![]() Jupiter and Saturn come together in a most auspicious way on the 21st of December! This “Great Conjunction” will spark a turning point at 0° Aquarius on the Solar New Year—the Solstice. This is a wondrous rebirthing energy converging in the astro heavens that is signaling to us a renaissance! One can see why some astrologers are calling this the “official” entrance into the Age of Aquarius.
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![]() Pre-Order Update: Lua Tarot decks are still en route. I'm expecting them to arrive at my front door sometime between October 16th to 19th. Tracking is not showing date of delivery yet. I'll let you know the exact date of arrival when I know. If you're interested in the Lua Tarot, Pre-orders are still open! I’ll be closing them next week to prepare shipments. Thank you for your patience and support! ![]() I have been working with the Lua Tarot’s test copy and getting the details sorted out. I am looking forward to completing this project and getting it out to you. Almost there! The mini book is almost done (at 160 pages), still writing the Swords and Coins suits. The rest of the booklet is written, and will go into editing phase right after I’m done with the Coin suit’s descriptions. Those are jasmine flowers from our garden. I wish you could smell the scent wafting through the space. Jasmine is so magical! A friend of mine recently said that god must smell like it. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas! Here’s some of the Empress’s creative magic to bless your day.
The first photo is the Lua Tarot's Empress. The second photo show Empress cards from: The Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Dark Goddess Tarot, Victorian Romantic Tarot, Modern Witch Tarot, Majestic Earth Tarot, and the Antiquarian Tarot ![]() The last Major Arcana card for the Lua Tarot is done. Here is Justice! If you’re a Libra, or have a Libra Ascendent, this is one of your tarot card archetypes. With everything going on in the world there are some lessons that this archetype brings and one of those lessons is balance. In a world where everything seems so dichotomous, Justice teaches us to find the center. She teaches us the lesson of the middle path. On this spectrum of reality there are many perspectives, and somehow (at least in this country) we’ve come to have deeply polarized reality maps of our ideals and our society. ![]() Finished my 58th card from the Lua Tarot. I have 20 left to go! The Two of Coins card meaning is about balance, grace, harmonious change, and fluctuation. The following is an excerpt from the Lua Tarot booklet: “A flamenco dancer plays her castanets with graceful poise while ships navigate a tumultuous sea behind her, representing the ups and downs in life. This card shows the skillful balance of taking on multiple projects at a time. It requires flexibility, grace, & an ability to go with the flow while being adaptable to changes. There’s an air of enjoyment in these projects, and multi-tasking skill. This card may be asking us to limit our choices in order to maintain balance. There’s only so much we can cram into a day. The Two of Coins card may also be saying that our work or money situation is ebbing & flowing. There is fluctuation, profit & loss, which is expected, but try to stay positive and focused on solutions.” Copyright ©2020 Maree Bento. All rights are reserved. ![]() Spring Equinox is exact tonight at 8:49pm PST (0° Aries) with the waning Dark Moon in Aquarius. While it is beautiful and sunshine-y here in Portland, Ore., we’re asked to practice social distancing, when what we really want to do is socialize and share in the buzz of excitement as the Sun brings life back to the earth in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring Equinox is the time to celebrate the sign of life’s return from Winter. However, it’s also a time to honor the balance of light and dark, since the Equinox splits the day and night equally. During the Spring and Fall Equinoxes we honor balance. The Sun rises directly in the East and sets directly in the West. ![]() We started off the year with some positive energy last week! We're into week two and there are already three potent cosmic events, making it an intense start—and not the best way—to the year. The Cancer Lunar Eclipse is Friday January 10th at 11:21 am (not visible from America). The year begins with Full Moon in Cancer and we will end the year with one too (though December 29th won’t be an eclipse)! This puts a spotlight on feminine energy (Cancer is a super feminine and maternal sign). This year will bring more awareness to the topic of feminine empowerment and leadership. ![]() Lo Scarabeo is celebrating 30 years with this limited numbered edition of 1,987 copies to honor the year they were founded in Italy. The gorgeous, colorful artwork is by Fabio Listrani, artist of the Night Sun Tarot. LS says this limited edition is printed on the highest quality paper. It is, indeed, a thicker card stock, but it's also glossier than their standard decks. At first glance, I like how the suit colors are similar to the Albano-Waite Tarot's coloration system. Brigit of Biddy Tarot invited me to do an interview for her podcast. We talked all about the Antiquarian Tarot, my process of creating it, and a little bit about my journey as a card reader and healer.
I met Brigit this year at the Northwest Tarot Symposium (NWTS) in Portland, Oregon. She flew in from Australia to do a workshop. It was a real pleasure to meet her and an honor to be invited on her podcast. One of the things I love about the Biddy Tarot podcast is the transcripts she makes available for the podcasts. Sometimes we can't listen to an interview for one reason or another, so it is really convenient to be able to read it. If you can't listen now, scroll down below the podcast for the full transcript of the interview. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Samhain! Here is something a little different—a leisurely browse through some Halloween decks in my collection. A kind of creepy fun Show and Tell. Grab a cup of something hot and spiced—this one is almost half an hour long. I hope you will enjoy this video of me chatting about some wicked tarot and oracles.
Here are the decks mentioned in the video: Exciting news! The Antiquarian Tarot Companion Guidebook is almost finished. I have an editor doing another pass through it before I send it to the book printer. Also, the last details of the book cover are coming together.
I am feeling really close to completion. It is looking like an early September release at the latest. The Antiquarian Tarot deck will be re-released with the book. Thanks for your patience and support! ![]() Recently, I bought the Smith-Waite Tarot Deck Centennial Edition in a tin and compared it to the Pamela Colman Smith (PCS) Commemorative Set (2009) on video. In the video, I went through the whole set. There is the major difference in size and similar card stock feel, but the artwork and color of the decks are identical. I like the deck that comes with the commemorative edition, but I avoid using it since I see it as a collectors edition and want to keep it in the best condition possible. I'm really enjoying the mini size and portability of the cards in a tin. It is smaller, but it loses no detail. And, it feels good in my hands! (See video and picture of size comparisons below.) Here's a video I shot showing all of the cards last year, which I never posted. The soundtrack has music by Dream Lodge, David's and my band project. The tracks, High Desert Star and The Lodge, are recent releases from our vinyl record EP (six tracks), which will be released this Saturday. The two tracks are available to download now. You can have the vinyl record mailed to you after the official release date, August 1st, 2015. There is a digital download card that comes with each record. You may order it here if you'd like a copy. Thanks for your support!
![]() Symbolism Astro glyph: Capricorn Hebrew Letter: Ayin (meaning Eye) Color: Blue-violet (Indigo) Keyword: Bondage Golden Dawn Title: The Lord of the Gates of Matter, The Child of the Forces of Time Meaning: a card about materialism, boundaries and limitations; a time to look at our fears, illusions, indulgences, attachments, addictions and obsessions; being a slave to temptation or to something and/or someone; feeling disconnected from your spiritual side; becoming self-destructive; having inner chaos and doubt; the ego and shadow stuff; needing to look at the un-evolved aspects of oneself; embracing the dark side of our nature. ![]() Symbolism Sign: Sagittarius, archer & centaur Hebrew Letter: Samekh (meaning tent peg, support or foundation) Color: Blue Keyword: Verification Golden Dawn Title: The Daughter of the Reconcilers, The Bringer Forth of Life Meaning: moderate; heal; temper; test; integrate; blend; synthesize; balancing and/or adjusting two or more aspects of your life: spiritual and material, intellectual and intuitive, home and work, or your life with someone else’s. It's about alchemy or art; living ones life like art. ![]() Symbolism Astro Glyph: Scorpio Hebrew Letter: Nun (Fish; To grow, to sprout, to propagate.) Color: Blue-Green Golden Dawn Title: The Child of the Great Transformers, The Lord of the Gate of Death Keyword: Transformation Meaning: Change; an ending, closure, purging; regeneration, metamorphosis. Some part of our life has died (career, relationship, living situation, etc.) to allow for something new to come in. |
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