WHEEL OF FORTUNE

 

Recently I have been through a cycle of the wheel; plunged down into grief, my heart cracked open like a seed.  In my darkest time I felt the presence of angels lifting me up. Like the sunflower mandala spinning through the cycles of emotions and grace I am filled with gratitude for renewal and new growth. The Wheel of Fortune contains the fullness of the complexity of life. There is treasure at the bottom of the ocean of our feelings; things will evolve. If we flow with the turning of the wheel, good fortune comes back around. 

Knight of Pentacles

The Knight of Pentacles is a lusty, earthy man. He turns ideas into reality. My Knight of Pentacles is the Green Man;  virile and visionary, able to create new growth. Tonight at sunset begins Beltane, the holy cross quarter day. The sun flowers I planted a week ago have gone from seed to six inches. Life force is bursting with energy here in the northern hemisphere, this is a time of rapid growth. 



 

King of Swords

The Lady of the Lake hands King Arthur his sword Excalibur, giving him the power and authority through divine right to lead his people with wisdom. The message of this card is to use sound judgement in your decisions, to speak the truth in a firm and fair way, cutting through confusion. Stand in the power of your divine right to follow your own mind.

Everyday I am bombarded with so many opinions, the King of Swords gives me the clarity to make up my own mind about how I respond to the information that streams in.   

Six of Pentacles

'When my beloved returns to the house, I shall make my body into a Temple of Gladness. Offering this body as an altar of joy, my let down hair will sweep it clean. Then my beloved will concecrate this temple."
Vaisnav Baul Song

The Six of Pentacles is about expansion through the physical. These Tantric lovers worship the Goddess and God in each other. In this worship service they focus their intent for the evolution of humankind. The energy they create spins in circles of giving and receiving, radiating out into the cosmos.

It is Spring here in New Mexico. As I work in my garden my senses are filled with birdsong, the scent of atemesia as I clear the beds, the sun warm on my back, the feel of the earth alive and waking up.

THE MOON

A month ago - on the new moon, my heart was broken. A seven year relationship ended abruptly without warning. At first I was in total shock but as I realized it was real, the trauma of having a loving connection ripped from me became a vast sea of emotion. There is something very profound about being so swamped by feeling, I feel surrounded by spirit.  This is the month of Pisces, my birth sign and Neptune pulls me into his watery depths. As I dive deep into the pain, I see that what I had thought was a happy relationship was really an illusion. There was so much more hidden under the surface.

In this card the waterlilies blooming under a new moon are really the top of two columns that appear in my High Priestess card. It is a portal into initiation. Is the full moon a reflection or an illusion, just an empty bubble? Bewildered, I travel through the underworld searching for understanding. However, instinctively I know that this is a threshold into a new life and as the moon wanes, so it will wax.

The Moon is the card of mystery, of the tides of emotions. If we allow our intuition to guide us we will find a way through the dark night of the soul and that the reflection of the sun will once again illuminate The Moon.

Knight of Wands

The Knight of Wands signifies a quest for spiritual meaning. Wands represent the fiery element, both internally and externally. What is the life force or energy that inspires? Wands represent spirit. The Knight of Wands is searching for enlightenment, the action is within the soul.

 In India the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering (two to eight million people) in the world is happening, an event that happens once every twelve years.  As I saw images of the holy men, the Sadhus I was inspired to paint this Knight of Wands, deep in meditation holding in his hand a trident, symbol of the God Shiva.

Three of Cups

The Three of Cups is a card about friendship and the emotional bonds between people.

On the solstices, equinoxes and cross quarter days; we three meet to play The Tarot Game. We have created a ritual around it. The game involves asking the oracle a question and then the oracle has us tell stories from our lives relating to the tarot archetypes. This gives us the opportunity to talk deeply about our lives and be heard.  Answers to our question arrive through this sharing.

Ace of Swords

This was the perfect card to paint for the New Year. There is something clean and fresh about this particular time. As I make my intentions for the year I focus on how to implement them. There is strength in the clarity of new ideas, resolutions seem possible.

Ten of Wands

I finished the Ten of Wands on the solstice 12.21.12, the day that  the world as we know it would end according to Nostradamus and the Mayan calendar. As I worked on this painting that was inspired by a sixteenth century alchemical illustration I pondered what might we leave behind as we enter the darkest night. It seems to me humankind has become so over-burdened by our spiritual beliefs. So many conflicts and cruelties are caused by self-righteous religions,  weighing us down and preventing open, loving communication. I decided all we really need is a simple belief in nature which provides our nourishment and is symbolized in this card by a living branch. As the sun set on the old way of being I feel hopeful that we can reach a new dimension. 

King of Wands

Recently whilst visiting Italy I was fortunate to see the marble "pavement" of Hermes Trismegistus in the Siena Cathedral. When I pulled the King of Wands to paint, he immediately came to mind. Hermes Trismegistes (thrice great) is the combination of the Greek God of communication and the Egyptian God of wisdom as well as believed to be a contemporary of Abraham who penned the Corpus Hermetica - a collection of brilliant writings on philosophy, alchemy, magic and astrology.

The King of Wands is a master of enlightenment, one who inspires others and creates magic.

Page of Swords

The Page of Swords is about opening to new ideas. Messages come through learning that offer a catalyst for change.

My son Simon was home from college and I  photographed him playing with a sword I had just bought at a garage sale. A couple of days later synchronistically I pulled the Page of Swords as my next card to paint.  During the time I was painting this I was asked to do a presentation for the Santa Fe Tarot Meetup group.  I found myself loving researching and writing about the Sibyls in the Cathedral of Siena.

The Golden Section/Mean is the universal law in nature. It's harmonious symmetry and proportions are often used in architecture and art.

JUDGEMENT

Just having returned from the Tarot Art and History Tour of Northern Italy, I felt inspired to integrate some of the symbolism I had seen into my Judgement card. I was intrigued by the mosaic floor in the Siena Duomo. We were lucky to see it unveiled as only once a year are the floors uncovered. Pagan and Tarot imagery are everywhere. Hermes Trismegistus greets one at the entrance to the magnifiscent Cathedral. Ten large mosaics of Sibyls line the two sides. The Sibyls are women who prophesize. We found symbolism used in the World, Chariot and Wheel of Fortune tarot cards in other panels.

 One of the original meanings to this card was "Judgement Day" so I contemplated what that might mean now to the people who read tarot. Fundamentally I think that what we believe is what we receive. To the innocent child twirling in a beam of sunlight, there is no elaborate morality, just the purity of the moment, connected to all that is. Under the child's feet spins the Wheel of Fortune.

 Judgement as an act of discernment is another meaning. As I visited these Catholic Cathedrals I felt waves of judgement roll through me; both awe at the mastery of the artists and artisans and horror at the sacrifices, the cruelty and domination of the church. The man in the background of my painting kneels praying to the Archangels. Does he fear their judgement or is he bowing to their beauty and grace?

Another meaning of Judgement is an awakening, the call of the soul to a new paradigm. In front, standing beside the Sibyl is my dear friend and teacher Carrie Paris who I shared the tour with. I witnessed one of her teachings made real as she entered the "Fourth Level of Understanding: The Sacred Gaze". Like the Sibyls, we tarot tribe have faith in the prophetic messages that come to us through divining.

The Judgement card asks you to look at your beliefs and decide if they work for you, opening yourself to the possibility of another way of believing.

THE HIGH PRIESTESS

 

 

The High Priestess invites us to tap into our intuitive inner wisdom in order to create transformation. She is the powerful archetype of magic and mystery, the initiator. Isis stands in front of the temple of duality, the balancing of shadow and light.

 

This was the last card I painted before embarking on the Tarot Tour of Northern Italy.

One of the places we visited was the ancient Isis Temple in Bologna which is now part of the Basilica di Santo Stefano. White Ley lines intersect at the entrance to the octagonal Templar temple of Santa Gerusalemme di Bologna.  As you enter the dark temple, a circle of twelve,  two thousand year old marble columns become visible, and in the center besides a large altar a staircase covered by a decorative grill leads down to the underground river . This is where women went to worship Isis and ask for fertility blessings.

 

I knelt down and said a prayer for this deck which is now in its final trimester, for it to be birthed and to flourish, to carry a message of love and hope to many. I inserted this card between the delicate scroll work and it fluttered down taking its place beside coins cast by other women asking for fecundity. I felt as if I was a pilgrim that had travelled here to perform this initiation for my deck.

 

 

THE HANGED MAN

Do you remember hanging upside down as a kid, how different everything looked? It was like being in a strange new world. The Hanged Man invites you to do just that; look at life from a different perspective. So often our thinking gets in a rut and we need to do something to gain a new perspective. Artists often turn there canvases upside down, the mistakes become glaringly obvious.

I suggest travelling into the unconscious, there are many ways to do this from paying attention to our night-time dreams to shamanic journeying. I painted The Hanged Man in the yoga tree pose up-side down. Even though he is back lit by a glowing full moon he is travelling deep into space to a distant star which ignites his heart. At his third eye is a new moon,  a symbol of potential.

Six of Wands

The Six of Wands is the ability to inspire others. Sixes are about expansion; of sharing your gifts so others are lit by the fire of your passion. Through this act there is a mutual opening to the divine essence of creativity. In this card I show the Triple Goddess as the inspiring force. The maiden Brigid is the Celtic Goddess of inspiration.  The mother is the embodiment of creation, Hecate is the wise crone. The wands are Brigid candles.  I have a Brigid candle charged in succession from a candle lit at her sacred fire in Kildaire, Ireland. I light this candle when I paint as a way to honour and acknowledge the divine gift of inspiration.

TWO OF WANDS

The Two of Wands is about balancing energy. This magician is using her power to take care of the world as well as her own realm. Her garden is flourishing with fruits and vegetables, medicinal plants and beauty, but her concern is also for the Earth, for harmony and balance. The macrocosm is a reflection of the microcosm, our smallest loving gestures can carry the energy to change the world. Start by tending your own "garden" whilst holding the best intention for our planet.
  

THE LOVERS

The energy created by love and the physical act of love is the creative force made manifest. This union is transpersonal - larger than just the two lovers. Tapping into this energy creates the possibility of life, of connecting with the divine and also a powerful tool for magic. At the moment of climax prayers sent out will be fertilized.
In this card Greenman meets his compliment the glowing, fiery energy of Woman in her prime. The figures are entwined becoming one, a living, growing beautiful part of nature. The golden Aspen leaves twirl down surrounding the lovers with vibrating energy. The eyes on the Aspens signify the wisdom of nature: that this act is sacred and powerful and pure.

SIX OF CUPS

Six of Cups is about finding pleasure in giving to others. Simple goodwill and generosity is done in the spirit of innocence. The child in this card is focused on giving her honored guests exactly what they most desire. In painting this card I felt the playfulness of being that child, delighted by memories of my dolls and the happy hours I spent playing with them. Earlier this evening my twenty year old son gave me two of his trolls - he had found them while visiting his dad - the sweetness of his gift touched me and they stand grinning at me while I write. Six of Cups is a reminder to share our joy with others and that acting kindly and generously is its own reward.

SEVEN OF WANDS

The plight of the Amazon Indians threatened by the building of the  Belo Monte dam came into my consciousness the day I pulled The Seven of Wands to paint as my next card. These are the words Chief Raoni spoke on June 14th at the Rio conference on the future of our planet. 
"I want to ask the entire World to respect us, the native people. That the World respect our lands, the native lands. That they let us live in peace. I am going to continue to defend Nature, the rivers , the forests...and I'm going to see that my sons pursue my fight to defend what belongs to them and preserve the lands which are theirs." - Chief Raoni

The Seven of Wands is a card of valor; the courage to stand up for what you value and not to compromise or settle for less. The Seven of Wands is about defending your position and communicating a deeply felt opinion.

When painting this card I did a ceremony every day to bless the rainforest and keep it safe - to stop the destruction and in support of the indigenous people and all of Nature.

FOUR OF WANDS

A series of amazing synchronicities led me to create this painting. I surrender to these messages even when I do not fully understand why I am being led to create images for a particular card. Later as I work on the painting I begin to understand what the message is. Synchronicity is my guide and I have learnt to trust it.

The Four of Wands is a card of spiritual structure - of ritual. The four magically flaming wands light the four paths we might take at the crossroads. The choice is ours.  One path leads to the full moon, another toward the standing stones where rituals and celebrations take place. The road behind is where we come from; our history. The path to the left is the unknown. The horse represents power, vitality and the ability to achieve goals. Epona who is both the rider and the horse is the symbiosis of desire and action. The Celtic Horse Goddess Epona was believed to be seen fleeing the sun's first rays at a crossroad lit by four fires. Epona was worshipped from Britain to Italy and Irish kings were symbolically mated with her until the 11th century. She represents independence, vitality, intuition and plenty.