Author: Tarot by Ania

Deck wishlist and thoughts on it…

~ Tarot by Ania ~ 2 Comments

Like all tarot collectors I have a wishlist that seems to grow longer each day. No, actually I’m quite picky about what decks I like, so it’s not a huge list! I know some people have a wishlist with over 200 decks, mine’s like 20 decks or so. I thought I wanted to discuss some of the tarot decks I’ve been craving lately.

Impressionist Tarot
This is a deck published by LoScarabeo. I have to say I used to dislike LoScarabeo decks quite a bit… I hated the multi-language borders so much! I don’t why, but I found them so distracting. So I was thrilled a couple of years ago when they stopped doing those. And you know how much I ADORE the Ludy Lescot Tarot which is also a LoScarabeo deck. I find the Impressionist Tarot really beautiful from what I’ve seen online. I think they did a good job being inspired by impressionist art, without forcing the tarot system on the art. I like the muted colors and the serene images. Something about this reminds me a little bit of the Prisma Visions? Overall I like the look of this deck, but something does hold me back from a purchase! Could it be it’s a themed deck? I’m usually skeptical about those, and I must admit I’m not a huge art ”fan” so to speak. I can appreciate a museum but if you tell me to describe a Gaugin painting… I’m lost. 😉

Prisma Visions Tarot
This is one of the most hyped decks in the last year or so! Everyone is talking about it and making reviews and videos and everything… But I get the impression that few readers are actually using it for readings! That holds me back a little. Sure I don’t use all of my 25 or so decks regularly, but I want to be able to use them! They need to be readable, because I’m not of those collectors that is happy with just looking through a deck every now and then – Nope, when I own it I want to USE it. I put my decks to work. 😉 So yeah, that and the scary swan in the sword suit holds me back a little (and yeah, the price of course…).

Silhouettes Tarot
Another self-published deck that I can’t say I’ve seen that much hype about. I absolutely love the colors in this one! They’re so strong and out there. And I like the idea of silhouettes. Some people mind that there are no eyes and facial expressions, but I have two decks where the people have no eyes and I don’t mind at all! The critique I’ve heard of this deck is the above mentioned; is it really readable? What I’ve seen from reviews people seem to have a hard time connecting with the images and getting their intuition going. I wonder why? Was it made by someone focusing 100% on the art and making something unique, and maybe not so much on tarot and how to get intuition started? I don’t know, but again that holds me back, together with how pricy it is…

Tarot Mucha
I’ve seen a bit of hype with this one! And I love that a lot of people seem to have really low expectations, but then they start to use this deck and it seems to work like a charm! I love such decks, because they seem to have a lot more ”soul” than the unreadable ones that just draw you in with superficial beauty. Again; I’m not a big art ”fan” and I don’t know much about Mucha, but from what I’ve seen of this deck I just like the vibe of it! It has a lot of the things that draw me in: feminine, flowing, pastels and light colors, beautiful and ”light” overall… And the lazy girl in me does appreciate that it doesn’t stray far from the RWS. 😉

Fountain Tarot
Another self-published one! We do love those right? They often have lots of feeling and are very well done… 🙂 To me, from what I’ve seen in videos and photos, this deck has a masculine vibe to it which isn’t my usual cup of tea. There’s some kind of cold feeling in the deck, to me. But of course it would be easier to tell if I could actually hold the deck in my hands and look through it. Videos and photos can be very deceiving… What I like about it is that it seems very well thought out, it looks SO well done, and it definitely has a unique look to it but without going completely wild with its own system or no system at all… 😉

Sacred Isle Tarot
This SHOULD be a deck I absolutely would love, it has that whole feminine, pretty, thing going on… But some of the males in this deck look quite strange to me? They almost look like they’re wearing make-up or are women in drag?! Quite strange. And I usually don’t mind pretty/beautiful people in decks, I prefer it to be honest, but here they almost look too much like plastic Barbie dolls. With that said, I have the app and I do like a lot of the cards! It’s a well done pretty deck.

Silver Witchcraft Tarot
Beautiful, the silver edges and no borders are a plus, and if I remember correctly Barbara Moore wrote the guidebook so that must be fantastic! But… Just like everyone else is wondering: What the hell is the deal with the pedestals in the major arcana? And what’s with everyone wearing robes!? Those two things are a bit of a turn off for me. If I remember correctly the depiction of The Chariot is extremely odd also… But still I keep looking at photos of this deck, it sure has something that draws me to it.

Any thoughts on any of these decks? And what’s on your wishlist? 🙂

Not that magical actually.

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Doing free readings on Biddy Tarot I’ve noticed the belief in tarot, what it is and what it does, can differ a lot between seekers. Some people have very chill questions, asking what they need to know about moving forward in their career/relationship/life, then others seem to really trust the tarot reader as a true magical oracle!

I’ve had some people phrase their question something like this “Hi! I’m going through a touch time and I think my relationship will end. I don’t want that! Please, tell me, will I ever find true love? Does my current boyfriend really love me? Am I married in five years? Can you please tell me everything that will happen in the coming ten years, tell me everything!”

And I’m just like… Whoa?!

It’s almost overwhelming seeing someone think I could find out everything about their future! If I could, wouldn’t we all find out? …But then again, no, wouldn’t none of us want to find out?!

If the future was set in stone, nothing could be controlled – Would you want to know what will happen in the coming 10, 20, 50 years? I wouldn’t! If I couldn’t stop it, would I want to know my husband would cheat? My child would be born with a rare heart disease? My house would burn down? Or even the good stuff… Would I want to know exactly how my man would propose? When I’d get that raise and dream job? What my children would work with?

I mean, either it would make me worried “Oh dear, that heart attack is here in a day AAAAAHHHHH!” or it would make things really boring “Oh right, tomorrow he’s gonna propose, c’mon now, just hurry dude, I want that ring…”, right? Part of life is that we just don’t know what’s around the corner.

So why do some of us (yes I do actually, in a way) use tarot to make predictions? I can only speak for myself, but I do it to understand larger themes and energies. I very rarely make “specific” predictions. During my 11 years as a tarot reader I’ve only made those a handful of times. A specific job, a pregnancy, etc… It has happened, but it’s rare. My own belief is that it’s rare because very few occasions in life are predetermined. And the connection between tarot reader, seeker, and just the overall energies just have to really CONNECT to be able to tap into that information. It’s not always possible. Sometimes the Universe/God doesn’t want us to know. Sometimes there’s a blockage. Sometimes there are no predetermined situations coming up in the coming years.

It’s way more common in my experience to get those larger themes/energies to work with. And I find that so much more useful than predictions. Finding out that a stressful day is coming up makes me prepared, makes me motivated to spend five minutes meditating or doing something relaxing before heading to work, and thus I make the best of it. Finding out someone will, 100% guaranteed, yell at me at work calling me a bitch… Well, how can I prepare for that? Call in fake sick? Eh.

Sometimes we have to ask ourselves – Do I really WANT to know?

Surprised by tarot decks.

~ Tarot by Ania ~ 1 Comment

During the last year or two my tarot collection has grown quite a bit. Two years ago I started studying the tarot more seriously again, wanting to really come back to doing readings, studying symbolism and learning about myself through the study of the cards. And since I started to hang out at Aeclectic’s tarot forum I started to fall in love with new decks again, of course… They’re hard to avoid!

I must say that some decks in particular have surprised me.

First of all we have the Shadowscapes. When I saw it online I was all “That is so me! I must have it!”. And you know what – It really is ME. It contains all the things I love in a deck: Feminine, pretty, beautiful, soft, detailed… So beautiful, right? But I’ve mentioned this before I think, that when I got it, I just didn’t connect with it! I was so disappointed, trying to find reasons for this. Were the cards too small? Too detailed? Too swirly? I put it away, and thankfully I have clicked with this deck recently and now I love it. But for a long time it felt like a very disappointing purchase.

Then we have the Sun and Moon Tarot by Vanessa Decort. I’ve been looking at the deck online for ages, because I really fell in love with some of the cards, especially The Moon and the Two of Cups really spoke to me. But some things turned me off… The people in the cards don’t have faces, it’s based on the Thoth tarot which I’m personally not too interested in, and it seemed like no one in the community was a big fan of the deck which reviews reflected. But I took a chance and decided to get it anyway, thinking it wasn’t very expensive and I needed to reward myself for umm… There’s always something, right? 😉 So I got it and when it arrived I wasn’t let’s-rip-it-open-NOW-excited but rather “oh well”-excited about it. I opened it up, looked through it, felt a little “hmm” about the images because I almost found them blurry?? I guess it has something to do with the way they are painted, I’m not a big art expert so yeah… 🙂

But I thought I need to try it out and decided to not be scared about the deck being Thothy and such. And BOOM! This deck surprised the hell out of me! Sure, looking at each card closely they seem a little blurry, but in a spread in front of me I found the cards BEAUTIFUL! I love the open big landscapes, the colors that are vibrant yet soft on the eye, the people who seem full of energy despite having no facial expressions, and well, I guess we just connected! I had no problems reading with this deck, for me AND for clients, in an instant. The readings were flowing and the feedback I’ve received when using this deck has been very positive, so it’s definitely accurate and inspiring in readings.

I am so happy I purchased the Sun and Moon Tarot, and the Shadowscapes. They’ve both surprised me and I love when that happens! I love when the connection shows up all of a sudden. The Shadowscapes has taught me to not get rid of a deck I feel drawn to, despite disappointment at first, because the time for us to work together might just come a lot later than what I expect. And the Sun and Moon Tarot has taught me to not be afraid of systems that aren’t RWS, and to trust my own instinct with a deck, not what the reviews are saying because a review can’t tell me about the connection I will have with a deck.

What decks have surprised you?

Reading for others and for yourself.

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I just signed myself up to become a free tarot reader at Biddy Tarot. Since I’m considering opening up my own etsy shop, or similar, it feels like a great first step to having scheduled readings and really testing out if I feel comfortable doing many readings for strangers. I’ve received lots of feedback before on Aeclectic Tarot Forum, and occasionally when I’ve done free readings by mail I’ve received because of my instagram page (SwedishTarotGirl on there).

But I want to get a lot of feedback during a couple of months now. I think it will give me the confidence to actually open up a shop and feel comfortable with getting paid for my readings. It’s like I first want to know that my readings are satisfactory before I start charging. Is that weird? No, it sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? I want to know if people out there feel like it’s worth paying for. Otherwise the pressure will be too much and I’d probably spend 10 hours on each reading to make it worth it for the one who is paying LOL.

During long periods I’ve actually read exclusively for myself. I’m always surprised to see readers saying they’ve tried for years but cannot read for themselves – because that’s what I’ve always been the most comfortable with! I know my situation, I have all the background facts, so all of that is not a mystery which it is reading for a stranger

But how about staying objective? To be honest I don’t know why I’m so “good” at that…? Struggling with depression and anxiety years ago I went to at least three different therapists, and I’m thinking maybe that has helped me to stay objective about my situation. I’ve had so much therapy I know what they say, and I can be my own therapist now! 😉 Besides, I have a degree in social work which in Sweden also makes me a qualified counselor, so I’ve also had training in how to stay non-judgmental towards others and what I’m facing at the moment. Probably that helps me. The only times I’ve struggled with being objective I’ve always taken a break from the reading and when I’ve come back to it an hour later I just look at the spread with new, calmer, Eyes.

Well, I’m excited to read way more for others now. It’s gonna be interesting! And even if they all say “you suck!” it’s okay ´cause then I don’t have to waste my time opening a shop, am I right? 😉 LOL gotta stay positive.

Head over to Biddy Tarot and request a free reading and who knows, I might just read for you in the coming week!

Top ten tarot decks for the summer of 2015!

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A while ago Kate on Daily Tarot Girl listed her top ten tarot decks and I was inspired to list my own top ten! My deck collection currently consists of 26 tarot decks and 4 oracle decks. I just counted actually! I gotta mention that out of my tarot decks there are around 5-7 decks which I NEVER use. Either I’m not interested in the system they belong to (Thoth, Servants of the Light Tarot) or they really just don’t spark my interest at all (Journey to the Orient Tarot), but I’ve been too lazy to trade/give them away LOL.

 So, moving on to my list of my top ten favorite tarot decks in the summer of 2015!

  1. Dame Darcy’s Mermaid Tarot
    I love basically everything about this deck! It’s fun, unique, quirky, beautiful, and it has a personal touch that I absolutely adore. It feels “homemade” in a way that is comforting and makes me feel like I’m the only person in the world who owns this deck and has a connection with it.
  2. Crystal Visions Tarot
    If this deck had been released in 2004 when I started to study tarot I think I might’ve never bought any more decks LOL. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for for years. It is feminine, very pretty and beautiful, has clear symbolism, and I love the colors (pink, purple, blue).
  3. Rider Waite Smith Tarot / Universal RWS
    My good ol’ faithful! 😉 It’s a tie between these two because honestly they’re almost identical, right? I tend to use the standard RWS even though I find the Universal more aesthetically pleasing, weird right? This will always “be tarot” to me. It’s just THE deck. I’ve never found it ugly, they only versions I hate of this deck are the ones with the computerized fonts, ugh horrible…
  4. Ludy Lescot Tarot
    I have a special connection with this deck. And even though it doesn’t get used that much during this season I still love it and it has to be placed high on my list. 🙂 I love its darkness, rawness, how it’s sexy, beautiful, and how it gives extremely honest crystal clear readings. Drawing cards from this deck often makes me gasp and go “okay, I shall never not trust tarot again, this is just scary!” – that’s how accurate this deck is.
  5. Nicoletta Ceccoli Tarot
    I still need to study this unique deck so much more, but I love it already. It takes me to another world when looking at the cards.
  6. Shadowscapes Tarot
    A deck I couldn’t read with for months, but then we clicked like whoa! It’s beautiful and I love the purple tone it has. I think I needed some time to get over that it’s almost a little TOO detailed. When I let that thought go, I could read with it so much easier. Now I tend to look at the big picture instead of getting stuck on details in the cards and now it reads beautifully.
  7. Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg
    Simple and yet so detailed. Unique and yet so RWS’ish. How is that possible? LOL. I love this deck, but yeah I love Russian art and culture so it really fits me. Online photos don’t do it justice at all unfortunately.
  8. Robin Wood Tarot
    This was my go to deck in 2006. I sometimes complain that it looks dated (80’s) but then I find myself going “Wow!” when I look through the cards. This deck speaks so clearly to me.
  9. Osho Zen Tarot
    Amazing when it comes to readings concerning spiritual matters and when one needs to heal. At first glance it might seem soft, but I promise this isn’t a sugar coated deck, it has its dark cards also. Card number 1 Existence is one of my all time favorite cards, it’s amazing.
  10. Fantastical Tarot
    It doesn’t get used that often, and it’s a little too dark for the summer, and to be honest I’m not THAT in love with its art/images… But it’s an amazing reading deck! Gives clear, very honest answers that are always easy to decipher. A bit of an underrated deck in my opinion.

Bonus mentions: Hudes Tarot and Steampunk Tarot. The Hudes is an old favorite of mine, but it has a really strong autumn feel to it so it never gets to play during the summer. 🙂 Another underrated deck! I suspect that the Steampunk Tarot will become a favorite of mine, but it’s also a little too dark for the summer and I really want to finish the amazing guidebook before I start using it. Not that I “need to” but I’m enjoying reading it so much so I might as well just go along with it.

What are your favorites out of these? And what are your favorite decks overall?

Challenging myself and moving forward.

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I’ve mentioned before that I’m not dreaming of working full time with tarot readings or going professional with it in any way. But lately I am thinking of trying to develop it on a hobby level. To me it’s like a lot of other hobbies. Like horseback riding, which I also do! When I’ve reached a certain skill level I could imagine entering a little competition. Does that mean I’m aiming to own my own horse and enter the Olympics?! No, of course not. 🙂 It just means that sometimes a little challenge, a little push forward, makes your hobby a bit more interesting and makes you not lose interest (Lord knows I lose interest fast, ugh, it’s a curse I swear!).

So I’ve been thinking of mainly two things: an Etsy-shop to sell my readings and a tarot channel on YouTube. 

I’ve noticed that charging for readings makes people value them a lot more. And I must say it also makes me step up and deliver on a higher level. When I do free readings on Aeclectic Tarot I notice that a lot of people tend to not take readings they receive very seriously. Sometimes they forget to give feedback, sometimes they don’t have the patience to wait a couple of hours for their reading and they move on to a new thread asking for a reading from someone else with the same question, and a lot of questions are very trivial in my opinion. I enjoy doing in depth readings that are kind of long and thorough and when someone asks “What did J think of me calling him last night? Because he didn’t answer.” I just go “Ugh really?!”… And if I want to connect a little bit more with the tarot community, and see my instagram page and blog grow, it also feels natural to have a little shop in my opinion.

And then there’s the YouTube channel… Now that makes me a little nervous! I’ve never recorded myself talking so I don’t know how well I’d do in front of a camera! But I’ve heard from a lot of different classmates that I do very well with oral presentations, that I am relaxed and pleasant to listen to. So maybe it could be fun? I’ve recently become soo addicted to different YT-channels and I just find it so soothing and interesting to listen to people talking about my favorite subject: tarot!

We’ll see how it goes. I’m thinking of starting up these two pages after the summer. There’s so much going on right now so I have to hold myself back a little to not burn out.

My best online sources.

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During the recent months I’ve been searching all over the internet for more tarot sources. I think I’ve mentioned this before; but I don’t really like blogs, vlogs and other sources that only discuss card meanings. When I want to study card meanings I usually pick up a book since it’s better organized, or I go to a forum to see a discussion on the meanings rather than just getting them served. So what I really like online when it comes to tarot is people who make it personal and also actually have charisma! I just cannot watch videos of someone talking about tarot who seems bored, whispers, or is just “grey” all around…

Well, I’ve discovered there are tons of charismatic tarot readers out there with so much wisdom and knowledge, who want to share it all with us! So I though I’d make a list of my absolute favorite tarot people out there online. The list is in no particular order. 🙂 Let me know what you think when you’ve checked someone out!

– Aeclectic Tarot Forum
This is a very active forum that discusses everything that has to do with tarot and oracle cards. Just like everywhere else there are a couple of snooty people trying to say “This is the only right way to read the tarot!” but everyone else is awesome, always trying to help newbies and other tarot enthusiasts. So yeah, this isn’t one person in particular, but I had to include this place. I’ve been a member since 2005 I believe, and I’ve learned so much from the discussions.

– The Four Queens
This is Kelly-Ann’s website and this is her channel on YouTube. Kelly-Ann has an amazing channel on YouTube in particular. She is very articulate, sympathetic, interesting and just full of spiritual information! She has a very healthy view of what the tarot should be used for, in my opinion. Just like me she doesn’t use it for fortune telling, but rather counselling and spiritual development. Seriously, check out her videos, you will learn so much!

– Benebell Wen
Benebell’s website contains great study guides linked with her book Holistic Tarot, which you should know by now that I love! Amazing book… And amazing blog! I love her deck reviews that are very personal and thorough. She also shares thoughts on fortune telling, reading methods, spreads etc. Again, a place full of information, from a woman who is generous with sharing her knowledge. Unlike a lot of other bloggers and authors (sorry…) Benebell is very good at conveying humor here and there, and she’s also actually a good writer (again, unlike a lot of other authors…).

– OwlMoon513
Now, I’m not sure what her name is, she seems to call herself Raecine, Ardis, and sometimes Tallulah…? But it doesn’t matter, this woman is amazing on YouTube! I love her deck reviews, and I also love her videos on working with the tarot to develop spiritually. She’s very inspiring and her passion for tarot is so beautiful.

– Angelo Nasios
Oh look, unexpectedly a guy pops up. LOL. I very much tend to relate more to women, hence the lack of males on this list, sorry… But Angelo on YouTube is my cup of tea! 🙂 He’s very straight-forward, informative, concise, and at times quite humorous. I really like his approach to tarot, which reminds me a little bit of Benebell’s approach, where he kind of strays from everything that is too “woo woo”. I personally don’t believe in faeries, unicorns, past lives, or spirit guides, so I find it refreshing to get my tarot information in a very practical manner sometimes.

– Christiana Gaudet
Christiana’s YouTube channel is very informative and fun. She has a lot of interviews with various tarot readers, authors, tarot teachers, and other interesting people. She’s very sweet and down to earth, and she always answers whatever questions her viewers might have.

– Kate on Daily Tarot Girl
Kate’s blog is a lot of fun, especially her evil twin Veronica… Yeah, you’ll get it if you read her blog LOL. She has such a positive energy and great personality, which comes out even more in the tarot pod Menage á Tarot.

– Lisa Frideborg
Lisa is a fellow Swedish tarot reader that is amazing when it comes to spreads! I often go to her sites Love Dove Tarot and Tarotize to find new interesting spreads to try. Just like me she doesn’t read with reversals and explains so well why she doesn’t. Her blog on Tarotize is well written and interesting because she often gets a little personal there. If you’re into reiki, crystals, and angels she also works a lot with that so I’m sure you can learn more about those subjects on her sites!

I might have to add more people, because I might’ve forgotten someone… 😉 But this will do for now. Enjoy!

Journaling.

~ Tarot by Ania ~ 2 Comments

I must admit that I sometimes struggle with my tarot journal. Why is it that so many of us do? Are we scared of not doing it well enough, even though we never share our journal with others? Are we scared it’s a waste of time, seeing how we rarely go back and read the entries? In this computerized era, do we feel uncomfortable writing by hand?

I don’t know, I have no good answer. But I know that when I’m feeling drained, down, and tired, sometimes the thought of “having to” journal after spreading the cards actually stops me from doing a reading.

Then every now and then I’m so happy that I do keep a tarot journal! I might not go back and read entries on a regular basis, but when I do I enjoy reading my interpretations (which are often influenced by intuition and not so much traditional meanings), and of course seeing how my future-focused readings actually turn out. Automatically I often scribble some words next to the future position, just a short “Yup, just right.” or “No, the card probably rather meant this and that.”.

So I appreciate my journal a lot. But today I’m sitting here, kind of tired, with my head a little too full of thoughts about life and its confusing paths, and I just feel like doing a reading or two without having to write a journal entry. Eh, I’m gonna be a rebel and just do it. 😉

Making money off tarot while being scared of it?

~ Tarot by Ania ~ 2 Comments

While gaining interest in oracle decks this year I’ve had people suggest some decks to me, and I’ve noticed quite a few of you out there seem to appreciate Doreen Virtue’s decks. Now, I was immediately kind of turned off by her products, since I’m not interested in working with either angels or faeries. But while researching her decks I also started to get disgusted by her view on tarot.

I do not appreciate the fact that this woman makes money off tarot (she has tarot decks out also, not just oracles), while she talks down on tarot cards. Instead of simply explaining that she didn’t want “dark cards” in the tarot deck she was making, because they don’t fit her style or whatever reason, she has been quoted saying this:

“Even if you’ve ever been afraid in the past, there’s no reason for you to be afraid anymore. We have made Tarot in the Light right where it will be safe for you.”

And that just annoys me! Because wording it like this she is saying that the tarot deck created by her is safe and light, this deck is nothing to be afraid of, but those other older decks, yeah they’re still something to be afraid of. Only her deck will do, and only her deck will be safe to use, right? LOL.

But of course, if people only use her “safe non-dangerous decks” she will have less competition and more buyers. No, I must say, after researching this woman I’m feeling cynical and not attracted at all to her decks. How can she not pay homage to all the people that paved the way for her with their decks, whether it’s tarot or oracles? I know it’s possible to separate the creator from its product, if you really fall for a deck, but I’ve now chosen to not support this woman’s business in the future despite what deck she releases. There are other deck creators out there who support fellow creators and don’t call their work evil and unsafe, I’d much rather be in a tarot/oracle community that is open-minded and supportive than one that points fingers at everything that isn’t sugarcoated and fluffy.