TRICK OR TAROT
As I write this post on the first day of October, it is another beautiful day in the paradise that is South Florida. Our weather is still hot and humid and will continue to be so for another few months, but if you’ve lived here long enough, you can actually detect a certain change in the air. It’s hot but not stultifying. There is often a light, cool, breeze in the evening, and some days it’s just a little less humid. We’re over a week into the Libra season and the beauty and balance of this Venus-ruled sign has gifted me with a wonderful week of feeling – well, happy to be alive! I’ve also been stalked by a card that serves as Justice in my current deck of the month: The Trick or Tarot. I keep drawing ‘Adjustment’ (aka Justice). How fitting, since the tarot correspondence to the astrological sign of Libra is Justice and we are deep in the heart of Libra right now.
As I have shared in the past, I change my tarot deck each month to use for a daily Card of the Day draw and in October, I pull out a deck that has a dark or Halloween theme. Some of my favorites are Baba Studio’s Bohemian Gothic Tarot and I also love the Santa Muerte, themed on the cult of “Our Lady of Holy Death”, that combines traditional aspects of Catholicism with ancient Aztec religiosity. And of course, who doesn’t love the awesome Halloween Tarot with its pumpkin pentacles and bats for swords? But this year I am enthralled with an indie deck I acquired a few years ago from the amazingly creative Doug Thornejo at Duck Soup Productions –the aforementioned Trick or Tarot. The good news is that you can still get this deck. The bad news is that indie decks aren’t cheap, but here’s a link just in case you’re having a good harvest this year! https://tarotbyducksoup.com/products/trick-or-tarot-halloween-themed-tarot-pack
Reading the companion guide, Trick or Tarot Bogie Book, it’s clear that like me, Doug loves Halloween. The art is based on vintage Halloween greeting cards and poster art. As the creator/author has noted, he is not always true to the esoteric meaning of the tarot as put forth by, say the traditions of the Golden Dawn, but “care was taken in their design to represent their path in other ways”, specifically other ways that evoke the spirit of Halloween. When I use the deck, I find that the cards are often delightful in their ability to depict quite literally what’s happening in someone’s life. One client was feeling a bit manipulated by a boyfriend and she pulled the nine of wands, wherein the heroine is shown being carried by a figure in a mask. Is this happening against her will? One must study the surrounding cards to find out!
Anyway, back to my ‘stalker’ card. Since I pulled this deck out (I’ll confess, I’ve been shuffling this deck for a week already) the Adjustment card has shown up almost daily. At first my mind would do the conversion to the classic tarot card (“Oh, that’s Justice, something’s in harmony or balance or needs to be.”) but it finally clicked that this card is named Adjustment. I can certainly relate to how adjustment has shown up in my life in spades the past few months. The AC bit the dust, a suspicious discoloration of my tile floor proved to be an expensive water pipe leak, and I had a sudden serious health issue. All of these things have been/are being managed just fine, thank you, but there were certainly some Adjustments to be made!
But just to be thorough, I also considered meanings for Justice. Justice can be about an ethical or legal issue, or some sense of accountability. Some readers note that this card may point to issues of karma. How I relate to that energy is that there was a balancing of the scales and more critically for me, a need to weigh things rationally in order to solve them. The sword of justice might enable me to cut through the distress and negative energy but in this deck, it’s not a sword, it’s a wand with a star on the end of it. Very cool. I had a tough time but I was able to be my own fairy godmother and ‘wave my magic wand’ to deal with all of those issues. I would consider that to be quite a successful adjustment!
As we come upon a time of year that has become synonymous with such seemingly divergent energies - mischievous fun and death - I encourage you to pull out your own decks with a Halloween vibe and have some fun. Some unpleasant things may be inevitable in life, which is all the more reason to roll with it and look for the fun where we can.
