Winter wonders…   

Midwest Winter Wonders

… from the Zander Woods Forest Preserve, near Thornton, Illinois.

The Intuitive Tarot by Cilla Conway is an evocative and transporting deck, providing unique and exotic perspectives into common and uncommon Tarot imagery.   Each image is framed in an oval window, which is like a glimpse through a dimensional portal into iconic scenes.

Per the accompanying book to the deck: “… we can see oureslves reflected in them:  a mirror world, which shows us as we are, and as we can become.”

The artwork in the Intuitive Tarot is simple yet other-wordly, populated with angular angelic/alien figures in dreamlike landscapes.  This is similar to my own artistic style, so I find myself easily “drawn in” to the imagery.

The Intuitive Tarot waited on my shelf for 4 years before I started to explore its strangely familiar portals.  Those portals now beckon to me…  perhaps you will also open these doors of perception, and break on through to the other side….

Intuitive Tarot: Moon - Sun - Judgement

Intuitive Tarot: One of Rods - 4 of Swords - 3 of Cups

Intuitive Tarot: 8 of Rods - 10 of Discs - Knight of Discs

One of my most sacred activities is the exploration/discovery/revelation of a personal mythology through the medium of Tarot.  I have found that working with and meditating on Tarot symbols and artwork is a powerful portal that connects me to aspects of the universe that I resonate with and learn from.

As part of that path of discovery, drawing my own Tarot artwork is the most direct and rewarding way for me to reveal that personal mythology, which I feel we all have as a unique yet connected part of our individual and collective being.  

(For an excellent example of this exploration and discovery through Tarot artwork, see Marie White’s Tarotsmyth blog.)

Here is a draft of my exploration of The Chariot card.  The Charioteer IS the Chariot, blazing new paths as he explores the universe. The imagery is in part inspired by the aspect of the superhero, part Superman in his confidence and strength, and part Dr. Strange in his magickal explorations and studies of inner and outer dimensions.

 

Strange Tarot - Chariot - draft

The Solstice is the time of year when the Sun Stands Still, balanced at the point between the longest night (northern hemisphere) and longest day (southern hemisphere).  It is a time to reflect and let go of the past, and rejoice and look forward to the future.

Stand Still, reflect on the cycles of change, participate in the joy as endings become beginnings and back again.

Ring Out, Solstice Bells!

Mystic Meg Tarot - Changing

The Jasniak Tarot (also referred to as the Jasniak Color Tarot) is a kaleidoscopic beauty of a deck published in Poland in 1998.  The author/designer is Aleksandra Jaśniak, and the artist is either Anna Galuszka (per the box cover) or Longin Szmyd (per the preface to the accompanying 300-page book).  The artwork is crisp and expressive with a sharp graphic style, and there is a liberal use of vivid almost psychedelic colors, patterns, and shapes throughout the deck.

The imagery in the majors has some subtle hints to Marseilles themes, yet with a modern aesthetic.  The images often expand just beyond the background frames and titles, providing a dynamic yet subtle effect.

The court cards are exotic (and somewhat erotic) characters, arrayed in fantastic robes or intricate armor.  The minors are non-scenic yet energetic arrangements of the suit symbols, pulsating with psychotropic patterns.

Here are some of my favorite cards.  There are so many cool cards in this deck, it was difficult to select just a few.  Tune in and turn on!

Major Arcana:

Jasniak Tarot - Empress and Justice

Jasniak Tarot - Hermit and Devil

Court Cards:

Jasniak Tarot - Queen of Wands and Knight of Cups

Minor Arcana:

Jasniak Tarot - 2 of Cups and 3 of Swords

Jasniak Tarot - 6 of Coins and 9 of Wands