Batons for the Tarot de
Marseille; Wands for Rider-Waite-Smith- inspired decks; Flame Songs for the
wonderful Songs for the Journey Home.
Tarot is a system, but it's
not as firm and fixed as some would have you believe. The cards have
well-established meanings and possible interpretations, but different decks
offer different shades within the pallette of possibilities. Thanks to this
range, readings with different decks can take on different tones, and I have
found some decks better suited to some kinds of reading than others.
In the example of the suit
names that title this post, all relate to the fire element, with both batons
and wands reminding us of something wooden, crafted by human hand from a living
tree. Flame Songs is more direct, going straight to the element itself, but the
cards within these suits all unite in themes of creativity, busy-ness (and
business) and of projects requiring complex skills. For me, fire is the element
most involved in spiritual belief - more instinctive than intellectual, more gut-reaction
than emotion - and this idea can be seen woven through various cards from these
suits also.
The flexibility and range
within the broad structure of tarot is one of the things I love about it.
Sometimes I'll read with two decks, comparing the angles I get by shuffling and
drawing with one and then seeking out the same cards in the other. My knowledge
of tarot has also enabled me to use themed decks to learn more about other
subjects including Greek myth (The Mythic Tarot), the Celtic tradition (The
Celtic Wisdom Tarot) and the sacred landscape of Britain (The Sacred Circle
Tarot).
Although I have several decks myself, I have never really learned to read them. Something I should sort out. Thank you for the post.
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