I haven’t been posting a lot outside of my Magickal Month posts lately. There’s a good reason for that. It’s hot and I don’t wanna. Nyeh!
(Actually, I’ve had a lot of other things going on, including Camp NaNoWriMo, a group on Facebook that is meant to facilitate and support making positive changes in life, lots of doctor visits, and also it’s hot, and I don’t wanna. Nyeh!)
(Our AC in the office sucks, and it’s usually well into the mid 80s in there. Gross.)
(Last of the asides, I promise.)
(Maybe just one more.)
SO! *ahem* What’s a girl to do when her tarot/office/work space is hot as balls, and she just can’t find the motivation to do much? She sits in the living room and writes. I’ve been writing a few guided meditations, and I’ll be recording those in August. I’m still doing tarot readings, but not quite as frequently. I’ll also be doing the speed tarot dating/readings at DragonCon again this year, at least 2 sessions, maybe 3! If you’re going to be there, come check that out in the Paranormal Track room! (Is the app out yet?) (DRINK!)
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So my summer decks haven’t gotten much play this year, which is a shame. These really are some of my favorite and oldest decks! Some of them are like old friends that I come back to for comfort, and they’re seasoned so they give really great readings!
June
Tarot of the Trees
I love this deck for several different uses. I use it in huge readings where the smaller cards keep the reading space a reasonable size. I also use it for my Kundalini/Chakra Reading, where the twisting of the trees reminds me of the twisting of kundalini energy. And I also love it for June. The energy of the deck lends itself really well to the beauty of wild, untamed nature, and I find that it really resonates this time of year. As I look at the world around me, with vines twisting all over everything, the trees are all iridescent green, and the dark colors of the deep forest make the colors of wildflowers and sunsets pop that much more. This deck represents tree/nature/fae magick at its very height, and so it has to be the deck for the month of Litha.
The Faeries Oracle
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this oracle by Brian Froud. In fact, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t HAVE this oracle. It’s popular because it’s amazing. And I love working that playful fae energy around Litha. Unlike other art decks (where the art was created first, and someone said ‘Hey! Let’s attach some meanings and make these paintings into oracle cards!), this one really gives a deep, meaningful reading. I think that’s because Brian Froud has always been so deeply steeped in the world of archetype and imagination, and that’s universal to all of us. His interpretation of an oracle deck is unique, useful, and very engaging. 10/10 would recommend!
July
The Sacred Circle Tarot
This is my second oldest deck, and the one that I’ve been reading with longest. (The first one was the Sacred Rose, and it’s a study-only deck for me now) This is the deck that I use when I want to give a general reading, or I don’t know the person very well that I’ll be reading for. It just gives a very solid, meaningful reading for almost anyone in any situation. My sister really likes when I use this deck, as she says she can just feel the energy coming off of it. That’s because I’ve been using it for well over 20 years. I do have some beef with the printing (there are misprints throughout), but I’ve started to accept that that’s just part of the deck. And unfortunately, the black edges/borders tend to wear a little. But I just go over them with a Sharpie every few years, and we’re good. This is the deck you’ll most likely see me carry around to DragonCon or other events.
The Druid Animal Oracle
This is such a beautiful oracle, but if I’m being honest, I don’t use it much. Why? It ruins my hands when I try to shuffle it. I’m in the process of cutting the borders off and cutting the corners, and I hope that will help at least a little. But the images are stunning, and I’ll ALWAYS love working with animal energies. I think it works really well with the shamanic/Pagan themes of Sacred Circle. The book is a bit cumbersome, however, and I tend to use a cheat sheet I made (or memory) when I’m working with these. In the book, you’ll get the energies of the card, but mixed with lots of stories, etc. That’s really cool if you want to study them, but not great for a reading. This is problematic with oracles in particular, because while you can memorize tarot meanings, oracles are all over the place and it’s much more difficult to keep ALL the different meanings of ALL the different cards of ALL the different oracle decks in mind. But please don’t let me dissuade you from trying this deck. As long as you know these things from the get-go, you can enjoy the gorgeous, juicy images and deep animal symbolism.
August
The Motherpeace Tarot
This was my third deck, gifted to me by a customer where I worked when I was maybe 18. She had had it for years and years, and it had been gifted to her originally. In fact, it’s an original 1981 printing, and I guess I’ve always felt it was too sacred to really use a lot because of that. But I LOVE to use it, and I feel like August is the perfect month for it. The colors are kind of sun-baked, and there’s a lot of really beautiful desert imagery that really reminds me of this time of year. I’m usually not a sun/fire/yellow/gold/hot type of person, preferring cooler purples, blues, and greens, but there’s something about this deck that feels really primeval and archetypal. You can also read the cards as upright or reversed, or you can try reading whether they’re facing the right or left side. I’ll be honest, I haven’t done that, but if you have, please let me know what you think?
Goddess Guidance Oracle
So say what you want about Doreen Virtue (I’m not crazy about her either after she turned her back on/condemned the oracle community that SHE helped create). She did make some really good decks, though, and this one is no exception. I chose this one because it just seemed so natural with the Motherpeace Tarot, but it has the added benefit of being really beautiful. Again, these aren’t normally my colors, but the kind of sun-bleached desert tones work with the dry hot days of August. And there are a lot of goddesses/heras here that I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise, like Damara, Oonagh, or Sedna. I’m trying to get better about shuffling gold-edged cards without worrying about ruining the effect, though. It’s really not easy. :0)
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So what decks have you been drawn to this summer? Are there any you would recommend? My wishlist is ever-growing. Blessed be! <3