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When I was trying to learn Tarot, one of the most frustrating aspects were cards that looked alike or seemed to convey the same type of energy.

Some similarities I struggled with included:

The Minor Arcana of the Tarot is the least explored cards in the deck (including the Court Cards). Even in scholarly works such as Robert Place's The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, the Minor Arcana (Ace through Ten) and Court Cards (Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings) are lucky to get a few sentences dedicated to them.

For instance, take this brief entry on the Nine of Pentacles:

Update: Both decks offered below have been claimed. But watch my own sites—their links are below—because I'll give the rest of the decks away there, bit by bit as I have the chance to photograph and post about 'em. The post below will remain, in case you want a sense of the giveaways I'm doing. Thanks for participating, this was fun for me! Blessed be. End of update

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I am giving away two divination decks.

Backstory: Thirty-plus years as a spiritual counselor has led me to use a wide variety of decks.

But when gifted a huge collection of divination decks recently, I decided to pass on the handful that don't resonate with me. Receiving so many divination decks was a gift of bounty. It felt right to share the gift by only keeping decks I'd use.

Tonight is the night where the clocks fall back for most of North America. It's a fabulous time for ritual, because you can use the time change to your advantage to 'eat' something that you want banished from your life, and then recreate things the way that you would like to see them unfold. The fact that this happens over Samhain makes the work even more powerful! All you need is a deck of tarot cards, and some staying power, as you're going to be up late!

Preparation for this is easy. Before the appointed time--02:00--determine what you would like to rid from your life (I already have mine planned, I celebrated it's demise last night). Choose a card that represents that. For instance, if you are holding on too tightly to something that needs to be surrendered, you might want to choose the four of pentacles. Maybe you've got a personality trait of being too stubborn, and you want to learn to be more flexible; the king or queen of swords might be an appropriate card for that. You're going to have to know your cards a bit, but really, any card that resonates with what you want to see leave your life can be used. 

So last week I picked up a copy of Marcus Katz's 'The Ghost Train,' and I'm working through it. While Marcus actually recommends that you make it a study running up to the ending for Halloween, I'm doing it according to my traditions, and incorporating All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day, with the final part ending (for me) on Monday.

Even though this is recommended for over the Samhain period, this exercise can be done at any time of year. All you need is the book (available through Amazon Kindle), and your favorite deck of tarot cards. It uses 'gated' tarot spreads, meaning that each spread must be experienced before moving onto the next one. It's a very well thought out process, and one that allows the querent to gather an in-depth way of experiencing clarity and deeper self-awareness. This particular book links the past to the present, helping the querent to better understand past experiences, in order to use them as a foundation for future awareness. 

In the Tarot, the symbol of the scales of Justice implies some type of "balance". But, so does the juggler balancing coins in the 2 of Pentacles card--or the "middle of the road" energy of Temperance.

What about grief and sorrow? We have the 3 of Swords (impaled heart), 9 of Swords (sitting up in bed, head in hands) and 5 of Cups (spilled goblets and a downcast posture).

Who are your ancestors and how should your honor them? Pagan organizations seek aid from the community in the form of fundraising. And a Pagan icon is mourned. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about the Pagan community. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!