Gaian Tarot Artist's Journal

Elder of Air (King of Swords)

 

At long last, the Elders are on their way.  We've waited long enough, haven't we?  The first half of 2009 has been crazy busy for me.  I've finally cleared the table of most of my other commitments, and am looking forward to a good 6-8 weeks of intense focus on finishing up the Gaian Tarot deck and book.  

My Elders don't have a whole lot in common with the Kings of traditional decks.  They are "past their prime" instead of being in the prime of life. The Elders are all 70 years or older.  Because they stand close to the end of life, they take the long view. They are concerned with the wisdom of the ancestors as well as preparing the way for descendants yet to come. They pass on the wisdom of their respective suits. In a life cycle, they represent the qualities of dissemination and release, corresponding to a third quarter or balsamic moon.

First up:  the Elder of Air.

A Native American elder brings peace through the sweet music of a flute.  His prayers of thanksgiving waft to the heavens as his breath becomes melody and harmony.  Luna Moth flies high, carrying messages to and from the ancestors. 

Dear readers, please let me know your responses to this card.  Blessed be. 

Obligatory "I haven't been blogging much lately" post

I haven't been blogging much lately because:

- It's summer and there's too much wonderful stuff going on outside

- I'm delighting in the joys of being unplugged as much as possible

- I'm in the midst of significant internal changes and am not ready to share too much about it yet 

- I post almost daily on Twitter and Facebook so I get a lot of community "juice" there

- I'm so focused on finishing up the Gaian Tarot art and book that I'm not setting much time aside for blogging.

Forgive me?   

Thanks.   Love you all.

(PS Expect the Gaian Tarot Elders to show up here in the next few weeks)

(PPS Join me on Facebook or Twitter)

Moments of Grace: Lavender by Sun & Moon

Harvested lavender & lilies with sisters the other night under a crescent moon & rosy-golden sunset, on a hill overlooking the western isles. Blessed be.

7 of Water (Cups) - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

7 of Water

In the RWS 7 of Cups, we see a man gazing at seven cups, each one holding a symbol that represents different dream or illusion.  One way to read that card is to say that the man can’t make a choice — he is overwhelmed by potential, or by delight.  Or maybe he is caught up in daydreaming or fantasizing.  In any case, he is immobilized and takes no action.

I’ve reframed this image a bit to show the moment of choice.  This fellow has chosen one of the cups and is taking a long, cool drink.  Here’s what I wrote about it:  

A man has chosen one dream out of many possible dreams, and is drinking it down. He has let go of dithering over this fantasy or that option and has made his choice. It's the moment of commitment for him. Perhaps he listened when a life coach encouraged him: “Say no to the good, in order to say Yes! to the great."

That quote is from Jack Canfield, the Chicken Soup guy.  And what a profound statement it is.

I already know how it’s going to shake down in my life this week (I have plans, oh yes I have plans).  I’m making room in my schedule for more art time, and for more of the kind of web design client that I want to attract.  In order to do that, I have to release some of the clients and activities that are keeping me way too busy for way too small a reward.

How can you, dear Reader, say No to the good this week, in order to say Yes to the great?