I was searching through my Tarot books yesterday, and came across a book that I had not read in a long time. It is such a pleasure to come across little gems that one is not looking for, that I had to take it out and read through it. I say “read” through it, but the images in this book are as important as the text, with the two combining into a wonderful trip into the world of Tarot.

The book is “The Tarot of Cornelius Agrippa”, by Frederick Morgan (Sagarin Press, 1974, 1978). It is a series of short essays (prose parables), which are matched to one of the Major Arcana from the Tarot. The illustrations are from the Gioseppe Maria Mitelli deck of Tarot cards engraved in 1664. They are from the private collection of Albert Field, and used with his permission. 

I have had quite a good time going through this book, looking at the black and white illustrations, mentally comparing them to today’s Tarot cards. The stories are short, and very simply written. From the card of the High Priestess: “She leans forward then. “Who are you?” she asks. Looking into the black pools of her eyes, I am at once aware of a reality that is to be found neither in the landscape of dream, nor in the one I assume when I awake, but in a dimension which can only be attained through her. As I answer her question, she smiles very faintly. “I have your name,” she whispers, -  and my blood leaps in terror and exaltation as I recognize her, the eternal one, SORCERESS, gateway to the self.”

I put this book back on my shelf, having thoroughly enjoyed this short journey. I don’t know why it came to me, but I am sure that its importance will make itself known soon.

© February 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

The Hezicos Tarot

Author: Mary Griffin

Artist: Mary Griffin

Self Published

2010

“Believe and trust in yourself

you can create miracles.”

Mary Griffin

I want to thank my good friend Arnell Ando for bringing this deck to my attention. She has a very apt eye, and this deck is a joy to behold! It is patterned in the traditional Rider-Waite manner, using traditional Major Arcana titles, with Strength at VIII and Justice at XI. The suits are Rods, Cups, Swords, and Coins. The Court cards are King, Queen, Knight and Page.

I was fascinated with this deck from the moment I took it out of the mailer. It appeared to be wrapped in plastic over a package that was tied “old style” with twine. The box the cards and booklet come in is actually designed to look like a package wrapped in twine, with a little faerie on the postage stamp, a winged faerie holding a yellow flower balanced on the twine in the upper left hand corner, and another faerie emerging from the wrapping n the lower right hand corner, with an open book in his right hand. Where the twine intersects there is a label attached with the name of the deck. The box itself is very sturdy, with a lift off top. Quality done to perfection!

Griffin has a background in art and Tarot, and is a Psychic Clairvoyant, specializing in one on one readings, and readings with small spiritual groups. She specializes in painting fairies and animals, and has also done painted furniture and “Trompe l’oeil” work. In the introduction to her LWB (Little White Book) she notes that she created the “Hezicos Tarot” so that she would have a deck that she could relate to herself, through the theme of faeries.

The LWB is actually a 56 page, 3” by 4 ½” green booklet, with black imagery on the front and back covers. It is presented as a “schoolbook”, with headers for Name, Class (written in as Hezicos Tarot), and Year. There is a discussion of the artwork, with the imagery coming to her while walking the dogs, then the rush to get it down with A4 pencils into a pencil sketch, which is then transferred onto tracing paper, and from there onto watercolour paper. The image is then painted, using Artist Quality watercolour paints. When the painting is complete, black waterproof ink is applied to areas that are meant to be accentuated. The final images are then scanned onto disk. I loved that Griffin takes the reader along on the journey that is process of her paintings. I also loved the comment that the Major Arcana were “sheer indulgence” to paint, as they contained everything that she loves to paint.

There is a section on using the Tarot, including instructions for cleansing and storing decks, shuffling, using reversed cards, and the use of a significator. Spreads offered include a Three Card Spread, a 21 card Romany Spread, and the traditional 10 card Celtic Cross Spread.

Each card is presented with a small color scan, a description of the energy in the card, upright and reversed meanings. From the book:

“ 0 The Fool

A young man places his foot at the very edge of a cliff, one false move and he would fall. He shows no fear. One of his dogs stands looking at him imploring him to move away, the other stands guard.

Card Meaning: The Fool card heralds the start of a new beginning. Opportunities will come forward now, trust your intuition you are about to start something new. A word of warning be vigilant, look carefully first; do not rush into anything you might regret later.

Reversed: Be aware of a lack of action, a feeling of wanting to give up, being careless in situations, a state of apathy and neglect. Rushing into a relationship or business venture without careful consideration first.”

The Minor Arcana are also presented with small color scans, and upright and reversed meanings. From the book:

“ 10 of Cups

Card Meaning: Peace, contentment and great happiness surround you now. Family life and friends will be fulfilling and supportive. The Ten of Cups can indicate a move to a new home.

Reversed: There will be difficulties in connection with your domestic life and this could prove to be a stressful time. They will clear.”

“King of Swords

Description: This is a man in a position of authority; he is loyal, successful and honest, and expects high standards of himself and others. You can rely on his help and support in times of difficulty.

Card Meaning: If you need help of advise from a professional person the King of Swords in a reading shows that help is available. Look at something around you from a different perspective. Tackle a problem head on; use your mind, not anger.

Reversed: Being controlled and feeling powerless. The card reversed may indicate an argumentative and unpleasant man around you. He is judgmental of others. If possible, remove yourself from this man ad the situation around him.”

I found this descriptive manner of looking at the card meanings more helpful than keywords, which can sometimes set boundaries that limit interpretation.

At the end of the LWB are four blank pages to make notes on.

The cards themselves are 3” by 4 ½”. The backs are a brownish-green, with reversible imagery showing leaves and icons for the four elemental suits (Rods, Cups, Swords and Coins). The artist’s initials are in the upper left hand and lower right hand corners.

The card faces are borderless – which to me is a huge bonus! The Major Arcana have the card number, in Arabic Numerals, and the card title in white at the top of the card. The Minor Arcana Pips (numbered cards) have the suit number, in Arabic numerals, and the suit title in white on the top of the card. The Court Cards have the card title and suit in white at the top of the card. Each card in this deck has the artist’s initial in the lower right hand corner.

The numbered cards show imagery in the upper two thirds of the card, with suit icons in the right hand corner for the even numbered cards, and the left hand corner for some of the numbered cards. Other cards show the icons within the imagery. The Aces show a color coded background, with the suit icon placed in the middle. Rods are light green, Cups are light blue, Swords are light gray, and Coins are cream colored.

The Court Cards show faces only. The Pages face to the left, the Knights to the right, with the Kings and Queens facing forward. The Court Cards carry the same color background as the Aces.

Some of the imagery in this deck is a bit different than traditional imagery. For instance, there are two dogs in the card of the Fool, the Magician has a cat (or cat like animal) walking across his table, the Empress is holding a young child, only the two horses appear in the Chariot (no charioteer), and they are both white. Two cats appear in the card of Justice, and the Hanged Man appears from a side view.

There is also imagery that is very traditional, such as that in the High Priestess, Strength (although two tigers are shown), the Hermit, Temperance, and the Tower. The imagery for the Pips is relatively traditional – translated into the faerie realm.

Some of my favorite cards include the Magician, The Empress (shown holding a child), the Lovers (which shows a couple surrounded by greenery, as in the garden of Eden), Justice (sitting with her two cats), the Moon (which shows a full Moon on a black background with seven white stars in the night sky), the Sun (which shows a round yellow Sun with a face, and four orange projectiles, one coming from each side). For the Minor Arcana, I liked the Two of Coins, which shows a faerie walking between two points, one foot on land, one in the air, balancing a coin on one finger of each hand, the Six of Coins, which shows three faeries sitting amongst foliage, and the Three of Cups, which shows three faerie ladies sitting on a shell, with an upright cup in one hand.

I loved the pastel coloring in this deck, as well as the lack of borders. The imagery is well drawn and highly detailed, pulling one into the picture. I would recommend this deck for all levels of Tarot readers. It would appeal to those interested in the faerie realm, those interested in theme decks, those interested in artwork, and those looking for a “gentle” deck to offer their clients.

For more information about this deck, and about Mary Griffin’s work, please go to www.hezicostarot.com. The deck is available only from the artist – who is gifting the Tarot community in a huge way by not charging for shipping anywhere in the world!

© February 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

Echo’s in Time – The Dance of Life

We dance the Dance of Life,

Arms held high to the sky.

Our feet move faster and faster,

To music that only we can hear.

We start out swaying gently,

Entering our own private space.

The music in our mind

Becomes louder and louder …

more and more discordant.

The lines blur,

Fragmenting our private space.

Where there was once softness and light,

There are now dark, jagged edges.

We dance the Dance of Life,

Moving quickly to avoid these jagged edges.

We dance the Dance of Life,

Through the echo’s in time.

© February 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

I decided to do a short reading for February, to look at the general energies that would be affecting all of us. The deck that I am using is the “Sakki-Sakki Tarot”, by Monicka Clio Sakki.

1

2          3

4                    5

1. What is the general energy for this month? Five of Cups

Yikes! Five of Cups during the month of love! Monicka talks about this card representing disappointment and loss of one’s dreams. Perhaps this is a caution to not attach too many hopes to Valentine’s Day (or to relationship in general), but to take things as they come.

2. What do we know about this month? The Magician

We know that we have the resources to manifest our goals this month, if we have clear vision, and show intent and focus.

3. What is hidden from us about this month? King of Rods

What is hidden from us is that we will need to make use of our ability to discriminate, make mature decisions, and be the leaders that we can be,

4. What do we need to know about this month? Ace of Rods

We need to know that we will be offered an opportunity to access our creative nature, to enter into new beginnings in some way, to be adventurous, to place some lovely fiery energy into our lives.

5. What energy can we call on for assistance? Six of Swords

This month we can call on the literal energy of travel (perhaps a three day weekend!), as well as personal wisdom/truth. With this wisdom we move forward.

© February 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

.

Several days ago I posted on Twitter, asking for ideas for a Tarot related blog. One person responded – and one person was all I needed, because her suggestion was so profound! Theresa Reed (aka @thetarotlady) suggested that I address the issue of talking about people who have crossed over coming up in readings. She noted the same thing that I have seen in some of my readings – that she sometimes received information that was downright “spooky” when she read the cards for a client that was concerned about a loved one that had crossed over.

How does the subject of a deceased loved one come up in a reading? I have had clients state from the get go that they wanted to know about someone who had crossed over. Sometimes they wanted to know how they were doing, sometimes they wanted to know how they died (i.e. under what circumstances), sometimes they wanted to know where a certain piece of paper or other item was. Sometimes they wanted to know if there was a message for them from that person.

Other times I will be in the middle of doing a reading, and I realized that the information coming to me has nothing to do with the question being asked, and that it is coming from a specific entity. I let my client know what is being said, and that I feel it is information coming to them from someone who has crossed over. Once that is out of the way, my client and I can return to “regularly scheduled programming”. 

I think the most interesting (read bizarre here!) thing that has ever happened to me when doing this kind of reading was when I had two hysterical sisters on the line (I read over the phone), wanting to know about the death of one sisters boyfriend. Keeping them both calm and bringing over the information that was coming to me was, well, “quite interesting”.

Theresa has agreed to allow me to share one of her favorite experiences about loved ones that have crossed over. “A man came in to get a reading. He was a cop and very skeptical (I always find it odd that cops are skeptical about intuition considering most of them use it EVERY DAY at their jobs!).  We started out doing the general outlook and he asked a few questions.  He began to relax and I sensed he was enjoying the reading and actually getting something out of it.  He decided to ask about his dad and told me that he passed on not too long ago. 

Without saying anything more, he handed me the deck and I started laying out some cards.  Suddenly, I felt compelled to ask him "Who is Jerry?"  He went pale and his eyes widened.  "That’s my uncle".  I looked at him and said "he’s passed on too, isn’t he?"  The client nodded.  I then continued laying out cards and said "Jerry wants you to know that he helped your dad to cross over and your dad is fine."  This man almost got a little shaky and teary eyed and then he said "there is no way you could have known he passed before my dad".  He was so astonished by the reading that he became one of my biggest promoters – I had a lot of new business after that reading.”

Theresa: “So did the cards actually predict? Or was I picking up on something else? I like to think that the cards can show a message but sometimes they open the reader up to another source of knowledge and we unwittingly begin to channel information.  This has happened to me on many occasions but this was one of the most striking examples. “

Note: Theresa’s work can be seen at www.thetarotlady.com and http://blog.thetarotlady.com .

Should a reader agree to do this type of reading, or is this the province of a medium? Whether through a medium or through a reader (no matter what system they are reading from), this is channeled information, and should not be a problem. If the reader is unaccustomed to doing a reading like this, or if it makes them uncomfortable in any way, then they need to let their client know that they need to find someone else to do their reading. If the information comes up in the middle of the reading, they can do the same thing. Explain that information is coming from across the veil, but that they do not do this type of work.

For the reader who does feel comfortable dong this type of work, I would remind them to be very aware of their client’s reactions to the information. This is a little easier to do in person, because you can read body language. If the client is frightened, ask them if they would like to stop the reading. Talk to them until they are calmed down before they leave the reading area. Over the phone, listen closely to your client’s voice, and keep asking them if they have any questions. Make sure they understand what you have told them, and are reasonably calm.

This type of reading opportunity presents itself more often than we might think. If as readers we just allow ourselves to open up, absorb the information and pass it on, we will have been able to give our client peace of mind, and perhaps even closure, concerning a very difficult area in their life.

Please feel free to share your own stories under comments!

Blessings,

Bonnie

Tomorrow I will be back to posting Tarot musings – today I want to talk about an article in our local (Olympia, Washington) paper. Staff writer Christian Hill accompanied fifteen airmen from the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron at Mc Chord AFB as they flew four C-17 cargo jets to Haiti for ongoing relief efforts (delivering equipment, supplies and much needed water).

He references them as the Air Force equivalent of NASCAR drivers – they land, unload the cargo, and board evacuees with the engines still running so the emptied jet can take off as quickly as possible to make room for the next flight. The bottom line – there is not enough room at this small airport for the flood of arriving aircraft (to say nothing of the lack of a tower!).

Many of these servicemen have already served in Iraq and Afghanistan – areas where the local population is divided,  and military presence is not always received well. The opportunity to help with relief to Haiti gives them something back – visibility, respect, and appreciation.

The evacuees were deplaned in Orlando, FL, where they were met by police and customs enforcement officers.  Their thanks to the crew that flew them over was to applaud them – a gift from their heart.

Hill goes on to note that on his civilian flight back to Washington state, as the plane taxied to the runway, the flight attendant followed her safety briefing by noting that there were US service members on board, and recognizing their service to their country. Applause rang out on the plane.

Reading the article that this information came from warmed my heart and soul. It made me very proud of my country, and the men and women that risk their lives to make it what it is.

© January 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

Thanks to my sister, I had the awesome opportunity this past weekend to attend a Commodores concert. What an event! Okay … breathe, breathe, breathe! Start at the beginning. We went to my sisters house, dropped off my stuff, and then went out to dinner. I got brave, and agreed to a Thai restaurant. Beautiful atmosphere, fantastic food! My sister had a vegetarian platter, while I had cashew chicken with vegetables. This particular restaurant offers different levels of hot (Thai food is known to be spicy!) – I got mine with no spices, and it was so incredibly good! I could only eat half the platter (they serve a lot!), so I took the rest back to my sisters. (Unfortunately, when I forgot it there when I went home!)

Then we were off to the concert. Straight down I-5, no problem. We snagged the right exit, no problem. Yo – there is the casino, on the right hand sideof the freeway! We note that in time to take the right hand turn off the exit. (The Map Quest directions said to turn left. Pffttt!)

We are now in the parking lot – a HUGE parking lot. (They evidently don’t believe in a parking structure.) No parking spaces available. It is dark, and we have to try and avoid the people walking toward the casino. We drive around, and finally go back to the far rear of the back forty! Whew – found a space! Traipse on down to the casino (long walk, that!). Enter casino (where neither of us have ever been), and start looking for the showroom. We decide asking is the best policy, and are told to “walk straight back”. We walk straight back – into the next county, I swear! From the outside the casino does not look that big! Then we walk back some more.

Okay, there’s security. Good – they are letting people into the showroom. Up the escalator. I don’t know what the room capacity is, but it is a big room. Lots of security, and lots of casino personnel to help us find our seats.  Ticket Master lied – our seats are not on the right hand side of the stage (to my relief, actually!),  but they are also not the end seats. No matter – the lovely people in the end seats stand up graciously, and we slide in. (BTW – the casino representative that we asked to help us find our seats did not just point them out – she took us over there.)

Now we wait … and wait … and wait. One of the big screens on either side of the stage is dead, the other is promo’ing future events, and casino eating areas. Shadowy figure on the stage, checking equipment. Yes, we are getting close! Sister points out all the people coming in to be seated. Okay, we have to wait for them to find their seats. Chatting and watching the crowd. Interesting people everywhere. Couple in front of us and to our left needed to go get a room, according to my sister. I agreed. They started even before the show – and they were my age!

Lights going down – Yay! Casino announcer comes out. Announces that one of the big screens is dead (we knew that!), and apologized. Talked about coming attractions (Smokey Robinson is playing for Valentine’s Day!), then introduced the Commodores. We are under way!

The band (The Mean Machine) starts out, and the guys (William “WAK” King, Walter “Clyde” Orange and JD Nicholas) come onstage. Incredible show – smoke, lights, sound, the band is incredible, and the three guys just never stop moving! Walter begins things by having us all stand up, then he start talking about the situation in Haiti, and asked the audience to offer up prayers. I was so hoping they would acknowledge this tragedy, and they did so in the most gracious manner possible.

Walter had us turning and introducing ourselves to our neighbors, shaking hands, and all kinds of things. He ended this part of the show by suggesting that we turn to our neighbor, ask for their phone number, and then ask them out! He was kidding, of course (at least, I think so!).

The show never stopped, and so many of the really good oldies saw the light of day (Brick House – their signature song, Night Shift – a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, Easy, Machine Gun, Too Hot To Trot, and JD’s incredible rendition of “Three Times A Lady”). There was great interplay between Commodores and the band, Commodores amongst themselves, and Commodores and their audience.

Did we ever have fun! Standing a great deal of the time – dancing in place, clapping, singing, shouting (still have a sore throat) – in general being fairly rowdy for an “older” audience. (One lady brought her mother in a wheel chair.) I certainly plan to see these guys again!

We made it out of the showroom with only moderate difficulty. (Too many people, so little room!) Then the fun started – the casino was packed! I ended up falling down a couple of steps – my bad, the steps were too wide for me to take as regular steps. Sister smarted off and said she didn’t dare get me drunk if I was falling down when I was sober!

We had a hard time finding machines to play – this was, after all, Saturday night at the casino! (My sister had been on some Internet forums, seeing what people had to say about the different slot games.) We finally decided to play what looked like some form of poker. We weren’t sure if we had to get a ticket, or if the machine took cash. I asked the gentleman two seats down from me how the machines worked, not realizing that he spoke very little English. Fortunately, another gentleman was passing behind us, and he explained the process. Many thanks, Sir!

Turns out you can’t make choices, you just hit the go button and hope! It was one of those machines where you can play from one to a gazillion coins. We did have fun (in spite of the smoke) – my sister won $30, I lost $20. Not bad for a nights entertainment!

Wandered through the casino, back into the county that we had entered through, and managed to choose a door other the one we came in through.  We decided on a direction, and headed out. Felt like the Bonner party crossing the mountains! Dark parking lot, no signs, nothing! We finally find the car, and make our way out (no signs for that either – process of elimination!).

Get home and crash for the night. (After playing with the cats, of course!) I wake up at 4 am, finally get up at 5:30 am. Jaxson (my sister’s male cat) helps me read the Tarot (just like he had done the night before) while we wait for my sister to get up.

Great breakfast – rice cake with almond butter, and cut up fruit with cinnamon. Have decided to add that to my (non-existent) culinary repertoire! Off to go shopping! We visited Ikea (I had never been there – is that place ever big!), where we again parked in the back forty. Then we moved on to Trader Joe’s (better parking), and The World Market (I think that was the name, anyway). Kind of like Trader Joe’s, and we got to park right in front! I ended up with  a package of 100 tea lights and some chocolate covered almonds. Great almonds, but for some reason they taste salty. Am eating them anyway!

Now we are off to a really great Mexican restaurant, where my sister has a veggie platter and I have a chicken chimichanga platter.

What a wonderful weekend! Still floating from the concert! Many thanks to my sister, the Commodores, and the thrill of shopping!

© January 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

I like to use both the Full Moon and the New Moon for ritual and journey purposes. I use them both in very much the same way – to work on whatever I am working on, rather than limiting the New Moon to beginning endeavors and the Full Moon to bringing things to a close and/or releasing them.

January is the first month of my personal year, as well as the first month of the calendar year. This is a number eight personal year for me, over which I note the energy of the Empress, as 2010 carries the energy of the Empress, and her attention to detail and nurturing skills.

My chart carries five planets in Capricorn – including my Sun and Moon. So a Capricorn moon is a special time for me. I went into the evening thinking that I would do ritual and then journey at 11 pm. (I prefer to do this between 11 pm and MN.) For personal reasons, I never felt the time was right until 3 am – and then things went swimmingly well!  

I ended up placing 11 Tarot cards around my alter (which I had not planned to do), and used all four elemental incenses (from Leisa ReFalo – tarotconnection.net). The deck that I used is one that I seldom read from, but that called to me – the “Margarete Peterson Tarot”.

My journey produced some interesting results – including a crying baby that I was told was my Inner Child, along with a way to heal that Inner Child (along the path that I am already on).

As for many people, this year will be one of immense change for me. The New Moon ritual and journey (I almost always do them together) was informative and healing at the same time. I was reassured that I was moving in the right direction … and to keep on moving!

© January 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

TABI, our good frineds in the UK, have set up an account with justgiving.com to take donations for Haiti. Please help to the extent that you can – Haiti needs our prayers, our healing thoughts, and funds to rebuild. Thank you for your time in visiting my blog, and for your assistance. http://www.justgiving.com/Tarot-Association-of-The-British-Isles

(c) January 2010 Bonnie Cehovet

I was going through a box of Tarot material that a friend sent me some time ago, and came across S. L. MacGregor Mathers “The Tarot – A Short Treatise on Reading Cards”. Published in 1993 by Samuel Weiser, Inc., it is a revised and updated edition of Mather’s original Treatise of the same name.

I love little books like this! The first thing that I noted is that yes, it is readable. Not a lot of arcane words/phrasing. He discusses Tarot history, the meaning of the Tarot, the derivation of the word Tarot, and charts the correspondences between Italian, French and English suit names, and the suits for a deck of playing cards (Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and Clubs).

He also includes little tidbits, such as the Kings wearing a cap-of-maintenance under their crowns, while the Queens wear the crown only. (The deck type referenced in this book is the Marseille Tarot.)

In presenting the cards, Mathers describes the imagery and presents a word or phrase that represents the quality of the card. For example, the Magician is represented by Will, while the High Priestess is represented by Science, Wisdom, or Knowledge. In a separate section both upright and reversed meanings are given.

In a section entitled “Special Insights”, Mathers shares additional remarks, primarily taken from the work of Etteilla. For example: ”25. Knave of Sceptres – Reversed – Notice between what cards the news falls, which will show whence it comes, and of what nature it is.”

At the end of the book Mathers presents three spreads for reading the cards, as well as an explanation for playing hte game of Tarot (Tarocchi). There are also short notes on occult and Qabalistic symbolism.

Quite the interesting little book!

© January 2010 Bonnie Cehovet