Read an Excerpt
Why Tarot?
The tarot has been used for fortunetelling, for people to try to see what the future holds. But this is not the best use of the cards, for the future is not set in stone, and you do have the power to make your own fortune. You can use the tarot to see what happened in the past that is affecting your present. You can see what is happening now that you should be aware of. And you can, it is true, see what the probable future holds — but that future is always being remade with every moment that passes. Within those moments, you can make decisions that will change the future.
Why is the tarot so effective? What makes the tarot different from any other deck of cards? The tarot is not a random collection of pretty pictures and odd names. It is a carefully designed deck that covers all aspects of the human experience—from major events like graduating college to everyday happenings like having an argument with a loved one. It can even show personality traits of yourself or of other people in your life.
How does it do that? A tarot deck has seventy-eight cards divided into three main parts: the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana, and the court cards. Each of these sections covers a different aspect of life. Arcana means "mystery" or "secret."
The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana are identified by a name (like the Magician, the Empress, Death, or the Sun) and a Roman numeral. The images on the Major Arcana show the major events in life. They serve as signposts defining where you are on your path. You can also use them for insight about what to expect when facing these major events.
The Minor Arcana is made up of forty cards. They are divided into four suits—Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles—with an ace through ten in each suit. Each card is labeled with its number and suit. The Minor Arcana show events and situations that we face in everyday life. Each of the suits focuses on a different part of everyday life, such as career, emotions, problems, and money. While they lack the star appeal of the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana do make up the majority of your life. Don't make the mistake, as some do, of thinking they are second-rate cards.
There are sixteen court cards, with a king, a queen, a knight, and a page for each of the suits in the Minor Arcana. Each card, like the Minors, is labeled with its title and suit. These cards show both the various people in our lives and the different aspects of our own personality.
Because of the tarot's unique design, it defines all aspects of the human experience incredibly well. The tarot consists of more than words, more than card names and simple interpretations that cleanly and conveniently label these experiences—for life is anything but clean and convenient. The words do provide a framework and basic understanding, but the pictures on the cards are essential to the tarot's power. It's when you look at the pictures that the magic happens.
Often when you think you don't know what to do, you really do. But fear or logic or what other people think gets in the way. The tarot can help you get past those things and find the answers in your heart. To get to those answers, you need a bridge, a place where your heart can communicate with your mind. Sometimes this place is called the imagination—where you can entertain different possibilities. The pictures on the tarot cards create a connection between your conscious mind and your inner self, a space where you can access the answers that reside in your heart. When you are in this realm, you can see things that normally are hidden. Possibilities and answers that seemed so elusive before are now more accessible.
The names of the cards and the structure of the deck into sections are orderly and rational. They are the language of your conscious mind and help it feel more comfortable. The pictures are the language of your inner self. When you put the words and pictures together, you have the tarot—a perfect bridge between your mind and your heart. When doing your readings and interpreting the cards, remember that the words in this book are here to help you—though they will not have all the answers. To get the complete story, you must look carefully at the pictures and let your mind play with the images. Pay attention to things that stand out. The thoughts and feelings that are triggered by the images may very well mean more to you than the words in this book.
As amazing as the tarot is, there is something different and more powerful when faeries are added, especially when the faeries inhabit a world created by Linda Ravenscroft. While the faeries she paints are without question intensely beautiful, they are more than that, in both style and substance. Stylistically, she presents complex and compelling images that provide not just a bridge but also a veritable playground for your imagination. Her work invites you to explore the depths of the faerie garden and to interact with the beings inhabiting it. It more than invites; it compels. Linda's art creates a luminous portal that more fully draws you into a realm of otherworldliness so that you can let go and be open to all possibilities.
If her only achievement were stylistic, that would be quite enough to set Mystic Faerie apart from other tarot decks. However, she brings deeper substance as well. While creating this deck, Linda said, "I believe that we all have a little bit of faerie magic within our hearts helping us to make the right decisions in our lives. I hope that my paintings help people to stop and think a little, yet still find some comfort and hope within their everyday lives. I have always associated the fae hand in hand with nature, guardians of the world — the images I am trying to portray are those of a wise, caring, proud race of people, all of whom have blood ties to nature in one way or another."
The Mystic Faerie Tarot is inhabited by faeries who are part of the natural world in a way we can only hope to be. We are separated by that which makes us human—our self-consciousness and self-awareness. Yet it is our heart's desire to be connected and in balance with nature. At a psychological level and probably even more so at the soul level, the desire to be connected with the universe is what drives us. Our religious and spiritual beliefs and our stories and myths all speak to this desire.
Alas, we cannot fully connect with nature in the same way as the fae. But we can achieve a sense of balance and flow with the universe. During the times in our lives when we feel certain and confident of our choices, when we know we are following our hearts, that is when our relationship with the universe, with nature, is in balance. When we are floundering, uncertain, or confused, we have lost our balance.
The fae of the Mystic Faerie Tarot believe that people with a strong connection to nature make balanced, healthy choices that consequently add to the health and balance of the universe. As guardians of the natural world, it furthers their cause to help us stay in proper relationship with ourselves, each other, and the world at large.
As you shuffle and lay out the cards, you may seem to wander at random through the faerie garden. But when using this deck, you can be assured that nothing is random; the faeries are guiding you toward your right path.
Linda has created a superbly and intricately designed tool to help you find what you seek and so much more. Without further ado, let us visit the faerie garden and see what adventures await!
