Daily Draw: Runic Tarot ~ Intensity

Ever been in a wind that pushed you over, so cold that when you throw water it turns to ice in mid-fall, heat so heavy it felt like you were smothering? On rare occasions emotions can be like that. Happiness, sorrow, anger, suddenly multiplied to the 9th degree. We couldn't live like that for long, not and stay sane, the weight of that kind of emotion sustained would be too much to bear.

I'm reminded by this card that how we handle life on a mundane basis is what we draw on in deeply emotional times. Life is learned behavior isn't it, so if we fall apart over a flat tire or broken heirloom or an A+ paper, where will our reserves of will and strength be when our home blows away, we win the lottery, a parent or child is killed? What won't bend will break. Flexibility, balance, an emotional reserve is what will keep us grounded in those exceptional good and bad times.

"Emotion turning back on itself, and not leading on to thought or action, is the element of madness." ~ John Sterling 1806-1884

Daily Draw: Runic Tarot ~ Tradition

Families and traditions and genetics. How many of us thought we must be adopted because nobody in the world understood us? How many of us beat the snot out of the schoolyard bully for picking on our little brother, and then went home and promptly did the same thing? The old "I can say he is an idiot, but don't you dare do it" syndrome. I know a family where everyone says "well fer cryin' upstairs in a bucket" when they are put out. That can only be inherited. You can sit and talk to my sister-in-law and see her make the same hand and facial movements as her mother, but she hasn't seen her in 60 years. I smile a painful smile at the little guy in the big statue because in my effort to be nothing like my mother I turned into my mother.

I'm reminded by this card that ancestor worship is the religion of a good portion of the world. They take seriously that their line remain unbroken and that the traditions of their family continue. I very much admire and respect that but my mother lives about 2 hours from me and I haven't seen her since last summer. Not much I can say to make that a better picture.

"Man is physically as well as metaphysically a thing of shreds and patches, borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors, and a misfit from the start." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 1808-1882

The Runic Tarot by Caroline Smith and John Astrop is an odd deck to call tarot, probably a publisher thing rather than an artist and writer thing. It has 24 Majors, based on the 24 runes of the Futhark with 4 suits of Minors based on the 4 seasons, astrology, the zodiac, and the elements. I think the art is wonderful, therefore I own the deck. We shall see this week, how it reads...

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ Strength

What is your best and your worst trait? Because our best and our worst, even at opposite ends of the scale can still be both a blessing and a curse. I think my best trait is my strength of character. I don't lie, don't cheat, I don't steal, if I say I'll finish something you can count on it, if I promise you something I will keep my promise, even at my own expense. The problem with the virtues is they can be rigid, inflexible, and unkind; they will seldom be appreciated or noticed, and can quite often put me in an uncomfortable spot.

I'm reminded by this card that humans are both frail and incredibly strong. As a whole I despise humanity, but one by one we are each so special and unique it sometimes make my knees weak to think of it. Why is it that our individual good can not rise above the bad of the whole? How did we ever get to the state we are in today? Will there ever be enough individuals to finally as a whole say this is enough, no more? And make it happen?

"Character is the total of thousands of small daily strivings to live up to the best that is in us. Character is the final decision to reject whatever is demeaning to oneself or to others and with confidence and honesty to choose the right." ~ Arthur Trudeau 1902-1951

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ Justice

Justice, balance, and mercy. This is often named the karma card, the get what you have coming card, the you so deserve it card. Maybe because we've all suffered an injustice or two in our life.

Today I'm reminded about the balance and mercy side of Justice. How I felt when I decided to let something go that had been a sharp rock in my shoe for 15 years. The saying 'I felt a boulder roll off my back' is true. Sometimes it is ourself we need to give mercy to, to accept that the past will never change and the future won't fix it so give ourself permission to be free. I don't know how much Justice there is in courtrooms, but there is precious little in the world. So allow yourself some Justice today, sprinkled liberally with mercy, and set yourself free.

"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice." ~ Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ 8 of Wands

This card would like us to focus on the horizon before us, not be blindered by the task or plan at hand.

I'm reminded by this card that a great day can go awry in a hurry, something you know if you've ever been in or had an accident. As you fall from the second story loft, or see the idiot in the Hummer drinking his latte and talking on his cell phone veering into your lane, you suddenly have a moment of clairity...why did I think new kitchen cabinets were more important than insurance? Why did I let him go out the door with both of us still angry? Keeping in mind our future hopes and plans help keep today's activities in a focused mode.

"In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." ~ Eric Hoffer 1902-1983

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ Emperor

Here he is in all his eminence, but Lord help him if he passes gas, he is so tightly wound he probably won't be able to stop his forward projection until sometime next Monday. That is a part of the Emperor-type personality though, they don't dilly-dally, when need calls they are ready to go, can make decisive decisions, and don't spend the rest of the day second guessing themselves. Their progress is always forward, not sideways nor backward, and never never standing in place.

I'm reminded by this Emperor that the ability to make a decision and then act on it is one of the keys to success in any effort. Planning to make plans will never get anything started, let alone finished.

"I'm going to go do a crazy thing. I've decided to start a company selling books on-line." ~ Jeff Bezos 1964-

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ Wheel

Cogs crank and dual disks, and spun by no less than the Angel Uriel, this is some upscale machine...but still the Wheel never the less. There is an unseen part to the Wheel that is seldom considered, but always there, the door. The new door that is always there when the old one closes. We say we don't have any control over the Wheel of Fate, but in many respects we do, we can look for the door that is coming.

I'm reminded by this card to avoid fatalism. High times and hard times are part and parcel of life but that invisible door is always there too and that is a choice. I can savor and be a good steward of the bounty of high times, and I can turn hard times into a life lesson in survival, common sense, and recognizing what is important and what isn't. We always have choices.

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go. Ella Wheeler Wilcox ~ 1850-1919

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ Empress

Where does the line lie between nurturing and enabling, between caring for Earth and fanaticism, between intuition and wishful thinking; all qualities inherent in the Empress card.

I'm reminded how easy it is to get wrapped up in a subject or cause to the exclusion of all else. You can be a fanatic about anything and with that mindset comes intolerance and what we wish to nurture is driven away. Drawing a simple pie chart reflecting how we spend our time over the course of an average day and week will show what parts of our lives we are nurturing and what parts are overwhelming the system.

"Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love." ~ Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky 1821-1881

Daily Draw: Da Vinci Tarot ~ Star

Da Vinci's beautiful dancer reaching for a star expresses well this card's place in the tarot, and the ability of optimism to reach our own stars and pessimism which can keep us firmly rooted in place.

This card is a reflection of what I'm finding as I close toward the end of my deck collection. I've kept pushing the ones I thought would be hard to work with to the end of the queue. That was a pessimistic and short-sighted opinion. As I've used the Lombardy, Secret Forest, Ancient Egyptian, and Saints I've found them all to be enjoyable, interesting, and easy to read. Often we are the only roadblocks in our life, because we hesitate to take that first step, blocked from pleasure or success by our own preconceived notions.

"Pessimism is playing the sure game. You cannot lose at it. It is the only view of life in which you can never be disappointed. Having reckoned what to do in the worst possible circumstances, when better arise, as they may, life becomes child's play." ~ Thomas Hardy 1840-1928

The Da Vinci Tarot from Lo Scarabeo, via Llewellyn Publishing in the U.S., 2005 has broght to life many of the uncompleted sketches from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks, using the great skills of Iassen Ghiuselev and A. Atanas Atanassov; excellent companion book by Mark McElroy.

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ The Wheel

I'm glad I chose the Saints for this holy week; I've learned more about Catholicism, I've learned there are 4500 saints accepted by the church, I've learned either real or myth, saints have a pretty tough time walking the walk.

I'm reminded by this card that history doesn't change, nor do people and politics. And everyone is busy defending that stance to the death, the death of someone else mind you. And we're all so politically correct, not standing up to be counted when each day innocents die as Emperors crush pockets of opposing thought. I'm thinking today of China and Tibet...the only thing Emperors ever really care about is power and money and wouldn't it be a fitting turn of St. Catherine's Wheel if the world boycotted the Olympics?

"It is thus necessary that the individual should finally come to realize that his own life is of no importance in comparison with the existence of the nation, that the position of the individual is conditioned solely by the interests of the nation as a whole." ~ Adolf Hitler 1889-1945

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ 3 of Staffs

When we were kids my dad would give us a nickle occasionally and his words of advice were always "don't spend it all in one place". When we talked about daydreams involving finances he'd say "when my ship comes in". I suppose if we'd always followed those two bits of financial advice to the letter we be in great financial shape. But like most things dads say, it went in one ear and out the other.

In today's deepening economic crisis I look around and see a lot of people spending their nickle in one place and making big purchases well beyond the potential of their own ship arriving. Instant gratification is the keyword many go by and they will be the first to feel the true bite of not heeding dad's third and last bit of financial acumen, "save some for a rainy day". For much of middle America a day of reckoning is arriving. For all of us, I pray we inherited dad's best bit, common sense, to bring us out the other side stronger better citizens.

"I know where I'll be when lady luck finally blows my way
She'll put the wind in my sails and I'll be gone
It won't be long before my ship comes in" ~ Clint Black 1962-

"Now this is what I'm going to do with my money, I'm going to spend like a sailor, because my ship came in". ~ Betty Boop 1934

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ Queen of Staffs

St. Genevieve was a woman of action. Not content to watch, worry, and pray, but to take charge and physically nurture and protect the citizens of Paris. I'm trying to think of something I done besides watch worry and pray in my little community. Other than donating to and buying from our book sale that supports the library the only thing I can think of was volunteering to take in animals when we had a big flood in 1996. No saints lurking here.

This card reminds me that shaking my head over newspaper reports and looking at the new downtown landscaping with a critical eye do not an active citizen make. I think it is time to make a difference instead of just making noise.

"A person has value only if it produces more than it consumes - so check your value to the community." ~ Martin H. Fischer 1879-1962

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ 5 of Staffs

Without hands much of what we do as a matter of course each day would be greatly stymied. The brain may tell them what to do, but the credit for the reality of the results belong to the hands.

I'm reminded by this card that my hands, just as much as my mouth, represent me each day as I walk my path toward serenity, love, and peace. I can type an insult or I can type a compliment. I can raise a hand in a fist or a wave. I can hug or I can hit. I can clench hands in anger or fold them in prayer. Those choices always remain mine to make.

"The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless." ~ Billy Graham 1918-

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ 6 of Coins

Unconditional love. Funny how difficult that is for humans, and how common it is in our animals. Most of us respond to a request for love with "I love you in spite of your faults" rather than "I love you because of your faults". A sad and miserly way of loving, when we pick and choose the parts we'll accept.

I'm reminded by this card that I have faults beyond number and have no basis for rating someone else by perceived shortcomings. We are all God's children, high time we began to act like it.

"I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. You can find it in a simple act of kindness toward someone who needs help. There is no mistaking love. You feel it in your heart. It is the common fiber of life, the flame of that heats our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives." ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross 1926-2004

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ King of Coins

St. Jude was one of the 12 disciples, and is the saint of lost causes and lost items. I was surprised to read this, as I have a little pocket shrine which holds St. Anthony who is called on when items are missing, and St. Rita, the saint of lost causes. I did some research at catholic.org and sure enough, St. Jude trumps St. Anthony and St. Rita.

I'm reminded by this card that alternative solutions are part and parcel of life. The King of Coins would know this best as a representative of worldly success. Compromise and a willingness to try new suggestions are a must in order to get on with life; rigidity in thought and action are a sure route to doing things the hard way much of the time.

"On those who waver, have mercy" ~ St. Jude Thaddeus 62 AD

Daily Draw: Tarot of the Saints ~ Knight of Swords

St. George slew the dragon, saved the princess, gave his reward to the poor and rode off into the sunset. This is chivalry of old, when knights sought out wrongs to right. Today he would have been required to borrow a live trap from the humane society, bait and catch the dragon, and haul it off to some other Mook's kingdom and release it.

I'm reminded by this card that no good deed goes unpunished. Yesterday I cleaned my father-in-laws chicken house, refilled the hopper feeder, brought the eggs up to the house, put them in their correct carton and dated them with a pencil, and noted on the calendar how many eggs he got. His comment when he saw what I'd accomplished? "What day is it?" "The 13th, I said." Wrong...yesterday was the 15th and he'd had to get the pencil and remark the eggs. I had a good laugh about it because this is just the way he is, but it goes to show that dragons are thin on the ground these days and being a knight is tough work.

"The world's male chivalry has perished out, but women are knights-errant to the last; and, if Cervantes had been greater still, he had made his Don a Donna." ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806-1861

Robert M. Place is our deck host this week with Tarot of the Saints, honoring this holy week before Easter.

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ High Priestess

The High Priestess encourages us to ponder our hidden motives when we take a strong stance. In a recent forum thread one person felt the need to come back and post her opinion nine times in a relatively short thread. I don't know what she said because I have her on my ignore list as she does this all the time. I am pondering what possesses her to think her way is the only way and why she feels the need to go on and on about it. And why her saying it irritates me so much. I mean, that is the point of this card and these daily exercises isn't it? To look within myself and not just talk the talk but walk the walk. Three or four years ago I would have taken this person head on, made a forum I enjoy a battleground, and been in constant emotional turmoil. So I can see positive growth in looking for the hidden knowledge within myself for a better way of dealing with one of life's irritations. Because I couldn't care less about the subject, these badgering posters are never about the subject, they are about themselves, so why get myself wound up?

I'm reminded by this card that there are always alternate methods of dealing with the windbags one meets in life. I'll never change them and their motives are none of my business so the better path is changing my reactions to a healthier direction. I've obviously still got work to do if it rates blog time...but then I'm a work in progress, only finished when I draw my last breath.

"In general, we do well to let an opponent's motives alone. We are seldom just to them. Our own motives on such occasions are often worse than those we assail." ~ William Ellery Channing 1780-1842

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ Judgement

As ye sow, so shall ye reap. The kittens in the pet shop reveal their nature to the potential owners looking in the window. Each day our path brings us closer to our own Judgement day, yet it is funny how seldom we think of our actions in relation to eventual weighing of the feather and the heart.

I'm reminded by this card that none of us know the day of our calling. That I should approach each day as a new opportunity to be a better person to both those I know and strangers I may meet.

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, it's another to think that yours is the only path." ~ Paulo Coelho 1947-

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ Star

All I can see in this card is the sad state of our country and the world. Normally a card of great promise, this one shows danger and abandon, the Eagle oblivious to the pain and destruction, the vessel pouring endless billions into the pool with no valid source for more...or on a personal level, parents who throw their children off of bridges or into microwaves, children who are brutalized every day by bullies. A world spinning out of control, masked by pretty things.

I'm reminded by this card that the last 100 years have seen more world change than the last billion, and that just because I'm safe and warm and fed today doesn't mean the situation will be the same in 6 months or a year. Greater nations than ours have risen and fallen and if my beautiful country can't recognize that it and it's people are on the same path, at meteor speed, we get what we deserve.

"Evolution made civilization steward of this planet. A hundred thousand years later, the steward stood before evolution not helper but destroyer, not healer but parasite. So evolution withdrew its gift, passed civilization by, rescued the planet from intelligence and handed it to love." ~ Richard Bach 1936

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ Magician

I've seen this card described by dozens of different keywords. In a reading, general descriptors can vary because of the querents question and the cards that surround it...another bit of the magic I guess. This Magician is presenting himself in such a straight-forward way that the magic is clearly seen. All his tools are open for inspection, the sun and moon are happy campers, flora and fauna abound.

I'm reminded by this card that the real magic isn't in sleight of hand or secret handshakes or special tools, the magic is always in us. We make our own magic with each thought and action of our days, depending on our outlook and attitude. Put a smile on it lad, and fake it 'till you make it. You will. Don't look for magic elsewhere, you are it.

"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." ~ Eden Phillpotts 1862-1960

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ Strength

Ever see one of those Chinese puzzle boxes, inner-connected rings, or finger puller? You simply can not get one open, apart, or out of, with physical strength. Logic and patience are the only way to conquer them.

I'm reminded by this card that carrying a big stick isn't always the answer, that gentleness and patience can often get you to the same destination with a lot less tears and a lot more love.

"Let the gentle bush dig its root deep and spread upward to split the boulder." ~ Carl Sandburg 1878-1967

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ Lovers

Problem relationships are the most common type of questions we get. To be perfectly honest I was surprised at how many otherwise intelligent and capable adults can get themselves in the saddest and often dangerous situations.

I'm reminded by this card that all of us have a blind spot. It can be anything but that thing we are either on the inside looking at and not understanding, or on the outside looking in and not understanding. Apparently for humankind there is no cure, so we go on with our unrealistic dreams, seldom jumping down to the floor and going to the door of reality.

"Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect." - Margaret Mitchell ~ 1900-1949

Daily Draw: Tarot for Cats ~ Wheel of Fortune

Today's wheel is all about the round faced one the rules most of our days. And spring forward and fall back. And the Wisenheimer politicians who insist, in this 24 hours a day reality world that we still need an extra hour of daylight in the evening rather than the morning. Maybe it made sense to Benjamin Franklin in 1784 when much of the world still went to bed when the sun went down; possibly it made sense during WWI when most of the world still ran on an 8 hour work day...but it sure as heck doesn't make sense any more.

There are 15 clocks in this house by quick count, 2 in my Pacifica, 1 in Rob's Dodge Ram, plus our cell phones. Neither one of us wear a watch. I would happily eliminate most of those timepieces but everything you buy comes with one now. I love the ones that update automatically like my handy-dandy one in our 5th wheel that gets set by satellite, plus tells me the temperature inside and outside. I hate the ones on kitchen appliances, what are those all about? Who really needs them? How much did a clock add to the cost of the machine, and how much value do they add to our lives? Wheel indeed, lets stop the wheel of daylight savings time.

"We get up by the clock, eat and sleep by the clock, get up again, go to work - and then we retire. And what do they give us? A clock." ~ Dave Allen 1936-2005

The deck this week is Tarot For Cats by Regen Dennis, Illustrated by Kipling West. This is a 22 card Majors only deck (out of print) published by Macmillan 1996.

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ Prince of Swords

This Knight has his head in the clouds, has even managed to get his chariot and horse up there with him. There is no movement of the wheels whatsoever...signifying whatever grand plans he has, they are just that, all in his head.

I'm reminded by this card that the best smartest most creative plans in the world will never happen unless our feet are on the ground and we do something concrete to get them moving, but we need those dreams to spark and drive us to completion.

"Each moment of our life, we either invoke or destroy our dreams. We call upon it to become a fact, or we cancel our previous instructions." ~ Stuart Wilde

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ 7 of Swords

Clearly an ambush situation, advising a wait and see attitude, or seek an alternate unexpected solution for the person on the other side of the door. I'm no fan of ambush solutions, so highly touted by substance abuse groups; they create an instant defensive position in the ambushee. Unfortunately, communication skills are one humans seldom hone.

I'm reminded by this card to keep communication channels open whichever side of the door I'm on. If there is a real problem the person won't deal with it until they are ready. Leaving the door of all potential contact freely there, they may eventually come through it on their own. If they don't, trapping and forcing the issue accomplishes nothing.

"The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you. Even the choicest words lose their power when they are used to overpower." ~ Edwin Friedman 1931-1996

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ Devil

Most of the things that populate our dark side wouldn't be considered dark if we knew when to put the brakes on. With restraint they could be called foibles, small fetishes, fun or fascinations. Not so when we go into free fall and let our interests and obsessions ride us.

I'm reminded by this card of computers or televisions, take your pick. Very modern inventions yet in the industrialized nations one or the other, or both, take up the bulk of the day for many people. If we think back to say 1950 what exactly did adults do with their free time? I could move that date forward to 1975-ish even, we didn't own a TV until then. Did we consider what we did a waste of time or was our time more constructively used? Time is the most valuable thing we have, followed by our health. How many hours a day do we do nothing to benefit either? The Devil isn't always child porn and genocide. Much of the time the Devil is just us, going through life on autopilot.

“Time wasted is existence; time used is life.” ~ Edward Young 1683-1765

Moving Out

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ 6 of Swords

Funny how some people are born rolling stones and some seem born to stay in place like standing stones. I once had a customer that had moved 26 times in the preceeding 10 years. My face must have shown what I was thinking because she quickly assured me it was by choice, she loved moving to a new place. Now I like being in the new place, but the process of packing and moving...but how fun it is to have all your worldly belongings seem like new again because the pictures look different on the walls, the furniture looks different on the carpet, the beds are all in a new position. I wonder what I would change if I packed up everything in this house, moved it out and moved it back in again. Probably fully half of it wouldn't come back in. I am a different person now than I was 18 years ago when we moved here. 'Stuff' holds no power over me for one thing, and being 18 years older would have a clear voice in just how many boxes I'd be willing to carry for the experiment.

I'm reminded by this card that like turtles we mentally carry all our goods with us where ever we go and what a burden that becomes. Pick any hobby or passion and you will find like minded people talking about where to put it. I know a man who owned 42 old John Deere tractors, he probably has 10 or 15 more now. They litter his property and are no better off in his possession than they were before he bought them; they sit in the weather, blackberry vines and alder trees growing through them. I certainly know quilters who have so much fabric they have rented storage units for it, that is units, in the plural. I'm very thankful that isn't me, it certainly could be. If I had to I could get in this reed boat and float away, as long as I could get my 2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 goats, and Rob in it too. Journeys should be about moving on, not just changing the view and remaining the same old me.

"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning." ~ Ivy Baker Priest 1905-1975

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ 10 of Wands

This priest is overwhelmed by his commitments, his resources are spread way too thin to cover the basics, let alone exigencies. We've been here. It is the time I worked out how to commit suicide. We have 18 foot ceilings with enormous exposed beams. I figured if I could throw the rope high enough to get over a beam, then I could stand on the upstairs loft banister and fling myself off at a good clip. No maybe about it, the job would be done. That was18 years ago, and I can smile at my uber-planning but circumstances weren't funny then and I was close to the end of my tether.

I'm reminded by this card that everyone's life is a series of events and time just keeps rolling on. It seems trite to say this too shall pass, but it does, always, as long as we keep trying. Even the best of times pass and we don't hear of anyone committing suicide because they are having too much fun...so why consider it when times are tough? Ka will wait, the Wheel spins, we spin with it.

Ka, a spiritual part of the soul in Egyptian mythology, which survived after death. Ka appears after the ritual seventy days of embalming are done.

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ Chariot

The Charioteer is in complete control of his surroundings, but that is also his cell. He is both freed and trapped by the box that encloses him. He can achieve more, faster, than the foot soldier beside him, but when the foot soldier veers off the Charioteer is still trapped by the limits of the road he has chosen.

I'm reminded that many readers use the keyword victory when they draw this card. There isn't much victory in doing well, again, what you already know how to do well. The victory lies in stepping away from the comfort of routine and stretching yourself doing something different.

"As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge." ~ Henry Van Dyke 1852-1933

Daily Draw: Ancient Egyptian Tarot ~ Fool

The Fool in this deck is represented by Amun, so titled because his is the hidden, the invisible, the power beyond the sun. The many symbols and action of this card indicate the real start of a new cycle of activity and potential combined with the power to create our own reality.

I'm reminded by this card that we often allow others to create our reality by believing the doom-sayers who would dissuade us from a new course; and history, which says we've always done it this way so it is the only way. Well, pardon me, but we don't need anyone's permission to create a new reality for ourselves, all we need is some courage, some chutzpah, and a touch of the Fool's innocence and belief in himself.

"Bold knaves thrive without one grain of sense, But good men starve for want of impudence." ~ John Dryden 1631-1700

Current working deck is The Ancient Egyptian Tarot by Clive Barker, published by Thorsons, 1994, and can be purchased directly from the linked site.

Deck Review: Tarot of the Gnomes

Art by Antonio Lupatelli

Published 2000 by Lo Scarabeo, Torino Italy

Card size approximately 4.75" X 2.50"

For anyone steeped in Rider-Waite mindset, this deck will come as a surprise, with many differences that set it apart from other tarot deck types. To name just a few-

• the dreaded 3 of Swords in now Charity, 10 of Swords is Treason.
• 5 of Wands is Growth, 8 of Wands is an Accident.
• 3 of Coins is Savings, 8 of Coins is Poverty.
• 9 of Cups is Drunkenness, 10 of Cups is Holiday.
• The Magician is a cobbler
• 2 companionable beetles enjoy the Moon

This is a fun deck to try if you need a little tarot adventure in your life but aren't ready to branch out to the Thoth, Golden Dawn, Marseilles, or Oracle decks.

Daily Draw: Tarot of Gnomes ~ 10 of Wands

I'm trying to think who I've had a physical fight with. Karen Carter pulled my nose when I was 7. Don't remember fighting back, I think I cried about it. Typical me as a kid. I think my little brother and I had lots of word fights, don't know why now. I don't even know why any parent would go beyond 2 children once they've seen how much siblings fight. How can they stand it? Why do siblings fight? My sister-in-law is apparently not speaking to me and I honestly don't know why. How can you fight with someone by not speaking? I just can't think of any time when I've physically hit someone. There have been a few times on-line when I would have cheerfully whacked someone senseless. The only forum I visit regularly now has a wonderful feature called an ignore button. Makes the subject and group so peaceful and pleasurable. Even that I've only used once.

I'm reminded by this card how little physical anger has been in my life and what a blessing that is. I know families that only function by fighting, physically and emotionally. I know marriages where never a kind word is exchanged. No fisticuffs in my life though. I don't think I've missed anything. On the other hand I do have a hair trigger temper which only in recent years I've been able to rein in. What a mess we can make when we are angry regardless of whether it is physical or not.

"You know what he'll do when he comes back? Beat my teeth out, then kick me in the stomach for mumbling." ~ Humphrey Bogart ~ The Big Sleep 1946