I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Friday, July 10, 2015

Sharp Grace

From the Fountain Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Devas of Creation Oracle, "Cave:"
          The Queen of Swords can seem just as prickly and pointed as those geometric figures she slices her sword through. The booklet gives her the phrase "sharp grace," and indeed her brand of tough love can feel more cutting than kind. It is because she slices away secrets to get to the truth; she cuts through delusion so reality is laid bare. When she is done, it will have felt like a soul-piercing experience. The next card, Cave, explains her reasoning. Conway states it is about discovering "the underlying causes, the real meaning behind some problem." Delving into why I think or act as I do - my habitual patterns of behavior - can be scary. It is a surgery of sorts that can allow me to move out of the darkness (ignorance) back toward the light (understanding). I will no longer be a puppet with an internal sound loop controlling the strings. Sometimes mercy comes in strange packaging.

10 comments:

  1. The Queen of Swords is my favorite court card but this version doesn't appeal to me and might be the reason why I won't buy the deck.
    Still she does get the message across. She can be harsh and her truth can be painful but she is also a mother who will give you a band-aid when it bleeds.
    Again these two cards fit perfectly together and this really amazes me

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    1. This queen is painted in a harsher, sharper form - I agree. I'm not sure I could use the Deva deck successfully on its own, but it has been wonderful as a partner deck!

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  2. The Queen's expression combined with the way her sword is pointing towards the next card...and I can hear her saying, 'all right, into the cave with you' lol. Not unlikely, mind, but not gently either. Another great pairing!

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    1. I can't imagine her being long on patience with those who drag their feet! :D

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  3. Is the Fountain Tarot that much bigger than the Devas? They must be huge! Love to see a photograph of them in your hands.

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    1. No, that was my one disappointment with them. The cards and images are much smaller (2.75 x 4.74 inches with border). Because the Deva cards had such bolder colors, I ended up cropping the borders and enlarging the Fountain images (which has a more muted color tone) so it wouldn't look so faded in comparison. I've had fun watching you use the DoC this week; they seem to pair well no matter what tarot deck is used with them! :)

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  4. "It is because she slices away secrets to get to the truth; she cuts through delusion so reality is laid bare." Wow, what a very deep thought. I will be thinking on this all day now, just as I was singing, "blinded by the light," all day from the post before this! LOL - thanks for that. ;)

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    1. I think this is why so many people don't like this Queen - she believes in tough love and has such a good BS detector, lol. But the benefits reaped can outweigh her sharp feel. :)

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  5. Despite the grey and harsh angles, I am drawn to this Queen. There is something playful to her. Perhaps as she won't take crap, she's laughing at life... :D

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    1. I like her too - she's a tough cookie who's not going to put up with anyone's BS. :)

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