Cards from The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

The rune Fehu and the Undine Bara/Nine of Cups start our day, with the Hidden Influence of Mimir, The Hanged Man.

Be patient. You are probably tired of being patient, but you need to be patient a while longer. Bara is about erosion, the gradual process of wearing away. Slow and subtle, until one day enough sand has been swept from the beach that you can see the bare rock beneath.

Mimir reinforces the need for patience. The time is not right for bold, dramatic action, but that does not mean there is nothing to be done. Think of Bara, and figure out what small actions you can take. Even if it’s just one little thing, there is something you can do that will make a difference later.

Fehu is all about the material. What assets do you have? At the very minimum, you are alive and able to read this post, which means you are literate and have internet access–two very important items in modern life. What resources are available to you that you are not seeing, or are not using fully? What is truly yours? Take good care of what is yours, and it will take care of you. If it’s not yours, send it along to the person to whom it belongs.

After yesterday’s dramatic draw, today’s message of “focus on your advantages and do your work” seems mild. However, life is made up of ordinary days marked by extraordinary events, and you can still make a lot of positive progress even on a completely average day.

Images from The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

As a proper Victorian lady might say, “My, that is a draw, isn’t it?” But today is not the day to be a proper Victorian. Today requires nothing less than your completely authentic soul.

The Nornir/Wheel of Fortune and the rune Kenaz (reversed), with the Hidden Influence of Narvi & Vali/10 of Swords, let us know that today will not be an ordinary day.

Things are going to happen which are beyond your control. Things beyond your control happen every day, but today they are happening in your life, to you.

What you can control is how you respond to these events.

Narvi and Vali tell us in no uncertain terms that others are not acting with our best interests in mind, and we need to be vigilant in establishing and maintaining defensive boundaries. When dealing with strong people, be aware of whether they are using their strength for unilateral or mutual advantage–and you probably already know the answer there.

Kenaz reversed says we’re operating in the dark. The light, for whatever reason, is not bright enough to illuminate our circumstances. Trust in yourself, trust in your Gods (if you have Gods), and move with care. If you decide to leap into the dark, do so with the understanding that you may land on soft ground leading to a new path, or sharp rocks to cut you open to force healing, or a trampoline that will bounce you right back to where you are, with an altered perspective.

The Nornir remind us that we can make all the plans we want to make, make decisions, and take action–but we have no way of knowing or controlling everything. We do the best we can, and when Things Happen, it is our job to respond from the authenticity of our souls. Some things are beyond our understanding; we do what we are called to do.

Today we have Rind/Page of Swords and the rune Dagaz, with Bara/Nine of Cups as the Hidden Influence.

Change is not only possible, it’s already underway. Perhaps you’ve been working towards change, or even just wishing for it without taking action. Guess what? It’s here!

Even the most positive of changes creates emotional turmoil–things are never going back to the way they were, and no matter how pleased or relieved we are to be moving out of a difficult situation and into a better place, it’s still moving into the unknown, and that can create anxiety.

Rind tells us to keep focused on the work to be done to complete the change. Operating from a place of cold logic may be difficult in times of emotional upset, but right now, that’s exactly what is needed. Make informed decisions, and take prompt action to carry out those decisions. Then, when you get home, you can give yourself time to process the feelings and nurture that part of yourself that has been feeling scared about what lies ahead. Have a cup of tea, a glass of wine, cuddle your stuffed animal–whatever it takes to help you sort out those emotions so that you are in the best possible emotional and mental state for the next step.

Today’s draw is Hrimthurs/3 of Coins and the rune Stan, with Bestla/Ten of Coins as the Hidden Influence.

As our friends at Nike say, “Just Do It”. You have the skills, talents, knowledge, and resources. Do it, do it now, and give it your all!

Focus is key here. Hrimthurs was unable to complete his work on time because Svadilfari, his critical resource, was distracted by Loki in disguise as a mare. What is your key resource? Your time. Today’s draw says to focus, focus, focus, and make the most of your time. It’s the one thing you can’t replace or buy more of. Other things can wait – whatever is calling you today, that is where to place your time and energy.

Stan is the keystone or an obstacle. With the positive energies of the two cards, Stan advises takig whatever appears to be an obstacle and making it into a keystone. If you can’t remove the rock, make it part of the foundation.

Whatever it is that you need to do today, the energies are right–and the time to start is now!

Today promises to be another exciting day! The Rune Nauthiz combines with Mjol/Eight of Wands, with Skadi/Justice as the Hidden Influence.

Skadi and Mjol challenge us to figure out what we truly need. Not what we think we need, and not what we want to have as a need, but our deepest, most essential needs. If you don’t know what you need, you don’t know how to fill that need. Be honest with yourself, and be honest with others. If you choose not to be honest, understand that you are creating the biggest obstacle to your own peace of mind.

Well, isn’t this jolly? We have Loki & Thor/Seven of Swords and the Rune Stan, along with the Hidden Influence of Olvalde & Sons/Eight of Coins.

You’re not going to get anywhere without help today, but be sure that the other person is actually helping. Maybe there’s another way to accomplish the goal that doesn’t require you to compromise yourself quite so fully. You have the skills to deal with the problem, you just need another pair of hands to help with the work. Now is a good time to practice active listening and paraphrasing–if someone is trying to trick you, use your words to trip them up.

Stan tells us that our keystone may also be our obstacle. Take a look at your assumptions and see if they match reality.

Today we have the Nine Maidens of the Mill/Nine of Coins and the Rune Algiz, with Unn/Eight of Cups as the Hidden Influence.

Set and maintain strong boundaries around your time today. You have much to do, and there are many interruptions and distractions which can pull you away from your work. Close your door, set a timer, turn off your phone–whatever it takes to create the space you need to do your work.

This isn’t just drudgery, though. Unn, the Undine of Time, looks up and down the Threads, and reminds us to do so as well. Focus on your earthly work, so that you clear time and space for your spiritual work. Work consciously as well as conscientiously. Make good choices about your time, so that your mundane duties do not consume the time you need for your creative process and spiritual practice.

Today we have the rune Ansuz, along with Fenris/The Devil, and the Hidden Influence of Suttung/Six of Coins (cards from The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera). Pay attention! Your demons have something to say that you need to hear, and they may choose unexpected messengers. Do not discount the message because the bearer is not a channel  you are used to heeding.

You might not realize what is going on behind the scenes. See that snake in the lower right corner of Suttung’s card? That’s Odin, making His way into Suttung’s treasure hold to take what was not freely offered. Be aware of your resources and make good decisions about how to use them–including sharing. Be generous and hospitable, but not to the point of pain. Trust in the Gods, but tie your ship.

With thanks to Nancy Garcia for including me in this write up of the Top Five Places for Tarot and Mysticism in The Culture Trip!

And I’m in good company, along with RoseRed and Maria Strom!

“Top 5 Places for Tarot and Mysticism in San Francisco: It’s in the Cards. There was a time when San Francisco had numerous shops that carried mystical supplies, and clouds of incense filled the air. If you’re interested in learning about the tarot, connecting with some of the best readers, or discovering exotic, hand-blended incense, there is still a wealth of resources in this town. Some of them may even take you back to simpler, more magical times. We see endless possibilities in your future.”

Read the entire article here!

A friend showed me this deck. She found it in the home of an elderly relative who has gone to the Great Reading Room in the Sky.

It’s in a plain brown box, with no printer, publisher, or author attribution anywhere.

There are 52 cards. Each card has two fortunes on it, as well as a number between 0 and 39 that perhaps corresponded to a further fortune in a companion book. There are some numbers that have two cards (one red and one black), and other numbers have only one card.

I originally thought there might be a Lenormand connection, but the cards and the fortunes don’t correlate to Lenormand, and the numbering goes to 39, 3 more than the traditional Lenormand deck.

I haven’t found anything using web image search. If you have any ideas about what it might be, I’d love to hear them!

UPDATED July 25, 2015: The fabulous Marcia McCord recognized the deck as one she owns. It’s the 1919 Revelations Fortune Telling Card Deck, printed by The U.S. Playing Card Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Thank you, Marcia!