The Nomadic Oracle

The Nomadic Oracle

Jon Mallek
Ambient Studio
2010

Some time ago I did a review (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/nomadic-oracle/review.shtml ) on the Nomadic Oracle Divination system. I loved the concept, but the cards had to be downloaded from the site. To my great joy, the cards have now been published! Printed in Malaysia, the vibrant colors do great justice to the intent behind this divination system.

A bit of background on the divinaton system itself. Mallek views the oracle itself as an energy body, independent of any formal (or informal) religious systems. Our five senses are seen as five different frequencies through which we maintain contact with our outer world. Each sense has a name: Fire/Smell, Water/Taste, Earth/Touch, Air/Sound and Consciousness/sight.

This is a 56 card deck, and is broken down in the following manner:

1. Family of the Emotions
2. Realm of the Active Path
3. Realm of Time
4. Realm of Guidance
5. Family of Protection
6. Realm of Territories
7. Realm of Abundance
8. Family of Transition
9. The Senses
10. The Elements & Spirits
11. The Infinite Self

There are two Jesters in this deck, and they are read as “Not” cards. When one of the two Jesters is drawn, another card is always placed next to it. The second card is read as the “Not” card. Whatever the energy of the card is, when placed next to a Jester, that energy is “Not” (available, active).

The basic spread that Mallek uses with this divination system is called a “terrestrial” reading. (There is no LWB published with this deck. The information can be downloaded from the Nomadic Oracle site – http://thenomadicoracle.com/the_Nomadic_Oracle/frontpage.html). The first card shows the context within the question that the oracle will focus on. The second card represents the “here and now”, the present situation. The third card represents terrestrial, practical guidance. It may also represent the possible consequences of an action that the user has in mind. The fourth card represents the energies inherent in a problem or issue. The fifth card represents an overview of the situation. The sixth card represents what you have been receiving, or may wish to receive about an issue. The seventh card represents creative opportunities – those the user may wish to create, or to create the conditions for. With the exception of the Jesters, each card has a relationship with one of the frequency zones, giving it either a natural or neutral place within the spread.

The cards are 3 ¾” by 5 ¼”, of good quality card stock. The back show a collage of colors and faces (well hidden), while the fronts show a narrow white border, followed by two thin black borders with white space between them, followed by another inch of white space. The images are full color, in the center of the card.

Across the white space at the bottom, in black lettering, we see the card name, followed by the element and family that it represents. For instance, Judgment is Earth In the Family of the Emotions. Following are some of my favorite cards:The deck and book can be purchased only from the publisher – http://thenomadicoracle.com/the_Nomadic_Oracle/Contact.html.This is a unique deck that will open up individual understanding of ones world. Be aware that there is some full nudity.

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© November 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

Taurus Full Moon

Sunday, November 21st, moves us into a Full Moon in Taurus. I love the energy of a Full Moon – the whole idea of cycles, and each part of the cycle having its own sense of importance. Full Moon’s indicate a culmination of one cycle, moving into the beginning of another cycle. Projects that we are working on need to be brought together and finished. Things that no longer serve us well need to be let go of. However, we also need to be aware of the doors that are opening for us.

The  Full Moon in Taurus places emphasis on our making best use of our resources, and to our making our health a priority. In making best use of our resources, we need to remember that Spirit is an endless resource, and that we need to take advantage of this, to strengthen our spiritual connection. Look for the places in your life that are out of balance,  and determine what you need to do to restore that balance. Once the balance is restored, you need to look at where you need to place your energy so that you can be self-sufficient.

This is a time for depending on our inner wealth, of consolidating our resources, of connecting with the feminine and our creative centers. Look to where your personal strengths are, to where you can consolidate your material and spiritual wealth and create a suportive environment. Look at what has value to you – financially and otherwise. How can you grow these areas of your life? Allow yourself to align with the slower pace around you. committ to your passions, live in the now of life. Take part in whatever represents the best of life to you. Follow your heart, follow your passions.

From the “Illuminated Tarot” , by Carol Hertzer, I drew the Guide (the Hermit) for this Taurus Full Moon. The answers that we need will be found within.

The Guide

(c) November 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

The Victorian Trade Card Tarot

Victorian Trade Card Tarot

Artist: Marcia McCord
Independently Published
2010
Limited Edition – 100 copies

I absolutely adore Independently published decks! I was very  lucky to have happened upon a discussion of Marcia’s “Picture Card Tarot” in the Tarot Collector’s forum, and was delighted when I saw that she was going to do two more somewhat similar decks. All three decks are Limited Edition (100 copies), and all are based on the traditional 78 card Tarot structure, with the addition of the most adorable Happy Squirrel. (This little fellow gets around!) Marcia did something with the “Victorian Trade Tarot” that she also did with the “Picture Post Card Tarot” – she allowed individuals to request a Limited Edition number of their choice. I was very lucky in that I did get the number that I asked for!

The deck came wrapped in beautiful Tarot wrapping paper, with ribbon and a tag with the Limited Edition number on it. It looked exactly like a Christmas present! Mary Nale has a beautiul snapshot of her wrapped deck here.

The images on the Victorian Trade Card Tarot were taken from trade cards that were used as business cards between 1870 and 1890. On the back of her cover card (which shows an older woman reading the cards for what looks like a young couple) Marcia goes into a bit of the history of trade cards. With the advent of improved printing processes in the 1870’s, it became possible to print with bright colors. The cards became very popular, and somewhat of a collector’s item. They went out of vogue entirely by 1900, when advertising moved into the venue of magazines and other periodicals to reach a wider audience.

An interesting fact that Marcia notes is that often the picture on the card had nothing to do with the service being offered (remember, these were business cards!). Colorful and amusing pictures appeared on one side of the card, with the reversed side holding text advertising. Marcia also noted that the front of the card may or may not have included the name, product or symbol of the company doing the advertising! The cards were used to advertise a business or product in general, as opposed to representing a specific contact within a company.

The cards themselves are 2 ½” by 3 ½”, with reversible backs. I love the image on the back – the product being advertised is “Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral” (for colds, coughs, throat and lung diseases). The image is the face of an angelic child with golden hair, and a white dove on her shoulder. The fronts of the cards show the image to the edge of the card – no borders. There is a white strip on the bottom of the card, with the card information written on it. For the Major Arcana, it is the card number (in Roman numerals), and the traditional card name. For the Pips (numbered cards), it is the card number and suit, and for the Court cards it is the card title and suit.

The traditional suit names (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles), and Court titles (King, Queen, Knight and Page) are used. There is one additional card – that of the Happy Squirrel. There is no LWB (Little White Book) with this deck.

The cards are filled with color, and quite amusing. The Magician shows a gentleman in a dark suit, standing in front of a table covered with a dark red cloth. He has a white handkerchief in his right hand, and a wand in his left hand. A yellow bird is in the air in front of him, flying away. Do we think that he might has just conjured it?

The Fool shows a young boy, hat flying, going over the top of a fence (with his little dog’s head and front paws showing between the fence boards.

The High Priestess shows the figure of a young female child, dressed in white with a red nun-like head covering, pulling on the cord to ring a bell. The Empress shows a mother holding her baby, seated in front of a fireplace. The Lovers shows a young girl, in a beautiful white dress, kissing a young boy (who is standing behind her and to one side) on the cheek.

The Hermit is hysterical – a female figure in the form of a watering can, watering the flowers. Justice is a bit more chaste, showing a defendant (in a red and white plaid suit) standing in front of a judge with his lawyer. (The lawyer actually looks a bit like a shyster!)

The Moon is beautiful card, with a nicely dressed mother and her two daughters, walking along a trail. The mother is caller her daughters attention to a full moon in the sky (which is wearing a smiling face).

The Devil is just adorable, showing what appears to be a woman’s show, with four little “Devils” appearing to be either playing on it or working on it.

The Six of Swords shows a mother standing up in a boat, oar in hand, her young son and daughter seated on the back with their feet in the water.

Then we come to the Happy Squirrel! Tis card is done is sepia tones, showing a squirrel standing on a tree branch, with an acorn in his paws. On the top left hand side of the card we see a circle with an acorn in it, with the word “Acorn” emblazoned across it. This seems to be the name of the company selling the product (stoves and ranges).

The imagery in this deck is quite colorful, and quite well done. It varies from comic book comedic to true to life figures. It is a joy to read with – perhaps not a deck that you would offer a client, but certainly a deck that a reader could have some fun with! Not a deck for learning – but it is quite unique, and gives great pleasure.

More information here -

© November 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

The Art of Being Worthy

Today’s blog will be a short one. I would like to introduce you to three blogs/sites that I feel have something unique to offer the Tarot world. They bring a smile to my face, and joy to my heart.

The first one up is Helen Howell and Zanna Starr’s blog “Tarot Notes – Major and Minor” – http://http://tarotnotes-majorandminor.blogspot.com/2010/11/interview-with-my-gilded-tarot-deck.html. I love the way this post is written – as if the cards were coming to the house for a visit. There is interaction, dialog, and a great deal of humor and fun to be had by all. There is also honor, and respect … and attitude! Any reader knows that their decks have attitude! How boring it would be if they did not! More deck interviews can be seen here – http://tarotnotes-majorandminor.blogspot.com/search/label/Deck%20Interviews. Thank you for such a lovely way to get to know our decks. Along with the “Gilded Tarot” (Thank you, Ciro!), Helen interviews such decks as “Tarot of the Hidden Folk”, the Swiss 1JJ (swooning here – my Swiss 1JJ came through a friend of my sister’s, and has quite the history!), and the “Christmas Tarot”.

Next up is Stephanie Arwen Lynch’s blog “Tarot By Arwen” – http://http://tarotbyarwen.com/blog/. Arwen offers readings, workshops and classes, coaching for writers (Arwen is a published writer as one-half of the Marilu Mann writing team), monthly Tarotscopes (http://http://tarotbyarwen.podbean.com/2010/11/01/november-2010-tarotscopes/), and character readings (readings done for characters from a wide variety of stories and novels) – http://http://tarotbyarwen.com/blog/?p=2746. There is so much cool stuff here – laced with a lethal dose of Arwen-style humor!

Last (but not least!) is the incredible blog by Catherine Chapman (co-author of “Beyond the Celtic Cross) – http://http://tarotelements.com/. I have to offer a small disclaimer here, in a nod to transparency – I do contribute articles to Tarot Elements on a monthly basis. Onward and upward! I am just going to ramble for a bit, and let each of you see what you might be interested in. There are a series of guest posts by such diverse individuals as Craig Conley (see how he overlays punctuation onto the Tarot in a unique fashion), Barbara Moore, Valerie Sylvester, Mick Frankel and Douglas Gibb (totally irreverent and insanely genius!). Valerie Sylvester is also a monthly contributor in the field of astrology, offering timely and astute insights into astrology, and how it affects our life. (Mercury retrograde is a well known “offender”, but did you know that other planets go retrograde also. Think, for a minute, what Venus retrograde offers up!) Catherine also has some excellent, thought provoking articles of her own up (“Should You Learn the Tarot With the Rider-Waite-Smith only?”, “The Baggage Handler). There are sections on the Celtic Cross, Elemental Dignities, Tarot News, Tarot Spreads and Tips and Techniques. There is also an ongoing study blog on the cards, with site visitor participation encouraged. One never knows what to expect next from Catherine … and its all good!

© November 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

Readers Studio 2011 – Are You Ready?

I am incredibly excited about going to Readers Studio 2011. This will be my third time – and it just gets better each time I go! We are now on a six month countdown. Do you know who the presenters are? Do your know who your fellow attendees will be? I wish that the first (or even second!) time I attended a Readers Studio that I had know who the other attendees were, and what their interests were. This year I am doing a series of blogs sharing information on any attendees who wish to submit it to me. Here is the link to my initial blog:  http://tinyurl.com/393x6fy. I hope to see many of you there!

(c) November 2010 Bonnie Cehovet