Silver Era Tarot: Your Word is your Wand

This morning I drew these three cards and the phrase "Your word is your wand" immediately came to mind.  The Ace of Wands seemed very certainly to belong to the Magician.  And the woman in the Two of Swords is unable to use her eyes, as they are blindfolded, or her hands, as they are full. She can only speak. Her word is her only wand.  And she is surrounded on both sides by magic wands. These cards affirm to me the magical power I have to create whatever I want in my life.

This makes perfect sense to me, as I have recently picked up Florence Scovel Shinn's The Game of Life and How to Play It, and I'm now reading it for a second time. There are many copies of this book available, but the link I posted brings you to the awesome copy I have, which includes her four books in one. One of these books is "Your Word is Your Wand".  Her motivational books were originally published in the 1920's - 1940's and revolve around manifesting reality. She, like Neville Goddard, used Bible stories as metaphysical metaphors. I find it a bit baffling when I hear people say they her books are "too religious", when she clearly points out the metaphysical equivalent to the verses she sites, rather than referring to the passages literally. 

In any case, her compilation of books have been very inspiring to me, and have helped keep my energy up during these chaotic and stressful weeks. When I start to feel a bit overwhelmed, like I can't do it all, I read a quick chapter and I'm immediately inspired again.  Good stuff!

Deck: Silver Era Tarot (by Aunia Kahn and Russell L. Moon, published by Schiffer)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Silver Era Tarot: Another Jackpot Afoot!

Today's draw thrilled me!  It brought me right back to the day I began sharing my posts with this deck. Exactly one week ago today, I drew the Ace of Pentacles and the Wheel of Fortune, side by side (here).  And today they both return, again side by side. The day after this duo appeared last week, I received an amazing jackpot of good fortune.  I knew, when I drew those two circular cards together that I was in for a wonderful treat. And now here they are again! I just love how they arranged themselves back together again after a week of shuffling! I've been saying all week that I feel I'm still on a lucky streak, and there's even more to come.  Today the cards confirm this.

Next to the Wheel and Ace of Pentacles is Death. A huge sweeping change. This is certainly true. We are moving in a few weeks. We are leaving behind a lot of things including many of our belongings, Florida, my father, and my children's friends. It all feels good to me though. I recently wrote about my comfort with the Death card. It does not scare me. I embrace big changes. And I am particularly exicted about leaving all of this behind and starting fresh in a new place.  I am definitely feeling the butterfly side of things, emerging from the caterpillar death cocoon chamber.

Looking at the first two cards again, I asked the deck, "What amazing jackpot will I receive this time?" and I pulled the next card. The High Priestess. She said, "You already know the answer."  So I replied, "Money?" and pulled the next card. The Ten of Pentacles. Yep. Money. And Family. And Security. The whole shebang.  Moving will bring us closer to my folks and aunt in California. So my kids will have more frequent contact with them, which makes me very happy.  And I just feel it in my bones that I'm going to receive either some sort of financial windfall or significant income opportunity, though I am absolutely clueless as to how that will possibly happen.  Just a hunch.

Just for my own quick reference, here's a little recap of ♣ lucky ♣ cards I've drawn so far this week:

Wheel of Fortune: 3
Ace of Pentacles: 3
Knight of Pentacles: 2
Nine of Cups: 2
Nine of Pentacles: 2
Ten of Pentacles: 1
Magician: 1

*While typing this out, I wondered if today's cards might be relating to my parents instead of me. Death + Ten of Pentacles can indicate an inheritance.  A few days ago, my stepfather's parents were both rushed to the ER within the same day. His mother had a fall and had head and elbow injuries, but she will recover. His father was catatonic with a severe body infection.  It wasn't known whether he would survive, but he's hanging on.  I don't know how much, if any, of an inheritance my stepfather would receive if he died, as I assume someone's assets all go to the living spouse until her death, then passed onto the "children"?  Not really sure how that all works.  Anyway, he's really very old and mean and the family is ready for his passing, but apparently he isn't ready to go just yet.  

Deck: Silver Era Tarot (by Aunia Kahn and Russell L. Moon, published by Schiffer)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Silver Era Tarot: The Magic Continues

So this morning, I drew my usual three cards, but a fourth one pulled itself away from the deck. When I saw that the flanking cards were the two Nines from yesterday, I smiled a cheshire grin.  Something within me told me to keep pulling cards, and that feeling stopped after the next two were drawn.  (I had them laid out all in a horizontal line, but separated them for better viewing on the blog.)

I don't really need to say much about the cards... yesterday's draw really says it all. Today's cards were just a huge confirmation of everything coming together magically (Magician) for my big move (Six of Swords). The Nine of Pentacles and Nine of Cups are back today to confirm that I will soon have everything I need to make this move a success.  The King of Cups also returns, and he's nestled in snugly between the Nine and Ten of Cups, which is not a shabby place to be.  The Ten of Cups is a card I drew for myself in a reading the day that my mom offered their help.  It was the card that represented how the actual drive across country would go. And here it is again, the happy family card, next to my stepdad's new card, the King of Cups, who will be accompanying me on said journey across the country.

But... I wasn't done. I had the itch to look at the bottom of the deck.  What I saw made me smile in relief and advance gratitude.  There was the Knight of Pentacles again, with the Ace of Pentacles, again.  Over the past few days, each of these cards have shown up with the Wheel of Fortune, and now they appear together. It was a most welcome sight.

I knew instantly that these cards meant that my luck hasn't run out yet.  I knew intuitively that they weren't merely reflecting what has already happened, but that they were indicating more to come.  Which is good, because I still have a few major details to iron out.  One of them being reserving a house for us to rent, which I fear will be difficult to accomplish from all the way across the country. And the other being creating an additional source of steady, immediate income.  Both of these (a new home and a new income stream) can be represented by the Ace of Pentacles.  And here is my Jackpot Knight, holding the actual pentacle this time, handing it to me.  I think the magic is going to continue, and I will meet with exactly the right circumstances in perfect time.

Deck: Silver Era Tarot (by Aunia Kahn and Russell L. Moon, published by Schiffer)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Silver Era Tarot: Happy, Happy Day!

This has been an amazing week.  And I'm going to trip all over my words trying to show how amazingly it all ties into the cards I've drawn this week.  I'll try my best to make it mostly cohesive. These cards above were yesterday's cards.  The past couple of days have been such a whirlwind that I haven't had enough time to blog. I hope I don't run out of steam before I can post today's cards as well, because they were great.

So yesterday's draw... The Nine of Cups and the Nine of Pentacles is an awesome duo. It's like "your wish is my command". And that is exactly what happened the day before.  So these cards were just reflecting my feeling of sitting on top of the world. 

The story of these cards actually begins with the Wheel of Fortune which has been popping up for me all over the place with this deck this week. The other day it was paired with the Ace of Pentacles (here), and I could just feel it in my bones that it was signaling "jackpot". 

Then, the next day, I received the Knight of Pentacles and the Wheel (here). One of the things I wrote in that post was: "I'd much prefer to have the Knight come over and say, "Here ya go, here's a magical coin that'll bring you your every desire, easy as pie." I know it's not PC to say so, but I'd much rather be a maiden rescued sometimes than to always have to be the one to get things done." 

That very day, that very same day!, my mother offered to give me a car.  A car! Not only that, but my stepdad is going to fly out here to help us move cross country.  If that doesn't scream jackpot, I don't know what does!  And it was completely unsolicited... their offer hit me staight out of the clear blue sky, just like the Wheel is wont to do.  When I saw that Knight the other day, in my pure exhaustion from trying to do everything on my own, all I wanted was for this Knight to just hand me something. Something I didn't have to pour my blood, sweat and tears into. Something just given to me because I'm a good person and I deserve for some good, blessed miracle to happen to me for once.  And that's exactly what happened.

The King of Cups in this post, next to the Nines can mean two different things.  First, I have been drawing him a LOT this week also.  He appeared in a reading I did regarding my move, and he just keeps popping up.  Initially I thought it was a signal for me to keep my wits about me and not get emotionally overwhelmed, which is hard to do when you're moving across country in a few weeks without all the details ironed out yet! And I still think this is excellent advice, and will continue to remember this message.  But now I also think it might be referring to another side of my stepdad.  He is always the King of Pentacles to me.  Although my mom has been married to him for twenty years now, I've never spent any time with him without my mom also being there. So a 3,000 mile road trip together might make for some bonding, which would explain the softer King of Cups.

So I think that pretty much brings things up to speed... although I do want to post more about the synchronicity of it all.  There is more and more synchronicity occuring in my life on a daily basis, I can hardly keep track.  Everything feels so magical right now.  And I hope it stays that way. (Magic and miracles will be most welcome while making this huge move during Mercury Retrograde!)

Deck: Silver Era Tarot (by Aunia Kahn and Russell L. Moon, published by Schiffer)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Silver Era Tarot: One Bizarre Morning

This morning I woke up feeling very Five of Cups-y. And Ten of Wands-y.  Just kinda overwhelmed and bummed about all that I have to shoulder in the coming weeks. So these two cards definitely reflected my mood this morning. Not feeling at all empowered.

The Knight of Pentacles was a strange one to come between these two, but not irrelevant to my morning, on its own.  It felt very much like a commercial interruption between the reading.  "We interrupt your reading for a very important message brought to you by the Knight of Pentacles..." and then, "We now return you to your regularly scheduled reading."  Readings don't always have to flow perfectly. They can be choppy. This one's choppy.

When I saw this Knight, the first thing I thought of was a dream I had this morning just before waking up. When I was first learning tarot, I assigned someone I knew to each court card, to better familiarize myself with their personalities.  I assigned the Knight of Pentacles to an old boyfriend who was very dependable, responsible, etc. I haven't talked to him for many years now, but I dreamt about him this morning. It was a very freaky dream... the climax being that I shut my car door on his hand and half of his index finger was chopped off!  What the...?!?  We rushed to the hospital and had it reattached.  When I woke up, that same half of my index finger was numb. 

What the heck does that mean? I have no clue.  The intense drama and resulting physical mirroring could have just been a way of making sure I remembered my dream about my old beau, and the pulling of his card making it a synchronous event I would not be quick to dismiss.  The Knight of Pentacles is perhaps telling me to buck up (Five of Cups) and shoulder my responsibilities (Ten of Wands) like a man. I'm not good at masculine, aggressive, ambitious, action-type stuff. So this kinda sucks. I'd much prefer to have the Knight come over and say, "Here ya go, here's a magical coin that'll bring you  your every desire, easy as pie." I know it's not PC to say so, but I'd much rather be a maiden rescued sometimes than to always have to be the one to get things done.  (The Knights are ironically portrayed in this deck by female counterparts.)

After looking at my cards, I turned the deck over to look at the bottom card. The Wheel of Fortune.  From yesterday, was my first thought.  Things are going to change, don't worry, was my second thought.  The Five of Cups and Ten of Wands are perhaps the signs marking the time of "darkest before dawn".  (My day got better very quickly as the morning progressed, so the icky morning feeling didn't last very long at all.)

Things are moving and changing in my life right now, much as the Wheel promises.  I received the new Oracle of the Shapeshifters today, which is all about the ever-changing times in one's life. It's all so synchronous.  In fact, synchronicity is surrounding me in abundance lately. I hardly have time to write it all down, to keep note of it.  There's a post I've been meaning to write on the unbelievable synchronicity I've been having with master numbers lately.  Hopefully I'll have the time to share my experiences on that sometime this week.

As a side note, I really dig this Wheel of Fortune card. I love the feel of the wooden wheel against the silver background. I'm enjoying this deck very much.

Deck: Silver Era Tarot (by Aunia Kahn and Russell L. Moon, published by Schiffer)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Silver Era Tarot: Karmic Rewards

This week I'll be working with the gorgeous and unique Silver Era Tarot.  I don't know what took me so long to acquire this deck... I love it!  The images are altered black and white photographs, with a single color accent somewhere in each card. I love the modern vibe the cards offer, while still maintaining the old world poses and symbolism.

This morning I drew the Ace of Pentacles, followed by the Wheel of Fortune and Justice.  The Ace of Pentacles is like hidden treasure to me. And next to the Wheel of Fortune, it screams "Jackpot!".  I love when these two circular cards appear together.  It feels especially auspicious. (Say that three times fast!)

But Justice? Ugh. What's that about?  I recently shared my dislike of this card. The whole "justice" system makes me very uncomfortable. So my discomfort of the traditional use of this card doesn't really make sense with the theme of the other two cards.  So I'm gonna go with the alternative "balance" or "karma" theme of this card.  The Wheel says that things are going to be changing in my favor soon, and that it's probably going to have to do with money received (Ace of Pents).  Perhaps this will balance things out for me, and it will be my karmic reward.  And with a hint of the traditional sense of Justice, it will come together in a way that feels "right" or "just" to me.

Numerology-wise, I noticed this reading is full of ones (Ace: 1, Wheel: 10, Justice: 11). Lots of powerful and fresh, new energy found in ones.  Good stuff.

Deck: Silver Era Tarot (by Aunia Kahn and Russell L. Moon, published by Schiffer)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Book Review: The Masks of Tarot

The Masks Of Tarot
by Scott Grossberg (Leaping Lizards Publishing)

This is a book of secrets. Or, more correctly, a book on how to obtain secrets. It is a synthesis of ideas made to center on one useable theme; that, by allowing our Querents (those who seek our insights) their masks, they reveal to us their truths. Or work, as Readers, Tellers and See-ers thus becomes more "telling".

This is the intriguing first paragraph of The Masks of Tarot, a book revealing a unique, interactive reading method utilizing only the 22 Major Arcana cards of the tarot.

The querent (not the reader) is guided to look through the Major Arcana and select their favorite card, which becomes the foundation for the rest of the  initial reading.  The chosen card represents the client's Mask, and is applied to a template referred to as the Hiding Places System which will magically unveil not only details on the mask the querent wears, but also his or her personal Beast, Light and Shadow.  (After making this initial assessment, you can then move onto the more detailed spread included in the book, which utilizes additional cards.)

Following are the main attributes of each archetype you will uncover about your querent after the selection of the initial card:

The Mask
• What I take for granted in myself
• What makes me who I am
• How I view myself
• What I am attracted to

The Beast
• What I resort to under stress
• What I excuse in myself
• How others view me
• My deepest urge

The Light
• What I desire to accomplish
• What I look at with wonder
• What others think I need
• What I need for balance

The Shadow
• What I think I have left behind
• What I become when all else fails
• What I still must learn to control
• The thing I have no wish to be

The book generously provides a sample Hiding Places analysis for each of the 22 Major Arcana "masks".  While the template stands as a necessary foundation for the process, you are encouraged to use your intuitive skills to provide your own assessments when doing a reading.

The next part of the book offers an additional layer of reading, where we get to see every card read in each archetypal position (Mask, Beast, Light, Shadow).

The Hiding Places template can also be used with different systems (not just tarot). The author shows us how it works with The Alchemy of Human Needs, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, Enneagram/Personality Types, and Hand Types for use with palmistry.

Once the initial reading is done, you can then move onto the related Hiding Places Spread, a 5-6 card spread which utilizes, then expands on, the Hiding Places System.  The spread is interactive as well, as the cards are deliberately chosen by the querent.  There are four sample readings included.

At the end of the book, there are several worksheets for practice, along with a 6-page list of keywords (emotions and personality types) for sparking your imagination when using the Hiding Places System.

I won't go into the details of how the ingenious system works (you'll need to buy the book for that), but I can tell you that I applied the Hiding Places System to my own favorite tarot card (my own personal mask) and the assessment made a lot of sense. I actually laughed, because it hit pretty darned close to home!

The Masks of Tarot provides a fascinating new way of looking at the Major Arcana cards and how they relate to one another.  A detailed study of the concepts in this book will not only offer a new way of reading the cards, but will also greatly expand one's understanding of the cards themselves, thereby enriching any reading performed, with or without this system.

Book: The Masks Of Tarot (by Scott Grossberg)

(Scott Grossberg is also the mastermind behind the book: The Vitruvian Square - A Handbook of Divination Discoveries, and the oracle cards: Deck of Shadows. He also has an amazing blog you should totally visit.)


~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Book Review: The Vitruvian Square

The Vitruvian Square - A Handbook Of Divination Discoveries
by Scott Grossberg (Leaping Lizards Publishing)

The Vitruvian Square is a book containing a plethora of reading methods, all of which revolove around a central template which is the Vitruvian Square (VS).

This is a difficult book to review because there is so much dense and detailed information packed into the 170 pages. I've read through it once, but haven't even begun to absorb all the information contained within it. There is so much to consider, and such enormous potential for paths upon paths of possibility with this square template.

The Vitruvian Square is divided into nine equally sized inner squares, with an additional 10th square added at the top. It is inspired in part by the ancient Chinese Lo Shu Square. The VS has modified the original number placement into a more sensical arrangment.

Each inner square of the VS is assigned its own meaning, using an incredibly wide and varied amount of possibilities.


Each square has its own:

• Meaning
• Number
• Alphabetical letters
• Color
• Astrological signs
• Alchemical assigment and stage
• "Hero's Journey" landmark
• Sacred geometry association
• Tarot card assignments
• Subconscious oracle
• Sepharial's "Of Things Lost" assignments

Basically, anything that you can classify can be arranged in this square.

When you are doing a reading using the square, you not only use the inner squares themselves, but there is also specific meaning in each vertical, horizontal and diagonal line of squares, the lines between the squares,  and the intersections of the lines.

So how does one use this square?  The possibilities are endless. The book explains many options in detail.  You can do a reading on a name, noting which squares the letters fall in. You can do a reading on a birth date, noting where the numbers fall in the VS.  You can use the VS to add incredible dimension to your card readings. After doing your intial reading as you normally would, you can now greatly expand on it by placing your tarot/oracle/playing cards on the Square, arranging them either according to the numbers on the cards, or whatever other method you wish to invent.  It's also a great utility for throwing stones or runes, or any other method of casting lots.

And again, you are reading not only the inner squares themselves, but placement as a whole.  Emphasis is given where there is a majority of activity in one part of the Vitruvian Square. And the voids are also significant. Connections are made in the lines of squares, and sometimes what is missing is just as important to notice as what is there.

The book illustrates the VS placement on the palm of a hand, for added insight into palm reading.  There are also options detailing the utilization of the square by delving into platonic solids using Role Playing Game (RPG) dice, sacred geometry, mythic legend association, working with the medicine wheel, and even allowing intuition to select three random numbers using the threefold number method.  You can also use the VS to find lost items, with Sepharial's "Of Things Lost" square assignments.  All of this, and a great deal more, is covered in the book.

One of the most exciting aspects of this method of reading is that once you are familiar with the basic areas of the VS, you can do readings in your head, even without any tools or physical square available. I spent hours upon hours the other day physically laboring at something. When I finally laid down for a bit of a rest with my eyes closed, I intutively thought of three numbers in my head. Using the threefold number method, I mentally placed my numbers on the square in my head, and it gave me an accurate assessment of how I was feeling about the day.

Not only can the Vitruvian Square be used for reading, but it also has other potential, as addressed in the book, such as sigil work and manifestation intention.

The only thing lacking is a Table of Contents, which would have been useful for easier reference.

This book really is incredible, and this review doesn't even begin to do it justice.  Scott Grossberg has a gift for taking an idea and expanding its reach as far as possible. He did this with his Deck of Shadows, giving us an oracle that includes titles, subtext, images, symbols and playing card associations; somehow accomplishing this without the cards feeling cluttered.  And now, with the The Vitruvian Square, he takes a simple concept and expands it into worlds of possibility in the art of divination.

The Vitruvian Square has the potential to add as much dimension to your readings as is limited only by your imagination. One of the things I love about the world of tarot/oracle reading is that there is always room for learning more, no matter how long you have been reading and how much you have studied.  This never-ending learning process is one of the things that keeps the art so exciting to me, year after year. This book is a testament to (and celebration of) that reality.

Note: The above image of the Vitruvian Square isn't the complete version. A more detailed version of the chart is featured in the book, including the color associations, sacred geometry symbols and alchemical assignments.

P.S. Scott also offers an exclusive Vitruvian Square Casting Cloth on his website. I don't have one, but it looks gorgeous! Definitely something for the wish list.

Book: The Vitruvian Square - A Handbook Of Divination Discoveries (by Scott Grossberg)

(Scott Grossberg is also the mastermind behind the book: The Masks of Tarot, and the oracle cards: Deck of Shadows. He also has an amazing blog you should totally visit.)


~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Deck of Shadows: Red Riding Hood Reading

I was browsing Scott Grossberg's blog today, looking through all his fairy tale spreads. There were several that I wanted to try out and blog about today, but the synchronicity of the Little Red Riding Hood themed spread caught my attention. You see, the movie Red Riding Hood has just arrived in a Netflix envelope in my mailbox today. And Scott even mentions this version of the movie in his post. So it seemed quite fated.

I wanted to do a reading on the next stage in my life. We are going to be moving very soon, and I'm a little nervous about it all coming together in time. I'm not good at planning everything in advance, and I worry that I might not have all my bases covered. This spread is designed to provide direction when you feel you are lost or have strayed off your path.

Scott Grossberg's "All the Better to See You With" Spread: (See his blog post for more detail on additional potentials for this spread.)


1. Mother (The Burden. The responsibility you carry and duty you think you must dependably fulfill)

Life (Health, Creation, Well-Being)

I'm responsible for the lives and well-being of my children. Quite fitting that in the Mother position, I see my responsibilities of being a mother. Being their sole parent, their upbringing is entirely in my hands. They depend on me and only me, and it's a responsibility that affects every aspect of my life.


2. Little Red (The Innocence. The effortless, yet childish, impulses you must learn to control)

Forbidden Love (Seduction, Triangle, Detachment)

Forbidden Love might be representing my strong, passionate desire to move, which has haunted me for years now. Until now, this desire has gone unrequited.

As far as my "Little Red Innocence" goes, I see the keyword "detachment" in this card and I think my innocence lies in the fact that I feel detached from the usual stigma of being a grown mother. While it feels perfectly natural to be with my kids every day, sometimes I look back and wonder how I can be old enough to have an 11 year old. How did that happen? Where did the time go?  I feel like I'm 15 years younger than I really am... so most of the time, I don't feel like a "grown up". At least not in the way I used to think of grown-ups when I was a child.  The seduction this card suggests is maybe the allure in still being young at heart and not wanting to take on too much of the real world and its stodgy heaviness.


3. Wolf (The Danger. What you fully believe is persistently hunting you and may ultimately consume you)

Mentor (Guide, Mystic, Work)

I think the danger here is in my lack of a mentor. There is no one I can really turn to or rely on for help. I've always been more solitary than group-oriented, so I'm more comfortable doing things on my own. The danger this poses is in having to always be my own guide and therefore not being able to look at things objectively a lot of the time. This is something I think meditation will help with. Having my spiritual side help guide me, rather than always using my physical senses.  Also, the other day, I did a reading on meditation (here) which told me that meditating will lead me to opportunities to unify with others, so maybe when I move I will gravitate toward a support sytem so I don't always have to be my own guide.


4. Hunter (The Rescue. What will remarkably save and protect you from your groundless desires)

Death (Transition, Tears, Lies)

Facing the inevitability of impending change will save me from stalling and procrastinating making the move. It's something that has to be done within a certain time frame, so I have to let go. I have to move forward. Death is about ending. There is a big ending coming up for me and I need to embrace it wholeheartedly if I want to be rescued from what I'm desperate to leave behind.  The Death card (in any deck) does not scare me. It feels like an old friend. The tarot Death card is tied to my astrological sign of Scorpio, so Big Change is something that feels natural to me, and the seductive darkness of the ending that Death cards represent has a certain mysterious allure to it. It's ironic that my rescue will come from the thing most others fear.


5. Moral - Three center cards (The Lesson. What you will be learning from your current situation)

Maturation, Time, Servant

It's interesting that "Adulthood" is one of the keywords of the Maturation card, as it ties into what I was saying earlier, how I don't feel like a full fledged grown-up. But this card serves as a lesson for me. This big move will be different from the ones before, and it seems the experience might make me feel more mature. But hopefully in an empowering way, not a stuffy and stressful way.

Time, with its hourglass flowing at the bottom of the card, shows me two things. First, how short life is, and that I should live it however I feel most comfortable and natural, and not worry about how mature I need to appear to the world (playing off the Servant card next to it). Also, next to Maturation, it shows me that things will progress in their own time. There's no rush to become what I am not yet ready to be.

Servant spoke to me about where my duties lie. I am here to be a servant to myself and my children. I am here to meet all of our needs, but the rest of the world is on their own. I will not be a slave to anyone else.


It's fascinating to me that Life and Death appeared opposite one another on the left, representing the Burden and the Rescue. Death will rescue me from Life.  Eventually, this will be true physically... but hopefully not for a very long time!  In the meantime, the death of the circumstances I am leaving behind will pave the way for a new life teeming with new opportunities.

This was an interesting spread, and I'm going to spend some more time with it later, applying the cards to the Vitruvian Square to see what further insights I can glean from it.

Deck: Deck of Shadows (by Scott Grossberg)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Deck of Shadows: Meditation Inquiry

This afternoon I had an inquiry for the cards regarding meditation. I have not been meditating regularly at all. I have a lot going on this coming month and am going to be crazy busy. Part of me was thinking meditation might help bring me targeted insight to help me through this period, insight I might not receive in the midst of my busyness.  But the other part of me was thinking it might not help at all, and it would be a waste of the little time I already had.

So I consulted the cards. I asked if meditation would be pointedly beneficial to me, specifically for this next month. It won't be motivation enough if all I get out of it is some quiet time. I wanted to know if meditation will specifically benefit some part of my plan for the next month.  Or if it would just be time wasted, and I could just put it off until things quieted down.

The first card I turned over was Sacrifice. It confirmed my knowing that setting aside the time to meditate daily right now will be a sacrifice.  Another keyword on this card is isolation. The picture at the bottom of the card reminded me of a hermit's cave, tying into the reclusive nature of meditation.  So this card addresses the situation. It felt to me like a positive affirmation, but might it merely be reflecting the question?  I look to the other cards for more information.

The next cards I read together: The Soul and Unity.  Meditation is a gateway to the soul. It's the way we quiet our logical minds enough to let our soul speak to us.  Unity shows this connection between body and soul.

The cards all seem to be speaking of the benefits of meditation. But I found myself thinking, while I know how good it is for me, my inquiry was if it would specifically help my goals this month, not just give me a general good feeling and soul connection. Then I had to laugh at myself. Wouldn't a general good feeling and soul connection automatically help any cause? 

Although that pretty much summed things up for me, I decided to do a little more digging. These three cards all meet at the second power point of the Vitruvian Square.  Following is an excerpt from Scott Grossberg's blog post on the power points regarding the second power point:

"When this power point is involved in a reading, there is an indication that new achievements and intellectual pursuits are coming, with a resulting change in a current situation. This is the power point of choosing to create change through binding and linking yourself with others and a move towards a desired outcome in the world around you. The more cards that direct you to this spot, the more you are joining forces – internally and externally – with others."

The emphasis on working with others was interesting to me, due to the solitary nature of meditation. I also noticed that the cards fell in the squares that indicate connecting, creating and uniting. That the word unity came up on both the actual card and in one of the squares is significant to me. Combining this with the power point, I think it's telling me that meditation may lead me to some insights on how to better work with people this month to achieve my goals with the greatest possible ease. This is something I never even considered, and it's a fantastically surprising bit of insight.


I felt the urge to look at the card at the bottom of the deck for a bottome line message. And it winked right at me.  The Void. Infinite. Nonattachment. Darkness. Meditation in a nutshell.

So I will take that as a resounding YES. A definite green light. Meditation will help me through the next month. I will be better off by setting aside time to meditate daily, rather than going without.  And now I'm quite interested in seeing how the insights I receive will lead me to a greater sense of unity with others.

Deck: Deck of Shadows (by Scott Grossberg)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Deck of Shadows: Sibling Rivalry

This week is Scott Grossberg Week on my blog! I'll be playing with the Deck of Shadows and reviewing his books The Masks of Tarot and The Vitruvian Square. And maybe even using one of his wonderful fairy tale spreads as well.

Today as I was shuffling my cards, my girls were bickering and I was wishing they would just chill out. So when the cards reflected this situation, I had to smile. As I turned over the first two cards, Visions and Love, I heard the Mariah Carey song in my head (Vision of Love). I just wanted peace in the moment. I was indeed having visions of love. The third card I flipped over was Rivalry, accurately depicting the friction between my daughters.  The cards mirrored the situation beautifully, picking up on the energy surrounding me. Thankfully the argument was short lived and they resumed playing together happily. All is well.

After reading Scott's blog post yesterday (here) about the power points of his Vitruvian Square method, I mentally placed the cards on the square according to their numbers and found that they all touched the third power point.

When this power point is involved in a reading, there is an indication that the person being read has an emotional need and want to move away from the current situation. These choices, by the way, result from a desire to conquer a fear or vanquish a current, unwanted situation.

That is as accurate as can be, isn't it? I wanted to move away from the bickering and return to a place of peace... to "vanquish a current unwanted situation". Indeed!


Deck: Deck of Shadows (by Scott Grossberg)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Secret Language of Colour Cards: Bronze and Turquoise Necklace

I have one more reading I wanted to share with this gorgeous deck. I drew these cards several days ago, but didn't have time to post. I still wanted to share it though, because it was such a lovely blending of cards that was seemingly tailored just for me.

On the morning I drew these two cards, I knew I would be busy all day and wouldn't have time to draw a "contemplation" card, so I wanted both cards to show me what colors I should naturally incorporate in my life, preferable something I could wear together.

Bronze and Turquoise. 

I instantly knew just what that meant! The only bronze thing I own is a bronze necklace, and it just so happens to also feature the color turquoise. What are the odds of that? The chain, bird and nest are bronze, with three turquoise eggs sitting in the nest. It's my very favorite necklace.

I thought that was a lovely way to wrap up my week with this gorgeous deck!

Decks:  The Secret Language of Colour Cards (by Inna Segal, published by Blue Angel Publishing)

The US version of the deck (The Secret Language of Color Cards) is available for pre-order, to be published in October 2011.


~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Deck Review: The Secret Language of Colour Cards

The Secret Language of Colour Cards is a gorgeous 45-card deck created by Inna Segal and published by Blue Angel Publishing. The deck I have is the original Australian version, so it is spelled "Colour".  In the US version (due out in October of 2011) it will be spelled "Color".

"The Secret Language of Colour Cards are your key to unlocking the extraordinary healing power of colour.  Combining tips and information on colours with powerful healing processes and affirmations, this vibrant and powerful card set by bestselling author Inna Segal is a tool you can use daily to receive inspired messages of guidance from the Universe and to restore your body to its natural state of health and harmony."

(Above excerpt taken from the back of the box.)

The Cards
The cards measure approximately 3 3/4" x 5 1/2" and have a glossy sheen to them.  Since they are on the larger size, I actually shuffle them vertically. Luckily they are flexible enough to do so with ease. The backs of the cards aren't reversible, but the deck isn't designed to be read with reversals.  The image on the backs looks like translucent flower petals layered on loose stripes of rainbow colored lines (see below).  The cards are wonderfully borderless on three sides, giving the images full exposure.  The bottom border of each card matches the color theme of the card and is labeled with a color, key phrase and number.

The images on the cards are bright, crisp and gorgeous. They would serve beautifully as focal points for meditation. It was impossibly difficult to choose just a select few to feature in this review, because they are all so fantastic and deserving of viewing. I can't even begin to discuss some of my favorites, because I wouldn't know where to draw the line. 

I don't think there are any cards I can say that I dislike, but if I had to pick a least favorite, it would be one of the two red cards (Rose and Scarlet), simply because they feature people, and don't seem to blend in seamlessly with the non-human nature of the rest of the cards. No facial features or details are seen on these people, as they are dark silhouettes against the background. The Rose card shows a man and woman in a face-to-face embrace on the beach. And the Scarlet card shows the back of someone with arms lifted toward the sky.

Most of the cards feauture scenes from nature. But there are a few that stray, feauturing items such as bars of chocolate, shiny silver coins, cherries and pearls, to name a few.

The color group which is most represented in the deck just happens to be my favorite (purple) with cards including Indigo, Mauve, Plum, Lilac, Purple, Lavender, and Violet.  I like that black and white are included, as well as silver, gold and bronze. There's even a Rainbow card, incorporating many colors at once.

How it Reads
This isn't a deck that you would use for readings like you normally would with a typical tarot or oracle deck. These cards are to be used for contemplation, self-improvement, healing, meditation, and insight. The way I used the deck was to draw two cards daily. The first card showed me what color I would benefit from wearing that day, and the second card was to serve as inspiration for contemplation or action for the day.  It definitely made me realize how sorely my wardrobe is lacking in a variety of bright colors, and made me want to remedy that. And the contemplation cards I drew were always either extremely synchronous or timely for me.

There are many ways to use this deck for readings, aside from the method I developed for myself.  The booklet gives several suggestions with helpful tips on each:

1. Ask a question and select a card for your answer.
2. Place a card on a part of your body that needs healing.
3. Chakra clearing.
4. Working with others.
5. Meditation.
6. Eating or drinking chosen color.
7. Wearing chosen color.
8. Surrounding yourself with chosen color.
9. Spending time in nature.
10. Painting.
and more!

Although I haven't used these cards yet for healing purposes, I can definitely see the potential benefit of doing so. The colors are so clear and powerful and pleasing to the eye. It's something I will absolutely delve into with these cards in the future.

Another idea I had for using these cards was to go through the deck when you're feeling less than wonderful, whether physically or emotionally. Choose a card to represent how you're feeling at the moment (not randomly, but purposefully picking a card that suits your feeling).  Then, again deliberately, select a card that you feel is a match for how you would like to feel instead.  Keep that card out and look at it often throughout the day. Try to find something to wear that is that color, or something to eat or drink that is that color. In addition to clothing, I have also taken to carrying a gemstone that matches the color of the card. Anything you can do to surround yourself with the energy of the desired color may help.

Accompanying Booklet
The booklet is 84 pages, written by Inna Segal. It begins with a Table of Contents, for easy reference to the cards.  The Introduction covers the power of color and how people use color to heal. Then the card usage ideas I mentioned above are included, with details on each.  There's a section covering FAQs. Then the bulk of the book is devoted to the meanings of each card. At the end is an "About the Author" page.

The passages in the book include an affirmation for every card. Also included with each card is a unique, specific recommended activity, meditation or visualization.

Following is an excerpt from the book:

9. Gold
Attract Abundance

Gold helps with clarity and decision making.  It attracts abundance, expands your awareness and helps you to get in touch with wisdom, profound knowledge and joy.

Gold strengthens all fields of the body and spirit.  It is the strongest colour to help heal all illness. However, it needs to be used wisely.

To attract abundance, focus on activating Golden energy in the palms of your hands.

ABUNDANCE
Hold a Gold coin in each of your palms.  Focus on the feeling of gratitude for the abundance that you already have.

Close your eyes and bless the coins. Imagine the coins multiply into a mountain of abundance. Focus on activating Golden energy in the palms of your hands, by sending Golden light into them.  When your hands begin to tingle you'll know that they have been activated.  Now, where appropriate, everything you touch can turn to Gold.

Say: "Divine Spirit, open the well of abundance in my heart and attract continuous blessings into my life."

Final Thoughts
I love this deck.  Love it!  I can't stop looking through the cards and absorbing the positive energy contained within them.  I'd recommend this deck to anyone and everyone. I feel it's an invaluable addition to the world of oracle cards. It fills a hole that needed to be filled. Using simple imagery and the power of color to spark intuition and healing, it is a unique and beautiful tool to have in your deck arsenal. There's nothing else like it.

The deck stands alone, fulfilling the purposes it was designed for, but I also feel it would be a great supplement to a tarot reading.

See below for more images from The Secret Language of Colour Cards.
Note: My scanner added weird rainbow lines to the Auburn card. Those don't appear on the actual card.

To see more images and readings I've done with the Secret Language of Colour Cards, visit my posts with the deck here.

Deck: The Secret Language of Colour Cards (by Inna Segal, published by Blue Angel Publishing)

The US version of the deck (The Secret Language of Color Cards) is available for pre-order, to be published in October 2011.


~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

The Tarot Numerology of the Casey Anthony Verdict

I was watching live as the Casey Anthony verdict was announced today. I haven't followed the trial at all, but have heard all of the convoluted details. When the jury deliberation clock stopped today, indicating that the jury had reached a verdict, I noted the time spent in deliberation.

The clock stopped at 10 hours, 40 minutes and 33 seconds.  I added these numbers together to get a Major Arcana card. Synchronicity would have the total be 11. Justice. Amazing. The time spent in jury deliberation equaled the very card that indicates the justice system that was the reason they were there.

But 45 minutes later, when the verdict was read, I was left with my jaw hanging open. Not guilty. Casey was found not guilty of any blame whatsoever in her daughter's death. This is justice? Really?  Justice reversed maybe. Though the jurors refused to comment after the verdict was announced, I am convinced in my heart that most of them, if not all of them, believe Casey to be guilty, but because of the laws and rules they were required to follow, were unable to legally convict her.

This is why I am so uncomfortable with this card in the tarot deck. Because I don't believe in the "justice" of our justice system. So many of the rules made by our legal system don't make sense.  And not just in this case, but in general, I'm not a fan of so many of the laws set up to "protect" us.

I'm not going to go into detail of what I think about this case, because I could go on and on for days.  But I will remark on what I am so shocked about.  Even if we completely disregard the fact that the child was murdered, there's the fact that the girl was missing for a month before the grandmother finally reported her missing.  As a mother myself, this is is enough to convict Casey alone. Not guilty of child abuse? Are you freaking kidding me? How is it not neglect to fail to report your missing toddler? How do you not frantically beg the police to search for your child? How are you not beside yourself with worry, but instead going out partying while your child is "missing" and no one is looking for her?  Beginning that very first day, I would not be able to eat or sleep or even breathe properly, myself dying a little with worry with each passing hour. Smiling would be an impossibility, and yet Casey was out partying it up. So it is beyond preposterous to imagine that she had nothing to do with the girl's disappearance.  And now she is free to be out in the world and have another child. It's disgusting.

I have nothing negative to say about the jurors, because since they were unanimous, there must have been "reasonable doubt" that made them reach the decision they were legally required to. I'm just glad not to have been put in their shoes. It must have been a very difficult experience for them, and one that will forever be a part of their lives.

Before hearing the verdict, I also calculated the numerology for today's date. 7 + 5 + 2011 = 16. The Tower. I was convinced that Casey Anthony would be convicted of murder, and since it was a death penalty case, the first thing I thought of when the Tower number came up was "electrocution" (due to the lightning in the card). 

However, the Tower happened to describe quite the opposite. It turns out that this card illustrates the shocking upset of the verdict, blowing the socks off the majority of the people who expected a guilty verdict.

The only thing to do now is hope that Casey Anthony does not repeat her mistakes. Because she's either guilty of murder or deadly child neglect. And I pray that another child does not suffer at her hands in the future.

Deck: Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot, published by US Games Systems Inc. (I have trimmed the original borders off my cards.)

~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Secret Language of Colour Cards: Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!


Decks:  The Secret Language of Colour Cards (by Inna Segal, published by Blue Angel Publishing)

The US version of the deck (The Secret Language of Color Cards) is available for pre-order, to be published in October 2011.


~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.

Secret Colour of Language Cards: Tangerine Energy, Brown Grounding & SynchroniCity

This morning as I was shuffling my cards, I specifically wanted the first card to show me a color I could wear that would give me energy all day long. After feeling so tired and drained all day yesterday, I really wanted to be pumped up today.  While I was shuffling, I kept seeing the color orange in my mind. That seemed to be the intuitive choice for energy-giving color in my mind.  So when I turned over the first card, Tangerine, it was already a familiar sight. I wasn't entirely surprised, as I have experienced the cards reading me so well this week.  But there was a big problem. I don't own anything orange to wear. Not a thing. So what I did was grab an orange floral piece of fabric and tore a piece off to construct a makeshift belt. I wore a shirt that had a splash of tangerine in it, but needed that extra punch.  I also carried a carnelian stone in my pocket all day, for added orange-energy.

And energy I had! Boy, it was like night and day from yesterday! I was bouncing around all day, accomplishing all sorts of things, never tiring once. It felt great!

Synchronicity note: It's an odd sort of synchronicity, that I want to note here just for my own future reference, that the last time I drew this Tangerine card, several days ago (here), I also drew the Nine of Diamonds from my playing cards (here). And today, I drew them both as well!  The Nine of Diamonds indicates adventure, which fits in well with the spontaneous fun recommended by the Tangerine card. The 9D is also my own personal "Superman" card... a modern day version of a Knight in Shining Armor to me... and today while I was cleaning up, I was putting away some Mother's Day cards, and one of them had a pink sparkly Superman logo on the front!

And, not only that... but I just realized I am wearing the same shirt I wore the last time I drew the Tangerine/9 Diamonds cards.  (Yes, it was only three days ago, and yes I washed the shirt between wearings.) The reason?  Because that day it was the closest shirt I had to the Azure card I drew, and today the splash of tangerine in it was the closest I had to today's card.  The shirt has a dove on it and it says: "Free to Live, Free to Love, Peace Now." Perhaps this message has added meaning for me this week!

Now, finally to the Brown card. This is gonna be short and sweet.  The Brown card recommends setting boundaries and grounding.  I am currently reading a book that covers a series of grounding methods (synchronicity abounds again!).  So this is obviously something I need to address, as the universe is sending me the message through several different venues. I didn't do any deliberate grounding today, because I was too busy bouncing around with my Tangerine energy.  But I will try to do a grounding exercise tonight before going to bed, and keep it in mind for tomorrow as well.

I swear, with all the synchronicity happening to me this week, I really feel like I'm living in SynchroniCity!

P.S. Isn't this Brown card wonderful?  I just wanna wrap myself up in that chocolatey satin sheet of luxury!

Decks:  The Secret Language of Colour Cards (by Inna Segal, published by Blue Angel Publishing)

The US version of the deck (The Secret Language of Color Cards) is available for pre-order, to be published in October 2011.


~ Kiki
Tarot Dame

If you'd like to book a tarot reading with me, please visit my website for details.