Floating Leaf

I finally received that OTHER Tarot deck I ordered a few weeks ago. Tarot of the Hidden Realm by Julia Jeffrey. It took a while before it even shipped... and then it got lost on the way, so I had to request a replacement. But now it's here. And I totally understand what people mean when they say that different card decks speak to them on different levels. My other two Tarot decks are somewhat similar: both feature very stylized, aesthetic images that are somewhat subdued in their emotional expression. This one is a total opposite: raw, visceral and immediate, evoking emotion without the need to understand the symbols. In fact, most of the cards don't even include the traditional accessories associated with their particular suits or ranks. They are mostly close-ups of human faces, suffused with feeling - and the feeling tells you all you need to know about what the card means. Well, they're not technically human - they're supposed to be "the fairy folk", and there are a few animals thrown into the mix as well - but the close-ups are so intimate they just grip you by the gut. I actually had tears in my eyes while sorting through this deck; not because of its beauty (from a purely aesthetic standpoint, the Shadowscapes Tarot, which I posted about earlier, is more beautifully designed), but because of how "real" it feels. Love and fear, joy and heartbreak, longing and wisdom and regret... it's all there, on those faces. Which makes it, I now realize, a better deck to learn the Tarot from than all those more technical, sophisticated ones. You can read up on the symbols later. The simple, intimate images really activate your intuition. I did a few simple spreads, and I found I didn't even feel like checking the companion booklet for meanings; and even when I did, the meanings in the booklet seemed less clear to me than my own instinctual response to the cards was. This is totally new, as I am very much used to processing everything on an intellectual level before I can even access the emotion behind it. Which, of course, makes you constantly question your interpretations. With this deck, I wasn't questioning, or arguing with my own brain; I was talking to the cards, saying, "OK, so you're telling me THIS, and I know exactly why you'd say it... and this other card is showing a different perspective on it, but I can relate to that as well, because I see how the two energies complement one another in my life, and in this current situation". It was as if I suddenly got "plugged in" to the actual wisdom of the universe.;-D Who knew. *blinks*

Anyway... let me show you a few examples of what I'm talking about. ( Read more... )

Spring has sprung, at last. For the first time this year, I could unzip my jacket while walking outside this afternoon and just bask in the sunshine (some people are already wearing summer clothes, btw; but this is Chicago, and it is quite common around here to see someone in flip-flops right next to someone in a parka... they can even be the same person on occasion, LOL). And since my chiropractic appointment got cancelled and I didn't have any errands on schedule except for my weekly grocery run, I somehow ended up at the local garden center, where I got seduced by this gorgeous calla lily:



I did want a new potted plant, since my little poinsettia (which I had bought back in November) lost its final leaf about two weeks ago. It lasted throughout the winter - which, considering my awful record with plants, is actually a success. But now it was definitely time for a change of scenery. I also bought some artificial flowers, just because. ( Read more... )