Daily Draw: Bruegel Tarot ~ 5 of Swords

Here we see a group of people who in exchange for momentary pleasure now face extensive repayment. One has lost his mind, one has lost his money, one has lost his wife, one has lost all heart, one will lose his freedom. How often does a lapse in common sense result in weeks, months, years of regret and recrimination? And then we turn around and do something just as stupid once again?

What is wrong with humans that we refuse to learn from past mistakes or observation of what isn't working for others? Mankind as a species is so smart there isn't anything we can't do. But as individuals we seem compelled to drop to moronic levels. Is it our arrogance that makes us think we are above repayment? Today's quotation shows just how far we've progressed...

"The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." ~ Cicero 106 BC - 43 BC

Daily Draw: Bruegel Tarot ~ The Star

I drew this card last week, in fact twice that day. She offers hope when there is seemingly little else to cling to. Medieval times are often portrayed as a period of elaborate clothing and rich days all around the castle; for the privileged few at the top maybe that was so. But for the common people it was a short life filled with unending struggle and dreariness. Behind the star figure some of this struggle is portrayed.

I'm reminded that if I spend my day with head bowed in defeat, I will surely miss many opportunities, even those that might seem an impossible dream.

"I dare say you haven't had much practice believing in the impossible," said the queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~ Lewis Carroll 1832-1898

Daily Draw: Bruegel Tarot ~ Ace of Pentacles

A fresh start in worldly matters. I wonder if everyone's life mirrors mine, that in so many worldly matters we keep going back to square one and making a fresh start. Hey, I'm happy to see a Pent come up today, much preferable to a Sword, but I'd like to make a plan and be able to carry it to fulfillment for once...She said in a petulant tone.

That said, I'm reminded by this card that I've never revamped a plan that wasn't better for it, time and perspective helps me see the rough spots and add the fillip or soupçon of inspiration required.

The deck this week is the Bruegel Tarot from Lo Scarabeo. The inspired artwork by Guido Zibordi Marchesi is based on Bruegel the Elder 1526-1569 and influenced by Hieronymus Bosch 1450-1516. Rich in Medieval meaning and full of fish...try it, you'll like it!

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ 9 of Matter

I love it when this card shows up, to my mind it is one of the best in a deck. The piper sculpture the artist chose portraying the sheer exuberance of an ideal day is perfect.

This card reminds me when things are going well to savor the day and file away the memory, to balance those time when things go black.

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it hard to plan the day". ~ E. B. White 1889-1985

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ 6 of Air

There are changes coming, no doubt about it. Right now the changes are fueled by the needs of others; in the end, seeing those needs are met with grace and thoughtfulness will get us to where we need to be also. There are three pairs of 3's involved and movement across water.

This card reminds me how clearly tarot can speak to us if we listen to the still small voice inside our heart. Ideas are born, solutions are presented, clear decisions can be made, peace is found.

"And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." 1 Kings 19:12

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ 3 of Matter

The triad has significance across all cultures and the three bronze tiles here no less. They are set into the cobblestones in front of Notre-Dame cathedral. They are Point Zero and are the center of Paris. Every other location in France is measured from this point.

The 3 of coins are central to our lives also, representing what we have created or achieved in our lifetime. Each of us has a trail of spokes radiating out, marking job, people, travel, community, passion...all those spokes have left their mark on someone or somewhere. I know I have been a locus of change in a few lives. I know I have effected change for the better in a few communities but generally we walk through our days oblivious to the marks we leave behind us.

This card suggests that I be more mindful of my daily mark, to rise above the mindless mundane and try to do something that will leave the days better than they began.

Let your heritage not be lost, but bequeath it as a memory, treasure and blessing. Gather the lost and the hidden, and preserve it for those that follow. ~ Christian Metz 1931-1993

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ The Star

Inspiration and hope, imagination and understanding. Great. I can use a boatload of all four. It feels like I've taken a giant leap backwards on all fronts and am disappearing like a highway sign in the rear view mirror. The Star is a promise of coming out the other side renewed and all the better for the journey.

I'm reminded by this card that the setbacks of a day or week are minuscule in the overall year, and that even a year is a blip in a long lifetime. Good and bad are part and parcel of the whole. I arise to fling myself into the fray once more.

"And when, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolf-like, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him." ~ Jack London 1876-1916

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ 10 of Matter

Recognition of a well lived life and what we leave behind us when we are gone. What is it about the human psyche that hates the idea of making a will and then keeping it updated? Do we really think it is never going to be us that gets hit by the bus, gets cancer, gets old and dies? Do we love our family and friends and community so little that we would prefer they argue, enrich attorneys, and in the end some judge who doesn't know us decides how to split up the estate?

I'm reminded today that my niece is a multimillionaire and doesn't need my few bob, but the local animal shelter struggles each day to care for the only creatures on earth who can and will love us unconditionally.

And come he slow, or come he fast, It is but Death who comes at last. ~ Sir Walter Scott

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ 2 of Air

Thomas gives this as a draw or truce situation with archangel Michael asking his higher power for the final decision. To me it looks like a winner and a loser in a violent battle with the person claiming the win at an unfair advantage. He has wings, body armor, an unimpeded sword...and an arrogant "Piss on you" attitude. Doing a little research I find this isn't JimBob and BillyJoe fighting over a fishing spot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel)

I'm reminded by this card there are always differing viewpoints on any subject. It depends on the viewer's background, biases, and if he got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. To get my facts straight before I cast an opinion or join in the fracas and to put my brain in gear before I engage my mouth.

But this points out one of the great strengths of tarot, readers all see the cards differently, and in a spread with positions a card can have varied interpretations as opposed to a daily draw which is an exercise in seeing what the cards say to me on a particular day.

The winner in fight or war does not determine who was right, only who was left. ~ Bertrand Russell

Daily Draw: Tarot de Paris ~ King of Air

This is the go-to guy, the trouble-shooter, the hatchet man, the person who will get things done. As long as it doesn't concern affairs of the heart this person will tackle the biggest task and see it to the end in spades.

I'm reminded by this card that the last remaining ancient wonder of the world is the Egyptian pyramids. They were built one stone at a time, one day at a time, just like anything else. When I am overwhelmed with the task at hand I need to break it down into doable portions.

There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte 1769-1821

The deck this week is Tarot de Paris by J. Philip Thomas, published by St. Martin's.

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ 7 of Pents

Our Gummy Bear pauses, leans on the shovel for a bit, and takes pleasure in the growth of the fruits of labor. In our busy days we make list after list of all the things we must do. Seldom stopping at the end of the day to acknowledge our progress.

I'm reminded by this card to stop and smell the roses, to give myself credit for what I've completed, and to take note of goals actually accomplished. Life needs to be balanced, it isn't just about the journey, it is also about the destination.

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it." ~ Robert Heinlein 1907-1988

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ High Priestess

The High Priestess holds all our knowledge, our memories, guides our intuition and the choices we make.
Last night I dreamed of my best friend from high school and in a second dream her husband. I haven't thought of him in many years, haven't seen her in maybe 12-13 years. But the dream was insistent and I can't shake the feeling she needs me. To get the High Priestess verifies that; I don't know where she is so I will need to draw on the knowledge I do have in order to find her.

People come and go in our lives. I'm reminded by this card that the friends we made when young are often the closest friends we'll ever have outside a spouse. We were more open then, we told our best friend everything. I hope those old bonds will provide a trail that will lead to her.

"the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain." ~ Mary Shelly 1797-1851

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ Ace of Swords

We see the arm of the Great Gummy Bear Maker in the sky holding out the sword of truth which seeks clarity of thought. The little book that comes with this deck says "clearly defining the problem is half the solution". Isn't that the truth! So many times we complicate our lives needlessly because we are in such a hurry that we make what are ultimately time consuming but temporary patches because we didn't first identify where the crux of the problem was. Hiring expensive tutors for a slow learner when the real problem is eyesight. Replacing tires on a car when the real problem is in the steering mechanism. If we think we could probably make a long list of wasted time and money because we didn't first work backward to the true source of the problem.

I'm reminded by this Ace to save some hard earned cash by spending a little time. Time well spent in avoiding the quick fix by doing things right the first time.

"Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done." ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe"

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ 9 of Cups

I have a worrisome day ahead of me so I've been staring at this card wondering what message it is trying to give me. As a Minor it can be one of the best cards to draw, it gives indication of fullness and satisfaction, well-being and all's right with the emotional world. I don't read reversed cards, knowing upright cards will tell me all there is to tell if I will see...and I see a little red-hatted Gummy Bear who has her arms across her breasts in a protective manner.

All the good wishes and accumulated security in the world won't help if the news is bad. I'm reminded by this card that a lifetime of brand new days gives us a base of security no one can take away from us, because in that base is the knowledge that good news or bad, time just keeps rolling on and in the end the fullness of time takes care of everything.

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. ~ Auguste Rodin

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ Page of Cups

This Page is serious and idealistic, but like his fish in the cup, he often finds himself in too deep or like a fish out of water, floundering and flopping around.

This sort of person will always get the job done, but much quicker with a road map or guideline or specific goal. I'm reminded by this card to not go off half-cocked when I'm enthused about something; to give it a few days mulling over and have a pretty specific goal in mind. Too much time is spent backtracking and doing things twice without a goal in mind. And never measure success against what someone else has done or has, success should be based on what I have done with the opportunities I've been given.

Problems are just golden opportunities dressed in work clothes. ~ Thomas Edison 1847-1931

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ King of Pents

This card always brings my FIL to mind, he has been a King of Pents guy all his life, but at 89 he needs some help and it is difficult to find a good balance that keeps his independence yet gives him assistance when required.

I'm reminded by this king's throne to not be the bull in the china closet and trample feelings or overwhelm him. Like the grape vine, if I allow the situation to progress naturally the small tendrils will take hold so the fruit of caring can flourish.

"Old times" never come back and it's just as well. What comes back is a new morning every day in the year, and that's better. ~ George Woodbury

Daily Draw: Gummy Bear Tarot ~ Knight of Cups


A Knight in shining armor riding a white horse, the secret dream of romantic partnership. We have a long laundry list of qualities we seek, fantasy dreams of excellent manners, great wealth, perfect of face and physique, no emotional baggage, thoughtful, kind, generous, smart...


But where do we measure on that scale? If indeed there was such a person, and he or she came along today, why do we expect to receive more than we have to offer? All I could hope to manage even on that short list is thoughtful, kind, and generous. And that certainly wouldn't be 100% of the time. So why do we look for perfection in someone else?


I'm reminded by this card to take the yardstick I use to measure others and turn it to measure myself. To work on the areas found wanting with the goal of becoming a better partner in love and life. Efforts toward spiritual and physical betterment can't go amiss when well intended. In nurturing good qualities in ourselves we draw to us those qualities in others. A win win situation in love.


The deck this week is the charming Gummy Bear Tarot by Dietmar Bittrich and US Games.

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ 2 of Cups

This card begs the question, where do merbabies come from? Come to that, I don't believe I've ever seen a merman before. Don't mermaids come ashore once every 10 years, replace the lower half of their bodies with legs, and find a mate? I'll have to do some info-junkie work on that later... But the 2 of Cups is the promise that love will find a way. Sex, hate, and love are probably the 3 most powerful emotions we have and when we are full of any of the 3 they can rule our lives.

I'm reminded by this card that all emotions need some moderation, too much love can evolve into something more sinister and is akin to being eaten alive by a velvet mouse, it stifles and diminishes the recipient.

"I sat upon a promontory and heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back, uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath that the rude sea grew civil at her song" William Shakespeare

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ Justice

Karma, what goes around comes around, just desserts, consequences of actions, time to pay the piper.

Justice always asks for the truth. To weigh our decisions carefully and consider the motive before we act. I'm reminded by this card that unlike the 8 of coins yesterday, it isn't I who controls the scales and choses the worth of the items I put in...it is Justice and she will be along shortly.

"Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave" ~ Muhammad

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ 8 of Coins

This appears to be a successful gentleman who knows the value of what he has. His scale has a full stack on the right and a few coins on the left but curiously the weight seems to be balanced, so he turns to pencil and paper to formulate the pros and cons of the situation. I suspect the scales appear balanced because he is biased about the cost/value of the item on the left.

I'm reminded by this card that the flush of want often blurs the hidden cost of an item. We see something in the shops or showroom floor and we want it so bad we can taste it. So we fool the commonsense side of our brain by convincing ourselves that we will get a lot of use out of it, it will be enjoyed by the entire family, it will increase in value, it is better than what we have, the price is too good to pass up.

I'm reminded by this card that the only way you save money by taking advantage of a sale is to put the cash you saved into your savings account on the way home. Otherwise you simply spent money, no savings were gained at all.

A fool and his money are soon parted ~ Thomas Tusser 1524-1580

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ Page of Swords

This fellow is standing on a precipice while a volcano steams behind him. This suggests some immaturity combined with impetuousity. We resent these words slung at us, but the cards often reflect truths we'd rather not face. This Page's right hand is pointing to the left or the past, while he and his sword are facing right or into the future.

We all did something in our youth that we wish we hadn't, none among us are Saints. This Page reminds me that amends can sometimes be made. I'm going to think on this card today, maybe there is a letter I can write or a call I can make that would go a long ways towards righting a wrong made when I was in Page of Swords mode.

True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive. ~ Mignon McLaughlin

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ 2 of Staves

Here a choice, there a choice, everywhere a choice choice...this card came up twice last night in spreads and here it is again this morning in my daily draw. I am driven to try new ways, experience new things, to increase who and what I am.

I am reminded by this card that thinking about a project doesn't get it done, and failure is a form of success because it means I tried.

"It is choice, not chance, that determines my destiny" ~ Jean Nadich

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ Queen of Swords

Court cards are often the cross tarot readers bear because as representations of their suits they are necessarily one-dimensional. Yet when doing a reading you are facing a real life multi-dimensional human. Waite names this queen a widow, Jackson says she is divorced. Neither of which apply to me. But I see this Queen of Swords has her head surrounded by stars, fire at her side, decoration at her throat. What this says as it applies to me is an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and the ability or need to communicate what I learn.

That thirst is what brought me to tarot in the first place, a subject with endless opportunity to delve into its long history, the eternal story the cards tell, all the different ways the cards can be used. That need to communicate wanted to say bugabear in the 1st paragraph rather than cross. I use that word to indicate a stumbling block, but I wasn't sure of the spelling so I whipped over to Google and did a search. Bugabear is a very popular username apparently, and you can get a virtual pet by that name who is unemployed and has no mini-pets. So I tried boogabear and learned that in modern slang it means fat ugly old woman. Err...that isn't what I'm trying to say! But on further info-junkieing I find that Bugabear or Bugaboo is a problem or source of continued irritation. Also could be a imagined monster or big source of fear.

Ha! Vindicated...sort of. But certainly a succinct definition of how many readers view the court cards. And why the Queen of Swords card relates to me. My love of knowledge and the search for more. I'm reminded by this card that quest is one of my good qualities that enriches my life daily. And hurray for computers which makes that search all the more interesting.

Daily Draw: Nigel Jackson Tarot ~ The Moon

The Moon is usually my favorite card but this moon looks full of nasty intention. The crustacean, rather than leaving water for land looks to be flailing his tail madly, going in reverse. Like the Moon cards, life can show a lot of different faces. One day all sweet dreams and goodness, the next a waking nightmare of sorrows and problems.

I'm reminded by this card that life isn't static like a picture. To never take for granted my blessings and to be aware of how my actions might affect others. Words can be like blows and cut deeper than we could imagine. Be mindful, don't be part of someone else's nightmare.

This week's deck is the Nigel Jackson Medieval Enchantment published by Llewellyn Worldwide.

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ Ace of Cups

Ahh, 07/07/07, surely an auspicious day? I've read places that hold weddings are booked solid today. This fellow knows he doesn't have any ground to stand on if he forgets his anniversary. A chauvinistic statement and dawn is just breaking over the horizon here. Where did all these myths start anyway? I don't care if Rob never brings me chocolates, he washes my vehicle every week and if that doesn't say I love you, nothing does. Rather than wagging home some garish bouquet from the corner grocer he grows me a garden full of lavish blooms so I can have nosegays to ballroom sized bouquets every week. Is that love? I should say so. He sweeps and mops my kitchen floor because he knows it kills my back to do so. All these things and many more he does freely without being asked, because he loves me. Would I care if he forgot 'special dates'? Hardly.

I wish all those couples starting their Ace of Cups life all the happiness in the world, and offer one piece of advice. Marriage is the hardest job you'll ever have but if you put some effort into it each day those efforts will be returned ten fold. Mazal Tov ~

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ Ace of Wands

This card signifies new spiritual, mental, and physical beginnings. I hope so, I need some inspiration. I'm stymied on all fronts at the moment, seemingly held inert by other people and events which I have no control over. It's a weird feeling, I've usually got a lot of things cooking, some simmering, some boiling...right now the heat is missing, I need to get fired up. A decent night's sleep wouldn't go amiss either.

This stunning deck is from the Magic Realist Press, a small two-person creative enclave in the Czech Republic.

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ 4 of Pents

This image reminds me of a line in a Mother Goose story "The king was in the counting house, counting all his coin". Supposedly this was a coded message to recruit legalized pirates called corsairs in the 1700's. Having observed a lot of people growing into material successfulness in the course of my life, I'm struck by how often they cling to way more than they need while ignoring the basic needs of others. As Lincoln said "the poor will always be with us" and are the least able to husband their goods appropriately as there is never any extra to build upon.

I'm reminded by this card that I have everything I need while families in my community have little. I will share some of my bounty today.

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ Queen of Wands

She is a confident and competent queen whose qualities are much admired. But note she has a mask in her hand indicating we have different faces we put on depending on the company and circumstances. We are one person at the company Christmas party, another person attending the funeral of a friend. Humans are complex creatures and chameleon-like in our abilities to adapt as the occasion requires.

I'm reminded by this card not to forget who the real me is, the core person. Drawing daily cards is one way to do that, spending some quiet time each morning to reaffirm and reconnect with my ethics and values.

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ 5 of Cups

Many times this card is portrayed as a sense of lost opportunities and hopelessness. In this deck, while the figure is pensive there is much potential still to come shown in the 5 of Cups. There are flowers blooming in spite of many having been already been harvested, the trees will leaf out again. There is a fence, but it will only block you if you refuse to see the way through.

The cards have often been in this theme the last few months, advising to find a new avenue when our current path is blocked, that there is always another option if we would open our eyes to alternatives. I am pensive...each avenue becomes more difficult and more expensive. Sometimes we need to recognize that yes, the path does go on, but sometimes the cost is too high. To turn our back, work through our regrets and begin something new.

I'm reminded by this card that each choice in life equals an opportunity, what we do with that opportunity defines who we are and sets the direction for our future.

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ 2 of Wands

Waiting, stuck, poised, lack of confidence, this figure like the stone image next to it seems to lack the ability to go forth with the grand action begun in the Ace of Wands. If she gives up her plans will turn to ashes. If she can find within the strength and fortitude to go forward she will most likely find success waiting. The problem for many people is fear of that very success. Because there is always a cost extracted, and success means change. Human nature generally resists change, preferring the rut of the known path. Sad that.

I'm reminded by this card that change is growth. Without growth we become stagnant and dull. And gasp, imagine the concept...if we find the change doesn't suit us we can change and move forward again. Life is always in flux, not graven stone and we create our own prison of discontent when we choose to live with less than we can achieve.

Daily Draw: Victorian Romantic Tarot ~ Emperor

The Emperor speaks of power and authority, the last word on any subject, represented in this deck as an Egyptian Pharaoh as the Victorian painter Lecomte de Nouy imagined him.

Being the last word isn't all grapes and dancing girls, it carries a heavy responsibility. Taking responsibility for big decisions also means taking the blame when things go awry. It needs a nimble brain that can see better solutions to bad judgment calls and build on the successes. It takes strength of character and a thick skin to say no when people you care about want a yes.

It isn't a job I'd stand in line for yet I'm reminded by this card that our daily decisions can have far reaching effects like ripples in a pool. We do not stand alone in this world, we're all in it for the long haul, together. Thoughtful decisions and considerate behavior are in order.