I start with this deck, a Christmas gift from my son. It’s based on the movies and novels of Guillermo del Toro, written and illustrated with woodblock prints by Tomas Hijo. An interesting note in the booklet is that the creator’s tarot teacher is blind but was able to “see” the illustrations because he could feel the engravings.
The only del Toro movies I’ve seen are Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy (both a little too violent and creepy for my taste), so I have a learning curve ahead, but let’s give the deck a try! Interview time!
Most important characteristic: III Wands
The manifestation of energy is movement and change. This deck is a change and a step forward, as a tarot and for me.
Strength: Knight of Wands
A fairy riding a mantis. The deck’s strength is its fantasy world, that is very much realized in a physical way. As air of fire, it’s intellectually creative, and very masculine.
Weakness: Queen of Goblets
And being very masculine, it’s lacking in its portrayal of female characters, either innocent children or grotesques.
What the deck can teach me: XII The Hanged
Same as my day of Christmas card for today. The deck can help teach me patience and waiting for something new and important to be born.
How I can learn it: XIII
Same as my day of Christmas card for yesterday. I can learn to be patient by knowing that all things come to an end, and then something new begins. There is no vacuum in events, there is just becoming and ending and becoming and ending . . .
Outcome of our work together: Knight of Discs
A robot knight who seems to be falling apart is trying to ride a one-horned red monster, which is chewing on one of the knight’s shed gears. Did the monster bite off the knight’s arm? Our work together might be uncomfortable and even destructive, but it will result in nuts-and-bolts understanding for me.
See you tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes! Happy new year!