A week with Trick or Tarot

[Rachelcat]

It’s that time again! Time to break out the spooky decks, that is! I have a few left that I didn’t use last year, and this is one of them. This is a fun collage deck from Douglas Thornsjo, Duck Soup Productions. I absolutely love his Tinker’s Damn Tarot, but to tell the truth, I’m just not feeling as much for this deck (even though I DO love the name!). We’ll see if familiarity breeds affection or contempt over the course of the week. There’s also a sold separately? companion book I got with the Kickstarter, Trick or Tarot Bogie Book (which has unfortunately suffered cover-curl on my damp bookshelf, thus the paperweight in the photo).

Now on to wash, shuffle, and interview!

Most important characteristic: 2. The High Priestess
Well, that’s appropriate. It’s also the box front card. The moon and stars on her dress show she’s mysterious, but she also has the owl of wisdom as a hat.

Strength: Ace Swords
This is a very intellectual deck. And it just may spark some ah-ha moments!

Weakness: 7 Cups
It’s creepy. I don’t know what that has to do with 7 Cups, except that’s what it looks like. Vintage Halloween toys are just creepy. Maybe it’s trying too hard to get an emotion reaction from its users?

What I can learn from deck: Page of Pentacles
I can learn about the various odd items associated with Halloween in bygone days. I can learn how to receive the messages from a deck I’m ambivalent about. Doug goes long on pages as messengers, and here her jack-o’-lantern and cat both carry letters. I am also learning how to spell jack-o’-lantern. Ever seen an apostrophe and dash together in the same word? Now you have!

How can I learn it? 8 Pentacles
I can learn from this deck by figuring it out. Again, a very intellectual deck. The beautiful devil is setting her demons free from inside her pentacle. So I will have to work at learning from this deck.

Outcome: 2 Swords
In the end, I’ll just have to decide if I love it or hate it. The devil can sit or fly. After I check out all the pros and cons. It’s like the Priestess is up on the roof saying I’ll tell you everything you need to know. But you have to decide for yourself.

Well, looking good so far! Have a happy rest of the weekend. I’ll see you tomorrow with more Trick or Tarot!

[Rachelcat]

Monday
Why the Who is in the What

Ace Swords, Queen of Cups, 3 Pentacles, 2. The High Priestess
An answer to curiosity (Ace Swords) about the world (3 Pentacles) is to look within (Queen of Cups) for true wisdom (Priestess).

I really like this Queen of Cups. She is enlightened about what she sees within (the jack-o’-lantern, that is!) And the Priestess continues to make an appearance, arguably the coolest card in the deck.

Have a great evening!

[Rachelcat]

Tuesday
What about the commute to the school?
All-Purpose Spread

Well, this looks terrible!

Me: 5 Cups
I’m more worried about it than I’m letting on to myself. I’m dreading it. Love the calla lilies in the background!

Issue: 5 Wands
It will indeed be a struggle, but I have a chance to win the contest!

Outcome: 3 Swords
Or not. It could break my heart. Or if I use my non-sad interp of 3 Swords, I will learn and/or someone will teach me how to deal with it.

Advice: Knight of Swords
And that’s the advice: even more airy! Put my problem-solving mind to it and rise above on the wings of my bat!

Kind of a bummer, but inspirational nonetheless.

[Rachelcat]

Wednesday on Tuesday
I’m going to be in the office tomorrow, so I’m going to do my full moon reading today instead of catching up on Thursday.
Full moon in Aries, Harvest Moon, Gratitude

Harvest: 6 Wands
I’m starting to come into my own. This is the harvest time of my whole life. I no longer have to wonder what my purpose is. I can start living my purpose.

What did I sow? 0. The Fool
I decided to go out on a limb and do something I’ve never done before. That’s the first step.

What did I reap? 7. The Chariot
Wow! 2 majors! When I took the first step, I am enabled to continue on my journey and move on to something new and real.

What did I learn? 16. The Tower of Destruction
I learned that there’s so much more to let go of than you think. Destroy the old again and again!

What should I do next? 5 Swords
Face my fears. If I lose, get back up and try again.

Wow, this was a powerful one! Onward and upward! Happy full moon to everyone!

[Rachelcat]

Thursday
Norse Nine Worlds Spread
General, let’s see what shows up!

North: 10 Wands
I’m not overwhelmed or overburdened at the moment. I don’t have to deal with a lot other people’s energy.

South: 4 Pentacles
Many people are having to worry about their finances and be careful of not overspending or overgiving.

East: 8. Adjustment
I’m having a hard time keeping my emotional balance. I’m being too judgmental and maybe not feeling very fair these days.

West: 10. The Wheel of Fortune
I will have a stroke of good luck. I just need to be aware of when that happens to take advantage of it.

Inside: 3 Wands
Oh, I get it! It’s an advent calendar for Halloween. I want one! So every day, the situation and energy changes. Physically and emotionally, I am or I need to be developing and moving toward something positive. And there IS a countdown of sorts for that!

Outside: Knight of Wands
Wow! That’s a krazy kat! That doesn’t seem to be too happy to be ridden by a pumpkin man with corn arms. I have the appearance and want to be seen as someone who’s going places, full of the energy of change and action.

Below: Page of Wands
Miss October, lol! The message from my unconscious is I’m not really the Knight of Wands, but more the Page of Wands. In other words, no matter how old I am, I’m still a beginner in some things. But I can put my energy into learning and improving that situation.

Above: 12. The Hanged Man
But all that learning and moving on will take time, longer than I think. But sticking it out and being willing to be suspended will help it all happen in the end.

Center: 5 Swords again!
It’s all going to seem like a mish-mash and confusion for a while yet, just as the Hanged Man says. I might feel like running scared, but it will all turn out in the end.

Have a very happy day, everyone!

[Rachelcat]

Friday
Three random houses

Fifth House: 19. The Sun
I don’t know about the beetle dancing with the frog. It’s either a really big beetle or a really small frog. Either way, a little unsettling. But otherwise all good! The sun is a giant pumpkin towed by a witch riding a bat! How fun is that! In the fifth house, that’s kind of analogous to Leo. So it’s auspicious auspiciousness! My fun and play and creativity will be fun and playful and creative.

Twelfth House: 8 Cups
I just noticed there’s a fish swimming out of a birdcage on the house card. Odd that, but it suits the house, I guess. If it’s spirituality that I’m leaving behind, then that’s a good thing. And although he looks dejected, pumpkin man is leaving a dark house and heading to a lighted-up one. He thinks he’s missing out, but he’s really headed to a better place. I’d like to see a fairy try to hitch my black cat up to a pumpkin cart! That wouldn’t last long! And the moon just laughs!

Seventh House: 9. The Hermit
Well, that’s pretty clear! No romantic relationships for me. And I’m really happy for it. I think. I wonder if there’s a higher reason for that, but I guess it’s just the way it is. Maybe like the scarecrow of Oz, I should be worrying about developing a brain, instead of a heart.

Have a wonderful Friday afternoon!

[Rachelcat]

Saturday on Sunday
I’m a lazy thing . . . So catching up once again.
I’m going to try to do the same thing as Friday, except using Halloween Oracle as the positions/ questions and Trick or Tarot as the answers. I’ve never actually tried using regular oracle cards as spread cards, so this is the experiment!

Hmm, I forgot the Halloween Oracle has keywords. So they’re the positions . . .

Ghost, Regret: 7 Cups
I got a real Harry Potter ghost vibe from this illustration when I turned it over. So I’m thinking of it more as unfinished business, and maybe fear of the unknown, rather than simply regret. But I guess they’re really similar anyway . . . My last regret and unfinished business in my relationship debacle is that I was so emotionally all over the place. And how that affected my son. I wasn’t able to be present for him because I was an emotional mess and wasn’t really able to focus on the one thing that was most important. I’m getting so close to being free of the middle part of my life. It’s coming. The ghosts will soon be at rest.

The Witch, The earthly weaver of the worlds: 9 Cups
Hey, that’s me squeezing a black cat who might or might not be liking that! My witchy powers are the ability to share some money and resources with people who need it and my ability to show affection in a physical, naive kind of way.

Skull of Flowers Creating through the ashes: 8 Cups
These cards both say what I said in the first set: I’m truly leaving the old behind and am already beginning to create my new life. It’s just taken a lot longer than I thought it would, but it’s happening. Just wait until you see me bloom!

Well, I think the experiment went well! I’ll have to try it again with less theme-y decks and see how that goes. I’ll be back soon with a new deck for a new week!