to the point where it's impossible (for me personally), to imagine it being anything else. Even my eight year old son recognized it on sight. Now, I have sometimes seen the Ace of Wands as referencing just that, but it's certainly not always the meaning!

A unique feature of this deck is that each card includes either a positive (+) or negative (-) sign, or neither, for neutral or varying cards. I can see the benefit of looking at a spread and being able to quickly distinguish the balance of positive vs. negative. But I also think that this limits the cards' possibilities. But again, for a novice, this would probably prove helpful at first.

The general meanings and keywords on the cards are designed to help introduce the very basics. I was surprised at how well the cards were summed up. Some examples follow.

The Hanged Man = Surrender: Let go of struggles to gain peace of mind. What is meant to be yours will be so, effortlessly.

Death = Termination & Renewal: Let go of past patterns, people or activities in order to allow renewal and personal growth.

The Tower = Positive Changes (+): Unexpected breakup or destruction is required to release you from old chains and promote your growth.

Four of Cups = Open Up (-) : You are emotionally closed and ignore all the love that surrounds you and is offered to you. Open up.

Eight of Cups = Moving On (-): You leave because you feel something is missing. Allow yourself to follow your new desires.

Four of Swords = Freeze (-): Stay still and take time to think and relax. You can choose to resume activity at any time.

Knight of Swords = Rushing: You are confident and courageous but move too fast. Slow down. Enjoy getting there as much as being there.

Ten of Pentacles = Success (+): Happiness, wealth and joy are inherent and long lasting. Good family life. Success in reference to your question.


I like the simplicity of the artwork in some of the cards, such as the Hermit, Death and Devil. I also really like what was done with the Five of Wands. The card (shown below) depicts competition at a table... some sort of game or gambling going on there. I like how they are competing with one another, but aren't fighting each other. This is how I view the Five of Wands, and it's nice to have a card that portrays it as such.

The deck does not come with a LWB, as the meanings printed on the cards make a LWB unnecessary. There are four extra cards in the deck. Two of the cards display simple 4-card layouts (a General Spread, a Time Spread [past/present/future] and a Relationship Spread) . The other two cards provide an introduction to tarot with tips on how to word your questions.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this deck to someone just getting their feet wet with tarot. (And if the meanings prove to be distracting after they are no longer needed, they can always be trimmed off, so the cards need not always remain a "beginner" deck.)

See below for 12 more images.

Suits: Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles
Court Titles: Page, Knight, Queen, King
Justice/Strength: Strength 8, Justice 11
Cards: 78
Card Stock: Laminated, but not glossy
Card Size: approx. 2 5/8" x 4 5/8"
Backs: Reversible
Border: 1/8" outer white border, 7/8" bottom border with written meanings
Deck-specific LWB: No LWB
Artist: Created by Arik Eyal, Illustrated by Nir Cassuto
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc. (Reprinted in 2008)



To see more images, visit my draws with the Tell Me Tarot.

To purchase this deck, visit US Games Systems, Inc. or your favorite tarot retailer.

Deck: Tell Me Tarot

Daily Draw - The Hermit, Strength and Five of Cups

This morning I was greeted by my morning email with some undesirable news. It's not a big deal... there is just a good chance I may have to encounter someone loathsome today.

I drew three cards from the Tell Me Tarot, revealing The Hermit, Strength and Five of Cups. This was a very comforting response to receive.

Hermit and Strength are facing each other, with similar messages. Inner strength and spirituality. The Five of Cups is on the outside of this circle, with a "woe is me" attitude. This is the way I felt when I received that email, definitely. The card says, "You feel depressed as you focus on the negative." (Yep!) "Recognize the positive aspects and you will feel better". Okay that's where the other two cards come into play, because right off the bat I can't think of anything positive about this man. So I'm advised to do a little soul searching and come up with something good about the brief encounter I may have with him today. It's certainly not the end of the world. That's a start.

This cards in this deck are marked with either a positive or negative sign (or no sign at all for neutral). The first two cards in this draw are positive, and the negative card (Five of Cups) is one that is within my power to turn around, depending on my outlook. So overall, it looks like the situation has the potential to be less horrible than I had originally feared. If I change my attitude, it will be peaceful enough. These cards are reminding me that I'm the only one who has the power to remain happy and peaceful despite my outer circumstances. This person I dislike simply doesn't have that power over me. That is sometimes hard to forget in the moment, so it was a nice timely reminder to receive this morning.

This is the first reading I have done with this newly republished deck. I'm writing up a review to post shortly.

Deck: Tell Me Tarot

Daily Draw - Gypsy Fortunes

I drew this set of cards last Friday morning. It looked to me like I would be receiving bad news. Seemed pretty straightforward. The Rider indicates news. The Sun next to it would potentially mean good news, but the Scythe following the Sun pretty much annihilates any chance of it being good news. I saw the Scythe ripping into the happiness of the Sun, indicating bad news.

By the end of the day I hadn't received any news of any sort. I shrugged off the reading. The following day I received news that my father had a major heart attack the day before (the day I drew the cards). He was admitted to the hospital to find out that 99% of his main artery was blocked, while 50% of another main one was blocked. He had a stent put in, and is now back at home.

So the draw was pretty darned accurate! I even see the scythes now as scalpels which were involved in his surgery.

This was the second reading I had done with this deck, as it is a new acquisition. The day before, I had drawn three cards and at the end of the day I was surprised at how eerily accurate it had been, after something unexpected had happened. I am impressed so far with this deck. Unfortunately, the deck I purchased has a damaged card, so the deck always wants to cut to that card... as the crinkles in the card makes it physically stand out from the rest.

The Gypsy Fortunes deck is a modern reproduction of an earlier deck called Old Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards. The newer version comes with a book, which I haven't looked through yet. I also purchased a very old set of the original deck from eBay at the same time I bought this new set. I will post a reading soon with the original version of the cards for comparison. (This deck is similar to the Lenormand deck, but there are several cards which are different.)

Deck: Gypsy Fortunes