I’ll be taking a break from this blog for a couple of weeks because I’m headed to Vermont for a retreat/camping trip/leadership training. I won’t be taking a break from tarot though–or at least, I expect not to. I’ll be taking my Wild Unknown deck with me, although I don’t know how many chances I’ll get to read with it.
So, a couple of things have happened recently. First of all, I gave my first reading for another person!! It went really well and convinced me that doing tarot with other people is way more fun than doing tarot for yourself (although I enjoy that immensely, too.)
The second is that have started an oracle deck involving Buddhist ideas. I won’t go into too much detail about it on this blog, and I can’t even really start working on the manuscript in earnest until I finish my dissertation, but I am excited! I think my idea is a good one and there’s definitely a market for the deck I want to make. I’ve also emailed some creators of oracle and tarot decks for advice on whether to publish or self-publish and how to go about things and have gotten some good answers. Writing the manuscript, finding an illustrator, and making this thing a reality will be a looooong haul, but honestly, I am about to finish a Ph.D–I can definitely do long-term projects!!
Third is that I’ve been thinking about this blog lately and definitely want to keep the Dharma emphasis, but make this into a more personal blog. Looking over the entries, I realize that they’ve got this authoritative sound that I just don’t like and that feels pretty wooden. Lately I’ve done some readings for myself that have really hit home and it’s just reminded me of why I like this tarot thing so much–it involves the whole person, not just the intellect. Emotions, creativity, intuition, the body–it’s all there.
Lastly, my pile of tarot and oracle decks is slowly accumulating, although I think I’m reaching a plateau. Tarot decks and books are definitely my version of Mara right now, but that’s OK–more grist for the Dharma mill, as my teacher says. Anyway, I now have the Universal Waite, Smith-Waite Centennial, Wild Unknown, Linestrider, Dreaming Way, Shadowscapes, and Wildwood decks, the Mystical Cats Tarot as an app, plus the Druid Animal Oracle deck. There are about a million more I could buy but I think I’ve finally reached a place where I can see that, as much as I might enjoy a new deck (such as the stunningly beautiful Fountain Tarot or the funky and hard to find Collective Tarot), getting a new deck will not bring me lasting happiness or contentment. It’s the feeling of the desire for a new deck itself that I ultimately crave, not the deck.
And there you have it. See you in August!
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