MAAT Tarot card of the week- First quarter moon in Aries- 9 of Wands

MAAT Tarot card of the week
First Quarter Moon in Aries

9 of Wands
Planetary ruler Saturn

The 9 of Wands is traditionally a rest between battles. The image in the MAAT Tarot 9 of wands depicts the archetypical hero god being
raised in secret for his own protection. Traditional archetypes, who fit into this role, the Egyptian god Horus who was raised on the marshes in secret to protect him from his uncle Set( the god of desert and destruction). King Arthur who was taken from Uther and Igraine by Merlin and raised by common farmers his identity kept secret. Moses who was floated down the Nile in a basket to be raised by Egyptian royalty. Jesus whose parents fled into Egypt to protect him from Herod. All of these hero/god archetypes were raised in secret and when they matured became the saviors of their country/people.

The first quarter moon is of the waxing/ creative power of the moon. Aries is the beginning of the zodiac cycle. Together the message seems to say in order to get the job done right we must pace ourselves and delay self gratification. This signifies the beginning of an important long term project.
This is not a quick project that is just for fun that can be completed in a couple of hours. This project will take careful planning and meticulous and steady work over time. You will also need to take time away from this project for contemplation and renewed inspiration. In the end however all the time and effort will be worth it. This is the project or event of a lifetime and how you begin now is very important. Do not rush take your time be thorough in your plan and execution.

Other Aries cards to think about:
New Moon(March 21-April 19)- 2 of Cups- partnerships of all types create an ending and a new beginning for the self. Marriage especially marriage with children creates the beginning of new mortality.

Full Moon- (Sept.22-Oct)-King of Swords- The Archetypical hero/god, the annual king, savior/hero of people and country. Faces mortality and
realizes one has a duty to act.

Last Quarter Moon-(June 21-July 22)- 8 of Coins-The apprentice- trying new things learning from the master craftsman and becoming the master
with the obligation to pass on the knowledge to the next generation.

Have a Happy New Year!
Julie

New Moon in Sagittarius Today...

Well folks we have made it through the entire suit of Swords. The new moon in Sagittarius is Today around 9AM EST.(8 of Swords)In just a few hours the moon moves into Capricorn this may mean we have some influence from the 10 of Wands(new moon in Capricorn) as well.
Any thoughts on the blending of the energies between the 8 of Swords and the 10 of Wands? Funny that in traditional tarot the 10 of wands is known to not be able to 'see' what lies ahead because of the burdens he or she carries. I guess the difference between the 8 and the 10 seems to be, movement and struggle for the 10 and paralysing fear to move for the 8. They both can't see what is going on.
This seems somewhat appropriate for the darkest days of winter. The 8 is afraid to look or move. And the10 can't see but is maybe trying to see and muscling on regardless, with the need to keep moving forward to a place where his/her burdens can be released. My husband has a Capricorn moon and he is like that, he seems to need to keep moving. Sometimes I think he only stops when he is asleep.

The Winter Solstice on Friday morning officially opens the suit of Wands. This year the dark moon coupled with the dark sun signals an ending followed by a new beginning. This is an interesting opportunity to have the dark sun so close to the dark moon. Could this be a signal for a whole year of new beginnings? We should note that this is special and does not happen every year.
Julie

MAAT Tarot card of the Week- Last Quarter Moon in Virgo

10 of Swords

The 10 of Swords is no doubt one of the most graphic images in this deck. One should know that this card should be taken symbolically and not literally. It is a card of burning emotions as are many of the sword cards. This image should be taken as how we feel on the inside when we are betrayed and backstabbed. This card puts us on notice to watch our need for perfection, domination or control of others BEFORE it comes to this... Overkill. This card which traditionally means overkill or being backstabbed by friends or co-workers can and should be taken as a warning to ease up a little.

Sometimes in the quest to create our reality we may overstep our bounds and start to create the reality of others. This can lead to conflict if other people don't see things your way. Be sure your dreams stay your own and don't infringe on the dreams of others.

This week we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season. There is a lot of pressure to make the holiday perfect, making sure that all the traditional tasks get done while every year it seems we MUST improve as well somehow make it even better than the year before. This pressure realized or unrealized can have our nerves as tight as a bow string. Take a moment and take a breath if the kids put all the ornaments in the same three lower branches its okay. No one will care. Enjoy the moment forget what you were expecting the holiday to be and allow it to be what it is. If some of the traditional cookies don't get baked this year that's okay too.

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For a deeper look at the Virgo moon check out the other Virgo moon cards;

Virgo symbolized as ~ Our Dreams for ourself, single minded and inner knowing through the phases of the moon...

New-(Aug 23 - Sep 22)-4 of Coins-Traditionally 'the miser' this card depicts a farmer and his wife in their root cellar storing away their harvest for use through the winter. A card that reminds us to save some of the abundance of the now for the future.

First Quarter(May 21 - Jun 20)-9 of Coins Traditionally the 'wish' card reminds us to be careful what we wish for as the person in the card blows dandelion seeds(wishes) into the air we see the results as a field of dandelions.

Full-(Feb 19 - Mar 20)-Princess of Wands- an unabashedly naked pre-European contact native American girl stands in defiance. She is symbolic of the infertile earth of late winter. Her prepubescent body symbolizes un-awakened potential. Her body, her talents, her hopes and dreams are all on the edge of awakening. She is innocence.

Full Moon Cycle(Feb 19 - Mar 20)-The High Priestess-The sleeping goddess, The dormant virginal earth on the verge of awakening. She is the dream within, inspiration, the muse, the wisdom that comes from within.

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Have a stress-free week,

Julie

*This article may be reproduced for personal use and educational purposes.

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Free upgrade to overnight express delivery or 2-3 day global airmail from now until Dec.21st on all MAAT Tarot orders. Happy Holidays!

MAAT Tarot card of the Week- Full Moon in Gemini

The Queen of Swords

Planetary ruler Jupiter

The Queen of Swords represents the light in the darkest of times, as the sunlight in the northern hemisphere continues to wane we experience the darkest longest nights of the season. Yet the full moon's light remains with its brilliant light unchanged.
This moon is symbolic of the archetypical widow/ or sister of the historical/mythical male hero archetype. They are forever linked as a duo long after his death. There is usually some mystery to which only she knows the truth. Some classic Queen of Sword female archetypes, Mary Magdalen, Cleopatra. Morgana Le Fey, Hatchepsut, in modern times Jackie O. They all know the 'truth' yet the 'stories' spun about them and reported to the mainstream population lacks 'something' we all 'know' there is more to their stories yet we are not privilege to this information.
Just as we know woman's role historically has been down played simply because She was way too busy or tired to record her own story. Her work is often passed off as the work of Santa Claus, the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy, often goes without notice unless it is left undone. However the minute we grow up we learn the 'truth' behind the 'magic'. She is the archetypical mother of heresy(her-say) with little influence in classical history(his-story). The established male power systems of the past developed safeguards to ensure her power would be kept in check.
Her spark of knowledge still lies dormant within the collective unconscious it is during the darkest quietest nights of winter that it is easy to see her ancient truth shining through.

For deeper understanding of the Gemini moon check out the meanings of the other Gemini moon phase cards:

New-8 of Cups (occurring between May 21 - Jun 20)
with emotional lessons learned it is time to move on, a journey. The eight of cups can represent the short-lived romance this is the short but sweet relationship that teaches something and then after the lesson is learned the beloved moves on. The eight cups also seems to suggest an understanding of the cycle or journey of the sun with a cup for each one of the eight cross-quarter days we see that the sun like the moon has a cycle of waxing and waning light.

First Quarter- 3 of Wands (occurring between Feb.19-March 20)
Shows one type of tool we can use in order to convey a message or idea to others, the use of scale models is one way to help others to understand your ideas. Learning something new can enlighten us and raise our consciousness causing us to turn away from the past with hope for the future This card represents the understanding of complex systems by the use of scale models. Technology used in the process of teaching.

Last Quarter in Gemini- 2 of Coins ( occurring between Aug 23-Sept 22)
Deja'vu
The 2 of Coins represents the blending of the two worlds, the world of the physical and the world of the spiritual. This card represents the ability to understand the physical and spiritual worlds and the ability to live with both worlds simultaneously. Once you become one with the two worlds you can never go back and live as if there is just one world. The two worlds coexist much like the to lobes of the analemma.** Our contact with the spiritual realm is only as clear as our ability to understand 'their' symbolic language or understand how the other world communicates with us. Our cultural fears of 'evil' and the pressure of a prevailing cultural bias's that a world just as real as the physical world does not exist only limit us.
**The analemma (seen in the 2 of Coins, Strength and The Magician) can be captured with the help of time-lapse photography. If you take a picture of the sun from the same spot at the same time of day the analemma(figure eight of suns) is formed. The figure eight is also the symbol known as infinity. Interestingly enough the crossing over point that forms the top loop shape of the figure eight occurs around August 30th every year. The analemma in the 2 of Coins card floats an image of the ancient Egyptian Ra in his sun boat symbolizing the sun's journey.

MAAT Tarot card of the Week- First quarter moon in Pisces 9 of Swords

MAAT Tarot card of the Week
9 of Swords
Planetary ruler Jupiter
Full Moon Gemini cycle (November 22-December 20) major card-Strength

First Quarter Moon in Pisces-Prophetic dreams, spirit contact and things that go bump in the night.

Now is the time when the creative power of the waxing moon is visiting the realms the deepest subconscious. The dark month before the winter solstice is the month when we tap into the collective subconscious. Our days are filled with memories of holidays gone by...cultural traditions as well as old family traditions and the memories of loved ones who have passed away fill our minds. We prepare gatherings to celebrate life and the power and mercy of the mysteries of the universe. The power of the sun continues to wane until the winter solstice all the while the moon's light remains the same and as the nights grow longer sleeping and dreaming become paramount. Become aware of your dreams if you keep a dream diary this will help you to record your dreams. Take note of long lost relations that pop into your head as well as your dreams as you prepare for the celebrations ahead. Listen for the wisdom of familiar voices as you continue the traditions they began... they are all gathered around you... the ones you know who have passed and the ones who you will know who are coming into being ...embrace the mystery.


Traditional tarot meaning nightmares, loss of sleep from stress


In a Reading: this card represents a significant dream, spiritual encounter or a dream that changes your view of reality. When seeking information about timing this card would represent the eternal, time overlapping into the timeless spiritual realm leaving an accessible doorway.

For a deeper understanding of Pisces Moon check out the other pisces moon phases,

The 4 of Wands (new moon) This new moon is the best time for planning and planting the seeds for the summer's garden. It is still winter yet our imaginations have merged with summer. The energy of the waxing moon is perfect for germinating seeds.

The 10 of cups(last quarter moon) This card represents a couples ability to weather any emotion. It represents dreams coming true and sunshine through the rain.

The Princess of Coins(full moon) This card represents the peri-menopausal woman her body is going through changes yet she still feels young. She is the woman at the cross-roads.

Temperance (Full Moon Cycle August 23-September 22)
The point where the summer is coming to a close and the
harvest has begun. She tells the story of the Legend of Ra and Isis.

MAAT Tarot Full Moon cycle of Gemini Nov 22 - Dec 21

Wednesday marked our entry into the full moon cycle of Gemini. Ruled by the planet Jupiter the planet of expansion, luck and even indulgence. The key phrase for Gemini is "I think". This is all very appropriate as we move into the darker shorter days before the Winter Solstice. Imagine for a moment how concerned our ancestors must have been as the daylight became shorter and shorter and in some latitudes disappeared entirely. This is when Strength would be essential as well as a good sense of how the cycles of nature progress. And here is where the twin symbolism comes into focus.

Early astronomers observed the heavens and watched as the morning stars would disappear into the sun and then a 'twin' star would appear in the early evening sky. The moon would also do this as day by day it became thinner and thinner in the early morning hours just before dawn and then would disappear into the sun in the eastern sky only for its 'twin' to appear in the early western sky during sunset. During the full moon cycle of Gemini it is the waning sun itself that disappears into the body of the Great Mother with the promise of a new waxing sun which would be born at Winter Solstice.

In the image of the Strength card we see the Egyptian twins (usually twin lions) Shu and Tufnut with the sky goddess Nut. Shu (the Egyptian Atlas) who often took the form of a man holds up the sky goddess Nut. The Sun was thought to have been devoured each night by Shu's twin sister Tufnut who took the form of a lion. In the image of Strength we see the sun being devoured by Tufnut as it heads toward point of Winter Solstice on the analemma (figure eight). In the story of Shu and Tufnut it is Shu that also takes the sun back from his sister each morning and places it back in the sky. This is really a beautiful metiphor for the relationship of these twins. the female twin in the darkest month takes the 'light' into her body (to protect it?) and her brother returns it to the sky (when the time is right?). I couldn't help but see images of the traditional images ofthe Herculean Strength in this Egyptian myth. Coupling this image with full moon cycle of Gemini seemed to be good fit with the idea of twins. As well as the use of lucky,expanding and indulgent Jupiter energies to get us through the darkest month of the year by focusing on preparations for the pending celebration of the sun's return.

This card also explores the 'Oneness' of all things, eternity, and being a part of another, soulmates, twinsouls and relationships that continue beyond time and space. All very appropriate for a month full of many cross cultural holiday traditions. Remembering the source for all family traditions whether great or small begins with single couples in love who combined their family traditions into their own.

Julie

New Moon in Scorpio Monday November 20th

This year the last moon phase for the month of the Full moon in Taurus cycle is the new moon phase. This sets a tone for the need to tie up loose ends before moving forward to something new. The new moon phase symbolizes the point where something is ending and something new is just beginning, the moon literally becomes completely dark from our point of view as it merges with the sun and then slowly becomes visible again as it moves past the sun and begins to catch more and more light.

The month of Full moon of Gemini cycle begins on Wednesday. For more information visit:
http://www.newmoontradingco.com/moon/fullmoongemini.htm

The Five of Swords is a tricky card that tells us, looks can be deceiving and sometimes people, places or things we trust can end up being unpredictable. This is a good card for warning us to keep our eyes open not everyone is playing by the rules. This is the time of the year when weather can also be unpredictable being unseasonably warm or cold. The surrounding landscape can do strange things too. For example our forsythia decided to bloom.

The moon in Scorpio beckons us to look into the unknown a little further... to connect with what we are attracted to. To do what we have always wanted to do. Sometimes what we are attracted to can be more than we bargained for, provoking us into new and greater awareness as well as personal growth.

For deeper insights into the lessons of Scorpio moon check into:

5 of Wands- last quarter moon in Scorpio with unraveling and resolving energies- The mock battle

Queen of Cups- full moon in Scorpio with complete and giving energies -the newly married wife

6 of Coins First -quarter moon in Scorpio with creative and developing energies- the gift

Have a great week,
Julie

MAAT Tarot-Cards of the Week- 7 of Swords

Week of the last quarter moon in Leo

"The last quarter moon phase symbolizes the power of an acute awareness of ideals and high standards and the implementation of these standards into daily life. Disappointment can occur if these standards are not met."

7 of Swords

The 7 of swords shows us the many layers of being human. There is the self image and the image that the world perceives, the masks we wear to hide or protect ourselves from being hurt, or the masks we wear to project an image we would like the world to see. The mask of age that hides who we were in our youth. We have emotional layers and intellectual layers and there is the physical layer/body that is the container for our immortal soul, the physical body that is our vehicle so we can fulfill the tasks we choose to fulfill in a material world.

This card often warns against theft and speaks of protecting against theft. But if we are strong in the understanding of our self and what our needs are then death is the only real thief and even in death we find we are part of the greater whole. However, there are those who would steal our energy and time to fill their own emptiness. Their emptiness is due to the fact that they are themselves leaking energy and are not whole within themselves. They would seek your energy to fill themselves with, but of course this will not keep them full. As long as they are still leaking energy thus wasting your energy and more of theirs. It is up to you to have good boundaries and recognize a situation when you are encountering an energy vampire. Knowing what you are willing and not willing to give or do, will keep your energy and your self intact. You were not put here to work someone else's 'will'.

The 7 swords in this card represent the 7 main chakras of the human system which align with points on the body. Chakra means Wheel in Sanskrit. For more information on Chakras visit:

http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras.html

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To go deeper into a better understanding of the Leo moon energies in MAAT Tarot. We can look to other Leo cards which are The Chariot full moon cycle of Leo. The King of Wands full moon in Leo. The 6 of Cups first quarter moon in Leo. And the 7 of Coins new moon in Leo.

The Chariot- speaks of polarity and the recognition of opposites; solar and lunar, male and female, yin and yang, right brained and left brained, even republican and democrat. It symbolizes polarity within the 'system'. Whether the system is a government, a community, a family, a mechanism or the greater universe itself. It is the polarity that keeps the system/the chariot moving.



King of Wands(full moon)-represents the politician, the fraternity brother, the poet, the statesmen, the writer. The man who with his words and his comrades creates change.

6 of Cups(first quarter moon)-represents emotional patterns we learn from our parents, our community, our environment, our childhood relationships and our traditions. These patterns for better or worse color our behavior flavor our expectations of self and others. These memories of emotional imprints can play a huge unconscious role in our adult life.

7 of Coins(new moon in Leo)-represents the sacred as we find it within ourselves and within others. This card helps us to understand that we are each a part of the divine and our work is sacred. It teaches about the seven sacred directions; east, south, west, north, above, below, and equally important the within.



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Other cards still in play this week...

Ace of Swords

The season of Autumn, the element of Fire, deconstruction, the harvest, the increasing darkness, and the journey within. It is with intense heat of Fire and great effort and patience that metal is extracted from the rock. The suit of Swords symbolizes this transformation. With heat, strength and skill the smith creates the tools that transform the lives of his people. These powerful tools are then used to transform life or destroy it. The suit of Swords in MAAT Tarot faces living with the bittersweet reality of our mortality. It is Love that gives us the pain of loss and Love that moves us to go beyond and face the fire of our own transformation. What is it that inspires us to look with in the rock for the prize within?

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Full Moon Cycle of Taurus

Death

Planetary ruler Pluto

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Tuesday October 31st

Samhain/Halloween

Judgment


to purchase the 7 of Swords original painting

http://www.newmoontradingco.com/pips.htm

This article may be reproduced for the purpose of personal or group study of the MAAT Tarot.

Post election day Blues...two steps forward one step back

Well I read a very good article from one of my yahoo lists and thought I would share it here.
At least some people are speaking up!! Thanks Sam Harris keep up the good work!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15566391/site/newsweek/

A Dissent: The Case Against Faith

By Sam Harris
Newsweek
Nov. 13, 2006 issue - Despite a full century of scientific insights attesting to the antiquity of life and the greater antiquity of the Earth, more than half the American population believes that the entire cosmos was created 6,000 years ago. This is, incidentally, about a thousand years after the Sumerians invented glue. Those with the power to elect presidents and congressmen-and many who themselves get elected-believe that dinosaurs lived two by two upon Noah's Ark, that light from distant galaxies was created en route to the Earth and that the first members of our species were fashioned out of dirt and divine breath, in a garden with a talking snake, by the hand of an invisible God.

This is embarrassing. But add to this comedy of false certainties the fact that 44 percent of Americans are confident that Jesus will return to Earth sometime in the next 50 years, and you will glimpse the terrible liability of this sort of thinking. Given the most common interpretation of Biblical prophecy, it is not an exaggeration to say that nearly half the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. It should be clear that this faith-based nihilism provides its adherents with absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization-economically, environmentally or geopolitically. Some of these people are lunatics, of course, but they are not the lunatic fringe. We are talking about the explicit views of Christian ministers who have congregations numbering in the tens of thousands. These are some of the most influential, politically connected and well-funded people in our society.

It is, of course, taboo to criticize a person's religious beliefs. The problem, however, is that much of what people believe in the name of religion is intrinsically divisive, unreasonable and incompatible with genuine morality. One of the worst things about religion is that it tends to separate questions of right and wrong from the living reality of human and animal suffering. Consequently, religious people will devote immense energy to so-called moral problems-such as gay marriage-where no real suffering is at issue, and they will happily contribute to the surplus of human misery if it serves their religious beliefs.

A case in point: embryonic-stem-cell research is one of the most promising developments in the last century of medicine. It could offer therapeutic breakthroughs for every human ailment (for the simple reason that stem cells can become any tissue in the human body), including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, severe burns, etc. In July, President George W. Bush used his first veto to deny federal funding to this research. He did this on the basis of his religious faith. Like millions of other Americans, President Bush believes that "human life starts at the moment of conception." Specifically, he believes that there is a soul in every 3-day-old human embryo, and the interests of one soul-the soul of a little girl with burns over 75 percent of her body, for instance-cannot trump the interests of another soul, even if that soul happens to live inside a petri dish. Here, as ever, religious dogmatism impedes genuine wisdom and compassion.

A 3-day-old human embryo is a collection of 150 cells called a blastocyst. There are, for the sake of comparison, more than 100,000 cells in the brain of a fly. The embryos that are destroyed in stem-cell research do not have brains, or even neurons. Consequently, there is no reason to believe they can suffer their destruction in any way at all. The truth is that President Bush's unjustified religious beliefs about the human soul are, at this very moment, prolonging the scarcely endurable misery of tens of millions of human beings.

Given our status as a superpower, our material wealth and the continuous advancements in our technology, it seems safe to say that the president of the United States has more power and responsibility than any person in history. It is worth noting, therefore, that we have elected a president who seems to imagine that whenever he closes his eyes in the Oval Office-wondering whether to go to war or not to go to war, for instance-his intuitions have been vetted by the Creator of the universe. Speaking to a small group of supporters in 1999, Bush reportedly said, "I believe God wants me to be president." Believing that God has delivered you unto the presidency really seems to entail the belief that you cannot make any catastrophic mistakes while in office. One question we might want to collectively ponder in the future: do we really want to hand the tiller of civilization to a person who thinks this way?

© 2006 MSNBC.com

Card of the Week -Princess of Swords

Week of the Full Moon in Taurus
"The full moon phase indicates generosity and the need to give to others. There is an intuitive objective understanding of the self and others."

Princess of Swords
Planetary ruler Pluto(the now defunct ruler of the underworld too?;-))

The full moon known in these parts as the Hunter's Moon. It is the time of the year when the white tail deer goes into the 'rut'. They are active at night with the light of the moon and then become hungry during the middle of the day which causes them to come into the sights of the hunter.
Before there were hunting regulations... and you have to go way back almost to hunter gather societies for this sort of freedom. You would be hunting for your food and you would pretty much be living on what you were skilled enough to catch and kill. There would be a bit of mystery to the hunt as you never would know what was going to offer itself to you. You might leave a bit of bait out to lure in hungry prey. You would have to be very in tune with the behaviors of the animals. What skills or senses you lacked may have been enhanced with the use of hunting animals like dogs or falcons.
When the Princess of Swords comes up in your spread you may want to ask yourself. What am I on the hunt for? Does my hunt stem from an actual need?
What skills do I have to assist me on my hunt. What friends can I bring along to assist me. Will I show gratitude for what I am given. What is my bait to draw in what I need? How will I preserve my quarry and who will I share my prize with?
Have a good week,
Julie

for more information visit:
http://www.newmoontradingco.com/moon/fullmoontaurus.htm

See vintage Julie 30 years of painting evolution 1976-2006
a project for Mercury retrograde...
http://www.newmoontradingco.com/new/vintagejulieindex.htm

Card of the Week -6 of Swords

First Quarter Moon in Aquarius
6 of Swords

Planetary ruler Pluto

The First Quarter moon in Aquarius has a humanitarian quality as it suggests helping someone who is going through an emotionally turbulent time get to a place of peace. This week is also the week of Samhain when the veil between the two worlds is thinnest. This is a good week for doing rituals honoring loved ones who have passed. As we approach the doorway between summer and winter when the laws of time are suspended this is a good time for doing readings as well. Mercury retrograde also invites us to redo, revisit and generally catch up with projects and other things we have fallen behind on.

The 6 of Swords for me it is a personal card. The first quarter moon in Aquarius is my natal card. I am a Scorpio with an Aquarius moon. So this card is a birth card and its symbol has played out in my life.

One thing that I think is important for people to do is take notice of all the Aquarian moon cards(The Star, the King of Coins, the 7 of Cups, and the 7 of Wands all have a river prominent in the image... see the star for the deeper meaning of the river)

The original colors for this image came from a cheap abstract hotel print in a hotel room my husband and my kids and I were staying in the color combination caught my eye and I drew it out as patches of color with the name of the color penciled in. I took that piece of paper home with me and used it.
The basic layout is from a painting by Mary Cassatt called The Boating Party(1893-94). The color for the water and the water itself was influenced by Benjamin West(1778) a painting called The Battle of La Hogue as well as John Singleton Copley's Watson and the Shark (also 1778).

The island is supposed to look like a woman's body( Mother Earth) but is also meant to represent the island of Avalon( Summerland or Appleland)
The island where Arthur was taken by the 3 queens at his death. It also represents the land of the dead. The sun was intended to be setting and my original intension was that the boatman was taking her and her son to this mythical island like the famed Charon who ferried the dead across the Styx.

This card as a mirror of my own life, illustrates my spiritual journey as a young adult(at age 21) I was spiritually reawakened by a man(my teacher in college who taught Native American Studies) whose last name was actually Boatman, during a time when I was a newly divorced and a single mom on my own with my young (18 month old) son. This encounter started me on my spiritual path and rekindled my interests in all things metaphysical.

My husband Peter's comment which shattered my original intention was that the man was rowing away from the island and not to the island as I had intended. This which was not apparent to me while creating this image also had meaning.

And these are the secrets of the 6 of Swords.
Julie

Visit Aeclectic Tarot for the MAAT Tarot Study Group, join in the discussion
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=909192#post909192

MAAT Tarot is HERE!!!!

The truck just dropped off my new decks and books. I opened the boxes
and claimed a deck and book for myself. THEY ARE AWESOME!!! Big
and shiny and GREAT. Just what I wanted. BETTER even!!! I am going to sit with them for
a while and then start signing and packing them getting them ready to ship!!!

Julie doing a happy dance....
finally!!!!

Breaking News on MAAT Tarot

The MAAT Tarot will finally be in my hands on
Monday September 18th!!! I will start shipping
immediatelyon Tuesday September 19th (2 to
3 day priority mail in the states and global
priority everyone else!!) The timing should
allow people who pre-ordered to jump into this
calendar deck right at the beginning which is
The full moon cycle of Aries which starts
Sept 23rd( next weekend) on the Autumnal Equinox.

So this is your absolute last chance to get a
"signed and numbered" deck and book at the
pre-order price. All signed and numbered
deck sets will increase in price starting Tuesday.

Julie :-)

Peace

Spent the day quietly at home alone. This is rare during the rush of Summer.
Everyone was gone busy doing something. My plans to join the activity disolved
and I embraced the idea of staying home and working on an unfinished project. I sat and enjoyed
some classic old movies as a blue silk bodice for my colonial gown took shape.
My mind wondered to days gone by and to future events and back to what my hands were
doing. Handsewing can be like the shaman's drum.

The Big Wheel

I've been having a splendid dialog with a nice Druid from Wales this morning and he sent me a diagram of the Fire Festivals of the Druids(cross-quarter-days) The chart is set up with Yule at the top and the Summer Solstice on the bottom the Equinoxes are balanced on the left and right sides. Like compass points, Yule is north and Summer Solstice is south. The vernal Equinox is in the east(right) and Autumnal in the west(left). This makes good sense and is drawn out opposite of my chart for MAAT.

The same thing with the same meanings just drawn out opposite. My chart takes on the likeness of an astrological chart where the 'night' is on the bottom half of the wheel and the 'day' is on the top half. The rising (sign) is to the left and the descendant is at the right. We are on the same page here though.

MAAT Tarot goes to press

Didn't write in yesterday due to the crazy busy-ness of the day. All final corrections for MAAT Tarot were completed and I had
to give them all one last look though and approval. The box and book dimensions were finalized and I had to re-adjust my designs for both. I finally finished everything this morning after burning the midnight oil until after 1:30am. I have not seen
the whole completed product yet but have seen how the box will be in the form of a blank box with blank shrink wrapped cards.
The cards are BIG like the first edition Blue Moon Tarot, but not so big that they are uncomfortable to handle and shuffle.
The cardstock is the same as the 2nd edition Blue Moon cards but having more cards makes the deck feel so much better.
The book looked great all the corrections were made after having been proof read and reread 5 times. There still may be something I missed but I am pretty sure every detail is what I intended now.

My first day with a blog!

Well this is the first day for my blog I am not sure if a waning moon in my opposing sign is a good time to start something.
But here goes anyway...
I am just days away from seeing the final proofs for the MAAT Tarot cards. The book is done being proofed and I am happy with the results I have seen so far. I am anxious to see the cover completed and the box.
I worked on a powerpoint presentation that I may or may not be able to use at LATS. But I think it is a good idea to have it.
The last minute split decisions I have had to make on the publication of MAAT has been nerve racking. I am always worried i will make some tremendous mistake and blow the whole project. But my guides have been very good to me and let me know my worst mistakes which I caught in the Nick of time, like having new moon in Capricorn for the 10 of coins instead of new moon in Cancer. That could have ruined the whole deck for me. But it was caught and I can breath easy for now. There are so many details and so many things that have to be just right. when its all perfect it looks easy and when there is a stupid mistake somewhere, well it all seems to say, if she was wrong about this then what else is she wrong about...?
Julie