TAROT CARDS
We have made three decks of Tarot cards, all in the Druidic tradition of Northwestern Europe. You can see reviews and purchase these cards at both Etsy and Amazon or buy them directly from us by sending an email with the link below. The reviews on Etsy are especially helpful.
BASIC IDEAS BEHIND THESE DECKS
Over my years of research of decks and Western mythology, I saw a repeating pattern of three "lower" states of childhood and a mature state of being the prince, bride, or adult. In looking at Sufi and Buddhist spirituality, and in looking at the requirements of Celtic kings, I noticed that the fifth level, or center, was the integration of all the four states of being a healthy adult. I began to call this the four-fold way, or the four legs of the chair. The adult can sit on the three-legged stool, but the spiritual adept or royal, must have four legs.
It was obvious that these four states must be body, emotions, mind and actions (society), for that is clear in almost every fairy tale and religious practice out there. Some are only three (Indian practice) and some are five (Chinese) but most are the same sorts of divisions, even the popular fantasy, Harry Potter, where the four schools at Hogwarts are of these divisions. Of course the colors can be changed around, and some of the attributes overlap, but I have tried to make these cards with a clear distinction using color as a mnemonic.
In looking at decks that used both aspects of the cards for different meanings (upright and reversed) it was clear that this could be the basic breathing of the spirit.
The Lower Arcana was designed using the in and out movement of protection and projection in the different areas of the human being. I wanted to show that the reversed positions of the cards were not "bad" aspects but the converse of the card, or going in the opposite direction. Thus at Five, we still get the chaos or instability of the cards that you see in other decks, but we also see a kind of denial on the reverse aspect. But if you look at Ten, generally a fulfillment card or a saturation card, on the reverse, you get the healthy aspect of breathing in now ready to go to the Ace uprights with projection. The Ten uprights are "breathed out" in need of renewal and will go to the ultimate of protection seen in the Aces reversed. So everything in the Lower Arcana is movement, a snapshot of what the querent is feeling, thinking or doing.
Tales of Anieth - Tarot Deck
(Click here to look at the Anieth Deck.)
This deck has 75 cards in the minor arcana, with five suits: cups, wands, blades, stones and cords. This deck has many color images of scenes from the books, but the books themselves are based on Europe at the time of Stonehenge and are full of mythological references. It is in Gaelic to honor the Ogham Tree Alphabet, (translations included.) All my decks come with meanings for the cards, both upright and reversed.
In the books, the girl who does the magic, has made a tarot deck with which she travels back and forth. The major arcana show characters from the book, the minor cards are mostly mythological. Cards are 8cm x 12.5cm (3 x 4.75), come with booklet, shrink-wrapped with bag.
Tales of Anieth - Nature Deck
(Click here to look at the Anieth Nature Deck.)
This deck was designed for my sister and other people who do not care so much for Fantasy. The images are based on the natural images from the books. This is a traditional deck with 78 cards. All the animals are native to Western Europe.Cards are 8cm x 11cm (3 x 4.25), come with booklet, shrink-wrapped with bag.
The Stone Tarot Decks - Nature Deck
(Click here to look at the Stone Nature Deck. - Will be out in May 2019)
This deck also has five suits, also in Gaelic, but with all animal images, adhering to ancient animal folklore of Europe. All the animals are native to Western Europe. This deck is a gift deck, with a larger book with symbolic explanations as well as card meanings. Cards are 8cm x 11cm (3 x 4.25), shrink-wrapped in box.
Tales of Anieth - Tarot Deck
Designed by Lucia Shields, the deck's major arcana is connected with the Earth players that went to Anieth to re-enact the Zelosian invasion. They played this game for many years and the books Aveldonacc, Drakkis and the Burning Bride explain this situation Aveldonacc has these cards and some of Lucia's notes.
The deck is also based on much of the research done by the players on European mythology as explored by Graves and Frazer and Campbell. It is hoped that a deeper understanding of the work of these mythographers will be appreciated by those who desire it. The cards have a correct "feeling" to them based on the symbolic correspondences of the cards.
The name changes and addition of a fifth "royal" cards in the minor arcana is designed to give some sense to social memes passed on from Europe. The Muse (Princess or Page) cards are so named to give more sense to the spiritual passage through different levels of the royal cards. Protectors are more heroic than the classical "knights" but acting in a defensive way. The Queen cards show the transformation of the female body to produce children, yet also mean the transformation of the basic elements of the suit. The King cards have been renamed "mentors," the primary duty of the father to inspire and teach the next generation. The Sage cards are the culmination of the spiritual path represented by the suit.
Tales of Anieth - Nature Deck
The deck is also heavily symbolic, based on the work of mythographers such as Joe Campbell, Sir James Frazer, and Robert Graves. The major arcana is designed to correspond to the Celtic Ogham alphabet. The suits are in the four colors of the first four legs of the spiritual journey, shown in the Anieth books and talked about on various pages.
Although there are no people in the royals or in the major arcana, the animals were considered for their similarity to actions and tendencies in humans, who have mimicked their behaviors over centuries. This work is explored in greater detail by Paul Shepard's Thinking Animals The natural forces in the major arcana have been renamed in some cards to allude to the real meaning of the forces.
Stone Tarot - Nature Deck
This deck is a blend of the two decks above, with very little image overlap. Most European animals have meanings attached to them other than "wolfed down his food" or "as angry as a bear." Each of the suits is also loaded with meaning: time of year, color, different trees, kinds of plants, and the animals associated with them.
For instance, "gniomh" is related to Nimesis, also to "ninne" which is the ash tree and "nathair" snake. The word "gniomh" means the death of a generation, or a pestilence wiping out an entire clan. The snake and the world tree are associated closely with the battle of the gods at the ends of time. The serpent and the tree are also Christian images, carried over from various versions of the Garden of Eden and Greek and Egyptian myths. I have spent over thirty years trying to associate the right plants and animals together. Most people on the Druidic path or the Wiccan path appreciate this work.
I grew up in a rural environment, where wild trees and animals were still common. I wanted to celebrate my own childhood in these rich environments that much of Europe has lost. I believe that it is just as hard to separate us from our ancestors surroundings as it is to stop thinking in any natural metaphors. Spirituality in the West is surrounded by trees!