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I distinctly remember my first Tarot deck and the sense of anticipation, “danger,” and intrigue it held for me. I was about 13 when I got it, a Rider-Waite in the yellow box, and I did NOT like it. I never connected with the deck, the book that I also got was way too esoteric and, frankly, boring, and I didn’t find the images compelling at all. This experience set me “off” of the tarot for a long time. I discovered other oracle systems I greatly enjoyed, such as Crone Stones, I bonded powerfully with Womanrunes and wrote a book about them, but I felt like Tarot and me were just not a match. Ah, then…The Gaian Tarot. One afternoon in 2013, I was turning over some issues of leadership, power, group dynamics, and “warrior priestessing” and, for a reason I no longer recall, decided to do an online reading using the Gaian Soul website. Now THIS, this was a deck with which I could connect. The images. The earthy-messages, the goddess roots. I fell in love. I ordered the deck and began to regularly use the cards, enjoying many profound and illuminating experiences with them. So, when I found out a new edition was being released I was thrilled to review it!

Since I have and love the older edition of the Gaian Tarot, my first instinct when receiving the new one was to compare the two and the new edition does not disappoint. The cards are larger and thicker and edged with silver.

There are no humans in my deck. Animals just make more sense. -- Emi Brady, creator of The Brady Tarot

Hello symbol lovers!

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Welcome to the first of the 2017 Tarot Blog Hops. This is our seventh Imbolc hop. We began in 2012 with the question, "How can I be a better candle?" This hop was begun as a way to highlight the online Tarot community's commitment to working together rather than against one another. I'm so very proud that we are still doing this! Every six weeks, any where from 10-30 of us gather to share our thoughts on one topic. We love new bloggers too so please come join us. We are a Facebook-based group that maintains a very tight focus on the topic.

I'm the wrangler for this particular hop. The topic is "How can I best foster the energy of the Aces in my life?"

Apologies for the long hiatus in posting here at Broomstix on Pagansquare. Like most folks, I (Natalie) found 2016 to be a bit of a challenging year--in good ways, and... some not so good ways. Many good things happened, for me, particularly, the release of Magical Destinations of the Northeast in October was a high point, but it was bittersweet. I lost several family members and friends in 2016, including two beloved mentors, one of my contributors to Magical Destinations of the Northeast, and my Aunt Vinnie and Uncle John... It seems that everyone has had something last year. LAST, being the operative word.

So here's what's happening at broomstix ♥ The Broomstix Blog at Blogspot is finally being shaped into the archive I envisioned. I'm currently in the process of sorting all of the material by category, and where possible by sabbat and season. Have a look at the TAROT page which features Claire Cunnington's very cool tutorial, illustrated with Robin Ator's Ator Tarot, all together and complete for the first time!

Card images used in this article are from the exciting new Midcenturian Tarot by Madam Clara. Visit her Etsy shop here to snag your very own copy.

Tarot can be used for so much more than just divination. In fact, my favorite use of the cards is for focused intention and manifestation. Want to expand a particular energy in your life? Enhance an area? Invite more? Then consciously choose the card/s that represent whatever it is you want to attract; don’t rely on randomness or blind “Card of the Day” pulls to guess what it is you really want. (That’s a bit like wanting to make a specific recipe, going into a grocery store blindfolded and then pulling things off the shelves for your order!).

"Some decks may be stacked against us...but this deck is ours. Our Tarot."

Just came across this fabulous feminist Tarot deck on Kickstarter, highlighting 78 powerful women from history. 

Emily Dickinson as The Hermit, Hildegard of Bingen as The High Priestess, Josephine Baker as the Queen of Wands, Joan of Arc as The Fool, Harriet Tubman as The Chariot, Abigail Williams (one of the primary initial accusers at the Salem Witch Trials) as The Devil--doesn't Our Tarot sound delicious?

Tarot--the highly-symbolic set of cards that serves divination, meditation, pathworking, inspiration, creativity and illumination--is a "fringe" practice that, to some extent, is becoming more mainstream...just like Paganism in all it's diverse, vibrant expressions.

And because both expressions are "fringe" (meaning we tend to be objects of ridicule, exclusion and/or marginalization), we need to support one another.