The Arcanaless II is my second deck of non-traditional tarot boosters with a scheduled Halloween launch on Kickstarter for Halloween 2022.
These designs were entirely prompted by requests on my Arcanaless Facebook Page.
These designs were entirely prompted by requests on my Arcanaless Facebook Page.
THE EMPERO - Requested by Modine Gunch
"The word Crone is derived from the old word for crown, suggesting the wisdom that emanates from the head like a halo. Her own child baring days are past; she is the wisdom keeper, seer and healer and midwife, whose knowledge is sought out to guide others during life's hardships and transitions.
Unfortunately in the Middle Ages the church feared these wise women and the esteem with which their communities held them. Many of them were killed during the Inquisition and the wise woman of old was relegated to the Wicked Witch and Hag Archetype of our fairy tales. This is a corruption of the original meanings of the word witch and hag which respectively derived from the word wit, denoting wisdom and hagio meaning holy. Today as more woman live longer and take more prominent roles within society the tide is starting to turn as they start to reclaim their power."
THE PARASITE - Requested by Amaryllis Nydriote
The Bite: The Parasite is a type of consumer–resource interaction.
The Itch: Parasites increase their own fitness by exploiting their hosts.
Did you know?
If you lay a reverse money signs over a regular money sign, they turn into financial Infinity, the give and take just goes on for ever.
The Itch: Parasites increase their own fitness by exploiting their hosts.
Did you know?
If you lay a reverse money signs over a regular money sign, they turn into financial Infinity, the give and take just goes on for ever.
DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS - Requested by Laurie Burkett
Defrosting a frozen memory can get the present all wet.
STRANDED - Requested by Laurie Burkett
We're all pre-programmed for certain outcomes.
We're all locked into some unavoidable cycles.
Sometimes it can leave you feeling a bit stranded.
We're all locked into some unavoidable cycles.
Sometimes it can leave you feeling a bit stranded.
THE BLACK CARRIAGE - Requested by Carley Sattler
THE MEAT SUIT - Requested by Carley Sattler
THE HANGED MAGICIAN - Requested by Otto Wulf
Who doesn't love a good mash-up?
Who doesn't like to see a know-it-all get what's coming to them??
Who doesn't like to see a know-it-all get what's coming to them??
THE HILF - Anonymous request
I thought it meant,
"Hermits I'd Like To Forget".
"Hermits I'd Like To Forget".
¯_(ツ)_/¯
THE LOVERS' LOVER - Anonymous request
THE BLACK HOLE - Requested by Fran Kat
THE WHITE HOLE - Requested by Fran Kat
THE THIRD EYE - Anonymous Request
"The truth isn't taught; it's realized.”
-Kierra C.T. Banks
-Kierra C.T. Banks
THE DIMENSIONALLY CHALLENGED - Anonymous request
Sick to death of platitudes.
THE FAIRY RING - Requested by Leah Bayer
Fairy roses
Fairy rings
turn out sometimes
Troublesome things
Fairy rings
turn out sometimes
Troublesome things
THE PHANTOM QUEEN - Requested by Yvonne Stubbington
SHIBBOLETH - Requested by Royce Rosewood
Shibboleth:
any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another.
any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another.
Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwords, simple ways of self-identification, signaling loyalty and affinity, maintaining traditional segregation, or protecting from real or perceived threats.
THE MOTHMAN - Requested by Thái Thanh Nguyên
“ . . . Back in the sixties a guy could make a descent living mothmanning, but now, ya know, with the government and the pandemic . . . I mean, every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you're doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you . . . but a lot of the old cryptid crew is still chasing that dragon. The fact of the matter is, we’re just not seen as threatening anymore.”
Mothman Interview, The Legendary Lepidoptera Quartely, May 2022
THE NINE OF PENS - Requested by Kit Marcy
The pen is mightier than the sword!
QUICKSAND - Requested by Aime Sans Savant
I wanted it to show time dwindling and the imminent decay of the leaves falling from top to bottom.
"Tempus Necat" is Latin for "Time Kills".
"Tempus Necat" is Latin for "Time Kills".
PSYCHODIAGNOSTIK - Anonymous Request
I'm suree you all know about the ink blot tests, but are you familiar with the Kanizsa Triangle ?
"The Kanizsa triangle illusion makes us realise the way our visual systems work—which we do not notice in our everyday experience. Looking at the figure, most people will have the visual experience of an apparent brightness contour defining an upright triangle which is occluding black discs* and a second, inverted triangle outlined in black. Of course, these triangles do not in fact exist, and we are not perceiving occluded discs but rather ‘Pac-Man’-like fragments of discs. (‘Pacmen’ is now the standard nomenclature for such inducing elements). A similar illusory ‘filling-in’ of colour that we experience in the upright triangle, such that the figure appears filled with a solid white that is brighter than the rest of the figure".
THE ZERO OF CUPS - Requested by Lindsey Johnston
I Wish I could be a fragile piece of glass to accept my brokenness.”
― Munia Khan
― Munia Khan
LILITH - Robin E. Bennett
Some notes on the symbolism:
•Concerning the ladder she’s standing on:
“there is a received tradition from the ancient Sages who made use of the Secret Knowledge of the Lesser Palaces, which is the manipulation of demons and a ladder by which one ascends to the prophetic levels.
•The owl-headed women represent her children, or demons, depending on your faith.
•The husk and arrow running up her stomach:
The husk was from an old piece I read describing Lilith’s mind as having a husk, which shielded it from God’s influence. I let this husk became the fletching which drives and guides her arrow.
•Wings:
Instead of traditional feathered wings, I gave her branched ones to ground her deep into the Earth.
•I also stayed clear of the depictions of her with bird feet, as they are said to be misidentified as Lilith and are often found to be the Mesopotamian goddesses Ereshkigal.
•Concerning the ladder she’s standing on:
“there is a received tradition from the ancient Sages who made use of the Secret Knowledge of the Lesser Palaces, which is the manipulation of demons and a ladder by which one ascends to the prophetic levels.
•The owl-headed women represent her children, or demons, depending on your faith.
•The husk and arrow running up her stomach:
The husk was from an old piece I read describing Lilith’s mind as having a husk, which shielded it from God’s influence. I let this husk became the fletching which drives and guides her arrow.
•Wings:
Instead of traditional feathered wings, I gave her branched ones to ground her deep into the Earth.
•I also stayed clear of the depictions of her with bird feet, as they are said to be misidentified as Lilith and are often found to be the Mesopotamian goddesses Ereshkigal.
THE KRAKEN - Requested by Tray Moons
I was going for the "unspeakable-horror-feeling" of being engulfed and only seeing eyes and teeth and tentacles ;o)
THE LIZARD CROWN - Requested by Dru Pagliassotti
Iguanas symbolize and teach the importance of respecting and remembering our dreams, facing our fears, and moving in the underworld. Their power lies in the ability to save itself from danger by leaving a part of itself behind.”
Photographer: Holly Wilmeth, National Geographic, 03/05/2014
Photographer: Holly Wilmeth, National Geographic, 03/05/2014
THE WAKE OF VULTURES - Requested by Holly May.
Transmutation. Ultimate recycler. They return the dead to the earth where their remains feed new life."
(What I learned today:
A group of feeding vultures is called "A Wake".)
THE BLACK DOG - Requested by Claire Laffar.
SONG OF THE JACKALOPE - Requested by Mel Clouts
The folklore says that the Jackalope would sing the cowboy’s song back to them just before thunderstorms. This card could mean that trouble is coming or going depending on it’s orientation."
THE INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM - Requested by Otto Wulf
THE REKINDLING - Requested by Chris Haynes
THE LIQUID DEMON - Requested by Marcee A Miller - Brightenstine.
MOMENTO MORI - Requested by Jordan Andersen.
THE UNDERTOW - Anonymous Request
You're at the mercy of a vast force that will endevour to hold you down.
This is symbolic of our place in the universe. It is a cold and hostile place, indifferent to our wants and needs, it goes as it goes.
You can stay ignorant and blissful or become aware and bear the burden of the knowledge that you are being swept along in the sea of chaos.
Either way, the magnetic pull of that one fishy eye will eternally whisper to you from deep beneath the cold black water. The ever present sound of it's mouthless murmur will either drive you mad or serve as a constant reminder of your repulsion to it's dragging attraction.
This is symbolic of our place in the universe. It is a cold and hostile place, indifferent to our wants and needs, it goes as it goes.
You can stay ignorant and blissful or become aware and bear the burden of the knowledge that you are being swept along in the sea of chaos.
Either way, the magnetic pull of that one fishy eye will eternally whisper to you from deep beneath the cold black water. The ever present sound of it's mouthless murmur will either drive you mad or serve as a constant reminder of your repulsion to it's dragging attraction.
PRONOIA - Requested by Acambacani Bonilla
Pronoia is a state of mind that is the opposite of paranoia. Whereas a person suffering from paranoia feels that persons or entities are conspiring against them, a person experiencing pronoia feels that the world around them conspires to do them good.
My go-to for illustrating "conspiracies" always starts with the ole Eye in the Pyramid ;oP
My go-to for illustrating "conspiracies" always starts with the ole Eye in the Pyramid ;oP
THE UNDOING - Requested by Acambacani Bonilla
The request was for an Icarus card.
Conceptually, I went with “The Undoing” to represent not only the failures attributed to hubris, arrogance, and over-ambition, but also to include the “undoing” that can happen from finding yourelf misaligned with external, natural forces that can help or hinder us.
Conceptually, I went with “The Undoing” to represent not only the failures attributed to hubris, arrogance, and over-ambition, but also to include the “undoing” that can happen from finding yourelf misaligned with external, natural forces that can help or hinder us.
EYE OF THE STORM - requested by Hannah Grace
“What's going on in our world today is not something we can run away from. Therefore the calmest place is the eye of the storm. (...)
Chaos may be swirling all around us but if we stay in the center, obviously also metaphorically the centre of our own Being, that's where we're going to be able to handle everything that's going on, no matter how chaotic it gets. (...)
In the eye of the storm we're not tossed about by what we see.”
― Darryl Anka
Chaos may be swirling all around us but if we stay in the center, obviously also metaphorically the centre of our own Being, that's where we're going to be able to handle everything that's going on, no matter how chaotic it gets. (...)
In the eye of the storm we're not tossed about by what we see.”
― Darryl Anka
THE SHELTERING OF ARMADILLOS - Tristen Novic
The request:
"I'd love an armadillo card, they're one of my absolute favorite animals (I even have a tattoo of one!)
But to me an armadillo card would mean Protection, self preservation but without comprising your ability to be soft and kind. The ability to boogie on down the road or roll out of a situation and the wisdom to know the difference kind of vibe.
Upright- You can keep yourself safe. Use your resources and hunker down this is a storm you can weather.
Reverse- The world is scary but you can't hide away from everything even if it feels safer. Step back and look around, do you still need to be protected or are you just hiding?"
"I'd love an armadillo card, they're one of my absolute favorite animals (I even have a tattoo of one!)
But to me an armadillo card would mean Protection, self preservation but without comprising your ability to be soft and kind. The ability to boogie on down the road or roll out of a situation and the wisdom to know the difference kind of vibe.
Upright- You can keep yourself safe. Use your resources and hunker down this is a storm you can weather.
Reverse- The world is scary but you can't hide away from everything even if it feels safer. Step back and look around, do you still need to be protected or are you just hiding?"
KAIJU - Requested by Dru Pagliassotti
Here's a quote from the director of the first Godzilla movie (and several sequels):
*"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them." — *Ishiro Honda
What in our life is like an overwhelming, destructive force of nature, not because it's malevolant, but just because it IS? How do we learn to live with it, adapt to it? Can we learn to appreciate it in some way, or do we have to fight and destroy it to survive?"
THE BIG FINISH - Anonymous Request
"To lose is to win, and he who wins shall lose.”
KINTSUGI - Requested by Mary Bauman
Kintsugi fosters the idea that a broken object can be repaired and be made useful once again. It tells us we can always begin anew despite the past failures. Accepting imperfections helps us to break free from the obsession of perfectionism which causes unnecessary stress and inhibiting creativity and productivity.”
WOLF IN SHEEP IN WOLF'S CLOTHING - Anonymous Request
"It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used. It is by means of the doubled agent that native and inside agents can be recruited and employed. This is because the doubled agent knows those of his own countrymen who are covetous as well as those officials who have been remiss in office. These we can tempt into our service."
― Sun Tzu, The Art Of War
― Sun Tzu, The Art Of War
SATURN - Anonymous request
In horoscopic astrology, a Saturn return is an astrological transit that occurs when the planet Saturn returns to the same ecliptic longitude that it occupied at the moment of a person's birth. While the planet may not first reach the exact location until the person is 29 or 30 years old, the influence of the Saturn return is considered to start in the person's late twenties, notably the age of 27*.
Psychologically, the first Saturn return is seen as the time of reaching full adulthood, and being faced, perhaps for the first time, with adult challenges and responsibilities.
The second Saturn return occurs between the ages of 54 and 58. This is a time when we are planning the second major transformative time of our lives, our retirement. If there are dreams that we wish to live out, now is the time to obtain them.
*Which also aligns with “The 27 Club”, an urban legend that popular musicians, artists, and actors die at age 27 with statistically anomalous frequency. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been repeatedly disproven by research, it remains a cultural phenomenon, documenting the deaths of celebrities, many noted for their high-risk lifestyles.
Psychologically, the first Saturn return is seen as the time of reaching full adulthood, and being faced, perhaps for the first time, with adult challenges and responsibilities.
The second Saturn return occurs between the ages of 54 and 58. This is a time when we are planning the second major transformative time of our lives, our retirement. If there are dreams that we wish to live out, now is the time to obtain them.
*Which also aligns with “The 27 Club”, an urban legend that popular musicians, artists, and actors die at age 27 with statistically anomalous frequency. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been repeatedly disproven by research, it remains a cultural phenomenon, documenting the deaths of celebrities, many noted for their high-risk lifestyles.
THE SHADOW - Anonymous request
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
-CJ, “The Philosophical Tree”
-CJ, “The Philosophical Tree”
THE UNCANY VALLEY - Anonymous request
Sometimes things look so real and that you're not quite sure what you're looking at.
ANIMA/ANIMUS - Anonymous request
"My experience of a relationship is two people more or less compulsively playing musical chairs with each other's selected inner archetypes. My tough street kid is romancing your honky-tonk angel. I am your homeless waif and you are my loving mother. I am your lost father and you are my doting daughter. I am your worshiper and you are my goddess. I am your god and you are my priestess. I am your client and you are my analyst. I am your intensity and you are my ground. These are some of the more garish of the patterns. Animus, anima, bopping on a seesaw."
— Michael Ventura
— Michael Ventura
SCHRODINGER'S CAT - Requested by Amaryllis Nydrioti
"Adolescence is supposed to be an identity Schrodinger's Cat: multiple simultaneous states which eventually collapse into only one. The goal of adulthood is to let go of the other possible existences and to make the best of the one. A successful adult is one who understands that it doesn't matter which life you ultimately pick, only that you live it well."
— Chris Ballas
— Chris Ballas
SYMBIOSIS - Requested by Penelope Harris
Love me a good fling of Oxpeckers!
(in case you didn't know, the collective noun for Oxpeckers is indeed a "fling").
(in case you didn't know, the collective noun for Oxpeckers is indeed a "fling").
UNREQUITED LOVE - Requested by Bee Miller
"...unrequited love does not die; it's only beaten down to a secret place where it hides, curled and wounded. For some unfortunates, it turns bitter and mean, and those who come after pay the price for the hurt done by the one who came before."
— Elle Newmark
— Elle Newmark
BA'AL ZEBUL - Requested by Sabrina Haney-March.
Bermuda Triangle - Requested by Mel Clouts.
Cryptic Sea" by Stewart Stafford
Walk free through Jailer's Gate,
Sail to where corporeal forms fade,
No longer seen as a common cutpurse,
Now in a navigational cut-and-thrust.
Note how the ocean heaves and boils,
Swirling into towering vortex coils,
With hideous creatures at every base,
Bearing the haunting Kraken's face.
Great ghost ships groan from the mist,
And balls of light form fast betwixt,
The horizon and the sea spray foam,
Save us all and set sail for home.home.
Walk free through Jailer's Gate,
Sail to where corporeal forms fade,
No longer seen as a common cutpurse,
Now in a navigational cut-and-thrust.
Note how the ocean heaves and boils,
Swirling into towering vortex coils,
With hideous creatures at every base,
Bearing the haunting Kraken's face.
Great ghost ships groan from the mist,
And balls of light form fast betwixt,
The horizon and the sea spray foam,
Save us all and set sail for home.home.
EXISTENTIAL DREAD - Requested by Fran Kat
"I'm going to die and my son farts in my face... what a waste!"
— Marjane Satrapi
— Marjane Satrapi
BEYOND THE GRAVE - Anonymous request
"In the past the need for a hierarchal form of society has been the doctrine specifically of the High. It had been preached by kings and aristocrats and the priests, lawyers and the like who were parasitical upon them, and it had generally been softened by promises of an imaginary world beyond the grave."
— George Orwell (1984)
— George Orwell (1984)
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT - Anonymous Requst
This Queen of Night is the Lesbian Vampire Queen from Carmilla, an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu, who pre-dated Bram Stoker’s Dracula by about 26 years.
FALSE FOUNTAIN - Anonymous request
How much wasted time have you spent putting false hope in a miracle cure to reverse an otherwise completely natural process?
That fountain's waters are a lie. The water was so weak that nothing would float in it, neither wood, nor any lighter substance, but all went straight to the bottom.
The Elixir of Life, The Philosopher's Stone, Utnapishtim . . . all deceit.
Perhaps your time and energy would be better spent fortifying your psyche against the inevitable march of time?
MITOSIS - Anonymous request
Mitosis card is meant to be conceptually less cellular, and more psychological.
The splitting of an identity to become (or un-become) something different but the same. The infinite process of self-propagation that marks changes and progress and leaves the host behind, maybe even if just in memory (that alluring past self that we find ourselves tryng to get back to, even though we left it for a reason).
Each of us are such multitudes of contrasting specifics and emotions, sometimes it’s a wonder we can even feel like ourselves or recognize those close to us.
The splitting of an identity to become (or un-become) something different but the same. The infinite process of self-propagation that marks changes and progress and leaves the host behind, maybe even if just in memory (that alluring past self that we find ourselves tryng to get back to, even though we left it for a reason).
Each of us are such multitudes of contrasting specifics and emotions, sometimes it’s a wonder we can even feel like ourselves or recognize those close to us.
GEIST - Anonymous Request
"There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.”
― Richard Attenborough
― Richard Attenborough
PSYCHOMANTEUM - Requested by E Michael Whitmore
The Request:
"A psychomanteum card could be interesting. It’s a small, dimly or candle lit room (approximately the size of a small closet) with a mirror on one wall and a comfortable chair directly facing the mirror. The mirror was intentionally hung so the individual sitting in the chair could not see their reflection.
Dr. Raymond Moody, a grief counselor, felt that the use of such a chamber would help individuals through the grieving process after the death of a loved one or friend. The time spent contacting and connecting with those in the spirit realm would help or create a powerful impact on emotional healing.
The psychomanteum can also be used to help people attain a greater knowledge of the Self and to provide the ability to achieve a higher consciousness, which can aid in clarifying change and major life decisions."
Dr. Raymond Moody, a grief counselor, felt that the use of such a chamber would help individuals through the grieving process after the death of a loved one or friend. The time spent contacting and connecting with those in the spirit realm would help or create a powerful impact on emotional healing.
The psychomanteum can also be used to help people attain a greater knowledge of the Self and to provide the ability to achieve a higher consciousness, which can aid in clarifying change and major life decisions."
LOTUS - Requested by Max Judas
"If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong."
— Masaru Emoto
— Masaru Emoto
THE END IS NIGH - Anonymous Request
"Run, rabbit, run
Dig that hole, forget the sun
When, at last, the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one"
Dig that hole, forget the sun
When, at last, the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one"
-P. Floyd
OGOPOGO - Requested by Mel Clouts
Since it was Canada Day Weekend, I wanted to get some Canadian Cryptid representation in this deck!
THE TOOL SHED - Anonymous Request
"We've been merging with tools since the beginning of human evolution, and arguably, that's one of the things that makes us human beings."
-Franklin Foer
"The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools."
-Confucius
"We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us."
-Marshall McLuhan
When I first read this request, I immediately pictured an old wooden shed, upright and out-house-like, with a mandala/sigil of modern tools emanating from within while a halo of ancient stone implements hovered above like ghostly watchful ancestors.
-Franklin Foer
"The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools."
-Confucius
"We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us."
-Marshall McLuhan
When I first read this request, I immediately pictured an old wooden shed, upright and out-house-like, with a mandala/sigil of modern tools emanating from within while a halo of ancient stone implements hovered above like ghostly watchful ancestors.
In Reverse:
While The Tool Shed may be the Temple of Practical Creativity, we all know that only the worst, darkest encounters happen "behind the shed"
No momentum. No chance of progression.
Like a motionless sail ship on windless day, something is inoperable and unable to function or move. Chances of success are extremely unlikely.
Like a motionless sail ship on windless day, something is inoperable and unable to function or move. Chances of success are extremely unlikely.
RUACH HAKODESH The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit exists in almost every religion from the Abrahamics, to Hinduism, to Zoroasrianism, to Gnosticism, even including the Hellenstic Mystery Religions.
Usually manifesting as some sort of agent of divine action or communication, The Holy Spirit is the bridge-building conduit through which the wisdom of God becomes directly associated with their messenger. Along with the various religious portrayals, Spiritualists believe that phenomena produced by mediums (both mental and physical mediumship) are the result of external spirit agencies.
Requested by Tray Moons
The Request (by Crystal Elerson)
"Late night idea: "The Child Self"
We often talk about the "inner child" in a psychological respect, and I think this area is important in considering who we are in our lives. Who we were, what happened to us, and how he dealt with it made us who we are. This card would be for a look inward to ourselves, a look at what the child self has to tell us. Sometimes, it may be what we dreamed of as a child. Other times, it may be injustice of having decisions made for us without our input."
Loved it!
I wanted to have deconstructed doll parts involved, to represent how we "take apart and put our child self back together' through bits and piecs of our memories in order to understand ourselves and our experience of development. I also wanted an antique elephant toy to represent memory, and what we never forget.
Both of the symbols also talk of play and it's importance in learning, socializing, and exploring the imagination.
Other than that, it's always a struggle to portray a biological figure without specifically representing one gender, yet here we are.
"Late night idea: "The Child Self"
We often talk about the "inner child" in a psychological respect, and I think this area is important in considering who we are in our lives. Who we were, what happened to us, and how he dealt with it made us who we are. This card would be for a look inward to ourselves, a look at what the child self has to tell us. Sometimes, it may be what we dreamed of as a child. Other times, it may be injustice of having decisions made for us without our input."
Loved it!
I wanted to have deconstructed doll parts involved, to represent how we "take apart and put our child self back together' through bits and piecs of our memories in order to understand ourselves and our experience of development. I also wanted an antique elephant toy to represent memory, and what we never forget.
Both of the symbols also talk of play and it's importance in learning, socializing, and exploring the imagination.
Other than that, it's always a struggle to portray a biological figure without specifically representing one gender, yet here we are.
Clear the Air:
To remove or improve stale air or an unpleasant odor.
To discuss or otherwise confront a troublesome issue, usually with the goal of alleviating tension or confusion.
To remove doubt from a situation.
Eliminate confusion, dispel controversy or emotional tension, as in His letter has cleared the air; we now know where he stands. This idiom alludes to an atmosphere cleared of sultriness by a storm.
To remove or improve stale air or an unpleasant odor.
To discuss or otherwise confront a troublesome issue, usually with the goal of alleviating tension or confusion.
To remove doubt from a situation.
Eliminate confusion, dispel controversy or emotional tension, as in His letter has cleared the air; we now know where he stands. This idiom alludes to an atmosphere cleared of sultriness by a storm.
From Melinda Balog:
"A “Fata Morgana” card would be cool - you are chasing something impossible and you know it but it’s too beautiful to give up the chase so you keep chasing it and maybe you’re even happy about it"
From me:
The right-side-up and upside-down castle mirages represent the treasure, flesh, and power that is being sought that will always be just out of reach. The waning moon does not have the same pull on the tides that the full moon does. This indicates that the “pull” towards the castle’s bounty is internal, coming from within the victim pulled its way.
I see a lot about addiction in this card. I also see mismanaged expectations, false desire, “the trip being more important than the destination”, and the way we prioritize far away goals over what we can immediately engage with right now.
"A “Fata Morgana” card would be cool - you are chasing something impossible and you know it but it’s too beautiful to give up the chase so you keep chasing it and maybe you’re even happy about it"
From me:
The right-side-up and upside-down castle mirages represent the treasure, flesh, and power that is being sought that will always be just out of reach. The waning moon does not have the same pull on the tides that the full moon does. This indicates that the “pull” towards the castle’s bounty is internal, coming from within the victim pulled its way.
I see a lot about addiction in this card. I also see mismanaged expectations, false desire, “the trip being more important than the destination”, and the way we prioritize far away goals over what we can immediately engage with right now.
PRELUDE: something that comes before a more important event or action and introduces or prepares for it. "The first movement of a suite". Waxing/waning expectations.
From Royce Rosewood:
"If I drew this card, I would draw an additional card on each side. The common element between the two drawn cards would be the meaning for the Venn card."
"If I drew this card, I would draw an additional card on each side. The common element between the two drawn cards would be the meaning for the Venn card."
The request:
"Do we already have a Murmuration card? Meanings might include collective action, things falling into place, mysterious alignments, unseen/unknown forces at work."
-Dru Pagliassotti
The response:
"we do now ;oP
"Do we already have a Murmuration card? Meanings might include collective action, things falling into place, mysterious alignments, unseen/unknown forces at work."
-Dru Pagliassotti
The response:
"we do now ;oP
The request:
"Card idea ..
In a spot where I feel like I am treading water with all my responsibilities and obligations in tow and I have to wait. Not that I am waiting to be rescued but I have to wait for an answer for the go ahead. I have planned I have organised I have made all my decisions. I have my goal, I am taking my steps. But I have to wait to see if that path is open to me. The voice behind me whispers to second guess, to give up and find an easier path, but I can't bring myself to do it. My dark emotions deep in the water slither past, fearful what ifs and depressive you deserve this, and anxiety nipping at my toes. But I have thought it through and it is what I want, So I tread water while holding on to the mountain of "baggage". I know the direction that I am heading while hard will be rewarding and fulfilling.
Holdfast."
Design notes: This "treading" figure is the same figure that's falling from my Tower card (image in comments), they're just flipped upright and cushioned by a soft water. Despite the "uncertain, prolonged doom" feeling of treading water, at least you're not plummeting in the burning rain from the watchful eye of a lightening-struck tower (this is me telling myself to hold on) ;o)
"Card idea ..
In a spot where I feel like I am treading water with all my responsibilities and obligations in tow and I have to wait. Not that I am waiting to be rescued but I have to wait for an answer for the go ahead. I have planned I have organised I have made all my decisions. I have my goal, I am taking my steps. But I have to wait to see if that path is open to me. The voice behind me whispers to second guess, to give up and find an easier path, but I can't bring myself to do it. My dark emotions deep in the water slither past, fearful what ifs and depressive you deserve this, and anxiety nipping at my toes. But I have thought it through and it is what I want, So I tread water while holding on to the mountain of "baggage". I know the direction that I am heading while hard will be rewarding and fulfilling.
Holdfast."
Design notes: This "treading" figure is the same figure that's falling from my Tower card (image in comments), they're just flipped upright and cushioned by a soft water. Despite the "uncertain, prolonged doom" feeling of treading water, at least you're not plummeting in the burning rain from the watchful eye of a lightening-struck tower (this is me telling myself to hold on) ;o)
“On your darkest days do not try to see the end of the tunnel by looking far ahead. Focus only on where you are right now. Then carefully take one step at a time, by placing just one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you will turn that corner.”
― Anthon St. Maarten
― Anthon St. Maarten
When I get a request, I try and take the research back as far as I can go. I’m looking less for the “common-denominator-understanding” of the current wave of pop culture, and more for the source meaning.
So when I got a request for a Kindly Ones card, I had to push my 30 year affair with The Sandman aside (yes, I’m watching and loving it!) and try to find where this all came from.
As far as I can find, The Kindly Ones is a name used for The Enrinyes, more commonly known as The Furies, often referred to as The Three Furies (or the “Three-in-One”), despite the fact that there may be an indefinite amount of them according to the Myth of their origin.
Along with these many names, there are also a whole bunch of nice-sounding titles people used (like “The Kindly Ones” and “The Gracious Ones”) to win their favour and avoid using their real names, thus attracting their attention. Basically, folks were too scared to speak of them out loud.
They basically were born of the blood of their castrated Father (Uranus got the chop from his son Cronus), and they have deep-set issues regarding family because of this, so they served the Gods by acting as the tools of revenge for family disputes.
Other versions say the focus of their wrath falls on those that have sworn false oaths.
The descriptions of The Erinyes vary, often citing snakes for hair, dog's heads, coal black bodies, bat's wings, and blood-shot eyes, but you’ll likely see them as winged leather bikini babes in S&M boots from anything in the last decade because “misogyny”.
Don’t be fooled. They are Crones. They are ancient. They are Earth, and Night, and Darkness. They are blood and snakes and penance-paid. They are the wizened, prime radix of feminine power, doling out vengeance for those who are helpless and hindered by roles of subservience thrust upon them by biased, cultural laws.
So when I got a request for a Kindly Ones card, I had to push my 30 year affair with The Sandman aside (yes, I’m watching and loving it!) and try to find where this all came from.
As far as I can find, The Kindly Ones is a name used for The Enrinyes, more commonly known as The Furies, often referred to as The Three Furies (or the “Three-in-One”), despite the fact that there may be an indefinite amount of them according to the Myth of their origin.
Along with these many names, there are also a whole bunch of nice-sounding titles people used (like “The Kindly Ones” and “The Gracious Ones”) to win their favour and avoid using their real names, thus attracting their attention. Basically, folks were too scared to speak of them out loud.
They basically were born of the blood of their castrated Father (Uranus got the chop from his son Cronus), and they have deep-set issues regarding family because of this, so they served the Gods by acting as the tools of revenge for family disputes.
Other versions say the focus of their wrath falls on those that have sworn false oaths.
The descriptions of The Erinyes vary, often citing snakes for hair, dog's heads, coal black bodies, bat's wings, and blood-shot eyes, but you’ll likely see them as winged leather bikini babes in S&M boots from anything in the last decade because “misogyny”.
Don’t be fooled. They are Crones. They are ancient. They are Earth, and Night, and Darkness. They are blood and snakes and penance-paid. They are the wizened, prime radix of feminine power, doling out vengeance for those who are helpless and hindered by roles of subservience thrust upon them by biased, cultural laws.
Black as midnight
black as pitch
blacker than
the foulest witch
black as pitch
blacker than
the foulest witch
"The savage who cannot conceive of the number six, the orthodox mathematician who cannot conceive of the fourth dimension, the philosopher who cannot conceive of the Absolute – all these are one; all must be impregnated with the Divine Essence of the Phallic Yod of Macroprosopus, and give birth to their idea.”
Aleister Crowley, 777 Revised
Transcendence emerges through the combination of ideas. The manipulation of symbols, language and words in the service of the transformation of consciousness must retain, or reignite, something of the old in order to be truly new.
The old symbols, used, but transcended, offer more radicalism than radical silence. They signify the excess, while silence remains open, too open. What has gone before is expressed in order to go beyond what was previously expressed.
The old comes to signify the excess of the new. The repetition of the old symbols are broken so that the new meaning can manifest. All must be revitalised. The chains that crowd our feet are transfigured; They become crowns.
Aleister Crowley, 777 Revised
Transcendence emerges through the combination of ideas. The manipulation of symbols, language and words in the service of the transformation of consciousness must retain, or reignite, something of the old in order to be truly new.
The old symbols, used, but transcended, offer more radicalism than radical silence. They signify the excess, while silence remains open, too open. What has gone before is expressed in order to go beyond what was previously expressed.
The old comes to signify the excess of the new. The repetition of the old symbols are broken so that the new meaning can manifest. All must be revitalised. The chains that crowd our feet are transfigured; They become crowns.
“We are always immeasurably bigger than the little person we’ve too often doomed ourselves to be.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
To balance out the Black Fucking Magic card:
— Requested by Max Judas
In Greek mythology, Oneiros is the personification of dreams. In Ovid’s Metamorphosis, a similar character is called Somnus (SLEEP) who has three sons, one of which is named Morpheus who appears in human guise.
I’ve been inspired by The Sandman’s art since day one. Particularly Dave McKean’s cover/design work. I’ve never tried to depict the any of The Endless before, who knows why, maybe they were just too perfect as they were (we don’t have to re-invent everything ).
However, with the new series out, it seems the spectre of blasphemy has faded bit. Over-exposure has a way of un-venerating even the most sublime things with stark familiarity, so what the Hell, why not now?
Besides, this isn’t a Morpheus card. It’s Oneiros ;oP
I’ve been inspired by The Sandman’s art since day one. Particularly Dave McKean’s cover/design work. I’ve never tried to depict the any of The Endless before, who knows why, maybe they were just too perfect as they were (we don’t have to re-invent everything ).
However, with the new series out, it seems the spectre of blasphemy has faded bit. Over-exposure has a way of un-venerating even the most sublime things with stark familiarity, so what the Hell, why not now?
Besides, this isn’t a Morpheus card. It’s Oneiros ;oP
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, uhh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all
-Edwin Starr
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, uhh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all
-Edwin Starr
“Sleep my little baby-oh
Sleep until you waken
When you wake you'll see the world
If I'm not mistaken...
Sleep until you waken
When you wake you'll see the world
If I'm not mistaken...
Kiss a lover
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure...
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure...
Face your life
Its pain,
Its pleasure,
Leave no path untaken.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
Its pain,
Its pleasure,
Leave no path untaken.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
I got a lot of requests for cards that represented the seismic political and societal shift that happened in response to The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade after nearly 50 years. I was having a hard time figuring out my voice in this as a cis male. I obviously have opinions, but I also feel that this story is better told by more relevant voices.
It took me a while to find my comfort-zone in this discussion, as my work traditionally roots itself in less-contemporary themes. I tend to aim my aesthetics at a more collectively-inherited, universally present style that could have existed “anywhen”.
So: here’s The Woman of the Apocalypse. She’s from about AD 95 and has been widely identified by scholars as a prototype for the Virgin Mary. In order to protect her family she fought dragons, she defeated the Devil, she even started a war in Heaven, and I think she encompasses a lot of the nurturing, Power-Healing Energy that I see these requests asking for right now.
As for how I see this card working in a reading: “Apocalypse” is usually thought of as a catastrophe, but the Greek word apokálypsis, from which it is derived, means a revelation. The Revelation was commonly understood as the revealing of cosmic mysteries or the future, through a process of dismantling. Sometimes the best way to understand how a thing fits together is to take it apart.
The Woman of the Apocalypse card is here to remind you that burning everything to the ground is sometimes an act of love and compassion.
the inverted Red Triangle is a symbol for family planning.
The rune Othala (ᛟ) is a symbol linked to family: meaning “heritage,” the rune was said to govern the family estate, ancestry, and inheritance.
Behind the exploding brain is the empty family tree diagram.
The rune Othala (ᛟ) is a symbol linked to family: meaning “heritage,” the rune was said to govern the family estate, ancestry, and inheritance.
Behind the exploding brain is the empty family tree diagram.
